HIV Treatment Breakthrough Discovered by Israeli Scientists

As HIV transmission is reported to be “out of control” among gay men in France, Israeli researchers offer hope against the spread of the AIDS virus. A new treatment discovered at the Hebrew University’s Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and the Institute of Chemistry may have the ability to destroy HIV-infected human cells without damaging healthy ones.

Treatment Causes Infected Cells to Self-Destruct

Currently, there is no cure for AIDS, however current treatments have been developed to delay the development of the disease and make it more manageable. The new treatment fights HIV by causing infected cells to “self-destruct”, says Dr. Abraham Loyter who published his findings in the British journal AIDS Research and Therapy.

When the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) enters a cell, its DNA replicates which manufactures new virus that infects surrounding cells. The peptide treatment discovered by Dr. Loyter and his colleagues will interfere with this genetic replication by transmitting a signal to kill the infected cell. In human cell laboratory cultures, the infected cells disappeared in two weeks and did not reappear up to two weeks later.

The treatment developed by the team was patented earlier this year and they plan to start animal and human trials soon.

It is estimated that about 33 million people worldwide are carriers of HIV with the majority of those affected living in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the US, one million are estimated to be living with the virus while another half million have died. The latest figures from France, reported in the Lancet Infectious Disease journal, has found that 7,000 new cases of HIV were diagnosed in 2008 in France, nearly half of those in homosexual men.

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Better Vaccines for Tuberculosis Could Save Millions of Lives

Cases of one of the world's deadliest diseases—tuberculosis—are rising at an alarming rate, despite widespread vaccination. Reasons for the ineffectiveness of the vaccine, especially in regions where this infectious disease is endemic, as well as arguments for replacing the existing vaccine with novel synthetic vaccines, are presented in a review published online August 28th in Trends in Molecular Medicine.

"Tuberculosis is a global health threat, and it is a highly communicable disease that may influence practically anyone and everyone," says senior author Javed Agrewala of the CSIR-Institute of Microbial Technology in Chandigarh, India. "There is a serious need and challenge for the scientific community to develop alternative vaccination approaches for the control of the disease."

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). About one third of the world's population is infected with Mtb, which causes about two million deaths each year. Vaccines may be the best strategy for controlling tuberculosis, but the only available vaccine—Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)—does not reliably prevent the disease in adults, especially in regions where tuberculosis is endemic.

In the review, Agrewala explains that BCG does not work well in these regions because exposure to prevalent mycobacterial strains triggers the production of antibodies that counteract the vaccine. In addition, infections with parasitic worms called helminths interfere with protective immune responses induced by BCG.

To overcome these limitations, Agrewala proposes the use of novel vaccines called lipidated-promiscuous-peptide vaccines. These synthetic vaccines are safer than BCG because they do not contain infectious material. Moreover, they generate long-lasting, protective immune responses and are not influenced by pre-existing antibodies. This type of vaccine strategy has already proven to be successful in an animal model of tuberculosis and is being tested in human clinical trials for other infectious diseases and cancer.

"We believe that lipidated-promiscuous-peptide vaccines have all the essential qualities that can make them successful in tuberculosis-endemic countries," Agrewala says. "Such vaccines can impart better protection than BCG and will have a long-reaching positive impact on millions of people."

Journal Reference:

1.      Gowthaman, Pradeep K Rai, Nargis Khan, David C Jackson, Javed N Agrewala. Lipidated promiscuous peptides vaccine for tuberculosis-endemic regions.Trends in Molecular Medicine, 2012 (in press)

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TAK-875: A novel drug for Type 2 diabetes

Researchers have developed a novel way to control Type 2 diabetes with the oral drug TAK-875. The drug targets cells in the pancreas that stimulate the production of insulin, without the risk of hypoglycemia. Compared to the popular diabetes drug, glimepiride, patients studied had less risk of developing low blood sugar. If levels are normal, TAK-875 has no effect.

Universal blue circle symbol for diabetes

Results of a Phase 2 clinical trial, published in the journal Lancet, found the drug worked well to lower HbA1C levels in patients with Type 2 diabetes who failed to keep the disease under control with diet, exercise or the diabetes drug metformin.

After 12-weeks, 33 to 48 percent of patients given TAK-875, compared to placebo, were able to get their HbA1C levels below the recommended 7%. Glimiperide had a similar effect in the trial Charles Burant, M.D., Ph.D., professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System, and colleagues included 496 patients with Type 2 diabetes in the study; 303 of the patients received 1 of 5 doses of the TAK-875, 61 were given a placebo, and 62 were given glimepiride. Burant is an unpaid consultant and advisor to Takeda Global Research and Development which discovered TAK-875. Twice as many patients achieved target HbA1C levels at a dose of 25mg or higher.

