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Asthma May Reduce Risk of Brain Tumors — But How?

AHA Publisher — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 08:00:44 +0000

Washington University in St. Louis via Newswise – There’s not much good that can be said about asthma, a breathing disease in which the airways become narrowed and inflamed. But there’s this: People with asthma seem to be less likely to develop brain tumors than others. And now, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis believe they have discovered why. It comes down to the behavior of T cells, a type of immune cell. When a person — or a mouse — develops asthma, their T cells become activated. In a new mouse study, researchers discovered that asthma causes the T cells to behave in a way that induces lung inflammation but prevents the growth of brain tumors. What’s bad news for the airways may be good news for the brain. The findings, available online in Nature Communications, suggest that reprogramming T cells in brain tumor patients to act more like T cells in asthma patients could be a new approach to treating brain tumors. “Of course, we’re not going to start inducing asthma in anyone; asthma can be a lethal disease,” said senior author David H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, the Donald O. Schnuck Family Professor of Neurology. “But what if we could trick the T cells into thinking they’re asthma T cells when they enter the brain, so they no longer support brain tumor formation and growth? These findings open the door to new kinds of therapies targeting T cells and their interactions with cells in the brain.” The idea that people with inflammatory diseases, such as asthma or eczema, are less prone to developing brain tumors was first proposed more than 15 years ago, based on epidemiologic observations. But there was no obvious reason why the two very different kinds of diseases would be linked, and some scientists questioned whether the association was real. Gutmann is an expert on neurofibromatosis (NF), a set of complex genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow on nerves in the brain and throughout the body. Children with NF type 1 (NF1) can develop a kind of brain tumor known as an optic pathway glioma. These tumors grow within the optic nerves, which carries messages between the eyes and the brain. Gutmann, director of the Washington University NF Center, noted an inverse association between asthma and brain tumors among his patients more than five years ago but didn’t know what to make of it. It wasn’t until more recent studies from his lab began to reveal the crucial role that immune cells play in the development of optic pathway gliomas that he began to wonder whether immune cells could account for the association between asthma and brain tumors. Jit Chatterjee, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher and the paper’s first author, took on the challenge of investigating the association. Working with co-author Michael J. Holtzman, MD, the Selma and Herman Seldin Professor of Medicine and director of the Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Chatterjee studied mice genetically modified to carry a mutation in their NF1 genes and form optic pathway gliomas by 3 months of age. Chatterjee exposed groups of mice to irritants that induce asthma at age 4 weeks to 6 weeks, and treated a control group with saltwater for comparison. Then, he checked for optic pathway gliomas at 3 months and 6 months of age. The mice with asthma did not form these brain tumors. Further experiments revealed that inducing asthma in tumor-prone mice changes the behavior of their T cells. After the mice developed asthma, their T cells began secreting a protein called decorin that is well-known to asthma researchers. In the airways, decorin is a problem. It acts on the tissues that line the airways and exacerbates asthma symptoms. But in the brain, Chatterjee and Gutmann discovered, decorin is beneficial. There, the protein acts on immune cells known as microglia and blocks their activation by interfering with the NFkappaB activation pathway. Activated microglia promote the growth and development of brain tumors. Treatment with either decorin or caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a compound that inhibits the NFkappaB activation pathway, protected mice with NF1 mutations from developing optic pathway gliomas. The findings suggest that blocking microglial activation may be a potentially useful therapeutic approach for brain tumors. “The most exciting part of this is that it shows that there is a normal communication between T cells in the body and the cells in the brain that support optic pathway glioma formation and growth,” said Gutmann, who is also a professor of genetics, of neurosurgery and of pediatrics. “The next step for us is to see whether this is also true for other kinds of brain tumors. We’re also investigating the role of eczema and early-childhood infections, because they both involve T cells. As we understand this communication between T cells and the cells that promote brain tumors better, we’ll start finding more opportunities to develop clever therapeutics to intervene in the process.” To read the original article click here.

