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Finding the genetic causes of a rare cancer affecting the kidney

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Finding the genetic causes of a rare cancer affecting the kidney

An international team led by researchers at the British Wellcome Sanger Institute has revealed a new drug target that could act as an alternative treatment for kidney cancer if doctors don’t recommend surgery. According to the results of a study published in the journal Nature Communications (Monday), this rare cancerous form of kidney tumor is called Renin tumor, and its complete genetic code has been understood for the first time.

Reninoma is one of the rarest cancers in humans, with only about 100 cases reported worldwide. Although it can usually be treated with surgery, it can cause severe high blood pressure and develop into malignant tumors that can spread.

There are still no medical treatments for kidney tumors, as treatment management only involves surgery. Before the results of the latest study came out, it was not known what genetic error caused these types of tumors.

Reninoma is one of the rarest cancerous tumors in humans (Public Domain).

According to the study’s co-principal investigator, Dr. Sam Bagadi, Wellcome Senior Research Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute: “The significance of our results is that we have succeeded in discovering the essence of this type of tumor. Based on the fact that it is so rare, there have been no previous studies on it.

He added to Asharq Al-Awsat: “Not only have we been able to understand the genetic code of a kidney tumor, but we have also shown that drugs can counteract what triggers it, and this may be important for patients whose tumors cannot be removed. through surgery.”

Researchers have identified a specific error in the genetic code of a known cancer gene called NOTCH1, which is behind the development of this rare cancer.

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“This is the first time we have identified the causes of kidney tumors, and we believe our work will continue to pave the way for new treatments,” said lead study author Taryn Trescher at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

The team has already studied two cancer samples, one from a young adult and the other from a child, using advanced genetic techniques. Their findings suggest that existing drugs that actually target this gene could be used as a potential solution for treating kidney tumors in patients for whom surgery is not a viable option.

Dr Tansina Chowdhury, lead researcher on the study at Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK, explained: “Rare forms of kidney cancer known as renal tumors do not respond to traditional anti-cancer treatments. “Currently the only known treatment is surgery.” She added: “There is a specific, well-known gene that drives this rare cancer. Our study shows that the studied gene has “If we use drugs that are already known to affect this gene, we can deal with it without the need for invasive medical technology like surgery.”

Here Bahjati said: “Rare cancers are a huge challenge for research and analysis. Patients with other types of tumors may not benefit from them. “But here is a powerful example of cutting-edge science that is changing our understanding of an extremely rare type of tumor: a discovery that could have immediate clinical benefits for patients.” He added: “We will continue to study these extremely rare tumors to understand their genetic code, which we hope will reveal more new therapeutic approaches.”

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After trying it…new anti-obesity drug alert

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After trying it…new anti-obesity drug alert

However, Pfizer announced its intention to develop a modified version of the drug “Danoglipron”.

This drug belongs to a new class of successful treatments based on a component such as the gastrointestinal hormone glucagon or GLP-1 (GLP-1).GLP-1This leads to a feeling of fullness and weight loss.

“Danoglibron” differs from competing drugs already on the market in that it is not given by injection, but is given orally in the form of tablets.

During the clinical trial, Pfizer tested taking these pills twice a day, but said it wanted to focus on a new once-a-day formulation.

The clinical trial included a few hundred obese participants without type 2 diabetes.

Pfizer explained that the side effects in this trial were similar to those that can occur with this type of drug, but “it is noteworthy that their rates were high” because “cases of nausea reached 73 percent, vomiting reached 47 percent, and diarrhea reached 25 percent.”

More than half of the participants who received this drug discontinued treatment.

However, “Danoglipro” has been shown to lead to weight loss between 8 percent and 13 percent over 32 weeks or between 5 percent and 9.5 percent over 26 weeks.

A report quoted Pfizer senior executive Michael Tolston as confirming that “an improved once-daily formulation of tanoglipron could play an important role in the treatment of obesity.”

The highly lucrative anti-obesity drug market is currently dominated by the Danish “Novo Nordisk” group with its drug “Vecovi” and the American “Eli Lilly” company “Zebound”. America last month.

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5 Foods That Can Help You Stay Positive and Fight Depression, Especially Eggs

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5 Foods That Can Help You Stay Positive and Fight Depression, Especially Eggs


By Anas al-Banna

Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 12:00 AM

With winter approaching and the seasons fluctuating, many are depressed, especially by things including rain and lack of sunrise, the website says “Health scenesWe show how diet can improve mental health and which foods can help manage it Depression By improving a person’s mood.

The connection between food and your mood

If you eat healthy, you will be healthy; Otherwise, you will have health problems, and when it comes to mental health, nutrition plays an important role.

Foods that help fight depression

Add these foods to your diet to fight depression:

1. Walnut

Walnuts are one of the most important nuts for brain health because they help improve cognitive health. Their high levels of antioxidants and vitamins improve mental alertness and fight depression..

