Posts

Orexin/hypocretic receptor signalling and cancer.

Image
Let's consider Orexin/hypocretin receptor signalling and how we may exploit this system for brain cancer management. As we can see in the diagrams below, orexin neutrons regulate various activities such as wakefulness, feeding, reward and thermogenesis. A ketogenic diet, normalisation of sleep/wake cycles, fasting, stimulation of thermogenic pathways and giving the brain fuels it thrives on could act as key strategies we can adopt to take advantage of the fact that orexin appears to have potential as a novel, highly-specific treatment for various localised and metastatic cancers. This is not quite as simple as it may sound as you can always have too much of a 'good' stressor or thing before it becomes 'bad'- eustress vs distress. We know of course that fat is a very efficient source of energy for the brain and ketone bodies are neuroprotective, the body energy level influences orexin neuronal activity to coordinate arousal and energy homeostasis. Management of chron...

Reaction to Tessa Jowell's death, thoughts on repurposed drugs and deuterium. Update on Sativex.

Image
Links relating to subjects mentioned: Deuterium content of water increases depression susceptibility https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432814004884 Ketogenic substrates, water and drugs promote deuterium depletion of mitochondrial metabolic matrix water, offering a means to prevent tumor cell growth.- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306987715004399#f0005 AKT as Locus of Hydrogen Bond Network in Cancer.- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28590011 Tumour Treating Fields- https://www.novocure.com/our-therapy/ Essential reading about water, especially if you're into all that reverse osmosis, alkaline stuff or drink tap water.- https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jchem/2013/472323/

L-Carnitine, ketolytic enzymes and therapeutic ketogenic diets for cancer management.

Image
L-Carnitine plays an absolutely vital role in the metabolism of fatty acids. Mo Farah is recently, somewhat controversially been pruported to have had an injection of L-Carnitine before the 2014 London Marathon for performance gains. It is worth noting that Mo Farah is an endurance athlete, so fat is the predominant fuel source. Fat oxidation rate is high so if you can sustain this for a longer period of time you can improve limits of exhaustion. Carnitine shuttle (1) This IV administration by Mo Farah is now being seen by the media in this country as 'cheating within the rules' with increased scrutiny recently of 'marginal gains' in athletic performance and sport in general after the cycling 'scandal' with Team Sky riders making the most of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs) that are known to improve performance for endurance athletes. What helps athletes often has great potential for cancer patients- ie. infusion of nutrients, certain drugs, nutritional supplem...

Telomere biology and cancer

When I was first diagnosed I asked my oncologist about my prognosis and was told... 'well the good news is that you are still quite young.' He then went on to tell me dates for both the best and worst case scenarios.  With biological age being so important for survival I asked 'Well then what if I just try and keep my biological age as young as possible?'. He said, 'Interesting point, well you can certainly try.'.... Telomere biology- try to stay young by supplementing with a bioavailable form of magnesium, vital for over 300 enzyme reactions in the body. Most of us are deficient and supplementation can improve sleep, energy levels, reduce seizure activity for those of us with epilepsy and improve mood. http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/1/157/htm

World Cancer Day

Image
I am in my 5th year since being diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. I should be happy right? Well, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Its complicated.  There have been many occasions that I didn't think I would make it this far. I feel incredibly fortunate, but even now I am still picking up all the pieces and coping with a 'new normal'. You learn to cope better with time, but its like grieving for a life lost. There is a new me that I don't recognise and have had to get to know, even if the essence of who I am stays the same, if you look closely behind the eyes can tell a different story. Sometimes people may just think I should leave it behind me and 'get on with it', but I can't, as, like it or not, its with me every day and I am scarred by it. The invisible disabilities,- the uncertainty,- and 'living in the moment' is how I live. day by day. I have to... and I have little choice.  Every day I experience some type of brain dysfunction that keeps me ...

Blue light blocking glasses and cancer, epilepsy

Image
These are the best blue light blocking glasses I have had and they don't look dorky. If you understand about the negative effects of artificial light at night you will understand how useful these can be to normalise natural melatonin secretion in the evenings. Endogenous melatonin produced by the pineal gland is one the most potent anti-cancer molecules known to man, as I have mentioned previously in this blog. The most noticeable benefit for me is improved seizure control after sunset. The effect of melatonin and sleep aids has been investigated for years as potential anti convulsive agents for good reason and the mechanisms of action go beyond improved sleep quality (although this is still HUGELY important for seizure control). Blue light blocking glasses from BLUblox-  https://www.blublox.com Melatonin is a very powerful antioxidant with numerous physiological functions. The interplay between clock genes and light entering the retina is an intricate, delicate process that regula...

Erenumab and other CGRP receptor antagonists- potential for action against brain tumours?

Image
At the moment I'm keeping an eye on trial results and emerging research of this relatively new medication (Erenumab) for episodic migraine to understand how it could have anti-cancer activity against angiogenesis in malignant brain tumours. Furness and Wookey, 2012 Erenumab is a human monoclonal antibody against the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor (CGRP receptor) and its primary use is for the prevention of migraine. This simply means that it acts as an antagonist for the CGRP receptor. CGRP comprises of 37 amino acids and is produced in the peripheral and central neurons. The main function of this peptide is to transmit pain. Early studies in humans have shown that the drug could prevent migraines by up to 50% in phase 2 clinical trials (8) so wider spread use and future applications would be interesting to see. Long term safety requires further study as this is a relatively new drug. Research into CGPR receptor antagonists have been in development over the last few year...