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Soursup as anti-Cancer

Introduction
Soursop (Annona muricata) is a broadleaf flowering evergreen tree native to latin america. Soursop is also native to sub-Saharan African countries that lie within the tropics. Today, it is also grown in some areas of Southeast Asia. Its flavor has been described as a combination of strawberry and pineapple with sour citrus flavor notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavor reminiscent of coconut or banana.

Nowadays, Soursop or the fruit from the graviola tree is linked to a miraculous natural cancer cell killer that 10,000 times stronger than Chemotherapy, there a lot of website publishing about this. Most of the website, said that soursop research about cancer is being covered by some some big corporations want to make back their money spent on years of research by trying to make a synthetic version of it for sale.

Soursop, Fact or Hoax?

I'm not gonna discuss about whether there is big conspirations or not, but about the fact of anti-cancer properties of soursop.

Anti-cancer properties
There is only little information about soursop research related to anti-cancer.
I'll try to summarize those researchs.

First, a study that published in the Journal of Natural Products, following a recent study conducted at Catholic University of South Korea, stated that one chemical in Graviola was found to selectively kill colon cancer cells at, 10,000 times the potency of (the commonly used chemotherapy drug) Adriamycin.


The most significant part of the Catholic University of South Korea report is that Graviola was shown to selectively target the cancer cells, leaving healthy cells untouched, unlike chemotherapy which indiscriminately targets all actively reproducing cells (such as stomach and hair cells) causing the often devastating side effects of nausea and hair loss in cancer patients.

Another study about soursop was conducted by Purdue University, found that leaves from the Graviola tree killed cancer cells among six human cell lines and were especially effective against prostate, pancreatic and lung cancers.

Jerry L McLaughlin, a scientist from Purdue University found a active compound in soursop leaf, "acetogenins". Acetogenins trial has been done pre-clinicallnya, or in-vitro study that can kill cancer cell selectively. Acetogenins inhibits ATP (adenosine triphosphates). ATP itself, is a energy source for the cell. Cancer cell needs a lot of ATP for its growth and proliferations thus can be killed by acetogenins.

Those researchs looks like so dramatic, but it is a fact or not? And if it a fact, does it applicable?

Well, its maybe true if soursop have anti-cancer properties, especially the acetogenins. Acetogenins can inhibits ATP, stated by one study. But, most of the research is done in-vitro, or just pre-clinical studies and mostly only in laboratory. And most of the research only used the cancer cells.

Cancer Cell can be killed even with a water or by oil, but the problems is how to spare the normal cells.

ATP is important component of cell, whether cancer or normal cell. If a drug inhibits ATP production is not kill the cancer but also kill the normal cell, instantly. Another component that can inhibits our body energy synthesis is cyanide, one of the deadly toxin.

Another things that need to criticize, Cancer therapy or drug invention isn't a simple process like old times, since we face with human, a living organism. We can't easily try any drugs. A drug needs to pass severals trials before used widely or get FDA approved.

Most of the latest invention is about chemical modification of previous drugs, since a new invention of products need about 10-30 years to be accepted or to pass all the clinical trials and needs lot of money.
Anti-Cancer

Perhaps the soursop research about anti-cancer is about the early phase, and still long ways to go to be accepted. Some anti-cancer chemotherapy also found from herbal, such oncovin. And it is also expensive, since the process of extraction and the cost of production.

Conclusion
I can't accept Soursop as anti-cancer directly, since the complete clinical trial is not been done or completed. Thus can't be applied into daily practice, yet.

Maybe there are some testimonials about soursop as anticancer, whether is true or not, its difficult to be proved. But we need to criticize any reports especially reports with insufficent or less sytematic evidence.



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Secret behind Malignant Gliomas

After about 4 years study at Gadjah Mada school of medicine, i think i have found my interest in medical field that is neurosurgery. Therefore, i hope i can continue my study in order to become neurosurgeon.

Here, i will discuss of one of malignant brain tumors that is gliomas. I hope i can share my knowledge about it.

Introduction
Actually primary malignant brain tumors is a rare case, and account for only 2% of all adult cancers, but these neoplasms give a disproportionate burden of cancer-related disability and death. The five-year survival rates for brain tumors are the third lowest among all types of cancer (pancreas and lung are first and second, respectively).

Malignant gliomas (glioblastoma multiforme [GBM] and anaplastic astrocytoma [AA]) are the most common types of primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors and have a combined incidence of 5-8/100,000 population or about 14.000 new cases is being diagnosed annually. The incidence of these brain tumors has increased slightly over the past two decades, especially in the elderly, primarily as a result of improved diagnostic imaging. The median age of patients at the time of diagnosis is 64 years in the case of glioblastomas and 45 years in the case of anaplastic gliomas.

