This is the first clinic of China Saint Luke Society to be opened in China, and the core members are discussing various issues. We hope that through the opening of clinics, the development of Saint Luke Society will be promoted, more our members will be served, and the tabernacle of God will be expanded.

“Luke” is the one person from Bible; he is the writer of ACTS and LUKE, the co-worker of apostle Paul and a doctor at the same time. God has given us the name–Saint Luke Society which means he wants us to become the recorder of Gospel and the co-worker of apostles just like “Luke”.

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Pastor Luna Choi and Pastor Gerald Guerrero missionaries from South America received treatment from the dental and oriental clinic in the hospital. Both had dental prophylaxis, cleaning of the teeth, and as well implants.

Afterwards, both missionary also received treatment from the oriental clinic. They were checked for their current health and were given information about their pains and ways to improve body functions. Moreover, the Doctors’ were happy to talk to the missionaries and their news from SA mission.

Pastor Gerald and Pastor Luna in South America were very grateful for the treatment they received at the Saint Luke Hospital. They shared, “We will pray the medical ministry of South America will grow. We pray that South America will have more clinics and hospitals in the future.”

The staff from Saint Luke Hospital shared “We are very happy when we care for our patients. I pray that our patients throughout the world will pray for us and will be interested in our ministry and our works.”

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One new study out of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, however, has been experimenting with a triple therapy that has proved effective for KRAS gene mutations in mice. The triple therapy involves two experimental drugs in combination with radiation therapy.

“Currently, there is a clinical trial underway to evaluate the combination of two cancer drugs, trametinib and palbociclib, made by two pharma companies for patients with solid tumors and melanoma,” said Dr. Bo Lu, professor of radiation oncology at Thomas Jefferson University and an author of the study, in the press release. “Although further research in human subjects is needed to confirm the finding, our study suggests that we may be able to identify non-small cell lung cancer patients who are likely to benefit most from this combination of therapies.”

Past research has focused on EGFR mutation treatments, but not much has been developed to target the KRAS mutation. Lung cancers, in general, have about a 54 percent survival rate of five years? but only if the cancer is detected early when it’s localized in the lungs. According to the new research, only about 2 percent of lung cancer survivors live past the five-year mark.

For the study, the researchers examined non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and applied a KRAS-targeting drug to them. They found that some cells were more resistant to the drug than others and that a certain other mutation called p16 contributed to their resistance. In addition, after reviewing lung-cancer patient genotypes, the authors found that people who had the p16 mutation were less likely to survive, compared to those without the mutation.

This is what helped the researchers decide to use a double drug: The first one targets the KRAS mutation, while the second one unravels the p16 mutation resistance. This would weaken the cancer cells enough to make them fall prey to radiation. Though the treatment proved effective in mice, the researchers will need to repeat the experiment in a clinical trial before moving forward.

“If you hit one target another can take over,” Lu said. “If you hit two, it becomes a lethal bullet.”

Source: Lu B, et al. Clinical Cancer Research, 2015.

By Lecia Bushak / Medical Daily

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These drugs are derived from proteins; and are produced by living organisms like yeast and bacteria, rather than made in a lab. Insulin, for example, is made through a recombinant process and bacteria. Biologic drugs are unfortunately costly to manufacture, but they have a range of skills much different from other, synthetic drugs.

Biologic agents are still used to target disease, but the way it takes action is a bit more complicated than most of its synthesized counterparts. Biologic drugs can replace our body’s proteins (like insulin), disrupt disease processes, or trigger reactions in the body. One example is with conditions like Crohn’s Disease or Rheumatoid arthritis, which cause pain because of inflammation. One way to reduce inflammation is to bind pro-inflammatory cytokines with biologic drugs, keeping the inflammatory cytokines from binding to the cells of the body.

Check out the video to learn more about biologic drugs, including a comparison of these drugs to their synthetic counterparts; and a deeper explanation of expenses.

Ali Venosa / Medical Daily

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The complicated process would produce something known as a chimera: an organism with an extra set of DNA that it didn’t inherit from either of its parents. Though they sound like something out of a science-fiction novel, they’re actually a common natural occurrence? they can result from blood transfusions, organ transplants, or in-vitro DNA exchanges between mothers their fetuses. Sometimes they even result from the absorption of one twin in the womb by the other.

