 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Last Updated: 2006-07-07 15:05:11 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A handful of viruses, bacteria and parasites is responsible for nearly one fifth of cancers worldwide, according to new estimates.
In 2002, 17.9 percent of cancer cases worldwide were caused by infections ranging from HIV to the ulcer bug Helicobacter pylori, according to a report in the International Journal of Cancer.
If these infections could be prevented, many cases of cancer -- more than one quarter in developing nations -- would be avoided, reports author Dr. Donald Maxwell Parkin of the University of Oxford in the UK .
According to Parkin, 1.9 million cases of cancer in 2002 could be attributed to infections. At the top of the list was H. pylori, an ulcer-causing bacterium that can also contribute to stomach cancer. Parkin estimates that it was responsible for 5.5 percent of all cancers worldwide in 2002.
Close behind H. pylori are the human papilloma viruses (HPV) and the hepatitis B and C viruses, which cause hepatitis, according to the researcher.
HPV causes genital warts and certain strains of the virus are responsible for most cases of cervical cancer. An HPV vaccine recently became available, and experts have recommended that girls as young as 11 years old receive this vaccine
Hepatitis B and C virus infections cause 85.5 percent of liver cancers worldwide, according to Parkin. The impact is particularly acute in developing nations, where 92 percent of liver cancers can be traced to hepatitis, versus 42 percent in developed countries.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) accounted for 1 percent of cancers in 2002, Parkin estimates.
Most people have been infected with EBV, and thereafter it usually remains dormant in the body. However, in some individuals it is related to Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal cancer.
HIV infection damages the immune system, leading to a cancers variety of cancers including lymphoma, Kaposi's sarcoma and cervical cancer. According to Parkin, there were more than 102,000 cases of HIV-associated Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphoma in 2002.
He estimates that if these and a handful of other viral and parasitic infections could be prevented, there would be 26 percent fewer cancers diagnosed in developing nations each year, and 8 percent fewer in developed countries.
Along with the HPV vaccine, there is a vaccine against hepatitis B that's now routinely given to babies in many countries. More research is needed, Parkin concludes, to figure out the best ways to prevent all infection-related cancers.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cancer, June 15, 2006 .
Copyright © 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
SUNDAY, Sept. 18 (HealthDay News) -- People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also more prone to severe respiratory and nervous system disorders, according to two new studies in Gastroenterology.
IBD includes a number of chronic ailments such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
The first study found a nearly twofold increased risk of multiple sclerosis in IBD patients. The researchers from the University of Pennsylvania also linked IBD to optic neuritis and other neurological disorders.
In the second study, Canadian researchers at the University of Manitoba found that IBD patients have a significantly increased prevalence of asthma, bronchitis, arthritis and psoriasis.
"These studies remind us that the effects of inflammatory bowel disorders extend to every corner of the body, including the lungs and central nervous system," said Dr. Edward V. Loftus Jr., author of an accompanying editorial and an associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.
"The findings lend credence to the concept that patients with one chronic inflammatory condition are more likely than the general population to develop another," Loftus concluded.
More information
The National Institutes of Health has more about Crohn's disease
MONDAY, July 25 (HealthDay News) -- A compound found in Chinese medicine and derived from cottonseed could help improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy in treating head and neck cancer, researchers report.
The compound, called (-)-gossypol, regulates a protein that's overexpressed in cancer cells and helps them to survive. Researchers say the compound killed 70 percent to 90 percent of cancer cells specifically developed to be resistant to chemotherapy drugs.
"This is a very impressive induction of cell death," said study author Thomas Carey, co-director of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and a professor at the University of Michigan's dental and medical schools. "It's because we are targeting the pathways these cells need to survive."
Researchers hope to begin a clinical trial in head and neck cancer patients within a year, to test whether the compound can be combined with chemotherapy to better treat tumors.
The findings appear in the July issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
More information
The National Institutes of Health has more about head and neck cancer.
That's a question U.S. researchers hope to answer as they recruit participants for a new clinical trial on the compound, called huperzine A, from 28 sites across the country.
The Phase II clinical trial to determine the safety and efficacy of huperzine A will enroll about 150 patients, age 55 and older, with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. Huperzine A is a naturally occurring cholinesterase inhibitor that's commonly used in China to treat Alzheimer's.