Just like, most kind of cancers there no spesific underlying cause that has been identified for the majority of malignant gliomas. The only established risk factor is exposure to ionizing radiation. Evidence for an association with head injury, foods containing N-nitroso compounds, occupational risk factors, and exposure to electromagnetic fields is inconclusive. Although there has been some concern about an increased risk of gliomas in association with the use of cellular telephones, the largest studies have not demonstrated this.
Gliomas is more common to find in men than women, also it twice more common in whites than blacks.
Malignant Gliomas

A family history of brain tumor or gliomas, certainly raises the risk of having gliomas in lifetime compare to person without family history.

Pathogenesis of Gliomas
Recently, scientists have shown important progress in understanding of the pathogenesis of malignant gliomas, and especially the importance of cancer stem cells.
Basically, cancer is genetic disease result from malignant transformation of certain gene in regulation of cell growth and death. Malignant transformation in gliomas results from the sequential accumulation of genetic aberrations and the deregulation of growth-factor signaling pathways.

Deregulated Growth Factor Signaling
Growth factor–receptor signaling, through intermediate signal-transduction generators, results in the activation of transcriptional programs for survival, proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis. Many of the pathways lead to the up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiogenesis. EGFR, PDGFR, and VEGF-receptor (VEGFR) pathways also play an important role in the normal development of the nervous system by promoting the proliferation of multipotent stem cells.

Or in simple words, cancer cells can create their own growth factor or independent from our body regulation, thus makes them are uncontrolled in cell growth.

Role of Stem Cells in Pathogenesis and Resistance to Therapy
Although the genetic and signaling pathways involved in the development of malignant gliomas have been relatively well characterized, the cellular origins of these tumors are unknown. The adult nervous system harbors neural stem cells that are capable of self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation into distinctive mature cell types. There is increasing evidence that neural stem cells, or related progenitor cells, can be transformed into cancer stem cells and give rise to malignant gliomas by escaping the mechanisms that control proliferation and programmed differentiation.
glioblastoma CT-Scan

Resistance Mechanisms in Glioma Cells.
Although stem cells account for only a minority of the cells within malignant gliomas, they appear to be critical for generating these tumors.Recent studies suggest that glioma stem cells promote angiogenesis in the tumor microenvironment. In addition, tumor stem cells appear to require a vascular niche for optimal function. These observations raise the possibility that antiangiogenic therapy may inhibit the functioning of glioma stem cells. There is growing evidence that glioma stem cells may contribute to the resistance of malignant gliomas to standard treatments.
Radioresistance in stem cells generally results from the preferential activation of DNA-damage-response pathways, whereas chemoresistance results partly from the up-regulation of multidrug resistance genes, and the inhibition of apoptosis. Therapeutic strategies that effectively target stem cells and overcome their resistance to treatment will be necessary if malignant gliomas are to be completely eradicated.

Diagnosis
Person who is having malignant gliomas may present with a variety of symptoms, including headaches, seizures, focal neurologic deficits, confusion, memory loss, and personality changes. Although the classic headaches that are suggestive of increased intracranial pressure are most severe in the morning and may wake the patient from sleep, many patients experience headaches that are indistinguishable from tension headaches.

In order to get the definite diagnosis, the person may undergo imaging diagnostic of the brain such as MRI and CT-Scan to visualize brain condition whether there is a tumor or not.

Treatment
In treatment of gliomas, we can divide into two: general and specific.
General medical therapy is aimed to correct general medical condition that usually accompanies patients with gliomas such as seizure, peritumoral edema, venous thromboembolism, and fatique.
With treatment of general medical condition, we can improve quality of life and performance status thus decrease treatment related morbidity.

Spesific medical therapy of gliomas, consist of Surgery if feasible, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The doctor will decide what kind of therapy that someone will gonna take.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Radiotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for malignant gliomas. The addition of radiotherapy to surgery increases survival among patients with glioblastomas from a range of 3 to 4 months to a range of 7 to 12 months. Conventional radiotherapy consists of 60 Gy of partial-field external-beam irradiation delivered 5 days per week in fractions of 1.8 to 2.0 Gy. After standard radiotherapy, 90% of the tumors recur at the original site.65 Strategies to increase the radiation dose to the tumor with the use of brachytherapy and stereotactic radiosurgery have failed to improve survival. Newer chemotherapeutic agents, targeted molecular agents, and antiangiogenic agents70 may enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy.

Take Home Message
Our Knowledges and technologies still in progress of development, we hope that we can achieve better outcome in cancer treatment.
Regardless of today technologies, our hope must not be gone, We keep our spirit to live and to fight the cancer itself.
Because The God will appreciate our efforts.
Don't give up to cancer, my friends.
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Concept of Nanomedicine

Introduction
Nowadays, we already improved our knowledge of medicine, including the concept of the disease pathogenesis. Most of the diseases that we face recently can be explained as an alterations in biologic processes at the molecular or nanoscale level. Wheter it caused by external (such as infection) or internal (such as mutated genes).

