After taking MBP Oncology course and learning about cancer survival rates and recurrences, I realized that there is pretty much no effective treatment for cancer (I guess I had a very naïve view of this disease for a scientist). I study replication of DNA, so most of the reagents that I am using [...]]]>

After taking MBP Oncology course and learning about cancer survival rates and recurrences, I realized that there is pretty much no effective treatment for cancer (I guess I had a very naïve view of this disease for a scientist). I study replication of DNA, so most of the reagents that I am using are potential carcinogens. Also, throughout my undergraduate and graduate studies I heard about a number of professors who developed cancer. So it looks like I am at a greater risk of developing a cancer than a person who works outside of a research field. Since there is no cure for cancer, the best solution is prevention.

Botanical and nutritional compounds have been used for the treatment of cancer throughout history and may be useful in the cancer prevention. Population studies suggest that high consumption of vegetables and fruits is associated with a reduced risk of cancer. Numerous fruits, vegetables and berries contain cancer chemopreventive compounds. Cabbage, garlic, tomatoes and barriers are some of the examples (see Table 1 for more details).

Several lead compounds, such as genistein from soybeans, lycopene from tomatoes, brassinin from cruciferous vegetables, sulforaphane from asparagus, indole-3-carbinol from broccoli, and resveratrol from grapes and peanuts are in preclinical or clinical trials for cancer chemoprevention ¹. This gives us another reason to include as many fruits and vegetables in our diet as possible. I would like to provide more details on the cancer fighting compounds found in foods and I will start with my favourite vegetable (which is according to scientific classification is actually a fruit)  – tomato.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes contain lycopene which is an antioxidant compound that gives tomatoes and certain other fruits and vegetables their color. The antioxidant activity of lycopene is twice that of beta carotene. The observational case-control studies showed that the risk for some types of cancer is lower in people who have higher levels of lycopene in their blood ². However, there are other studies that saw no effect.

Since tomatoes also contain vitamins, potassium, and other carotenoids and antioxidants, it may be that other compounds in tomatoes may account for some of the protective effects first thought to be due to lycopene.

To test whether lycopene is responsible for cancer fighting capabilities of tomatoes, one animal study compared lycopene supplements to powdered tomatoes. The rats that received tomato powder had much lower cancer risk, whereas the rats receiving lycopene supplements did not differ significantly from the group that received no special supplements ³.

While the researchers are trying to figure out what is the substance responsible for the cancer fighting power of tomatoes, we can include this vegetable in our daily diet and enjoy its taste and health benefits.

References

¹ Gullett, N. P. et al. Cancer prevention with natural compounds. Semin Oncol 37, 258-281, doi:S0093-7754(10)00093-X [pii]

10.1053/j.seminoncol.2010.06.014.

² Park, E. J. & Pezzuto, J. M. Botanicals in cancer chemoprevention. Cancer Metastasis Rev 21, 231-255 (2002).

³ Boileau, T. W. et al. Prostate carcinogenesis in N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (NMU)-testosterone-treated rats fed tomato powder, lycopene, or energy-restricted diets. J Natl Cancer Inst 95, 1578-1586 (2003).

Also:

http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/DietandNutrition/lycopene

Long time ago I realized that by changing our diet we could solve many health problems. So, despite the disapproval of my family, I slowly started to change my diet and healthy eating has become my hobby.  Currently, I am a pescaterian, which means that my diet consists of plant food as well [...]]]>

Long time ago I realized that by changing our diet we could solve many health problems. So, despite the disapproval of my family, I slowly started to change my diet and healthy eating has become my hobby.  Currently, I am a pescaterian, which means that my diet consists of plant food as well as fish. This way I eliminate from my diet the hormones and antibiotics that come with meat. Yeas, I know that many fish have high levels of mercury and PCB, as well as cholesterol and fat, but I am not ready to say “no” to it yet.

Recently, I came across a lecture by Dr. Michael Klaper who is a family physician that implements nutritionally-based therapies in his practice to treat patients with cardiovascular diseases, obesity and adult onset diabetes.  My MSc. research uses atherosclerosis as a disease model and I have read quite a lot on this topic. However, I had no idea how the arteries of the person who is having a bypass surgery look on the inside and I was shocked to see so much fat! Most people know about the dangers of fatty foods but not all realize the extent of it. Also, some products we don’t even view as harmful but in reality they are. For these reasons, I decided to share this video with you. Dr. Klaper has an excellent presentation style and sense of humour. I hope you will like this one!