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Groundbreaking Study Optimizes Patient’s Own Immune System to Fight Tumors

AHA Publisher — Mon, 17 May 2021 07:26:30 +0000

University of Minnesota via News-Medical – A groundbreaking study led by engineering and medical researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities shows how engineered immune cells used in new cancer therapies can overcome physical barriers to allow a patient’s own immune system to fight tumors. The research could improve cancer therapies in the future for millions of people worldwide. The research is published in Nature Communications, a peer-reviewed, open access, scientific journal published by Nature Research. Instead of using chemicals or radiation, immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that helps the patient’s immune system fight cancer. T cells are a type of white blood cell that are of key importance to the immune system. Cytotoxic T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invader cells. While there has been success in using immunotherapy for some types of cancer in the blood or blood-producing organs, a T cell’s job is much more difficult in solid tumors. “The tumor is sort of like an obstacle course, and the T cell has to run the gauntlet to reach the cancer cells. These T cells get into tumors, but they just can’t move around well, and they can’t go where they need to go before they run out of gas and are exhausted.” Paolo Provenzano, senior author of the study and biomedical engineering associate professor in the University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering In this first-of-its-kind study, the researchers are working to engineer the T cells and develop engineering design criteria to mechanically optimize the cells or make them more “fit” to overcome the barriers. If these immune cells can recognize and get to the cancer cells, then they can destroy the tumor. In a fibrous mass of a tumor, the stiffness of the tumor causes immune cells to slow down about two-fold–almost like they are running in quicksand. “This study is our first publication where we have identified some structural and signaling elements where we can tune these T cells to make them more effective cancer fighters,” said Provenzano, a researcher in the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center. “Every ‘obstacle course’ within a tumor is slightly different, but there are some similarities. After engineering these immune cells, we found that they moved through the tumor almost twice as fast no matter what obstacles were in their way.” To engineer cytotoxic T cells, the authors used advanced gene editing technologies (also called genome editing) to change the DNA of the T cells so they are better able to overcome the tumor’s barriers. The ultimate goal is to slow down the cancer cells and speed up the engineered immune cells. The researchers are working to create cells that are good at overcoming different kinds of barriers. When these cells are mixed together, the goal is for groups of immune cells to overcome all the different types of barriers to reach the cancer cells. Provenzano said the next steps are to continue studying the mechanical properties of the cells to better understand how the immune cells and cancer cells interact. The researchers are currently studying engineered immune cells in rodents and in the future are planning clinical trials in humans. While initial research has been focused on pancreatic cancer, Provenzano said the techniques they are developing could be used on many types of cancers. “Using a cell engineering approach to fight cancer is a relatively new field,” Provenzano said. “It allows for a very personalized approach with applications for a wide array of cancers. We feel we are expanding a new line of research to look at how our own bodies can fight cancer. This could have a big impact in the future.” In addition to Provenzano, the study’s authors included current and former University of Minnesota Department of Biomedical Engineering researchers Erdem D. Tabdanov (co-author), Nelson J. Rodríguez-Merced (co-author), Vikram V. Puram, Mackenzie K. Callaway, and Ethan A. Ensminger; University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center and Medical School Department of Pediatrics researchers Emily J. Pomeroy, Kenta Yamamoto, Walker S. Lahr, Beau R. Webber, Branden S. Moriarity; National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering researcher Alexander X. Cartagena-Rivera; and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute researcher Alexander S. Zhovmer, who is now at the Center for Biologic Evaluation and Research. The research was funded primarily by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, which receives funding from NIH’s National Cancer Institute. Additional funding was provided by the American Cancer Society and the Randy Shaver Research and Community Fund. The University of Minnesota Imaging Center provided additional staff expertise. Some of the researchers also are part of the University of Minnesota Center for Genome Engineering and the University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine. To read the original article click here.

