From Krebs to Clinic: Glutamine Metabolism to Cancer Therapy

The resurgence of research into cancer metabolism has recently broadened interests beyond glucose and the Warburg effect to other nutrients, including glutamine. Because oncogenic alterations of metabolism render cancer cells addicted to nutrients, pathways involved in glycolysis or glutaminolysis could be exploited for therapeutic purposes. In this Review, we provide an updated overview of glutamine metabolism and its involvement in tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo, and explore the recent potential applications of basic science discoveries in the clinical setting.

• Cancer cells show increased consumption of and dependence on glutamine.
• Glutamine metabolism fuels the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, nucleotide and fatty acid biosynthesis, and redox balance in cancer cells.
• Glutamine activates mTOR signaling, suppresses endoplasmic reticulum stress and promotes protein synthesis.

Read more: From Krebs to Clinic: Glutamine Metabolism to Cancer Therapy

Major metabolic and biosynthetic fates of glutamine

Source: NatureReviewsCancer

Download: From Krebs to clinic: glutamine metabolism to cancer therapy.pdf

Zika Virus — Reigniting The TORCH

The recent association between Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy and fetal microcephaly has led to a renewed interest in the mechanisms by which vertically transmitted microorganisms reach the fetus and cause congenital disease. In this Opinion article, we provide an overview of the structure and cellular composition of the human placenta and of the mechanisms by which traditional 'TORCH' pathogens (Toxoplasma gondii, other, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus) access the fetal compartment. Based on our current understanding of ZIKV pathogenesis and the developmental defects that are caused by fetal ZIKV infection, ZIKV should be considered a TORCH pathogen and future research and public health measures should be planned and implemented accordingly.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a member of the Flaviviridae family of RNA viruses, was first isolated in the Zika forest in Uganda in 1947.

Read more: Zika Virus — Reigniting The TORCH

Routes used by TORCH pathogens to overcome the placental barrier. Vertical
transmission and congenital disease induced by ZIKV.

Source: NatureReviewsMicrobiology

Download: Zika Virus — Reigniting The TORCH.pdf

Have You Woken Up At Night And Were Unable To Move And Felt Paralyzed?

The average person sleeps for around eight hours a day. Over a lifetime this amounts to spending about one third of life asleep. It’s common knowledge that a good nights rest is vitally important for maintaining health and balance, both mentally and physically.

However, for some people a good night’s sleep is hard to come by, or it ends up being ruined, by a strange phenomenon that is called sleep paralysis.

Read more: Have You Woken Up At Night And Were Unable To Move And Felt Paralyzed

Source: reason4read

Watch: Sleep Paralysis

Scientists Have Shown What Our Emotions Actually Look Like

Our bodies experience a range of physical sensations depending on whether we feel joy, sadness, or fear. Scientists from Finland recently discovered through precisely which parts of our body we experience a range of emotions. They represented this visually by showing the strongest emotions and sensations in yellow and red. Those areas of the body where their test subjects experienced a weak emotion were represented in a dark or light blue color.

We at Bright Side found it truly fascinating to learn what our emotions and their corresponding physical sensations ’look’ like in our bodies.

Read more: Scientists Have Shown What Our Emotions Actually Look Like

Stress and Emotions in Your Body

Source: brightside

Watch: How Hormones Influence Us?

Study Finds Potential New Biomarker For Cancer Patient Prognosis

To treat or not to treat? That is the question researchers at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) hope to answer with a new advance that could help doctors and their cancer patients decide if a particular therapy would be worth pursuing.

Berkeley Lab researchers identified 14 genes regulating genome integrity that were consistently overexpressed in a wide variety of cancers. They then created a scoring system based upon the degree of gene overexpression. For several major types of cancer, including breast and lung cancers, the higher the score, the worse the prognosis. Perhaps more importantly, scores could accurately predict patient response to specific cancer treatments.

The researchers said the findings, to be published Wednesday, Aug. 31, in the journal Nature Communications, could lead to a new biomarker for the early stages of tumor development. The information obtained could help reduce the use of cancer treatments that have a low probability of helping.

