Latest news with #UniversityofRochesterMedicalCenter
Epoch Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Sport Supplement Ingredient Linked to Leukemia Growth in Animal Study
Recent research reveals that taurine—a naturally occurring amino acid found in various foods and commonly included in energy drinks and dietary supplements—may inadvertently promote the growth of leukemia cells. This discovery raises concerns that products marketed to enhance energy levels could pose a risk to blood cancer patients during their treatment. 'Our work suggests that developing and testing effective inhibitors of the taurine transporter could lead to new therapeutic options for these deadly cancers,' said Jeevisha Bajaj, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Genetics at the University of Rochester Medical Center and lead study author. How Leukemia Cells Feed Themselves The study, published in Using genetically engineered mouse models, researchers mapped how the bone marrow environment changes during leukemia progression. They found that special bone-forming cells, called osteolineage cells, increase their production of taurine as the disease worsens—essentially feeding the very cancer cells trying to destroy them. The cancer cells rely on a specific transporter protein to grab taurine from the surrounding healthy tissue. Once inside the leukemia cells, taurine promotes glycolysis, the process cells use to convert glucose into energy—giving cancer cells the fuel they need to grow and multiply. Leukemia cells are unable to make taurine themselves, so they rely on a taurine transporter to grab taurine from the bone marrow environment and deliver it to the cancer cells, Bajaj told The Epoch Times. Related Stories 11/17/2024 1/7/2025 In lab experiments with mice and human leukemia samples, scientists were able to slow or block leukemia growth by preventing taurine from entering the cancer cells. Conversely, when they supplemented leukemia cells with extra taurine, tumor growth accelerated dramatically in mice. Clinical Implications The findings may carry immediate implications for the estimated 66,000 Americans Analysis of human tissue samples showed that patients with higher levels of the transporter protein had worse outcomes and greater resistance to treatment—particularly those with aggressive leukemia subtypes. Taurine supplements are commonly recommended to help cancer patients manage chemotherapy-related fatigue and other side effects. Energy drinks containing taurine are also popular among young adults, a demographic that includes many leukemia patients. 'Taurine supplements could significantly accelerate disease progression in immunocompetent mice,' the authors wrote. In mouse experiments, animals lacking the protein transporter lived 13.5 percent longer than control groups, demonstrating taurine's significant role in cancer progression. Dr. Hoda Pourhassan, a hematologist-oncologist at City of Hope in Newport Beach, California, who was not involved in the study, said the results warrant caution. 'It would be reasonable to limit the intake of taurine in leukemia patients specifically, or at least to thoughtfully consider risks versus benefits of its use.' A New Target for Treatment Researchers found that by blocking an enzyme that helps make taurine in bone cells, they could significantly lower taurine levels in the bone marrow. This, in turn, reduced the number of cells that drive the disease and cause relapses. 'The key takeaway from this study is that taurine can be used by leukemia cells to promote cancer progression,' Bajaj said. 'Developing new methods to block the cancer cells' ability to take in taurine may improve outcomes for leukemia patients.' Dr. Jane Liesveld, a Wilmot oncologist, emphasized in a Next Steps Researchers stress that their findings do not suggest taurine itself causes cancer or that consuming taurine-rich foods increases leukemia risk in healthy people. Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid that healthy adults can produce efficiently when needed, Pourhassan said. Unlike essential amino acids used to build proteins, taurine serves other cellular functions, and deficiencies are rare even with limited dietary intake. 'As a result, a 'taurine deficiency' isn't something we generally see even when limiting taurine intake.' However, Pourhassan cautioned that cancer biology remains complex. 'It would be great if the results of these studies could be streamlined to a simple 'this substance causes cancer' or 'this thing keeps cancer from happening,'' she said. 'But unfortunately, cancer—and specifically leukemia growth—is incredibly intricate and complex.' She added, 'As we continue to learn more, use of taurine-enriched products and supplementation should perhaps be implemented with thoughtfulness and caution.'
