Progress in Cancer Treatments

Vaccine again, I know crazy that they can do soooooo much. Read more below 🙂

WebMD has posted an article about an amazing new discovery. There has been a vaccine developed that is injected into malignant tumors. The vaccine would act as the host immune system. The vaccine is composed of things that trigger the immune system and this would make the cancer cells associated with the tumor recognizable for destruction by the immune system. They’re saying that when the vaccine is given into one of the cancerous tumors in a body, this sets the immune system up to destroy all other tumors caused by the same cancerous cells. The trial that was done to test the vaccine had 11 patients with lymphoma. The results were that 8 of them saw their tumor decrease and 6 of them slowed the progression of the cancer. Due to the success of the study, they are looking to expand into more types of cancer and see the effectiveness. The article mentions that previously, vaccines for cancer have targeted T cells in the immune system of the host, but this new vaccine targets dendritic cells, this way they can expand the immune army to combat more types of tumors. They are teaching the dendritic cells to recognize the cells causing the cancerous tumors, which in turn direct the T cells where to go and destroy using perforin and granzymes. Tumors are able to avoid the immune systems using various strategies, and a vaccine like this would redirect the immune system back to the cancerous tumors to destroy it and others in the body.

CNBC writes an article covering this new vaccine as well. hHowever, they do mention that even though it is called a vaccine, it is not preventative. We know cancer is not preventative to an extent, as it can be caused by many different factors.

The steps for the vaccine are as follows…

1. Inject tumor to recruit immune cells

2. Treat with radiation (low dosage)

3. Another injection to activate immune cells.

These steps have shown to successfully put a number of patients into remission. It is evident from reading these two articles that this is not yet a for sure treatment and only works on some people. I think the fact that it has successfully worked is amazing and has literally saved people’s lives. The cool part about it is that even if there are a bunch of tumors, this treatment can still work because of the memory component of the immune system. It is sad that treatments like this take so long to get out of the trial phases because then only certain people are able to have this chance, but also it is great because I am sure when this treatment becomes widely available, it will be very expensive and low-income people with cancer will not be able to afford it. Neither of the articles stated negative side effects from the treatments either, so even if it is not a guarantee, it may still be worth the try because it could save lives.

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/healthcare-medical-devices/global-cancer-vaccines-market

Info about the different types of cancer vaccines, the one discussed in my blog was a dendritic cell vaccine.

Syphilis Trumps the Immune Response

A wall may not be the solution here, I think it might be a vaccine!

Syphilis is a bacterial sexually transmitted disease that produces a number of signs and symptoms through its different stages. It is also a disease that has the ability to become latent. If you are to get syphilis, antibiotics are available, but some may not know they have it. In this case, if left untreated it it could lead to infertility, brain damage, and infection of the nervous system among many other things.

To prevent any of this occurring, usually one would get a vaccine, but unfortunately that is not an option in this case. Syphilis has always been a common STD, but thankfully rates have gone down significantly since the 1940s.

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona have a blog and they set out to provide awareness of Syphilis and answer whether there is a vaccine or not. The reason why a vaccine is so hard to make is because of the bacteria that causes Syphilis (Treponema pallidum) is very hard to grow in a tube. It can also outsmart the immune response very easily. This is one huge aspect of a vaccine, is to make our body produce an effective immune response to a bacteria, but if we cannot do that, a vaccine is not efficient. There was a study done where rabbits had over a dozen injections a week for 37 weeks. While this was effective, it may not be the most humane or viable way to produce a vaccine suitable for humans.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180612080020.htm Researchers from UConn found that strains of syphilis were only different by a couple genes. These genes were changing to avoid the immune response. A pattern still has not been found in how the genes are changing, making a vaccine very difficult to produce. They have been able to locate proteins that are not changing and attempting to use those in a vaccine for syphilis. They have also partnered with the University of North Carolina in getting patients to participate in research studies and the use of a new syphilis vaccine.

