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Nathan Goodyear

Nattokinase improves blood flow by inhibiting platelet aggregation and thrombus formation - 0 views

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    nattokinase, an enzyme, inhibits platelets aggregation and inhibits inflammatory-induced vascular thrombosis.  Nattokinase is commonly employed as a part of systemic enzyme therapy.
Nathan Goodyear

Role of Polymorphic Human Cytochrome P450 Enzymes in Estrone Oxidation - 0 views

  • CYP1A1 and CYP1B1 are not expressed in any significant quantity in the liver. Therefore, they would not be expected to contribute to the overall systemic metabolism of estrone. However, both enzymes have been identified in breast tissue
  • CYP1A1 displayed relatively high activity for all three hydroxylations, suggesting that it may play an important role in extrahepatic tissues where it is expressed
  • CYP1A1 was more active with regard to 2-hydroxylation and 4-hydroxylation, it also displayed one of the greatest 16α-hydroxylating activities of the CYP enzymes tested.
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  • CYP1B1 displayed a high affinity for estrone and preferentially catalyzed 4-hydroxylation over 2-hydroxylation
  • CYP1B1 did not seem to contribute to 16α-hydroxylation.
  • CYP1B1 was shown to preferentially catalyze 4-hydroxylation, whereas CYP1A1 was shown to preferentially catalyze 2-hydroxylation
  • Among the CYP enzymes expressed in the liver, CYP1A2 was the most active with regard to 2-hydroxylation
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    good discussion of estrogen metabolism and the P450 enzymes.
Nathan Goodyear

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial comparing th... - 0 views

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    post op systemic enzyme therapy reduced post operative swelling i.e. inflammation.
Nathan Goodyear

Unbound MEDLINE : Treatment of inflammation and edema with bromelain. A plant proteolyt... - 0 views

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    bromelaine, enzyme, reduces inflammation.
Nathan Goodyear

http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/6/953.full.pdf - 0 views

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    systemic enzyme therapy modulates T-cell function i.e. inflammation.
Nathan Goodyear

How is the Immune System Suppressed by Cancer - 1 views

  • nitric oxide (NO) released by tumor cells
  • Excellent work by Prof de Groot of Essen, indicated by adding exogenous xanthine oxidase ( XO) in hepatoma cells, hydrogen peroxide was produced to destroy the hepatoma cells
  • NO from eNOS in cancer cells can travel through membranes and over long distances in the body
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  • NO also is co linked to VEGF which in turn increases the antiapoptotic gene bcl-2
  • The other important influence of NO is in its inhibition of the proapoptoic caspases cascade. This in turn protects the cells from intracellular preprogrammed death.
  • nitric oxide in immune suppression in relation to oxygen radicals is its inhibitory effect on the binding of leukocytes (PMN) at the endothelial surface
  • Inhibition of inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS)
  • NO from the tumor cells actually suppresses the iNOS, and in addition it reduces oxygen radicals to stop the formation of peroxynitrite in these cells. But NO is not the only inhibitor of iNOS in cancer.
  • Spermine and spermidine, from the rate limiting enzyme for DNA synthases, ODC, also inhibit iNOS
  • tolerance in the immune system that decreases the immune response to antigens on the tumors
  • Freund’s adjuvant
  • increase in kinases in these cells which phosphorylate serine, and tyrosine
  • responsible for activation of many growth factors and enzymes
  • phosphorylated amino acids suppress iNOS activity
  • Hexokinase II
  • Prostaglandin E2, released from tumor cells is also an inhibitor of iNOS, as well as suppressing the immune system
  • Th-1 subset of T-cells. These cells are responsible for anti-viral and anti-cancer activities, via their cytokine production including Interleukin-2, (IL-2), and Interleukin-12 which stimulates T-killer cell replication and further activation and release of tumor fighting cytokines.
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      Th1 cells stimulate NK and other tumor fighting macrophages via IL-2 and IL-12; In contrast, Th2, which is stimulated in allergies and parasitic infections, produce IL-4 and IL-10.  IL-4 and IL-10 inhibit TH-1 activation and the histamine released from mast cell degranulation upregulates T suppressor cells to further immune suppression.
  • Th-2 subset of lymphocytes, on the other hand are activated in allergies and parasitic infections to release Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-10
  • These have respectively inhibitory effects on iNOS and lymphocyte Th-1 activation
  • Mast cells contain histamine which when released increases the T suppressor cells, to lower the immune system and also acts directly on many tumor Histamine receptors to stimulate tumor growth
  • Tumor cells release IL-10, and this is thought to be one of the important areas of Th-1 suppression in cancer patients
  • IL-10 is also increased in cancer causing viral diseases such as HIV, HBV, HCV, and EBV
  • IL-10 is also a central regulator of cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostaglandin production in tumor cells stimulating their angiogenesis and NO production
  • nitric oxide in tumor cells even prevents the activation of caspases responsible for apoptosis
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      NO produced by cancer cells inhibits proapoptotic pathways such as the caspases.
  • early stages of carcinogenesis, which we call tumor promotion, one needs a strong immune system, and fewer oxygen radicals to prevent mutations but still enough to destroy the tumor cells should they develop
  • later stages of cancer development, the oxygen radicals are decreased around the tumors and in the tumor cells themselves, and the entire cancer fighting Th-1 cell replication and movement are suppressed. The results are a decrease in direct toxicity and apoptosis, which is prevented by NO, a suppression of the macrophage and leukocyte toxicity and finally, a suppression of the T-cell induced tumor toxicity
  • cGMP is increased by NO
  • NO in cancer is its ability to increase platelet-tumor cell aggregates, which enhances metastases
  • the greater the malignancies and the greater the metastatic potential of these tumors
  • The greater the NO production in many types of tumors,
  • gynecological
  • elevated lactic acid which neutralizes the toxicity and activity of Lymphocyte immune response and mobility
  • The lactic acid is also feeding fungi around tumors and that leads to elevated histamine which increases T-suppressor cells.  Histamine alone stimulates many tumor cells.
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      The warburg effect in cancer cells results in the increase in local lactic acid production which suppresses lymphocyte activity and toxicity as well as stimulates histamine production with further stimulates tumor cell growth.
  • T-regulatory cells (formerly,T suppressor cells) down regulate the activity of Natural killer cells
  • last but not least, the Lactic acid from tumor cells and acidic diets shifts the lymphocyte activity to reduce its efficacy against cancer cells and pathogens in addition to altering the bacteria of the intestinal tract.
  • intestinal tract bacteria in cancer cells release sterols that suppress the immune system and down regulate anticancer activity from lymphocytes.
  • In addition to the lactic acid, adenosine is also released from tumors. Through IL-10, adenosine and other molecules secreted by regulatory T cells, the CD8+ cells can be inactivated to an anergic state
  • Adenosine up regulates the PD1 receptor in T-1 Lymphocytes and inhibits their activity
  • Adenosine is a purine nucleoside found within the interstitial fluid of solid tumors at concentrations that are able to inhibit cell-mediated immune responses to tumor cells
  • Adenosine appears to up-regulate the PD1 receptor in T-1 Lymphocytes and inhibits the immune system further
  • Mast cells with their release of histamine lower the immune system and also stimulate tumor growth and activate the metalloproteinases involved in angiogenesis and metastases
  • COX 2 inhibitors or all trans-retinoic acid
  • Cimetidine, an antihistamine has been actually shown to increase in apoptosis in MDSC via a separate mechanism than the antihistamine effect
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      cimetidine is an H2 blocker
  • interleukin-8 (IL-8), a chemokine related to invasion and angiogenesis
  • In vitro analyses revealed a striking induction of IL-8 expression in CAFs and LFs by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)
  • these data raise the possibility that the majority of CAFs in CLM originate from resident LFs. TNF-alpha-induced up-regulation of IL-8 via nuclear factor-kappaB in CAFs is an inflammatory pathway, potentially permissive for cancer invasion that may represent a novel therapeutic target
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    Great review of the immunosuppression in cancer driven by the likes of NO.
Nathan Goodyear

