From eNewsletter 6/22/2020
DID YOU KNOW that abnormal epigenetic alterations are one of the hallmarks of cancer development? Epigenetic targeting drugs have become a promising and effective cancer therapy strategy. However, due to the high toxicity and unclear mechanisms of action of these drugs, natural compounds that cause epigenetic modulation have also been studied. Sulforaphane (SFN), a phytochemical found in vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, is a promising agent for epigenetic targeting therapy. A study from Food and Chemical Toxicology, examining SFN on gene expression and DNA methylation in liver carcinoma cells, found SFN to be a potent anticancer agent, as it induced DNA damage, cell death, and inhibition in liver cancer cell proliferation, and should be considered a valuable, natural approach to cancer therapy. COVID-19 ANTIBODY TESTS: DUBIOUS AT BEST
STAYING SAFE AMIDST A PANDEMIC
Continue with extra immune support until summer of 2021. We don't know how virulent SARS-CoV-2 will be this summer or if there will be a second COVID wave during fall and winter. Besides, SARS-CoV-2 is not the only virus we fight. There is influenza (flu), norovirus (stomach flu), adenovirus (common cold), and four other coronaviruses (common cold), among others. Prevent and Fight Coronavirus 2.0 is our must-read protocol.
PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT
Steve and Bonnie: From a public health perspective, there's been little interest in anything else other than the coronavirus pandemic. There are still public health issues that you need to be aware of.
Acid Suppressants
For children exposed to acid-suppressant medications, such as proton pump inhibitors and histamine 2 receptor antagonists, during their first year of life, the risk for recurrent wheeze at age 3 is significantly elevated, researchers warn in a study to be presented at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2020 Meeting. Long-term use of acid suppressants could increase the risk of developing dementia, according to results published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia. Proton pump inhibitors affect the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a significant part in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. This comes on the heels of a large population study in JAMA Neurology showing people who use PPIs also ran a higher risk of dementia. A study in Alzheimers Research & Therapy showed that healthy young individuals who took PPIs for ten days performed worse on memory tests than previously, compared with a placebo group. Antibiotics Reduced incidence of pediatric asthma in recent years might be an unexpected benefit of reduced antibiotic use during infancy, a study from Lancet Respiratory Medicine suggests. Antibiotics very likely cause a predisposition to asthma and do so by perturbing the normal interaction between gut microflora and the developing immune system. Big reductions in antibiotic use in infancy in Canada lowered the risk of asthma in an entire birth cohort of kids. Antibiotic exposure within 14 days before and after a colonoscopy may increase risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as reported at Digestive Disease Week 2020. Bug Spray A government funded study found that higher exposure to insecticides commonly used in and around domiciles and workplaces were associated with higher risk of death from all causes or cardiovascular disease over 14 years. The study from JAMA Internal Medicine should leave no doubt that using chemicals for bug control in your home or place of business should be avoided. Cholesterol Meds A study in Diabetes Metabolism Research and Reviews found that those who were prescribed cholesterol-lowering statins, with an average age of 46, had at least double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This further confirms the warnings listed on labels of all prescription statins. E-cigarettes Biomarkers of carcinogens with a strong link to bladder cancer are present in urine of e-cigarette users, as reported in European Urology Oncology. Researchers found 40 different parent compounds that can be processed in the body to produce 63 different toxic chemicals or carcinogenic metabolites. Lobbying A study from JAMA Internal Medicine revealed the pharmaceutical and the health product industry spent $4.7 billion, an average of $233 million per year, on lobbying and campaign contributions at the federal level in the US from 1999 to 2018, more than any other industry. Of the 20 senators and 20 representatives who received the most contributions, 39 belonged to committees with jurisdiction over health-related legislative matters, 24 of them in senior positions. In years in which key state referenda on reforms in drug pricing and regulation were being voted on, there were large spikes in contributions to groups that opposed or supported the reforms. Metformin The FDA said last week it had found high levels of a possible cancer-causing impurity in some versions of the diabetes drug metformin. NDMA contamination was responsible for the recent recall of the heartburn drug Zantac. Osteoarthritis Findings from a study in JAMA among patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis state that yearly zoledronic acid infusions (a common bone drug known as Reclast), compared with placebo, did not reduce cartilage volume loss over 24 months, and should not be used for this purpose. Thyroid Medication Recall Acella Pharmaceuticals has voluntarily recalled 13 lots of its NP Thyroid medication, because the company says testing has revealed the affected pills may be "superpotent" with up to 115% of the labeled amount of liothyronine.
ARE WE CLOSE TO A DEFINITIVE LYME DISEASE DIAGNOSIS?
This article is reserved for NCI Well Connect Members. You can get this article by signing up here. You can get our free eNewsletter by signing up at the top of our website.
コメント