Categories : Cancer Ethics and LawTags :

What Next for Cancer Patients as Court Again Rules Against Gauteng Health Department?

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Photo by Bill Oxford on Unsplash

By Ufrieda Ho

In the latest chapter of a long-running legal battle over the Gauteng Department of Health’s obligation to provide people in the province with radiation oncology services, the department has suffered another loss in the courts. Spotlight assesses the legal situation and asks what it means for people still waiting for the life-saving treatment.

With another court loss suffered this August, the Gauteng Department of Health has once again been ordered to urgently provide treatment for cancer patients who have been left in the lurch.

This ruling, handed down on August 5 by Judge Evette Dippenaar, follows urgent legal action brought by the Cancer Alliance. It was in response to the Gauteng health department’s appeal against a ruling handed down on March 27 by acting Judge Stephen van Nieuwenhuizen. That order compelled the department to clear its years-long backlogs in getting cancer treatment to patients.

In its March ruling, the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg found the department’s failure to deliver this critical treatment to be unconstitutional and unlawful. The decision follows the department’s failure to spend a R784 million allocation granted by the provincial Treasury in 2023 to reduce the treatment backlog by outsourcing services to the private sector over a three-year period. Due to severe delays, the department was forced to return the first R250 million tranche.

Van Nieuwenhuizen strongly criticised the department, stating: “The provincial health respondents have done nothing meaningful since the money was allocated in March 2023 to actually provide radiation oncology treatment to the cancer patients. Meanwhile, the health and general well-being of the patients has significantly deteriorated. There is clear, ongoing, and irreparable harm being suffered by those still waiting for treatment.”

He also condemned the department for its lack of accountability and poor management of public resources, finding that it had failed to uphold ethical standards, act transparently, or respond to patients’ needs fairly and effectively.

The court instructed the department to:

  • Take immediate action, including diversion to private facilities, to provide radiation oncology services to all patients on the backlog list,
  • Update the backlog list within 45 days,
  • Submit a detailed progress report on efforts to deliver treatment, and
  • Present a long-term plan for ongoing cancer treatment services within three months.

But Gauteng health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko and the health department challenged the judgment in May, just as their 45 days to act ran out. They chose instead to take the entire matter on appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

In response, the Cancer Alliance, represented by SECTION27 (*see disclosure), went back to court for an interim order to make the March 27 ruling immediately enforceable, and not suspended until a ruling is made by the SCA. It is in response to this application that Judge Dippenaar ruled on August 5 that the March ruling is indeed immediately enforceable.

Two courts have now sent a clear message to the Gauteng health department, says attorney Khanyisa Mapipa, who heads health rights at SECTION27. She adds: “The Gauteng Department of Health’s action should be in the interest of the person who is seeking treatment. It should not be to deny, deny, deny and then to fight in the courts and not take any accountability.”

The waiting list

The estimated number of people on a waiting list for cancer treatment in 2022 was around 3 000 people. New data on this has not been made publicly available.

There are some signs of progress, although details are hard to pin down. In a statement released on August 24, which reiterates a July 20 statement, the Gauteng health department said it had introduced a strategic partnership with private service providers. “As the beginning of August 2025, 563 patients were receiving radiation oncology care through private partnerships, while 1 076 patients had completed treatment by end of July 2025,” it stated.

Both statements also noted that work was underway to complete new radiotherapy centres at Chris Hani Baragwanath and Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospitals.

But Mapipa says they still don’t have full details that comply with the court order. “What we’re asking for essentially is what the department should be doing anyway and that is for them to go through their patient files to establish who is still on the backlog list; who has passed away, who has received treatment, when patients were last assessed and what treatment they qualify for; and if it was a public facility or were they diverted to a private facility,” she says.

“As the judge pointed out in March, the department has to do this as a constitutional obligation, whether they fight this to the Constitutional Court or not, their obligation is to provide treatment for people who meet the criteria. Those on the backlog list meets the criteria,” she says.