Inflammatory cause of metabolic syndrome via brain stress and NF-κB - 0 views

  • Mechanistic studies further showed that such metabolic inflammation is related to the induction of various intracellular stresses such as mitochondrial oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and autophagy defect under prolonged nutritional excess
  • intracellular stress-inflammation process for metabolic syndrome has been established in the central nervous system (CNS) and particularly in the hypothalamus
  • the CNS and the comprised hypothalamus are known to govern various metabolic activities of the body including appetite control, energy expenditure, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and blood pressure homeostasis
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  • Reactive oxygen species (ROS) refer to a class of radical or non-radical oxygen-containing molecules that have high oxidative reactivity with lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids
  • a large measure of intracellular ROS comes from the leakage of mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC)
  • Another major source of intracellular ROS is the intentional generation of superoxides by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase
  • there are other ROS-producing enzymes such as cyclooxygenases, lipoxygenases, xanthine oxidase, and cytochrome p450 enzymes, which are involved with specific metabolic processes
  • To counteract the toxic effects of molecular oxidation by ROS, cells are equipped with a battery of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutases, catalase, peroxiredoxins, sulfiredoxin, and aldehyde dehydrogenases
  • intracellular oxidative stress has been indicated to contribute to metabolic syndrome and related diseases, including T2D [72; 73], CVDs [74-76], neurodegenerative diseases [69; 77-80], and cancers
  • intracellular oxidative stress is highly associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases [69] and brain aging
  • dietary obesity was found to induce NADPH oxidase-associated oxidative stress in rat brain
  • mitochondrial dysfunction in hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons causes central glucose sensing impairment
  • Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is the cellular organelle responsible for protein synthesis, maturation, and trafficking to secretory pathways
  • unfolded protein response (UPR) machinery
  • ER stress has been associated to obesity, insulin resistance, T2D, CVDs, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases
  • brain ER stress underlies neurodegenerative diseases
  • under environmental stress such as nutrient deprivation or hypoxia, autophagy is strongly induced to breakdown macromolecules into reusable amino acids and fatty acids for survival
  • intact autophagy function is required for the hypothalamus to properly control metabolic and energy homeostasis, while hypothalamic autophagy defect leads to the development of metabolic syndrome such as obesity and insulin resistance
  • prolonged oxidative stress or ER stress has been shown to impair autophagy function in disease milieu of cancer or aging
  • TLRs are an important class of membrane-bound pattern recognition receptors in classical innate immune defense
  • Most hypothalamic cell types including neurons and glia cells express TLRs
  • overnutrition constitutes an environmental stimulus that can activate TLR pathways to mediate the development of metabolic syndrome related disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, T2D, and atherosclerotic CVDs
  • Isoforms TLR1, 2, 4, and 6 may be particularly pertinent to pathogenic signaling induced by lipid overnutrition
  • hypothalamic TLR4 and downstream inflammatory signaling are activated in response to central lipid excess via direct intra-brain lipid administration or HFD-feeding
  • overnutrition-induced metabolic derangements such as central leptin resistance, systemic insulin resistance, and weight gain
  • these evidences based on brain TLR signaling further support the notion that CNS is the primary site for overnutrition to cause the development of metabolic syndrome.
  • circulating cytokines can limitedly travel to the hypothalamus through the leaky blood-brain barrier around the mediobasal hypothalamus to activate hypothalamic cytokine receptors
  • significant evidences have been recently documented demonstrating the role of cytokine receptor pathways in the development of metabolic syndrome components
  • entral administration of TNF-α at low doses faithfully replicated the effects of central metabolic inflammation in enhancing eating, decreasing energy expenditure [158;159], and causing obesity-related hypertension
  • Resistin, an adipocyte-derived proinflammatory cytokine, has been found to promote hepatic insulin resistance through its central actions
  • both TLR pathways and cytokine receptor pathways are involved in central inflammatory mechanism of metabolic syndrome and related diseases.
  • In quiescent state, NF-κB resides in the cytoplasm in an inactive form due to inhibitory binding by IκBα protein
  • IKKβ activation via receptor-mediated pathway, leading to IκBα phosphorylation and degradation and subsequent release of NF-κB activity
  • Research in the past decade has found that activation of IKKβ/NF-κB proinflammatory pathway in metabolic tissues is a prominent feature of various metabolic disorders related to overnutrition
  • it happens in metabolic tissues, it is mainly associated with overnutrition-induced metabolic derangements, and most importantly, it is relatively low-grade and chronic
  • this paradigm of IKKβ/NF-κB-mediated metabolic inflammation has been identified in the CNS – particularly the comprised hypothalamus, which primarily accounts for to the development of overnutrition-induced metabolic syndrome and related disorders such as obesity, insulin resistance, T2D, and obesity-related hypertension
  • evidences have pointed to intracellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction as upstream events that mediate hypothalamic NF-κB activation in a receptor-independent manner under overnutrition
  • In the context of metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress-related NF-κB activation in metabolic tissues or vascular systems has been implicated in a broad range of metabolic syndrome-related diseases, such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, cardiac infarct, stroke, cancer, and aging
  • intracellular oxidative stress seems to be a likely pathogenic link that bridges overnutrition with NF-κB activation leading to central metabolic dysregulation
  • overnutrition is an environmental inducer for intracellular oxidative stress regardless of tissues involved
  • excessive nutrients, when transported into cells, directly increase mitochondrial oxidative workload, which causes increased production of ROS by mitochondrial ETC
  • oxidative stress has been shown to activate NF-κB pathway in neurons or glial cells in several types of metabolic syndrome-related neural diseases, such as stroke [185], neurodegenerative diseases [186-188], and brain aging
  • central nutrient excess (e.g., glucose or lipids) has been shown to activate NF-κB in the hypothalamus [34-37] to account for overnutrition-induced central metabolic dysregulations
  • overnutrition can present the cell with a metabolic overload that exceeds the physiological adaptive range of UPR, resulting in the development of ER stress and systemic metabolic disorders
  • chronic ER stress in peripheral metabolic tissues such as adipocytes, liver, muscle, and pancreatic cells is a salient feature of overnutrition-related diseases
  • recent literature supports a model that brain ER stress and NF-κB activation reciprocally promote each other in the development of central metabolic dysregulations
  • when intracellular stresses remain unresolved, prolonged autophagy upregulation progresses into autophagy defect
  • autophagy defect can induce NF-κB-mediated inflammation in association with the development of cancer or inflammatory diseases (e.g., Crohn's disease)
  • The connection between autophagy defect and proinflammatory activation of NF-κB pathway can also be inferred in metabolic syndrome, since both autophagy defect [126-133;200] and NF-κB activation [20-33] are implicated in the development of overnutrition-related metabolic diseases
  • Both TLR pathway and cytokine receptor pathways are closely related to IKKβ/NF-κB signaling in the central pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome
  • Overnutrition, especially in the form of HFD feeding, was shown to activate TLR4 signaling and downstream IKKβ/NF-κB pathway
  • TLR4 activation leads to MyD88-dependent NF-κB activation in early phase and MyD88-indepdnent MAPK/JNK pathway in late phase
  • these studies point to NF-κB as an immediate signaling effector for TLR4 activation in central inflammatory response
  • TLR4 activation has been shown to induce intracellular ER stress to indirectly cause metabolic inflammation in the hypothalamus
  • central TLR4-NF-κB pathway may represent one of the early receptor-mediated events in overnutrition-induced central inflammation.
  • cytokines and their receptors are both upstream activating components and downstream transcriptional targets of NF-κB activation
  • central administration of TNF-α at low dose can mimic the effect of obesity-related inflammatory milieu to activate IKKβ/NF-κB proinflammatory pathways, furthering the development of overeating, energy expenditure decrease, and weight gain
  • the physiological effects of IKKβ/NF-κB activation seem to be cell type-dependent, i.e., IKKβ/NF-κB activation in hypothalamic agouti-related protein (AGRP) neurons primarily leads to the development of energy imbalance and obesity [34]; while in hypothalamic POMC neurons, it primarily results in the development of hypertension and glucose intolerance
  • the hypothalamus, is the central regulator of energy and body weight balance [
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    Great article chronicles the biochemistry of "over nutrition" and inflammation through NF-kappaB activation and its impact on the brain.
Nathan Goodyear