While a true, efficient vaccine for syphilis may be far away, with the collaborations between Universities and researchers across the globe, it may come sooner than we think. Humans have conquered and found solutions to many, many problems in just the last 10 years and I believe technology and knowledge is advancing at an insane rate. If only everyone found value in the right problems and wanted solutions to them

This meme is ABSURD, like who even makes this kind of stuff??? Who has the time? I am concerned, but yeah this is very not educational just thought I’d share. Also I could not get it to be smaller for some reason, I am sorry.

Thimerasol in Vaccines

Vaccines… again????? YES

THEY ARE IMPORTANT.

First reading this week’s blog prompt, I had no idea what Thimerosal was. Going to the Frequently Asked Questions section of the CDC webpage was about all I need to make a standpoint, but I guess some more research would not hurt. To start, Thimerosal is an organic compound commonly added to vaccines to lengthen their shelf life and prevent bacteria growth. Even though I’ve never heard of Thimerosal, it is not new and has been used in vaccines for over 70 years.

CDC says that people are concerned about it because it has mercury in it. While this is true, it is not the same mercury that is harmful to our bodies. However, even though there is research proving it is not harmful and definitely not linked to autism, it has not been used in vaccines in the US since 2001. Some kinds of flu vaccines have Thimerosal in them, but you can ask for a vaccine without it.

This leads into my discussion and what I gathered from reading this. I realized that Thimerosal is used for a reason. Even if you did get a slight rash or reaction from a vaccine with Thimerosal in it, that is so much better than literally dying from bacteria growth in the vaccine. This is especially important for global health. In the United States we are privileged when it comes to access to vaccines and treatments. In many places in the world, vaccines have to travel a very long way and withstand drastic temperatures. For these reasons, Thimerosal is so important and being able to choose whether you have a vaccine with it in it or not, is a very privileged lifestyle. We even live in a place where I feel it is a privilege to choose whether or not to vaccinate your kids or not. In third-world countries, parents may not have the resources to even make the decision to vaccinate their kids in order to save their lives. But parents in the US and other places basically make the decision for their kids to possibly die. In conclusion, Thimerosal is FDA approved  and has been thoroughly studied and proven not to cause anything more than a local hypersensitivity reaction.

Can’t have a vaccine blog without an anti-vax meme!

https://me.me/i/literally-no-one-anti-vaccine-moms-dyson-c8459d83b2be4b978d9b9d178007ffb3

Gon-or-rhea, Here We Go Again

^ Mamma Mia pun 😉

While vaccines have been developed for over a century, unfortunately no progress for gonorrhea has been made. Gonorrhea is a scary sexually transmitted disease resulting in discharge and painful urination. There are currently vaccines for HPV and Hep A and B, but that is about it.An article reviewed by Marcia Hobbs at UNC-CH for the Microbial Immunology Journal has revealed that a vaccine for gonorrhea may actually be possible. Studies conducted in Cuba, New Zealand and Canada have evidence of a vaccine that prevents “a significant proportion of gonorrhea.” The vaccine contains Group B Neisseria meningitides outer membrane vesicles. While I do not know fully what this means, I would like to assume it means the outer membrane vesicles of the bacteria that causes gonorrhea and that is Neisseria gonorrhoeae . In New Zealand where it was being used, it is now unavailable, but still being put into practice in several countries. While it does not completely prove to be useful in preventing gonorrhea as a whole, it has been speculated to decrease the prevalence. I think any breakthrough like this is very important and more people should know about it. With the prevalence of STDs in places like college, where I am and will be for a long time, I would like to know that something is out there to protect my peers and myself.

On the topic of STDs in college, I feel like the stigma behind them should be discussed. Knowing the importance of 1. protecting yourself and 2. getting tested are so vital as a young adult especially. However, I can understand the fear of getting tested or even the fear of asking someone that you are sleeping with what their status is. These kinds of stigmas are dangerous, especially when it is a fact that there are no vaccines for gonorrhea or chlamydia. Yes, they are treatable, but this can lead to problems later in life with reoccurring disease or fertility issues in men and women.

https://pics.me.me/nevertrust-someone-that-spells-gonorrhea-right-the-first-time-21682479.png

Bacteria = Cancer? What?