Chinese studies have suggested it is well tolerated and effective. However, there have been no controlled clinical trials of huperzine A outside of China.
"Based on studies in China, huperzine A may be more effective and better tolerated than currently prescribed drugs for Alzheimer's disease. In addition, laboratory studies suggest that huperzine A may have unique effects that could slow down the progression of the disease," Dr. Paul Aisen, leader of the new study and professor of neurology at Georgetown University Medical Center's Memory Disorders Program, said in a prepared statement.
"This trial is essential to better understand the promise of huperzine A," Aisen said. "Though it is a rigorous placebo-controlled trial, all participants do receive the active medication. The first portion of the trial, lasting 16 weeks, includes a placebo arm, but all participants have the opportunity to take active huperzine A for at least eight months.
The study, directed by Georgetown University researchers, is funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Neuro-Hitech Pharmaceuticals Inc.
More information
The Alzheimer's Association has more about huperzine A and other alternative treatments for Alzheimer's.
The research points to an "important new epidemiological evidence of an essential link between inflammation and cancer mortality," conclude researchers at the National University of Singapore.
Their study included data on nearly 3,200 Australians, averaging close to 66 years of age, who were free of cancer when they were initially evaluated by researchers between 1992 and 1994. By the study's end in late 2001, 212 of the study volunteers had died of some form of cancer.
The risk of cancer death was greatest among study participants with the highest white blood cell counts, the researchers report in the Jan. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. This was true even when the researchers controlled for other factors that might affect white blood cell count, such as smoking, diabetes and aspirin use.
The link between high white blood cell count and risk of death from cancer was especially strong for people who died of lung cancer.
"In our study, white blood cell count was associated with cancer mortality, even after adjusting for smoking status," the study authors wrote. "In subgroup analysis, the association was also present among those who never smoked, suggesting that the observed association between white blood cell count and cancer mortality is not fully explained by smoking."
The researchers also noted the risk of cancer death was higher among people with high white blood cell counts who did not take aspirin, compared to those who did take aspirin. This suggests that aspirin may provide a protective effect against cancer for people with a high white blood cell counts.
"Our findings suggest that local inflammatory processes that have long been known to be associated with tumor progression may be reflected in the systemic inflammatory maker of higher white blood cell count," the study authors wrote.
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about white blood cell count.
The chemical was taken from a form of gardenia
A gardenia fruit extract used in Chinese medicine for centuries to treat adult onset diabetes is effective, scientists have found.
The US team found a chemical from the fruit blocks the action of an enzyme which stops the production of insulin.
The research, published in Cell Metabolism, could lead to new drugs, the scientists said.
Diabetes experts said the work was in its early stages, and recommended a healthy diet and exercise for patients.
Insulin is made in the pancreas, and stimulates cells to take up as much glucose as they need for energy, thereby regulating blood sugar levels.
But in people with diabetes, there is too little insulin, which causes blood sugar concentrations to rise.
The researchers from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School focused on an enzyme called uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) which prevents insulin being produced.
The team wanted to find a way to block the enzyme's action.
'Useful tool'
One of the team, Chen-Yu Zhang, who was familiar with traditional Chinese medicine, suggested looking at the extract of fruits of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis.
The extract has been used in traditional Chinese Medicine to relieve the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes.
Tests on mice showed the extract blocked UCP2's action, and that a chemical called genipin was the active compound.
When genipin was added to pancreatic tissue in the lab, it also reversed faults linked to obesity and high glucose levels in insulin-producing cells.
The researchers said their findings may lead to the development of new drugs, which would offer a significant advance as there is currently no available therapy for diabetes which targets the underlying causes of disease in insulin-producing cells.
It may potentially increase the use of Gardenia extract itself, they said.
Dr Bradford Lowell, who led the study, added: "Genipin represents an extremely useful investigational tool for studying a number of aspects of UCP2 biology."
Roopinder Brar, a care advisor at Diabetes UK , said: "We welcome any research into a potential treatment for Type 2 diabetes.
"However, this study is still in its early stages but we look forward to further investigation.
"For the 1.8 million people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, we recommend a healthy, balanced diet and physical activity."
And new research suggests it might help protect against -- and even treat -- prostate cancer, especially when combined with a substance found in cauliflower, cabbage and other kinds of vegetables.