2. Avocado

Avocados contain healthy fats that help improve cognitive function, memory, and concentration. Apart from that, avocados also contain tryptophan, which helps increase levels of serotonin, which is associated with the hormone of happiness.

3. Berry

The high levels of antioxidants in berries help protect the brain from stress, anxiety and depression, and have been shown to improve mood and cognition..

4. Broccoli

Broccoli helps keep the memory sharp due to its high amount of choline, and helps reduce depression and support a good mood. .

5. Eggs

Eggs are rich in choline, which is one of the most important neurotransmitters in managing stress and depression..



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The World Health Organization has tracked the BA.2.86 strain and classified it as “of concern”.. What is the reason?

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The World Health Organization has tracked the BA.2.86 strain and classified it as “of concern”.. What is the reason?

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — The World Health Organization has classified the BA.2.86 coronavirus variant and its mutations as “of concern,” although the risk posed by the strain, the organization said, remains low.

The organization had previously tracked this mutant as “under surveillance.”

XBB.1.5, XBB.1.6 and EG.5 are other variants classified as “interesting”. There are no current variations of the concern, which is the highest classification in the company.

BA.2.86 first appeared in the United States in August and is considered the third most common variant, responsible for 1 in 11 new cases of “Covid-19” and prevention. According to the agency’s monitoring, although the growth of the strain was exaggerated in the first few weeks after its emergence, the rate of spread seems to have tripled in the last two weeks.

But if BA.2.86 is not that important, why is WHO updating it?

“We have seen a slow and steady increase in its detection around the world,” explained Dr. Maria van Kerkov, technical lead for COVID-19 at the World Health Organization, in a video circulated on social media. He continued: “By describing it as a variant of interest, it helps strengthen the surveillance of this type of variant around the world and prompts research to understand whether it causes more severe disease or is more immune evasive.

Slow growth

BA.2.86, called Pirola by some virus watchers, sparked a wave of research when it came to the world’s attention this summer because it shared many of the characteristics that led to the spread of the original Omicron strain’s BA.1 variant. The coronavirus, and its rapid spread, has led to… increasing hospitalizations and deaths worldwide.

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With more than 30 mutations in its spike proteins, BA.2.86 is genetically different from previous mutations of the virus responsible for Covid-19, which scientists fear could contribute to another pandemic by completely evading vaccine immunity.

However, the puzzle is that the BA.2.86 does not follow the same path as the Omicron. Some studies have shown that with the development of all its new mutations, this mutation has lost its ability to affect our cells, allowing their growth to slow down.

Other studies have shown that it does not completely evade the body’s immune system, and the current “Covid-19” vaccine, which has mechanisms to fight the XBB.1.5 mutant, provides some protection from it, which is good news.

But mutant hunters have tempered this hope, warning that the original virus BA.2.86 is still evolving and one of its variants could once again become a force to be reckoned with.

Computational virologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, USA. Jesse Bloom pointed out that, in fact, BA.2.86 is constantly evolving and sending mutations out into the world very quickly.

In a study conducted by researchers at Columbia University and China, Bloom pointed out that the JN.1 mutant has a change in its genetic code that helps it escape our immune defenses, although the difference is modest: the ability of our antibodies to neutralize the virus is reduced by about twofold.

However, this change was enough to give it a growth advantage over its predecessor.

“Based on the speed of its spread, we can see that the number of JN.1 is increasing faster than the original BA.2.86,” Bloom said.

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At the same time, the distantly related XBB family of viruses, which includes several fastidious and evasive strains such as HV.1, is expanding its range.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HV.1 is currently the dominant strain in the United States and causes disease in 1 in 3 new cases of COVID-19.

Lack of data Make predictions difficult

Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, said, “Many countries have seen an increase in cases overseas as PA2.86 and JN1 spread.

In Europe, this disease is associated with many countries, but in other countries it does not happen, what do we understand from that?

Europe is seen as a good barometer for what the coronavirus might do to the US, but immunity, behavior and surveillance vary from country to country, making it hard to know what will happen there.

A big problem is the lack of data, said Dr. Peter Hodes, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital who developed the Covid-19 vaccine.

“It’s harder than ever to know what’s going on because we’re not doing much monitoring anymore, so we have to rely on forecasts and a combination of factors like wastewater, hospitalizations and the percentage of positive cases,” Hatz explained.

However, Hotez noted that there is reason to be cautious in the coming weeks, given the signs we may see.

Hospitalization rates have started to rise again as the coronavirus recedes.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last week, more than 18,000 Americans were hospitalized due to Covid-19, an increase of about 10% from the previous week.

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Nationally, levels of coronavirus in wastewater are increasing and appear to be increasing, which could increase the number of cases.

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