How has cancer affected your life? Jun 30, 2008
Yeah) and now they give you shots to stimulate white blood cell production (at least in my case) that cause relentless, incapacitating pain that made you simply want to give up on living just to make it stop. Ok, I said it, chemotherapy sucks and I am really good at being tough and not letting everyone know all the s***ty stuff thats happening to me at once, but you know it sucks. (Columbus Telegram, NE)
Clinical Trials Begin This Week on New Cancer Therapy That Cured ... Jun 29, 2008
The therapy involves the transfusion of white blood cells from cancer-resistant donors into cancer patients, letting loose a uniquely qualified army of disease fighters to attack the invading tumor ... The solution is apparently hidden in the mice's white blood cells, which are like a tiny biological army ... For some reason _ Cui and his team don't know why _ the white blood cells from the immune mice could defeat the cancer every time, whereas the other mice's white blood cells were unable to... (RedOrbit)
DeGowin's famed Strauss to leave UI next week Jun 27, 2008
It was not until coming to Iowa in 1976 and receiving a grant to study granulocytes - a type of white blood cell - that he switched his research focus. Granulocyte therapy is not the only transfusion component he has helped define. (Daily Iowan, IA)
The tiniest things Jun 27, 2008
On the other hand, a platelet or white blood cell contains only two to six mitochondria. And a red blood cell, which has no nucleus, has no mitochondria, though mitochondria are critical to its construction. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Potential New Way To Block Inflammation In Autoimmune Disease Discovered Jun 25, 2008
While closely related to TNFR1, DR3 is expressed in T cells, a different kind of immune cell (a white blood cell that identifies and fights infection) than those that express TNFR1, Dr. Siegel said. The NIAMS group collaborated with a laboratory in Cardiff, Wales, which had generated genetically engineered mice deficient in DR3, as well as with a research group at the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which has developed mouse models of disease with strong T... (Science Daily)
Cancer beaten by dose of own cells Jun 20, 2008
American researchers led by Cassian Yee of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre collected a type of white blood cell, known as CD4 T-cells, from the patient and separated those that targeted the melanoma cells. These were grown in the laboratory and more than 5 billion were injected into the man, stimulating other T-cells, known as CD8, to fight the tumours. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Patient's Own Infection-Fighting T Cells Put Late-Stage Melanoma Into Long-Term Remission - Without Chemotherapy or Radiation Jun 19, 2008
Yee and colleagues removed CD4+ T cells, a type of white blood cell, from a 52-year-old man whose Stage 4 melanoma had spread to a groin lymph node and to a lung. T cells specific to targeting the melanoma were then expanded vastly in the laboratory using modifications to existing methods. (PR Newswire)
HOPE FOR SKIN CANCER CURE... Jun 19, 2008
Yee and his associates from the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle removed CD4+ T-cells, a type of white blood cell, from a 52-year-old man whose melanoma had spread to a groin lymph node and to one of his lungs. The melanoma was already well advanced and in stage four. (The Drudge Report)
Patient, Heal Thyself: Body's Own Immune Cells Whack Late-Stage Tumor Jun 19, 2008
Lead study author Cassian Yee, an immunologist, says that he and his team removed so-called (a type of infection-fighting white blood cell) from a 52-year-old man with stage IV (the most advanced) the deadliest form of skin cancer; it had spread to a lung and a groin lymph node. The researchers grew T cells (that target a specific protein, or antigen, on the tumor cells) in the lab until they had a population they believed was large enough to destroy the cancer. (Scientific American)
Is Radiation Good For You? Jun 19, 2008
A news release said that radiation can increase white blood cell counts and improve the function of blood. He said that radioactive waste could be used to provide radiation treatment for people who need it. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Ancient Antibody Molecule Offers Clues To How Humans Evolved Allergies Jun 15, 2008
