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Tag: lymphatic and immune system

How can a radioactive infusion chase down metastatic prostate cancer cells?

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On October 24, 2025

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

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. cellular basis of life chapter – location of transmembrane proteins
  2. cellular basis of life chapter – endocytosis moves large number of molecules into the cell
  3. urinary system chapter – structures of the male urethra
  4. male reproductive system chapter – structure and function of the prostate
  5. lymphatic and immune system chapter – anatomy of lymphatic vessels

The news item:  Recently this report appeared online:

A new approach to prostate cancer offers patients more time and energy

John Grim fought prostate cancer for six years. He did radiation. He did hormone therapy. He did chemotherapy. It felt like a losing battle. The West York man lost 50 pounds. He felt weak and exhausted. The cancer spread to his bones, causing a tumor in his spine.

The article states that a prostate cancer patient was given 6 months to live because his cancer metastasized to his bones. Pluvicto treatment extended his life expectancy, allowed him to continue to work, lowered his PSA levels to 22 from 491 and restored his body weight. The article also states that the medication is radioactive, and it seeks out and kills the prostate cancer cells.

So, Why Do I Care??  In the US alone prostate cancer develops in more than 300000 people each year, and, according to the National Cancer Institute, it causes over 35000 deaths. So, developing new approaches to kill prostate cancer cells are always welcome. This is especially the case when it comes to prostate cancer cells that spread over the body.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about what the prostate is. The prostate gland (or prostate) is a cherry sized gland wrapped round the male urethra. The prostate functions as a gland producing a secretion that will be incorporated into the semen. The gland itself is mostly epithelial tissue, and is a site of frequent cancer formation. Both the normal and the cancerous cells of the prostate have in their cell membranes transmembrane proteins; these proteins sticks out of the cell just like the fuzz sticks out from a tennis ball. However, the prostate cancer cells have unique transmembrane protein called the Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen, or PSMA.

Second, let’s talk about what metastasis is. Some cancer cells lose their connection to the mass of growing cancer cells, and those detached cells enter the lymphatic capillaries, and travel throughout the

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How could we possibly slow down the weakening of skeletal muscles in myasthenia gravis ?

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On August 30, 2024

In lymphatic and immune system, muscular system, nervous system

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. muscle tissue chapter – structural components of the neuromuscular junction
  2. muscle tissue chapter – role of acetylcholine receptor in muscle excitation
  3. immune system chapter – components and function of complement system

The news item:  Recently the following news item appeared online:

FDA approves drug for adults with generalized myasthenia gravis

AstraZeneca has announced FDA approval of Ultomiris, a long-acting C5 complement inhibitor for the treatment of adults with generalized myasthenia gravis. According to a company press release, Ultomiris (ravulizumab-cwvz) was approved for adult patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive, which represents 80% of people with the disease.

The article states that the disease myasthenia gravis affects about 90,000 people in the US, and that Ultomiris is a long-acting C5 inhibitor that allows early treatment leading to lesser amount of damage.

So, Why Do I Care??  The article’s citation of the number of affected individuals shows that this is not a minor disease. In its advanced stage myasthenia gravis can be deadly, or at least life threatening; the loss of muscle strength prevents the patients from many daily activities, which causes a decreased quality of life.

Plain English, Please!!!  First, let’s talk about what myasthenia gravis is. Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder where the patient’s own immune system attacks and damages the neuromuscular junction. The target of the immune system is a molecule, the acetylcholine receptor, in the neuromuscular junction. The acetylcholine receptor physically binds to the messenger molecule called acetylcholine released by the neurons. So, destruction of the receptor makes it impossible for skeletal muscles to understand that they are supposed to contract. The damaged muscles no longer contract with normal force, thus the patients develop muscle weakness that affects movement, and can endanger inhalation causing respiratory distress.

Second, let’s talk about how myasthenia gravis causes damage. The first action of the immune system in myasthenia gravis is to make antibodies that stick to the acetylcholine receptors. The second action is that the antibodies in the neuromuscular junction attract the proteins of the complement system. The 9 complement proteins stick to each other, assemble on the cell membrane, and eventually open a hole in the muscle cell membrane. Imagine an excavation crew where all 9 members have to work together to dig a hole. Those holes in the muscle cell membrane cause the most significant damage to the neuromuscular junction.

Third, let’s talk about how Ultomiris works. The active ingredient in Ultomiris covers up a complement protein (#5), and prevents the piling up the rest of the complement proteins. Without the assembly of all of those proteins the excavation crew never starts to dig, the hole never forms in the muscle cell membrane, and the neuromuscular junction can stay relatively undamaged. That kind of protection slows deterioration, and preserve muscle strength in the patients.

 

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How can a drug like Descovy prevent infection by the human immunodeficiency virus?

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On September 23, 2023

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

Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. immune system chapter – role of CD4 Helper T cells in adaptive immunity
  2. chemical basis of life – structural characteristics of DNA and RNA
  3. cellular basis of life chapter – transcription of DNA into RNA during protein synthesis
  4. microbiology – structure of the viral protein envelope of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

The news item:  Recently the following report appeared online:

U.S. FDA approves Gilead’s Descovy for HIV prevention

The approval does not include use of the drug by women to prevent HIV infection. Descovy, a combination drug, was approved in 2016 to treat people already infected with HIV. It contains a newer formulation of a drug used in Gilead’s older medication, Truvada, which has been used to treat people infected with HIV since 2004.

 

The article states that Descovy is a pharmaceutical approved for pre-exposure prophylaxis, the  prevention of HIV infection in men. Descovy was found to be less toxic to the kidneys and bones than  previous drugs used to treat HIV infected people.

So, Why Do I Care??  In the US alone there are over 1 million people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, and each year there are 30,000 – 40,000 new HIV infections. The new infections happen despite the already available preventative measures. Therefore, pharmaceutical prevention of new infections is still important.

Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about how Descovy is expected to prevent infection by HIV in highly exposed individuals. The clinical definition of HIV infection is that the HIV virus should be detectable in human bodily fluids. For HIV virus to appear in the blood or in other bodily fluids, the infected cells must make a swarm of new HIV viruses to spread through the body and enter into the blood and other bodily fluids. The ingredients of Descovy promise to prevent the cells from making new viruses, so there will be no swarm of new HIV viruses, there will not be enough viruses to spread through the body, so HIV viruses never enter bodily fluids. Therefore, even in people frequently exposed to the HIV virus the blood testing doesn’t find any HIV, and the person remains clinically uninfected, remains HIV-negative. This prevention of infection is called “pre-exposure prophylaxis”. An HIV-negative person cannot spread the virus to other people, so the number of new HIV infections are reduced.

Second, let’s talk about the ingredients of Descovy. Both active ingredients (emtricitabine, and tenofovir alafenamide) are inhibitors of the enzyme called reverse transcriptase of the HIV virus. That enzyme is

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