#1 2012-12-05 05:01:01
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#2 2012-12-05 07:06:10
PSA
That's pretty old news, Fnord. There are more recent updates, of both + & - chars.
+++
Michelakis, E. D.; Sutendra, G.; Dromparis, P.; Webster, L.; Haromy, A.; Niven, E.; Maguire, C.; Gammer, T. L. et al. (2010). "Metabolic Modulation of Glioblastoma with Dichloroacetate". Sci Transl Med 2 (31): 31ra34–31ra34. doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.3000677. PMID 20463368.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a malignant brain tumour. From the abstract:
"DCA depolarized mitochondria, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, and induced apoptosis in GBM cells, as well as in putative GBM stemcells, both in vitro and in vivo. DCA therapy also inhibited the hypoxia-inducible factor–1a, promoted p53 activation, and suppressed angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. The dose-limiting toxicity was a dose-dependent, reversible peripheral neuropathy, and there was no hematologic, hepatic, renal, or cardiac toxicity. Indications of clinical efficacy were present at a dose that did not cause peripheral neuropathy and at serum concentrations of DCA sufficient to inhibit the target enzyme of DCA, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase II, which was highly expressed in all glioblastomas. Metabolic modulation may be a viable therapeutic approach in the treatment of glioblastoma."
All that's good news. Time to run out and buy poor old Uncle Lumpy a crate of DCA, right? Oh hold on, what's this say?
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Shahrzad, Siranoush; Lacombe, Kristen; Adamcic, Una; Minhas, Kanwal; Coomber, Brenda L. (November 2010). "Sodium dichloroacetate (DCA) reduces apoptosis in colorectal tumor hypoxia". Cancer Letters 297 (1): 75–83. doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2010.04.027. PMID 20537792.
This article doesn't appear to be online, but the title pretty much says it all: for at least some types of colorectal cancer, DCA actually reduces apoptosis (known in Japan as "honorable sick cell seppuku") and enhances tumour growth. Not good! Many experimental trials definitely required, to determine what types of cancer cells are environmentally suitable, or unsuitable, for DCA therapy! I sure hope you didn't buy poor Uncle Lumpy a crate of DCA. You did? He did? Shit. When's the funeral?
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#3 2012-12-05 09:03:29
Can't you just flush out cancer with slightly contaminated water, like half of my old relatives, or gin, like the other half?
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#4 2012-12-05 13:09:30
Not surprising, either way, because running a drug through all the clin trials and the FDA approvals is obscenely expensive, not to mention the legal liability once you start production. And then, once you get done, you can't sell it for a profit because it's generic anyway.
This is a place where the FDA could do its part and begin running their own clin trials and contracting for manufacture of critical generic drugs, on behalf of the national welfare. Similar problems exist with other drugs, including such things as snake anti-venom where there's none in production and old stocks are simply being 're-dated' (the 'sell by' date is being legally extended). Once those stocks are gone, if you get bit, you're dead. Simple as that.
Last edited by whosasailorthen (2012-12-05 13:11:01)
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