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Breakthrough Study Shows Hyperbaric Oxygen Can Reverse Aging

AHA Publisher — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 08:00:48 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Hyperbaric oxygen treatments can stop the aging of blood cells and even reverse the aging process in healthy aging adults, according to a recently published study from scientists at Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Shamir Medical Center. The researchers found that a unique protocol of high-pressure oxygen treatments in a pressure chamber can reverse two major processes associated with aging: the shortening of telomeres (protective regions at both ends of every chromosome) and the accumulation of old, malfunctioning (senescent) cells. “For many years, our team has been engaged in hyperbaric research and therapy — treatments based on protocols of exposure to high-pressure oxygen at various concentrations inside a pressure chamber,” explained Prof. Shai Efrati of the Sackler School of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience at TAU and founder and director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir Medical Center. “Our achievements included the improvement of brain functions damaged by age, stroke or brain injury,” Efrati said. In 2017, ISRAEL21c reported on another Tel Aviv University study that revealed that hyperbaric oxygen treatments helped ameliorate symptoms experienced by people with Alzheimer’s. “In the current study we wished to examine the impact of HBOT on healthy and independent aging adults, and to discover whether such treatments can slow down, stop or even reverse the normal aging process at the cellular level,” said Efrati. The researchers exposed 35 healthy adults aged 64 or over to a series of 60 hyperbaric sessions over a period of 90 days. Each participant provided blood samples before, during and at the end of the treatments as well as a week or two after the series of treatments concluded. They then analyzed immune cells in participants’ blood and discovered a lengthening of up to 38 percent in the telomeres. “Today, telomere shortening is considered the ‘Holy Grail’ of the biology of aging,” Efrati says. “Researchers around the world are trying to develop pharmacological and environmental interventions that enable telomere elongation. Our HBOT protocol was able to achieve this, proving that the aging process can in fact be reversed at the basic cellular-molecular level.” More effective than lifestyle modifications Dr. Amir Hadanny, chief medical research officer of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research, said that until now, interventions such as lifestyle modifications and intense exercise were shown to have some inhibiting effect on telomere shortening. “But in our study, only three months of HBOT were able to elongate telomeres at rates far beyond any currently available interventions or lifestyle modifications,” Hadanny said. “With this pioneering study, we have opened a door for further research on the cellular impact of HBOT and its potential for reversing the aging process.” In their paper published in the journal Aging on November 18, they also report that the treated study participants also had a decrease of up to 37% in nonfunctioning senescent cells. Multiplace chambers The unique HBOT therapy featured in this study was done at the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research in Be’er Ya’akov using a multi-seat hyperbaric chamber – not the one-person tanks many people are familiar with. This protocol is available to the public at Sagol and in the United States at Aviv Clinics in The Villages, Florida. Efrati is chairman of the medical advisory board of Aviv Scientific, owner of Aviv Clinics. Hadanny, a neurosurgeon, is the company’s chief researcher and head of international clinical operations. Efrati and Hadanny have done many other studies on the benefits of HBOT. A previous randomized controlled clinical trial led by Efrati and Hadanny, published in Aging last June, found that HBOT in healthy people 60 and older caused cognitive enhancements in attention, information processing speed and executive functions, compared to the control group. In March 2019, ISRAEL21c reported on another study by Efrati and Hadanny suggesting that HBOT was helpful for survivors of childhood sexual abuse who developed fibromyalgia (a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue and cognitive issues) as a result of their post-traumatic distress. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Medicinal Mushrooms Can Eliminate the Threat of Viruses and Cancer Cell Growth