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Study shows how allergies differ in urban, rural children
New York: Scientists discovered that a previously uncharacterized subset of immune cells may play an important role in the development of allergy illnesses and explain disparities between urban and rural populations. The study sheds light on how the immune system develops in early life and why urban children are more prone to allergies than rural children. Led by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) Department of Pediatrics, including MD/PhD student Catherine Pizzarello and senior author Kirsi Jarvinen-Seppo, MD, PhD, the study uncovered a unique subpopulation of T cells known as helper 2 (Th2) cells with distinct molecular characteristics. T-cells are the foundational immune cells that fight off infections, but there is evidence that this specific subtype is recognizing certain foods as allergenic and attacking them, according to Jarvinen-Seppo. "These pro-allergic T cells are more inflammatory than anything previously described in this context," said Jarvinen-Seppo, chief of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology at UR Medicine Golisano Children's Hospital. "They were found more frequently in urban infants who later developed allergies, suggesting they may be a predictive biomarker or even a mechanistic driver of allergic disease." The study compared blood samples from urban infants with those from infants in a farming community, specifically the Old Order Mennonites (OOM) of New York's Finger Lakes region--known for their low rates of allergies. Researchers found that while urban infants had higher levels of the aggressive Th2 cells, OOM infants had more regulatory T cells that help keep the immune system in balance and reduce the likelihood of allergic responses. While additional research is needed to identify a possible cause, Jarvinen-Seppo speculates that differences in the development of the gut microbiome between the two populations, and more exposure to "healthy" bacteria in rural children, may be a factor. "The farming environment, which is rich in microbial exposure, appears to support the development of a more tolerant immune system. Meanwhile, the urban environment may promote the emergence of immune cells that are primed for allergic inflammation," said Jarvinen-Seppo. The work is part of a broader, NIH-funded investigation into how early-life exposures influence long-term immune outcomes. In 2023, Jarvinen-Seppo's team received a $7 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to study environmental, microbiome, and immune differences between OOM and urban infants. The goal is to continue this foundational work to uncover protective factors that could be translated into preventive therapies, including probiotics or microbiome-supporting interventions. "If we can identify the conditions for this disparity between the different T cell subpopulations, we can potentially find solutions in allergic disease development," Jarvinen-Seppo said.
Observer
14-05-2025
- Health
- Observer
This kind of sleep is essential for a healthy brain
A good night's sleep isn't just about the number of hours you log. Getting quality sleep — the kind that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready for the day — is critical for a healthy brain. People with disturbed sleep, like insomnia or sleep apnea, have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with no sleep issues. Poor sleep can harm your brain in other ways, too. One study found that people in their 30s and 40s with heavily disrupted sleep (such as frequent awakenings or movements) were two to three times more likely to test lower in executive function, working memory, and processing speeds a decade or so later. Scientists think that deep sleep and rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep are particularly influential when it comes to brain health and dementia risk. A study published in March on people with deep sleep and REM deficiencies found that the subjects' brains showed signs of atrophy in MRI scans 13 to 17 years after the deficiencies were observed; the atrophy looked similar to what you'd find in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. What Scientists Know So Far When you're asleep, your brain continuously cycles through four distinct phases: Two stages of lighter sleep, when your body relaxes and your heart rate and temperature drop; deep sleep or slow wave sleep, when brain activity slows; and REM, when you typically dream. The brain generally takes about 90 minutes to cycle through all four stages and then restarts the process. Deep sleep and REM help your brain 'heal itself' from fatigue and stress and consolidate memories, said Matthew Pase, an associate professor at the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. In deep sleep, your brain regulates metabolism and hormones; it also acts as a 'rinse' for the brain, clearing out waste. REM is when your brain processes emotions and new information you picked up when you were awake. The two phases influence dementia risk in different ways, scientists think. As part of the rinsing process in deep sleep, your brain flushes out amyloid proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's. Years of interrupted deep sleep and incomplete flushing — known as glymphatic failure — could hasten the onset of dementia, said Dr. Maiken Nedergaard, a neurology professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center who researches the glymphatic system. Scientists understand less about how REM is tied to dementia risk, said Dr. Roneil Malkani, an associate professor of sleep medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. A 2017 study of more than 300 people over 60 found that a shorter amount of nightly REM sleep and taking longer to get to the REM phase in each sleep cycle were both predictors for dementia later in life. That could be because REM is 'vitally important' for storing and processing memories, and losing that capacity both weakens the brain's defenses against cognitive decline and can accelerate atrophy in parts of the brain that aren't used, said Pase, who co-wrote the study. It's also hard to tease out the 'chicken and egg' relationship between sleep and dementia, and whether poor sleep definitively causes it, Pase said. Adults (particularly women) naturally spend less time in deep and REM sleep as they age. Scientists already know that aging itself increases dementia risk, but dementia also tends to worsen sleep. It's possible the two processes 'compound each other,' he said. Tips for a Better Night's Sleep It's generally difficult to target individual stages of sleep for improvement, and as you get older, experts think it may be harder to change the brain's sleep cycles. But there's no downside to improving your sleep hygiene, which is an effective way to boost your sleep overall, including deep and REM sleep, Malkani said. Getting about seven hours of sleep a night is the easiest step you can take. That gives your brain enough time to cycle through its stages between four and seven times, he said. Research has shown that people who sleep six hours or less a night in their 50s, 60s and 70s have a 30% increased risk of dementia later in life, suggesting that it's never too late to improve your sleep, said Bryce Mander, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of California, Irvine. Having a consistent sleep and wake time can help you fall asleep more easily, said Zsófia Zavecz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Adaptive Brain Lab at the University of Cambridge. What's more, parts of the brain that are used heavily during the day tend to exhibit slower brain waves during sleep, so doing anything that 'meaningfully engages the brain for a while,' like learning a new skill, could exhaust certain parts and increase their need for restorative, slow-wave sleep, Zavecz said. Exercising can keep you mentally engaged and increase blood flow to the brain, which is helpful in glymphatic clearance, Nedergaard said. Minimizing stress also boosts the process, she added. So, how do you know if you're getting enough sleep? Wearable trackers or smartphone apps can estimate the amount of time you spend in each cycle, but Malkani said it's more helpful to ask yourself, 'How do I feel when I wake up?' And if you wake up in the middle of the night, ask, 'How long did it take me to fall back asleep?' In general, setting aside enough time to sleep is the best way to ensure your brain reaches deeper stages, and depending on deficits, it may spend more time in REM or deep sleep as it cycles, Pase said. 'Let the brain do its thing, and it will shuffle around as it needs,' he said. This article originally appeared in
CNA
04-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
This kind of sleep is essential for a healthy brain
A good night's sleep isn't just about the number of hours you log. Getting quality sleep – the kind that leaves you feeling refreshed and ready for the day – is critical for a healthy brain. People with disturbed sleep, like insomnia or sleep apnoea, have a higher risk of developing dementia than those with no sleep issues. Poor sleep can harm your brain in other ways, too. One study found that people in their 30s and 40s with heavily disrupted sleep (such as frequent awakenings or movements) were two to three times more likely to test lower in executive function, working memory and processing speeds a decade or so later. Scientists think that deep sleep and rapid eye movement (or REM) sleep are particularly influential when it comes to brain health and dementia risk. A study published last month on people with deep sleep and REM deficiencies found that the subjects' brains showed signs of atrophy in MRI scans 13 to 17 years after the deficiencies were observed; the atrophy looked similar to what you'd find in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. WHAT SCIENTISTS KNOW SO FAR When you're asleep, your brain continuously cycles through four distinct phases: Two stages of lighter sleep, when your body relaxes and your heart rate and temperature drop; deep sleep or slow wave sleep, when brain activity slows; and REM, when you typically dream. The brain generally takes about 90 minutes to cycle through all four stages and then restarts the process. Deep sleep and REM help your brain 'heal itself' from fatigue and stress and consolidate memories, said