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Federal appeals court rejects EPA water rules for coal plant discharges
A federal appeals court yesterday rejected a Kentucky regulation for coal-mining discharges into waterways and ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to re-evaluate the rule.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit also rejected the EPA's approval of five other water pollution regulations. They included a rule dealing with how much pollution from a concentrated animal feeding operation may be discharged into some lakes, streams and rivers.
The decision sends the regulations back to the EPA to be rewritten.
The decision came as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2004 by the Kentucky Waterways Alliance, an environmental group. The alliance sued the EPA during the decade-long dispute over the Clean Water Act, saying the agency approved rules for Kentucky that had so many exemptions that they were practically useless.
The court is requiring the EPA to reconsider Kentucky's exemption for coal-mining discharges. The exemption allows coal mines to dump in areas with good water quality if the state finds a social and economic need for the dumping.
Kentucky's regulations also exempted a variety of pollution discharges into waters in which fish, shellfish and wildlife live.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell upheld the regulations in 2006.
The appeals court found that the EPA, in approving the exemptions, failed to explain why their effect would be insignificant.
The appeals court did uphold the EPA's approval of the method Kentucky uses to select waterways meriting special protection.
Judge Deborah Cook wrote for the majority of the three-judge panel that the state gave the EPA a letter saying how it planned to interpret the clean water regulations, a move that doesn't meet the requirements of the federal Administrative Procedures Act.
"This securing an informal commitment from a state agency rather than requiring the state to amend its regulations violates the federal approval procedure," Cook wrote.
Senior Judge Eugene Siler joined Cook in ordering the EPA to rework the regulations.
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The EPA is supposed to stand for Environmental Protection Agency. I think it should be changed to Environmental Plundering Agency.
"The appeals court found that the EPA, in approving the exemptions, failed to explain why their effect would be insignificant."
How convenient. Good to see courts standing up to this blatant disregard for our environment. A federal appeals court yesterday rejected a Kentucky regulation for coal-mining discharges into waterways and ordered the Environment... more -
'Stand Up to Cancer' Raises $100M Plus
A campaign to raise money for cancer research that culminated in a telethon airing simultaneously on all three major U.S. networks brought in more than $100 million for the cause, telethon organizers announced today. A campaign to raise money for cancer research that culminated in a telethon airing simultaneously on all three major U.S. networks bro... more
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Nanotube 'longboats' slaughter cancer cells
A new lead in the fight against cancer: Nanotube 'longboats'; essentially structures which deliver toxic drugs directly into cancerous cells.
They were shown to be effective in killing cells with folic acid receptors, which are particularly numerous on cancer cells. A new lead in the fight against cancer: Nanotube 'longboats'; essentially structures which deliver toxic drugs directly into... more -
Addicted to tanning beds? 'Tanorexia' common among university students
A new study conducted at a large university finds more than 25 percent of those surveyed reported symptoms of tanning dependence, including symptoms similar to alcohol and drug-addicted individuals.
Suggestively, the study also found those with a tanning dependence tend to be more likely to be thin and smoke cigarettes than others. The study by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center is published in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.
Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society, accounting for half of all human cancers with over a million new cases diagnosed yearly in the United States. It is reported that up to 90 percent of all skin cancers are associated with ultraviolet radiation.
For the study, Heckman and her colleagues set out to understand what proportion of college students report problems with tanning dependence and whether there are shared behaviors among those considered to be tanning dependent and those with other forms of addiction.
"Adolescents and young adults tend to put themselves at risk for later skin cancer by exposing themselves to high levels of ultraviolet radiation, so by understanding some possible reasons why, we hope to develop innovative interventions to help prevent these risky behaviors," explains Carolyn Heckman, Ph.D., an associate member at Fox Chase Cancer Center.
**more if you click the link** A new study conducted at a large university finds more than 25 percent of those surveyed reported symptoms of tanning dependence, incl... more -
Simple Diet Cures Cancer
A friend from New Zealand recently told me about this diet that cured both his throat cancer and his father's skin cancer. The diet is becoming increasingly popular throughout Europe. It's cottage cheese and flax seed oil.
The Flaxseed (Linseed) oil diet was originally proposed by Dr. Johanna Budwig, a German biochemist and expert on fats and oils, in 1951. Dr. Budwig holds a Ph.D. in Natural Science, has undergone medical training, and was schooled in pharmaceutical science, physics, botany and biology. She is best known for her extensive research on the properties and benefits of flaxseed oil combined with sulphurated proteins in the diet, and over the years has published a number of books on the subject, including "Cancer--A Fat Problem," "The Death of the Tumor," and "True Health Against Arteriosclerosis, Heart Infarction & Cancer."
