TeachableMedicalNews article 01212020
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The news item: Hospitalization of over 100 people from Salmonella infection was in the news recently.
TeachableMedicalNews article 01172020
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The news item: Several new cardiovascular medications were discussed in a recent article:
https://www.cbs17.com/news/new-and-old-drugs-may-offer-new-ways-to-fight-heart-disease/
The article mentions the beneficial LDL-reduction from RNA-interference drug inclisiran.
TeachableMedicalNews article 12312019
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The news item: A happy introduction was in the news recently where a bone marrow donor and the bone marrow recipient met in person the first time:
Eruption of joy as Laila Anderson meets her bone marrow donor
TOWN AND COUNTRY, Mo. – An 11-year-old came face-to-face with the man whose bone marrow donation gave her a second chance at life. There were hundreds of people gathered at the Be the Match gala in Town and Country to witness the special moment and to support young Laila Anderson’s unique journey.
The article mentions that Laila Anderson’s life was saved by the bone marrow donation.
TeachableMedicalNews article 12202019
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The news item: The pharmaceutical Neulasta was in the news recently:
Mylan CEO promises Neulasta biosimilar will offer “significant savings” for patients
It’s been nearly two years since the pharmaceutical giant took tremendous heat for the rising cost of EpiPens
The article mentions that a new company will be making a similar and cheaper drug to Neulasta, and that Neulasta is used to reduce infections in patients during cancer treatment.
So, Why Do I Care?? Cancer patients are frequently treated with drugs to kills the cancer cells. Such chemotherapy drugs are used to treat most of the 1.7 million new cancer cases each year in the USA. Chemotherapy treatments have many damaging side effects on the patients. Minimizing of those side effects improves patient comfort, survival, and the success of the chemotherapy treatment.
Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s; talk about chemotherapy. Cancers grow by cells dividing faster than normal cells of the body, and the chemotherapy drugs are used to stop or slow the division of cancer cells. One side effect of chemotherapy treatment is that normal cells are also stopped from dividing. One of those normally quickly dividing group of cells is located in the red bone marrow.
Second, let’s talk about red bone marrow. This red, toothpaste-like mush of cells is trapped inside our spongy bones, like breastbone, pelvic bone, and others. Millions of new red and white blood cells are created by cell division in the red bone marrow every day. Picture cell division as a car driving at normal speed; you have to keep your foot on the gas pedal. Chemotherapy drugs are like a foot on the brake pedal; as they slow down cell division, they slow down red and white blood cell production in the bone marrow.
Third, let’s talk about white blood cells. The white blood cells defend our bodies against bacteria, viruses and fungi. Every day we lose thousands of white blood cells during that defense, so we need constant replacement. When the cell division in the red bone marrow is slowed by chemotherapy drugs, the replacement of white blood cells slows down, and bacteria and virus infections can get a foothold in the body. Neulasta (and similar drugs) speeds up white blood cell creation; they step on the gas pedal of cell division in the bone marrow even during chemotherapy treatment. That provides enough white blood cells to defend the body better against invaders during chemotherapy treatment.
TeachableMedicalNews article 12152019
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The news item: This article describes promising research into minimizing radiation toxicity in cancer patients:
Use genetic data to predict the best time of day to give radiotherapy to breast cancer patients, say researchers
A new clinical study led by the University of Leicester and conducted in the HOPE clinical trials facility at Leicester’s Hospitals has revealed the pivotal role that changing the time of day that a patient receives radiotherapy could play in altering radiotherapy toxicity.
The article mentions PER3 and NOCT genes of circadian rhythm, and how they change skin biology, and the adverse response of skin to radiation therapy.
So, Why Do I Care?? Many types of cancers are treated with radiation therapy, bringing the total to over 3 million patients every year in the USA. While radiation therapy is successful in reducing cancer growth, the treatment has several side effects, called radiation toxicity. One of those side effects is the thickening and reddening of the skin. Any approach that reduces the side effects of the treatment will increase the comfort and quality of life of millions of cancer patients.
Plain English, Please!!!
First, let’s talk about radiation therapy. The eradication of the cancer cells in cancer patients can be achieved by surgery, chemotherapy, and by radiation therapy. The radiation is nothing else but invisible rays that are aimed at the body part that has the cancer; those rays kill the cancer cells by damaging their DNA and the cell membrane. As the radiation comes from a machine, those killer rays must pass through the skin in order to reach cancer inside the body.