A story of a young girl posted by the Smithsonian Magazine on March 7th reads and dives further than just “a story of a young girl”.

Stephanie Culler had two grandmothers die of cancer when she was very young. At this age it can be hard to understand why this happens to people we love. Stephanie discovered an ad by the American Cancer Society about how food affects cancer. This didn’t quite make sense to her because both her grandmothers ate very healthy in her opinion. Turns out, after Stephanie went on to work in a lab, that the relationship with food and cancer is linked to the microbiota in our guts. During her work, they were able to test cancer patients stool and saw that there were bacteria missing that are important in stopping cancer formation. They are about to start a study that looks at therapy for cancer where they change your microbiota, while simultaneously changing your immune response to cancer. One of the largest breakthroughs in this, is that we are seeing how the microbiome is related to how people react to certain drugs, including cancer drugs. The struggle researchers are finding however, is that while we know it is very possible to change your gut microbiota with different foods, lifestyles and probiotics, it is difficult to change it purposefully for a certain disease, and just what it takes to do that.

An article posted by Nature Research Journal discusses the new findings on the linkage between microbiota and cancer. There are known bacteria in the gut that are oncogenic and known to stimulate growth of cells. One of which we have briefly gone over, is Helicobacter pylori , which is a key player in gastric cancer. It is classified as a carcinogen by the WHO.

There is a very interesting and explanatory figure below that I found within the article. It provides the different things microbiota affects in the body.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-019-0377-7/figures/1

TB Vaccines On the Rise

The very first tuberculosis vaccine was developed almost 100 years ago. Today, we are still developing vaccines for TB due to the fact that it affects people differently in various parts of the world. There is currently only one vaccine licensed and it is still the same one that was made 100 years ago. In places close to the equator, you are more likely to be exposed to non-tuberculosis mycobacterium, and so in these places, the vaccine that protects against TB does not work as well. There was an article published about 6 days ago by the EU Research & Innovation Magazine talking about a new TB vaccine, but this is a very difficult task to take on. TB is a disease that can outsmart your immune system and is hard to determine what response is going to properly attack TB like it should. This is one of the biggest challenges in making a vaccine, because we simply cannot figure out what the vaccine needs to do to work.  

Within the past 19 years, there have been many new vaccines in the works for TB. The reason why people are trying to develop these vaccines is because of the endemic problem occurring in Africa. It needs to be geared towards young adults in Africa, because they are the main cause of transmission. WHO developed a strategy in 2014 to battle TB and the eventual goal is to end the epidemic happening in the world. Their timeline is 2015-2035. One component of this strategy is to create a new TB vaccine. The fact that there have been global meeting about this disease really highlights the importance of finding a vaccine to aid in ending this epidemic. According to the WHO report of 2018 on Tuberculosis , there are currently 2 vaccines in phase III of their clinical trials. One is a whole agent vaccine licensed to shorten treatment for patients that have drug-resistant TB. It is currently licensed by the China Food and Drug Administration. The next in phase III is a live recombinant vaccine being tested in South Africa to see how effective it is in infants. It is also testing to see whether being exposed to HIV changes the effectiveness of the vaccine.

Through doing more research about the current activity of TB vaccines, I have realized that many are in the process and it is not something being ignored. It is just the fact that diseases are more complicated than we can imagine, and humans are only capable of so much in a certain amount of time. I feel confident that we will reach a breakthrough very soon.

With not having the most effective vaccine, there is also a rapid increase of antibiotic resistant TB because this is one of the only effective solutions to TB.  Finding a working vaccine that prevents against the TB that places near the equator are facing would also decrease antibiotic resistant TB and save so many lives. These issues are so dependent on public belief, and so while it is important for scientists to develop this vaccine, it is also important for parents and young adults to realize the importance of vaccines and being vaccinated when you are living in a community of people.

