2005 NOV 1 - (NewsRx.com) -- Faulty cell cycle "checkpoints" that fail to
respond to DNA damage effectively may contribute to the high incidence of
lung cancer in African-Americans, say researchers at Georgetown University's
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
Their study, reported in the October 15 issue of Cancer Research, is the
first epidemiological study to show the association of lung cancer risk in
African-Americans and efficiency of the critical "G2/M checkpoint." While
the researchers report that this checkpoint was generally less effective
in the group of African-American lung cancer patients they studied, they
found this risk to be especially high in African-American women and nearly
a five-fold increase in lung cancer risk in women with faulty G2-M checkpoint
compared to women with efficient G2-M checkpoint. The study did not found
any association of this checkpoint with lung cancer risk in whites.
The human body is a very vulnerable organism, except for the very strong
line of defense that the immune system has thrown around it. Without the
natural defense system provided by the immune system, the bacteria, microbes,
viruses, toxins, parasites, etc., would reduce the body to its chemical
components in a few days.
That is what happens when the body dies and the immune system is no longer
there. The human immune system works 24X7, though its work never comes to
the limelight. The failure of the immune system is easily noticeable, though.
Although we inhale and eat thousands of germs everyday, the immune system
prevents them from causing diseases. When a germ breaks through the immune
system occasionally, we wind up with a disease. Once the immune system learns
about these germs, it will fight them, and we get over the malady.
The major parts of the immune system are the thymus, spleen, lymph system,
bone marrow, white blood cells, antibodies, complement system, and hormones.
The immune support system displays dual characteristics: self or non-self
recognition, general or specific, and natural or adaptive, cell-mediated
or humoral, active or passive, and primary or secondary. Some parts of the
immune system act against specific antigens. These parts are called
antigen-specific. Other parts of the immune system are systemic, working
throughout the human body rather than restricting themselves to the initial
infection site. Still others recognize antigens in order to an attack them
more vigorously next time they pose a threat. These parts of the immune system
are said to possess a memory.
We are all born with a genetically based natural defense system. The skin
is the most important organ of our natural defense system. An injury is a
gateway for germs to enter the body. This, or the presence of a foreign object
within the body, causes the immune system to act, getting rid of the invaders,
while the skin takes care of the wound. When this process does not take place,
it results in an infection.
Another sign of the functioning of the immune system is when we get a rash
or a bump on the skin after a mosquito bites.
The body would cease to be without the immune system. Just take a look at
some of the few things that could go wrong with a sub-optimal immune system:
Self or non-self recognition in the immune system occurs when every cell
displays a marker based on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). If
a cell does not display this marker, the immune system considers it as a
non-self and attacks it.
A breakdown of this process results causes the immune system to attack the
self-cells. Multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus, types of diabetes and arthritis
are all autoimmune diseases caused by the immune system attacking the self-cells.
Allergies are the result of the immune system overreacting to certain stimuli.
Diabetes occurs when the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas
and destroys them. Rheumatoid arthritis is also the result of the immune
system causing trouble in the joints. The immune system also creates problems
during organ transplants; it often refuses to accept the new organ.
Keeping the immune system in proper working order, especially with the increasing
amounts of toxic pollutants in the environment, is becoming a tough task.
Recent research is leading scientists to believe that certain carbohydrates
represent the next frontier in the search for non-toxic compounds that support
the immune system.
Eight of these essential sugars, called glyconutrients, have already been
discovered. Only two of these are found in our daily diet though. These eight
essential sugars supply the body with glycoforms that are needed for cell-to-cell
communication. Four of the last eight Nobel Prizes in medicine have been
awarded for research into Glycobiology. A steady supply of glyconutrients
is necessary for keeping the immune system working well. It has been found
that the body recovers and heals faster when glyconutrients are used when
administering chemotherapy and radiation.
Trouble is, the same toxins in the environment that weaken our immune system
also affect the body's ability to synthesize these glyconutrients. Which
is why we should ensure a steady supply of these glyconutrients through
glyconutritionals or food supplements containing glyconutrients.
We are living in an increasingly polluted world. The body is increasingly
finding it difficult to combat the ill-effects of these through its natural
processes. It is up to us to use our intelligence to tap our advance medical
knowledge for the body's help. Because, ultimately, it is a question of our
existence itself.
Lisa Hyde-Barrett, a registered nurse and wellness advocate, knows the value
of good nutrition and its relationship with good health. Shes become
passionate about the new research behind sugars, specifically
glyconutritional
products.
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