Simon Xie’s latest post on the MaRS blog covers a topic that has been discussed here at mbpgsu.ca in various occasions (type ‘career’ in the search box of this website). Not wanting to dedicate your life to research might be looked down upon, but let’s face it: the competition to become a [...]]]>

Simon Xie’s latest post on the MaRS blog covers a topic that has been discussed here at mbpgsu.ca in various occasions (type ‘career’ in the search box of this website). Not wanting to dedicate your life to research might be looked down upon, but let’s face it: the competition to become a PI it’s pretty steep! So if you dare to look about possible alternatives to academia, be not afraid because the options are there. Simon’s post illustrates some career alternatives and was inspired by the recent “Alternative Careers in Science Symposium“:

If, like me, you find something instinctively captivating about topics such as human cognition, or biochemical pathways or subatomic particles, chances are you’ve taken the long, arduous, academic path of becoming a scientist. Congratulations. I guess that means you’re either a researcher or a teacher… or does it?

What if what you want in your job doesn’t involve slaving away at a lab bench or scribbling on a blackboard. Do you have an exit strategy? Are there really alternate career paths that are right for you?

I recently attended the Alternative Careers in Science Symposium hosted by The Hospital for Sick Children, moderated by 2010 Premier’s Summit Award Winner, Dr. Janet Rossant. The array of experts there all started as researchers but ended up on different routes, the most dissimilar personalities of which included a patent agent, a global health program officer, a former consultant and an entrepreneur. While all of them brought their unique perspectives and experiences to the table and shared tips, there were some common themes. Entrepreneurs take note: some parallels can be drawn.

Think outside the box. When working in a lab for a number of years, it is almost impossible to exactly find a position that incorporates your specialized skills and research achievements in a non-related field. Solution: Don’t try to. Identify what your other strengths are, most important of which are transferable skills such as problem solving, time management and decision making.

Don’t be afraid to diversify your education. Consider programs that will complement your scientific background as opposed to reinforcing it. For example, pursuing an MBA or a program in journalism are excellent portals to fields that can utilize personnel versed in the scientific tongue.

Networking is the key. While you might be able to find that perfect job description on your own, it doesn’t hurt to know someone that knows someone who knows about a potential opportunity. It doesn’t need to be scary. Professional networking can take many forms: from a simple chat in front of Tim Horton’s to connecting via Facebook — done tastefully, of course.

Be persistent and stay persistent. You will fail. Most likely quite frequently. It’s all a matter of how you deal with failure, denial or rejection and identify what could be better. Most of the time, it’s out of your control, so don’t take it personally. Try, try again.

Ride the wave. When people comment on how they got their amazing position, some will boil it down to “luck”. But luck doesn’t have to be a magical, arbitrary force. The amount of opportunity is related to your expertise and whether it’s in demand. One presenter attributed his hiring to funding for and political interest in the Human Genome Project back in 2003. Following social trends and anticipating where expertise will be required is part of making your own luck.

Have a (career) map. It’s relatively easy to alter your mindset and conclude what your end goal is going to be. But while you can fall in love with the idea of transitioning from researcher to a scientific writer, the path getting there may not be as trivial as you expect. Take the time and make a map of what requirements, hurdles and personal milestones are involved so you can be prepared and stay on track.

[from: MaRS Blog]

With approximately 7,000 new HIV infections occurring on a daily basis, the AIDS pandemic is easily the worst pandemic the human race has ever faced. And though anti-retroviral drugs have helped stave off soaring death rates and have led to a better quality of life for many patients infected with HIV, there are [...]]]>

With approximately 7,000 new HIV infections occurring on a daily basis, the AIDS pandemic is easily the worst pandemic the human race has ever faced. And though anti-retroviral drugs have helped stave off soaring death rates and have led to a better quality of life for many patients infected with HIV, there are many problems that scientists face when dealing with this debilitating disease. Most notably is the ingenuity of the virus itself. Once one becomes infected with the HIV virus, the virus has the ability to insert a copy of its genetic material into the hosts’ DNA. What this means is that even though retroviral drugs can help to severely diminish the levels of virus in a patient’s bloodstream, the virus itself is still completely concealed within the patient’s cells. The virus very simply is always able to make new virus particles, with no worry of ever being destroyed.

