New Important Immune Discovery

Immune discovery article

Summary:
     Scientists have discovered a new kind of immune system response where the cells do not circulate throughout the body, but instead only reside in a single organ. This discovery could lead to a whole new set of opportunities to use immune cells to help fight cancers and viral infections. The liver, skin and uterus each have their own set of immune cells that never leave, which are called tissue-resident natural killer cells. If scientists are able to create specialized medications to activate only these organ specific cells, they would be a massive selective weapon against tumors and infections. Results of further testing suggest that there are four types of natural killer cells, instead of just one; which was previously thought.

Connection:
     This article relates to a few key human body systems and ways to treat certain threats that the body faces. The immune system is a system that we are yet to learn about, but it plays a key role to protect other organs, such as the liver which aids in the digestive system. It also resides in the integumentary system in the sense that these specialized cells reside in the skin to help protect the body from pathogens.

Clearance in Detecting Skin Cancer and Curing It

By Adhirath Bollapragada


Published: October 4th, 2013
Author: Gaurav Krishnamurthy


Source: http://www.medgadget.com/2013/10/esteya-system-for-skin-cancer-treatment-gets-fda-510k-clearance.html


Summary:
        
         Skin cancer is one of the most common cases of cancer, combined with incidents with the breast, lung, prostate, and colon. Even though one of the main forms to cure and treat skin cancer is surgery, research has found an alternative way in which skin cancer can be treated and cured; Electronic Brachytherapy. In addition, High Dose Rate (HDR) are alternatives to treating skin cancer, but a third way has been cleared. The Esteya system uses a click on applicator and easily maneuverable, using high LED brightness. As a result, the time it takes to complete the treatment is very short. In addition, the Esteya system can be used anywhere, as it requires minimal shielding and is highly portable. A tungsten applicator shield protects healthy tissue from excessive radiation exposure. Also, the Esteya system lowers the patient lines. This all seems like advertisement, but the Esteya system is mainly used for areas on the human body where it is dangerous to undergo surgery in. The Esteya system is especially relevant for cancers of the nose, ears, eyelids or lips, where surgery may cause disfigurement or require extensive reconstruction. 

Connection:
        Even though this is a complicated article, consisting of a video as well, it touches upon the role of a cell in the human body and how dangerous any type of cancer can be. Cancer is an excess of cells in the human body, concentrated or not, in which cells do not undergo mitosis and have a function in the body. There are many types of cancer; brain cancer, breast cancer, etc. However, this article connects to the unit about cells because it focuses on the importance of the cell cycle; most importantly mitosis. Mitosis is a phase when the parent cell doubles its chromosomes to distribute to the two daughter cells that will form later on. But when cells keep reproducing and do not die, increasing a concentration of cells in one area or all over the body, known as a malignant tumor,  it is known as cancer. The cells don't function in a way to help the body, and do not maintain a balance within the body too. So, this article talks about another way in which skin cancer can be cured. This is just only a small accomplishment in curing cancer, but there are many more to come. 

Turning on key enzyme blocks tumor formation

          
Katie Liu
October 20, 2013

Published: August 27, 2012

Link: http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/turning-on-key-enzyme-blocks-tumor-formation-0827.html

Summary:   
Cancer cells put most of their energy into reproduction and growth, unlike regular cells. They rely on the help of certain enzymes to construct molecules that build up cell structures. When chemical compounds interrupt the function of this enzyme, it can prevent tumors from forming in mice, according to a study done at MIT. Cancer cells use a specific type of enzyme called pyruvate kinase that allows the cell to focus on growing and dividing quicker than normal. In normal cells, this enzyme allows a large ATP to be produced from the product of glycolysis. However, in cancer cells, the alternate form of this enzyme is less active, so instead of having more ATP produced, the products of glycolysis are being made into macromolecules essential for building and growing cells. This study suggest that cancerous growth can be stopped by raising the level of pyruvate kinase activity so the cell will have normal reactions. Drugs that change the properties of the altered enzyme into its original state hold possibilities for treating cancer. Tests have been run where chemical compounds that reverse the properties of the altered pyruvate kinase have been added into mice, and none of them developed tumors when they were exposed to human tumors.

