Yesterday afternoon I went to visit our new kitten, Peekaboo!, and took about a million photos of her and her two equally adorable siblings, since I won’t see them until next week when I will go to pick her up and bring her over to our house. Can’t wait, even though she is definitely going to be a handful. While I was visiting, she was like a little ping pong ball, boing boing boing all over my neighbours’ yard, hiding behind their bushes and jumping out suddenly to grab my toes. Clearly, Peekaboo is a fitting name for this tiny creature. Such a cutie!

I am doing research in bits and pieces, but please bear with me for a couple of days since my parents have just arrived from the States, and I haven’t seen them in months. Lots of catching up to do. However, I do have a couple of half-finished posts that I will finish and put up in the next couple of days.

My parents arrived in Florence safe and sound on Tuesday, and we have been catching up since then. Their luggage was filled with the supplements that I will use in my experiments planned for 2007 and 2008. Quite an impressive pile of bottles, I must say. Among other things, including curcumin, of course, they brought me resveratrol, ellagic acid and Scutellaria baicalensis (for my baicalein test). I haven’t had time to do any serious research in the past couple of days. But just this morning a close friend (thanks!) sent me a funny joke, as follows:

The Hikers

One day, Joe, Bob and Dave were hiking in a wilderness area when they came upon a large, raging, violent river. They needed to get to the other side, but had no idea of how to do so. Joe prayed to God, saying, “Please God, give me the strength to cross this river.”Poof! God gave him big arms and strong legs, and he was able to swim across the river in about two hours, although he almost drowned a couple of times.

Seeing this, Dave prayed to God, saying, “Please God, give me the strength and the tools to cross this river.”Poof! God gave him a rowboat and he was able to row across the river in about an hour, after almost capsizing the boat a couple of times.

Bob had seen how this worked out for the other two, so he also prayed to God saying, “Please God, give me the strength and the tools, and the intelligence, to cross this river.”

Poof! God turned him into a woman. She looked at the map, hiked upstream a couple of hundred yards, then walked across the bridge.

I am too excited to do any research this morning, waiting for my parents to arrive from the States. Their plane will land in
Florence in mid afternoon. So, while waiting to go pick them up at the airport, I decided to write about the Palio di Siena, which is a traditional bareback horse race held twice a year (July 2 and August 16) in Siena. It just so happened that yesterday I watched the Palio broadcast live on national TV. I must say, even though I do NOT approve of animal races or anything that puts animals in danger, not at all!, the Palio manages to hold me spellbound, mainly because I don’t want to hear about or see any horses being injured. If any of you has ever seen the Palio, during which ten horses race madly around the dangerous corners of Piazza del Campo (three times), you will know what I mean. Yesterday, though, no horses were seriously injured (one horse was slightly hurt during a trial run, but that’s it), so that was a big relief! (By the way, these are photos I took in 2006 at the Palio of Ferrara, not the Senese one, see below.)

Yesterday’s Palio was interesting because two horses, one from the contrada (city ward) of the Nicchio and the other from the contrada of the Oca, crossed the finish line neck to neck. The judges had difficulty assigning the Palio (a silk banner made specifically for each race), which went first to the Oca, then to the Nicchio, then back to the Oca. The contradaioli, or inhabitants of each contrada, began pulling the silk Palio back and forth above the crowd. The TV commentators said that nothing like that had ever happened before. By the way, for a bit of Palio history, you can check out Wikipedia. I would just like to mention that the Palio probably originated in the Middle Ages; however, the first modern Palio, with horses racing around Piazza del Campo, took place in 1650 ca. (before then, donkeys and even buffalos were used).

There are fierce competitive feelings among the inhabitants of the different Senese contrade, 17 in all (but there used to be 40 or so). Even the children of Siena are brought up in this competitive atmosphere, but for the most part it’s all in good fun. Before yesterday’s race, a husband and wife belonging to two different contrade were interviewed. Their baby girl belongs to the mother’s contrada (but if they have another child, he or she will belong to his father’s contrada). This is a serious matter: every year, on the contrada Saint’s day, all the children born that year are baptized at the fountain of their contrada church. They then become members for life of that particular contrada, and are like brothers and sisters to the other members. It’s okay for two members of opposing contrade to fall in love, but during the days of the Palio they become rivals. In many ways, this ancient tradition adds to the wonder and appeal of this lovely city. However, at the risk of offending any readers from Siena, in my opinion it is time to stop the horse-racing part of the Palio. It is simply too risky for the horses. An example: during the August 16 Palio of 2004, a horse fell and was trampled to death by the other horses. Incredibly, the race was not stopped, even though it could have caused other horses to fall. Any comment would be superfluous.

