Reprogramming Cancer Cells into Normal Somatic Cells
Cell reprogramming involves changing the expression of top-level regulatory genes, picking targets that will radically change cell form and function. Given a suitable recipe, many of which have been established, forms of cell reprogramming can be used to change somatic cells into stem cells, or change somatic cells of one type into somatic cells of another type. In the other direction, numerous approaches can be used to guide stem cells into differentiating into varieties of somatic cell.
A cancerous cell adopts some of the characteristics of a stem cell, primarily the unrestricted replication that is the hallmark o...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 26, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Beyond CBD: Here come the other cannabinoids, but where ’s the evidence?
In the span of a few years, the component of cannabis called CBD (cannabidiol) went from being a relatively obscure molecule to a healthcare fad that has swept the world, spawning billions in sales, millions of users, CBD workout clothing, pillowcases, hamburgers, ice cream — you name it. The concerns of such a rapid adoption are that enthusiasm might be soaring high above the actual science, and that there are safety issues, such as drug interactions, that are given short shrift in the enthusiasm to treat chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and many of the other conditions that CBD is believed to help alleviate.
Cannabis, ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 23, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Peter Grinspoon, MD Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Drugs and Supplements Fatigue Marijuana Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Racial disparities and early-onset colorectal cancer: A call to action
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the US. Thanks in large part to increased screening of those over age 50 in last decade, overall CRC rates have been falling among the general population. However, the incidence of CRC among younger individuals in the US is rising at an alarming rate. Over the past 20 years, the rate of CRC has increased by 2.2% per year in people under age 50. Hidden within these statistics are the significant disparities in CRC incidence and outcomes that exist for African Americans.
Compared to whites, African Americans have a 20% higher in...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrew Chan, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Digestive Disorders Health care disparities Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 8th 2021
Conclusion
Coupled with the animal data, and the existing human trial data for safety, the results here suggests that someone should run a formal, controlled trial of flagellin immunization in older people, 65 and over. The goal would be to see whether (a) this sort of outcome holds up in a larger group of people, and (b) there is a meaningful impact on chronic inflammation and other parameters of health that are known to be affected by the aging of the gut microbiome.
The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species in Aging is Complex
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2021/03/the-role-of-reactive-oxygen-species-in-a...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 7, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
The SREBP Pathway is a Mechanism by which Cancers Subvert Regulatory T Cells
Cancers subvert the immune system in a variety of ways, such as in order to aid growth, or suppress the immune response normally triggered by the presence of cancerous cells. Regulatory T cells are involved in halting the immune response after it is has done its job, and in preventing autoimmunity, in which the immune system attacks the body. This role is abused in cancerous tissue in order to protect the cancer from the immune system. Researchers here identify some of the controlling biochemistry that makes regulatory T cells behave differently in this scenario. The mechanism appears distinct enough, operating only in can...
Source: Fight Aging! - March 3, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, March 1st 2021
This study may have important implications for preventing cell senescence and aging-induced tendinopathy, as well as for the selection of novel therapeutic targets of chronic tendon diseases.
Our results showed that the treatment of bleomycin, a DNA damaging agent, induced rat patellar TSC (PTSC) cellular senescence. The senescence was characterized by an increase in the senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity, as well as senescence-associated changes in cell morphology. On the other hand, rapamycin could extend lifespan in multiple species, including yeast, fruit flies, and mice, by decelerating DNA damage ...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 28, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Chadwick Boseman: a tale of two cancers in America [PODCAST]
“Separated by less than a month (Boseman on August 28th and Ginsburg on September 18th) and both due to gastrointestinal cancers (Boseman had colon cancer and Ginsburg had pancreatic cancer), the situations of Ginsburg ’s and Boseman’s deaths is emblematic of the racial disparity in American health outcomes. Boseman was African American/Black and was diagnosed with […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - February 27, 2021 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/the-podcast-by-kevinmd" rel="tag" > The Podcast by KevinMD < /a > < /span > Tags: Podcast Oncology/Hematology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, February 15th 2021
This study assessed cancer risk associations for 3 recently developed methylation-based biomarkers of aging: PhenoAge, GrimAge, and predicted telomere length.