Connection:
This article relates to our curriculum for this term since we've talked about enzymes in our second unit and cells for our third unit. We discussed the role of enzymes in chemical reactions, and how they work. This article talks about the role of a particular enzyme in cancerous cells, and how it’s causing cancer by causing less chemical reactions than normal cells which results in the cell producing building blocks like carbohydrates instead. We've also discussed cells and cellular reproduction by mitosis. Cancer cells are able to be harmful through massive cellular division and damage tissues that way. They grow uncontrollably and cancer is consider a disease of the cell cycle.

USC Scientists ID Protein That Regulates Cellular Trafficking, See Potential For Anti-Cancer Therapy

Sonali Deshpande
20th October 2013
Published: 10/14/13
URL:http://bhcourier.com/usc-scientists-id-protein-regulates-cellular-trafficking-potential-anti-cancer-therapy/2013/10/14

Summary: 
     Molecular microbiologists at USC's Keck School of Medicine have discovered regulatory mechanisms in cells, that coordinates the processes of the Golgi Apparatus and the Endoplasmic Reticulum, which are important to cellular homeostasis(when an organism adjusts its physical properties to maintain an internal equilibrium) and disease development. If the Golgi Apparatus and the Endoplasmic Reticulum do not perform their jobs well enough to regulate the trafficking of proteins, diseases like cancer can take hold in the cell. The researchers discovered that the UV irradiation resistance-associated gene protein(UVRAG), which has been used to suppress colon and breast cancer coordinates the trafficking of proteins in the Golgi Apparatus and the Endoplasmic Reticulum, which are often dismantled in lethal conditions. This new development can lead to anti-cancer agents that target UVRAGs and the ER-Golgi pathway.

Connection: 
    This article connects to our unit on cells and the organelles in a eukaryotic cell that carry out its many functions. We learnt that the Endoplasmic Reticulum is a maze of membranes in a cell, that produces proteins that are inserted through the membrane, or ribosomes bound to the Endoplasmic Reticulum produce proteins that are then packaged in storage organelles and secreted by the cell. We also learnt that the Golgi Apparatus is an organelle in a cell that modifies, stores, and routes proteins and their chemical products to their next destinations. The ER and Golgi often work together, as enzymes in the Golgi Apparatus refine and modify the ER products by altering their chemical structure.
     This article also connects to the lesson about cancer in our cells unit. We read in our textbook that cancer is a disease caused by the severe disruption of the mechanisms that normally control the cell cycle. The mass of cancer cells, or tumor, can spread into surrounding tissues or even form new tumors. The most used curing methods(which often do not work effectively enough), radiation and chemotherapy, both focus on the disruption of cell division, but this article focuses on the potential of an agent that could control the trafficking of proteins, so that cancer cannot grab a strong hold in the cell or reproduce too much and too quickly.

BRANDING CANCER STEM CELLS: Discovery of a hot new intestinal cancer ste...

Grant Larson
P. 2
Mr. Matheiu                The origin of cancer cells: could they be from stem cells?
21 October 2013

(http://www.yourekascience.com/Branding_Cancer_Stem_Cells.html)
Summary:
      The video above describes the recent discovery of certain stem cells being the producers of the rapid reproducing cancer cells that create tumors in the body. These particular stem cells can copy themselves and produce many more rapidly producing cancer cells. Scientists isolated a protein called DCLK1 found in some normal stem cells, but also primarily in the cancerous intestinal stem cells that produce rapid reproducing cells which lead to intestinal tumors. They conducted an experiment using the cells in the intestines of mice and a blue marker which they used to track the DCLK1 as the cells reproduced. Their goal was to find the origin of the rapid producing cancer cells which could possibly find a more effective therapy that has less of a chance of a reoccurring tumor than chemo. This is because chemo kills the rapidly producing cells, not the stem cells that they originate from.