Renin-angiotensin system and cancer: A review - 0 views

  • crucial role of the RAS in the development and maintenance of cancer
  • kidneys, which produce renin in response to decreased arterial pressure, reduced sodium in the distal tubule, or sympathetic nervous system activity via the β-adrenergic receptors
  • Renin is secreted from the juxtaglomerular cells into the bloodstream where it encounters angiotensinogen (AGN), normally produced by the liver
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  • Renin catalyses the conversion of AGN to angiotensin I (ATI), which is quickly cleaved by angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) to form angiotensin II (ATII)
  • ATII triggers the release of aldosterone from the adrenal glands, which stimulates reabsorption of sodium and water and thereby increases blood volume and blood pressure
  • ATII also acts on smooth muscle to cause vasoconstriction of the arterioles
  • ATII promotes the release of antidiuretic hormone from the posterior pituitary gland, which results in water retention and triggers the thirst reflex
  • ability of non-CSCs to ‘de-differentiate’ into CSCs due to epigenetic or environmental factors, which further increases the complexity of tumour biology and treatment
  • efficacy of RAS modulators on cancer in both cancer models and cancer patients
  • A localised (‘paracrine’) RAS mechanism has been identified in many types of cancers, and interruption of the control of the RAS is thought to be the basis for its role in cancer
  • Components of the RAS are expressed by these CSCs, supporting the hypothesis of the presence of a ‘paracrine RAS’ in regulating these CSCs
  • Renin is an enzyme normally released by the kidneys in response to falling arterial pressure
  • a study of GBM demonstrating overexpression of PRR coupled with the observation that inhibition of renin reduces cellular proliferation and promotes apoptosis
  • PRR has been found to be vital for normal Wnt signalling
  • A major focus of PRR research is its relationship with Wnt signalling
  • suggest a crucial role for PRR activation on the proliferation of CSCs, possibly via Wnt/β-catenin signalling, leading to carcinogenesis.
  • Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), also known as CD143, is the endothelial-bound peptidase which physiologically converts ATI to ATII
  • ACE is crucial in the regulation of blood pressure, angiogenesis and inflammation
  • results suggest that an overactive ACE promotes cancer growth and progression, and an inhibited or low-activity ACE may have cancer-protective effects
  • When bound to ATII or ATIII it causes vasoconstriction by stimulating the release of vasopressin, reabsorption of water and sodium by promoting secretion of aldosterone and insulin, fibrosis, cellular growth and migration, pro-inflammation, glucose release from the liver, increased plasma triglyceride concentration, and reduced gluconeogenesis
  • ATIIR1 is a G-protein-coupled receptor, with downstream signalling involved in vasodilation, hypertrophy and NF-κB activation leading to TNF-α and PAI-1 expression
  • ATIIR1 has well-documented links with cancer, with one study demonstrating its overexpression in ~20% of breast cancer patients
  • the effect of RAS dysregulation has been associated with increased VEGF expression and angiogenesis in cancers
  • In ovarian and cervical cancer, ATIIR1 overexpression has been shown to be an indicator of tumour invasiveness
  • administration of ATIIR1 blockers (ARBs) have been associated with reduced tumour size, reduction in tumour vascularisation, lower occurrence of metastases, and lower VEGF levels
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    Great review on RAS in cancer.
Nathan Goodyear

Telomere shortening and ageing of the immune system | Mendeley - 0 views

  • The immune system is highly sensitive to shortening of telomeres
  • they can up-regulate telomerase, the telomere extending enzyme
  • In ageing immune system adaptive immunity deteriorates because of a progressive decline of naive T and B cells and decrease of absolute numbers of T and B lymphocytes
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    the immune system is very sensitive to shortening of telomere length. This change in the immune system can be a pivotal role in disease development
Nathan Goodyear

Monsanto Roundup: The Impacts of Glyphosate Herbicide on Human Health. Pathways to Mode... - 0 views

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    Glyphosate inhibits CYP 450 enzymes.  The author states it well: "glyphosate enhances the damaging effects fo other food borne chemical residues and environnmental toxins.  Additionally, Glyphosate disrupts gut bacterial function in the human gut. This dysbiosis is well known to cause systemic disease, such as obesity, diabetes...
Nathan Goodyear

Ascorbic acid: Chemistry, biology and the treatment of cancer - 0 views

  • iron and ascorbate has long been used as an oxidizing system; the combination of these two reagents is referred to as the Udenfriend system
  • ascorbate serves as a reducing cofactor for many enzymes
  • uptake of ascorbate from the intestinal tract is very tightly controlled
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  • pharmacokinetic data indicate that intravenous administration of ascorbate can bypass this tight control resulting in highly elevated plasma levels
  • ascorbate readily oxidizes to produce H2O2, pharmacological ascorbate has been proposed as a prodrug for the delivery of H2O2 to tumors
  • Ascorbate is an excellent reducing agent and readily undergoes two consecutive, one-electron oxidations to form ascorbate radical (Asc•−) and dehydroascorbic acid (DHA)
  • Ascorbate oxidizes readily. The rate of oxidation is dependent on pH and is accelerated by catalytic metals
  • In near-neutral buffers with contaminating metals, the oxidation and subsequent loss of ascorbate can be very rapid
  • Ascorbate is required for maintaining iron in the ferrous state
  • In the presence of catalytic metal ions, ascorbate can also exert pro-oxidant effects
  • Ascorbate is an excellent one-electron reducing agent that can reduce ferric (Fe3+) to ferrous (Fe2+) iron, while being oxidized to ascorbate radical
  • In a classic Fenton reaction, Fe2+ reacts with H2O2 to generate Fe3+ and the very oxidizing hydroxyl radical
  • e presence of ascorbate can allow the recycling of Fe3+ back to Fe2+, which in turn will catalyze the formation of highly reactive oxidants from H2O2
  • Depending on concentrations, the effects of ascorbate on models of lipid peroxidation can be pro- or antioxidant
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    ferritin released enhanced pharmacologic ascorbate induced-cytotoxicity, indicating that ferritin with high iron-saturation could be a source of catalytic iron. Consistent with this, ascorbate has also been shown to be capable of releasing iron from cellular ferritin
fitspresso

https://www.sightcare-co.com/ - 0 views

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Nathan Goodyear

Testosterone and the Cardiovascular System: A Comprehensive Review of the Clinical Lite... - 0 views

