Washington [US], February 13 (ANI): A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine can help gauge the effectiveness of therapy for colorectal cancer that has just begun to spread beyond the original tumour.
Cell Host & Microbe, the findings generate invaluable insight into how gut microbes break down processed foods and lower the risk of health conditions often associated with those foods, such as obesity and diabetes.
Microbes mitigate the effects of processed foods
When food is processed or cooked at high temperatures, a chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars leads to the formation of chemicals known as Maillard Reaction Products (MRPs). Depending on how the food was processed, MRPs can either be beneficial or toxic. With processed foods, it is often the case that the MRPs are toxic. Fructoselysine, for instance, a kind of MRP found in whey protein, has been linked to the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis, or the buildup of plaque along the arteries. If left unchecked, atherosclerosis raises the risk of heart disease and its complications.
Peter Harris
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine that could help guide treatment for colorectal cancer patients. Nadja Pejovic, a visiting medical student and co-first author of a study on the liquid biopsy, works with a sample in the lab of Aadel Chaudhuri, MD, the study s senior author.
A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis demonstrates that a liquid biopsy examining blood or urine can help gauge the effectiveness of therapy for colorectal cancer that has just begun to spread beyond the original tumor. Such a biopsy can detect lingering disease and could serve as a guide for deciding whether a patient should undergo further treatments due to some tumor cells evading an initial attempt to eradicate the cancer.
Albert H. Kim
Pictured are MRI scans of eight patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has mapped out detailed molecular and genetic schematics of these tumors, opening the door to potential improved therapies.
Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers. While rare compared with other cancers, it’s the most common type of brain cancer. Even with intensive therapy, relatively few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis, and fewer than 10% of patients survive beyond five years. Despite extensive studies focused on genomic features of glioblastoma, relatively little progress has been made in improving treatment for patients with this deadly disease.
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IMAGE: Pictured are MRI scans of eight patients with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. A new study led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has mapped out detailed. view more
Credit: ALBERT H. KIM
Glioblastoma is among the most aggressive and devastating of cancers. While rare compared with other cancers, it s the most common type of brain cancer. Even with intensive therapy, relatively few patients survive longer than two years after diagnosis, and fewer than 10% of patients survive beyond five years. Despite extensive studies focused on genomic features of glioblastoma, relatively little progress has been made in improving treatment for patients with this deadly disease.