Relevance:
      This subject is related to cell reproduction and cancerous cells/tumors. It is also related to the scientific method. The scientists propose a question, which leads them to form a hypothesis, which in this case was: where do fast reproducing cancer cells come from? which leads to: well, they might come from stem cells. From there, scientists run an experiment and make a series of observations which was the blue dye experiment and observing where the blue dye marker showed up. After they come out with results, they are lead to asking another series of questions like: how can I eliminate the stem cells as a treatment?

Bee Venom Destroys HIV And Spares Surrounding Cells

Scientists are coming close to creating a gel which could potentially stop the spread of the hiv virus. Melittin a toxin inside Bee Venom is found to poke holes in the casing around HIV. In large enough quantities it could destroy the virus. Also Venom has been shown to possibly be linked with  anti-cancer treatment.The difference between this new Melittin Nano-particle and normal hiv medications is that this strips the hiv of a vital cell structure and normal medications focus on stopping the replication. This could theoretically also work on other viruses such as hepatitis a and b. It also could be used to theoretically clear already existing hiv out of the blood stream, even anti-drug resistant ones.

Connection: In the microbe unit we studied retroviruses such as HIV. Also Bees are animals, we also discussed ways to stop the spread of such viruses.

The top five cancer-causing foods

Published by Mike Adams
NaturalNews.com
http://www.naturalnews.com/021808_cancer_prevention.html


Summary:
Modern science has developed a way for us to now begin to understand what foods and ingredients in processed foods can cause cancer, these are known as carcinogens. There are a few major offenders: hot dogs, doughnuts, French fries, cookies/ crackers/ chips, and processed meat/ bacon. These foods are known to have hydrogenated oils (helps to preserve food, and simultaneously add trans fat to it), acrylamides (what forms when starchy food is subjected to very high temperatures), or sodium nitrate (used to make meat look fresh, and doesn't have to be put on the ingredients list) which all have been found to cause cancer.
By looking more closely at the ingredients in our food as well as making attempts to regularly get vigorous exercise and stay hydrated, we can potentially prevent cancer. According to the World Health Organization, we can prevent up to 70 percent of cancers with these diet and lifestyle changes.

Connection:
This connects to both our cells unit and matter & energy unit. Our matter and energy unit discussed fatty acids having to due with the macromolecule lipid. One of the points in the cell unit was about cancer and how cells mutate and divide more than they should. Chemotherapy and radiation can treat cancer, but this article proves that we can make attempts to prevent it.

Cancer Risk In Middle-Aged Men Reduced by Multivitamins

Teja Pallikonda
Published on Oct, 17, 2012, CNN
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/17/multivitamins-may-prevent-cancer-in-men/
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2012/10/18/exp-cohen-mutivitamin-and-cancer-risk-in-men.cnn

Summary

For the past ten years, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School have conducted a study to test if taking multivitamins can help reduce the risk of cancer in middle-aged men. The study was conducted by first recruiting 15,000 male physicians of fifty years or older. The men were split into two groups and one group was given the multivitamin Centrum Silver and the other group was given a placebo. The men in the multivitamin group had an eight percent reduction in cancer cases compared to the placebo group.  This study has shown significant data that makes people rethink whether or not vitamins help to reduce cancer or not. When the study originally started in 1997, most scientists weren't quite sure if vitamins made a difference because back then they had data that proved some vitamins were actually harmful. On the other hand, it really doesn't prove that vitamins are the way to go due to the fact that these physicians were mostly healthy people and most of the men didn't smoke. This study tells nothing about women with cancer or with people who smoke. The bottom line is, having a healthy diet with the right dose of multivitamins can help prevent cancer and health issues in general. 

Connection 

This article relates to our studies this term because cancer is unrestricted cell division in our body. There are many types of treatments like surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. For years and years, scientists are trying to find a solution and cure for cancer and this study suggests on way to try to prevent cancer in someone. By this study, it shows that multivitamins do reduce the risk of cancer in a person along with having a healthy diet and disproves the preexisting fear that vitamins actually stimulate cancer.