  • Low endogenous bioavailable testosterone levels have been shown to be associated with higher rates of all‐cause and cardiovascular‐related mortality.39,41,46–47 Patients suffering from CAD,13–18 CHF,137 T2DM,25–26 and obesity27–28
  • have all been shown to have lower levels of endogenous testosterone compared with those in healthy controls. In addition, the severity of CAD15,17,29–30 and CHF137 correlates with the degree of testosterone deficiency
  • In patients with CHF, testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to significantly improve exercise tolerance while having no effect on LVEF
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  • testosterone therapy causes a shift in the skeletal muscle of CHF patients toward a higher concentration of type I muscle fibers
  • Testosterone replacement therapy has also been shown to improve the homeostatic model of insulin resistance and hemoglobin A1c in diabetics26,68–69 and to lower the BMI in obese patients.
  • Lower levels of endogenous testosterone have been associated with longer duration of the QTc interval
  • testosterone replacement has been shown to shorten the QTc interval
  • negative correlation has been demonstrated between endogenous testosterone levels and IMT of the carotid arteries, abdominal aorta, and thoracic aorta
  • These findings suggest that men with lower levels of endogenous testosterone may be at a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis.
  • Current guidelines from the Endocrine Society make no recommendations on whether patients with heart disease should be screened for hypogonadism and do not recommend supplementing patients with heart disease to improve survival.
  • The Massachusetts Male Aging Study also projects ≈481 000 new cases of hypogonadism annually in US men within the same age group
  • since 1993 prescriptions for testosterone, regardless of the formulation, have increased nearly 500%
  • Testosterone levels are lower in patients with chronic illnesses such as end‐stage renal disease, human immunodeficiency virus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), obesity, and several genetic conditions such as Klinefelter syndrome
  • A growing body of evidence suggests that men with lower levels of endogenous testosterone are more prone to develop CAD during their lifetimes
  • There are 2 major potential confounding factors that the older studies generally failed to account for. These factors are the subfraction of testosterone used to perform the analysis and the method used to account for subclinical CAD.
  • The biologically inactive form of testosterone is tightly bound to SHBG and is therefore unable to bind to androgen receptors
  • The biologically inactive fraction of testosterone comprises nearly 68% of the total testosterone in human serum
  • The biologically active subfraction of testosterone, also referred to as bioavailable testosterone, is either loosely bound to albumin or circulates freely in the blood, the latter referred to as free testosterone
  • It is estimated that ≈30% of total serum testosterone is bound to albumin, whereas the remaining 1% to 3% circulates as free testosterone
  • it can be argued that using the biologically active form of testosterone to evaluate the association with CAD will produce the most reliable results
  • English et al14 found statistically significant lower levels of bioavailable testosterone, free testosterone, and free androgen index in patients with catheterization‐proven CAD compared with controls with normal coronary arteries
  • patients with catheterization‐proven CAD had statistically significant lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • In conclusion, existing evidence suggests that men with CAD have lower levels of endogenous testosterone,13–18 and more specifically lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • low testosterone levels are associated with risk factors for CAD such as T2DM25–26 and obesity
  • In a meta‐analysis of these 7 population‐based studies, Araujo et al41 showed a trend toward increased cardiovascular mortality associated with lower levels of total testosterone, but statistical significance was not achieved (RR, 1.25
  • the authors showed that a decrease of 2.1 standard deviations in levels of total testosterone was associated with a 25% increase in the risk of cardiovascular mortality
  • the relative risk of all‐cause mortality in men with lower levels of total testosterone was calculated to be 1.35
  • higher risk of cardiovascular mortality is associated with lower levels of bioavailable testosterone
  • Existing evidence seems to suggest that lower levels of endogenous testosterone are associated with higher rates of all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality
  • studies have shown that lower levels of endogenous bioavailable testosterone are associated with higher rates of all‐cause and cardiovascular mortality
  • It may be possible that using bioavailable testosterone to perform mortality analysis will yield more accurate results because it prevents the biologically inactive subfraction of testosterone from playing a potential confounding role in the analysis
  • The earliest published material on this matter dates to the late 1930s
  • the concept that testosterone replacement therapy improves angina has yet to be proven wrong
  • In more recent studies, 3 randomized, placebo‐controlled trials demonstrated that administration of testosterone improves myocardial ischemia in men with CAD
  • The improvement in myocardial ischemia was shown to occur in response to both acute and chronic testosterone therapy and seemed to be independent of whether an intravenous or transdermal formulation of testosterone was used.
  • testosterone had no effect on endothelial nitric oxide activity
  • There is growing evidence from in vivo animal models and in vitro models that testosterone induces coronary vasodilation by modulating the activity of ion channels, such as potassium and calcium channels, on the surface of vascular smooth muscle cells
  • Experimental studies suggest that the most likely mechanism of action for testosterone on vascular smooth muscle cells is via modulation of action of non‐ATP‐sensitive potassium ion channels, calcium‐activated potassium ion channels, voltage‐sensitive potassium ion channels, and finally L‐type calcium ion channels
  • Corona et al confirmed those results by demonstrating that not only total testosterone levels are lower among diabetics, but also the levels of free testosterone and SHBG are lower in diabetic patients
  • Laaksonen et al65 followed 702 Finnish men for 11 years and demonstrated that men in the lowest quartile of total testosterone, free testosterone, and SHBG were more likely to develop T2DM and metabolic syndrome.
  • Vikan et al followed 1454 Swedish men for 11 years and discovered that men in the highest quartile of total testosterone were significantly less likely to develop T2DM
  • authors demonstrated a statistically significant increase in the incidence of T2DM in subjects receiving gonadotropin‐releasing hormone antagonist therapy. In addition, a significant increase in the rate of myocardial infarction, stroke, sudden cardiac death, and development of cardiovascular disease was noted in patients receiving antiandrogen therapy.67
  • Several authors have demonstrated that the administration of testosterone in diabetic men improves the homeostatic model of insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, and fasting plasma glucose
  • Existing evidence strongly suggests that the levels of total and free testosterone are lower among diabetic patients compared with those in nondiabetics
  • insulin seems to be acting as a stimulant for the hypothalamus to secret gonadotropin‐releasing hormone, which consequently results in increased testosterone production. It can be argued that decreased stimulation of the hypothalamus in diabetics secondary to insulin deficiency could result in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism
  • BMI has been shown to be inversely associated with testosterone levels
  • This interaction may be a result of the promotion of lipolysis in abdominal adipose tissue by testosterone, which may in turn cause reduced abdominal adiposity. On the other hand, given that adipose tissue has a higher concentration of the enzyme aromatase, it could be that increased adipose tissue results in more testosterone being converted to estrogen, thereby causing hypogonadism. Third, increased abdominal obesity may cause reduced testosterone secretion by negatively affecting the hypothalamus‐pituitary‐testicular axis. Finally, testosterone may be the key factor in activating the enzyme 11‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in adipose tissue, which transforms glucocorticoids into their inactive form.
  • increasing age may alter the association between testosterone and CRP. Another possible explanation for the association between testosterone level and CRP is central obesity and waist circumference
  • Bai et al have provided convincing evidence that testosterone might be able to shorten the QTc interval by augmenting the activity of slowly activating delayed rectifier potassium channels while simultaneously slowing the activity of L‐type calcium channels
  • consistent evidence that supplemental testosterone shortens the QTc interval.
  • Intima‐media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery is considered a marker for preclinical atherosclerosis
  • Studies have shown that levels of endogenous testosterone are inversely associated with IMT of the carotid artery,126–128,32,129–130 as well as both the thoracic134 and the abdominal aorta
  • 1 study has demonstrated that lower levels of free testosterone are associated with accelerated progression of carotid artery IMT
  • another study has reported that decreased levels of total and bioavailable testosterone are associated with progression of atherosclerosis in the abdominal aorta
  • These findings suggest that normal physiologic testosterone levels may help to protect men from the development of atherosclerosis
  • Czesla et al successfully demonstrated that the muscle specimens that were exposed to metenolone had a significant shift in their composition toward type I muscle fibers
  • Type I muscle fibers, also known as slow‐twitch or oxidative fibers, are associated with enhanced strength and physical capability
  • It has been shown that those with advanced CHF have a higher percentage of type II muscle fibers, based on muscle biopsy
  • Studies have shown that men with CHF suffer from reduced levels of total and free testosterone.137 It has also been shown that reduced testosterone levels in men with CHF portends a poor prognosis and is associated with increased CHF mortality.138 Reduced testosterone has also been shown to correlate negatively with exercise capacity in CHF patients.
  • Testosterone replacement therapy has been shown to significantly improve exercise capacity, without affecting LVEF
  • the results of the 3 meta‐analyses seem to indicate that testosterone replacement therapy does not cause an increase in the rate of adverse cardiovascular events
  • Data from 3 meta‐analyses seem to contradict the commonly held belief that testosterone administration may increase the risk of developing prostate cancer
  • One meta‐analysis reported an increase in all prostate‐related adverse events with testosterone administration.146 However, when each prostate‐related event, including prostate cancer and a rise in PSA, was analyzed separately, no differences were observed between the testosterone group and the placebo group
  • the existing data from the 3 meta‐analyses seem to indicate that testosterone replacement therapy does not increase the risk of adverse cardiovascular events
  • the authors correctly point out the weaknesses of their study which include retrospective study design and lack of randomization, small sample size at extremes of follow‐up, lack of outcome validation by chart review and poor generalizability of the results given that only male veterans with CAD were included in this study
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      The authors here present Total Testosterone as a "confounding" value
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      This would be HSD-II
  • the studies that failed to find an association between testosterone and CRP used an older population group
  • low testosterone may influence the severity of CAD by adversely affecting the mediators of the inflammatory response such as high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, and tumor necrosis factor–α
  •  
    Good review of Testosterone and CHD.  Low T is associated with increased all cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality, CAD, CHF, type II diabetes, obesity, increased IMT,  increased severity of CAD and CHF.  Testosterone replacement in men with low T has been shown to improve exercise tolerance in CHF, improve insulin resistance, improve HgbA1c and lower BMI in the obese.
Nathan Goodyear