Dr. Budwig found that the blood of seriously ill cancer patients was deficient in certain important essential ingredients which included substances called phosphatides and lipoproteins, while the blood of a healthy person always contains sufficient quantities of these essential ingredients.
She found that when these natural ingredients where replaced over approximately a three month period, tumors gradually receded, weakness and anemia disappeared and life energy was restored. Symptoms of cancer, liver dysfunction and diabetes were alleviated.
Dr. Budwig then discovered an all natural way for people to replace those essential ingredients their bodies so desperately needed in their daily diet. By simply eating a combination of just two natural and delicious foods not only can cancer be prevented but in case after case it was
actually cured. (These two natural foods, organic flax seed oil & cottage cheese) must be eaten together to be effective since one triggers the properties of the other to be released.)
After more than 10 years of solid clinical application, Dr. Budwig's natural formula has proven successful where many orthodox remedies have failed. Dr. Budwig's formula has been used therapeutically in Europe for prevention of: cancer, arteriosclerosis, strokes, cardiac infarction,
stomach ulcers (normalizes gastric juices), Prostate (hypertopic), arthritis (exerts a favorable
influence), eczema (assists all skin diseases), and even immune deficiences. A friend from New Zealand recently told me about this diet that cured both his throat cancer and his father's skin cancer. The di... more -
Robert Redford hopes coal movie inspires citizen groups
Robert Redford was so struck by a story of Texas mayors, ranchers and other citizens who stood up against plans for a batch of new coal-fired power plants that he narrated a film about it.
The actor and founder of the Sundance Film Festival is lending his voice to a 34-minute documentary called "Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars." The film is being shown in seven cities in Utah and Nevada next week.
Redford's hoping the story inspires others to face off against the "mythology" of nonrenewable resources and consider renewable energy alternatives.
"It makes no sense going in a direction that represents yesterday," Redford said in an interview with The Associated Press this week.
The story centers on a fight that started in 2006 over 19 proposed coal-fired power plants in central and east Texas. The plans galvanized a diverse group of citizens who might otherwise have divergent political viewpoints: ranchers, environmentalists, business leaders, legislators, lawyers and more than a dozen local mayors.
Redford, who has been involved with environmental causes for decades, said he was inspired by the group's unifying interests around clean air and a healthy environment. The coalition opposing the plans grew to include 36 cities, counties and school districts.
"To me, that was a sign of changing times," said Redford, who spends about six months a year in Utah.
Eventually, the company that proposed 11 of the new plants agreed to build only three.
The film, produced by The Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Austin, Texas-based Alpheus Media, has already been shown in Texas. Supporters are bringing it to Utah and Nevada where several new coal-fired plants are being proposed.
"It's very relevant to what's going on not only in Utah but the rest of the country," said Tim Wagner, director of the Utah Smart Energy Campaign. "We want people to understand when they see this film that they can get involved, they too can make a difference."
Redford said he sees what happened in Texas as an indication that a tipping point has been reached in how the public perceives coal-fired plants.
"That's breaking apart now because the reality is seeping through like grass coming through the sidewalk," he said.
The screenings next week will be followed by panel discussions about pollution, global warming, renewable energy in the West, ways to minimize energy use and "economic opportunities of the clean energy economy."
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Robert Redford is an environmental icon whose work has brought great change in understanding and in perceiving the problems we face regarding it. Lending his voice to this movie will hopefully inspire other citizen groups to do what politicians will not: stand up to dirty big coal. That is where we will see the most change... right out here, bringing it there. Robert Redford was so struck by a story of Texas mayors, ranchers and other citizens who stood up against plans for a batch of new coa... more -
Stand Up to Cancer
The major networks get together to raise awareness and start the beginning of the end of cancer.
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Hopes raised for block on cancer
Scientists say they have taken a big step towards blocking a chemical vital to the growth of many cancers.
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The catch-all cancer drug to target every type of tumour
"A breakthrough in cancer research could lead to a 'one-size-fits-all' drug that can tackle all forms of the disease. Scientists have unravelled the secrets of an enzyme called telomerase, which makes cancer cells immortal. This allows them to multiply uncontrollably and cause disease.
The discovery paves the way for the creation of drugs that block the enzyme, stopping tumour growth. Telomerase is at work in almost all human cancers. So a drug, or family of drugs such as this, could have a major impact in the treatment of the disease.