Traditional Palios held in other Italian cities are not as famous as the one in Siena, but perhaps equally spectacular. Last year, my husband and I spent a long weekend in Ferrara, where the most ancient Palio in the world (dating back to the 13th century) is held. We didn’t go see the horse race, which was just as well, since in 2006 three horses were lamed and had to be killed. We went instead to watch a couple of the magnificent flag-throwing competitions, accompanied by the sound of drums and trumpets played by inhabitants of the contrade dressed in Renaissance costume (see my photo). Absolutely stunning. We couldn’t move because of the huge cheering crowds surrounding us (not my favourite thing, crowds, I confess), but we got caught up in the excitement and began cheering, too. Of course, we cheered everyone, even the few competitors who dropped their flags. But I noticed that, whenever a flag was dropped, the entire crowd would let out a howl of disappointment. That is, there was no cheering from opposite factions. Very nice. The young man who won the single flag-throwing competition was handling and whirling and throwing so many flags that I lost count. And he didn’t drop ONE flag. I can’t tell you how incredible this was. Never seen anything like it. And it goes to show that a Palio can be exciting even without being dangerous both to humans and to animals. So let’s keep the spectacular flag competitions and the magnificent costume pageants and ban the dangerous horse racing.

According to a few herbal websites, rhubarb root has been used for two thousand years as a gentle but effective laxative. It cleanses, and also treats constipation, but €”when taken in smaller doses €”can also relieve diarrhea and hemorrhoids. Quite remarkable. However, a word of caution. I read warnings against munching on or cooking and eating this plant’s leaves, which are extremely toxic. Only the roots and rhizomes are used for medicinal purposes. I thought I should mention this, in case anybody was vaguely thinking of preparing some rhubarb leaf tea. Not a good idea! However, the leaves come in handy if you want to prepare an organic insecticide, for instance to fight those pesky aphids that infest your rose bushes (sigh!). For some useful suggestions, including how to use rhubarb leaves to clean burnt pots and pans (no kidding), go to: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-uses.html This website also includes a rhubarb tart song and rhubarb limericks. 😉

Other emodin-cancer studies:

1. the previously-mentioned promyeloleukemic HL-60 cell abstract was published in December 2002 in Biochemical Pharmacology : http://tinyurl.com/34xm94
2. another study on HL-60 cells, titled: Aloe-emodin induced in vitro G2/M arrest of cell cycle in human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells (http://tinyurl.com/3xn8fp), was published in 2004 in Food and Chemical Toxicology
3. a study on human oral cancer and emodin was published in Oral Oncology in January 2007: http://tinyurl.com/2mp5rp
4. a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) study: http://tinyurl.com/3d6d52, Life Sciences, 2004. This particular study is interesting because it shows that emodin activates the tumor-suppressor p53, also known as tumour protein p53, or TP53, which I have mentioned in previous posts. Go, p53!
5. a study on Merkel cell carcinoma and aloe-emodin: http://tinyurl.com/2p4jj5, published in Oncology Reports in 2004
6. a study titled Emodin Enhances Arsenic Trioxide-Induced Apoptosis via Generation of Reactive Oxygen Species and Inhibition of Survival Signaling (http://tinyurl.com/34ockb), published in Cancer Research in 2004.

Now, since my parents are arriving from the States tomorrow, I have some errands to run. Off I go!

I am posting about two items today. Originally, I was going to post only about Turkey Rhubarb (don’t you love that plant name?). But the “turkey” post brought me to reflect on another topic, i.e., conventional versus alternative approaches to the treatment of MM. First things first, though.

