Revolutionary Cancer Treatment

A new breakthrough in cancer treatment has shown astonishing result in the treatment of blood cancer.  T-Cell Therapy uses the body’s own immune system cells to attack tumors that have spread in in the body. T-Cells are a type of white blood cells that are engineered in the laboratory to identify and attack tumorous cells. Many scientist are testing many kind of T-Cell therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to target the disease.

Trials of CAR T cells in adults and children with leukemia and lymphoma have used T cells engineered to target the CD19 antigen, which is present on the surface of nearly all B cells, both normal and cancerous. Nineteen of the 27 patients with complete responses have remained in remission with 15 of these patients receiving no further therapy and 4 patients withdrawing from the trial to receive other therapy. According to the most recent data from a POB trial that included children with ALL, 14 of 20 patients had a complete response. And of the 12 patients who had no evidence of leukemic cells, called blasts, in their bone marrow after CAR T-cell treatment, 10 have gone on to receive a stem cell transplant and remain cancer free.

Even though the results of this therapy have been over all positive, the summary of results discussed at the American Association of the Advancement of Science annual meeting have not been published. There is still a debate of whether or not this is a therapy that should be provided to patients and the repercussions that this therapy may have. Some specialist urged caution over early trial of T-Cell therapy saying that some patients experienced toxic side effects. However, improvement has been seen in patients that have failed at other treatments.

Research are still being conducted to see more results of this therapies. But if this works, I wonder if these cells can be adapted to treat other cancers.

  

Sources: http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/car-t-cells

Yerkely  Gomez (1)

Don't Sleep On It

According to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology, taking long naps or being excessively tired throughout the day is associated with a higher risk for developing metabolic syndrome. Their study recorded that taking 40 min or longer naps significantly increased the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Subjects who napped less than 40 minutes did not show increased risk for metabolic syndrome, but those who napped 40 minutes had a sharp increase in risk. Napping for 90 minutes increased metabolic syndrome risk by as much as 50%.

Clarifying the difference and relationship between being tired and metabolic syndrome may offer a new strategy of treatment options.

Interestingly, this study as well as a couple of others recently performed show a slight decrease in risk for respective conditions when subjects napped for less than 30 minutes. The National Sleep Foundation actually advocates naps of 20-30 minutes to improve alertness.

Thus, we better reconsider how long we take our naps. How often do you nap?

References:

 American College of Cardiology. "Long naps, daytime sleepiness tied to greater risk of metabolic syndrome: Findings suggest more research is needed to understand the role of sleep and heart risk factors." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 March 2016. . 

Dasha Agoulnik (1)

Eating More Less Often

You may have heard of intermittent fasting due to a surge of its use over the past couple of years. Proponents of the eating routine claim that it gives them higher energy levels, improved results in the gym during resistance training, and most notably the ability to lose significant amounts of body fat effortlessly.

So what exactly is intermittent fasting? The protocol calls for two different stages of the day: a period of eating and drinking nothing but calorie free foods such as water and black coffee known as the fasting period, and a period of eating all of the calories needed for the day known as the feasting period. The fasting period can be anywhere from 16-48 hours long and the feasting period can be no longer than 8 hours.
So how does this method work to fight fat, increase fitness and contribute to overall health? Although research has consistently shown benefits of the eating routine, many of the details of how it works is still up for debate. Many believe that since carbohydrates are the first fuel your body utilizes as energy, the fasted state allows for all of carbs to be burned off without it being stored as excess fat. Once the carbohydrates are used up, your body prefers the consumed fat and excess fat reserves. Protein is much harder to store as fat so it is utilized to maintain muscle mass. Furthermore, the daily spiking of insulin levels during the feasting period keeps the body from going into starvation mode, reassuring the metabolism that it is okay to burn fat so it won't hold on to it.

Regardless of how intermittent fasting works, it has been shown to be very effective among many individuals and scientific studies have backed it up consistently. Many are even claiming that it can help treat Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease and cancer but those claims are still controversial. Hopefully we will get more answers but for now, we can try IF out on ourselves to see if it is beneficial to our daily lives.

Posted By: Forootan Alizadehasil

Are You Scared?

Phobias are very common in most people. Spiders, snakes, and heights are very common among most people, but why are people afraid? Most scientists say that simple phobias are developed during childhood. If a child is put in a stressful or scary situation they are likely to develop a phobia. Simple phobias are more likely to occur in early childhood. Simple phobias caused panic or anxiety that will soon pass. (The link below is a list of all different kinds of simple phobias.)


Ultimate Phobias http://www.fearof.net/

Unlike a simple phobia, a complex phobia, is something that is developed during adulthood. Complex phobias are more detrimental to the person. These phobias are known as social phobias. Scientists say that what causes these phobias are a combination of genetics, brain chemistry and life experiences. Neuroscientists have studied different parts of the brain, and have found that certain parts of the brain store dangerous and deadly events that a human has been through. When a person is put through this type of event again the brain remembers it, and fear develops. Treatment for complex phobias has not been discovered yet. This is because the brain tends to hold on to these "bad" memories, and finding an exact cure is very difficult for many doctors and scientists.

