TEACHABLE MEDICAL NEWS

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Category: lymphatic and immune system

Can you strengthen the immune system of cancer patients in chemotherapy treatment?

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On December 21, 2019

In cardiovascular system, cellular basis of life, lymphatic and immune system

TeachableMedicalNews article 12202019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – formation of cancer cells
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – DNA and mitosis
  3. blood chapter – formation of white blood cells in red bone marrow
  4. immune system chapter – immune protection by white blood cells 

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.

 

Can an injectable treatment reduce cluster headaches?

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On November 30, 2019

In cellular basis of life, lymphatic and immune system, nervous system

TeachableMedicalNews article 11302019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. Cellular basis of life chapter – receptors on cell membranes bind ligands
  2. general senses chapter – unconventional types of pain
  3. general senses chapter – pharmaceuticals of pain control
  4. immune system chapter – antibodies as pharmaceuticals

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.

Can you fight influenza by using used tissue papers?

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On October 2, 2019

In lymphatic and immune system

TeachableMedicalNews article 10012019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. immune system chapter – concept of antigen-based recognition of specific invaders
  2. immune system chapter – antigen-specific activation of the T-cell and B-cells

The news item:  Recently there was a report on a commercially available tissue paper from the company Vaev.

A Mysterious Company Claims to Sell Sneeze-Filled Tissues for $80. Is It Real?

Vaev Tissue sells a used tissue that a sick person has sneezed into, claiming that it boosts your immune system. Health experts disagree.

The tissue paper has a special property: it is used by another person who has the “cold”. The company claims that “a human sneeze is safer than needles or pills” and when flu season comes around you should be able to get sick on your own terms”. 

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Can an injectable treatment work for migraines?

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On July 31, 2019

In lymphatic and immune system, nervous system

TeachableMedicalNews article 07312019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. general senses chapter – unconventional types of pain
  2. general senses chapter – pharmaceuticals in of pain control
  3. immune system chapter – antibodies as pharmaceuticals

 

Can an injectable treatment work for migraines?

 The news item:  New injectable preventions and treatments for migraine were in the news recently. One of them is Aimovig (erenumab):

FDA approves new drug that stops chronic migraines

The FDA approves, Erenumab, a new migraine treatment, that blocks chronic and disabling headaches, without causing many side effects.

The article mentions migraine statistics, the calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) as the culprit in migraines, and that the new drug is an antibody.

 

So, Why Do I Care??  There are about 39 million migraine sufferers in the USA.  Among them about 4 million who suffers from chronic migraine lasting for 10-14 days.  The impact of migraine is more than the personal suffering; the US economy loses $36 billion yearly because of lost productivity linked to migraine.  While occasional migraine can be successfully treated with common medications, the chronic migraine sufferers don’t have a reliable treatment.

 

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about migraine.  Migraine is a disorder of the central nervous system, and during a migraine attack the malfunctioning nervous system creates pain in the head area, visual disturbances (auras), and sometimes dizziness and nausea.   So, that’s why this disorder is so debilitating.

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.  Everyday pain killer drugs either block the action of chemical released during tissue damage, or they block the movement of the nerve impulse to the brain.

Third, let’s talk about this new treatment for migraine. Because migraine is not the result of tissue damage, common pain killers don’t work on chronic migraine pain.  Many years of research identified a chemical that trigger migraine pain; that chemical is called calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP).  Migraine happens when CGRP reaches receptors on the neurons in the brain.   The receptor is like a wide receiver in football; the peptide has to be caught by the receptor to start migraine pain, like the wide receiver has to catch the football for a touchdown.  So, how can you block the action of that migraine-triggering peptide?  Imagine a football game where the arms of the wide receiver are duct taped to his body.  The drug erenumab does that to the receptor, so the CGRP peptide can not be caught by the receptor, so there is no more triggering of pain.  The duct tape, erenumab, can target CGRP receptors only, because erenumab 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.

Why E. coli outbreaks can be deadly?

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On July 16, 2019

In cellular basis of life, lymphatic and immune system, urinary system

TeachableMedicalNews article 07162019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – ligand-receptor interaction
  2. urinary system chapter – glomerular filtration through capillaries of glomerulus
  3. immune system chapter – normal immune functions destroy E. coli that enters the body; consequences of immunosuppressed state

 

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.

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How come flesh eating bacteria are so damaging?

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On July 5, 2019

In lymphatic and immune system, tissues

TeachableMedicalNews article 07052019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. tissues chapter – connective tissues as conduits for spreading infection
  2. muscle chapter – fascia as a conduit for spreading infection
  3. immune system chapter – immune defense must work right to defeat bacterial invaders

 

                    How come flesh eating bacteria are so damaging?

The news item:  Several news outlets, including ABC news

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/family-woman-dies-flesh-eating-disease-florida-64068630

reported during the summer of 2019 on the occurrence and fatal consequences of infection by flesh eating bacteria.

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Gene therapy cures bubble boy disease

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On June 16, 2019

In cellular basis of life, lymphatic and immune system

TeachableMedicalNews article 06162019

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of one gene, one protein
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – concept of gene mutation leading to protein malfunction
  3. immune system chapter – reliance of white blood cells for immune functions

 

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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When mothers lick pacifiers,will the kids have fewer allergies?

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On March 10, 2019

In lymphatic and immune system

Teachable Medical News  article  11182018

This article was written by Mallory Griggs.

Does a mother sucking on a baby’s pacifier to clean it really prevent allergies in children?

 

The news item:

A mother sucking on a baby’s pacifier to clean it has a potential of reducing the odds of a child obtaining an allergy was reported by the Science Daily web site:

Sucking your baby’s pacifier to clean it may prevent allergies

New research suggests a link between parental sucking on a pacifier and a lower allergic response among young children.

The article states that: “We found that parental pacifier sucking was linked to suppressed IgE levels beginning around 10 months, and continued through 18 months,” says allergist Edward Zoratti, MD, ACAAI member and co-author of the study. “Further research is needed, but we believe the effect may be due to the transfer of health-promoting microbes from the parent’s mouth. It is unclear whether the lower IgE production seen among these children continues into later years. We know that exposure to certain microorganisms early in life stimulates

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Can a blood filtering device save you from dying?

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On March 6, 2019

In cardiovascular system, lymphatic and immune system

Teachable Medical News  article 10072018

Can a blood filtering device save you from dying?

 The news item:

The potential use of a new blood filtering apparatus was reported by Bloomberg News web site: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-09-10/this-cartridge-of-plastic-beads-can-filter-blood-during-surgery

The articles states that:  “CytoSorb, a filter attached to a hospital’s existing blood-pumping equipment, uses a cylindrical cartridge to remove toxins from a patient’s circulatory system. Removing such toxins can reduce inflammation, which if left unchecked can damage tissues and organs.  The cartridge is about the size of a drinking glass, and it contains several million polymer beads, each the size of a grain of sand. An attached pump funnels the patient’s blood through the cartridge.  

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