Lead researcher, Dr. Rosy Calvert said: "Although these antibodies all started from a common ancestor, for some reason humans have ended up with two rather specialised antibodies, whereas chickens only have one that has a much more general function. "We know that part of the problem with IgE in humans is that it binds extremely tightly to white blood cells causing an over-reaction of the immune system and so we wanted to find out whether IgY does the same thing. " By examining how tightly IgY... (Science Daily)
Fungal exposure and gardening Jun 14, 2008
Other features at presentation included high fever, high breathing rate, irregular chest X-rays, high white blood cell count and crackling sounds in the lung while breathing. The initial assumption was that he had pneumonia, so he was put on antibiotics while further investigations took place. (NHS Choices)
TB Treatment For Elderly Likely Requires Boost To Immune Response Jun 13, 2008
Mathematical modeling of how mice respond to TB infection suggests that potential therapy options for elderly TB patients could either increase their white blood cell count or enhance infected cells interaction with their immune system. Simulations of TB infection in an old mouse showed that increasing the number of infection-fighting white blood cells, called CD4 T cells, could be particularly effective at bolstering the mouse s immune response, which naturally slows with aging. (Science Daily)
Family thinks tainted tomatoes contributed to man's death Jun 7, 2008
His family told 11 News that recent tests showed he had an improved white blood cell count, which is key in the battle against lymphoma. After the dinner, Rivera and other family members became ill. (KHOU.com, TX)
Clinical study shows biological and clinical activity in relapsed leukemia patients Jun 5, 2008
CLL is characterized by proliferation of malignant white blood cells, referred to as lymphocytes, in the bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen, which leads to an increase in white blood cell counts as well as enlarged lymph nodes and spleens in most patients. The disease is progressive and often fatal with a five year survival rate of 75. (EurekAlert!)
New Approach To Treating Autoimmune Disease Developed Jun 4, 2008
9, 2007) Multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and arthritis are among a variety of autoimmune diseases that are aggravated when one type of white blood cell, called the immune regulatory cell, malfunctions. In. (Science Daily)
Anemia Drugs May Speed Tumor Growth in Some Cancer Patients Jun 3, 2008
In particular, patients taking drugs that interfered with protein binding such as Norvasc for high blood pressure, Prilosec for heartburn, and the pain reliever Celebrex were more likely to experience hematologic side effects such as low white blood cell counts. Patients taking drugs that act on a group of enzymes known as cytochrome p450 were more likely to experience effects such as fatigue or diarrhea. (MEDLINEplus)
Skin Defects Set Off Alarm With Widespread And Potentially Harmful Effects Jun 2, 2008
The research team found that the mice's irritated skin produced an alarm signal in the form of a natural inflammatory substance called TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin), which launched a massive overproduction of white blood cells and ultimately killed the mice ... "I started looking for the cause, and one of the first things I noticed was the high white blood cell counts." ... High levels of TSLP activated an immune response that produced extreme numbers of B-cells, a kind of white blood cell... (Science Daily)
NEW DATA FOR PAZOPANIB - GSK'S LATEST INVESTIGATIONAL ANTI-CANCER AGENT - SHOWS PROMISE ACROSS MULTIPLE CANCERS Jun 1, 2008
These toxicities included elevated liver enzymes (2), hypertension (1), shortness of breath (1), pneumonia (1), urinary tract infection (1), reduced white blood cell count (1) potassium increase (1) and rash (1). One Grade 4 toxicity of a pulmonary embolus was seen in a patient in relation to surgery, 18 days after finishing pazopanib treatment. (PR Newswire)
Gum Disease Might Boost Cancer Risk May 27, 2008