Part of the March order also compelled the department to file progress reports with the court within three months on the measures taken to provide treatment and its long-term plans to resolve the ongoing cancer treatment crisis in Gauteng. Spotlight’s understanding is that these progress reports have not been submitted.

This is an important measure, Mapipa says, given the department’s poor track record. “The court rulings in both judgments found that because they have failed to be transparent throughout this process, the department is compelled to provide these reports to the courts,” she adds.

It is as yet unclear how the Gauteng health department plans to proceed. The department, in its three-paragraph statement following the August judgment, stated that it would review “the contents and implications” to determine and communicate its next steps. Their deadline to appeal the August 5 ruling was 26 August 2025. The department did not respond to questions from Spotlight.

Calls for accountability

Jack Bloom, Democratic Alliance shadow health MEC in Gauteng, says that without a proper audit and update of the backlog list of patients needing care, the “cancer treatment scandal has probably cost more lives than the 144 mental patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy when they were sent to illegal NGOs”.

Bloom is calling for heads to roll, with Nkomo-Ralehoko and head of department Arnold Lesiba Malotana in his crosshairs.

“The DA condemns the department’s legal stalling tactics that harms patients who urgently require lifesaving treatment…Premier [Panyaza] Lesufi should not allow this cancer disaster to continue,” he says.

Salomé Meyer, spokesperson for Cancer Alliance, says that the legal proceedings are a distraction of the realities on the hospital floor. Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital for instance, she says, remains in “crisis”. She maintains there is a scarcity of sufficient and operational radiation oncology machinery, as well as extreme shortages in radiation oncology staff to operate the machines.

Meyer says the situation at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital dates back to 2017 when CEO Gladys Bagoshi was made aware of mounting challenges from a shortage of equipment and staffing.

“In 2021, Bagoshi turned down an equipment allocation, which Charlotte Maxeke Hospital desperately needed, so this allocation went to George Mukhari Hospital and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital instead. But the cobalt bunkers required to house the machines at these hospitals had not been built and are only expected to be completed in 2026 – so the machines remain in storage. In 2022, an order was finally placed for additional linacs [used for high energy beam radiation treatments] for the existing cobalt bunkers at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, but that tender is still not finalised,” says Meyer.

She adds: “This is a failure of planning, governance, and accountability and we have to ask who is being held accountable when the same CEO has remained in place all these years.”

Neither Bagoshi nor the health department responded to questions on these assertions.

Disclosure: SECTION27 was involved in the court proceedings described in this article. Spotlight is published by SECTION27, but is editorially independent – an independence that the editors guard jealously. The Spotlight editors gave special attention to maintaining this editorial firewall in the production of this story.

Republished from Spotlight under a Creative Commons licence.

Read the original article.

Categories : Neurology Regenerative MedicineTags : 1 Comment

Groundbreaking Spinal Scaffold Allows Nerve Fibres to Regrow

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New research combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues for possible treatments of spinal cord injuries. Photo provided by: McAlpine Research Group, University of Minnesota

For the first time, a research team at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities demonstrated a groundbreaking process that combines 3D printing, stem cell biology, and lab-grown tissues for spinal cord injury recovery. 

The study was recently published in Advanced Healthcare Materials. Currently, there is no way to completely reverse the damage and paralysis from the injury. A major challenge is the death of nerve cells and the inability of nerve fibres to regrow across the injury site. This new research tackles this problem head-on.

The method involves creating a unique 3D-printed framework for lab-grown organs, called an organoid scaffold, with microscopic channels. These channels are then populated with regionally specific spinal neural progenitor cells (sNPCs), which are cells derived from human adult stem cells that have the capacity to divide and differentiate into specific types of mature cells.

