You’re More Like Your Mother Than You Know

May 24, 2015 by

May 22, 2015

By Medical Discovery News

Photo of mother and child

While the benefits of breast feeding have been well-documented, scientists were surprised to learn of another one: breast milk contains a mother’s stem cells that become a part of different organs of the baby’s body.

Breast feeding protects infants against infections early in life and reduces their risk of juvenile diabetes, heart disease, and cancer as children. It also helps mothers lose weight after giving birth and lowers their risk of osteoporosis and uterine and ovarian cancer.

In addition, seven years ago scientists discovered the presence of mammary stem cells in breast milk. The mammary gland is unique in its ability to go through different stages in anticipation of producing milk, then a period of milk secretion followed by a return to the non-lactating state. All of this can occur as many times as necessary. This massive restructuring of the breast suggested the presence of stem cells.

Human breast milk contains about 14,000 cells in each milliliter. Most of these are the epithelial cells that are abundant in the breast and cells of the immune system. Some of the cells in breast milk had a molecule called nestin on the surface, which in adults is a marker for multipotent stem cells that can develop into many different types of cells, like those in the brain, pancreas, liver, skin, and bone marrow. When scientists transplanted a single nestin-positive stem cells into the fat pad of a grown mouse, it reconstituted a functional mammary gland. Scientists wondered if such cells were serving the same function in humans.

However, further research revealed quite a surprise. First, they genetically modified mice to produce a protein that makes the cells glow red under fluorescent light. Mothers with this new feature were given normal pups to nurse. When they were examined as adult mice, they had cells that glowed red like the mice they had nursed from in their blood, brain, thymus, pancreas, spleen, and kidneys. These cells became functional cells within these organs, so the ones in the brain behaved like neurons and those in the liver made albumin. Based on this experiment, breast milk stem cells travel into the baby’s blood and become functional parts of various organs, at least in mice.

In the laboratory, these stem cells have also shown the ability to differentiate into breast cells that produce milk in a petri dish, as well as bone cells, joint cells, brain cells, heart cells, liver cells, and pancreatic cells that synthesize insulin. In addition, this study may have also discovered a non-invasive, ethical, and sustainable source of multipotent stems.

We don’t yet fully understand the role of these cells in offspring, whether they maintain a tolerance for the mother’s milk, play a role in normal growth and development, or both. Until then, know that your mother is more a part of you than you ever realized.

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Sweet Stem Cells

May 11, 2015 by

May 8, 2015

By Medical Discovery News

Stem Cells

Diabetes may be common, but it’s serious business. Diabetes is repeatedly in the top 10 causes of death for Americans, killing or contributing to the deaths of 300,000 Americans in 2010. An estimated one in 10 people have it, but about one-third of them are undiagnosed. Diabetes costs the country $250 billion. But scientists are working on some good news for diabetics with the help of stem cells.

Type 1 diabetes is largely associated with children and represents about 5 percent of all diabetes cases. The more common form, type 2 diabetes, mostly affects adults and manifests when cells do not use insulin effectively so higher levels are needed (also called insulin resistance). Insulin is a molecule of protein, made and secreted by beta cells in the pancreas, an organ that regulates glucose levels in the blood.

Diabetes is a multifaceted disease that leads to a host of medical conditions and complications, such as high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, blindness, cardiovascular disease, and kidney problems. Those with diabetes are two times more likely to die of a heart attack and one and half times more likely to die of a stroke. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, leading to transplants and dialysis. Almost 60 percent of lower extremity amputations are the result of diabetes.

Administering insulin is a common treatment for the disease and there are many different forms that can be used. Insulin can be injected by a syringe or delivered via an automated pump. There are also different pharmaceuticals used in oral treatments for diabetes. Biomedical scientists are developing other methods to treat diabetes, such as transferring insulin-producing beta cells from a donated pancreas into a diabetic patient. This works well, but the cells stop working over time. Transplanting a whole pancreas is also an option that relieves the need to administer insulin, but there is always a short supply of donated organs and the possibility that the new body will reject it.