Compared to men with healthy gums, men with a history of gum disease had a 36 percent increased risk of lung cancer, a 49 percent hike in risk of kidney cancer, a 54 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer, and a 30 percent increased risk of white blood cell cancers. In addition, men who had fewer teeth at the beginning of the study had a 70 percent increased risk of developing lung cancer, compared with men who had 25 to 32 teeth, Michaud's team found. (Health-Finder)
Kill it before it kills you May 24, 2008
Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the white blood cells (also called WBCs or leukocytes). Blood consists of several types of cells (white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets) carried in a fluid called plasma ... White blood cells help prevent and fight infection by destroying bacteria, viruses and other foreign cells. (Deccan Herald)
How Stem Cells Decide What They'll Be May 22, 2008
Led by Sui Huang, MD, PhD, a Visiting Associate Professor in the Children's Hospital Boston Vascular Biology Program (now also on the faculty of the University of Calgary), and Hannah Chang, an MD/PhD student in Children's Vascular Biology Program, the researchers examined how blood stem cells "decide" to become white blood cell progenitors or red blood cell progenitors ... Conversely, when stem cells were exposed to granulocyte--macrophage colony-stimulating factor, which stimulates white blood... (Science Daily)
Kennedy's tumor prognosis is weakened by age May 21, 2008
Black developed a technique to remove proteins from the tumor and attach them to a form of white blood cell called an antigen-presenting cell, which is then injected back into the patient to activate the immune system. In phase II studies of the vaccine, which are nearly complete, survival after two years increased from 8% to 42%, he said. (Los Angeles Times)
Patients with mystery diseases may get free care May 20, 2008
Yet under the microscope, her immune system seemed normal except for an unexplained low white blood cell count. In 1990, not long after that amputation, her desperate parents brought her to NIH, where the hospital director made us a promise, Young recalled. (MSNBC -- Health)
Abnormal 'editing' of gene messages may be a cause of lupus May 20, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. Researchers at Wake Forest University have uncovered evidence that the abnormal editing of gene messages in a type of white blood cell may be behind the development of lupus ... D., assistant professor of internal medicine and senior author, said that in systemic lupus erythematosus, the normal editing process goes awry, causing a shift in the balance of proteins that results in impaired functions in T cells, a type of white blood cell involved in the regulation of immune... (EurekAlert!)
AIDS vaccine still out of reach May 18, 2008
Merck's vaccine aimed to stimulate T cells, a type of white blood cell key to the body's immune response, taking a different approach than numerous more traditional vaccines already tested without success. "The (research) community is depressed because we see no hopeful route to success," American biologist and Nobel prize laureate David Baltimore said of the quest for an AIDS vaccine, at the opening of the latest conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in... (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Common Bacteria Activating Natural Killer T Cells May Cause Autoimmune Liver Disease May 17, 2008
The autoimmune process was mediated by T cells (a white blood cell important to immune response), but early disease onset required the participation of Natural Killer T cells after they selectively recognized glycosphingolipid antigens on the cell wall surface of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans. NKT cells are a unique group of T cells that share properties of both T cells and Natural Killer cells, which are naturally toxic to other cells and typically target tumor cells or cells infected with... (Science Daily)
Eribulin Mesylate Demonstrated Anti-Tumor Activity in Heavily Pretreated Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer May 16, 2008
The most frequently reported Grade 3 (severe) or Grade 4 (disabling or life-threatening) adverse events were neutropenia (a decrease in the number of granular white blood cells, 54%); febrile neutropenia, 5. 5%, leukopenia (low white blood cell count, 14%), and weakness/fatigue (10%; no Grade 4 events). (PR Newswire)
When the environment can kill you May 10, 2008