“We use the 3D printed channels of the scaffold to direct the growth of the stem cells, which ensures the new nerve fibres grow in the desired way,” said Guebum Han, a former University of Minnesota mechanical engineering postdoctoral researcher and first author on the paper who currently works at Intel Corporation. “This method creates a relay system that when placed in the spinal cord bypasses the damaged area.”

n their study, the researchers transplanted these scaffolds into rats with spinal cords that were completely severed. The cells successfully differentiated into neurons and extended their nerve fibres in both directions – rostral (toward the head) and caudal (toward the tail) – to form new connections with the host’s existing nerve circuits. 

The new nerve cells integrated seamlessly into the host spinal cord tissue over time, leading to significant functional recovery in the rats.

“Regenerative medicine has brought about a new era in spinal cord injury research,” said Ann Parr, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota. “Our laboratory is excited to explore the future potential of our ‘mini spinal cords’ for clinical translation.”

While the research is in its beginning stages, it offers a new avenue of hope for those with spinal cord injuries. The team hopes to scale up production and continue developing this combination of technologies for future clinical applications.

Source: University of Minnesota

Categories : Mental HealthTags :

Insomnia Patients Report Better Sleep when Taking Cannabis-based Medical Products

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Photo by Kindel Media on Unsplash

Patients reported better sleep as well as decreased anxiety and pain over 18 months of treatment 

Insomnia patients taking cannabis-based medical products reported better quality sleep after up to 18 months of treatment, according to a study published August 27 in the open-access journal PLOS Mental Health by Arushika Aggarwal from Imperial College London, U.K., and colleagues.

About one out of every three people has some trouble getting a good night’s rest, and 10% of adults meet the criteria for an insomnia disorder. But current treatments can be difficult to obtain, and the drugs approved for insomnia run the risk of dependence. To understand how cannabis-based medical products might affect insomnia symptoms, the authors of this study analysed a set of 124 insomnia patients taking medical cannabis products. They examined the patient’s reports of their sleep quality, anxiety/depression, and quality of life changes between one and 18 months of treatment.

The patients reported improved sleep quality that lasted over the 18 months of treatment. They also showed significant improvements in anxiety/depression as well as reporting less pain. About 9% of the patients reported adverse effects such as fatigue, insomnia, or dry mouth, but none of the side effects were life-threatening. While randomised controlled trials will be needed to prove that the products are safe and effective, the authors suggest that cannabis-based medical products could improve sleep quality in insomnia patients.

Co-author Dr Simon Erridge, Research Director at Curaleaf Clinic, summarises: “Over an 18-month period, our study showed that treatment for insomnia with cannabis-based medicinal products was associated with sustained improvements in subjective sleep quality and anxiety symptoms. These findings support the potential role of medical cannabis as a medical option where conventional treatments have proven ineffective, though further randomised trials are needed to confirm long-term efficacy.”

He adds: “Conducting this long-term study provided valuable real-world evidence on patient outcomes that go beyond what we typically see in short-term trials. It was particularly interesting to observe signs of potential tolerance over time, which highlights the importance of continued monitoring and individualised treatment plans.”

Provided by PLOS

Categories : Cancer Obstetrics & GynaecologyTags :

Groundbreaking Ovarian Cancer Research Targets Cells that Fuel Tumour Growth

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Female reproductive system. Credit: Scientific Animations CC4.0 BY-SA

In a recent paper published in Nature, researchers at the University of Chicago discovered how to block nicotinamide N-methyl transferase (NNMT), an enzyme that is involved in the progression of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. The team showed that NNMT promotes cancer growth by helping the tumour evade the immune system, and they also developed a potent NNMT inhibitor that could help overcome therapy resistance, providing a new and effective strategy for treating ovarian cancer.

A common yet deadly form of ovarian cancer

High-grade serous ovarian cancer is the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer. It is often diagnosed at advanced stages and is notoriously challenging to treat. Although surgery and chemotherapy initially provide substantial benefits, the cancer frequently recurs, leading to low survival rates. Immunotherapy, a breakthrough treatment for many cancers, has failed in ovarian cancer, largely because activity of surrounding cells has been programmed by the tumour to suppress the immune response. These cells, known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), differ from normal fibroblasts, which play a vital role in supporting tissue integrity and facilitating wound healing. Instead, CAFs surround the tumor, offer protection, and release signals that weaken immune responses and promote metastasis.

