Putting Focus on Your Lungs

Two active tobacco smoke carcinogens have been identified to be the most likely culprits that leads to lung cancer in heavy smokers. One is a nicotine-derivatitive and the other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)have been isolated and identified to be the damaging constituents tnat leads to lung cancer. PAH, has been identified as the component that binds to DNA in the lung cells that causes abnormalities to occur resulting in mutations. The compound has also been found to contribute to supress or damage genes that are vital for the body to fight the disease weakening the defenses of the body from within.

Promoters of the alternative no-prick alternative to insulin intake have received another blow with industry leaders announcing their fears of detecting several cases of lung cancer in people who were receiving them under clinical trials. This is another in a long list of blows that the product has received and with many pharmaceuticals pulling the plug on research, the outlook seems bleak for the new diabetes treatment option. Many have been searching for alternative treatments for diabetes who have long been plagued by needles they use for administering the drug to supplement their insulin levels. The products were supposed to take away the pain and fuss of using syringes which is still the preferred method of administration.

A small molecule known as let-7 MicroRNA has been found to have beneficial effects on mice by reducing the growth levels of lung cancer cells. The study shows that the molecule in question has a direct role in treating cancers as we learn more and more about the possible causes and mechanisms that would lead to a cure for the many cases of the disease. The results were exciting for cancer researchers for they have been looking for the same results for many years without much success. The said that the same molecule is an agent that causes the disease to progress but heightened levels have been seen to have a counteractive effect on cancer cells. The study highlights the vast amounts of information that is still yet to be discovered that may hold the key to prevention and treatment of the killer disease.

Lung cancer that has resulted from inhalation of asbestos from the environment or through work related activities are showing that using chemotherapy for treatment is not getting any positive results. Called Malignant Plural Mesothelioma (MPM), the disease is more related to asbestos exposure which causes the lungs to develop lung cancer. The material was hailed as a miracle construction material and was used widely in the West due to heat, electrical and chemical resistance. It was only later that the material was found to induce cancer that had most nations ban the substance from all new building materials, and necessitating the removal of already installed ones from all types of structures. Clean-up crews without proper protection also suffer from the disease and oncologists are finding it hard to find proper treatments of the killer disease.

Premature babies that were delivered way before their bodies have fully developed receive a myriad of drugs to augment their still weak bodies that should have developed further in the mother’s womb. Studies have shown that babies who were delivered prematurely have a higher risk of lung problems due to the inability of their lungs to work properly without the administration of surfactants that are used to prevent their lungs from collapsing. Full term babies have fully developed lungs that can function unassisted but premature babies need the administration of surfactants (substances that prevents the lung’s air sacs from sticking together preventing them from inflating properly to absorb oxygen) to their lungs to get them to function properly. Without them, their lungs would constantly collapse (due to premature development) and can cause death. Current administration methods have shown that they can cause more harm to the infant in later life where lung infections become assured. The development of better administration techniques is underway to minimize the problems associated with their use to help their lungs strengthen in time as they mature.

Seed Newsvine

Bookmark this article in your preferred program

Comments

Add Comment

Popular Articles in this cathegory

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.