The researchers, from the Wistar Institute, in Philadelphia, have deciphered the structure of a key part of telomerase. In healthy cells, the enzyme is all but switched off, and the cells multiply a set number of times before dying, a fundamental part of the ageing process.
But, in up to 90 per cent of cancers, the enzyme is activated, allowing runaway cell division and tumour growth. Solving the compound's structure will allow scientists to design drugs that deactivate the enzyme and halt the cancer.
By targeting cancerous cells it is likely such medicines would be free of the side-effects such as pain, hair loss and nausea associated with conventional treatments. Previous attempts to make telomerase-blocking drugs have been thwarted by lack of knowledge about the enzyme.
Decoding the mysteries of telomerase could also pave the way for therapies to combat ageing and age-related diseases. Switching on telomerase in a controlled, safe way, could, in theory, produce younger, healthier and longer living tissue..." "A breakthrough in cancer research could lead to a 'one-size-fits-all' drug that can tackle all forms of the disease. S... more -
Appalachian Voices: Follow the coal money
Want to know how much money your elected representative in Washington, D.C., received from the coal industry? A North Carolina environmental group is pledging to put that information right at your fingertips.
A new Web site tracks and lists the amount of donations that federal politicians receive from coal interests. Follow the Coal Money, at www.followthecoalmoney.org, is the latest salvo in what is turning out to be an increasingly heated battle over the future of coal in the nation's energy policy.
I'm not saying it is a big corporate conspiracy, but what (the money) is being spent for, it is being spent for a good reason, said Matt Wasson, director of programs for Appalachian Voices, which runs the site.
Coal is once again front and center as the nation's top leaders debate energy policy. Both presidential candidates have pledged to take actions to curb global warming, yet at the same time energy use is on the rise, thanks in part to new technology. For example, one Australian study found that a Playstation 3 uses five times the amount of energy as a five-foot high refrigerator.
Coal remains among the cheapest and most abundant energy-producing natural resource. Yet concerns over its environmental impacts have helped stop plans for new coal-burning power plants across the nation.
The coal industry is fighting back by ramping up its public relations efforts. Over the past year it has quadrupled its budget for its primary political campaign, called the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, according to news reports The campaign has run advertisements on TV touting the benefits of coal and maintains its own Web site at www.americaspower.org.
Follow the Coal Money is partly a response to that campaign. Its mission is touted on the front page: As Congress debates how to address two of coal's biggest problems mountaintop removal and global warming you can find out how polluters are influencing lawmakers with their dirty coal money.
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I believe it is simply a given that politicians are too devoid of true moral insight as to understand the amount of damage this form of energy continues to do to the planet and the health and safety of human beings. This is why I have little faith that any sort of comprehensive climate bill will pass in Congress regardless of who sits in the White House. In order for that to happen they would have to have a moral epiphany... or, see that the people have taken it upon themselves to bring the alternate energies we need to sustain ourselves and this planet to market. Solar and wind are booming now, but you won't hear that from the corrupt Congress that continues to collect the money of the coal and nuclear industries while touting how much they are for the environment... even as they work to kill tax incentives for those very alternate energy sources they claim we need.
The site Appalachian Voices put together now allows you to follow the members of Congress who talk out of both sides of their mouths to see how much they are taking from coal and to hold them accountable for it as they are accomplices in the continued erosion of our environment. Hopefully louder voices will be heard on the part of the people knowing they have the power to then tell these representatives that if they continue to side with the destruction of our planet in the form of pollution and it's contribution to climate change that we the people have the power to see to it that they do not serve us any longer. It has to begin with us, because it sure isn't going to begin with them. Want to know how much money your elected representative in Washington, D.C., received from the coal industry? A North Carolina environ... more -
Experts set plan to tackle global cancer crisis
Cancer specialists set a plan on Sunday to stem the rise in deaths from cancer by 2020 and ensure that all patients suffering in the late stages of the disease can access painkillers.
The road map laid down by 63 experts and policy-makers includes more screening and early detection programs, especially in poor countries where treatment can be hard to come by.
Tobacco and alcohol consumption as well as obesity levels must be curbed for cancer rates to drop, according to the panel. Its declaration was presented at the end of a four-day World Cancer Congress hosted by the International Union against Cancer.
We know that one-third of the cancer burden could be cured if there were early detection and proper access to medical help," Mary Robinson, who chaired the panel, told reporters.
