Two components of red meat combined with alteration in DNA repair increase risk for bladder cancer

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Two components of red meat -- dietary protein and dietary iron -- may combine to form powerful carcinogens, N-nitroso compounds, which increase risk for bladder cancer. Moreover, individuals with reduced ability to reverse the effects of N-nitroso compounds because of a genetic variation in their RAD52 gene could be at particularly high risk.

Chelsea Catsburg, a doctoral student at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, presented these data at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Anaheim, Calif. Oct. 16-19, 2012.

Dietary protein is made up of amino acids, which can be naturally metabolized into biogenic amines, according to Catsburg. Research has shown that the processing and storage of meat increases amine concentrations. When these amines are in the presence of nitrites, they generate nitrosamines, which have carcinogenic properties. In addition, heme iron, found in red meat, has been shown to increase the formation of nitrosamines from amines.

"Nitrosamine formation occurs predominantly in the stomach and intestines, so these exposures have been studied extensively in relation to gastric cancer and somewhat in relation to colorectal cancer," Catsburg said. "However, there is evidence that these reactions also take place in the bladder, particularly in the presence of infection."

Catsburg and colleagues had previously found that meat groups with high heme and high amine concentrations, such as salami and liver, increased risk for bladder cancer. In this study, they examined whether genetic variation in DNA repair enzymes, available to correct the damage caused by these endogenously formed carcinogens, modified these associations.

The researchers tested 627 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in 27 genes involved in N-nitroso compound metabolism or DNA repair. They collected data from 355 bladder cancer cases and 409 controls in the Los Angeles Bladder Cancer Study.

"We found that a polymorphism in the RAD52 gene modified the effect of these exposures," Catsburg said. "This polymorphism is suspected to reduce the DNA repair activity of the RAD2 protein, and the association of these meat groups and bladder cancer risk was significantly higher in individuals with one or more copies of this polymorphism."

These results further support recommendations by the World Cancer Research Fund to limit red meat intake and to avoid processed meats to reduce risk for stomach and bowel cancer, according to the researchers.

"This study suggests that these exposures may also affect secondary organs such as the bladder," Catsburg said. "Individuals at risk for bladder cancer may wish to avoid intake of red and processed meats, especially if they have genetic polymorphisms that reduce DNA repair activity and make them more vulnerable to the effects of carcinogens."

Further replication of this study to support an association between heme and meat intake and the risk for bladder cancer is necessary, she added.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Three Singles Players and Two Doubles Pairs Advance at Northeast Regional

DRAWS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Columbia men's tennis team advanced three singles players and two doubles tandem Saturday at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships. 

In singles action, the eighth-seeded Ashok Narayana won a pair of matches Saturday. Narayana opened the day with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Robin Lessage from Binghamton. Narayana earned a spot in the fourth round after defeating Mike Lampa from St. John's, 6-4, 6-2.

Dragos Ignat also won a pair of matches Saturday to advance to the fourth round. Cornell's Quoc-Daniel Nguyen forced Ignat to three sets, but the first-year player came away with a well-earned 6-3, 0-6, 7-6 win. Ignat's third round opponent, Nikola Kocovic from Penn proved easier to defeat, falling 6-2, 6-4 to the Columbia freshman.

Winston Lin completed the trio of Columbia players advancing to the fourth round. Lin won two straight-set matches, defeating St. John's Valentin Mihai and Buffalo's Vuso Hove. 

On the doubles side, Ignat and partner Eric Rubin downed Morth and Mladenov from St. John's, 8-1. For Narayana and Max Schnur, Dartmouth's Kipouras and Nordahl were no match as the Columbia tandem capture an 8-2 victory.

View the original article here

Value of combined approach to quitting smoking confirmed

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2012) — Smokers who try to quit would be more successful if they combined medication or nicotine-replacement therapy with behavioral counseling, finds a new review in The Cochrane Library. Few lifestyle changes deliver as many positive health benefits as quitting smoking, including improved circulation, lowered blood pressure and a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease.

"Since we know that both types of treatment are effective, the assumption has certainly been that offering both will be better than offering either alone," said lead researcher Lindsay Stead of the department of primary health care sciences at the University of Oxford. She and her coauthor sought to confirm this observation by measuring the effects of combining behavioral and medication therapy versus no intervention or medication therapy alone. The reviewers pooled findings from 41 studies involving more than 20,000 smokers.

The review found that providing a combination of medication and behavioral therapy improved quit rates by as much as 70 to 100 percent compared to no treatment or minimal intervention. Behavioral therapy interventions typically included four to eight sessions with smoking cessation counselors or physicians. "Health care providers have an important role in convincing smokers of the importance of attempting to quit and making pharmacotherapy and behavioral support available," the researchers stated.

"Usual care in most health care systems for smoking cessation typically consists of brief pre-quit counseling, a recommendation to use, and possible provision of cessation medication, and a follow-up visit or phone call a few weeks later," said Stevens S. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention.