The virus targets a patient's immunity by destroying a critical protein, Stat 1, found in a type of white blood cell that is responsible for the production of interferon, research by three research groups found. Interferon helps fight viruses and bacterial infections. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Maxygen reports $13.7 million Q1 loss May 8, 2008
Maxygen (NASDAQ: MAXY) seeks treatments for neutropenia, a white blood cell deficiency, as well as for hemophilia and rheumatoid arthritis. The company shut down a Danish subsidiary as of Feb. 29. (San Francisco Business Journal)
Dolan is 'Relentless' in his battle against leukemia May 8, 2008
His white blood cell count slowly raised and he was released from the hospital in October. The doctors told me to take the transplant. (Park Hills Daily Journal, MO)
Cancer strikes grieving father, love brings him back from despair May 8, 2008
"Your white blood cell count," the doctor said. "What's wrong with it?". (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Future perspectives - Artificial Intelligence: Intelligent behavior May 8, 2008
Your Connection to the. Web Search powered by YAHOO. (Athens Banner-Herald)
Woman gets probation in fatal hospital crash May 7, 2008
Berghold, a breast cancer patient, told police she had received shots at a facility in Weymouth to boost her white blood cell count that morning and that she was undergoing chemotherapy. She said, however, that her medications in no way affected her driving. (Boston Globe)
Scientists Provide Explanation For How Cancer Spreads May 2, 2008
ScienceDaily (May 1, 2008) Metastasis, the spread of cancer throughout the body, can be explained by the fusion of a cancer cell with a white blood cell in the original tumor, according to Yale School of Medicine researchers, who say that this single event can set the stage for cancer's migration to other parts of the body ... The studies, spanning 15 years, have revealed that the newly formed hybrid of the cancer cell and white blood cell adapts the white blood cell's natural ability to migrate... (Science Daily)
Immune System Kick-started In Moist Nasal Lining In Sinusitis, Asthma And Colds May 2, 2008
Researchers say their findings, to be published in the May edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, are the first evidence describing how viral agents, such as the rhinovirus responsible for the common cold, can kick start the body's mobilization of immune white blood cells in the moist, mucous membrane lining of the nasal passages ... The focus of the study is B7-related proteins, called B7 homologs, which trip white blood cell response in a pathogen attack ... Moreover, Kim... (Science Daily)
Liver Disease Leaves Girl, 4, Small, Malnourished Apr 22, 2008
Brianna was 2 when she was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis, which causes an overproduction of a type of white blood cell in her liver and other organs, the report said. She has been undergoing chemotherapy for the condition and is on a waiting list for a liver. (Fox News)
Tiny Magnets Offer Breakthrough In Gene Therapy For Cancer Apr 22, 2008
The technique involves inserting nanomagents into monocytes - a type of white blood cell used to carry gene therapy - and injecting the cells into the bloodstream. The researchers then placed a small magnet over the tumour to create a magnetic field and found that this attracted many more monocytes into the tumour. (Science Daily)
Fundraiser benefits third-grader with rare disease Apr 19, 2008
Complications arose from the first procedure, resulting in two trips to a hospital in St. Louis due to pain, infection and a dangerous rise in his white blood cell count. Jaycob has also been blind from birth and has undergone two failed cornea transplants. (Olney Daily Mail, IL)
Immunotherapy: Enlisting The Immune System To Fight Cancer Apr 19, 2008
The most common side effects were thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and neutropenia (low white blood cell count). Side effects were deemed tolerable. (Science Daily)
New drug Lapatinib shrinks breast cancer Apr 19, 2008
A team led by Professor Claire Lewis, at Sheffield University, developed a procedure that involves inserting nanomagnets into a type of white blood cell. When a magnet is placed over a tumour, the cells move towards it and attack. (Times Online)
Playing through cancer Apr 17, 2008