Another third of cases could be prevented through control of tobacco, pollution and other hazards, according to Robinson, a former president of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Some 25 million people worldwide live with various forms of cancer and 7.9 million died of it last year. Cancer specialists set a plan on Sunday to stem the rise in deaths from cancer by 2020 and ensure that all patients suffering in the l... more -
The Power of Positive Thinking: Truth or Myth?
You might call Maarten van der Weijden the anti-Lance Armstrong. Last week, the Dutch Olympic long-distance swimming champion and cancer survivor told the British newspaper The Telegraph that he didn't want to be compared to the American cycling star.
"Armstrong says that positive thinking and doing a lot of sports can save you. I don't agree," said van der Weijden. "I even think it's dangerous because it implies that if you are not a positive thinker all the time you lose ... The doctors saved me. I am just lucky."
Van der Weijden's comments cut to the heart of an ongoing debate in the medical community. Can patients really improve their chances of survival by staying upbeat and happy? Experts say the American public has largely accepted this as fact. But, scientifically speaking, questions remain regarding whether this works, how it would work, and what such a connection would mean for patients who don't get better.
Appeal and promise:
There certainly is an appeal to believing that you have some level of control over a debilitating illness. "I think it's part of the American spirit," said James Coyne, director of the behavioral oncology program at the Abramson Cancer Center and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. "There's this idea that you can succeed and conquer anything, even illness, on the basis of your character."
And studies showing a possible connection between positive thinking and health are frequently in the news. For instance, work by researchers at Ben-Gurion University in Israel suggested that women who've faced several life challenges, such as a death in the family or divorce, are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than peers who've had more stable, happy lives. The results were detailed in the Aug. 21 issue of the journal BMC Cancer.
The same study also found that women with cancer were more likely to report that, prior to diagnosis, they had been anxious or depressed and that bad things had happened in their lives.
Ronit Peled, one of the Ben-Gurion University researchers, said this was evidence for a relationship between emotional well-being and the risk of contracting cancer. "The main message from my point of view is that young women who have severe life events at a young age should be considered a risk group for breast cancer and treated accordingly," she said. "But general feelings of happiness and optimism in one's life can play a protective role."
Coyne said the public often takes news like this to mean that positive thinking has been unequivocally proven to be good for your health.
But the truth is a little more complicated.
How do you feel?
In reality, there is no clear-cut answer yet on whether being upbeat can keep you healthy or cure anything, Peled and Coyne both said. Research on the subject is divided between studies like Peled's and studies like the one Coyne did, detailed in December 2007 in the journal Cancer, which found that emotional well-being wasn't an accurate predictor of whether or not patients with neck and head cancer survived.
Coyne is particularly skeptical of positive thinking's power over cancer. "The problem with cancer is that it's so complex. By the time you're diagnosed it may have been building for decades," he said.
For other diseases, though, the scientific outlook is sunnier. Coyne said there's evidence that mood can predict whether someone who has had one heart attack will have another. And he said there is a biological explanation for why this might be possible.
Little research has been done on the biological basis of positive thinking as a therapeutic treatment for illness, but Coyne said scientists know the brain and the immune system communicate. Given that scientists also know the immune system plays a role in inflammation of the arteries, which can play a role in heart attack, it's reasonable to think that heart attacks could be tied back to things going on in the brain.
(Continued) You might call Maarten van der Weijden the anti-Lance Armstrong. Last week, the Dutch Olympic long-distance swimming champion and canc... more -
Trans fats linked to pre-cancerous colon growths
A high intake of trans fats could increase colon cancer risk, according to new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
People who ate the most trans fatty acids were more likely to have pre-cancerous growths or polyps in their colons than those who consumed the least, Dr. Lisa C. Vinikoor of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues found. "These results provide further support for recommendations to limit consumption of trans-fatty acids," they conclude.
Trans fats are formed by processing vegetable oils to increase their shelf-life, and are found in many baked goods, crackers, snacks and other packaged foods. Eating them increases levels of "bad" LDL-cholesterol, and hence heart disease risk. US food producers are now required to list the amount of trans fat contained in their products, and health authorities recommend people avoid eating trans fats entirely.
While there has been little research on whether trans fats boost colorectal cancer risk, there are many possible ways that they could do so, for example by changing the normal balance of fatty or bile acids in the colon, Vinikoor and her colleagues say.
Among the 38.5 percent of study participants found to have colon polyps, average trans fatty acid intake was 4.97 g, while most consumed 4.12 g. Average intakes for people who were free of the colon growths was 4.42 g, while the median was 3.61 g.