1. Turkey Rhubarb? A friend recently sent me a 2005 study by an MD Anderson research team on plant polyphenols and chemosensitization, which I am going through bit by bit. The bit I looked at yesterday concerns an active component of Turkey Rhubarb (scientific name: Rheum palmatum) called emodin. By the way, the roots and rhizomes of this plant have been used in traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine for centuries. And its extract, emodin, has many medicinal properties; for instance, it is antiaggregant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antiseptic, antitumour, antiviral, cathartic, cytotoxic, purgative, immunosuppressive, antispasmodic, styptic and viricidal!

The abstract of the above-mentioned MD Anderson study can be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/2k3pea The full study reports that emodin may sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy, and also kills human promyeloleukemic HL-60 cells in vitro. The MD Anderson researchers examined the effects of emodin on a variety of cancers, from lung to breast cancer, but I found no mention of MM.

So does this extract have any connection to MM? You betcha! 😉 A quick online search took me to the March 2007 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, which features a study titled: Emodin has a cytotoxic activity against human multiple myeloma as a Janus-activated kinase 2 inhibitor (http://tinyurl.com/38a7om). I wanted to understand what Janus-activated kinase 2, or JAK2, meant, so I looked it up and found the following study: http://tinyurl.com/225l93, according to which IL-6 and the subsequent JAK- dependent signaling pathways are essential for MM cell proliferation. Okay, so anything that inhibits that process is absolutely brilliant! Back to the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics abstract. It concludes that emodin inhibits interleukin-6 €”induced JAK2/STAT3 pathway selectively and induces apoptosis in myeloma cells via down-regulation of Mcl-1, which is a good target for treating myeloma. Taken together, our results show emodin as a new potent anticancer agent for the treatment of multiple myeloma. This all sounds very promising. I just hope more studies are done on this compound, as well as on many others!

2. Conventional/Alternative Food for Thought. However, more importantly, the opening statement of the MD Anderson study abstract provides some serious food for thought: The treatment of cancer with chemotherapeutic agents and radiation has two major problems: time-dependent development of tumor resistance to therapy (chemoresistance and radioresistance) and nonspecific toxicity toward normal cells. Many plant-derived polyphenols have been studied intently for their potential chemopreventive properties and are pharmacologically safe. This is not a new issue for me. I have been thinking along the same lines in recent months. And apparently, I am not the only one, as you will see below

One of the main problems with MM is that eventually the nasty malignant cells become resistant to chemotherapy. Unlike curcumin (just as an example!), conventional treatments do not have the ability to distinguish between normal and cancerous cells. What I hope to achieve with my alternative research is to develop a non toxic but effective alternative protocol that will target only my malignant cells, leaving my normal cells alone.

When I read about what is going on in the conventional MM treatment world, even my non-medical, non-scientific brain is able to figure out that the idea of a multi-pathway attack seems to be the predominant current approach. In other words, conventional chemotherapy drugs are given mainly in combination, not one at a time. And in fact, this morning I read some of the findings of the 11th International Myeloma Workshop just held in Kos, Greece (it ended yesterday). The most effective treatments for patients with relapsed MM, according to the IMF write-up (http://tinyurl.com/3atnmj), are as follows: a. Revlimid plus Dexamethasone; b. Velcade (bortezomib) plus cyclophosphamide and prednisone, and c. Velcade, Revlimid and a steroid. The list of current MM conventional clinical trials (about 300 or so) consists mostly of combinations of various drugs, many of which have been around for some time.

These findings lead me to believe that I am on the right track, except that in my case I want to find a protocol that I can keep modifying, if necessary, in order to keep engaging my MM cells in a sort of battle, but at the same time confounding them–attacking them from different pathways. If my approach works, great. If not, I will find something else (how about that for a positive thought on a sunny Sunday morning?). Only time will tell if my approach is correct, but, as usual, I remain confidently and stubbornly cheerful! Have a great Sunday! 🙂

Now that I have had my June blood tests, I have begun my summer supplement experiment. A few months ago I ordered curcumin capsules without bioperine from a reliable company in Milan. So this summer I want to see if the no-bioperine capsules will work as well as the ones with bioperine that I have been taking since last fall. I won’t change anything else about my intake, which will still include quercetin and oil capsules, and an occasional folic acid pill. A quick note: my Italian curcumin capsules are much smaller than my U.S. ones. I checked their weight (following the example of my friend Don, please see his informative Myeloma Hope blog), and found it to be correct. Why make big capsules if smaller ones work just as well? Smaller capsules are much easier to swallow, so that would be another point in their favour, if they work.