AHA Publisher — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:00:41 +0000

Lori Alton via NaturalHealth365 – Sometimes what you can’t see, can hurt you. Beyond the vision of the naked eye, there’s a battle going on all around you, every day. Viruses, environmental toxins, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, harmful fungi, allergens and other fierce combatants are waging war with your body. Hence, the need for medicinal mushrooms to protect your health, as you’ll soon see. As you know, a healthy immune system is one of your best lines of defense against the health challenges all around you. But, most people hear little about how medicinal mushrooms can greatly improve immune function. Today, you’ll discover how this powerful “super food” offers antiviral and anticancer benefits. Proven Results With Centuries of Evidence Today’s unhealthy environment, with pollutants found outside, in our workplace and even in our homes – has caused many to look for natural solutions to the hazards of modern living. While medicinal mushrooms may seem like a new approach, they have actually been used for thousands of years throughout the world. In fact, according to many natural health experts, the ability of certain mushrooms to promote wellness and restore health has been consistently proven and is remarkably safe. Those same health benefits of medicinal mushrooms are now being experienced in today’s world, resulting in a resurgence of their use. How Do Medicinal Mushrooms Boost Immunity? There are a number of reasons the ‘little old’ mushroom is actually a health-boosting superstar. For one, they contain a family of carbohydrates known as beta-glucans that stimulate the body’s many types of immune cells, particularly so-called “first responders.” At the same time, medicinal mushrooms can act to calm your body’s over-reactive autoimmune response, essentially performing double duty to ward off illness by giving your immunity a ‘jump start’ while also alleviating symptoms of such conditions as psoriasis, lupus and arthritis. And it doesn’t stop there. Along with their helping hand to the immune system, mushrooms are believed to support heart health, reduce blood pressure, improve circulation, boost cognitive health, increase metabolic efficiency, improve digestive health, and aid other systems and functions of the body. Can Medicinal Mushrooms Help to Prevent Cancer Cell Growth? Because these healthy fungi are so adept at supporting the immune system, they can play a role in helping your body to fight off potential and developing tumors. As a secondary defense in combating cancer, medicinal mushrooms are powerful antioxidants, helping to neutralize free radicals in the body that can otherwise invade cells and damage DNA. The third punch they deliver to cancer is by acting as natural detoxifiers, ridding the body of accumulated dead cells and tissues, wastes and other substances that can act as potential carcinogens. Think of these helpful fungi as sponges, soaking up toxins, much as other types of fungi thrive on decaying material. A Basic Guide to Picking the Right Medicinal Mushrooms With nearly 300 types of medicinal mushrooms, it can seem a daunting tasks to determine which could be useful for any given health need. Among the more commonly used and their areas of function are: Agaricus blazei: supports the immune system, believed to fight tumors, and helps to control cholesterol and blood sugar. Cordyceps sinensis: improves immunity, and promotes a healthy cholesterol profile. Coriolus versicolor: used for its antitumor properties and may be useful in enhancing certain cancer treatments. Ganoderma lucidum: reduces cholesterol and promotes healthy circulation; may be useful in fighting cancer and HIV. Grifola frondosa (maitake): used to combat cancer, moderate blood sugar and support liver health; may also be useful against HIV. Polyporus umbellatus: believed to enhance the immune system, while also supporting liver health; particularly helpful against bacteria-borne disease. When selecting a daily supplement, it’s best to choose one that includes a balance of species to cover a number of health areas, including immunity, cardiovascular and circulatory, and cancer-fighting properties. If you have specific health concerns, such as digestive issues or arthritis, be sure the formula includes medicinal fungi known to benefit these conditions. And, obviously, talk to your own integrative healthcare provider about what’s best for you, especially if you’re dealing with a serious health issue. Sources for this article include: Lifeworkswellnesscenter.com To read the original article click here. For more articles from NaturalHealth365 click here.

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Zinc Deficiency May Be Considered as a Risk Factor for Infectious Diseases