These results suggest that consumption of high amounts of trans-fatty acid may increase the risk of colorectal polyps, the researchers write, adding that the findings also back current recommendations to limit trans fat intake. A high intake of trans fats could increase colon cancer risk, according to new research published in the American Journal of Epidemiol... more -
NASA's 'electronic nose' could sniff out cancer
From rocket science to brain surgery: a device designed to sniff out leaks on the space shuttle may soon guide surgeons as they operate on cancer patients. From rocket science to brain surgery: a device designed to sniff out leaks on the space shuttle may soon guide surgeons as they operat... more
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Boy has shoulder made from elbow
A teenage cancer patient has undergone successful surgery to rebuild his shoulder using his elbow.
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World first: Lasers used in keyhole surgery for brain cancer
In a ground-breaking advance, French neurosurgeons on Friday said they had successfully treated brain tumors through ultra-keyhole surgery, using a tiny fibre-optic laser to destroy cancerous cells.
Alexandre Carpentier of the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris said the exploit was "a world-first" in its use of multiple advanced techniques and of local anesthesia rather than general sedation.
So far, eight volunteers have been treated in the pilot programme, launched December 2006, Carpentier told AFP.
"They were suffering from metastasizing brain tumors caused by various cancers, mainly lung and breast cancer that failed to respond to conventional treatment and were otherwise inoperable," he said.
Doctors had given the volunteers only three months left to live, on average.
Under the pioneering technique, a minute hole three millimeters (0.12 of an inch) wide was drilled into the skull, allowing the surgeon to introduce a water-cooled fibre-optic laser into the brain.
The device was gently guided towards the tumor area with the help of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner.
Every three seconds, a computer workstation calculated the temperature at the area being burned by the laser to ensure that there was no dangerous overheating and to confirm that only tumorous cells were being destroyed.
The patient received only a local anesthetic, remaining conscious in order to be able to speak to the medical team to help verify that cerebral functions were not being harmed.
However, "the patients feels nothing during the operation and generally can leave hospital 14 hours later, the evening or the morning after the operation," the surgeon said.
The results are "conclusive," said Carpentier.
Treating the patients completely requires two or more bouts of surgery, and there had been no cases of cerebral bruising or epilepsy.
So far, six of the eight have completed the full programme. Of the six, five have not had a relapse -- a return of cancerous cells to the brain -- at a nine-month monitoring point.
"This is the first time that laser technology has been used intracranially, meaning inside an enclosed skull, using MRI in real time to avoid collateral damage," said Carpentier.
"This is the forerunner of future techniques in which MRI will play a core intervention role in neurosurgery."
The pilot trial, reported in the latest issue of the US journal Neurosurgery, was carried out under the supervision of the French Health Products Safety Agency (Afssaps).
It drew on advanced technology supplied by the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and a Texan company, BioTex Inc., which specializes in the use of lasers for medical therapy. In a ground-breaking advance, French neurosurgeons on Friday said they had successfully treated brain tumors through ultra-keyhole sur... more -
Reason for breast cancer relapses discovered
The reason why women with breast cancer commonly relapse into the disease despite apprently succesful treatment has been discovered.
The breakthrough, which ignites hope of more effective treatments, suggests that normal cells may migrate from the cancer spots, and only later become cancerous themsevles when 'cancer genes' are 'switched on'. The reason why women with breast cancer commonly relapse into the disease despite apprently succesful treatment has been discovered. ... more -
Anti-Cancer Flower Power
Could a substance from the jasmine flower hold the key to an effective new therapy to treat cancer?
Prof. Eliezer Flescher of The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University thinks so. He and his colleagues have developed an anti-cancer drug based on a decade of research into the commercial applications of the compound Jasmonate, a synthetic compound derived from the flower itself. Prof. Flescher began to research the compound about a decade ago, and with his recent development of the drug, his studies have now begun to bear meaningful fruit.
“Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is based on a plant stress hormone,” says Prof. Flescher. “I asked myself, ‘Could there be other plant stress hormones that have clinical efficacy?’ While various studies have suggested that aspirin can prevent cancer, especially colon cancer, I realized that there could be a chance to find a potent plant hormone that could fight cancer even better. I pinpointed jasmonate.”