However, recent stem cell experiments by multiple groups working independently show promise. These cells, called S7, produce insulin and regulate the level of glucose in the blood and successfully eliminated diabetes in an animal model in about 40 days. Unlike organ transplants, there is no limit to the supply of these stems cells, no long wait for a donation that’s a good fit, and no need for immunosuppressant drugs.

But the method is not perfect. First, S7 cells react slower to glucose than natural beta cells and do not make as much insulin. There are also questions as to whether this approach could be used to treat Type 1 diabetes, because the insulin-producing cells are destroyed in an autoimmune process, which might destroy the transplanted cells as well.

It’s premature to claim this innovation is a victory over diabetes, but its development will definitely be worth following.

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Sweet Guts

November 29, 2014 by

Nov. 21, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

Sweet guts

Your tongue isn’t the only part your body that can taste sweetness. Three years ago, scientists discovered that our intestines and pancreas have receptors that can sense the sugars glucose and fructose. This could revolutionize treatment for diabetics, who must closely monitor their blood sugar levels. A drug called New-Met, made by Eleclyx Therapeutics in San Diego, that is now in phase II clinical trials is attempting to do just that by targeting those sugar receptors in the digestive system.

It appears these taste receptors are basically sensors for specific chemicals that can serve functions other than taste in other parts of the body, although we don’t know what all those functions are yet. We do know the function of the T1R2/T1R3 taste receptor found on some cells in the intestine. When they detect sugar molecules, these cells secrete hormones called incretins, which in turn stimulate insulin production in the pancreas.

This neatly explains a phenomenon that had mystified scientists for over 50 years: eating glucose triggers significantly more insulin than injecting it directly into the bloodstream. When intestinal cells with sweet receptors detect sugar, they trigger neighboring cells to make a glucose transporter that allows the sugar to be absorbed by the body. The faster sugar is absorbed, the more signals are sent to the pancreas, and the more insulin it releases. Signals are also sent to the brain to tell us we are satiated. Artificial sweeteners can trigger the same effect. Understanding these signals is critically important in the control of blood sugar levels.

Metformin is a drug commonly prescribed to those with type 2 diabetes. It regulates blood sugar levels by decreasing the amount of glucose produced by the liver. Metformin may also modulate multiple components of the incretin signaling system. In combination with insulin, it increases the use of glucose in peripheral tissues like muscles and the liver, especially after meals, reducing blood sugar levels even further. Metformin is usually taken orally, so that it dissolves in the stomach and travels through the bloodstream to the liver.

New-Met is a novel formulation of metformin that dissolves when exposed to the pH in the intestine rather than the stomach. There, it binds to those sweet receptors and activates the release of incretins that stimulate the release of insulin, thereby regulating blood sugar levels. This mimics the natural signaling process triggered by sugars and is fast and direct. This reduces the amount of drug required to be effective by 70 percent. Patients on New-Met had fewer gastrointestinal side effects than those taking the standard metformin, which is the primary reason diabetics choose not to take it.

The number of people with diabetes will soon climb to 592 million, so the demand for better medications to treat them will continue to climb as well.

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Pancreatic Tumor Marker

May 23, 2014 by

May 23, 2014

By Medical Discovery News

Pancreatic Tumor Marker

Pancreatic cancer is the most deadly form of cancer. Each year, 45,000 Americans are diagnosed with it and every year 40,000 people (90 percent) die from it. One reason most people don’t survive pancreatic cancer is most of the pain and symptoms don’t appear until the cancer has progressed and treatment comes too late. Even then, pancreatic cancer is resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. Another reason is that there is not an easy, reliable test for pancreatic cancer – until now.