Oxidative Stress and Its Relationship With Adenosine Deaminase Activity in Various Stag... - 0 views

  • Reduced SOD activity might be responsible for excessive accumulation of superoxide anions leading to increased free radical mediated injury. Increased free radical production has been shown to be responsible for chromosomal damage leading to mutagenecity, cell proliferation and carcinogenesis. SOD activity showed marked improvement after mastectomy indicating the lowering of oxidative stress.
  • The increased production of reactive oxygen species causes oxidative stress leading to cell proliferation and hence increased inflammatory conditions
  • Superoxide dismutase is an important antioxidant enzyme which decomposes the harmful superoxide anions into hydrogen peroxide thus protects the body from the action of free radicals
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  • Females suffering from breast cancer had significantly decreased Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels in comparison to normal females
  • ADA seems to be a promising marker of inflammation in breast cancer thereby suggesting that it can be used as a diagnostic tool to detect the stage of breast cancer along with cytopathological studies
  • In conclusion, our study confirmed the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.
  • Another potent antioxidant molecule is reduced glutathione. It acts as reductant which converts hydrogen peroxide into water and reduces lipid peroxidation products into their corresponding alcohols and thus mediates protective action.
  • In the present study, significantly low SOD activity has been observed in female patients suffering from carcinoma breast both pre as well as post operative in comparison to healthy females.
  • We observed significantly decreased SOD activity and GSH levels in patients belonging to clinical stage 4 as compared to those having stages 1, 2 or 3 of breast cancer.
  • Increased ADA activity in breast cancer patients has also been reported
  • The compromised antioxidant defence system produces the oxidative stress which in turn creates the inflammatory response shown by concomitant increased adenosine deaminase (ADA) activity in female patients.
  • Experimental and epidemiological evidences implicate the involvement of oxygen derived free radical in the pathogenesis of breast cancer.
  • Antioxidant status was highly depressed in advanced stages of breast cancer as compared to initial stage.
  • In the present study, significantly low GSH levels were observed in female patients of carcinoma breast as compared to normal females
  • Walia et al. (1995) reported increased ADA activity in breast cancer patients as compared to age matched normal subjects.
  • These free radicals are able to cause damage to membrane, mitochondria and macromolecules including proteins, lipids and DNA and actively take part in cell proliferation. This cascade in turn generates the inflammatory response and causes the progression of the disease.
  • increased oxidative stress gives rise to inflammation which could further aggravates the disease
  • Breast carcinoma involves a cascade of events that are highly inflammatory.
  • Marked oxidative stress in stage 4 of breast cancer indicated advancement of the disease, hence checking oxidative stress at initial stage could be helpful for controlling the progression of the disease.
  • They concluded that ADA is a better probable parameter for detection of breast cancer
  • Adenosine deaminase enzyme (ADA) catalyzes the conversion of adenosine to inosine which finally gets converted to uric acid
  • serum ADA activity tends to increase with advancing age,
  • Prevalence of oxidative stress gives rise to inflammation.
  •  
    Study finds a reduction in SuperOxide Dismutase and Glutathione Perioxidase in advancing breast cancer.  Cancer is a high oxidative stress disease that results in inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and proliferation.  Adenosine Deaminase (ADA) is proposed to be another biomarker to assess tumor stage.  
Nathan Goodyear

