HOUSTON

It looks like your mother was on to something when she said, “Eat your vegetables!” A concentrated form of a compound called sulforaphane found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables has been shown to reduce the number of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells in the lab setting, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu). The findings appear in the current edition of PLOS ONE. “Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a type of cancer of the white blood cells common in children,” said Dr. Daniel Lacorazza (http://www.bcm.edu/pathimmuno/index.cfm?pmid=13977), assistant professor of pathology & immunology. “There is about an 80 percent cure rate, but some children don’t respond to treatment. For those cases, we are in need of alternative treatments.” Lacorazza and his colleagues focused on purified sulforaphane, a natural compound found in broccoli believed to have both preventive and therapeutic properties in solid tumors. Studies have shown that people who eat a diet rich in cruciferous vegetables have a lower risk of some cancers. “There have not been definitive studies showing how this compound interacts with blood cancers,” Lacorazza said. To study how this compound would act on acute lymphoblastic leukemia, researchers, led by Dr. Koramit Suppipat, lead author of the study who performed this work while a clinical fellow in the Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers (http://txch.org/), incubated human-derived leukemic cell lines and primary lymphoblasts from pediatric patients with the compound. The cancer cells died while the healthy cells obtained from healthy donors were unaffected. Studies tested in pre-clinical mouse models showed similar results. Lacorazza said the compound works by entering the cells and reacting with certain proteins. More studies will be needed, but researchers believe this compound could one day be used as a treatment option in combination with current therapies. They also are working to determine which proteins are affected by sulforaphane and how. This could identify a new treatment target that might be affected by other types of cancer cells as well. “Sulforaphane is a natural product. However, what we used in this study is a concentrated purified form,” said Lacorazza. “So while eating cruciferous vegetables is good for you, it will not have the same effect as what we saw in the lab.” Others who contributed to the study include Chun Shik Park and Ye Shen, both with the department of pathology & immunology at BCM; and Xiao Zhu, with the Summer Medical and Research Training Program (SMART) at BCM. Lacorazza is also with the department of pediatrics, BCM. Suppipat is currently a clinical instructor in the department of medicine at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. Funding for this study came from The Gabrielle Angel Foundation for Cancer Research and the Alkek Award for Pilot Projects on Experimental Therapeutic at BCM.

(StatePoint)

Medical misdiagnoses may be a lot more common than many patients realize. According to a household survey commissioned by the National Patient Safety Foundation, of people who reported experiencing a medical error, 40 percent said the error was a misdiagnosis. Dermatologists may unknowingly be contributing to that statistic, as some skin ailments may exhibit symptoms similar to a rare form of lymphoma called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or CTCL.  CTCL is estimated to affect 16,000 to 20,000 people across the U.S. and approximately 2,500 to 3,000 new patients are diagnosed every year. It can cause visible skin symptoms as mild as a small rash or as severe as tumors, extensive redness, peeling, burning, soreness and itchiness all over the body. The illness can be hard to detect and diagnose, as it shares the same symptoms as other more common skin diseases. The scaly, itchy, red patches of CTCL are often mistaken by doctors as eczema or psoriasis.  Many patients are misdiagnosed and treated unsuccessfully for other disorders before receiving a correct diagnosis. In fact, it takes an average of seven years for patients to receive a correct diagnosis. “By the time patients are diagnosed with CTCL, they are often exhibiting visible and debilitating skin symptoms that impact daily activities that most of us take for granted,” says Dr. Francine Foss of Yale University. “Fortunately, treatment options like extracorporeal photopheresis exist, which can be a helpful treatment option for these patients.” Most CTCL treatments often suppress the immune system of these already-ill patients; they can also cause harsh side effects that contribute to the debilitating nature of these diseases. By comparison, ECP therapy helps to restore the body’s natural ability to maintain a balanced immune system by regulating the activity of overactive immune cells, involving the intravenous collection of white blood cells that are then treated with ECP and re-infused into the body. And patients may stay on the treatment for an extended period of time and have shown no increased risk of opportunistic infections, relapse, or development of secondary malignancies. In the U.S., Therakos currently markets the only approved integrated systems for ECP, which can result in outcomes such as decreased itching and redness, as well as noticeable or complete clearing of the skin. If you’re affected by CTCL, talk to your doctor about whether this treatment option may be right for you. To read about the experiences of patients, caregivers and health care professionals impacted by CTCL and using ECP as a treatment method, visit www.lightinguplives.com.

Un tema muy importante es promovido por la Cámara de Comercio local. Ante el auge que vive esta región sur de Texas debido a la explotación de pozos petroleros, la Cámara de Comercio de Eagle Pass esta promoviendo una presentación por parte de una empresa que ofrece asesoría para propietarios de terrenos donde existen yacimientos o reservas de gas o de petróleo. En el Condado de Dimmitt y La Salle se vive un boom petrolero, pero también se extenderá a una parte del condado de Maverick, y los dueños de terreno podrían hacer gran negocio. Sandra Martinez, directora de la Cámara de Comercio en Eagle Pass, informó que la empresa privada realizará la presentación durante el desayuno comunitario que esta programado para llevarse a cabo el próximo miércoles 19 de diciembre, a las 8 de la mañana en un restaurante de la calle Bibb. Comentó que expertos en estos temas darán información sobre los beneficios y las desventajas que puede encontrar el propietario de un terreno cuando hace un acuerdo o contrato con empresas petroleras. Además los asesores darán recomendaciones sobre como sacar la mejor ventaja en un acuerdo con empresas petroleras o mineras. Este es el ultimo desayuno comunitario del año por parte de la Cámara de Comercio.