AHA Publisher — Wed, 15 Jul 2020 07:00:43 +0000

Sechenov University via EurekAlert – Researchers from Sechenov University in collaboration with colleagues from Germany, Greece and Russia reviewed scientific articles on the role of zinc in the prevention and treatment of viral infections and pneumonia, with projections on those caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine. Zinc is necessary for normal metabolism and functioning of the reproductive, cardiovascular and nervous systems, but it is also important for the immune system, in particular for the proliferation and maturation of white blood cells (some of them are able to capture and digest microorganisms, and others – to produce antibodies). In addition, zinc is involved in the regulation of inflammation. Thus, normal levels of zinc support human resistance to inflammatory and infectious diseases. ‘According to the current estimates, the risk of zinc deficiency is observed in more than 1.5 billion people in the world. In Russia, deficiency of this element occurs in 20-40% of the population; in some regions it reaches 60%. Given the crucial role of zinc in regulation of immunity, one can propose that its insufficiency may be considered as a risk factor for infectious diseases,’ said the research leader, head of the Laboratory of Molecular Dietetics at Sechenov University, Professor Anatoly Skalny. The scientists reviewed the results of studies on the use of zinc-containing drugs for increasing immunity and preventing viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2 that caused COVID-19 outbreak this year. Previous studies showed that zinc and its binding substances can slow down the work of RNA polymerase (an enzyme that synthesises viral RNA molecules) of coronaviruses and suppress their spread in the body. One of the substances that stimulate the cellular zinc uptake, chloroquine, has already been tested on patients with SARS-CoV-2, but its strong side effects make it necessary to look for other compounds with a similar effect or use zinc separately. However, both options have not been sufficiently studied or tested yet. Observations of the development of other viruses, such as rhinoviruses (this family includes pathogens of acute respiratory diseases), show that an increase in the level of zinc in cells suppresses replication (reproduction) of the virus and stimulates production of interferon alpha, which has an antiviral activity. In addition, zinc deficiency is considered as one of the risk factors for the development of pneumonia: it increases the susceptibility to infectious agents and the disease duration. Several studies show the effectiveness of zinc-containing drugs in decreasing severity and duration of symptoms and reducing the prevalence of pneumonia. However, in general, data on the use of zinc as a therapy, rather than prevention, are contradictory. Another possible application of zinc is modulation of inflammation. Existing data show that zinc ions have an anti-inflammatory effect, reducing damage to lung tissue in pneumonia. Zinc also helps the body resist bacteria, and bacterial pneumonia frequently occurs in patients with secondary viral infections. ‘A recent study conducted by scientists from the USA confirmed our assumptions, demonstrating the effect of zinc intake on the risk of a severe course and the need for artificial ventilation in patients with COVID-19,’ said Alexey Tinkov, coauthor of the article, a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Dietetics at Sechenov University. Therefore, according to current research, adequate zinc status can bring down the likelihood of infectious respiratory diseases, pneumonia and its complications. There are also indirect indications that zinc intake may be effective in the fight against coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but there is still insufficient data for recommendations. To read the original article click here.

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How I Protect My Employees With Bone Broth

