Some blog readers have been sending me, or I’ve come across on my own, some interesting titbits…Completely different topics, as you will see. Lots of food for thought, today…

The first, http://goo.gl/Mfllc, is a link to an article announcing the findings of researchers at the Keck School of Medicine. In a nutshell, they discovered that NF-kappaB, the infamous signaling pathway that we have been known about for years, not only contributes to disease progression in myeloma, but also contributes to the development of resistance to some of the commonly used drugs for the disease. Well, to be super honest, that doesn’t ring any new bells of surprise inside my jet-lagged brain. I mean, I’ve known and written about hopped-up NF-kappaB since I began blogging…So what’s the novelty? I’m not entirely sure. Hmmm…At any rate, the article does contain a very interesting description of what happens in the early stages of myeloma, how myeloma cells become independent of IL-6 (=another one of the superdupersnuper bad guys!), and how NF-kappaB makes myeloma cells resistant to conventional treatments, in particular dexamethasone. Please take note of the herpes virus discussion…This was actually the most interesting part for me since, as you know, I’m convinced that at least for some of us there might be a viral connection…

The next link, http://goo.gl/R23dm, will take you to a September 22nd article discussing the importance of spicing up your diet. Yes indeedie! I wish I’d known that years ago, sigh….Anyway, please read the part in which Prof. Aggarwal discusses gene therapy, which is currently a huge focus in myeloma research. I have to say that I agree with him…I find it interesting (gene research, I mean), but that’s it…

This Science Daily article will be of huge interest to those who have low platelets and are currently undergoing chemo (and to others, too, methinks): http://goo.gl/wOrrm

And finally, thanks to Cathy, here’s a fascinating article on happiness, stress and whatnot, titled “Eat, Smoke, Meditate: Why Your Brain Cares How You Cope”: http://goo.gl/wOrrm