Gene mutations, abnormal proteins, and infections caused by viruses or bacteria can lead to cell malfunction or miscommunication, sometimes leading to life-threatening diseases. Infectious agents and molecules changes in nucleus are nanometers in size and may be located in biologic systems that are protected by nanometer-size barriers. Their chemical properties, size, and shape appear to dictate the transport of molecules to specific biologic compartments and the interactions between molecules.

Nanomedicine is defined as the “intentional design, characterization, production, and applications of materials, structures, devices, and systems by controlling their size and shape in the nanoscale range (1 to 100 nm) for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases at the molecular level.

Nanomaterials are being designed to aid the transport of diagnostic or therapeutic agents through biologic barriers or to gain access to molecules; to mediate molecular interactions; and to detect molecular changes. Compare with atoms and macroscopic materials, nanomaterials have a high ratio of surface area to volume as well as tunable optical, electronic, magnetic, and biologic properties, and they can be engineered to have different sizes, shapes, chemical compositions, surface chemical characteristics, and hollow or solid structures. These properties are being incorporated into new generations of drug-delivery vehicles, contrast agents, and diagnostic devices.

Properties of Nanomaterials
An understanding of these fundamental physical and chemical properties is necessary for the optimal use of nanomaterials in medical applications. Nanomaterials consist of metal atoms, nonmetal atoms, or a mixture of metal and nonmetal atoms, commonly referred to as metallic, organic, or semiconducting particles, respectively. The surface of nanomaterials is usually coated with polymers or biorecognition molecules for improved biocompatibility and selective targeting of biologic molecules. The final size and structure of nanomaterials depend on the salt and surfactant additives, reactant concentrations, reaction temperatures, and solvent conditions used during their synthesis.

Unique aspects of metal-containing materials are their size, shape, and composition-tunable electronic, magnetic, and optical properties. This relationship is a direct consequence of the behavior of electrons in the nanomaterial. Electrons have two important characteristics: their spin and their ability to move in a quantized fashion between specific energy levels. Electrons are similar to tiny bar magnets, with a surrounding magnetic field that corresponds to the electron spin in an applied field. Also, after absorbing energy, electrons can generate light or heat when they move between different energy levels.
Nanomaterial in scale comparison

In macrostructures, electrons can spin in two directions, in opposition or in alignment, and can move among many energy levels. The behavior of electrons in nanostructures is more constrained and depends on the size or shape of the material or on the electrons' interactions with the surface coating. The chemical composition of a nanomaterial determines whether one or both electron characteristics (spin and energy transition) are affected, as well as the extent of that effect.

Nanomaterials Applications in Medicine
Many of these nanomaterials are designed to target tumors in vivo and are intended for use either as drug carriers for therapeutic applications or as contrast agents for diagnostic imaging. Nanomaterials infused into the bloodstream can accumulate in tumors owing to the enhanced permeability and retention effect when the vasculature of immature tumors has pores smaller than 200 nm, permitting extravasation of nanoparticles from blood into tumor tissue. The infusion of antineoplastic drugs with nanomaterials as carriers results in an increased payload of drugs to the tumor, as compared with conventional infusion. With nanomaterials, the high ratio of surface area to volume permits high surface loading of therapeutic agents; in the case of organic nanomaterials, their hollow or porous core allows encapsulation of hundreds of drug molecules within a single carrier particle. When the carrier particle degrades, the drug molecules are released, and the rate of degradation can even be controlled and fine-tuned according to the polymer composition. These nanomaterial delivery vehicles can also be coated with polymers, such as polyethylene glycol, to increase their half-life in the blood circulation, prevent opsonizing proteins from adhering to the nanomaterial surface, and reduce rapid metabolism and clearance. Moreover, the use of nanomaterials for drug delivery may minimize adverse effects by preventing the nonspecific uptake of therapeutic agents into healthy tissues.
Nanomaterial in cancer therapy

Nanoparticles are also attractive as sensitive contrast agents for cancer imaging. On nanoparticle-enhanced MRI, a contrast can be observed between tissues with and those without superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). In one study, dextran-coated SPIONs were injected into patients with prostate cancer to detect possible lymph-node metastases.17 The dextran coating increased the circulation time of the nanoparticles, and because of their small size, these particles could traverse the lymphatic vessels to reach the lymph nodes and be taken up by the resident macrophages. The use of SPIONs with MRI, as compared with conventional MRI, was associated with substantial increases in both diagnostic sensitivity (90.5% vs. 35.4%) and specificity (97.9% vs. 90.4%) in the detection of metastatic tumors.

Take Home Message
To translate these applications into clinical use, researchers must optimize the nanomaterials, beginning with small-animal models and scaling up to nonhuman primate models — a process that will take some time. These studies should provide a solid foundation for the long-term advancement of nanotechnology into an effective new area in clinical medical practice.
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Aspirin Potential in Cancer Therapy

In my previous post about aspirin and prostate cancer, I already told about potential benefit of aspirin in cancer therapy.

Now, i will further emphasize on aspirin usage in cancer therapy


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