Aurora magazine

The Zika virus could become a scourge in a new ally against cancer. A study at the University of Washington and California San Diego analyzed the effects of the virus on tumors. He then found that Zika attacks and kills tumor stem cells, succeeding where the standard treatments fail.

Standard treatments against glioblastoma involve the combined use of chemotherapy and radiation. Despite the aggressive approach, doctors often fail to eliminate malignant stem cells. It follows that the treatments eliminate cancer cells, but bad stem cells produce others. In most cases, the tumor is reformed in about six months and leads to death within one year.

When it comes into contact with a fetus, Zika kills neural stem cells and prevents brain development. A terrible feature, which makes it a great weapon against brain tumors. By addressing the virus against normal-treating malignant stem cells, in fact, it would reduce the risk of recurrences.
Researchers have infected tumor parts with Zika: As expected, the virus eliminated all diseased stem cells. It has left the real cancer cells intact, so by itself it is not enough to eliminate the tumor. For this purpose, chemotherapy and radiation therapy should be used.

Scientists tested the procedure on 18 mice with glioblastoma. Guinea pigs survived much longer than 15 of the control group and did not suffer from healthy cell damage. For greater security, scientists are working on a new version of the virus before passing on human testing.

Source: medicine.wustl.edu

Gene therapy is born with the primary purpose of addressing genetic diseases. In spite of this, applications in the last few years are flourishing applications such as infarction, tumors, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. The merit of this success is the flexibility demonstrated by the technique, applicable wherever there is a defective gene to be repaired.

The technique consists in the removal of some defective cells from the patient, which are subsequently corrected and reintroduced into the body. For this purpose, scientists use a virus that is harmless to introduce proper DNA into cells. DNA heals treated cells, which once multiply in the body and replace the diseased ones. Beyond the theory, there are of course obstacles that make practice much more complex.

The first hits date back to 1990 when Claudio Bordignon used the technique on a sick child of Ada-Scid. Despite a first healing, the therapeutic effect of the cells disappeared at the end of their life cycle. Subsequently, the American French Anderson and Michael Blaise made the permanent effect by modifying bone marrow stem cells. Again this time, the results were only partial: the experiments of the new technique caused several deaths and stopped.

2009 was the year of the new beginning for gene therapy. A study by the Telethon Institute of Medical Genetics (Tigem) in Naples returned the sight to a child suffering from amaurosis of Leber. The merit was the discovery of a new vector for transporting DNA in the cell, safer than the previous ones. However, the virus used was not perfect, which required new experiments to find alternatives. Some of these are still under way.
A major breakthrough for gene therapy was the study of the team of Luigi Naldini in 2013. Nandini announced that it has cared for six children at risk of rare genetic diseases. Three had the metachromatic leukodystrophy gene and three others of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Scientists ran stem cells and used them to replace those sick, blocking the development of the disease.

To date, the steps forward in gene therapy are many. Drugs are being developed for the treatment of tumors, leukemia and genetic diseases.

Source: focus. it

Guided by the University of Adelaide, ARC Center for Excellence for Nanoscale BioPhotonics researchers (CNBP) have improved embryo selection in IVF. The merit is a new image diagnostic technique, which will help establish the quality of embryos in the early stages. The technique could greatly increase the likelihood of successful in vitro fertilization cycles.

The researchers used a particular type of image, showing differences in metabolism and chemical composition of embryos. The technique allows for an objective measurement of the conditions of the various embryos. In this way scientists can only choose the healthiest for the implant in the uterus.
Hyperspectral images measure the light that cells produce during their normal activities. Depending on the chemical or metabolic reactions in progress, the light changes. By measuring light, therefore, information on the conditions of embryonic metabolism is obtained.

Usually IVF embryo selection is performed using a normal microscope. This is often a subjective process, which tends to distinguish embryos with more success. The new technique, on the other hand, provides an objective measurement to follow for evaluation.

For the time being, scientists have tested technology only on cat embryos, but the results are very promising. It allows to analyze embryos in a non-invasive way, giving measurable information in real time. Nevertheless, they will still have to go several years before finding it in fertility clinics.

Source: medicalxpress.com

Taking too much weight in the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk of childhood obesity in the baby. The study led by Dr. Leanne M. Redman analyzed the effects of maternal weight on the baby's weight. He was not the first to do so, but it is so far the largest and most important one.

The researchers examined 16,218 Chinese puppets throughout pregnancy. They have thus discovered that gaining too much weight in the first 24 weeks has a strong impact on the baby. Even in cases where the mother has lost weight in the following weeks, the effects were still apparent. The children in the mothers in question had 2.5 times more chance of being born than the average.

Maternal obesity and overweight in pregnancy have often been linked to problems in fetal development. Children born from overweight mothers are older at birth and more at risk of childhood obesity. It is therefore important for gynecologists to give patients more attention to their pregnancy weight.
The first trimester of pregnancy has a strong impact on the baby's future. It is in this phase that any long-term risks to health develop. It is therefore important that those planning a pregnancy also pay attention to diet and fat levels.

Source: obesity.org