In the fall, I plan to take on a more ambitious project. I have ordered Chinese skullcap capsules (see my Scutellaria Baicalensis page for more information). I will test those for a couple of months and see what happens. When I say test, by the way, I don’t mean that I will stop taking curcumin. Too many potential risks involved (increase in IgG count and so on). Curcumin is to me what a security blanket is to the Peanuts’ character Linus.

Ending on a more personal note. I wish to thank those of you who suggested many wonderful names for our new kitten, who will be joining our merry household on July 10 (more or less). My Mom yesterday suggested Peaches, which I really liked. But last night my husband came up with what I consider to be the best name so far: Peekaboo. We will probably spell it the way it should be pronounced in Italian, that is Pikabu. Our mischievous furry baby loves to play peekaboo, so the name fits perfectly. Is there a cuter kitten in the world? I doubt it! I have no super recent photos, unfortunately; this one was taken about a week ago.

My Dad loves Shakespeare, so when I saw this wonderful list of student essay bloopers from Richard Lederer’s website, I just had to post it as part of my “laughter is good for the immune system” project. 😉 I tried to edit the list, but I was able only to take out a sentence or two. Too funny! The entire list can be read on Lederer’s website: http://www.verbivore.com/adven.htm

Dad, this is for you!

• Shakespeare never made much money and is famous only because of his plays and sonics. He lived at Windsor with his merry wives, writing hysterectomies, tragedies, comedies, and errors. I don’t see why he is so popular when his writing skills are so low. He wrote in Islamic pentameter, and you can’t hardly understand what he is saying.
• In one of Shakespeare’s famous plays, Hamlet rations out his situation by relieving himself in a long soliloquy. A soliloquy is a conversation between one person. Hamlet has an edible complex [ ]. Oedipus and Hamlet really had a lot in common, even if Freud had not yet been invented.
• In Act Five Hamlet talks to Horatio about a skull that has been thrown up. Act Five comes right after Act Four.
• After Macbeth becomes the Thane of Candor, King Duncan wires Macbeth that he will be spending the night at his castle. Then Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth to kill King Duncan by attacking his manhood. All Macbeth does is follow his wife’s odors. He kills the king on page 14. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth then suffer from quilt. In fact, they have so much quilt between them, they can’t sleep at night.
• During the banquet scene, Lady Macbeth is afraid her husband will expose himself in front of his guests. Then Lady Macbeth gets kilt. The proof that the witches in Macbeth were supernatural is that no one could eat what they cooked.
• Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Romeo and Juliet belonged to the families of the Montages and Copulates, and Lady Copulate disliked Romeo.
• Romeo saw Juliet for the first time at the massacred ball. They tell each other how much they are in love in the baloney scene. After much fighting in the pubic square, Romeo’s last wish is to be laid by Juliet. When Juliet died, they had a funeral in her wedding dress.
• In Julius Caesar, Brutus is a tragic hero despite dying at the end. In Julius Caesar, the toothslayer warned Caesar to beware the March of Dimes. He is murdered by the Ides of March because they think he is ego-testical. Dying, he gasps out the words “Eat you, Brutus!” Then he dies with these immortal words: “Veni, vedi, vici.”
• In The Merchant of Venice, the Rialto is the business part of Venus. Bassanio loved Portia, but he had no money to press his suit. Taming of the Screw is a play about Petruchio, who takes Kate from a bitter screw to an obedient wife. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck turns Bottom’s head into an ass. The clown in As You Like It is named Touchdown.
• In Anthony and Cleopatra, Cleopatra reclined to become Mark Anthony’s mistress. She took the Roman Empire one man at a time. The barge she shat on, like a burnished throne, glowed on the water. The poop was beaten gold.
• Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes. He wrote Donkey Hote. The next great author was John Milton. Milton wrote Paradise Lost. Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise Regained.

