A New Laser Can Target And Kill Bloodstream Cancer Cells in Real Time

Tumor cells that spread cancer via the bloodstream face a new foe: a laser beam, shined from outside the skin, that finds and kills these metastatic little demons on the spot.

In a study published today in Science Translational Medicine, researchers revealed that their system accurately detected these cells in 27 out of 28 people with cancer, with a sensitivity that is about 1,000 times better than current technology. That’s an achievement in itself, but the research team was also able to kill a high percentage of the cancer-spreading cells, in real time, as they raced through the veins of the participants. 

If developed further, the tool could give doctors a harmless, noninvasive, and thorough way to hunt and destroy such cells before those cells can form new tumors in the body. “This technology has the potential to significantly inhibit metastasis progression,” says Vladimir Zharov, director of the nanomedicine center at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, who led the research. 

The spreading of cancer, or metastasis, is the primary cause of cancer-related death. Cancer spreads when cells from primary tumors break off and travel through the bloodstream and lymph system, settling in new areas of the body and forming secondary tumors. 

Killing these circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, in the bloodstream before they have a chance to settle could help prevent metastasis and save lives. Simply being able to count CTCs could help doctors more accurately diagnose and treat metastatic cancer—something no device has been able to do efficiently. 

Zharov and his team tested their system in people with melanoma, or skin cancer. The laser, beamed at a vein, sends energy to the bloodstream, creating heat. Melanoma CTCs absorb more of this energy than normal cells, causing them to heat up quickly and expand. 

This thermal expansion produces sound waves, known as the photoacoustic effect, and can be recorded by a small ultrasound transducer placed over the skin near the laser. The recordings indicate when a CTC is passing in the bloodstream. 

The same laser can also be used to destroy the CTCs in real time. Heat from the laser causes vapor bubbles to form on the tumor cells. The bubbles expand and collapse, interacting with the cell and mechanically destroying it. Imagine shooting bad guys in video games, or shining ultraviolet light on bacteria. If that kind of thing feels good to you, imagine how satisfying it would be to point this laser at your loved one’s cancer cells

The purpose of the study published today was to test the accuracy of the device in detecting CTCs. But even with the laser in a low-energy diagnostic mode, it killed a significant number of CTCs in six patients. “In one patient, we destroyed 96 percent of the tumor cells” that crossed the laser beam, says Zharov. He and his colleagues say they hope the laser will be even more effective when they turn up the energy in future studies. 

 https://futurism.com/the-byte/laser-destroy-cancer-cells

https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/diagnostics/laser-destroys-cancer-cells-circulating-in-the-blood

People have lower levels of activity in brain in areas related to cognitive control and reasoning when they are focusing on sacred values.

"An international team of researchers has found that people have lower levels of activity in brain in areas related to cognitive control and reasoning when they are focusing on sacred values. In their paper published in Royal Society Open Science, the group describes their study involving brain scans of terrorist sympathizers and what they found.

Prior research and anecdotal evidence have shown that once a person develops sacred values regarding a particular topic, it is difficult to get them to change their minds. Prior research has also shown that people who have certain sacred values are often more willing to fight and die for a cause than others. In this new effort, the researchers sought to learn more about what goes on in the minds of people who have expressed a willingness to die for a cause that is based on sacred values—in this case, sympathizers of an Al-Qaeda offshoot called Lashkar-et Taiba."

Anthropologist Scott Atran, one of the study authors, has been investigating the motivation behind the "will to fight" for several years. He noted that in 2016, former President Barack Obama said one of the mistakes made in the war with Iraq was to underestimate militant extremists' will to fight. Understanding why and to what extent people will fight for causes could be linked to the level of their sacred values.

Over the last few years, research has suggested people with sacred values are more willing to fight and die, but that peer pressure could reduce that desire. But understanding the social motivation is difficult, with the problem of posturing—where participants could behave in a way that is misleading—potentially skewing results.

"The neuroimaging studies were meant to rule out posturing—you can't consciously control these brain processes—and to show that the behavioral results of willingness to sacrifice for sacred values is truly rooted as deep-down as it goes in human cognition and brain processes," Atran told Newsweek.

The study was organized by Artis International and published in the Royal Society Open Science. Behavioral and neuroscientists designed studies that radicalized people would eventually be willing to voluntarily enter an fMRI machine.

While in the machines, participants were asked about their willingness to fight and die for their sacred values, and values not held sacred to them. Findings showed that when discussing their sacred values, there was a lower level of activity in the area of the brain related to cognitive control and reasoning—"regions that have previously been implicated in calculating costs and consequences," they wrote.

Researchers also found that when participants were told their peers were less willing to fight and die, their own willingness dropped.

The findings indicate there are distinct processes that take place in the brains of people who have an extreme commitment towards sacred values. It does not, however, suggest extremists are more prone to radical behavior because of their brain wiring.