Metabolic management of brain cancer - 0 views

  • Glutamine is a major metabolic fuel for both brain tumor cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)
  • the malignant phenotype of brain tumor cells that survive radiotherapy is often greater than that of the cells from the original tumor.
  • Conventional chemotherapy has faired little better than radiation therapy for the long-term management of malignant brain cancer
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  • most conventional radiation and brain cancer chemotherapies can enhance glioma energy metabolism and invasive properties, which would contribute to tumor recurrence and reduced patient survival [34].
  • We contend that all cancer regardless of tissue or cellular origin is a disease of abnormal energy metabolism
  • complex disease phenotypes can be managed through self-organizing networks that display system wide dynamics involving oxidative and non-oxidative (substrate level) phosphorylation
  • As long as brain tumors are provided a physiological environment conducive for their energy needs they will survive; when this environment is restricted or abruptly changed they will either grow slower, growth arrest, or perish [8] and [19]
  • New information also suggests that ketones are toxic to some human tumor cells and that ketones and ketogenic diets might restrict availability of glutamine to tumor cells [68], [69] and [70].
  • The success in dealing with environmental stress and disease is therefore dependent on the integrated action of all cells in the organism
  • Tumor cells survive in hypoxic environments not because they have inherited genes making them more fit or adaptable than normal cells, but because they have damaged mitochondria and have thus acquired the ability to derive energy largely through substrate level phosphorylation
  • Cancer cells survive and multiply only in physiological environments that provide fuels (mostly glucose and glutamine) subserving their requirement for substrate level phosphorylation
  • Integrity of the inner mitochondrial membrane is necessary for ketone body metabolism since β-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, which catalyzes the first step in the metabolism of β-OHB to acetoacetate, interacts with cardiolipin and other phospholipids in the inner membrane
  • the mitochondria of many gliomas and most tumors for that matter are dysfunctional
  • Cardiolipin is essential for efficient oxidative energy production and mitochondrial function
  • Any genetic or environmental alteration in the content or composition of cardiolipin will compromise energy production through oxidative phosphorylation
  • The Crabtree effect involves the inhibition of respiration by high levels of glucose
  • the Warburg effect involves elevated glycolysis from impaired oxidative phosphorylation
  • the Crabtree effect can be reversible, the Warburg effect is largely irreversible because its origin is with permanently damaged mitochondria
  • The continued production of lactic acid in the presence of oxygen is the metabolic hallmark of most cancers and is referred to as aerobic glycolysis or the Warburg effect
  • We recently described how the retrograde signaling system could induce changes in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes to facilitate tumor cell survival following mitochondrial damage [48].
  • In addition to glycolysis, glutamine can also increase ATP production under hypoxic conditions through substrate level phosphorylation in the TCA cycle after its metabolism to α-ketoglutarate
  • mitochondrial lipid abnormalities, which alter electron transport activities, can account in large part for the Warburg effect
  • targeting both glucose and glutamine metabolism could be effective for managing most cancers including brain cancer
  • The bulk of experimental evidence indicates that mitochondria are dysfunctional in tumors and incapable of generating sufficient ATP through oxidative phosphorylation
  • Cardiolipin defects in tumor cells are also associated with reduced activities of several enzymes of the mitochondrial electron transport chain making it unlikely that tumor cells with cardiolipin abnormalities can generate adequate energy through oxidative phosphorylation
  • The Crabtree effect involves the inhibition of respiration by high levels of glucose
  • Warburg effect involves elevated glycolysis from impaired oxidative phosphorylation
  • TCA cycle substrate level phosphorylation could therefore become another source of ATP production in tumor cells with impairments in oxidative phosphorylation
  • Caloric restriction, which lowers glucose and elevates ketone bodies [63] and [64], improves mitochondrial respiratory function and glutathione redox state in normal cells
  • DR naturally inhibits glycolysis and tumor growth by lowering circulating glucose levels, while at the same time, enhancing the health and vitality of normal cells and tissues through ketone body metabolism
  • DR is anti-angiogenic
  • DR also reduces angiogenesis in prostate and breast cancer
  • We suggest that apoptosis resistance arises largely from enhanced substrate level phosphorylation of tumor cells and to the genes associated with elevated glycolysis and glutaminolysis, e.g., c-Myc, Hif-1a, etc, which inhibit apoptosis
  • Modern medicine has not looked favorably on diet therapies for managing complex diseases especially when well-established procedures for acceptable clinical practice are available, regardless of how ineffective these procedures might be in managing the disease
  • More than 60 years of clinical research indicates that such approaches are largely ineffective in extending survival or improving quality of life
  • The process is rooted in the well-established scientific principle that tumor cells are largely dependent on substrate level phosphorylation for their survival and growth
  • Glucose and glutamine drive substrate level phosphorylation
  • targeting the glycolytically active tumor cells that produce pro-cachexia molecules, restricted diet therapies can potentially reduce tumor cachexia
  • It is important to recognize, however, that “more is not better” with respect to the ketogenic diet
  • Blood glucose ranges between 3.0 and 3.5 mM (55–65 mg/dl) and β-OHB ranges between 4 and 7 mM should be effective for tumor management
  •  
    Dr Seyfriend presents his metabolic approach to the treatment of brain cancer.
Nathan Goodyear

Colonization-Induced Host-Gut Microbial Metabolic Interaction - 0 views

  • he gut microbiota enhances the host’s metabolic capacity for processing nutrients and drugs and modulate the activities of multiple pathways in a variety of organ systems.
  • Acquisition of the gut microbiota was associated with rapid increase in body weight (4%) over the first 5 days of colonization
  • The colonization process stimulated glycogenesis in the liver prior to triggering increases in hepatic triglyceride synthesis
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  • modifications of hepatic Cyp8b1 expression and the subsequent alteration of bile acid metabolites
  • Expression and activity of major drug-metabolizing enzymes (Cyp3a11 and Cyp2c29) were also significantly stimulated
  • The gut microbiota (GM) exhibits a relatively low level of diversity compared to those of most soil ecosystems and in humans it is comprised of usually no more than nine phyla of microorganisms, of which only two are dominant: the Firmicutes and the Bacteroidetes
  • colonization of a germfree gut was rapid and remarkably stable, establishing within only a week after first exposure
  • a study conducted on germfree rats by Nicholls et al. showed that 3 weeks were necessary to obtain a stabilization and “normalization”
  • the microbiota status affects the systemic metabolism of the host, modulating the metabolic fingerprint of topographically remote organs such as the liver and the kidney
  • Gut colonization induces a rapid weight gain associated with stimulation of hepatic glycogenesis and triglyceride synthesis
  • Gut colonization alters bile acid metabolite profiles via modulation of hepatic Cyp8b1 expression
  • Bile acids are well-known contributors to glucose and lipid metabolism in the liver
  • GM is known to alter bile metabolism
  • GM is also known to exert a strong influence on the metabolism of xenobiotics
  •  
    The effects of gut microbiome are not confined to the gut.  They alter bile acid metabolism and thus lipid/glucose metabolism.  They alter CYP450 activity.  They effect metabolism.  They effect the metabolism, and thus effects, of other drugs. 
Nathan Goodyear

Diet-induced obesity and low testosterone increase neuroinflammation and impair neural ... - 0 views