“Most therapies focus on the cancer cells, but we are interested in the fibroblasts in the surrounding stroma. These cells don’t mutate like cancer cells, which makes them more stable and, we think, more targetable,” said Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UChicago and lead author of the paper. “We have pinpointed the mechanism behind CAF activation and found a drug that can halt it in its tracks.”

NNMT: A master regulator

In a landmark 2019 Nature study, Lengyel’s team showed that NNMT, a metabolic enzyme, is highly expressed in CAFs and converts normal fibroblasts into tumour-promoting fibroblasts by changing epigenetic and metabolic programming. The new Nature study demonstrates how NNMT promotes immune evasion and how to stop it. The UChicago team discovered that NNMT-expressing CAFs secrete complementary proteins, which convert monocytes (a type of white blood cells) into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs).

“The enzyme NNMT induces widespread epigenetic changes in fibroblasts that promote tumour growth. Inhibiting NNMT has the potential to reverse these changes and reduce the tumour-supportive role of fibroblasts,” says Janna Heide, MD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Lengyel Lab and first author of the study.

Better results with combined NNMT inhibitor and immunotherapy

To translate these findings into treatment, the team collaborated with scientists at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Experimental Therapeutics (NExT) program, which supports early-stage drug development with high translational potential. After screening over 150 000 compounds, they identified a highly targeted NNMT inhibitor. In preclinical animal models of ovarian cancer, the NNMT inhibitor decreased tumour burden and restored immune activity. Most importantly, when the inhibitor was combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, it halted tumour growth.

Historically, drug development has focused almost entirely on cancer cells. This study demonstrates that non-cancerous cells in the tumour microenvironment can also play a crucial role in disease progression and treatment resistance. Targeting CAFs through NNMT inhibition offers a new therapeutic approach to overcome these barriers.

“Immunotherapy hasn’t worked in ovarian cancer, but the combination therapy of an NNMT inhibitor with immunotherapy worked remarkably well in our preclinical models,” Lengyel said. “It was exciting to show that tumor growth can be controlled without even touching the cancer cells, just by reprogramming the supporting cells around them.”

Lengyel said this research was only possible through the partnership with the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences and the collaborative spirit at the UChicago, particularly with Ralph Weichselbaum, MD, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, an expert in immune regulation, and his team, including postdoctoral researcher András Piffkó, MD. This work is part of Lengyel’s broader efforts to transform ovarian cancer treatment, supported by an NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (R35), which funds long-term, high-impact research with the potential to change clinical practices.

“Without NIH funding, we simply couldn’t have accomplished this,” Lengyel said. “It allowed us to take risks, innovate, and ultimately develop something that might help patients.”

Source: University of Chicago Medicine

Categories : Medical Research & TechnologyTags :

Vibration Technique Controls Strength of Lab-grown Tissues

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Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Researchers in McGill’s Department of Mechanical Engineering have discovered a safe and low-cost method of engineering living materials such as tissues, organs and blood clots. By simply vibrating these materials as they form, scientists can dramatically influence how strong or, weak they become.

The findings, published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, could have a range of innovative applications, including in organ transplants, wound healing and regenerative medicine.

Good vibrations

The researchers used a speaker to apply controlled vibration, gently agitating the living materials during formation. By doing so, they found they could influence how cells organized and how strong or weak the final material became.

The technique works across a range of soft cellular materials, including blood clots made from real blood and other human tissues.

Aram Bahmani, study co-author and Yale postdoctoral fellow, conducted the research at McGill as a PhD student with Associate Professor Jianyu Li’s Biomaterials Engineering lab. Bahmani explained that strong, fast-forming blood clots are vital for use in emergencies like traumatic injuries. They’re also useful for people with clotting disorders.