AHA Publisher — Sat, 23 May 2020 07:00:59 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – Every other Friday, I have a catered lunch delivered to the office. As you might imagine, it’s a Paleo menu. But the favorite part of this tradition isn’t the food… it’s the bottles of bone broth I pass out afterward. I created my own “Immune System Enhancing Broth,” and the entire stock disappears within minutes. Today, I’ll share the recipe so you can make it at home. And I’ll show you just how powerful this ancient brew really is… There’s a reason humans have been harvesting bone marrow for thousands of years. It powers up your immunity like nothing else. Even Animals Understand the Power of Bone Marrow In the animal kingdom there is great wisdom. After a kill, animals always go for the organs first… and they’ve developed techniques for cracking the bones to extract marrow. Even birds will grab pieces of bone in their beaks and drop them onto rocks to get at the marrow inside. Tragically, our modern culture has largely vilified bone marrow since the 1950s. Ever since Ancel Keys tried to convince us fat was “bad” and erroneously concluded fat was the cause of disease, bone marrow was considered “junk food.” That shows you how divorced from reality our medical establishment has become… bone marrow is a rich factory of life-giving biological factors like red blood cells, most white blood cells, and two forms of stem cells. The bone marrow is such a rich source of nutrients, it’s one of the foods that allowed our ancient ancestors to evolve into the modern humans we are today. Our big brains are the result of consuming bone marrow and organ meat. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors would take otherwise indigestible animal parts like bones, hooves and knuckles and boil them down into a broth they could drink. That was one way they could extract the marrow and share it with the tribe. The rich mixture of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and healthy fats in bone broth not only nourish your body, they help protect you from outside pathogens. 4 Ways Bone Broth Helps You Fight a Virus Reduce inflammation: Bone broth contains several inflammation-reducing compounds that heal your gut. Since 80% of our immune system is directly linked to the health of our gut and our gut lining, a healthy gut means a better ability to fight infection. This in large part is due to the glycosaminoglycans (or GAGS). They help to restore the intestinal lining. They also play a role in maintaining collagen and elastin content between tissue fibers.1 Clear your respiratory system: One notable study showed that bone broth diminishes the presence of white blood cells associated with inflammation in the upper respiratory system. This encourages a more effective immune response and helps symptoms clear up more quickly. Helps you breathe more easily: Bone broth contains two powerful amino acids. The first, cysteine, effectively breaks down mucus to help clear out passageways so you can breathe more easily. Another amino acid called glycine increases the production of immune cells to reduce inflammatory responses that may damage your lungs.2 Boost immune cells: And another compound in bone broth known as mucopolysaccharides has been shown to increase the function B and T cells. These are two of your body’s most important immune system cells.3 Here’s the Recipe for My Own Immune System Enhancing Bone Broth: Ingredients: 2 pounds of grass-fed lamb and 2 pounds of pastured chicken bones, including the chicken’s neck, feet and wings 3 celery stalks, chopped 1 medium onion, quartered 3 carrots, chopped (feel free to throw in other vegetables) 6 garlic cloves 1 tsp. each of parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary and Pau D’Arco 1/2 cup of shiitake mushrooms 1 tsp. each of turmeric and ashwagandha 1 Tbsp. whole peppercorns 4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 2 bay leaves Pink Himalayan sea salt to taste 10 pints of cold water Directions: Place all ingredients in a 10-quart stock pot. Cover with water. Let sit for around 60 minutes. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any impurities that rise to the top. When nothing else rises to the top, add water to keep the level just above the bones. Simmer for 15 to 24 hours. Then turn up the heat just a bit for the final simmer-down. This will concentrate the nutrients. Turn down the heat and let simmer for another hour or two. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Discard solids and strain remainder through a colander. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Al Sears, MD click here. References: 1. Aquino RS and Park PW. “Glycosaminoglycans and infection.” Front Biosci (Landmark Ed). 2016;21:1260–1277. 2. Wheeler MD, et al. “Dietary glycine blunts lung inflammatory cell influx following acute endotoxin.” Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2000;279(2):L390-L398. 3. Wrenshall L, et al. “Modulation of macrophage and B cell function by glycosaminoglycans.” J Leukoc Biol. 1999;66(3):391-400.

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Activating Immune Cells Could Revitalize the Aging Brain, Study Suggests

AHA Publisher — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 08:00:31 +0000

The Rockefeller University Press via Newswise – Researchers at Albany Medical College in New York have discovered that a specific type of immune cell accumulates in older brains, and that activating these cells improves the memory of aged mice. The study, which will be published February 5 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM), suggests that targeting these cells might reduce age-related cognitive decline and combat aging-associated neurodegenerative disease in humans. Newswise — The brain is highly susceptible to aging, with cognitive functions, such as learning and memory, gradually declining as we get older. Much of the body’s immune system also deteriorates with age, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection and higher levels of inflammation. In their new JEM study, however, a team of researchers led by Qi Yang and Kristen L. Zuloaga at Albany Medical College reveal that aging-related changes in a class of immune cell known as group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) could allow doctors to combat the effects of aging on the brain. ILC2s reside in specific tissues of the body and help to repair them when they are damaged. Recently, for example, ILC2s in the spinal cord were shown to promote healing after spinal cord injury. “However, whether ILC2s also reside in other parts of the central nervous system, and how they respond to aging, was unknown,” Yang says. The researchers examined the brains of both young and old mice and found that ILC2s accumulated with age in a structure called the choroid plexus. This structure produces cerebrospinal fluid and is close to the hippocampus, a region of the brain that plays a key role in learning and memory. Older mouse brains had up to five times as many ILC2 cells as younger brains. Crucially, the researchers also saw large numbers of ILC2s in the choroid plexus of elderly humans. The ILC2s in old mouse brains were largely in an inactive, or quiescent, state, but the researchers were able to activate them by treating the animals with a cell signaling molecule called IL-33, causing the cells to proliferate and produce proteins that stimulate the formation and survival of neurons. Compared with ILC2s from younger animals, ILC2s from older mice were able to live longer and produce more ILC2 upon activation, the researchers found. Remarkably, treating old mice with IL-33, or injecting them with ILC2 cells pre-activated in the lab, improved the animals’ performance in a series of cognitive tests designed to measure their learning and memory. “This suggested that activated ILC2 can improve the cognitive function of aged mice,” says Zuloaga. One of the proteins produced by activated ILC2s is the signaling molecule IL-5. The research team found that treating old mice with IL-5 increased the formation of new nerve cells in the hippocampus and reduced the amount of potentially damaging inflammation in the brain. Again, IL-5 treatment improved the cognitive performance of aged mice in a number of tests. “Our work has thus revealed the accumulation of tissue-resident ILC2 cells in the choroid plexus of aged brains and demonstrated that their activation may revitalize the aged brain and alleviate aging-associated cognitive decline,” says Yang. “Aging is the major risk factor for a variety of neurocognitive and neurodegenerative diseases,” says Zuloaga. “Targeting ILC2 cells in the aged brain may provide new avenues to combat these diseases in humans.” To read the original article click here.

