Thursday, October 22, 2009
Scientists from University of California have acknowledged a protein that triggers the deadly food toxin found in fungi on nuts and grains, which if consumed in large quantities can cause liver cancer.Because of lax or nonexistent regulation, large numbers of people in developing countries are chronically exposed to immense amounts of toxin, called aflatoxin.It can colonize and pollute nuts and grains before harvest or during storage.The combination of aflatoxin and hepatitis B virus exposure increases the likelihood of liver cancer occurrence by 60 times.
The contaminant destroys cancer-preventing gene in humans called p53. Without p53 protecting the body, aflatoxin can compromise immunity, interfere with metabolism, and cause severe malnutrition and cancer.
Lead investigator Sheryl Tsai found a protein called PT, which is crucial for aflatoxin to form in fungi."The protein PT is the key to making the poison".Presently, destroying the mold rather than just the PT is the method of decontamination, however it's expensive.
"This finding will guide to an increased understanding of how aflatoxin causes liver cancer in humans," said Dr. Frank Meyskens.
"It should allow for the improvement of inhibitors and, hopefully, a new chemoprevention approach to this deadly cancer,"
posted by emedinfo
@2:07 AM
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Lung cancer is a syndrome caused by the rapid growth and division of cells that make up the lungs. Lung cancer is sometimes called "bronchogenic cancer", or it may be described by its particular histological type, that is the type of tissue that is diseased.
Under customary circumstances, lung cells reproduce in an orderly fashion to maintain tissue health and to repair injuries. However, when growth control is lost and cells divide too much and too fast, a cellular mass or tumor is formed. If the tumor is confined to a few cell layers (for example, surface cells) and it does not invade surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered benign. By contrast, if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or cancerous.
If cancerous cells shatter away from the original tumor, travel, and grow within other body parts such as the brain, bone, liver, adrenal glands, the opposite lung, or lymph nodes of the chest or collarbone (clavicle) regions the process is known as metastasis.
Lung cancer disease is among the most common cancers in the Western world. In 2008, approximately 215,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the United States and about 162,000 people died from the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause for cancer death in men, and since the late 1980s it has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause for cancer death in women. Findings from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that the upward trend in cancer-related death is due to the rapidly increasing rate of lung cancer mortality.
Under customary circumstances, lung cells reproduce in an orderly fashion to maintain tissue health and to repair injuries. However, when growth control is lost and cells divide too much and too fast, a cellular mass or tumor is formed. If the tumor is confined to a few cell layers (for example, surface cells) and it does not invade surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered benign. By contrast, if the tumor spreads to surrounding tissues or organs, it is considered malignant, or cancerous.
If cancerous cells shatter away from the original tumor, travel, and grow within other body parts such as the brain, bone, liver, adrenal glands, the opposite lung, or lymph nodes of the chest or collarbone (clavicle) regions the process is known as metastasis.
Lung cancer disease is among the most common cancers in the Western world. In 2008, approximately 215,000 new cases of lung cancer were diagnosed in the United States and about 162,000 people died from the disease. Lung cancer is the leading cause for cancer death in men, and since the late 1980s it has surpassed breast cancer as the leading cause for cancer death in women. Findings from the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that the upward trend in cancer-related death is due to the rapidly increasing rate of lung cancer mortality.
posted by emedinfo
@4:28 AM
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