“On the other hand, the same approach could help design clots that break down more easily as necessary, helping to prevent dangerous conditions like stroke or deep vein thrombosis,” he added. “Mechanical nudging allows us to make the material up to four times stronger or weaker, depending on what we need it to do.”

Why previous methods fell short

Earlier approaches to shaping living tissues relied on physical forces like magnets or ultrasound waves. While promising, these methods often fail to replicate the complexity of real tissues, which contain billions of cells and have thick, three-dimensional structures. In addition, they are often limited to specific materials, can damage healthy tissues and sometimes trigger immune responses.

The researchers’ study is the first to show that mechanical agitation, a very simple and widely accessible tool, can control the inner structure and performance of living materials in a “safe, scalable and highly tunable way.”

From the lab bench to living systems

To validate their findings, the team ran a series of tests to measure how vibration affected various cell-laden materials such as blood-based gels, plasma and seaweed-derived alginate. Using imaging and mechanical analysis, they assessed how broadly the method could be applied. Next, they tested the technique in animals.

The results showed that the technique works when applied inside the body, without harming surrounding healthy tissues.

Toward advanced medical technology

Bahmani said he believes the simple method could one day be integrated into advanced medical devices or wound-healing techniques.

“What makes this especially exciting is that our method is non-invasive, low-cost and easy to implement,” he said. “It does not rely on expensive machines or complex chemicals, meaning it could one day be built into portable medical devices, like a hand-held tool to stop bleeding, or a smart bandage that speeds up healing.” 

He noted that the method requires further testing, such as in irregular wounds or in combination with certain medications, before it can be used in real-life medical settings.

“Moving toward clinical use will require miniaturising the devices, optimising settings for different medical scenarios and completing regulatory testing to ensure safety and effectiveness in humans,” he said.

Source: McGill University

Categories : HIVTags :

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) Celebrates Milestone: 2.5 Million Lives in Care, 1.3 Million in Africa

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Supported by robust advocacy initiatives to achieve policy reform, AHF ensures equitable access to HIV and public health services globally

Dr Penninah Iutung, Executive Vice President of AHF

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) (www.AIDSHealth.org) proudly announces a transformative milestone: delivering life-saving HIV prevention, care, and treatment to 2.5 million people across 49 countries, with 1.3 million in 15 African nations (https://apo-opa.co/45zIVFg). This achievement transcends numbers, embodying restored hope, preserved families, and a bold vision for a healthier, equitable world. 

AHF’s contribution to the HIV response that has enabled countries like Malawi to see a remarkable increase in life expectancy from 46 to 67 years over a 25-year period is profound. Children who may have been orphaned due to HIV can now grow up with their parents present, and communities are thriving through access to quality care. This story can be told in several countries, and it reflects AHF’s unwavering commitment to transforming lives and achieving global HIV control. 

Founded in 1987 in Los Angeles as the AIDS Hospice Foundation, AHF has grown into the world’s largest HIV/AIDS service organisation. With over 8000 dedicated staff, AHF delivers expert, compassionate, and non-judgmental care to all, regardless of ability to pay. Supported by robust advocacy initiatives to achieve policy reform, AHF ensures equitable access to HIV and public health services globally. 

AHF President Michael Weinstein shared, “When we began, I never imagined we’d touch 2.5 million lives. This milestone, born of our staff’s courage and our patients’ trust, demands recognition. As George Bernard Shaw said, ‘You see things; and say, Why? But I dream of things that never were and I say, Why not?’ Our dream – delivering exceptional care to all – has become reality. We’ve stayed true to our principles, proving hope can shine in a challenging world. Yet, our journey continues. AHF is tackling STIs, hunger, homelessness, and the global HIV epidemic with relentless resolve. I’m deeply honoured to serve alongside our extraordinary team.” 