Read more: Study Finds Potential New Biomarker For Cancer Patient Prognosis

The centromeres and kinetochores of a chromosome play critical roles during cell division. In mitosis,
microtubule spindle fibers attach to the kinetochores, pulling the chromatids apart. A breakdown in this
process causes chromosome …more

Source: medicalxpress

Early Signs That Cancer Is Growing In Your Body

There’s an important rule about cancer, one of the leading causes of death in the world, and it’s the sooner it’s detected, the higher chances of successful treatment.

Because of that fact, don’t rely on routine tests alone to protect you from cancer. It’s just as important to listen to your body and notice anything that’s different, odd, or unexplainable.

Here are some early signs that are commonly overlooked:

1.Wheezing or shortness of breath

One of the first signs many lung cancer patients remember noticing is the inability to catch their breath.

2.Chronic cough or chest pain

Several types of cancer, including leukemia and lung tumors, can cause symptoms that mimic a bad cough or bronchitis. Some lung cancer patients report chest pain that extends up into the shoulder or down the arm.

Read more: Early Signs That Cancer Is Growing In Your Body

Source: healthiestalternative

All You Need to Know About the Glucose Tolerance Test

Most of the food people eat is turned directly into glucose when digested, and the body uses it as energy. The pancreas is responsible for making the hormone insulin which helps to get glucose into the cells of the body.

Diabetes is a long-term disease that occurs due to the pancreas not producing enough insulin or the body being unable to use the insulin it produces effectively.

The body is unable to process food properly to use for energy. Glucose builds up in the blood, which can lead to severe health problems.

There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and is also known as juvenile diabetes. With type 1 diabetes the body does not produce insulin. 

Read more: All You Need to Know About the Glucose Tolerance Test

A glucose tolerance test can be used to screen for type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes can occur in
pregnant woman who have never had diabetes but have high blood glucose levels. During the
glucose test, some people may experience nausea, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, and sweating.

Source: medicalnewstoday

The Common Cold and That Dreaded Flu Virus

Here it is again, the cold and flu season when we all head indoors to share our sneezes and viruses. It’s time to get serious about preventing illness, and that means caring for our personal air filter: the nose.

Viruses are the worst seasonal offenders, and colds are the most common virus we pass around. But the influenza virus is so much worse than a cold. Most folks do not really understand the difference between these two illnesses, yet the difference can be deadly.

Influenza, commonly called “the flu,” is caused by the influenza virus. This is a specific respiratory virus quite different than the cold virus. The entire respiratory tract—including the nose, throat, and lungs—becomes infected. The illness is severe and can be life-threatening; children, the elderly, and those who have underlying medical conditions are at greatest risk for complications.

Read more: The Common Cold and That Dreaded Flu Virus

Source: naturalsolutionsmag

How Much Influence Does Alcohol Have on Female Fertility?

Although abstinence from alcohol is widely recommended when trying to become pregnant, its exact implications for a woman's fertility are not known. A new study published in The BMJ charts the interaction in new detail.

An estimated 24 percent of couples in developed countries take more than 12 months to conceive.

Because drinking alcohol is a pervasive part of modern life, its impact on fertility is of great interest.

An estimated 18.2 percent of American women aged 18-44 engage in binge drinking (more than four drinks in one sitting), three times per month.

More than one drink per day during pregnancy has been linked to low birth weight, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and preterm birth.

However, although alcohol is known to influence male and female reproductive systems and the unborn fetus, its influence on fertility is not well understood

Read more: How Much Influence Does Alcohol Have on Female Fertility?

A new study looks in detail at alcohol and fertility.

Source: medicalnewstoday

Antibacterial Soaps Aren't Just Ineffective, They're Potentially Dangerous

With a new ban on antibacterial soap, the US government is finally acknowledging that it’s not just ineffective, it’s also dangerous

Fear is a potent marketing tool. Consider how a Listerine advertising campaign in the 1920s literally turned bad breath into a disease (and sold a ton of mouthwash along the way) or the run on potassium iodide in North America after the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in 2011.

Then there are antibacterial soaps and body washes, which have targeted—and arguably created—a widespread fear of disease-causing bacteria lurking on every surface of our homes and bodies. Sales of antibacterial soap skyrocketed during the 2009 H1N1 flu sale and have stayed strong since, as brands marketed their antibacterials as scientifically proven to clean better than the stuff you used to keep by your sink.

Read more: Antibacterial Soaps Aren't Just Ineffective, They're Potentially Dangerous

Lather up, but just use regular soap. (Mariana Bazo/Reuters)

Source: quartz