Compared to placebo, rates of hypoglycemia were similar. Compared to glimiperide, low blood sugar levels were significantly fewer with all doses of TAK-875.

The drug works by targeting fatty acid receptors when glucose levels rise in the bloodstream after eating a meal.

Type 2 diabetes is a major health issue that stems from inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin, which is a hormone that regulates glucose in the body.

Estimates are that 150 million people are living with the disease; 90% have Type 2 diabetes.

Free fatty acid receptor (FFAR) 1, also known as G protein-coupled receptor 40, or GPR40, is crucial for stimulating insulin release from β-cells in the pancreas. Drugs like glimepiride and TAK-875 stimulate the body to release more insulin by activating the FFAR1 receptor.

The study authors said in a media release, “In view of the frequent hypoglycemia after treatment with sulfonylureas, the low-risk of hypoglycemia after treatment with TAK-875 suggests that there may be therapeutic advantage of targeting FFAR1 in treating people with type 2 diabetes.”

TAK-875 works like other Type 2 diabetes drugs, but is novel because it won’t lower blood sugars to dangerous levels. It only acts when glucose levels are high.

The Lancet

“TAK-875 versus placebo or glimepiride in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial” Prof Charles F Burant, et al. February 27, 2012

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Green Tea is an Alphabet Soup Full of Anti-Cancer Compounds

Several studies have been reported in the few months that reveal a variety of health benefits achieved by green tea polyphenols (GTP). The most recent two studies find reduced risks of certain cancers in both men and women, including a reduction in the chances of getting breast or prostate cancer.

The most well-known compound in green tea is known as epigallocatechin-3 gallate, or EGCG, an antioxidant which is thought to ward off the body-cell damage that can lead to cancer and other diseases. Researchers have recently trademarked another compound with anti-cancer properties called Polyphenon E which contains several of the GTP’s. Combined, the positive effects of green tea may include a reduction in such cancers as colon, stomach, and throat cancers as well as breast and prostate.

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, EGCG is thought to be responsible for a 14% decrease in the risk of developing digestive cancers in women. Wei Zheng, who heads the department of epidemiology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and colleagues, followed 69,000 Chinese women over the course of eleven years. About 19,000 of the women reported being “regular” green-tea drinkers, meaning they consumed it more than three times a week.

Those who had consumed green tea the longest (at least 20 years) were 27% less likely than non-drinkers to develop any type of digestive system cancer and 29% less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Of course the women in the study had other factors in their favor as well, such as being non-smokers, eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising more and being better educated. But the study did attempt to account for that, and a Zheng note that this study adds to the “strong laboratory evidence” that green tea has the potential to fight cancer.

A separate study by Susanne Henning PhD RD, an adjunct professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California Los Angeles, builds on previous studies evaluating the effect of green tea in men with regards to prostate cancer. Sixty-seven men set to undergo a prostatectomy (the removal of an enlarged cancerous prostate) consumed wither six cups of brewed green tea or water daily for three to eight weeks. The results demonstrated that the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations were considerably smaller in the green tea drinkers.

Lastly, Katherine Crew MD, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at Columbia University Medical Center, tested a manufactured extract of GTP’s commercially known as Polyphenon E on women 40 women with hormone receptor-negative breast cancer. The doses in the study were equivalent to eight to 24 cups of pure green tea. The women receiving the product had significantly lower levels of tumor growth factors after two months of treatment.

"This study was too small to say for sure if green tea will prevent breast cancer, but it may move us forward in terms of understanding antitumor mechanisms," Crew said.

In addition to ECGC, green tea contains epicatechin (EC), Epigallocatechin (EGC), and epicatechin gallage (ECG) which combined are called green tea catechins (GTC). Green tea also contains three kinds of flavonoids: kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin. Biochemically, all of these green tea polyphenols have four main properties – antioxidant, anticarcinogen, anti-inflammatory, and anti-radiation.

Green tea is safe for most people in moderate amounts, but keep in mind that it does contain vitamin K which could interfere with drugs that prevent blood clotting, such as warfarin (Coumadin). The tea and its extracts also contain caffeine. It is wise to talk with your doctor first if you have a chronic medical condition for which you take medication before starting a green tea regimen.