People who develop complex phobias have a very difficult time attending social events, like parties, functions, and weddings. They have a fear of being humiliated or embarrassed in public. Most people who have complex phobias are likely to develop depression due to isolation from the public. The most common complex phobia is Agoraphobia. This is the fear of not being able to escape a situation. Many people that have this phobia are afraid to go to anywhere in public or any public travel. These people usually develop panic disorder. Complex phobias are far more detrimental then simple phobias.

Links: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/249347.php

http://www.phobics-society.org.uk/causes-of-phobias/

Caitlyn Cordaro (1)

Tully Monster Identified

In 1958, amateur fossil hunter Francis Tully discovered an odd looking fossil in the Mazon Creek fossil bed located in Illinois. Since its discovery, paleontologists had no idea how to classify the organism that dated back to around 300 million years ago.  However, a team of paleontologists based at Yale University recently published a study classifying the bizarre organism.

            A team led by Victoria McCoy and Derek Briggs analyzed a collection of 2,000 Tully Monsters located at the Field Museum of Natural History. Using new analytical techniques such as synchrotron elemental mapping, which maps the chemistry of a fossil to illuminate the organism’s physical features, the team discovered that the Tully Monster had gills and a notochord. These key features had not been previously identified and helped determine that the Tully Monster is part of the same lineage as modern lamprey. The one foot long creature also had teeth at the end of a trunk-like extension from its head as well as eyes that sat on either side of a rigid bar.

            Even with the creature’s classification there is still little known about the time span in which it lived. Scientists only have access to the small window dating back 300 million years and these fossils have only been found in this region in Illinois. Regardless, these new techniques may prove useful in identifying and classifying key features in ancestors of modern lineages that may help us better understand mechanisms of evolution.

Allen Currier (Group 1)

Source: 

Yale University. (2016, March 16). Solving the mystery of the Tully Monster.ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 21, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160316151355.htm

No need for sex...

Almost more than 50 years ago, scientists were able to discover this species of lizards (of the Aspidoscelis genus) that were able to create offspring without the male population. Since these lizards asexually reproduce, they do not exchange genetic material means no exchanging of genetic material. Without gene combination to enhance fitness for the constant changing of the environment, these lizards have a major disadvantage. It is still unclear as to why and how the species is around. However a recent study published in Nature, shows how it is possible that this all-lady lizard species still exists today.

Peter Baumann, associate investigator at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Mo., and co-author of the study, and his team who conducted the new research, have revealed that these lizards are able to maintain their genetic richness by starting off with twice the number of chromosomes as their  “sexually reproducing cousin”. Their hypothesis suggests, that at a certain point of time, there must have been a hybridization among the different sexual species which may have led to the creation of the parthenogenetic lizards and the reason for its’ genetic variation. The researchers also found that they are able to maintain the genetic diversity by not pairing their homologous chromosomes like sexual species but rather “combining” their sister chromosomes. The offspring produced will therefore have an identical set of chromosomes, hence why the need for males is no longer necessary.

 

These lizards in particular are found in Mexico and the southwestern part of the U.S. Unlike the other 70 known parthenogenetic species of vertebrates that are able to asexually reproduce whenever they want, this all-female lizard species has no other choice. There is still so much more to be discovered about how such asexual reproductive species come about and how they are able to survive. More studies and research is being done to further explain this evolutionary phenomenon.

Sarah Ona (Group 3)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/asexual-lizards/ 

https://www.google.com/search?q=parthenogenetic+lizards&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNvP_6prXLAhVIqh4KHbOwCSAQ_AUIBygB&biw=1121&bih=609#tbm=isch&q=asexual+reproduction+&imgrc=mkH-d_i6FFGJ3M%3A

Act Your Age-Don't Look It!

As we grow older, we may start noticing our youth fade, and certain physical changes occur, such as wrinkles, sun damage, and maybe even graying hair- mostly problems we’ve heard our parents complain about, and never thought we’d face.  The beauty business has been working hard to create and advance thousands of remedies, creams and injections to try and give people a chance to delay their aging, if only for a moment.

Along with dermatologist prescribed or store-bought products, surgery has also been a go-to for those extremely dedicated to their appearance.  Typically, people can get a face-lift, in which their skin is physically tightened back and readjusted at the hairline.  A recently developed face-lift procedure, called a stem-cell face-lift, eliminates the need for surgery at all, and utilizes stem-cells from subcutaneous fat found in the lower abdomen or inner thighs. 

The procedure works by suctioning a small amount of the previously chosen subcutaneous fat via a small needle puncture.  Subcutaneous fat in the lower abdomen and inner thigh regions have been found to have high concentrations of stem cells. The obtained fat is then mixed with growth factors, which are embedded in micro-hyaluronic, allowing the growth factors to be released periodically over the course of 3 months.  Additionally, using multi-planer technique, fat and stem cells are transplanted to the face.  This technique differs from a typical surgical face-lift due to the multi-planer nature, because the skin rejuvenation can occur at each level naturally and create an even look.  The procedure takes place in three levels of the skin, so while the top layer of the skin is modified, the skin underneath is being altered gradually as well.  

Although the effects of this procedure are not permanent, and eventually the effects of aging take effect, this procedure is extremely effective in temporarily prolonging aging.  The beauty industry is forever evolving, and the demand for anti-aging products will continue to become more advanced, and less invasive.   

http://www.stemcellfacelift.us/The-Procedure.html

Erina Taradai Group 3