TB testing for LTBI
https://www.precisionvaccinations.com/tb-vaccine-bacille-calmette-guerin-was-first-developed-1921-and-attenuated-strain-mycobacterium

Measles, Mumps, Rubella OH MY!

One day ago, there were 2 confirmed cases of measles in Costa Rica by nonnative children. These American children live in Costa Rica with 2 other siblings and parents. The way they found out is these children were being treated at a social security clinic. They had symptoms of a fever and skin breakouts. Once they came to the conclusion that the children had measles, they immediately enacted protocols to prevent spreading the virus. They are the only children living in Costa Rica to get measles since 2006. That is over a decade without any cases. The Health Ministry of Costa Rica believes that someone who was visiting the American family brought the disease over and infected the children. Measles is highly contagious and so, with a large family like the one they are in, there is a very big possibility that the other members are also unvaccinated and could contract the disease. Instances like this cause epidemics and that would be detrimental to a country. The children and family are quarantined until other measures can be taken to treat them and they are no longer contagious.

Michigan is another spot that has been updated with 7 new cases within the past 2 weeks. With their numbers rising as they are, it is suspicious of an outbreak. The article in reference claims that this is more than the state has seen since 1994, just in the past month. Honestly this is insane to me. The article also provides the specific addresses in which the measles cases were confirmed. This could be useful for immunocompromised individuals living in the state to avoid considering they are at a higher risk of contracting the disease. Michigan has released a statement strongly recommending that individuals get vaccinated if they have not already. Also, something super important that I appreciated the article saying was that you should call the doctor or emergency room you are heading to, to warn them of your possible disease that way they can prevent the spread of it to their best abilities.

It is crazy to me that we are seeing numbers like this even after the vaccine has over and over again been proven safe for use. Vaccine hesitancy is all a joke until you see in instances like the ones I have talked about that it is real and can be very deadly to children, elderly people and anyone who is immunocompromised. It is not a joke, do your research and I hope people will soon realize how selfish it is not to get vaccinated or decide not to vaccinate their children.

https://world.wng.org/sites/default/files/styles/digital_article_thumbnail/public/AP_19030766878843-crop.jpg?itok=4EHCOrOy

Mumps in Philly

In 2018 I visited Philadelphia for the first time. During my trip I visited Temple University to see a few friends. Little did I know, 5 months later I would hear of a MUMPS OUTBREAK happening at Temple. This is something that is preventable through vaccines, so apparently these people did not get the vaccine that they should have. CNN published a report on March 22, 2019 hupdating the number of cases found since last month, which is 74. I wish I could capitalize numbers because WOW. Turns out Temple did not require vaccination records up until now. One that they should definitely be looking for now is the MMR vaccine. This is a vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. There are even talks of closing the university until the outbreak is contained, which I think would be a great idea.

CDC gives some great advice on how to prevent spreading of mumps, which could be useful for the students of Temple University. One of the first pieces of advice is to always cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. Your saliva is very contagious, so avoid sharing any food, utensils or cups with anyone. Similar to mono in a way, which I am sure college students would understand. You can also tell you have it in a similar way by feeling if your lymph nodes are enlarged.

For those students that are living in a community where a mumps outbreak occurs. You should make sure your vaccine is up to date to make your risk of receiving the disease way lower. Also, washing your hands and avoiding places where public germs are heavy.

https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Amid-Mumps-Outbreak-Temple-University-Offering-Vaccinations-for-Free-507469431.html

Polio in the Middle East

Women working as health-care workers and especially hold roles advocating for immunizations and administering them in the community. The article in reference highlights how they purposely use women due to their other roles as aunts and mothers and grandmothers. The women have posted testimonies about their experiences doing this in places such as Afghanistan and Nigeria. One woman from Afghanistan feels as though she has a connection with other mothers about how important receiving the polio vaccine is. Another in Kenya believes that she has skills that only someone with children who put to use and convince families to get their children vaccinated.They understand that they are able to use their skills and positions to make a difference in their communities.