  • both obesity and low testosterone are also risk factors for neural dysfunction, including cognitive impairment [58–61] and development of AD
  • Levels of obesity and testosterone are often inversely correlated
  • diet-induced obesity causes significant metabolic disturbances and impairs central and peripheral nervous systems.
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  • both obesity and low testosterone are linked with promotion of inflammatory pathways [70–72] and exert harmful actions on the central [73–75] and peripheral [29,76] nervous systems
  • In general, obesity-related changes were worsened by low testosterone and improved by testosterone treatment; however, this relationship was not statistically significant in several instances. Further, our data suggest that a common pathway that may contribute to obesity and testosterone effects is regulation of inflammation
  • fasting blood glucose levels were independently and additively increased by GDX-induced testosterone depletion and high-fat diet
  • testosterone treatment significantly reduced fasting glucose under both the normal and high-fat diets, demonstrating potential therapeutic efficacy of testosterone supplementation
  • fasting insulin, insulin resistance (HOMA index), and glucose tolerance, low testosterone tended to exacerbate and or testosterone treatment improved outcomes.
  • testosterone status did not significantly affect body weight
  • testosterone’s effects likely do not indicate an indirect result on adiposity but rather regulatory action(s) on other aspects of metabolic homeostasis
  • Prior work in rodents has shown diet-induced obesity induces insulin resistance in rat brain [63] and that testosterone replacement improves insulin sensitivity in obese rats [64]. Our findings are consistent with the human literature, which indicates that (i) testosterone levels are inversely correlated to insulin resistance and T2D in healthy [30,65] as well as obese men [66], and (ii) androgen therapy can improve some metabolic measures in overweight men with low testosterone
  • it has been shown that TNFα has inhibitory effects on neuron survival, differentiation, and neurite outgrowth
  • Our data demonstrate that low testosterone and obesity independently increased cerebrocortical mRNA levels of both TNFα and IL-1β
  • Testosterone status also affected metabolic and neural measures
  • many beneficial effects of testosterone, including inhibition of proinflammatory cytokine expression
  • neuroprotection [80,81], are dependent upon androgen receptors, the observed effects of testosterone in this study may involve androgen receptor activation
  • testosterone can be converted by the enzyme aromatase into estradiol, which is also known to exert anti-inflammatory [82] and neuroprotective [83] actions
  • glia are the primary sources of proinflammatory molecules in the CNS
  • poorer survival of neurons grown on glia from mice maintained on high-fat diet
  • Since testosterone can affect glial function [86] and improve neuronal growth and survival [87–89], it was unexpected that testosterone status exhibited rather modest effects on neural health indices with the only significant response being an increase in survival in the testosterone-treated, high-fat diet group
  • significantly increased expression of TNFα and IL-1β in glia cultures derived from obese mice
  • testosterone treatment significantly lowered TNFα and IL-1β expression to near basal levels even in obese mice, indicating a protective benefit of testosterone across diet conditions
  • IL-1β treatment has been shown to induce synapse loss and inhibit differentiation of neurons
  • Testosterone status and diet-induced obesity were associated with significant regulation of macrophage infiltration
  • testosterone prevented and/or restored thermal nociception in both diet groups
  • a possible mechanism by which obesity and testosterone levels may affect the health of both CNS and PNS
  •  
    Study points to obesity and low Testosterone contribution of neuroinflammation.  No effect of body weight was seen with TRT.  This animal model found similar positive effects of TRT in insulin sensitivity.  Obesity and low T increase inflammatory cytokine production: this study found an increase in TNF-alpha and IL-1beta and TRT reduced TNF-alpha and IL-1beta to near base-line.  Testosterone is neuroprotective and this study reviewed the small volume of evaded that pointed to benefit from estradiol.  Testosterone's effect on glial survival was positive but not significant.  Obesity and low T were found to be associated with increased macrophage infiltration in the PNS with increased TNF-alpha and IL-1beta.   Testosterone therapy improved peripheral neuropathy via its positive effects on nocicieption.
Nathan Goodyear

High D-dimer levels are associated with poor prognosis in cancer patients - 0 views

  • a systemic activation of blood coagulation and procoagulant changes in the hemostatic system have frequently been observed in cancer patients, even in the absence of venous thromboembolism
  • Thrombin is a pivotal enzyme in the process of blood coagulation and leads to the conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin, which is the end product of blood coagulation and finally results in the formation of a fibrin clot
  • deposition of fibrin, which has an important role in the formation of tumor stroma and hematogenous spread of tumor cells.
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  • The interaction of fibrin, platelets and tumor cells leads to the formation of platelet-fibrin-tumor-cell aggregates that promote endothelial adhesion and metastatic spread, as well as tumor cell growth and tumor cell survival
  • fibrin degradation products have been shown to display strong angiogenic properties
  • D-dimer is a biomarker that globally indicates the activation of hemostasis and fibrinolysis
  • It is a degradation product of fibrin
  • high D-dimer levels were reported to be predictive of the occurrence of VTE in cancer patients
  •  
    elevated D-Dimer associated with poor prognosis in cancer. Good review of cancer and ehmostasis.
Nathan Goodyear

Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: Action as a p... - 0 views

