Smart Economy

Study explains how green tea could reduce pancreatic cancer risk

 

Findings open a new area for research into cancer prevention

		IMAGE:   Wai-Nang Lee, MD, an LA BioMed lead researcher, is the corresponding author of a study that could open a new area of cancer-fighting research by explaining how green tea helps... Click here for more information.

LOS ANGELES – (May 30, 2014) – Green tea and its extracts have been widely touted as potential treatments for cancer, as well as several other diseases. But scientists have struggled to explain how the green tea and its extracts may work to reduce the risk of cancer or to slow the growth of cancer cells.

A study recently published online by the journal, Metabolomics, offers an explanation that researchers say could open a new area of cancer-fighting research. The study reports that EGCG, the active biologic constituent in green tea, changed the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing the expression of an enzyme associated with cancer, LDHA.

The researchers also found an enzyme inhibitor, oxamate, which is known to reduce LDHA activity, operated in the same manner: It also disrupted the pancreatic cancer cells metabolic system.

"Scientists had believed they needed a molecular mechanism to treat cancer, but this study shows that they can change the metabolic system and have an impact on cancer," said Wai-Nang Lee, MD, corresponding author of the study and a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) lead researcher. "By explaining how green tea's active component could prevent cancer, this study will open the door to a whole new area of cancer research and help us understand how other foods can prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous cells."

Using sophisticated metabolic profiling methods, the researchers found EGCG disrupted the balance of "flux" throughout the cellular metabolic network. Flux is the rate of turnover of molecules through a metabolic pathway. The researchers found the EGCG disrupted this balance in the same manner that oxamate, a known LDHA inhibitor, did.

Based on this finding, they concluded that both EGCG and oxamate reduced the risk of cancer by suppressing the activity of LDHA, a critical enzyme in cancer metabolism, thereby disrupting the balance in the cancer cells metabolic functions.

"This is an entirely new way of looking at metabolism," said Dr. Lee. "It is no longer a case of glucose goes in and energy comes out. Now we understand how cancer cell metabolism can be disrupted, and we can examine how we can use this knowledge to try to alter the course of cancer or prevent cancer." 

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About LA BioMed

Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit http://www.LABioMed.org

Campaign to Revoke Russia’s Hosting of FIFA’s 2018 World Cup-BOYCOTT Anheuser-Busch InBev

United with Ukraine Launches Campaign to Revoke Russia’s Hosting of FIFA’s 2018 World Cup

“Boycott Putin Now” calls for global brands to take a principled stand against Putin

Anheuser-Busch InBev (Euronext: ABI; NYSE: BUD) Initial Target of Campaign

 

May 28, 2014 08:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time

 

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An international boycott of Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch InBev products (Euronext: ABI; NYSE: BUD) has been launched by an organization formed to mobilize global grassroots opposition to Vladimir Putin and Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and its orchestrating of violent terrorist activities across Eastern and Southern Ukraine. The 2018 World Cup was awarded to Russia by FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association), the international governing body of the sport of football.

 

“The corporate mantra of Anheuser-Busch InBev is “Bringing People Together for a Better World”

 

The campaign launched by United with Ukraine includes a comprehensive website www.BoycottPutinNow.com which includes an informative online video to help highlight the hypocrisy of FIFA and its major corporate partners. The video is available on the website in 12 different languages to help facilitate global awareness.

 

“The corporate mantra of Anheuser-Busch InBev is “Bringing People Together for a Better World” which goes completely against affiliating itself with Russia’s hosting of the World Cup and Vladimir Putin’s army of war mongers,” said Eugene Melnyk, Chairman of the Campaign Advisory Committee for United with Ukraine. “Major international sporting events such as the Olympics or FIFA’s World Cup serve as powerful forces of global unity and peace, not conflict and war. To allow Russia to host the World Cup would fundamentally undermine the spirit of international sport and the stated core principles of every corporate sponsor who so far has chosen to align itself with such an irresponsible decision. We are asking FIFA’s major partners to take a firm principled stand and demand FIFA immediately re-assign the 2018 World Cup to a more deserving nation.”

 

The FIFA World Cup is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. It is broadcast in more than 200 countries where the championship match will be watched by more than 700 million people. It is an event of epic proportions that will undeservingly place Putin and Russia front and center on football’s world stage in 2018.