A Natural Leap to the Drugstore Shelf
Both blood cancers and solid tumors seem to be responsive to the jasmonate compound, known also as methyl jasmonate. Prof. Flescher refers to it as the “jasmonate scaffold,” a basis for developing a series of chemical derivatives. In terms of bioavailability and safety, early first-in-man studies have proven successful, and Prof. Flescher is hopeful that an anti-cancer drug based on jasmonate could be on the shelf in America within four years through the activity of Sepal-Pharma which licensed his research from Ramot, the technology transfer arm of Tel Aviv University.
Normally drug development takes much longer. “The jasmonate compound is used widely in agriculture and in cosmetics,” says Prof. Flescher. “Proven to be non-toxic, it has the same regulatory status as table salt. That and the fact we are working on a natural chemical gives us a good starting point for launching a new drug.”
Optimistic Responses from Peer Researchers
Other research groups are taking notice. Since Prof. Flescher started publishing papers on jasmonate (most recently in the academic journal Oncogene), six new research groups around the world have initiated research on the subject.
Peer commentary in Oncogene is positive about Prof. Flescher’s promising research. “Methyl jasmonate,” says the commentary, “has already been shown to have selective anticancer activity in preclinical studies, and this finding may stimulate the development of a novel class of small anticancer compounds.”
Prof. Flescher’s research is the foundation of a promising new biotech company, Sepal-Pharma, where Prof. Flescher serves on the scientific advisory board. Sepal-Pharma is developing new compounds based on the Jasmonate Scaffold. Sepal-Pharma has also been actively funding research done at Prof. Flescher’s lab. Could a substance from the jasmine flower hold the key to an effective new therapy to treat cancer? ... more -
Black Raspberries Slow Cancer By Altering Hundreds Of Genes
New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene.
Researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer.
The carcinogen affected the activity of some 2,200 genes in the animals’ esophagus in only one week, but 460 of those genes were restored to normal activity in animals that consumed freeze-dried black raspberry powder as part of their diet during the exposure.
These findings, published in recent issue of the journal Cancer Research, also helped identify 53 genes that may play a fundamental role in early cancer development and may therefore be important targets for chemoprevention agents.
“We have clearly shown that berries, which contain a variety of anticancer compounds, have a genome-wide effect on the expression of genes involved in cancer development,” says principal investigator Gary D. Stoner, a professor of pathology, human nutrition and medicine who studies dietary agents for the prevention of esophageal cancer.
“This suggests to us that a mixture of preventative agents, which berries provide, may more effectively prevent cancer than a single agent that targets only one or a few genes.”
Stoner notes that black raspberries have vitamins, minerals, phenols and phytosterols, many of which individually are known to prevent cancer in animals.
“Freeze drying the berries concentrates these elements about ten times, giving us a power pack of chemoprevention agents that can influence the different signaling pathways that are deregulated in cancer,” he says.
To conduct this study, Stoner and his colleagues fed rats either a normal diet or a diet containing 5 percent black-raspberry powder. During the third week, half the animals in each diet group were injected three times with a chemical carcinogen, N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine. The animals continued consuming the diets during the week of carcinogen treatment.
After the third week, the researchers examined the animals’ esophageal tissue, thereby capturing gene changes that occur early during carcinogen exposure. Their analyses included measuring the activity, or expression levels, of 41,000 genes. In the carcinogen-treated animals, 2,261 of these genes showed changes in activity of 50 percent or higher.
“These changes in gene expression correlated with changes in the tissue that included greater cell proliferation, marked inflammation, and increased apoptosis,” Stoner says.
In the animals fed berry powder, however, a fifth of the carcinogen affected genes – exactly 462 of them – showed near-normal levels of activity, when compared with controls. Most of these genes are associated with cell proliferation and death, cell attachment and movement, the growth of new blood vessels and other processes that contribute to cancer development. The tissue also appeared more normal and healthy.
Lastly, of the 462 genes restored to normal by the berries, 53 of them were also returned to normal by a second chemoprevention agent tested during a companion study.
“Because both berries and the second agent maintain near-normal levels of expression of these 53 genes, we believe their early deregulation may be especially important in the development of esophageal cancer,” Stoner says.
“What’s emerging from studies in cancer chemoprevention is that using single compounds alone is not enough,” Stoner says. “And berries are not enough. We never get 100 percent tumor inhibition with berries. So we need to think about another food that we can add to them that will boost the chemopreventive activities of berries alone.”
Funding from the National Cancer Institute supported this research. New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effe... more -
Truth
All healing comes from God. Marijuana cures cancer and many other diseases Time to do a check up from the neck up.
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