  • Taken together, these data indicate that ascorbate at concentrations achieved only by i.v. administration may be a pro-drug for formation of H2O2, and that blood can be a delivery system of the pro-drug to tissues.
  • These findings give plausibility to i.v. ascorbic acid in cancer treatment, and have unexpected implications for treatment of infections where H2O2 may be beneficial
  • pharmacologic concentrations of ascorbate killed cancer but not normal cells, that cell death was dependent only on extracellular but not intracellular ascorbate, and that killing was dependent on extracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) formation with ascorbate radical as an intermediate
  • ...48 more annotations...
  • Our data show that ascorbic acid selectively killed cancer but not normal cells, using concentrations that could only be achieved by i.v. administration
  • Ascorbate-mediated cell death was due to protein-dependent extracellular H2O2 generation, via ascorbate radical formation from ascorbate as the electron donor. Like glucose, when ascorbate is infused i.v., the resulting pharmacologic concentrations should distribute rapidly in the extracellular water space (42). We showed that such pharmacologic ascorbate concentrations in media, as a surrogate for extracellular fluid, generated ascorbate radical and H2O2. In contrast, the same pharmacologic ascorbate concentrations in whole blood generated little detectable ascorbate radical and no detectable H2O2. These findings can be accounted for by efficient and redundant H2O2 catabolic pathways in whole blood (e.g., catalase and glutathione peroxidase) relative to those in media or extracellular fluid
  • ascorbic acid administered i.v. in pharmacologic concentrations may serve as a pro-drug for H2O2 delivery to the extracellular milieu
  • H2O2 generated in blood is normally removed by catalase and glutathione peroxidase within red blood cells, with internal glutathione providing reducing equivalents
  • The electron source for glutathione is NADPH from the pentose shunt, via glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. If activity of this enzyme is diminished, the predicted outcome is impaired H2O2 removal causing intravascular hemolysis, the observed clinical finding.
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      The mechansism here is inadequate recycling of GSH due to lack of G6PD, build up of intracellular H2O2 and RBC lysis--hemolysis.
  • Only recently has it been understood that the discordant clinical findings can be explained by previously unrecognized fundamental pharmacokinetics properties of ascorbate
  • Intracellular transport of ascorbate is tightly controlled in relation to extracellular concentration
  • Intravenous ascorbate infusion is expected to drastically change extracellular but not intracellular concentrations
  • For i.v. ascorbate to be clinically useful in killing cancer cells, pharmacologic but not physiologic extracellular concentrations should be effective, independent of intracellular ascorbate concentrations.
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      accumulation of extracellular vitamin C is the effect.
  • It is unknown why ascorbate, via H2O2, killed some cancer cells but not normal cells.
  • There was no correlation with ascorbate-induced cell death and glutathione, catalase activity, or glutathione peroxidase activity.
  • H2O2, as the product of pharmacologic ascorbate concentrations, has potential therapeutic uses in addition to cancer treatment, especially in infections
  • Neutrophils generate H2O2 from superoxide,
  • i.v. ascorbate is effective in some viral infections
  • H2O2 is toxic to hepatitis C
  • Use of ascorbate as an H2O2-delivery system against sensitive pathogens, viral or bacterial, has substantial clinical implications that deserve rapid exploration.
  • Recent pharmacokinetics studies in men and women show that 10 g of ascorbate given i.v. is expected to produce plasma concentrations of nearly 6 mM, which are >25-fold higher than those concentrations from the same oral dose
  • As much as a 70-fold difference in plasma concentrations is expected between oral and i.v. administration,
  • Complementary and alternative medicine practitioners worldwide currently use ascorbate i.v. in some patients, in part because there is no apparent harm
  • Human Burkitt's lymphoma cells
  • We first investigated whether ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations selectively affected the survival of cancer cells by studying nine cancer cell lines
  • Clinical pharmacokinetics analyses show that pharmacologic concentrations of plasma ascorbate, from 0.3 to 15 mM, are achievable only from i.v. administration
  • plasma ascorbate concentrations from maximum possible oral doses cannot exceed 0.22 mM because of limited intestinal absorption
  • For five of the nine cancer cell lines, ascorbate concentrations causing a 50% decrease in cell survival (EC50 values) were less than 5 mM, a concentration easily achievable from i.v. infusion
  • All tested normal cells were insensitive to 20 mM ascorbate.
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      meaning safe.
  • Lymphoma cells were selected because of their sensitivity to ascorbate
  • As ascorbate concentration increased, the pattern of death changed from apoptosis to pyknosis/necrosis, a pattern suggestive of H2O2-mediated cell death
  • Apoptosis occurred by 6 h after exposure, and cell death by pyknosis was ≈90% at 14 h after exposure
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      work continued beyond the IVC therapy itself
  • In contrast to lymphoma cells, there was little or no killing of normal lymphocytes and monocytes by ascorbate
  • Ascorbate is transported into cells as such by sodium-dependent transporters, whereas dehydroascorbic acid is transported into cells by glucose transporters and then immediately reduced internally to ascorbate
  • Whether or not intracellular ascorbate was preloaded, extracellular ascorbate induced the same amount and type of death.
  • extracellular ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations mediates death of lymphoma cells by apoptosis and pyknosis/necrosis, independently of intracellular ascorbate.
  • H2O2 as the effector species mediating pharmacologic ascorbate-induced cell death
  • Superoxide dismutase was not protective
  • Because these data implicated H2O2 in cell killing, we added H2O2 to lymphoma cells and studied death patterns using nuclear staining (19, 28). The death patterns found with exogenous H2O2 exposure were similar to those found with ascorbate
  • For both ascorbate and H2O2, death changed from apoptosis to pyknosis/necrosis as concentrations increased
  • Sensitivity to direct exposure to H2O2 was greater in lymphoma cells compared with normal lymphocytes and normal monocytes
  • There was no association between the EC50 for ascorbate-mediated cell death and intracellular glutathione concentrations, catalase activity, or glutathione peroxidase activity
  • H2O2 generation was dependent on time, ascorbate concentration, and the presence of trace amounts of serum in media
  • ascorbate radical is a surrogate marker for H2O2 formation.
  • whatever H2O2 is generated should be removed by glutathione peroxidase and catalase within red blood cells, because H2O2 is membrane permeable
  • The data are consistent with the hypothesis that ascorbate in pharmacologic concentrations is a pro-drug for H2O2 generation in the extracellular milieu but not in blood.
  • The occurrence of one predicted complication, oxalate kidney stones, is controversial
  • In patients with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, i.v. ascorbate is contraindicated because it causes intravascular hemolysis
  • ascorbate at pharmacologic concentrations in blood is a pro-drug for H2O2 delivery to tissues.
  • ascorbate, an electron-donor in such reactions, ironically initiates pro-oxidant chemistry and H2O2 formation
  • data here showed that ascorbate initiated H2O2 formation extracellularly, but H2O2 targets could be either intracellular or extracellular, because H2O2 is membrane permeant
    • Nathan Goodyear
       
      the conversion of ascorbate to H2O2 occurs extracellular
  • More than 100 patients have been described, presumably without glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, who received 10 g or more of i.v. ascorbate with no reported adverse effects other than tumor lysis
  •  
    IV vitamin C benefits cancer patients
Nathan Goodyear

Therapeutic hyperthermia: The old, the new, and the upcoming - Critical Reviews in Onco... - 1 views

  • not well understood, but it is felt to be a combination of both heat-induced necrosis and of protein inactivation (e.g., repair enzymes) as opposed to DNA damage
  • alterations in tumor cytoskeletal and membrane structures, which disrupt cell motility and intracellular signal transduction
  • A common explanation for HT-enhancement of RT and CT involves inhibition of homologous recombination repair of double-strand DNA breaks, preventing cells from repairing sub-lethal damage
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  • it does appear to inhibit rejoining of RT-induced DNA breaks more than is commonly observed after RT alone
  • HT damages cells and enhances RT and CT sensitivity as a function of both temperature and duration of treatment
  • as temperature or duration increase, the rate of cell killing also increases
  • At temperatures above 42 °C, tumor vasculature is damaged, resulting in decreased blood flow
  • Cancer cells are particularly vulnerable to heating; in vivo studies have shown that temperatures in the range of 40–44 °C cause more selective damage to tumor cells
  • cancerous blood vessels are chaotic, leaky, and inefficient
  • selective cytotoxic effect on tumor cells include inhibition of key cancer cell-signaling pathways such as AKT, inducing apoptosis, suppression of cancer stem cell proliferation, and others
  • increase in immunological attacks against tumors after HT, which were believed to be achieved through activation of HSPs and subsequent modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses against tumor cells
  • HT does lead to activation of the immune system and HSP-induced cell death through modification of the tumor cell surface
  • These HSPs and tumor antigens are taken up by dendritic cells and macrophages and go on to induce specific anti-tumor immunity
  • In vivo studies demonstrate HT-enhancement of NK cell activity, and HT has been shown to increase neutrophilic granulocytes with anti-tumor activity
  • it has become increasingly clear that HT results in immune stimulation, through both direct heat-mediated cell killing as well as innate and adaptive immune system modulation
  • The term hyperthermia is used in this review to refer to heating within the clinically accepted range of 40–45 °C
  • temperatures above 42.5–43 °C the exposure time can be halved with each 1 °C increase while maintaining equivalent cell killing
  • gradual heating at 43 °C for 1 h worked through an apoptotic pathway
  •  
    Comprehensive review of hyperthemic therapy.
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