“When we launched our first global programs in South Africa and Uganda in 2002, serving 100 clients in each country, we could never have fathomed expanding to 13 more African countries and caring for 1.3 million lives across the continent,” said Dr Penninah Iutung, AHF’s Executive Vice President . “Building on years of advocacy and innovation, AHF Africa now delivers programs that go beyond clinical care to include community-led prevention, equitable access strategies, and pandemic preparedness. These successes reflect the deep collaboration with government and civil society partners that has enabled us to reach the most marginalized, advance equity, and ensure no one is left behind.”  

Dr. Nombuso Madonsela, who leads AHF’s largest country program as AHF South Africa Country Program Director, adds, “Being part of this historic milestone is a privilege. AHF South Africa remains steadfast in championing combination prevention, reducing new infections, and ensuring quality service delivery and support for all in our care. Through our Community Power Voices (CPV), we amplify the stories and triumphs of those living with HIV. Ending HIV is not just a dream, it’s a promise we are determined to keep.” 

Looking forward, AHF is resolute in expanding access, dismantling barriers, and ensuring no one is left behind in the global fight against HIV. This milestone fuels AHF’s mission to push boundaries, innovate solutions, and build a future where HIV is no longer a threat. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Categories : Diet and Nutrition Neurodegenerative DiseasesTags :

Significant Drop in Omega Fatty Acids in Women with Alzheimer’s

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Photo by Aleksander Saks on Unsplash

Analysis of lipid blood levels in women with Alzheimer’s disease has shown noticeable loss of unsaturated fats, such as those that contain omega fatty acids, compared to healthy women.

In men with Alzheimer’s, no significant difference was found in the same lipid molecule composition disease compared to healthy men, which suggests that those lipids have a different role in the disease according to sex. Fats perform important roles in maintaining a healthy brain, so this study could indicate why more women are diagnosed with the disease.

The study, published today in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association by scientists from King’s College London and Queen Mary University London, is the first to reveal the important role lipids could have in the risk for Alzheimer’s between the sexes.

Women are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease and are more often diagnosed with the disease than men after the age of 80. One of the most surprising things we saw when looking at the different sexes was that there was no difference in these lipids in healthy and cognitively impaired men, but for women this picture was completely different. The study reveals that Alzheimer’s lipid biology is different between the sexes, opening new avenues for research.

Dr Cristina Legido-Quigley, Reader in Systems Medicine

The scientists took plasma samples from 841 participants who had Alzheimer’s Disease, mild cognitive impairment and cognitively health controls and and were measured for brain inflammation and damage.

They used mass spectrometry to analyse the 700 individual lipids in the blood. Lipids are a group of many molecules. Saturated lipids are generally considered as ‘unhealthy’ or ‘bad’ lipids, while unsaturated lipid, which sometime contains omega fatty acids, are generally considered ‘healthy’.

Scientists saw a steep increase in lipids with saturation – the ‘unhealthy lipids’ – in women with Alzheimer’s compared to the healthy group. The lipids with attached omega fatty acids were the most decreased in the Alzheimer’s group.

Now, the scientists say there is a statistical indication that there is a causal link between Alzheimer’s Disease and fatty acids. But a clinical trial is necessary to confirm the link.

Dr Legido-Quigley added: “Our study suggests that women should make sure they are getting omega fatty acids in their diet – through fatty fish or via supplements. However, we need clinical trials to determine if shifting the lipid composition can influence the biological trajectory of Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Dr Asger Wretlind, first author of the study from the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences, said: “Scientists have known for some time that more women than men are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Although this still warrants further research, we were able to detect biological differences in lipids between the sexes in a large cohort, and show the importance of lipids containing omegas in the blood, which has not been done before. The results are very striking and now we are looking at how early in life this change occurs in women.