But can we target this virus on a genetic level? Though once thought improbable, many researchers now believe that this is the only way to truly eradicate the disease. Recently, some major steps have been taken towards making this pipe dream a reality. In a paper by David DiGiusto et al. (Science Trans Med, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3000931, 2010), the researchers isolated white blood cell progenitor cells from HIV-infected patients, and added genes to the cells in vitro that are known to make it more difficult for the virus particles to grow. The RNA-based anti-HIV moieties in question are tat/rev shRNA, TAR decoy, and CCR5 ribozyme, but you need not worry about the names of these three genes (if you are interested in the specifics, then I suggest reading the paper in question). What does matter is simple: these genes destroy the activity of the virus by either deactivating it or by acting as decoys during assembly of the virus. Once the cells were transduced with these three genes, they were introduced back into the respective patients, and they were followed up for several years. The results are quite staggering: two years after re-introduction of the progenitor cells, each of the 7 patients still have detectable amounts of the re-introduced cells in their bodies. Once thought impossible, these researchers have now shown that not only is genetic modification of progenitor cells in the human body possible, but also that it’s possible to help our bodies defend ourselves from debilitating diseases.

These results are obviously very preliminary, and the next step is to scale up this study to a very large population of patients. But the questions raised by this study are not only promising but thought-provoking. Could this possibly lead to a cure for AIDS? How many other genetic diseases could be treated this way? Or more specifically, how many other genetic diseases are amenable to this type of treatment? Diseases such as cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease spring to mind, along with many others. Though honest-to-goodness cures may not be directly around the corner, one thing’s for sure: I’ll be following the progress of this study with great enthusiasm.

The long May weekend is over, and looking towards the next three months finding motivation to be productive during those long sunny days is going to be an enormous task. Last summer, I was able to be relatively productive (there is always room for improvement!), by following these suggestions from The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide, an [...]]]>

The long May weekend is over, and looking towards the next three months finding motivation to be productive during those long sunny days is going to be an enormous task. Last summer, I was able to be relatively productive (there is always room for improvement!), by following these suggestions from The All-But-Dissertation Survival Guide, an online newsletter available through www.abdsurvivalguide.com:

Don’t Waste Your Summer!
By Gina J. Hiatt, Ph.D.
===========================
Ahhhhh. The summer break. So much more free time! I’ll really get a lot done on my dissertation. Sound familiar? It’s a universal belief. Free time = get more accomplished. Too bad it’s not always true. What are the reasons that free time doesn’t necessarily lead to productivity? Let’s look at it step by step. Here is a typical scenario – OK, maybe it’s slightly exaggerated.

Day 1.  You sit down in front of the computer. You think about how much writing you need to do. It’s almost overwhelming. So you check your email. A friend calls, and you meet him for lunch. Soon the day is shot. It doesn’t matter; there’s a whole summerahead.

Day 2-30.  Repeat versions of Day 1.

Day 31.  You have begun to be nervous. A month has passed and you’ve barely gotten anything done. You resolve to put in at least 4 solid hours of writing a day. Starting tomorrow.

Day 32.  Just thinking about those 4 hours of writing makes you ill. You end up playing solitaire on the computer, cleaning your closet, and hating yourself.

Day 33.  Someone asks you how the dissertation is going, and you realize you want to punch them. Why do people keep asking you that?  Are they trying to torture you? You no longer feel as carefree and optimistic about finishing. The burden of getting something done feels so pressing that it causes you to procrastinate further. Your procrastination lowers your self-esteem. “After all,” says your completely logical mind, “with all this time available, I really should have gotten substantial work done.”

Before you find yourself in this nightmarish scenario, here are some tips that will not only help you make better use of your time, but allow you to enjoy your free time without guilt.

1. Make a list of the big projects you want to accomplish during this summer, and then break them into smaller tasks.

2. Select what you will work on in the upcoming week. Don’t set unrealistically high goals for yourself – this only results in discouragement. Contrary to logic, taking the excessive internal pressure off tends to allow you to accomplish more.

3. The day before, write down what you will start with the next day.  It’s always easier to plan what you will work on before you sit down to do it.

