Scientists find why tamoxifen fails some breast cancers

“UK scientists say they have discovered why some women fail respond to breast cancer treatment, and it is a gene error they believe they can fix. Tamoxifen is given to most women diagnosed with breast cancer to prevent the cancer returning.

But not all women respond to the drug – experts estimate a third get no benefit. The work in the journal Cancer Research suggests the problem is too much of a gene called FGFR1.  This discovery could lead to new treatments for these women as scientists “switch off” the action of FGFR1, enabling Tamoxifen to work.

The team of scientists in the Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre at The Institute of Cancer Research have already shown this is possible in the lab.
They introduced a drug which “switched off” the action of FGFR1.
Once FGFR1 was stopped, hormone-based treatments like Tamoxifen could get back to work in destroying cancer cells, they found.
The researchers believe this could ultimately help thousands of women each year.

They say one in 10 breast cancer patients has too much of the FGFR1 gene.
Dr Nick Turner, who led the research, said: “Understanding how this gene can cause Tamoxifen resistance reveals a new drug target for treating breast cancers in patients who would otherwise have a poor outcome.
“There are a number of drugs in development that stop FGFR1 working, and clinical studies are investigating whether these drugs work against cancers with too many copies of this gene.

“The next step is to set up a clinical trial to see whether a drug that blocks the action of this gene can counteract hormone therapy resistance in breast cancer patients.

“If these trials confirm our lab work we could be on the verge of a potentially exciting new treatment for breast cancer.”   Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK, the charity which helped fund the work, said: “Cracking the problem of resistance to treatments such as Tamoxifen would be a major advance in treating breast cancer.”   Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK affecting more than 45,500 women each year.

Tamoxifen blocks the female sex hormone estrogen that fuels the growth of some breast tumours. ”

Source:  BBC News

Taco Bell’s latest advertising project? The Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet®.

Their spokesperson, a real-life dieter identified as Christine, claims to have lost 54 pounds over the course of two years “by choosing Fresco items from the Drive-Thru Diet® menu and making other sensible choices.”

As if the “other sensible choices” part wasn’t enough of a hint that there’s more to this than meets the eye, we then learn that Christine simply reduced her total caloric intake by 500 calories for a total of 1,250 calories a day.

It seems that even the folks at Taco Bell are aware this campaign is a bit of a stretch.

Not only does Christine herself share that “these results aren’t typical” and that “as you know,” (?) “the Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program”, the Taco Bell website makes this statement:

“For a healthier lifestyle, pay attention to total calorie and fat intake and regular exercise. Fresco can help with calorie reductions of 20 to 100 per item compared to corresponding products on our regular menu. Not a low calorie food.”

This comes back to a point I often make on this blog — actual weight-loss can be done with almost any food.

In fact, this campaign reminds me of a similar one by Special K cereal a few years ago.  The gist was that Special K helped you lose weight, provided — of course — that you had a bowl of it as your lunch.

Christine could have consumed 1,250 calories worth of ice cream, french fries, and pizza and still have lost the weight.

The added challenge comes from achieving weight loss while meeting nutrient needs and providing the body with sufficient energy and care.

A 1,250-calorie diet of junk food will result in weight loss, but also in completely inadequate nutrient intakes.

It’s also worth pointing out that one can consume 320 calories in a half cup of premium ice cream or a salad chock-full of vegetables, dressed with one tablespoon of olive oil and generous amounts of lemon juice.

In that sense, all calories are most certainly NOT created equal!

Furthermore, while I understand what Taco Bell is trying to do here (reminding customers that their menu offers lower-calorie items), two things bother me:

1. This campaign is completely carried by a woman, once again reiterating the stereotype that only women care about managing their weight and seeking healthier options
2. All this talk of healthier options is a little silly when you consider that some Fresco items contain half a day’s worth of sodium

Rather than create this gimmick, why didn’t Taco Bell simply advertise their lower-calorie items with a “At Taco Bell, low calories are no problem”-ish campaign?

Source

People can become ill if the flu virus enters their nose, eyes or throat after an infected person coughs or sneezes. They can also become ill after touching an infected surface, such as a doorknob, keyboard or countertop, and then touching their mouth or nose.

The virus begins to grow, and symptoms can start to develop 24 to 48 hours after initial infection. However, it can take up to a week for symptoms to develop. People seem to become contagious one day before the onset of flu-like symptoms, says the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Doctors say most people can’t properly distinguish between a cold and the flu, but that influenza viruses come with several telltale symptoms. Similar to seasonal flu viruses, H1N1 symptoms include sore throat, cough, headache, loss of appetite, fatigue and aches and pains.

Fever, a typical symptom of seasonal flu, isn’t appearing in all H1N1 cases, said Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa. But more people with H1N1 seem to be experiencing vomiting and diarrhea than they would with a regular seasonal flu virus, Dr. Brown said.

People with H1N1 will typically spend from two to four days in bed. But serious symptoms require medical attention, including shortness of breath and extreme lethargy or being “out of it,”

The average person with the H1N1 virus will be back on their feet after about a week. However, it could take from two to three weeks before they feel 100 per cent, Dr. Brown said. People who are infected with H1N1 may remain contagious slightly longer than those with seasonal flu.

Public Health says people infected with H1N1 remain contagious for about a week after they develop symptoms.  However, some people’s symptoms can grow worse after they initially begin to improve, which could be a signal of a secondary bacterial pneumonia. Although different from viral pneumonia, one of the rare and serious complications appearing in a small number of people with H1N1, bacterial pneumonia is very serious and requires medical intervention.

Coughing up blood or turning blue are obvious danger signs. But another key warning sign is shortness of breath. Parents whose children are ill should monitor them to see whether they are breathing rapidly. “I sure as hell wouldn’t be waiting around at home to see how I do once I’m short of breath,” Dr. Kumar said. “It can be very rapid once it goes to your lungs.”

This virus, much more so than seasonal influenza virus, tends to attach to the cells within the lower respiratory tract where it can cause severe infection, experts say. This infection of the lungs can trigger a cascade of inflammatory responses. Once the virus attaches itself to the deep respiratory cells, it starts to damage the lungs, which start to fill with fluid, and the person can’t get enough oxygen. There is evidence the virus can go to the heart in rare circumstances, which can lead to rhythm disturbances and death.

Source here