"For patients motivated to make a quit attempt, counseling and assistance with medications -- if medically appropriate -- should be provided," said Smith. "For patients not motivated to quit, the doctor should use motivational interventions. Another option is referral to tobacco quit lines, such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW, where smokers can receive free medication, counseling, and other support to quit smoking."

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health. The original article was written by Joan Vos MacDonald.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Lindsay F Stead, Tim Lancaster. Combined pharmacotherapy and behavioural interventions for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2012 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD008286.pub2

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Prolonged formula feeding, delay in solid foods was associated with increased risk for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Results of one study indicate that the risk for developing pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia increased the longer a baby was fed formula and the longer solid foods were delayed.

"For every month that a child was fed formula, taking into account other feeding practices, we found that the risk for this type of cancer was higher," said Jeremy Schraw, a graduate student at The University of Texas at Austin, who presented the findings of an epidemiological study at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held in Anaheim, Calif. Oct. 16-19, 2012. "If a baby is fed only formula, he or she will not be getting any immune factors from the mother, which could be leading to this greater risk."

Schraw and colleagues surveyed 284 controls and 142 children from the Texas Children's Cancer Center and the National Children's Study in Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas, who had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Compared with controls, children diagnosed with ALL started solid foods significantly later, more of their mothers smoked during pregnancy and they had a longer duration of formula feeding.

Researchers found that the risk for developing ALL increased by 16 percent for every month of formula feeding. In addition, for each month the introduction of solid foods was delayed, the risk increased by 14 percent.

"One explanation for this co-risk may be that it's the same effect being picked up twice," said Schraw. "Children being given solid foods later may be receiving formula longer." Future research should address the factors influencing prolonged formula feeding and delay in solid food introduction, according to the researchers.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here

Men�s Tennis to Play for Singles and Doubles Titles at ITA Northeast Regional

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Columbia men's tennis team will have an opportunity to capture both the singles and doubles titles at the ITA Northeast Regional Championships Tuesday.

Columbia's Winston Lin will face Princeton's Matija Pecotic in the finals after defeating St. John's Vasco Mladenov, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. Lin and Pecotic met earlier this fall at the NTC BJK Men's Collegiate Invitational, with Pecotic winning a close three-set match.

Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana continue their impressive fall, advancing to Tuesday's doubles final. Going up against Cornell's Fleck and Nguyen, Columbia's top doubles pair came away with an 8-6 victory to earn a spot in Tuesday's final. Yale's Powers and Hoffman will be across the net from Schnur and Narayana Tuesday morning when play begins at 9 a.m.

Tuesday will mark the first time in program history that Columbia will be represented in both the singles and doubles finals at the Northeast Regional. Both matches are slated to begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

View the original article here

Mike Waller Named John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game

NEW YORK - For his outstanding play in Columbia's homecoming game vs. Dartmouth, senior linebacker Mike Waller was named the John Toner Homecoming Player of the Game.

Waller was a force on defense, recording 12 solo tackles and nabbing an interception that helped keep Dartmouth scoreless in the first quarter.

The John Toner Columbia Homecoming Player of the Game award is presented annually to the Columbia Football player judged to be the most outstanding performer in Columbia's annual homecoming game.

A former assistant coach under Aldo "Buff" Donelli, Toner was a part of the coaching staff that guided Columbia to the Ivy League Championship in football in 1961.

Toner became head football coach at the University of Connecticut and was later the athletics director there.  He served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 1980-81, and went on to serve as president of the NCAA from 1983-85. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. 

It is because of his dedication and contributions to the sport of college football as a coach, athletics director and NCAA executive that Columbia Athletics is proud to present the John Toner Columbia Football Homecoming Player of the Game award.

View the original article here

Researchers study 'ACT TIL' approach to treating metastatic melanoma

ScienceDaily (Oct. 17, 2012) — Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have carried out a clinical trial in which patients with metastatic melanoma were given chemotherapy and an immunotherapy of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Tumor tissues were surgically removed from patients, minced and grown in culture. The treatment combined chemotherapy, then ACT with TIL, followed by interleukin-2 (IL-2). The combination therapy drew a high response rate from some patients.

The study appears in the October issue of the Journal of Immunotherapy.

"Our purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of performing TIL growth and the efficacy of ACT TIL therapy using techniques developed at the National Cancer Institute," said Amod Sarnaik, M.D., assistant member of the Cutaneous Oncology Department at Moffitt. "Combining chemotherapy with ACT and high dose IL-2 resulted in a 38 percent objective response rate in patients with metastatic melanoma."

"Although our clinical study successfully met its goal of demonstrating that ACT TIL therapy could be offered to advanced melanoma patients, strategies to improve on its feasibility and efficacy are under way," said Shari A. Pilon-Thomas, Ph.D., assistant member of the Immunology Program at Moffitt. "Combination therapies that enhance the proliferation and function of TIL are being explored."

A second-generation ACT TIL trial is enrolling patients at Moffitt.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Moffitt Cancer Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

View the original article here