Reasons for High red blood cell count (polycythemia)

Polycythemia (high red blood cell count) definition and facts

• Polycythemia means increased red blood cell volume.
• Polycythemia is divided into two main categories; primary and secondary.
• Polycythemia can be linked to secondary causes, such as, chronic hypoxia or tumors releasing erythropoietin.
• Abnormally increased red cell production in the bone marrow causes polycythemia vera.
• Treatment of secondary polycythemia is dependent on the underlying condition.
• Polycythemia is treated by phlebotomy (controlled blood letting) and hydroxyurea.

What is polycythemia?

Polycythemia definition

Polycythemia is a condition that results in an increased level of circulating red blood cells in the bloodstream. People with polycythemia have an increase in hematocrit, hemoglobin, or red blood cell count above the normal limits.
Polycythemia is normally reported in terms of increased hematocrit (hematocrit is the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood) or hemoglobin concentration (hemoglobin is a protein responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood).

• Hematocrit (HCT): Polycythemia is considered when the hematocrit is greater than 48% in women and 52% in men.
• Hemoglobin (HGB): Polycythemia is considered when there is a hemoglobin level of greater than 16.5g/dL in women or hemoglobin level greater than18.5 g/dL in men.

Polycythemia can be divided into two categories: primary and secondary.

• Primary polycythemia: In primary polycythemia the increase in red blood cells is caused by inherent problems in the process of red blood cell production.
• Secondary polycythemia: Secondary polycythemia generally occurs as a response to other factors or underlying conditions that promote red blood cell production.

Red cell production (erythropoiesis) takes place in the bone marrow through a complex sequence of tightly regulated steps. The main regulator of the red cell production is the hormone erythropoietin (EPO). This hormone is largely secreted by the kidneys, although, about 10% may be produced and secreted by the liver.
Erythropoietin secretion is up-regulated in response to low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in the blood. More oxygen can be carried to tissues when erythropoietin stimulates red blood cell production in the bone marrow to compensate for the hypoxia.

What are normal ranges of hematocrit, red cell counts, and hemoglobin?

Red blood cell count ranges

• Hematocrit is the ratio of the volume of red cells to the volume of whole blood. The normal range for hematocrit varies between sexes and is approximately 45% to 52% for men and 37% to 48% for women.
• Red cell count signifies the number of red blood cells in a volume of blood. The normal range in men is approximately 4.7 to 6.1 million cells/ul (microliter). The normal range in women ranges from 4.2 to 5.4 million cells/ul, according to NIH (National Institutes of Health) data.
• Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and gives blood its red color. The normal range for hemoglobin may differ between the sexes and is approximately 13 to 18 grams per deciliter for men and 12 to 16 grams per deciliter for women.

 

 

Symptoms of Polycythemia or What Happens if RBC Count is High?

This is what happens if the RBC count is high; if the polycythemia is mild, then it may not produce any symptoms in the patient. Common symptoms of polycythemia or high RBC count are:

• Blurry vision.
• Pain in the chest.
• Itching.
• Headaches.
• Dizziness.
• Muscle pain.
• Hypertension.
• Ruddy complexion.
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).

If a person has developed polycythemia as a result of liver cancer, kidney cancer, or other erythropoietin-secreting tumors, then symptoms include weight loss, abdominal fullness or pain and jaundice.

What causes polycythemia?

Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

High red blood cell count may be caused by low oxygen levels, kidney disease or other problems.

Low oxygen levels

Your body may increase red blood cell production to compensate for any condition that results in low oxygen levels, including:

1. Heart disease (such as congenital heart disease in adults)
2. Heart failure
3. A condition present at birth that reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells (hemoglobinopathy)
4. High altitudes
5. COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) exacerbation — worsening of symptoms
6. Pulmonary fibrosis (scarred and damaged lungs)
7. Other lung diseases
8. Sleep apnea
9. Nicotine dependence (smoking)

Performance-enhancing drugs

Certain drugs stimulate the production of red blood cells, including:

1. Anabolic steroids
2. Blood doping (transfusion)
3. Injections of a protein (erythropoietin) that enhances red blood cell production

Increased red blood cell concentration

1. Dehydration (If the liquid component of the blood (plasma) is decreased, as in dehydration, the red blood cell count increases. This is due to the red blood cells becoming more concentrated. The actual number of red blood cells stays the same.)

Kidney disease

Rarely, in some kidney cancers and sometimes after kidney transplants, the kidneys might produce too much erythropoietin. This enhances red blood cell production.

Bone marrow overproduction

1. Polycythemia vera
2. Other myeloproliferative disorder

 https://www.epainassist.com/blood-diseases/polycythemia
 https://www.mayoclinic.org/symptoms/high-red-blood-cell-count/basics/causes/sym-20050858
 https://medlineplus.gov/congenitalheartdefects.html