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Discovery of Potent Immune Cell That Can Destroy Multiple Types of Cancer

AHA Publisher — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 08:00:14 +0000

Angela Betsaida B. Laguipo, BSN via News-Medical Net – The immune system is the body’s defense against harmful pathogens that may enter the body. Immune cells, such as white blood cells and macrophages work hand in hand to fight off disease-causing microorganisms, including cancer. A team of scientists at Cardiff University may have discovered a new type of immune cell that can kill most cancers, which may be dubbed as a major breakthrough in treating potentially-fatal cancers. The discovery was previously believed to be impossible, but thanks to an accidental discovery in the laboratory, the researchers found a new type of T-cell that can potentially combat cancer. The study is published in the journal Nature Immunotherapy. What They Found Since the body’s immune system targets foreign bodies, it also fight cancer cells. Immunotherapy is used to target cancer cells, but in some instances, it works only for some types. It’s usually made of white blood cells and some organs and tissues from the lymph system. For years, doctors used a treatment dubbed as CAR-T therapy, which involves getting the patient’s own immune cells and genetically modifying them. In this method, the T cells are then returned to the body where they start to hunt and kill cancer cells. However, this treatment only targets some types of cancer cells, such as bone marrow and blood cancers, but was not effective for solid tumors, which account for a majority of cancer cases. Since the scope of efficacy is limited, scientists are looking for other ways the immune system naturally attacks tumors, hoping to find something that can kill multiple cancer cells all at once. T-cell Receptor (TCR) and Cancer Cells The novel T-cell is believed to have the ability to distinguish cancer cells from healthy ones. It carries a never-before-seen receptor that latches on to most human cancers while ignoring healthy cells in the body. The surface molecule, MR1, where the new T-cell attaches to, is also found in almost all cells in the body. But they may present differently on cancer cells, permitting a single TCR to be able to effectively target many types of tumors. In laboratory studies, the researchers found that the immune cell equipped with the new receptor was revealed to kill skin, lung, colon, blood, bone, breast, kidney, ovarian, prostate, and cervical cancer. “The development of a ‘one size fits all’ type of immunotherapy, which could target different types of cancer cells and does not need to be manufactured for each individual patient, is an exciting prospect. This research represents a new way of targeting cancer cells that is really quite exciting, although much more research is needed to understand precisely how it works. It is still early days and we are a while off from confirming whether this approach will definitely work in patients,” Dr. Alasdair Rankin, Director of Research and Policy at the blood cancer charity Bloodwise, said. Novel Treatments The researchers believe that the new breakthrough could pave the way for the formulation of new and effective therapy to combat cancer. Though the discovery is still young, it serves as a stepping stone for other researchers to build on the new approach to study it further and start on both animal and human studies. “So far, the power of these immune cells to kill cancer cells has been tested in a lab dish and in mice. At the moment, this is very basic research and not close to actual medicines for patients. But in the long term, the hope is that this type of immune cell could be the basis of new immune therapies, either by infusing these cells directly into patients or by unleashing their capacity to act. There is no question that is a very exciting discovery, both for advancing our basic knowledge about the immune system and for the possibility of future new medicines,” Prof Daniel Davis, Professor of Immunology, University of Manchester, who was not involved in the study, said. To read the original article click here.

