Latest news with #Ridlon
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
U of I researchers link bacteria to prostate cancer growth
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — A study 10 years in the making has helped University of Illinois researchers link urinary tract bacteria to prostate cancer. The study was led by Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) member and Associate Professor of Animal Sciences Jason Ridlon. Ridlon found that bacteria in the urinary tract can turn corticosteroids, a kind of medicine, into hormones that help prostate cancer grow. Charles Isbell one step closer to assuming role as U of I Chancellor According to the Cleveland Clinic, corticosteroids can treat many causes of inflammation in your body and are a manufactured version of cortisol, a hormone the body naturally produces. Corticosteroids are often prescribed for conditions like lupus, asthma and carpal tunnel syndrome, among other conditions. The CCIL said the researcher's work studying the link between urinary tract bacteria and prostate cancer began in 2015. Ridlon hypothesized that bacteria found in the gut and urinary tract may be related to hormone-driven cancer. 'When we obtained our first isolate that generated androgens, we thought, 'Eureka!' The hypothesis has some plausibility,' Ridlon said. In hormone therapy, also called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), the number of male hormones, known as androgens, is reduced, to stop them from increasing prostate cancer cell growth. But during the study, the researchers found that bacteria converted drugs used in androgen-deprivation therapy into androgens, which stimulated cancer cell growth. Cancer survivors get together to celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day During the study, the team worked to grow diverse bacteria and secure funding. They identified two bacterial genes (desF and desG) which make hormone-like compounds. And, they found that a hormone called epitestosterone, which once was largely considered to help block cancer, actually caused prostate cancer cells to grow. They also studied a bacteria called Propionimicrobium lymphophilum, linked to prostate cancer, which may help produce androgens. 'Bacteria in our bodies are an overlooked part of our hormone system,' Ridlon said. Joseph Irudayaraj, professor of bioengineering and CCIL Associate Director of Shared Resources, developed the microbial bead technology used in the experiments. UIUC researcher creates technology to detect cancers faster 'When we developed the microbial bead technology, we did not realize the broad impact of its applications,' Irudayaraj said. 'Saeed Ahmad, a bioengineering doctoral student in our team, however, was instrumental in extending the methods to encapsulate anaerobic bacteria in the beads – this formed the basis for all co-culture studies to assess the role of these class of microbes on prostate cancer proliferation.' Now, the team is building on their research. Ridlon's Sterolbiome Lab focuses on how microbes affect steroid hormones, which could help find drugs that block harmful bacterial hormones. Irujayaraj added that the work on prostate cancer can be extended to other hormonal cancers, such as breast cancer. And the researchers said that the team is mapping additional bacterial pathways that metabolize steroids. Initial funding came from the CCIL. The team also received funds from the National Cancer Institute, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and the Department of Defense. Karen Sfanos, a Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University, collaborated with the team on the study. The research was published in Nature Microbiology. You can read more about it here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RI lawmakers look to tackle rising climate change costs
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Major weather events are costing Americans and insurance companies millions of dollars. Ian Ridlon, the executive director and president of the Rhode Island Interlocal Risk Management Trust, spoke to the R.I. House's Climate Change Impacts Commission about those rising costs on Wednesday. The commission is studying the impacts of climate change in hopes of finding solutions to minimize those effects. ALSO READ: RI Beach Erosion Commission considering solutions as state loses 2 feet of land each year The trust is a risk-sharing organization created in 1986 that has responded to many public-sector disaster claims. Ridlon told state lawmakers about the different types of assistance the trust offers for businesses, towns and cities though a self-insurance pool. Rhode Island's geographical risk has increased, as Ridlon noted that there have been several million-dollar responses locally over the last 15 years. For example, the catastrophic floods of 2010 that devastated parts of Cranston, Warwick and West Warwick caused more than $20 million being paid out for flood losses. PHOTOS: Looking back at the 2010 floods Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy collectively led to more than $3 million in covered losses. More recently, the Nor'easter in January 2024 led to $1.3 million in losses. 'The burden of being in the trust is much less than it would be otherwise, but is it going to continue to be an expense to taxpayers ultimately to pay higher and higher and higher premiums,' Ridlon said. Ridlon said promoting infrastructure evaluations is one way to mitigate future risk when it comes to impactful weather as many of the state's municipal buildings, including schools, are in need of renovations, causing premiums to go up. NEXT: DEM says climate change pushing some marine species out of Narragansett Bay 'If we could say ideally, let's make everything nice and new and neat, and buttoned up, I think the costs of the insurance would come down precipitously,' Ridlon noted. 'But we just don't have that.' The trust is currently working on multiple infrastructure improvement projects including flood-proofing the Scarborough Wastewater Treatment facility. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
