New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) A team of researchers has discovered a protein which can also play a critical role in the immune system’s defence against cancer.

Researchers at the University of Turku in Finland found TIMP-1, a protein traditionally known to prevent damage to the body’s cells and tissues.

They discovered this protein also has a key role in the body’s immunity against cancer, a finding which can improve the effectiveness of current cancer treatments.

TIMP-1 protein is produced by dendritic cells, which are responsible for initiating immune responses and boosting the immune system’s ability to recognise and destroy cancer cells.

Researcher Carlos Rogerio Figueiredo from the University of Turku said for patients deficient in TIMP-1 expression, our discovery helps create rational therapeutic innovations.

Figueiredo added that the findings are also relevant for fighting infections by viruses and bacteria, as the process is part of a universal mechanism that fights microorganisms and cancer in a similar fashion.

The study was published in the journal Genes & Immunity, which is part of the Nature Portfolio series.

The study used samples from the Finnish Auria Biobank for clinical-oriented discoveries, which were further validated with the latest biochemical and immunological tools to propose a new molecular view of how the body fights cancer.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) Fasting has a myriad of benefits, and now, a team of researchers has claimed that it can even reprogramme the metabolism of natural killer cells, helping them to survive in the harsh environment in and around tumours while also improving their cancer-fighting ability

The new study in mice from researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York revealed that fasting may help the body defend against cancer, starving cancer cells of the nutrients they need to grow.

“Tumours are very hungry. They take up essential nutrients, creating a hostile environment often rich in lipids that are detrimental to most immune cells,” according to immunologist Joseph Sun, the study’s senior author.

Fasting reprogrammes these natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell) to better survive in this suppressive environment, he said in a paper published in the journal Immunity.

For the study, mice with cancer were denied food for 24 hours twice a week, and then allowed to eat freely in between fasts.

Just like humans, the mice saw a drop in their glucose levels and a rise in free fatty acids, which are lipids released by fat cells that can serve as an alternative energy source when other nutrients are not present, according to Rebecca Delconte, lead author of the study.

During each of these fasting cycles, natural killer cells learned to use these fatty acids as an alternative fuel source to glucose.

This optimised their anti-cancer response because the tumor microenvironment contains a high concentration of lipids, and now they were able to enter the tumour and survive better because of this metabolic training, the authors noted.

While more research is needed, the results suggest fasting could be a strategy to improve immune responses to make immunotherapy more effective.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) For people at risk of developing insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, here is some good news. Physical activity in the evening has been found to improve glucose regulation, especially in overweight and obese adults.

The results of the new study, published in the journal Obesity, showed that accumulating more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the evening — between 6 p.m. and 12 midnight — appears to have a positive effect on glucose regulation in men and women who are overweight or obese.

“Choosing the ideal time of day seems to be an emerging strategy to enhance the benefits of physical activity on glucose metabolism, especially for those with insulin resistance or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes,” the researchers note.

In addition, the benefits of physical activity are greater in people who have some form of impaired glucose metabolism, such as elevated levels of glucose or fasting insulin resistance, according to scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) in Spain.

The results were similar for both men and women.

A total of 186 overweight or obese adults (50 per cent of whom were women) with an average age of 47 years took part in the study.

These participants wore an accelerometer and a continuous glucose monitor for 14 days in order to measure their physical activity and glucose levels 24 hours a day.

The results highlight the importance of considering the time of day when prescribing physical activity.

“This information may be crucial in improving the effectiveness of exercise interventions in these groups,” the authors noted.

It was previously unknown whether being more active at a particular time of day (morning, afternoon or evening) could maximise the cardio-metabolic benefits of physical activity.

–IANS

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San Francisco, June 15 (IANS) Scientists have reported an innovative gene-based treatment that modifies a patient’s own blood-forming stem cells to correct the mutation responsible for sickle cell disease.

The clinical trial aimed at discovering a cure for sickle cell disease, a painful genetic blood disorder with limited treatment options.

The 18 patients, two of whom were treated at Cleveland Clinic Children’s in the US, underwent a procedure where their stem cells were first collected for gene editing.

The trial was conducted as part of the multi-centre ‘RUBY Trial.’

They received chemotherapy to clear remaining bone marrow, making room for the repaired cells which were later infused back into their body.

The treatment was well-tolerated with no serious side effects reported. Following treatment, all patients successfully regained their white blood cells and platelets.

The researchers noted that all patients have remained free of painful events since treatment, and those followed for five months or greater have seen their anemia resolve.

“It’s encouraging that this gene-editing treatment continues to show promising efficacy for sickle cell patients,” said Rabi Hanna from Cleveland Clinic Children’s and the RUBY trial’s presenting investigator.

Sickle cell disease is a genetic blood disorder that causes red blood cells to be misshapen like a sickle.

In sickle cell disease, the abnormal cells block blood flow and break apart easily, leading to problems like severe pain, liver and heart issues, and a shorter life span, typically in the mid-40s.

–IANS

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New Delhi, June 15 (IANS) Scientists have found a link between increased headaches and hot temperatures for individuals with migraines, saying that as temperatures rise, so do chances for migraine attacks.

Weather change is one of the most common trigger factors for migraine, said Vincent Martin, director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the US-based University of Cincinnati.

The study looked at the use of Fremanezumab drug and whether it could prevent headaches caused by high temperatures.

Fremanezumab is administered by injection under the skin and is part of a set of monoclonal antibodies that have hit the market in the past six years to treat migraine in patients.

Researchers cross-referenced 71,030 daily diary records of 660 migraine patients with regional weather data and found that for every temperature increase of 0.12 degrees Celsius, there was a 6 per cent increase in the occurrence of any headache.

However, during the periods of Fremanezumab treatment, the association completely disappeared.

“This study is the first to suggest that migraine-specific therapies that block Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) may treat weather-associated headaches,” said Fred Cohen, a study co-author and assistant professor of medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

If the results are confirmed in future studies, the drug therapy has the potential to help many people with weather-triggered migraine.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, believed that weather and medicine were intimately linked.

“A couple thousand of years later, we are proving that weather matters in human health,” said Al Peterlin, who retired as chief meteorologist at the US Department of Agriculture and co-author of the study.

The findings from the study were set to be presented at the American Headache Society’s 66th annual scientific meeting in San Diego, California, over the weekend.

–IANS

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