Researchers at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, found that a combination of turmeric (also called curcumin) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) was effective against prostate cancer. PEITC is abundant in a group of vegetables that includes cauliflower, cabbage, watercress, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi and turnips.
"The bottom line is that PEITC and curcumin, alone or in combination, demonstrate significant cancer-preventive qualities in laboratory mice, and the combination of PEITC and curcumin could be effective in treating established prostate cancers," Ah-Ng Tony Kong, a professor of pharmaceutics, said in a prepared statement.
He and his colleagues created mice with human prostate cancer tumors to test the effectiveness of PEITC and curcumin.
"Despite convincing data from laboratory cell cultures, we knew little about how PEITC and curcumin would perform in live animals, especially on prostate cancer," Kong said. "So, we undertook this study to evaluate how effective PEITC and curcumin might be -- individually and in combination -- to prevent and possibly treat prostate cancer."
The mice were injected with PEITC or curcumin, alone or in combination, three times a week for four weeks. The injections began a day before the prostate cancer cells were placed in the mice.
The study was published in the Jan. 15 issue of Cancer Research.
Artemisia Annua or qinghao in Demand for Treating Malaria
Malaria find may save millions
Protein offers way to stop microscopic parasites in their tracks
Toxoplasmosis- causes, symptoms and treatment
HIV immunity 'evolved from ancient mutant'
Scientists report HIV therapy breakthrough
Dark water: Deadly fever lurks in a Chinese lake
Make your skin crawl; Her series Body Snatchers travels the globe in search of all the itty-bitty critters that like to make the human body their home.
Scientists map rare HIV antibody
Ecological destruction fuels emerging diseases
What you should know about bedbugs
Drury Mirror - Springfield,MO,USA ... They first stated that there are three types of STD's: bacterial infections, viral infections and parasitic infections. Bacterial ...
Researchers call for prenatal screening for parasitic infection
Morgellon’s Disease, which leaves painful sores, the sores ooze blue fibers, white threads and little black specks of sand-like material......Read More .....
No shoes, no sickness: School heeds doc's advice
Unsanitary salons breed bacteria
Rare Plant May Help Fight Breast Cancer
Clinical Trail by Disease or Condition
State health officials warn against eating raw snails
Red Meat Linked to One Type of Colon Cancer
Many EU Cancer Patients Use Alternative Meds
A smart guided missile' to cancer cells
Malaria experts to unveil top-flight research during international conference
Measles virus trained to hunt down cancer cells!
Spicy Thai curry can scuttle cancer spread:
Parasitic Infection likely cause of Obasi's death: Coroner
Giardia Bares All: Parasite genes reveal long sexual history
Study provides insights on why some prostate cancer becomes resistant to hormone withdrawal therapy
Calcium may protect women from cancer
Avastin(R) Extends Survival in Patients With Advanced Colorectal Cancer
Whirling disease hits hard in Utah
Sabin/GW Researchers Clear First Hurdle with Investigational New Drug Approval
Can vegetables extract prevent cervical cancer? New study
FDA approves Abbott's test for bladder cancer
New highly active agents against leishmaniasis
Novogen’s cancer drug reverses resistance
Merck begins mid-stage trial of HIV vaccine
Persistent diarrhea (pets) may signal disease
Plan to speed up HIV vaccine research unveiled
Cancer passes heart disease as top killer in U.S.;
Coffee drinkers less likely to get liver cancer: Tohoku researchers
DNA Research Shows Promise of Next-Generation Colorectal Cancer Screening Test
Graviola shows provides possible cures for cancer and just about everything else
Malaria increases HIV viral load
Parasites blamed for lakes' kill
Health Tip: Cats and Your Unborn
'Signal' Identified That Enables Malarial Parasites To Target Blood Cells
Dream Home: Malaria Parasite Renovates to Suit Its Tastes
Of course not all parasites are harmful : Crohn's Disease May Respond to Parasite Therapy
| Home | Artemisia | Hemorrhoids | Ingredients | Applications | About Us | Testimonials |
Order |
Iconocast is about learning and teaching without borders; we offer eMarketing, Internet Advertising, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Online Branding, and eMarketing News Services ; StarMonitor ; actonvision ; eMarketingMag
 |
| Live help by AliveChat |
| info@herbalabs.org email us --- tel : 949 500 8638 | ||
| © 2002-2004 Home Page : Privacy Policy ; Disclaimer |