Second, let’s talk about skin reaction to radiation. No surprise that the very rays that destroy cancer cells also damage the skin as the rays are passing through it. Think about how the rays from the Sun pass through the skin, and cause sunburn. Cells in the actively growing layer of the skin are damaged most, and that layer has to regenerate to keep the skin functioning. That regeneration is making the skin red, and thick, painful, cracked, and even bleeding. This is worse than the dry and cracked skin you get in the winter time.
Third, let’s talk about circadian rhythm. We feel sleepy at night, and wake up in the morning, because of the daily rhythm directed by our nervous system. That daily rhythm is called the circadian rhythm. As it turns out our skin regenerates better at certain times of the day, so the skin regeneration is also moving along a circadian rhythm. People with specific version of the genes called Per3 and Noct have skin rhythms with better regeneration in the afternoon. This means that for those patients, identified by genetic analysis, the radiation treatment scheduled for the afternoon will speed up the regeneration, and minimize skin damage.
TeachableMedicalNews article 11302019
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The news item: A new injectable treatment for cluster headaches has recently been in the news:
Emgality Receives First FDA Approval for Treating Cluster Headache
US News is a recognized leader in college, grad school, hospital, mutual fund, and car rankings. Track elected officials, research health conditions, and find news you can use in politics, business, health, and education.
The article mentions the similarity of the pain of cluster headaches to that of migraines, and the approval of the drug Emgality (galcanazumab).
So, Why Do I Care??
About 1 million people suffer from a debilitating disorder, cluster headaches, in the USA. While there are several therapeutic approaches to cluster headaches, but their effectiveness varies, and many of those treatments have unpleasant side effects.
Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about cluster headache. Cluster headache a quick onset and intensely painful type of headache. That pain makes patients disfunctional, and many cases the pain wakes them up at night, and, so, that is why this disorder is so debilitating. The headaches happen during a particular time of the day, because these headaches are linked to the body’s own internal clock.
Second, let’s talk about pain, this warning signal of our nervous system. We sense pain when tissue damage triggers nerve impulses in the nerve cells of the damaged body area, and those neurons conduct the nerve impulse to the brain
Third, let’s talk about this new treatment for cluster headache. Because cluster headache is not the result of tissue damage, common pain killers don’t work well on cluster headache pain. Many years of research identified a chemical that trigger cluster headache pain; that chemical is called calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP). Cluster headaches happen when CGRP reaches receptors on neurons in the brain. So, how can you block the action of that peptide? Imagine a football game where the defensive tackle wraps his arms around the running back to keep him out of the end zone. The drug mentioned in the article, galcanezumab, acts like a defensive tackle wrapping arms around the running back CGRP, and keeping it away from receptors on neurons in the brain. The defensive tackle, galcanezumab, can target CGRP only, because galcanezumab is a modified antibody, a protein made by immune system cells to specifically target invaders in the body. As antibodies are proteins, they can not be taken orally, but have to be injected.
TeachableMedicalNews article 09112019
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Can gene editing cure kidney disease?
The news item: Recent news hinted at a possible genetic treatment to halt kidney diseases. The article mentioned Joubert syndrome, and gene editing technology.
Gene editing possible for kidney disease
For the first time scientists have identified how to halt kidney disease in a life-limiting genetic condition, which may pave the way for personalised treatment in the future.
TeachableMedicalNews article 07162019
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Why E. coli outbreaks can be deadly? The news item: In 2018 this headline informed us that E. coli infections can have deadly outcomes after consuming the contaminated romaine lettuce:
E. coli outbreak linked to romaine turns deadly | CNN
One person has died from the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region. The death, in California, is the first known fatality from this outbreak.
The article mentions the symptoms of diarrhea, cramps resulting from infection by some E. coli strains. The article also mentions the deadly affliction of hemolytic uremic syndrome.
TeachableMedicalNews article 06162019
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Gene therapy cures bubble boy disease
The news item: Curing the “bubble boy” disease in several infants was reported by US News:
New Gene Therapy Provides Hope of Normal Life for ‘Bubble Boy’ Kids
Researchers say they have cured the genetic immunodeficiency disorder in eight infants so far.
The article states that according to Dr. Ewelina Mamcarz, an assistant member of St. Jude’s bone marrow transplant department “Majority of our patients spent months of their life, first months of their lives in the hospital, some of them withsevere infection in intensive care units on multiple medications to keep them
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