Most cases are caught early when a routine blood test shows a high white blood cell count, an indicator of leukemia ... This mutated gene causes the body to produce too many white blood cells, which eventually build up and crowd out healthy blood cells. (Globe and Mail)
Lexicon's Drug Candidate for Rheumatoid Arthritis, LX2931, Shows Positive Results in Phase 1 Clinical Trial Apr 17, 2008
Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that play an important role in the immune system. Inappropriate activation of lymphocytes is often associated with autoimmune diseases, a spectrum of disorders in which the immune system malfunctions and causes the body to attack its own organs, tissues and cells. (Primezone Releases)
Two Liver Cancer Treatments Better Than One Apr 10, 2008
Side effects were similar between the groups, though RFA had the lowest rate of certain side effects, such as a low white blood cell count. Cheng cautioned that these results may not be as applicable in the Western world, such as the United States or Japan, because the underlying cause of liver cancer in China is hepatitis B, whereas in the Western world, it tends to be hepatitis C or alcohol abuse. (MEDLINEplus)
New Study Aims To Halt The Progression Of Multiple Sclerosis Apr 8, 2008
She added, "The medication targets lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) to decrease the inflammatory reaction responsible for the progression of MS.". Preliminary studies have demonstrated that as a result of this medication sufferers have experienced fewer disease relapses, a decrease in the formation of central nervous system lesions and a reduction in cumulative disabilities. (Science Daily)
Mom is still certain 'God is on our side' Apr 5, 2008
Doctors have said they hope to discharge the teen in the next few days after getting his fever and white blood cell count down. Kollin looked like a typical teenager Friday, annoyed that he had to stop playing video games to talk to a reporter. (Florida Times-Union)
Community-acquired MRSA Is Spreading Apr 4, 2008
These are far more difficult to treat and can cause life-threatening infections, especially in patients with impaired immune systems or low white blood cell counts. "We have managed to hold the frequency of MRSA cases down to under one per cent in Denmark for over 30 years. But in 1997 we recognised the first cases of community acquired MRSA, a new strain independent of hospital and nursing home contacts, in a young adult and two families in a rural town", says Professor Skov. (Science Daily)
Fundraisers set for T'ville student battling cancer Apr 3, 2008
"I called the doctor's office because he had lingering flu-like symptoms. I didn't know what was wrong with him but I knew he didn't feel well. I knew something was wrong because his skin took on a yellow-green color. He was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. According to the Web site, ALL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are made.It is called acute leukemia because it progresses rapidly and affects immature... (West Frankfort Daily American, IL)
Saving Cancer Patients' Skin For Later Dermatological Treatments Mar 28, 2008
The new agents minimize the side effects of traditional chemotherapy so patients lose less hair and don't suffer from plummeting white blood cell counts, which leave them vulnerable to infections. The new drugs work by destroying a protein called the EGFR, which naturally occurs in the skin, but also helps cancer cells thrive. (Science Daily)
Saving cancer patients' skin Mar 28, 2008
These agents attack specific proteins in cancer cells rather than the spray gun approach of conventional chemotherapy that "basically shoots at everything and kills all kinds of cells, Lacouture said. The new agents minimize the side effects of traditional chemotherapy so patients lose less hair and don't suffer from plummeting white blood cell counts, which leave them vulnerable to infections. The new drugs work by destroying a protein called the EGFR, which naturally occurs in the skin, but... (EurekAlert!)
Expansion of monocyte subset could serve as a biomarker for HIV progressions Mar 28, 2008
A monocyte is a specific white blood cell, a part of the human bodys immune system that protects against blood-borne pathogens and moves quickly to sites of infection within the bodys tissues. As monocytes enter tissue, they undergo a series of changes to become macrophages. (EurekAlert!)