 

United with Ukraine and its “Boycott Putin Now” Campaign calls upon FIFA to immediately revoke the 2018 World Cup hosting rights from the Russian Federation. Until such a decision is made by FIFA, United with Ukraine will continue to work to persuade significant corporate sponsors to withdraw their brands and financial support of the 2018 World Cup.

 

It is the intent of United with Ukraine to systematically boycott each of the nine major corporate partners of FIFA’s 2018 World Cup for choosing to align themselves and their brands to Putin and Russia’s terrorist campaign against a defenseless nation such as Ukraine.

 

About United with Ukraine

 

United with Ukraine is an international human rights organization based in Ottawa, Canada focused on ending the ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine and its illegal occupation of Crimea. The organization is taking a number of steps to support the Ukrainian people as they work to restore political and economic stability. Until Russia clearly demonstrates its respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, United with Ukraine will continue to apply pressure that will further isolate Russia economically, culturally and politically.

 

About Anheuser-Busch InBev

 

Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). It is the leading global brewer and one of the world’s top five consumer products companies. Their portfolio of well over 200 beer brands includes Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; international brands Beck’s®, Leffe®, and Hoegaarden®; Anheuser-Busch InBev has more than 150,000 employees based in 25 countries worldwide. In 2013, AB InBev realized 43.2 billion USD in revenue. The company claims to strive to be the “Best Beer Company Bringing People Together for a Better World”.

 

Contacts

for United with Ukraine

Paul Morozenko, 1-416-708-4604

[email protected]

 

Rachel Warzala

Sitrick And Company

7 Times Square, Suite 2600

New York, NY 10036

212-573-6100

[email protected]

Breakthrough shows how DNA is 'edited' to correct genetic diseases

 

 

An international team of scientists has made a major step forward in our understanding of how enzymes 'edit' genes, paving the way for correcting genetic diseases in patients.

Researchers at the Universities of Bristol, Münster and the Lithuanian Institute of Biotechnology have observed the process by which a class of enzymes called CRISPR – pronounced 'crisper' – bind and alter the structure of DNA.

The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) today, provide a vital piece of the puzzle if these genome editing tools are ultimately going to be used to correct genetic diseases in humans.

CRISPR enzymes were first discovered in bacteria in the 1980s as an immune defence used by bacteria against invading viruses. Scientists have more recently shown that one type of CRISPR enzyme – Cas9 – can be used to edit the human genome - the complete set of genetic information for humans.

These enzymes have been tailored to accurately target a single combination of letters within the three billion base pairs of the DNA molecule. This is the equivalent of correcting a single misspelt word in a 23-volume encyclopaedia.

To find this needle in a haystack, CRISPR enzymes use a molecule of RNA - a nucleic acid similar in structure to DNA. The targeting process requires the CRISPR enzymes to pull apart the DNA strands and insert the RNA to form a sequence-specific structure called an 'R-loop'.

The global team tested the R-loop model using specially modified microscopes in which single DNA molecules are stretched in a magnetic field. By altering the twisting force on the DNA, the researchers could directly monitor R-loop formation events by individual CRISPR enzymes.

This allowed them to reveal previously hidden steps in the process and to probe the influence of the sequence of DNA bases.

Professor Mark Szczelkun, from Bristol University's School of Biochemistry, said: "An important challenge in exploiting these exciting genome editing tools is ensuring that only one specific location in a genome is targeted.

"Our single molecule assays have led to a greater understanding of the influence of DNA sequence on R-loop formation. In the future this will help in the rational re-engineering of CRISPR enzymes to increase their accuracy and minimise off-target effects. This will be vital if we are to ultimately apply these tools to correct genetic diseases in patients. "

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The work was funded at the University of Bristol by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust.

Paper

'Direct observation of R-loop formation by single RNA-guided Cas9 and Cascade effector complexes' by Mark D. Szczelkuna, Maria S. Tikhomirovab, Tomas Sinkunasd, Giedrius Gasiunasd, Tautvydas Karvelisd, Patrizia Pscherac, Virginijus Siksnysd and Ralf Seidel in PNAS.

