In a new study New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) researchers investigating the catabolic effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in hyperparathyroidism (HPT) showed, for the first time, that monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is required for catabolic responses to PTH. HPT is a condition in which an abnormally high concentration of PTH in the blood accelerates bone loss.
The research team, led by Nicola C. Partridge, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology at NYU Dentistry, had previously found that MCP-1 is important in producing an anabolic effect of PTH, in which bone formation is increased, and they wanted to know if it was also important in causing a catabolic effect, in which bone is broken down.
In the present study, the researchers focused on the role of MCP-1 in PTH-induced osteoclast formation. Osteoclasts are cells that break down the bone. Increased osteoclast formation causes bones to become thinner and weaker. The researchers recreated the hyperparathyroid state in mice by constantly elevating their hyperparathyroid levels. Over a two-week period, they continuously infused female wild-type and MCP-1 knockout mice with human PTH. They showed that the ability of PTH to increase osteoclast formation in vitro is markedly impaired in cells from MCP-1 knockout mice and concluded that MCP-1 is an important chemokine, or signalling protein, in PTH-induced osteoclast formation and bone resorption.
The findings support the possibility that MCP-1 could be a marker for how PTH works in humans with hyperparathyroidism, as elevated serum MCP-1 has been shown to be correlated with elevated serum PTH levels in women. Notably, within minutes after humans undergo parathyroid adenoma surgery, MCP-1 serum levels decrease.
Because high serum levels of MCP-1 cause the white cells and osteoclasts to be stimulated, this process could have systemic effects as well as effects on bone. “MCP-1 is a chemokine, which induces cells to move along a gradient recruiting white cells and osteoclasts in tissues,” says Dr. Partridge. “Accordingly, there could also be effects on adipose tissue, the heart, and inflammatory conditions.”
In the United States, about 1,000 people develop HPT each year, with osteoporosis the most common manifestation. According to the National Institutes of Health, there are approximately 1.5 million osteoporotic fractures in the U.S. each year that lead to half a million hospitalizations, over 800,000 emergency room encounters, more than 2,600,000 physician office visits, and the placement of nearly 180,000 individuals in nursing homes. Hip fractures are by far the most devastating type of fracture, accounting for about 300,000 hospitalizations each year. About one in five people sustaining a hip fracture ends up in a nursing home.  
NYU College of Dentistryhttps://tinyurl.com/y7nzipw9

A simple blood test that detects tumour cells circulating in the blood shows promise as a new way to predict high or low risk of a breast cancer relapse.
“Late recurrence five or more years after surgery accounts for at least one-half of recurrences of breast cancer, and there are no tests that identify who is at highest risk. We found that in women who were cancer-free five years after diagnosis, about 5 percent had a positive circulating tumour cells (CTC) test,” said lead researcher Joseph A. Sparano, MD, vice chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group, Philadelphia, and associate director for clinical research at Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein Cancer Center, New York.
“More importantly …”, Dr. Sparano continued, “…we also found that a positive test was associated with a 35 percent recurrence risk after two years, compared with only 2 percent for those with a negative CTC test.”
The concept is to explore the use of the CTC blood test in a new way. Currently, the test is FDA-approved for use by physicians to monitor response to treatment in patients with advanced breast, colon or prostate cancer, but not early stage cancer. A rise in the number of circulating tumour cells in the blood in patients with advanced disease may indicate trouble before it shows up on a scan. In this study, the research team evaluated this test in a different setting—individuals alive and cancer-free about five years after their diagnosis and potentially cured, but still at risk for having a recurrence of their disease.
”Our ultimate goal is to use blood tests like this to tailor treatment in a way that minimizes recurrence risk for those at high risk, and spare treatment for those at low risk who may be unlikely to benefit from it,” Dr. Sparano said. “The findings of this analysis provide strong evidence to further evaluate this new risk assessment approach using CTC and other blood-based tests in this setting”.
The test was done on a single blood sample provided by 547 breast cancer patients who had been diagnosed more than five years prior and treated as part of a large ECOG-ACRIN breast cancer treatment trial, E5103. This group of patients had stage two or three breast cancer, and the cells in their tumours were HER2-negative.
Many women in E5103 remain cancer free and are being followed for their breast cancer status as part of standard care. Dr. Sparano and colleagues set up a biobank and invited these patients to contribute additional specimens for future research into the reasons for late recurrence. The biobank was established by ECOG-ACRIN and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups with funding from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, National Cancer Institute, and Susan G. Komen.
ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Grouphttps://tinyurl.com/ydgym4c3

Siemens Healthineers has now confirmed that it has completed the acquisition of Epocal Inc. from Abbott to complete its blood gas portfolio. The closing of the deal occurred October 31, 2017. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
In integrating Epocal Inc.’s offerings into its POC Ecosystem™ solution, Siemens Healthineers enables customized testing offerings based on individual facility needs – whether that is handheld testing, benchtop solutions or central lab applications – to help improve process efficiency. The epoc^® product line will integrate seamlessly into the Siemens Healthineers POC Ecosystem solution for easy connection from many manufacturers’ point-of-care analysers to hospital information systems, providing a flexible, long-term solution.
“Health networks have varying needs for blood gas testing across physicians’ offices, clinics, emergency departments, laboratories and even in ambulances. Having any one solution is limiting and may not meet all patient needs, which is why customized testing solutions are so important for improving patient care,” said Peter Koerte, President, Point of Care Diagnostics, Siemens Healthineers. “With a complete offering for blood gas diagnostics, we can help healthcare providers and point-of-care coordinators improve their workflows by offering the right test in the right setting at the right time.” www.siemens.com/epoc