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Israeli Immune-Response Algorithm Could Aid TB Diagnosis

AHA Publisher — Sun, 06 Oct 2019 07:00:20 +0000

ISRAEL21c Staff via Israel21c – An Israeli algorithm that predicts the immune response to a pathogen could lead to early diagnosis for such diseases as tuberculosis. Just as first impressions set the stage for the entire course of a relationship, first impressions set the stage for how the cells of our immune system react when meeting a new microbe, according to Israeli researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science. This new insight led the researchers to develop an algorithm that may predict the onset of such diseases as tuberculosis. Their findings were published July 22 in Nature Communications. The phenomenon is explained by lead author Roi Avraham from the Institute’s Biological Regulation Department: “When immune cell and bacterium meet, there can be several outcomes –the immune system can kill the bacteria; the bacteria can overcome the immune defenses; or, in the case of diseases like tuberculosis, the bacterium can lie dormant for years, sometimes causing disease at a later stage and sometimes remaining in hibernation for good. We think that the junction in which one of those paths is chosen takes place some 24 to 48 hours after infection.” Noa Bossel Ben Moshe and Shelly Hen-Avivi in Avraham’s group began by introducing immune cells from blood samples to Salmonella bacteria. Using a method developed in recent years, partially at the Weizmann Institute, they sequenced the gene activity in thousands of immune cells to see what each cell looked like as it responded to the Salmonella and mapped the activation profiles of each. This process revealed patterns not seen in standard lab tests, and it seemed to confirm their hypothesis – there were indeed differences that enabled them to trace responses from the initial meetings to the later outcomes. Hoping to connect their results to real-time blood tests in real patients, the scientists developed an algorithm that would then enable them to extract similar information individual blood cells from standard data sets. “The algorithm we developed,” said Bossel Ben Moshe, “can not only define the ensemble of immune cells that take part in the response, it can reveal their activity levels and thus the potential strength of the immune response.” The first test of the algorithm was in blood samples taken from healthy people in The Netherlands. These samples were infected, in a lab dish, with Salmonella bacteria, and the immune response recorded. Comparisons with existing genomic analysis methods showed that the standard methods did not uncover differences between groups, while the Israeli algorithm revealed significant differences tied to later variations in bacteria-killing abilities. Then they tested whether the same algorithm can be used to diagnose the onset of tuberculosis, which is caused by a bacterium that often chooses the third way – dormancy — and thus can hide out in the body for years. Millions Still Die of TB Every Year Up to a third of the world’s population carries the tuberculosis bacterium, though only a small percentage of these become ill. Still, some two million die of the disease each year, mostly in underdeveloped areas of China, Russia and Africa. The researchers applied their algorithm to blood-test results found in a British database that followed patients and carriers for a period of two years. They found that the activity levels of immune cells called monocytes could be used to predict the onset or course of the disease. “The algorithm is based on the ‘first impressions’ of immune cells and Salmonella, which cause a very different type of illness than mycobacterium tuberculosis,” said Hen-Avivi. “Still, we were able to predict, early on, which of the carriers would develop the active form of the disease.” Once tuberculosis symptoms appear, patients have to take three different antibiotics over the course of nine months, and antibiotic resistance has become rampant in these bacteria. “If those who are at risk of active disease could be identified when the bacterial load is smaller, their chances of recovery will be better,” explained Avraham. The researchers intend to expand their own database on tuberculosis and other pathogens so to as to refine the algorithm and work on developing the tools that may, in the future, be used to predict who will develop full-blown infectious diseases. To read the original article click here. For more articles by Israel21c click here.

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