The pancreas is a small, oblong, flat organ at the back of abdomen between the stomach and the spine. It is responsible for regulating blood sugar levels by producing hormones like insulin. The pancreas also produces enzymes for the digestive system that neutralize stomach acid and help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

While there aren’t many noticeable symptoms at first, as pancreatic cancer advances it can cause abdominal pain, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, and jaundice, when the skin, eyes, and mucus turn yellow. Since these symptoms are rather generic, even once someone starts experiencing them it is hard to tell the difference between pancreatic cancer and something benign, like gallstones or bile duct stones. While doctors normally use imaging techniques and endoscopies to distinguish between the two, scientists have identified a new marker that can be used to accurately diagnose a pancreatic tumor.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic discovered that a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role in the formation and growth of cancerous tumors. VEGF resides in bile, a fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder that aids the digestion of fats as they move through the digestive system. Therefore, elevated levels of VEGF indicate the presence of cancer.

To detect pancreatic cancer, the team extracted bile from the pancreas and tested its levels of VEGF. Just like with other cancers, high levels of VEGF did mean there was cancer present. This test was accurate 93 percent of the time, and it didn’t confuse cancer with other digestive problems.

So far, these preliminary results show that this test is more accurate than other pancreatic cancer tests currently under development. Earlier this year, a research team from Copenhagen University Hospital discovered that testing patients’ blood for microRNA, pieces of genetic material, in certain patterns could detect pancreatic cancer in its early stages. The only downside is the high rate of false positives. Another blood test looks for the presence of a compound called CA19-9, which is elevated in 80 percent of pancreatic cancer patients.

Furthermore, measuring the amount of VEGF in bile is a relatively inexpensive test. It also suggests that drugs targeting VEGF may be worth experimenting as a way of treating pancreatic cancer.  

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Insulin by Nanoparticle

November 22, 2013 by

Nov. 22, 2013

By Medical Discovery News

Diabetes is a life-changing diagnosis that can mean several injections of insulin and several tests of blood glucose levels every day. Some people with diabetes say they feel like a pin cushion, and children with Type 1 diabetes often find it particularly challenging. However, there may be some relief in sight thanks to nanoparticles.

Researchers have developed a new insulin delivery system that involves a network of nanoparticles. Nanoparticles range in size from one to 2,500 nanometers. For an idea, the width of a strand of human hair is 100,000 nanometers. Once injected, the nanoparticles release insulin in response to increases in blood sugar levels for up to a week. They have been tested in mice and if they perform similarly in people, this may be a better solution than multiple daily injections.

Nanoparticles used to deliver insulin consist of an insulin core, modified dextran, and glucose oxidase enzymes. When glucose levels rise in the blood, the glucose oxidase enzyme in the nanoparticle activates and converts the blood glucose into gluconic acid. This in turn dissolves the modified dextran, releasing the insulin in the core of the nanoparticle.

The more sugar in the blood system, the more insulin is released, mimicking what the pancreas does in those without diabetes. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that is required to get glucose into cells.

Those with Type 1 diabetes must estimate the amount of carbohydrates in the foods they intend to eat, test their blood sugar levels, and then calculate the amount of insulin that will hopefully keep them in the normal range. The body uses carbohydrates to make glucose, which is the primary fuel for cells. Carbohydrates include simple sugars like lactose, fructose, and glucose that are found naturally in foods such as milk, fruits, and vegetables. However, natural and artificial sugars like corn syrup, sweeteners, and dextrose are also added to many processed foods. Everyone, especially diabetics, is encouraged to limit foods that are high in added sugars.

Complex carbohydrates such as starch and dietary fiber are broken down to glucose but much more slowly. Dietary fibers are in vegetables, fruits, beans, peas, and whole grains. Most Americans don’t get enough dietary fiber because they eat too much bread and dough made from refined flour. Most people, including diabetics, benefit from increasing the amount of whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, rye, and oats they eat. 

According to the American Diabetes Association, in 2011 there were 25.8 million diabetics, 8.3 percent of the population. An estimated 7 million more have not been diagnosed and another 79 million are prediabetic. In 2012, treating diabetes cost $245 billion.

While it is also important to control the number of new cases of diabetes, devising new methods to more precisely control blood sugar will reduce complications from diabetes and make the lives of diabetics easier.

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