About the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) invests in world-class bioscience research and training on behalf of the UK public. Our aim is to further scientific knowledge, to promote economic growth, wealth and job creation and to improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Funded by Government, and with an annual budget of around £467m (2012-2013), we support research and training in universities and strategically funded institutes. BBSRC research and the people we fund are helping society to meet major challenges, including food security, green energy and healthier, longer lives. Our investments underpin important UK economic sectors, such as farming, food, industrial biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

About the Wellcome Trust

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust's breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.

Fighting cancer with dietary changes

 

Dieting may decrease chances for metastases in triple negative breast cancers by strengthening the tissue surrounding the tumor

(PHILADELPHIA) -- -- Calorie restriction, a kind of dieting in which food intake is decreased by a certain percentage, has been touted as way to help people live longer. New research suggests that there may be other benefits, including improving outcomes for women in breast cancer. According to a study published May 26th in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment, the triple negative subtype of breast cancer – one of the most aggressive forms – is less likely to spread, or metastasize, to new sites in the body when mice were fed a restricted diet.

"The diet turned on a epigenetic program that protected mice from metastatic disease," says senior author Nicole Simone, M.D., an associate professor in the department of Radiation Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. Indeed, when mouse models of triple negative cancer were fed 30 percent less than what they ate when given free access to food, the cancer cells decreased their production of microRNAs 17 and 20 (miR 17/20). Researchers have found that this group of miRs is often increased in triple negative cancers that metastasize.

Breast cancer patients are often treated with hormonal therapy to block tumor growth, and steroids to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. However, both treatments can cause a patient to have altered metabolism which can lead to weight gain. In fact, women gain an average of 10 pounds in their first year of treatment. Recent studies have shown that too much weight makes standard treatments for breast cancer less effective, and those who gain weight during treatment have worse cancer outcomes. "That's why it's important to look at metabolism when treating women with cancer," says Dr. Simone.

In earlier studies, Dr. Simone and colleagues had shown that calorie restriction boosted the tumor-killing effects of radiation therapy. This study aimed to examine which molecular pathways were involved in this cooperative effect.

The investigators noticed that microRNAs – a type of RNA that regulates other genes in the cell – specifically miR 17 and 20, decreased the most when mice were treated with both radiation and calorie restriction. This decrease in turn increased the production of proteins involved in maintaining the extracellular matrix. "Calorie restriction promotes epigenetic changes in the breast tissue that keep the extracellular matrix strong," says Dr. Simone. "A strong matrix creates a sort of cage around the tumor, making it more difficult for cancer cells to escape and spread to new sites in the body." 

Understanding the link to miR 17 also gives researchers a molecular target for diagnosing cancers that are more likely to metastasize and, potentially, for developing a new drug to treat the cancers. In theory, a drug that decreased miR 17 could have the same effect on the extracellular matrix as calorie restriction. However, targeting a single molecular pathway, such as the miR17 is unlikely to be as effective as calorie restriction, says Dr. Simone. Triple negative breast cancers tend to be quite different genetically from patient to patient. If calorie restriction is as effective in women as it is in animal models, then it would likely change the expression patterns of a large set of genes, hitting multiple targets at once without toxicity. 

In order to test that this hypothesis is true in humans, Dr. Simone is currently enrolling patients in the CaReFOR (Calorie Restriction for Oncology Research) trial.  As the first trial like it in the country, women undergoing radiation therapy for breast cancer receive nutritional counseling and are guided through their weight loss plan as they undergo their treatment for breast cancer. 

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The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The study was funded by the NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30-CA56036 for the Kimmel Cancer Center.

For more information, please contact Edyta Zielinska, [email protected], 215-955-5291

Article reference: L. Jin, et al., "The metastatic potential of triple-negative breast cancer is decreased via caloric restriction-mediated reduction of the miR-17~92 cluster," Breast Cancer Res Treat, DOI 10.1007/s10549-014-2978-7, 2014.

NIH study uncovers probable mechanism underlying resveratrol activity

Public release date: 2-Feb-2012

Findings may settle scientific debate surrounding this chemical found in red wine and other foods

National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues have identified how resveratrol, a naturally occurring chemical found in red wine and other plant products, may confer its health benefits. The authors present evidence that resveratrol does not directly activate sirtuin 1, a protein associated with aging. Rather, the authors found that resveratrol inhibits certain types of proteins known as phosphodiesterases (PDEs), enzymes that help regulate cell energy.