Dr Asger Wretlind, School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences

Source: King’s College London

Categories : Cancer Diet and NutritionTags :

Animal Protein Not Linked to Higher Mortality Risk, Study Finds

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Photo by Jose Ignacio Pompe on Unsplash

Eating animal-sourced protein foods is not linked to a higher risk of death and may even offer protective benefits against cancer-related mortality, new research finds.   

The study, published in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, analysed data from nearly 16 000 adults aged 19 and older using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHAMES III). 

Researchers examined how much animal and plant protein people typically consume and whether those patterns were associated with their risk of dying from heart disease, cancer or any cause.  

They found no increased risk of death associated with higher intake of animal protein. In fact, the data showed a modest but significant reduction in cancer-related mortality among those who ate more animal protein.  

“There’s a lot of confusion around protein – how much to eat, what kind and what it means for long-term health. This study adds clarity, which is important for anyone trying to make informed, evidence-based decisions about what they eat,” explains Stuart Phillips, Professor and Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University, who supervised the research.  

To ensure reliable results, the team employed advanced statistical methods, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) method and multivariate Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) modelling, to estimate long-term dietary intake and minimize measurement error.   

“It was imperative that our analysis used the most rigorous, gold standard methods to assess usual intake and mortality risk. These methods allowed us to account for fluctuations in daily protein intake and provide a more accurate picture of long-term eating habits,” says Phillips.   

The researchers found no associations between total protein, animal protein or plant protein and risk of death from any cause, cardiovascular disease, or cancer. When both plant and animal protein were included in the analysis, the results remained consistent, suggesting that plant protein has a minimal impact on cancer mortality, while animal protein may offer a small protective effect. 

Observational studies like this one cannot prove cause and effect; however, they are valuable for identifying patterns and associations in large populations. Combined with decades of clinical trial evidence, the findings support the inclusion of animal proteins as part of a healthy dietary pattern.  

“When both observational data like this and clinical research are considered, it’s clear both animal and plant protein foods promote health and longevity,” says lead researcher Yanni Papanikolaou, MPH, president, Nutritional Strategies. 

This research was funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff. NCBA was not involved in the study design, data collection and analysis or publication of the findings.  

This article was first published on Brighter World. Read the original article.

Categories : Metabolic Disorders NeurologyTags :

New Research Shows that Macrophages Help Prevent the Development of Neuropathy

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Source: Pixabay CC0

An increase in high-fat, high-fructose foods in people’s diets has contributed to a dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes. This, in turn, has led to an increase in peripheral neuropathy. About half of people with type 2 diabetes are affected, and of these, about half experience severe neuropathic pain.

The damage begins as axons from sensory neurons begin to retract and disappear from the tissues they innervate. New research from the lab of Clifford Woolf, MB, BCh, PhD, director of the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center at Boston Children’s Hospital, reveals that months before the damage occurs, immune cells flood into peripheral nerves in an apparent attempt to protect them. This surprising insight, published in Nature, could lead to strategies to prevent peripheral neuropathy or at least minimize and slow the onset of the damage.

Immune cells prevent nerve damage

A team led by Sara Hakim, PhD, a graduate student in the lab, created a mouse model of diabetes induced by a high-fat, high-fructose diet. The model showed that these mice developed all the major features of diabetes within eight to 12 weeks of starting the diet. At about six months, axons in the skin began to degenerate, indicating the presence of neuropathy.

“Diabetic neuropathy takes years, or even decades to develop in humans,” says Hakim, who is now at Vertex. “By using a mouse model in which symptoms slowly develop over months, we were able to catch the progression of the disease over time, and observe those early protective responses when the body is still trying to fight the disease.”

The researchers suspected that peripheral neuropathy is caused by the immune system, so used single-cell sequencing to detect changes in immune cells near sensory neuron axons in peripheral nerves.

One type of immune cell residing in nerves, a pro-inflammatory macrophage, began producing chemokines. These signaling molecules recruited a second population of circulating macrophages, which began infiltrating the nerve 12 weeks after the mice began the diet – as sensory symptoms were starting to appear but before nerve degeneration was seen.