I have debated whether or not to write a post on this topic. Well, in the end, I decided to give it a go, even though this may turn out to be one of my more controversial posts. I will proceed by degrees. First of all, what is Helicobacter pylori? Medicinenet (http://tinyurl.com/2pfag6) defines it as follows: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that causes chronic inflammation of the inner lining of the stomach (gastritis) in humans. This bacterium also is the most common cause of ulcers worldwide. H. pylori infection is most likely acquired by ingesting contaminated food and water and through person to person contact. I happened to glance at some photos of this bacterium. Nothing cuddly about it, that’s for sure! Yuck.

At any rate, some time ago I came across a study on H. pylori and MGUS conducted at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology in June of 2002 (http://tinyurl.com/2whd55). The abstract concludes the following (talk about a shocker!): RESULTS: Sixty-nine patients with MGUS were included in the study. Of these, 57 had undergone evaluation for H. pylori infection for various GI symptoms. Thirty-nine of 57 patients (68.42%) with MGUS also had evidence of H. pylori infection. In 11 of these 39 patients (28.21%), eradication of H. pylori infection with an appropriate regimen led to normalization of the serum protein electrophoresis and resolution of the gammopathy. CONCLUSION: The results of our study give increased credibility to the theory that in a proportion of patients the pathogenesis of MGUS involves chronic antigenic stimulation and H. pylori is implicated. The search for H. pylori infection and an attempt to eradicate the bacterium in positive cases seem to be appropriate in patients diagnosed with MGUS.

Now, before those with MGUS get all excited and start running to the lab to be tested for H. pylori, let me say that a subsequent report by a Mayo Clinic research team, published in the December 2002 issue of the British Journal of Haematology (http://tinyurl.com/29gv3f), contradicts those findings. The Mayo researchers found that there was not a significant difference between a group of MGUS patients (93 people) and a control group (98 people) who tested positive for H. pylori. And, after being treated for the H. pylori infection, those with MGUS still had MGUS.

I read a couple of abstracts about individual patients with H. pylori. A German study (http://tinyurl.com/392t9m) published in 2006 examined the case of a patient with dyspepsia associated with H. pylori-related erosive gastritis, in addition to Russell Body formation (an inclusion body found in plasma cells) and MGUS: Following H. pylori eradication, gastritis and dyspepsia gradually resolved but MGUS persisted for at least 22 months. Does that mean that the patient’s MGUS disappeared after 22 months? Since I didn’t and don’t have access to the full study, I have no idea. And a 2003 Greek study (http://tinyurl.com/2noehq) looks at the case of a patient with a long history of chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers with recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage who developed a gastric plasmacytoma. The patient took antibiotics to get rid of the H. pylori, and within three months the plasmacytoma had disappeared. The study, which (again) I was unable to access, looks at a possible causal link between the patient’s infection and plasmacytoma.

Okay, so what happens even if you test positive for this nasty bacterium? If you are a curcumin-taker, apparently you don’t have to worry about it too much. Consider the following: a 2002 study shows that curcumin inhibits the growth of H. pylori: http://tinyurl.com/29fc9r; a 2003 German study (http://tinyurl.com/25scz9) concludes that curcumin, due to inhibition of NF-kappaB activation and cell scattering, should be considered as a potential therapeutic agent effective against pathogenic processes initiated by H. pylori infection.” A more recent Italian study, published in Helicobacter in 2007 (http://tinyurl.com/2hw7xg), examined 25 H. pylori-positive patients (twelve men ranging in age from 31 to 76) with functional dyspepsia. The Italian patients were given a dose of curcumin and a few other substances for one week, as follows: curcumin 30 mg b.i.d., bovine lactoferrin 100 mg b.i.d., N-acetylcysteine 600 mg b.i.d., and pantoprazole 20 mg b.i.d. (B.i.d. means twice daily, by the way, from the Latin bis in die). The study concludes: This novel therapy was not effective for H. pylori eradication. However, despite the bacterium persistence, significant improvement of dyspeptic symptoms and reduction of serologic signs of gastric inflammation were observed after 2 months at the end of the 7-day treatment schedule. In my opinion, there are a few weaknesses in this study. The length of treatment–seven days–was too short. From the abstract, in fact, it is not clear (at least to me) if the patients continued with the treatment for two months or if they stopped after the first week. Even if the former were the case, though, 60 mg of curcumin a day is such a small quantity that I am not surprised that the novel therapy didn’t work. For the sake of comparison, I am taking 8,000 mg a day! However, what is rather significant is the fact that even after being treated with such a tiny amount of curcumin (plus the few other substances) these infected patients showed significant improvement in a two-month period. There are other curcumin and H. pylori studies, but these should suffice.