These findings may help settle the debate regarding resveratrol's biochemistry and pave the way for resveratrol-based medicines. The chemical has received significant interest from pharmaceutical companies for its potential to combat diabetes, inflammation, and cancer. The study appears in the Feb. 3 issue of Cell.

"Resveratrol has potential as a therapy for diverse diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, and heart disease," said lead study author Jay H. Chung, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the Laboratory of Obesity and Aging Research at the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. "However, before researchers can transform resveratrol into a safe and effective medicine, they need to know exactly what it targets in cells."

Several previous studies suggested that resveratrol's primary target is sirtuin 1. Chung and colleagues suspected otherwise when they found that resveratrol activity required another protein called AMPK. This would not be the case if resveratrol directly interacted with sirtuin 1.

In this study, the researchers methodically traced out the metabolic activity in cells treated with resveratrol and identified PDE4 in the skeletal muscle as the principal target for the health benefits of resveratrol. By inhibiting PDE4, resveratrol triggers a series of events in a cell, one of which indirectly activates sirtuin 1.

To confirm that resveratrol attaches to and inhibits PDE proteins, Chung's group gave mice rolipram, a drug known to inhibit PDE4. Rolipram reproduced all of the biochemical effects and health benefits of resveratrol, such as preventing diet-induced obesity, improving glucose tolerance, and increasing physical endurance.

Chung noted that because resveratrol in its natural form interacts with many proteins, not just PDEs, it may cause not-yet-known toxicities as a medicine, particularly with long-term use.   He added that the levels of resveratrol found in wine or foods are likely not high enough to produce significant health benefits or problems. Convincing clinical studies in humans have used about 1 gm of resveratrol per day, roughly equal to the amount found in 667 bottles of red wine. 

The study results also suggest that inhibitors of PDE4 may offer the benefits of resveratrol without the potential toxicities arising from resveratrol's interactions with other proteins.  One PDE4 inhibitor called roflumilast has already been approved by the FDA for the treatment of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

"This result underscores the need for careful, well-controlled studies to illuminate how these natural products operate," said Robert Balaban, Ph.D., director of the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research. "As Dr. Chung's work suggests, the effects of resveratrol seem to be more complicated than originally thought. However, this new insight into the phosphodiesterases might prove an interesting avenue to pursue."

In addition to Dr. Chung's lab at the NHLBI, other contributors to this study included collaborators in the Cardiovascular Pulmonary Branch of the NHLBI; the University of California, Davis; the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China; University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands; and Emerald BioStructures, Bainbridge Island, Wash.

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To schedule an interview with Dr. Chung or another NHLBI spokesperson, contact the NHLBI Office of Communications at 301-496-4236 or [email protected].

Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders.  The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics.  NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases.  For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health

Diets rich in antioxidant resveratrol fail to reduce deaths, heart disease or cancer

But don't put down the Chianti yet: As-yet-unknown compounds in such foods may still be conferring health benefits, researchers say

A study of Italians who consume a diet rich in resveratrol — the compound found in red wine, dark chocolate and berries — finds they live no longer than and are just as likely to develop cardiovascular disease or cancer as those who eat or drink smaller amounts of the antioxidant.

"The story of resveratrol turns out to be another case where you get a lot of hype about health benefits that doesn't stand the test of time," says Richard D. Semba, M.D., M.P.H., a professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and leader of the study described May 12 in JAMA Internal Medicine. "The thinking was that certain foods are good for you because they contain resveratrol. We didn't find that at all."

Despite the negative results, Semba says, studies have shown that consumption of red wine, dark chocolate and berries does reduce inflammation in some people and still appears to protect the heart. "It's just that the benefits, if they are there, must come from other polyphenols or substances found in those foodstuffs," he says. "These are complex foods, and all we really know from our study is that the benefits are probably not due to resveratrol."

The new study did not include people taking resveratrol supplements, though few studies thus far have found benefits associated with them.