Previously, macrophages were thought to have a pathogenic role in diabetes and were mainly reacting to axon loss. But Hakim, Woolf, and colleagues observed just the opposite.

“To our great surprise, when we blocked infiltration of macrophages into the nerve, neuropathy started getting worse, not better,” says Woolf. “The macrophages were protective. They slowed down the onset of neuropathy and reduced its impact.”

Potential strategies for peripheral neuropathy

The Woolf Lab is now exploring how the infiltrating macrophages protect against peripheral neuropathy. The next step would be to find a way to induce and sustain this protection and identify biomarkers that would flag those people with diabetes who are at risk.

One potential protective strategy might involve accelerating the recruitment of macrophages into nerves; another might involve mimicking their protective function by harnessing compounds they secrete, such as galectin 3.

“Since we could profile the cells and identify what genes they are expressing, we found a number of signalling molecules known to be protective,” says Woolf. “We can now go through that list and check to see which are most active.”

The latest work reinforces the idea that pain isn’t just a disease of neurons, but results from interactions between the nervous system and the immune system. In a study last year, the Woolf Lab discovered thousands of molecular interactions between pain-sensing neurons and different types of immune cells.

Now, the plot is thickening with this example of immune cells acting to prevent painful nerve damage. “We’ve now revealed a novel, slower protective effect of the immune system,” Woolf says.

Source: Boston Children’s Hospital

Categories : Cancer NeurologyTags :

Researchers Find TBI Link to Development of Malignant Brain Tumours

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Coup and contrecoup brain injury. Credit: Scientific Animations CC4.0

New research led by investigators at Mass General Brigham suggests a link between a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and risk of developing a malignant brain tumour. By evaluating data from 2000–2024 of more than 75 000 people with a history of mild, moderate or severe TBI, the team found the risk of developing a malignant brain tumour was significantly higher compared to people without a history of TBI. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

“I see these results as alarming,” said co-senior author and corresponding author Saef Izzy, MD, FNCS, FAAN, a neurologist and head of the Immunology of CNS Injury Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. “Our work over the past five years has shown that TBI is a chronic condition with lasting effects. Now, evidence of a potential increased risk of malignant brain tumours adds urgency to shift the focus from short-term recovery to lifelong vigilance.

“Alongside our earlier findings linking TBI and cardiovascular disease, this underscores the importance of long-term monitoring for anyone with a history of TBI.”

The team divided the severity of TBI between mild, moderate and severe, with participants suffering from incidents ranging from car accidents to falls. In the two categories of moderate and severe, 0.6% of people (87 out of 14 944) developed brain tumours within 3-to-5 years after the TBI, which was a higher percentage than controls. Mild cases of TBI, such as those caused by concussions, were not associated with an increased risk of tumour. The aim of the study was not to establish a cause-and-effect link between moderate-to-severe TBI and malignant tumours, but rather to explore whether an association exists. Determining causality and understanding the underlying mechanisms will require a dedicated translational study in the future.

A previous study showed veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who suffered TBI experienced an increased risk of brain tumours, but previous studies on civilian populations showed conflicting results. The collaborative team of researchers used an international disease classifying system known as ICD codes to exclude anyone in the study with a history of brain tumour, benign tumours, and risk factors such as radiation exposure.

Previous neurotrauma studies from Mass General Brigham have looked at patients with a history of TBI and found an association with the emergence of anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric, neurological, and cardiovascular diseases, but the current study focuses on malignant tumour development.

Future imaging studies could draw a connection between the location of the TBI and where tumours developed in the brains of participants. The team would like to further study patients with repeated injuries, such as falls. 

“While there is an increased risk of tumour from TBI, the overall risk remains low. Still, brain tumour is a devastating disease and often gets detected in later stages,” said lead author Sandro Marini, MD, a neurologist at Mass General Brigham. “Now, we’ve opened the door to monitor TBI patients more closely.”

Source: Mass General Brigham