I am not taking sides on this issue. I have read only the abstracts of all these studies, plus I am not a scientist, just a researcher (with a Ph.D. in a non-scientific subject) who happens to have SMM. However, I admit that this Helicobacter business intrigued me enough to bring it up in April with my haematologist. And, in order to leave no stone unturned, I requested to be tested for Helicobacter pylori. At least, I will know if I have it or not. I am beyond MGUS by now, but you never know

“Mistel” is the Anglo-Saxon word for “dung,” and “tan” is the word for “twig.” That gives us “mistel-tan, or dung-on-a-twig ” So, still in the dark? 😉 Ok, a few more hints. For the Druids, this was a sacred plant, whose name is based on the ancient observation that its seeds would appear on bird droppings (hence, the dung part of its name). It has been around perhaps for millions of years, is a semiparasitic plant that grows on trees, and provides shelter and food for a great variety of insects, birds and animals. Even though it is very toxic to humans, according to the National Cancer Institute FAQ page it has been used for centuries to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy, hypertension, headaches, menopausal symptoms, infertility, arthritis, and rheumatism. Still puzzled?

Ready? Okay, here goes! The mysterious plant is…mistletoe! Yep, the kiss-your-sweetie-under-it-at-Xmas kind of mistletoe! Why mistletoe?

Well, this is what happened. The other day I read about a mistletoe extract, Viscum Album, in a study that a friend (grazie!) sent to me on natural compounds that inhibit angiogenesis. And, as usual, almost grinning, I did an online search. And there it was, quelle surprise!: a mistletoe (extract)-MM study published in a German journal in June of 2006. The abstract can be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/2grqkf An excerpt: None of the three B lymphoma cell lines and none of the three multiple myeloma cell lines produced interleukin (IL)-6 spontaneously or after treatment with VA Qu extract. ( VA Qu, by the way, simply means Viscum Album Quercus.) The mistletoe extract inhibited the proliferation of MM cells, which eventually died. How about that? Another MM-cell killer in vitro.

Funny thing is, before reading this abstract, I had no idea that mistletoe was used as a complementary treatment for some forms of cancer here in Europe €”Germany, in particular. A recent (May 2007) International Congress on Complementary Medicine Research held in Munich (the program is available here: http://tinyurl.com/2blgny) featured nine papers on mistletoe presented by eight different researchers. (Not one on curcumin; just thought I would make a note of that 😉 ). I then did a Google search in Italian (mistletoe is vischio), too, and a lot of items popped up. Hmmm, very interesting. As I mentioned, mistletoe berries and leaves are toxic to humans (seizures and death are listed among the lovely side effects)–so don’t go chewing on the mistletoe you may have on one of the trees in your back yard–but that is NOT the case for mistletoe extracts, which have few side effects. As reported by the above-mentioned NCI FAQ page (http://tinyurl.com/22jp7j), Mistletoe is used mainly in Europe, where a variety of different extracts are manufactured and marketed as injectable prescription drugs. These extracts are not available commercially in the United States. And, further down, Mistletoe extract is studied as a possible anticancer agent because it has been shown to: Boost the immune system. Kill cancer cells in the laboratory. Protect the DNA in white blood cells, including cells that have been exposed to DNA-damaging chemotherapy drugs.