With regard to an animal-human chimera, it would be produced from a combination of stem cell technology and gene-editing. Though controversial, the procedure is technically feasible. In a presentation at the NIH’s Maryland campus last November, Dr. Juan Carlos Izpis?a Belmonte of the Salk Institute showed unpublished data from more than a dozen pig embryos that contained human cells. Based on interviews with three U.S. based research teams, the MIT Technology Review estimates about 20 pregnancies involving pig-human or sheep-human chimeras have occurred in the past year. However, none of these animals have gestated to full-term.

In order to create such a creature, scientists must first tweak the DNA inside sheep and pig cells using gene-editing technology, so that the developing embryo will lack certain organs, IFL Science reported. “We can make an animal without a heart,” said Dr. Daniel Garry, a cardiologist who leads a chimera project at the University of Minnesota, according to the MIT Technology Review. “We have engineered pigs that lack skeletal muscles and blood vessels.”

Under normal circumstances, these embryos would not survive without such important organs. But scientists have developed a way to replace the missing cells with stem cells from another species’ embryo in order to grow the missing organ. In 2010, for example, Japanese scientists successfully created mice with pancreases made entirely of rat cells. Breeding sheep and pigs with salvageable human organs would be completely new territory, however.

Though most scientists believe it’s possible, some believe the endeavor poses serious ethical concerns, arguing that it’s unclear if the animal’s human qualities will extend past their organs. “What if the embryo that develops is mostly human?” Pablo Ross, a veterinarian and developmental biologist at the University of California, Davis, told the MIT Tech Review while adding this wasn’t something that he could rule out.

“The specter of an intelligent mouse stuck in a laboratory somewhere screaming ‘I want to get out’ would be very troubling to people,” NIH ethicist David Resnik added during the NIH meeting. Still, the chances of either of these results occurring are unlikely, since only about 0.5 percent of animal-human chimeras’ cells are human.

This past fall, the NIH, one of the world’s foremost medical research centers, announced that it will not fund any study involving human-animal chimeras unless more evidence is presented. But even without NIH funding, the demand for more viable organs for transplant operations, and the sheer curiosity surrounding such a taboo subject, could make human-animal chimeras a reality sooner than you think.

Dana Dovey / Medical Daily

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“Implementation of this approach would reduce avoidable hospital admission and have major benefits for both patients and health-care providers,” wrote the authors sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and funded in part by the British Heart Foundation.

When patients complain of chest pain, doctors make a diagnosis of myocardial infarction (heart attack) based on evidence of heart muscle damage. Specifically, they use a blood test that measures a protein (or chemical) known as troponin, which is released into the blood by damaged heart muscles. A high troponin level or even slight elevation can indicate injury to the heart, according to the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

When levels of troponin are unusually high or if a series of tests performed over several hours show elevated levels, doctors take this as proof that a patient has had a heart attack or some other cardiac event.

Commonly, emergency room doctors perform the test on someone complaining of chest pain when they are first admitted and then again 12 hours later.

Recently, a more sensitive troponin test, which is capable of measuring finer levels of troponin, was introduced. Importantly, the new test needs to be performed only once. The new study, then, investigated whether the more sensitive test might more accurately diagnose and predict a heart attack.

Conducting the research at hospitals in Scotland and the United States, the science team measured blood troponin concentrations using the high-sensitivity test for 6,304 patients with suspected heart attacks.

“Low plasma troponin concentrations identify two-thirds of patients at very low risk of cardiac events who could be discharged from the hospital,” wrote the researchers, who say the high sensitivity test was 99.6 percent accurate.

Symptoms of a heart attack include chest discomfort or pain (that often feels like squeezing), upper body pain, stomach pain, shortness of breath, anxiety, lightheadedness, sweating, and nausea and vomiting. According to the American Heart Association, women most commonly experience chest pain or discomfort just like men, but they are more likely than men to experience other symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Source: Shah ASV, Anand A, Sandoval Y, et al. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at presentation in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome: a cohort study. The Lancet. 2015.

Susan Scutti / Medical Daily

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Researchers from the University of Manchester will present two studies at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in Liverpool that describes cancer drug-packed “grenades” with heat-sensitive triggers that allow for the direct treatment of cancerous tumors. The “grenades” are actually liposomes? small, bubble-like structures built out of cell membrane? and they’re used as packages to deliver drugs into the cancer cells. The challenge the researchers faced was being able to target tumors with the cancer drug-carrying liposomes, while also keeping healthy tissue intact.