References:

·       1.   Wei Zheng et al. Prospective cohort study of tea consumption and risk of digestive system cancers: results from the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Am J Clin Nutr November 2012 vol. 96 no. 5 1056-1063 

      2.  A73: Evaluating tissue biomarker effects of an oral green tea extract, Polyphenon E, using reverse phase protein array in women with operable breast cancer. Kimberly A. Ho, Katherine D. Crew et al. Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, LA. Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (2012, October 18).

·       3.  American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (2012, October 18). Green tea reduced inflammation, may inhibit prostate cancer tumor growth, research finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬/releases/2012/10/121018121956.htm

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How can we cure cancer when its lifestyle that's to blame?

As the studies show curing cancer has become a Utopian dream and it's that the way we live that's making us ill. We can face this, or we can ignore it.

 Illness, said Susan Sontag, “is not a metaphor”. It isn't  in other words, a battle you can fight, or a war you can win. Cancer, she said, and she had it at the time she said it, isn't a curse, or a punishment, or an embarrassment. Cancer, she said, in her book Illness as Metaphor, is a “highly curable” disease.

Well, yes. And no. When you get it, cancer does feel like a curse. It can feel, because human beings aren't always very rational, like a punishment. It can even feel, as those of us know who've been diagnosed with it just after starting new jobs, like an embarrassment. And it can certainly feel like a battle that’s part of a war. Having lumps hacked out of your flesh can feel like quite a violent thing to do, and so can being blasted with drugs or X-rays that make you feel tired, or sick. It’s the kind of thing you’d only do if you felt you didn't have many other choices. It’s the kind of thing you’d only do if you felt you were fighting a war you were desperate to win.

Some people get treatment in time, and “win”. Some people don’t, and don’t. But if cancer is a war the world is fighting, it isn't, according to some of the world’s leading experts, a war that’s going all that well.

Forty years ago, when Richard Nixon signed the US National Cancer Act, most Americans thought a cure would be found in five years. They thought that if you could put a man on the moon, you could make sure a man wasn't killed by a few rogue cells. They were, unfortunately, wrong. You can put a man on the moon, and maybe even a woman, though most of us would rather have a nice night in with a box set, but rogue cells, it turns out, aren't so easy to control. Rogue cells, it turns out, like their power, and they’re getting more of it every day.

Can we kill it?

In one way, they’re not. An awful lot of rogue cells are being spotted by X-rays, and blasted with other X-rays, or with very, very strong drugs. An awful lot of them are being cut out of people’s bodies, and thrown away. “In 40 years,” said one expert at the World Oncology Forum in Switzerland on Monday, “ we've nearly doubled the curability rates for cancer.” But the trouble, said Dr Umberto Veronesi, who sounds as if he should be a Renaissance painter, but is actually a former health minister and oncologist, is that more and more rogue cells are springing up. The goal of “eliminating cancer”, he said, was now a “Utopian dream”. We can, he said, “cure a patient, but as soon as we cure one patient, another patient arrives”.

If you were an oncologist, or even a Renaissance painter, you might feel a bit depressed. You might think it was bad enough for the people who had been blasted with X-rays and very, very strong drugs and who had had to have bits of their bodies cut off. You might worry about how they were going to pick themselves up after all that treatment, and how easy it would be for them to keep looking after their children, or doing their jobs. But if you were a health minister, and worrying about budgets, you might be tempted to give up. If, for example, you saw that by 2030 there were likely to be 22 million new cases of cancer in the world in a year. And that this, compared with 2008, was a rise of 75 per cent.

You might wonder why it was that richer countries had more cancer than poorer countries, and why poor countries got more cancer the richer they got. You might wonder what the point of getting richer was, if you were going to have to spend so much money treating all the people who were getting richer, who were getting cancer. You might wonder if the answer to all this cancer was more and more expensive, drugs.

The way we live is making us ill

If you were a health minister, you would know at least one thing that causes cancer. You would know, for example, that cigarettes kill more than half the people who smoke. But you’d also know, if you had looked at all the studies, and not just at the cost of treatment, that the risk of cancer goes up if you eat a lot of processed foods, and sugar, and salt, and red meat, and if you drink a lot of wine, or beer, or spirits, and if you don’t do much exercise, and if you’re fat. It’s a shame it does. Most of us like drinking wine, and beer, and spirits, and eating sugar, and salt, and red meat, and most of us like sitting down. Most of us think it would be very, very nice if we could eat what we wanted, and drink what we wanted, and do what we wanted, and be as healthy as we wanted, but the truth, as the studies show, is that we can’t.