We observed relatively strong associations of age-adjusted PhenoAge with risk of colorectal, kidney, lung, mature B-cell, and urothelial cancers. Similar findings were obtained for age-adjusted GrimAge, but the association with lung cancer risk was much larger, after adjustment for smoking status, pack-years, starting age, time since quitting, and other cancer risk factors. Most associations appeared linear, larger than for the first-generation measures, and w...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 14, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Correlating Cancer Risk with Epigenetic Age
This study assessed cancer risk associations for 3 recently developed methylation-based biomarkers of aging: PhenoAge, GrimAge, and predicted telomere length.
We observed relatively strong associations of age-adjusted PhenoAge with risk of colorectal, kidney, lung, mature B-cell, and urothelial cancers. Similar findings were obtained for age-adjusted GrimAge, but the association with lung cancer risk was much larger, after adjustment for smoking status, pack-years, starting age, time since quitting, and other cancer risk factors. Most associations appeared linear, larger than for the first-generation measures, and w...
Source: Fight Aging! - February 12, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Are early detection and treatment always best?
Throughout my medical career, I’ve heard statements like these:
Early detection offers the best chance of cure.
If you wait for symptoms, you’ve waited too long.
Knowledge is power, and the sooner you have the information, the better.
Over time, I’ve realized they are often untrue. Many health conditions go away on their own. In such cases, early testing may amount to wasted effort, time, and medical cost. Some testing is invasive and has a significant risk of complications. And minor abnormalities may lead to more testing. There’s also the anxiety of waiting for results, or learning you have an abnormality of unce...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 28, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Back Pain Heart Health Managing your health care Prevention Screening Tests and procedures Source Type: blogs
How is AI Impacting Health Care Today?
By John Halamka and Paul Cerrato*We are often asked this question during interviews, podcasts and speaking engagements. It ’s a complicated question that requires context. A closer look at the research and product offerings in digital health demonstrates that there are several high-quality, well-documented algorithms now available, but there are also several questionable vendors that have rushed to market with little evidence to support their claims. Separating the wheat from the chaff can be a full-time occupation.We recently received a press release from a large U.S. company highlighting a new AI system that may be abl...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - January 22, 2021 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, January 18th 2021
In this study, Desferal, deferoxamine mesylate for injection, which is approved for the treatment of acute iron intoxication and chronic iron overload, was used to explore the beneficial effects on preventing aging-induced bone loss and mitigating dysfunction of aged BMSCs. High-dose Desferal significantly prevented bone loss in aged rats. Compared with controls, the ex vivo experiments showed that short-term Desferal administration could promote the potential of BMSC growth and improve the rebalance of osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, as well as rejuvenate senescent BMSCs and revise the expression of stemness/se...
Source: Fight Aging! - January 17, 2021 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Why Won ’t the Doctor Do More Tests on Older Parent?
Photo Credit Unsplash
Dear Carol: My mom is 78 and she’s thrilled because her doctor told her that since she’s over 75, she’s done with taking colonoscopies and “a bunch of other tests.” I was alarmed, but she said that there’s not a lot of good to be gotten from the tests at her age, and there are risks in having them. Mom is healthy and I want to keep her that way. What if she develops colon cancer? Granted, she has no sign of any problem with her test last year, but the possibility still worries me. Is this policy just to save the health insurance companies money or is this ageism because older people ...
Source: Minding Our Elders - January 17, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Responding to Misinformation
By John Halamka and Paul CerratoThe singer/songwriter Paul Simon once penned the lyrics: A man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest (The Boxer). If that ’s the case, how do we respond to misinformation that contradicts the data/evidence guiding development of treatment and cures? If the only audience willing to read such articles are already critical thinkers, perhaps we are just preaching to the choir. And if by chance, a person who believes in controversial ideas does read articles based on real world evidence, will they consider them a one-sided discussion by the “medical-industrial es...
Source: Life as a Healthcare CIO - January 14, 2021 Category: Information Technology Source Type: blogs
Can I take something to prevent colorectal cancer?
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. There is compelling evidence that screening to detect CRC early to find and remove precancerous polyps can reduce CRC mortality. However, screening has associated harms, including procedural complications, and inherent limitations. For example, colonoscopy, the most common screening tool in the US, is less effective in preventing cancers of the right, or ascending side, of the colon compared with cancers of the left, or descending, side of the colon.
Moreover, only 60% of US adults recommended for screening actually follow through. Ev...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 13, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrew Chan, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Prevention Screening Source Type: blogs