Semba is part of an international team of researchers that for 15 years has studied the effects of aging in a group of people who live in the Chianti region of Italy. For the current study, the researchers analyzed 24 hours of urine samples from 783 people over the age of 65 for metabolites of resveratrol. After accounting for such factors as age and gender, the people with the highest concentration of resveratrol metabolites were no less likely to have died of any cause than those with no resveratrol found in their urine. The concentration of resveratrol was not associated with inflammatory markers, cardiovascular disease or cancer rates.

Semba and his colleagues used advanced mass spectrometry to analyze the urine samples.

The study participants make up a random group of people living in Tuscany where supplement use is uncommon and consumption of red wine — a specialty of the region — is the norm. The study participants were not on any prescribed diet.

Resveratrol is also found in relatively large amounts in grapes, peanuts and certain Asiatic plant roots. Excitement over its health benefits followed studies documenting anti-inflammatory effects in lower organisms and increased lifespan in mice fed a high-calorie diet rich in the compound.

The so-called "French paradox," in which a low incidence of coronary heart disease occurs in the presence of a high dietary intake of cholesterol and saturated fat in France, has been attributed to the regular consumption of resveratrol and other polyphenols found in red wine.

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Kai Sun, M.S., a Johns Hopkins statistician, worked on the research. Researchers from the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Aging (NIA), the New England Research Institutes, the University of Barcelona in Spain, the Catalan Institute of Oncology in Spain, Azienda Sanitaria in Italy and the Instituto Nazionale di Ripose e Cura per Anziani V.E.II.-Instituto di Recovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico in Italy also contributed to the study.

The work was supported by grants from the NIA (R01 AG027012), the National Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (R01 HL094507), the Italian Ministry of Health, the Spanish government and the NIA Intramural Research Program.

Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM), headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, is a $6.7 billion integrated global health enterprise and one of the leading health care systems in the United States. JHM unites physicians and scientists of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with the organizations, health professionals and facilities of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System. JHM's vision, "Together, we will deliver the promise of medicine," is supported by its mission to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. Diverse and inclusive, JHM educates medical students, scientists, health care professionals and the public; conducts biomedical research; and provides patient-centered medicine to prevent, diagnose and treat human illness. JHM operates six academic and community hospitals, four suburban health care and surgery centers, and more than 30 primary health care outpatient sites. The Johns Hopkins Hospital, opened in 1889, was ranked number one in the nation for 21 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.

Johns Hopkins Medicine, 901 South Bond St., Suite 550, Baltimore, MD 21231 United States

Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations and Public Affairs Media Contacts:

Contact: Stephanie Desmon [email protected] 410-955-8665 Johns Hopkins Medicine

Lauren Nelson 410-955-8725; [email protected]

Russian troops won't invade Ukraine, they will walk in as peace keepers, under weak, imprecise, loop-hole filled Geneva Accords.

 

Russian troops won't invade Ukraine, they will walk in as peace keepers, under weak, imprecise, loop-hole filled Geneva Accords.

 

Walter Derzko

 

“ On 24 April, in the Rostov Oblast in Russia, three columns of Russian troops including tanks, Armoured Personnel C...arriers and troop transports ,as well as twelve helicopter gunships accompanying one of the columns, were seen bearing recognised ‘peacekeeping forces’ markings on their vehicles. These columns have been spotted on the M4 highway near Kamensk-Shakhtinskiy and Shakhty and between Kamensk, and Krasniy Sulin. It should be noted that the Geneva Agreement of 17 April contained considerable loopholes which did not define any restriction on the number either of observers to guarantee a peace process or the structure of any formations to support them. Regardless of what explanation Russia may offer, the real outcome of any military intervention will be to boost the forces which are already defending Slavyansk against Ukrainian government troops.” https://www.rusi.org/analysis/commentary/ref:C53628C52C2519/#.U2jTV4FdWGM

Edward Lucas: “Putin is on a Roll and We Haven’t Seen the Worst of It Yet” (expanded version)

Edward Lucas: “Putin is on a Roll and We Haven’t Seen the Worst of It Yet” (expanded version)

 

An exclusive interview on Ukraine with Edward Lucas, Sr. Editor, Economist Magazine conducted in Toronto, on April 24, 2014 by Walter Derzko

http://bit.ly/1kxdnBG