The two studies show how the team managed to clear this hurdle by giving the liposomes heat-activated triggers. Testing the liposomes in a cell culture and lab mice, the team found that by slightly heating the tumors with warm water baths and heating pads, it was able to pinpoint the exact place where cancer resided? the “grenades” could then detonate and release the drugs.

“Temperature-sensitive liposomes have the potential to travel safely around the body while carrying your cancer drug of choice,” said Kostas Kostarelos, study author and professor of nanomedicine at the University of Manchester, in a press release. “Once they reach a ‘hotspot’ of warmed-up cancer cells, the pin is effectively pulled and the drugs are released. This allows us to more effectively transport drugs to tumors, and should reduce collateral damage to healthy cells.”

The researchers set the thermal triggers of the liposomes to 42 degrees Celsius (107 degrees Fahrenheit), which is slightly higher than normal body temperature. But, according to Kostarelos, “this work has only been done in the lab so far; [however], there are a number of ways we could potentially heat cancer cells in patients? depending on the tumor type? some of which are already in clinical use.”

These studies open up a “range of new treatment avenues,” said Professor Charles Swanton, chair of the 2015 NCRI Cancer Conference, in the press release. “This is still early work, but these liposomes could be an effective way of targeting treatment toward cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.”

Source: Kostarelos K, et al. National Cancer Research Institute Cancer Conference. 2015.

By Steve Smith / Medical Daily

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“It’s unnecessary for patients to have fillings because they’re not required in many cases of dental decay,” said Wendell Evans, lead author of the study and associate professor at the university, in the news release.

It was once believed that tooth decay was a rapidly progressive disease and the best way to manage it was to identify early decay and remove the tooth surface from breaking into cavities. After removing the decay, the affected tooth would then be restored with filling material, a process which would come to be known as “filling and drilling.” However, Evans explained, it takes four to eight years before tooth decay reaches the inner layer of a tooth. While tooth decay begins to become noticeable in the outer layer of the tooth or the enamel, the time window is sufficient to offer an alternative preventive treatment for the patient.

Enter Evans and his colleagues. They devised a process known as Caries Management System (CMS) technique, a set of protocols which cover the assessment of decay risk, the interpretation of dental X-rays, and specific treatment of early decay (decay that is not yet a cavity). The treatment involves four aspects: application of high concentration fluoride varnish to sites of early decay; attention to home tooth brushing skills; restriction of between-meal snacks and beverages containing added sugar; and risk-specific monitoring. The CMS technique was proven successful when first tested on high-risk patients at Westmead Hospital in Sydney.

“It showed that early decay could be stopped and reversed and that the need for drilling and filling was reduced dramatically. A tooth should only be drilled and filled where an actual hole in the tooth (cavity) is already evident,” Evans said.

To observe the effects of this technique on tooth decay, researchers assigned 19 patients at high risk for tooth decay to an experiment or control group for three years in general dental practices in New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory. Follow-up studies were conducted at two and four years after the clinical trial. After seven years, tooth decay reduced dramatically by 30 to 50 percent in patients in the CMS program compared to the control group.

However, the researchers stress there needs to be open communication between dentists and their patients to reduce decay risk and the need for fillings. “…Patients play an important role in their treatment. This treatment will need a partnership between dentists and patients to be most successful,” Evans said.

Patients can make the most of CMS by paying attention to their tooth-brushing skills at home and restricting between-meal snacks and beverages that contain added sugar. For example, when a tooth is exposed to acid frequently in foods or drinks that contain sugar and starches the acid build-up will cause the enamel to lose minerals, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. A white spot can appear where minerals have been lost, which is a sign of tooth decay. The enamel can repair itself by using minerals from saliva, and fluoride from toothpaste or other sources.

The CMS technique could help the 92 percent of adults with tooth decay in their permanent teeth in the U.S. This suggests it is imperative to start adopting more oral care practices at home. The prevalence of untreated decay in permanent teeth is highest among adults between the ages of 20 to 34 years a population that has most of their teeth.

When it comes to tooth decay, prevention may be the best idea.

Source: Evans W et al. “No-drill” dentistry stops tooth decay. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. 2015.