Matthew Pase, an associate professor at the School of Psychological Sciences at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. In deep sleep, your brain regulates metabolism and hormones; it also acts as a 'rinse' for the brain, clearing out waste. REM is when your brain processes emotions and new information you picked up when you were awake. The two phases influence dementia risk in different ways, scientists think. As part of the rinsing process in deep sleep, your brain flushes out amyloid proteins that are a hallmark of Alzheimer's. Years of interrupted deep sleep and incomplete flushing – known as glymphatic failure – could hasten the onset of dementia, said Dr Maiken Nedergaard, a neurology professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center who researches the glymphatic system. Scientists understand less about how REM is tied to dementia risk, said Dr Roneil Malkani, an associate professor of sleep medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. A 2017 study of more than 300 people over 60 found that a shorter amount of nightly REM sleep, and taking longer to get to the REM phase in each sleep cycle, were both predictors for dementia later in life. That could be because REM is 'vitally important' for storing and processing memories, and losing that capacity both weakens the brain's defenses against cognitive decline and can accelerate atrophy in parts of the brain that aren't used, said Dr Pase, who co-wrote the study. It's also hard to tease out the 'chicken and egg' relationship between sleep and dementia, and whether poor sleep definitively causes it, Dr Pase said. Adults (particularly women) naturally spend less time in deep and REM sleep as they age. Scientists already know ageing itself increases dementia risk, but dementia also tends to worsen sleep. It's possible the two processes 'compound each other,' he said. TIPS FOR A BETTER NIGHT'S SLEEP It's generally difficult to target individual stages of sleep for improvement, and as you get older, experts think it may be harder to change the brain's sleep cycles. But there's no downside to improving your sleep hygiene, which is an effective way to boost your sleep overall, including deep and REM sleep, Dr Malkani said. Getting about seven hours of sleep a night is the easiest step you can take. That gives your brain enough time to cycle through its stages between four and seven times, he said. Research has shown that people who sleep six hours or less a night in their 50s, 60s and 70s have a 30 per cent increased risk of dementia later in life, suggesting that it's never too late to improve your sleep, said Bryce Mander, an associate professor of psychiatry and human behaviour at the University of California, Irvine. Having a consistent sleep and wake time can help you fall asleep more easily, said Zsofia Zavecz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Adaptive Brain Lab at the University of Cambridge. What's more, parts of the brain that are used heavily during the day tend to exhibit slower brain waves during sleep, so doing anything that 'meaningfully engages the brain for a while,' like learning a new skill, could exhaust certain parts and increase their need for restorative, slow-wave sleep, Dr Zavecz said. Exercising can keep you mentally engaged and increase blood flow to the brain, which is helpful in glymphatic clearance, Dr Nedergaard said. Minimising stress also boosts the process, she added. So how do you know if you're getting enough sleep? Wearable trackers or smartphone apps can estimate the amount of time you spend in each cycle, but Dr Malkani said it's more helpful to ask yourself, 'How do I feel when I wake up?' And if you wake up in the middle of the night, ask 'How long did it take me to fall back asleep?' In general, setting aside enough time to sleep is the best way to ensure your brain reaches deeper stages – and depending on deficits, it may spend more time in REM or deep sleep as it cycles, Dr Pase said. 'Let the brain do its thing, and it will shuffle around as it needs,' he said.
National Geographic
13-02-2025
- Health
- National Geographic
Your brain ‘washes' itself at night. Sleep aids may get in the way.
To be human is to sleep. You spend roughly a third of your life in slumber—but your body doesn't simply flip an 'off' switch for all these hours. Your brain, in particular, carries out a long housekeeping list when the lights go out. One of these tasks is known as 'brainwashing,' in which your glymphatic system, an intricate network of vessels, clears toxic waste from the brain—including amyloid-beta and tau, proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard, co-director of the Center for Translational Neuromedicine and professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, says she and her colleagues didn't fully understand what powered this process back in 2012 when they first highlighted the significance of brainwashing. (Is sleeping on your stomach or back better? Here are some bedtime myths, debunked.) Now, they believe they've connected the dots in a new study published in the journal Cell—which also details their discovery that a common sleep aid may suppress your brain's ability to carry out this important task.