How HIV Turns Food-poisoning Into Lethal Infection Mar 25, 2008
The results of the study, which will be published online by Nature Medicine March 23, revealed that viral infection of the intestine results in the depletion of a type of white blood cell, called Th-17, in the gut mucosa. This T helper lymphocyte produces IL-17, a cytokine or chemical messenger that plays a crucial role in the inflammatory response, recruiting other immune system cells to the site of infection. (Science Daily)
New drug to fight multiple sclerosis Mar 25, 2008
The drug works by stimulating the development of T-cells, a kind of white blood cell which helps the immune system target specific pathogens. "We know that it generates T-cell lines that are regulatory for auto immune diseases and that the same T-cell line will suppress three different auto immune diseases in mice," said study author Jack Strominger of Harvard University. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Serious Weakness Found In Virus Responsible For Most Cervical Cancer Mar 23, 2008
Cells without surface protein markers are targeted by another of the body's white blood cell armoury, Natural Killer cells - cellular assassins, which when activated, release specialised enzymes into target cells to kill them. "Despite the body's valiant efforts to ward off the virus, women are still contracting this awful disease, so there are clearly other mechanisms at work. We need to look at the role of the other components of the virus, to see if they prevent the Natural Killer cells from... (Science Daily)
Past Child Abuse Plus Variations In Gene Result In Potent PTSD Risk For Adults Mar 21, 2008
15, 2008) Post-traumatic stress disorder is an indicator of long-term health problems, similar to biological warning signs such as elevated white blood cell counts. With an in-depth study of Vietnam vets. (Science Daily)
People With Job's Syndrome Lack Specific Immune Cells Mar 18, 2008
Now, scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have shown that Job's sufferers lack a specific type of infection-fighting white blood cell called Th17 cell, making them vulnerable to attacks by bacteria and fungi. The study was a collaborative effort of investigators from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), both components of NIH.. (Science Daily)
Immunomedics' Milatuzumab Receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation for Therapy of Multiple Myeloma Mar 18, 2008
Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell, which typically occurs in older patients. According to the American Cancer Society, there will be an estimated 19,920 new cases of multiple myeloma and 10,690 deaths from this disease in the United States in 2008. (Primezone Releases)
11 comment(s) Mar 17, 2008
The World Link: Vietnam vet fighting leukemia and the VA. Vietnam vet fighting leukemia and the VA. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Vietnam vet fighting leukemia and the VA Mar 16, 2008
Vietnam veteran Two Bears, formerly James Loveless, discusses on Feb. 28 his three-year battle to get treatment for cancer connected to his service during the war. Two Bears said he is dying of cancer caused by exposure to Agent Orange and other chemicals while serving in Vietnam. (Coos Bay-North Bend The World, OR)
Function Of Molecular Switch Pinpointed In Severe Congenital Neutropenia Mar 10, 2008
10, 2008) Researchers have for the first time cleared an important hurdle to clarifying the molecular mechanics behind Severe Congenital Neutropenia (SCN), a deadly disease characterized by a deficiency of neutrophils -- a type of mature white blood cell important to fighting infection and disease ... Specifically, GFI1 acts as a molecular switch to moderate the function of another gene, Colony Stimulating Factor-1 (CSF1), which tells marrow stem cells to form macrophage white blood cells... (Science Daily)
HIV/AIDS Skyrockets in America Mar 7, 2008
The human immunodeficiency virus,known as HIV causes AIDS by infecting and damaging lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell in the body's immune system used to fight off invading germs. The virus takes over the T-cell lymphocytes and multiplies. (Suite101.com)
Spiders take blame for wound too often Mar 6, 2008
The medications and therapies are aimed at trying to improve blood flow to the area, deliver more oxygen and slow down white blood cell migration into the wound. Keeping the wound as clean as possible without causing further harm and trying to prevent infection are your best bets. (The Augusta Chronicle)
Young girl faces big challenge Mar 6, 2008
Blood work revealed a white blood cell count - 260,000 white blood cells, according to Sean. FHN staff, he said, tentatively diagnosed Alexis with leukemia. (Freeport Journal-Standard, IL)
Woman battling back after odd illness that baffled doctors Feb 27, 2008
Meanwhile, a spinal tap turned up an elevated white blood cell count, indicating an infection, again suggestive of encephalitis. But the MRI of her brain was puzzling. (AZCentral -- News)
Vietnam Vet Study Links PTSD to Mortality Risk Feb 26, 2008
Men who had PTSD at the study's outset in 1985 were almost as likely to have died by 2000 than those who had high erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) scores or high white blood cell (WBC) counts. Such scores would indicate "there's something really wrong with your system" -- for example, appendicitis or severe liver disease -- Dr. Joseph A. Boscarino, the study's author, told Reuters Health. (MEDLINEplus)