Pakistan has also been battling polio, but is getting closer to eradication. An article by the Washington Post says that even though denying a vaccine is illegal, people do it anyway. It is not that they do not have the resources because efforts are being made my people across the globe to give the resources needed for vaccinating all the children a few times. Anti-vax parents exist all over the world and in places such as Pakistan, it is extra dangerous with their concentrated populations. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in which polio is endemic in the whole world. Some extreme measures have been taken in the polio vaccination where they mark the houses where the children have been vaccinated to make neighbors aware. Vaccinators will come to schools and give children the vaccine without their parents permission. The problem with parental consent is that they just do not know enough about the disease and vaccine to properly consent to it. If more were informed, I think they would not oppose as much. Some parents in Pakistan even think the drops were sent by Americans to control them, this shows just how uninformed they are. The CDC recognizes Inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) as the only one given in the US. Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is used elsewhere. Why is this the case? Why can’t we give the OPV in the US? OPV used to be available in the United States until they realized in some cases it could cause poliovirus due to mutations in the oral vaccine. IPV is a good way to administer the vaccine without the possibility of it turning into actual polio because it is an inactivated disease. OPV is still given in many other countries via oral and drops. OPV is a more accessible method and possibly more affordable.

OPV Drops Being Given to a Child
http://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/MPH-Modules/PH/Polio/18.jpg

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, AKA TB

An article was published this week by the CDC in Volume 25 of their Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal. The topic of this blog, drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The area of focus, Lebanon. A study was done over the course of 12 months and they were able to find high prevalence of TB among refugees, asylum seekers and regular citizens. They linked the reason for TB in these areas was because of the dense population and malnutrition associated with crisis. Numbers of TB cases in Lebanon have risen significantly since the Syrian war started. The study found certain cases that were resistant against rifampin, ethambutol, streptomycin and isoniazid. Which is what you would call multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). They even found someone who had no trace of TB in their system, yet their case of TB was resistant to amikacin, kanamycin, levofloxacin and the first-line drugs I mentioned earlier. This sounds insane and not even possible, but that my friend, is what you would call extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). To fight the spread of drug-resistant TB in areas such as Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and other countries with a high population of refugees and asylum seekers, the researchers are advising to do what they can to report any cases they find resistant to the CDC.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/sites/default/files/public/styles/detail/public/media/article/mycobacterium_tuberculosis-niaid.jpg?itok=HyiOs7kK

You might be thinking, “how do you even treat something that is resistant to antibiotics?” A study done in the DRC by people at the University of Pittsburgh may have some answers. One of the bases that the study was done on is the fact that normal treatment for MDR-TB is “1,000 times more expensive and take four times as long as treatment for regular TB.” This led researchers to do something about that. They used something called Xpert MTB/RIF to find MDR-TB in a person in less than two hours when normally that process takes weeks. This a major breakthrough. Resistance spreads as TB spreads from person to person. If we are able to detect this early, that person can be treated with the right regime without infecting numerous others. A key to these regimes too is combination therapy, for cases with resistance to only one type of antibiotic. The combination therapy is important so that the bacteria does not have time to become resistant to one or the other.

Another way that this resistance occurs in people is when they are given antibiotics and they don’t take them how they should. This is also why observed therapy is important because someone is there to make sure they take the full regimen of antibiotics and ensure proper treatment, while decreasing the chance for growing drug resistance.

Drug-resistant TB statistics
https://www.msf.org.uk/sites/uk/files/resize/styles/bscms_wysiwyg/public/treatments_inadequate-697×875.jpg?itok=9eHGJdLF

I know we do not see TB in the US, but with any other disease, taking your antibiotics how you should is very important and also, get vaccinated.