The NCI page also states that the use of mistletoe as a treatment for cancer has been investigated in more than 30 clinical studies. Reports of improved survival and/or quality of life have been common, but nearly all of the studies had major weaknesses that raise doubts about the reliability of the findings. According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (http://tinyurl.com/35ag44), among these weaknesses were the small number of patients, inadequate documentation on mistletoe use, etc. However, that said, the U.S. Clinical Trials website currently lists a couple of mistletoe-cancer clinical trials in the U.S. and another one at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

A February 2007 study (http://tinyurl.com/336sx2) showed that a mistletoe extract prevented the suppression of natural killer, or NK, cells in colorectal cancer patients undergoing major surgery. A 2004 study (http://tinyurl.com/2a4qq6) states that a mistletoe extract called IscadorQu inhibits tumor and endothelial cell growth by delaying cell cycle progression and by causing apoptotic cell death. The antiangiogenic and apoptotic properties of a mistletoe extract are also examined in a 2001 study (http://tinyurl.com/2c83kt). This is turning into a laundry list, so enough.

I would like to end by saying that I am certainly not advocating the use of mistletoe to treat MM. One mistletoe-MM study is not enough to convince my sceptical brain. So, you would probably ask me, why did I even bother to write this post? Well, once I read the origin/meaning of the word, I just couldn’t resist! 🙂 And besides, you never know some day, our view of mistletoe might change, and the use of the following insult–“yeah, well, go poop on a stick!” (found in the online Urban Dictionary, no kidding)–might take on quite another meaning. 🙂

Blood. I went to have my blood tests at Careggi hospital this morning. From now on, my friend and I are going to try to have our tests done at the same time, depending on our schedules etc. This morning, chatting about this and that, time simply flew by, and we were out and having breakfast in a nearby café by 8:15 a.m. or so. However, since I had requested that certain minerals (magnesium, etc.) and vitamins (B12, etc.) be checked, I discovered, to my horror, that I won’t have my test results until the end of July-beginning of August! I guess I won’t be holding my breath…

Zyflamend. Talk about coincidences. After reading one of Dr. Benelli’s books on curcumin and other NF-kB and COX-2 inhibitors, I looked up holy basil and read about Zyflamend, which is a blend of various herb extracts. Well, right there and then I decided to order a two-month supply, which my parents (who live in the States) are bringing to me this summer. And here is the coincidental part: just yesterday I came across a recently published study by Prof. Aggarwal and others on this polyherbal mixture: http://tinyurl.com/2ppxf7 Among other things, Zyflamend was found to inhibit NF-kB, down-regulate COX-2 and suppress osteoclastogenesis. Well, well. I know, I have broken my vow not to post about brands on my blog, but this bit of news was too good to keep to myself. Here is the list of herb extracts contained in this product: Rosemary (leaf), Turmeric (rhizome), Ginger (rhizome), Holy Basil (leaf) extract, Green Tea (leaf) extract, Hu Zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum) (root and rhizome) extract, Chinese Goldthread (root) extract, Oregano (leaf) supercritical extract, Baikal Skullcap (Scutellaria baicalensis) (root) ethanolic extract. This blend comes so close to my idea of putting different anti-MM plant extracts into a bioavailable capsule…

Capsaicin. Ever since reading about capsaicin and MM (see my page on this topic), I have been adding hot red pepper to my food. But I have an exciting update. Prof. Aggarwal, the magnificent Dumbledore of scientific research, recently co-authored a study concerning the effects of capsaicin on the STAT3 pathway in human MM cells. The “Clinical Cancer Research” May 2007 abstract can be read at: http://tinyurl.com/2xy88n. I am hoping to access the full study soon. At any rate, here are a few excerpts (practically the entire abstract…!): We found that capsaicin inhibited constitutive activation of STAT3 in multiple myeloma cells. [ ] Capsaicin also inhibited the interleukin-6-induced STAT3 activation. [ ] Capsaicin down-regulated the expression of the STAT3-regulated gene products, such as cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, survivin, and vascular endothelial growth factor. Finally, capsaicin induced the accumulation of cells in G(1) phase, inhibited proliferation, and induced apoptosis, as indicated by caspase activation. Capsaicin also significantly potentiated the apoptotic effects of Velcade and thalidomide in multiple myeloma cells. When administered i.p., capsaicin inhibited the growth of human multiple myeloma xenograft tumors in male athymic nu/nu mice. It’s almost time for lunch, so pass the capsaicin, please! 😉