Smart Protein Molecule

To begin, I chose this article because it makes me happy that we are close to the idea that we are extremely near finding the cure to cancer. Researchers specifically, bioengineering professors at the University of California have created a "smart" protein that is able to tell white blood cells to become better cancer fighters. What the protein actually does is that it tells cells to ignore self destructing signals. Cancer cells use the mechanism in that they make the cells attack and self destruct, spreading to more of the body. They have called this smart molecule protein "iSnap." They have inserted into a macrophage which is a white blood cell. They then discovered that it made the cells react and engulf and divide cancer cells.


Personally, I really enjoyed this article because I love to hear when medicine is advancing with technology.  Perfecting this new finding will most definitely lead to immune cells being able to fight cancer cells leading to a cure to cancer. Realistically, this mechanism will also be able to fight diseases which will help the medicine field. The study was also done on rapidly dividing cancer cells and its success foreshadows a cure to even the toughest of cancers.



Reference: University of California - San Diego. (2017, September 28). Smart molecules trigger white blood cells to become better cancer-eating machines. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 9, 2017 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170928142121.htm
Picture : https://fthmb.tqn.com/5ry863qfeVyF7xsdP1u66r1muo4=/768x0/filters:no_upscale()/h20-58e655f93df78c5162ea0a1f.jpg

Carbohydrates Before Workouts Can Help Boost Imunity

Do you work out moderately or excessively? Studies have shown that working out moderately or excessively can effect your immune system and white blood cell count. During a workout, the amount of white blood cells increase while the amount of white blood cells drop rapidly after you're done working out. In the past, scientists thought that having strenuous workouts resulted in fewer white blood cells in-comparison to before you worked out. But new studies suggests that it depends on the type of workout. Moderate workouts, such as a jog, will protect one from upper respiratory illnesses. Harder workouts tend to increase the risk for upper respiratory illnesses. If you prefer harder workouts, scientists suggest eating carbohydrates. "Ingesting carbohydrates during vagarious exercise may help because carbohydrates maintain blood sugar levels. Having stable blood sugar levels reduces the body's stress response, which in turn, moderates any undesirable mobilization of immune cells." Washing your hands after working out will also help you stay healthy.

Loneliness alters the immune system to cause illness, study finds

A new study conducted by John T. Cacioppo, the professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, and his colleagues from the University of California-Los Angeles and the University of California-Daivs has discovered the new underlying mechanisms of loneliness that alter immune system cells in a way that can increase a person's susceptibility to illness. Their study is based off of previous research from psychologists from Bringham Young University and Professor Cacioppo from the University of Chicago which show that extreme loneliness can lead to premature death by triggering chronic illness.

The team previously discovered that people who are lonely have greater inflammation and a weaker immune response than those who are not. This suggested that loneliness was associated with a mechanism called "conserved transcriptional response to adversity" or CTRA, which is process that involves an increased gene expression that plays a role in inflammation and a decreased in expression of genes involved in antiviral response. In order to investigate this further the team looked at gene expression in leukocytes, which are white blood cells in the immune system that help prevent infection. By looking at 141 adults of ages 50-68 they confirmed that those individuals who were lonely demonstrated greater CTRA gene expression in their white blood cells. However, they also discovered that loneliness and leukocyte gene expression work together in mechanism to compound each other, as loneliness was found to predict CTRA gene expression a year in advanced, while CTRA gene expression predicted loneliness a year in advanced.

The researchers furthers researched the topic by analyzing gene expression in leukocytes of rhesus macaque monkeys. In their research they found lonely monkeys demonstrated greater CTRA gene expression in their white blood cells, but also had higher levels of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which is involved in the bodies "fight-or-flight" response to stress. This increased levels of norepinephrine also increased the production of immature monocytes, which are a type of white blood cell found in bone marrow, in the lonely monkey's and human's blood. The disruption of the "fight-or-fight response" and increased production of immature monocytes caused lower antiviral responses and increased inflammation, which impaired the production of white blood cells, which possibly explains why lonely individuals are at greater risk of chronic illness.

In the end, this article shows that loneliness can affect gene expression in our white blood cells and affect our immune system. This article shows a correlation between our feelings and their effect on our genes. I find this amazing. The fact that our feeling and outside environment can affect our current gene expression and the expression of gene in our white blood cells is fascinating.

For a link to the original article click here 
For a link for another article about this topic click here

Looking to Genes for the secret to Happiness

Scientists have long surmised that your mood can affect your health, but researchers at UNC and UCLA have recently discovered some of the cellular mechanisms behind the genetic effects of happiness. The researchers had 80 healthy volunteers complete an online questionnaire about why they felt satisfied with their lives, and then drew blood in order to analyze their white blood cells. They were looking for differences in gene-expression that controlled different aspects of the immune response, and they found that there was a big difference between individuals with either hedonic or eudaemonic reasons for their happiness. This whose happiness came from consuming things (hedonic) had increased markers for inflammation, while those whose happiness came from service to others, or a higher purpose (eudaemonic) had higher levels of antibody producing gene-expression. These shifts are most likely driven by an evolutionary strategy of working for the common good.