A research team led by National University Health System (NUHS) and Duke-NUS Medical School has used genomic technologies to better understand intestinal metaplasia (IM), a known risk factor for gastric (stomach) cancer. Patients with IM are six times more likely to develop stomach cancer than those without. This study is an important part of an ambitious investigation to understand why some people develop stomach cancer, while others do not. The research could also help detect patients who are infected with the Helicobacter pylori bacteria, which is also linked to the disease.
Stomach cancer is the third deadliest cancer in the world according to World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, and claims more than 300 lives yearly in Singapore. The disease is believed to be caused by infection with Helicobacter pylori but is potentially treatable if detected early. Unfortunately, more than two-thirds of stomach cancer patients are only diagnosed at an advanced stage.
"Previous genetic studies on IM have mainly focused on patients who were already diagnosed with stomach cancer but these are limited in their ability to predict who are likely to develop the disease and how the disease will progress," said Professor Patrick Tan, co-lead investigator and Professor, Duke-NUS Medical School. Professor Tan is also Deputy Executive Director, Biomedical Research Council, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, and a Senior Principal Investigator at the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore. "This new study is the first to comprehensively map out the genetic changes in IM in a cohort of stomach cancer-free subjects, which helps us better predict the possible occurrence and progression of the disease."
Dr Yeoh Khay Guan, co-lead investigator and Deputy Chief Executive, NUHS as well as Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine added, "Our study is the largest series of IM to be studied in detail by genetic analysis. These new findings help us understand why some people have a higher risk of progression to stomach cancer, and identify those who may benefit from closer follow-up to prevent cancer or to detect it early so that it can be cured."
The researchers leveraged the near 3,000 participants-strong Gastric Cancer Epidemiology Programme (GCEP) cohort, recruited with the support of patients and doctors from four local public hospitals (National University Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, Changi General Hospital), to show that a comprehensive analysis of the genetic patterns of IM can predict its subsequent progression towards stomach cancer. The genetic analysis of IM helps to identify those with a higher risk of progression to stomach cancer, adding further information to what is available by microscopic examination alone.
The research team is using this new information to identify biomarkers that can be applied in future in the clinic to identify people who have a high risk of progression to stomach cancer.
EurekAlertwww.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/nuos-lgs010518.php

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) Chemistry scholars have invented a new class of multifunctional cyanine compounds that can be used for detection, imaging and thus treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The discovery has been granted four US patents and a patent by the Chinese government.
The research team was jointly led by Professor Ricky Wong Man-shing and Associate Professor Dr Li Hung-wing with members from the Department of Chemistry of HKBU. By making use of the proprietary compounds, the HKBU team, on one hand, has proved that the cyanine compounds applied onto a “nano”-detection platform can quantify trace amounts of Alzheimer’s disease related protein biomarkers present in human fluids such as cerebrospinal fluid, serum, saliva, and urine. It is a rapid, low-cost and ultrasensitive detection assay. On the other hand, the compounds also serve as an imaging agent for in vivo detection and monitoring of disease progression and understanding the disease pathogenesis as well as a drug candidate for treatment of the disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, it is incurable and the underlying cause is still not well understood. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the formation of amyloid plaque in human brains. Clinical evaluation, cognitive tests and neuroimaging (monitoring the brain’s structural changes) are commonly used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, but are only effective after symptoms appear. Moreover, neuroimaging, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), requires injecting contrast agents into a person that may bring health risks.
The proteins of interest, namely beta amyloid peptide, tau, and p-tau, in human’s cerebrospinal fluid are linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The versatile detection assay using the compounds developed by the team requires only a minute amount of the sample fluids (a few microliters) to reliably quantify the target proteins. The detection assay developed by the team is fast, cheaper and more sensitive than traditional commercially available biological methods.
Detection is based on the specific immuno-interactions between the target antigen and detection antibody that is immobilised on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles. The sandwiched immuno-assembly is then labelled with a newly developed turn-on cyanine compound that enhances the fluorescence signal, which is quantified by an imaging system.
Dr Li said, “This newly developed assay will be particularly useful as a low-cost yet accurate diagnostic and prognostic tool for Alzheimer’s disease. It can also serve as a novel alternative non-invasive tool for population-wide screening for the disease. This scientific detection assay has a high potential to serve as a practical diagnosis tool.”
Dr Li said that the new approach is universal and general enough to be readily modified and elaborated further, such as replacing the antibodies with other disease-associated antibodies, nucleic acids, for a broad range of biomedical research and disease diagnostics.   
Hong Kong Baptist Universityhkbuenews.hkbu.edu.hk/?t=press_release_details/2196