The truth, as the studies show, is that the way we live is making us ill. We can face this, or we can ignore it. We can, of course, still spend money on research. We can still search for that magic cure. We can still tell people that their choices are their choices, and have nothing to do with big businesses, and big marketing budgets, and big profits. We can do all this, but if we do, we’re going to need an awful lot of money to pick up the pieces, and pay the bills.

“Curing cancer,” said one expert at the World Oncology Forum “is certainly more complicated than landing on the moon.” What he didn't say is that it’s probably a lot easier to send a man to the moon, or even to fight a war, than to turn back a tide.

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Metabolic Syndrome Makes a Difference in Hormone Therapy Risk, Analysis Suggests

The study was published this month online in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society.

"Our findings emphasize the importance of assessing cardiovascular disease risk status when hormone therapy is considered for relief of menopausal symptoms," wrote the WHI investigators who authored the study.

Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. They include a large waistline, high blood pressure, high blood glucose or diabetes, high triglycerides, or low HDL -- the "good cholesterol." Obesity is the key feature, which predisposes women to the others.

In this analysis, a woman was considered to have metabolic syndrome if she had three of any of the five metabolic syndrome features; 269 women met the criteria when they started the trial and were compared with 695 women who did not have metabolic syndrome.

The women who did not have metabolic syndrome showed no increased risk of heart disease, whether they took hormones or not. But the risk of a heart attack or dying of heart disease was more than double for women who had metabolic syndrome and took hormones (either combined estrogen-progestogen or estrogen alone if they had undergone hysterectomy) compared with women who had metabolic syndrome and did not take hormones. Women with metabolic syndrome who took estrogen alone had a smaller increase in risk, but they were still at significantly higher risk than women with metabolic syndrome who did not take hormones.

In the WHI, women took oral formulations of hormone therapy, which were common at the time. Today, smaller doses and other forms, such skin patches or gels, are being used. In addition, women in the WHI were older (average age 66 in this analysis) than the age women usually start hormone therapy for menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. Newer formulations and earlier use of hormone therapy may be safer, but more study needs to be done to find out if having metabolic syndrome makes a difference with these types of hormone therapy.

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Could vitamin D thwart bladder cancer?

Vitamin D is known to be important for immunity and overall health and well-being. A new study shows high levels of the vitamin, which is actually a hormone, might help protect against bladder cancer.

Epidemiologists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) conducted one of the largest studies ever that links high levels of vitamin D to lower risk of cancer of the bladder.

For their study researchers took blood samples from more than 2000 people, including those with and without bladder cancer.

Núria Malats, head of the Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology Group, and Francisco X. Real, from the Epithelial Carcinogenesis Group, at the CNIO said in a press release, We have seen that those subjects with the highest levels of 25(OH)D3, a stable form of vitamin D in the blood, are those who showed the lowest risk of suffering bladder cancer.”

He adds the finding indicates high levels of vitamin D can protect from bladder cancer. Malats also suggest low levels of the vitamin would put people at higher risk for the disease. Real said the researchers also used vitro molecular analysis [studies conducted in test tubes] to find that vitamin D regulates the expression of a protein—FGFR3—that contributes to bladder cancer. André FS Amaral, first author of the study said high levels of vitamin D are found to a especially lower the risk of developing aggressive forms of bladder cancer that are likely to spread other parts of the body from low levels of FGFR3.

The finding is important for patients who have been treated for bladder cancer in the past. If you have a family history of bladder cancer you may want to have your vitamin D level checked, which can be performed with a simple blood test.

Several studies have linked low levels of vitamin D to the development of breast and colon cancer, but according to the National Cancer Institute, results have been inconsistent.

The active form of the vitamin in the body is 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, which is manufactured from vitamin D2 or vitamin D3.

Vitamin D is needed for strong muscles in addition to immune function and adequate levels are also needed to keep bones strong.

People at higher risk for bladder cancer include smokers, patients with a history of the disease, diabetics who have taken certain medications for more than a year, those with a history of chronic bladder inflammation from cystitis and anyone with a family member who has had the disease.

Consuming fortified foods such as milk, yogurt, orange juice and bread can help keep vitamin D levels at healthy levels. Most people get enough vitamin D from being outdoors, with the exception of during winter months, making an especially important to focus on a healthy diet one outdoor time is limited.

Foods that naturally contain vitamin D include eggs, fish liver oil and fatty fish such as mackerel and sardines. Vitamin D can also be supplemented.

Researchers aren’t sure exactly why vitamin might help prevent cancer. The newest study shows an association between higher levels of vitamin D and lower risk of developing bladder cancer.

Source:
Journal of National Cancer Institute (JNCI) .
October 30, 2012

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