The researchers added that there is no real need to change your lifestyle based on these findings, since many types of happiness can coexist. It is however recommended to try to look past the simple gratification when performing a task. I find this very interesting that something as simple as our source of happiness can alter your life at the biological level. 

Main article link: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/23/what-our-genes-reveal-about-true-happiness/
Secondary link: http://www.livescience.com/46877-denmark-happiness-genetics.html

Soft Drinks May Be Linked to Accelerated DNA Aging

In a recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, it was determined that  individuals who consumed one 12 oz bottle of soda each day showed DNA changes consistent with cells 4.6 years or older.  In this study, 5,309 adults between the ages of 20-65 were polled on their soft-drink consumption habit.  The researchers then analyzed DNA from each individual's white blood cells.  It is important to note that the consumption of sugary soft drinks is also linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes.

A 20 oz soft drink contains a whopping 16 tsp of sugar, so you might want to 

think twice before you decide to send all of that sugar rushing into your blood stream.

Researchers discovered that telomeres were shorter in individuals who continually drank sugary soft drinks.  Telomeres become shorter each time cells divide and are often indicators of human lifespan.  Shortened telomeres could be the result of sugar rushing into the bloodstream after the consumption of a soft drink, which is known to cause oxidative stress and inflammation.  Researchers call this, "the perfect storm for degrading telomeres."  It is believed that soft drinks may be a large contributor to why we have such a huge epidemic of obesity and early disease onset.  Dr. Elissa Epel stated, "regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence disease development, not only by straining the body's metabolic control of sugars, but also through accelerated cellular aging of tissue."

Telomeres are the DNA caps on the ends of chromosomes and 

they are considered to be indicators of human life span.

This article grabbed by attention, as a have stayed away from the consumption of soft drinks for so long due to the myriad of negative side effects: increased risk of diabetes, carmel coloring (may be linked to cancer), tooth decay, and many others.  After reading this article, it appears another negative side effect can be added to the list.  I find it extremely fascinating that researchers have determined that individuals who regularly consume soft drinks have shorter telomeres.  This study could have a profound impact on the future of human health.    

Article [1]: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/now-trending-study-shows-soft-drinks-may-be-linked-to-accelerated-dna-aging/article21193196/

Related Articles:
http://www.medicaldaily.com/drinking-soda-each-day-has-accelerating-effect-    cellular-aging-may-cut-46-years-life-307495
http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2014/10/21/drinking-soda-may-accelerate-aging-as-much-as-smoking

  

Loss of Y Chromosome Can Explain Shorter Life Expectancy and Higher Cancer Risk for Men

Men have a shorter average life span than women and often have a higher rate of mortality from cancer but the reason for this is largely unknown. Now researchers from Uppsala University analyzed the DNA in blood samples from a group of more than 1,600 elderly men and found that the most common genetic alteration was a loss of the Y chromosome in the white blood cells. After tracking these men for years, it was seen that the men that had lost the Y chromosome in larger proportion of their blood cells had a shorter life then the other men. For years people have thought that the Y chromosome was insignificant but these researchers also concluded that the Y chromosome has a role in tumor suppression and that might explain why men get cancer more often than women.
          Continue research on the Y chromosome could discover more about it. If it is now found to be related  to cancer, maybe we can find out how and where on the chromosome this gene might be. We need to continue to search for answers instead of just being content with past theories. Until a week ago, everyone thought that the Y chromosome was useless but it just took a couple of researchers to look at it again with our updated technology.

"Y'd" You Have To Go?-Loss of Y Sex Chromosome in Men Contributing Factor in Cancer and Lower Life Expectany

The Y chromosome in humans is widely known to be one of the sex chromosomes that determines the physical sex of a person. A Y chromosome translates to a physically male human, and males have been found to have a lower life expectancy. Researchers at Uppsala University have recently found that loss of the Y chromosome in aging men may be to blame. They took blood samples from over 1600 elderly men and found that the most common abnormality was loss of Y chromosomes in a large number of their white blood cells. The study went on for several years to follow the lives of the men, and those who had lost a large number of Y chromosomes had shorter lives, regardless of how they died. Those men also had a higher risk of getting cancer. The Y chromosome is sometimes believed to be insignificant beyond sex determination and sperm production, but it also has an important tumor suppression role. Hopefully, future research will make it possible to use the Y chromosome to predict the risk a man has for developing cancer.

Secondary Article