Aurora magazine

The first major test of the efficacy of liquid biopsy in the diagnosis of tumors arrives. A Hong Kong team has tested the new technology on head and neck tumors. In this way, researchers increased the rate of early diagnosis and survival.

Liquid biopsy detects the DNA that the tumors release into the bloodstream and are mainly used to monitor the progress of the tumor. Researchers are developing versions to be used for early diagnosis of a wide range of tumors. According to a new study, Chinese scientists have discovered an effective approach to at least one type of cancer.

The study focused on nasopharyngeal cancer, which develops at the top of the throat and behind the nose. It is an aggressive tumor and early diagnosis may be crucial in many cases. Unfortunately, it is also very difficult to diagnose, so liquid biopsy could save a large number of lives.
In many cases, nasopharyngeal cancer is related to the Epstein-Barr virus. Scholars have thus developed a way to detect not only tumor but also viral DNA. Reasoning proved to be effective: over 20,000 men at risk tested, 1,112 (5.5%) reported traces of the virus. Of these, 309 also showed traces of tumor DNA and 34 had a tumor. Only one person developed the tumor despite the negative outcome of the test.

In 71% of cases, the diagnosed tumor was at the earliest stages and therefore easier to treat. Only 20% of the subjects in the control group received an early diagnosis. This has allowed to intervene earlier and with more effective methods, increasing the survival rate of patients. At 3 years of diagnosis, 97% of patients were alive, compared to 70% of the control group.

Source: cbsnews.com

A Texas Texan team at the Houston Methodist Research Institute has discovered how to rejuvenate the cells of children with progeria. The new technique could reverse the advancement of the disease, which causes aging and premature death.

Progeria is a rare genetic disorder, of which today there are about 250 people in the world. Subjects are all very young, since they die of old age by the end of adolescence. The key to premature aging affecting subjects seems to be a mutation of the LMNA gene. The variant is almost never inherited and rises spontaneously for unknown causes.

Dr. John Cooke and colleagues studied the cells of children with progeria. The intention was to find a way to slow down aging and allow children to reach adulthood. First they tried to repair the defective gene, but the results were not satisfactory. They then tried with a different approach and focused on telomeres.

Telomers are protein structures located at the extremities of the chromosomes. They have the task of protecting the genome from wear and tearing with age. With every cell division, a piece of telomer is lost. Once the telomeres become too short, the cell dies and stops dividing. Subjects with very short telomers are therefore more at risk of illness and tend to live less.

Scientists have found that cells of children with progeria have very short telomers. They have therefore tried to lengthen telomeres, thus improving the function of these cells and their ability to divide. They have introduced small molecules into the cells to alter their gene expression. In this way, they stimulated them to produce the protein needed to stretch the telomeres.

Within a few days, cells have changed radically. Their life expectancy has lengthened and the functions improved. They began to divide in a more normal way and many of the effects of aging have disappeared. It's still early to talk about a cure for progeria, but discovery could lead to a new therapy within a few years.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com

Pregnant women and very young children are most exposed to complications of flu. In some cases complications are so serious that they lead to death. That is why doctors recommend the flu vaccine to future mothers. However, as the flu vaccine repeats several times in life, researchers have tried to have any negative effects on the baby.

The vaccine helps the body develop the antibodies needed to deal with the virus. The problem is that not everyone responds to the flu vaccine the same way. A key factor is the repetition of vaccination. Because the virus changes year after year, many people vaccinate several years in a row to upgrade their protection. A factor that could adversely affect the immune system response.

There is more and more evidence that having the flu vaccine the year before influenced negatively the year's vaccine. Professor Lisa Christian has monitored the effects of vaccination on the immune system of 141 expectant mothers. He also looked at how old and new antibodies were transmitted from mother to child.

The study involved 141 pregnant women and vaccinated for the current year. Of these, 91 were also vaccinated the year before. The 50 women who had not been vaccinated the year before reacted to the new flu vaccine in a normal way. The other 91 antibodies, on the other hand, are weaker than the average.
Once the children were born, the researchers examined the cord blood. Unlike mothers, the children reacted to the vaccine all the same way. Even the children of 91 women already vaccinated the year before were fully protected for the virus of the current year. So, despite the fact that the protection is lower for the mother, it is still effective on the offspring.

Source: osuwmc.multimedia-newsroom.com

A Stanford University study has shown that in some IVF cases it is better to postpone embryo implantation. Staying it would be a good strategy especially for women with high levels of progesterone. In these cases, a clear improvement in the final outcome of the plant would be obtained.

The in vitro fertilization process (IVF) begins with the injection of reproductive hormones that stimulate ovulation development. The doctors then collect the eggs and fertilize them in the lab. The embryos thus obtained are transferred to the maternal womb a few days later, or they are frozen. Usually, doctors quickly transfer the best embryos, setting aside the lowest quality.

The researchers analyzed 2,910 pregnancy attempts with IVF. They compared the final outcome of fresh embryo and frozen embryo implants. To have reliable results, they excluded from the analysis embryonic implants of low quality frozen. The major differences were found among women with high progesterone levels and over the age of 35.

The more adult and more progesterone women would have 73% more chance of conceiving using frozen embryos. This means that implanting the embryos immediately could be counterproductive, at least with certain people. An excess of progesterone could in fact hinder the good performance of the plant. Better then wait for the hormone levels to lower and in the meantime freeze the embryos.

Source: med.stanford.edu