By Lizette Borreli / Medical Daily

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A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain becomes restricted or completely blocked. During angioplasty, these arteries in the brain are surgically reopened. This can help reduce the risk of patients suffering from a second stroke, but the science behind this procedure has not yet been perfected. Not only does it carry its own risks of harm, but it doesn’t always work in all patients. However, thanks to a new study now published in the online journal JAMA Neurology, this procedure may soon become a lot less risky.

For 22 months, the team followed 72 adult patients who had previously experienced a stroke or symptoms of a stroke in the back of the brain, known as the vertebrobasilar region. These patients also all had blockage to at least 50 percent of the arteries in the vertebrobasilar region.

A software program is known as Noninvasive Optimal Vessel Analysis (NOVA) was used to measure the blood flow to the back of the volunteers’ brains. According to the press release, NOVA software can quantify the volume, velocity, and direction of blood flowing through any major vessel in the brain using standard MRI equipment.

By the end of the study, about a fourth of the volunteers were found to have a diminished blood flow in the back of the brain. In addition, these patients had 12- and 24-month stroke-free survival rates of 78 percent and 70 percent, respectively. This was compared to 96 percent and 87 percent for patients who had normal blood flow. By the one-year mark, patients who had lower blood flow were five times more likely to have a second stroke than patients with higher blood flow to the back of the brain.

Based on these results, the team concluded that patients with diminished blood flow to the vertebrobasilar have significantly more to gain from undergoing this procedure. In addition, the team concluded that angioplasty may actually do more harm than good to patients without restricted blood flow in the vertebrobasilar area since other arteries seemed to be doing their job in ensuring that blood reaches that area, explained lead researcher Dr. Sepideh Amin-Hanjani in a statement.

Source: Amin-Hanjani S, Pandey DK, Rose-Finnell L, et al. Effect of Hemodynamics on Stroke Risk in Symptomatic Atherosclerotic Vertebrobasilar Occlusive Disease. JAMA Neurology. 2015.

By Dana Dovey / Medical Daily

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Injectable calcium phosphate cement (CPCs) are often used in orthopedics and traumatology. They’re made of bioactive and biodegradable grafting materials that come in powder and liquid form. When mixed together, they create a calcium-like material similar to the calcium in our bones. This mixture allows surgeons to fix and harden degenerative bones over the course of their surgery with relative ease and flexibility. It’s also biocompatible, self-setting, and non-toxic.

The new study, published in Acta Biomaterialia, builds on this material. Before, scientists had difficulty making CPCs macroporous or having pores larger than 50 micrometers. While studies have found conflicting evidence regarding how porous bones should be to facilitate regrowth, the range seems to be between 100 and 300 micrometers ? in people with osteoporosis, bones are far more porous.

Led by Pierre Weiss, from the University of Nantes, the research team developed a type of CPC that is both self-setting and macroporous. To do this, the researchers created a foaming agent that produces air bubbles in the CPC mixture. They loaded one syringe with monosodium phosphate, a common industrial chemical, and a second with silanized-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, a type of hydrogel into another. Then, they connected the two. By plunging both syringes simultaneously, they were able to create a hydrogel foam, which is meant to create larger pores. They then inserted the foam into another syringe connected to a syringe with CPC paste. Again, they plunged both syringes, which then created the foamed CPC paste.

To determine if the foam could actually repair degenerated bone, the researchers applied it to tiny defects in the thigh bones of rabbits. After a week, they found the foamed CPC had entirely filled the defect as well as maintained the macroporous structure they were looking for. Six weeks later, they found it had acted as a scaffold to facilitate new bone growth; there were newly formed bones within the CPC itself, fitting together uniformly.

To the best of the team’s knowledge, this is the first time a hydrogel foam has been used in conjunction with CPCs to create a macroporous paste. The researchers also noted their CPC paste “exhibits a good injectability and an excellent cohesion, which are needed for clinical application.”

Further studies are needed to show just how effective their paste can be, but the researchers believe it will one day help to prevent some eight million osteoporosis-related fractures each year across the globe.

Source: Weiss P, et al. A simple and effective approach to prepare injectable macroporous calcium phosphate cement for bone repair: Syringe-foaming using a viscous hydrophilic polymeric solution. Acta Biomaterialia. 2015.

By Steve Smith / Medical Daily

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