4. Schedule your work periods in small blocks of time; as short as 15 minutes may be needed to get you started.

5. Write every day. Spend at least 10 minutes per day just writing.  If you are in the very initial stages of an idea, do some free writing. If you are at the editing stage, edit for at least 10 minutes every day. There is nothing more important than this writing habit in keeping you feeling fresh and on top of your work.

6. At the end of each work period, make a note as to what you will do when you start up the next time.

7. Use your favorite activities as rewards.  If looking at email relaxes you, promise yourself you can look at it for 20 minutes after you have worked for 40.

If you miss a day or two, don’t be hard on yourself, and don’t decide to do extra work. This negative message will lead to more procrastination. Just start where you left off.

Finally, schedule your fun time and fully enjoy it. Feeling guilty never helped anyone write a better dissertation!

http://www.stemcellfoundation.ca/

Just a quick informational post guys. If you’re at all interested in: becoming a patent lawyer, business development professional, or even if you think you’ll need to apply for a patent one day there is a course being offered over at the National Council for Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET) website that [...]]]>

Just a quick informational post guys. If you’re at all interested in: becoming a patent lawyer, business development professional, or even if you think you’ll need to apply for a patent one day there is a course being offered over at the National Council for Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET) website that you might want to take. It’s relatively cheap for students ~$30 and starts on May 11th. Keep in mind it is specific to the US patent system – but let’s be realistic EVERYONE wants a US patent first (at least right now).

Topics covered:

Course name: Understanding patents and the patent process

Overview of patents
Drafting the application
Components of an application
Best practices (to retain patent rights and prove you were “first to invent”)
Valuation of patents, licensing, commercializing etc.

Check it out!

Link: NCET2

and in case that link doesn’t work, go here and look in the online webinars section.

“Medical school interviews are prone to subjective biases unrelated to the candidate such as the weather on interview day, according to a new Sunnybrook study.”

This is one of those studies that makes you question admission systems, but one soon realizes that human nature cannot be controlled. Therefore, is up to the policy and [...]]]>

“Medical school interviews are prone to subjective biases unrelated to the candidate such as the weather on interview day, according to a new Sunnybrook study.”

This is one of those studies that makes you question admission systems, but one soon realizes that human nature cannot be controlled. Therefore, is up to the policy and decision makers to mitigate the “human variable” and make sure the deserving candidates get in. The news actually came out several months ago, but I had forgotten to post it.

“We all know that mood changes people’s behaviour in diverse settings, from financial markets to romantic situations. This is the first time such factors have been shown to influence important decisions in medical care.” says Dr. Donald Redelmeier, staff physician and director of Clinical Epidemiology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
“We wanted to examine how mood can change decision making in health care and how it can potentially sway admissions to the University of Toronto Medical School, perhaps one of the most prestigious and impressive in North America,” says Dr. Redelmeier, also a professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto (U of T). “We tested whether health care professionals are vulnerable to temporary changes in mood related to rain, sleet, snow, and other adverse weather conditions.”
Published today in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), the study included all applicants to the University of Toronto medical school for the last six years, examining both interview scores and prevailing weather on the day of interview. Overall, this amounted to 2,926 interviews, of which about two thirds took place on sunny days and one third on rainy days. Each interview lasted about 30 minutes, involved multiple questions related to a medical career, and ended with the candidate receiving a confidential score.
The study found that the background characteristics for all candidates were generally outstanding. In addition, these characteristics were no different from those interviewed on sunny days compared to rainy days. However, interview scores were significantly lower on rainy days. The difference amounted to about an average one per cent decrease in score, which is about as important as a 10 per cent difference in formal Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores. This difference was equally large for senior interviewers and junior interviewers, and equally large for stronger and weaker candidates.
“This difference seems small,” says Dr. Redelmeier. “Yet it can make all the difference in the world since about one hundred candidates each year cluster within one percent of the admission cut off. For some individuals, this small difference can change a person’s life.” Dr. Redelmeier suggests that people be more aware of the effects of mood on all decisions. Calling attention to the rain, for example, makes people more aware of its presence and can attenuate its hidden influence on judgment.
The study was funded by the Canada Research Chair in Medical Decision Sciences.

[via Sunnybrook.ca]