Proteins cancer risk factor

G6. Gullick, W. J., Love, S. B., Wright, C., Barnes, D. M., Gusterson, B., Harris, A. L., and Altman, D. G., C-erbb-2 protein overexpression in breast cancer is a risk factor with involved and uninvolved lymph nodes. Br. J. Cancer 63, 434-438 (1991). 

GPCRs modulate a wide range of physiological processes and are implicated in numerous diseases. Therefore they form the largest class of therapeutic targets. G-protein coupled receptors represent the primary mechanism by which cells feel external environment and different stimuli, and pass the information to the interior of the cell. Abnormalities (usually by mutations but also by risk factors) of delicate balance in signaling mechanism often go to diseases and disorders, e.g. hypertension, hypertrophy, inflammatory diseases, cancer, fibrosis, diabetes, and diseases of central nervous system like Alzheimer disease. 

In their systematic review, the AHRQ described various health outcomes of a range of soy products, including both protein and isoflavones (Balk et al., 2005). The health outcomes relevant to this section include menopause, cancer and bone health. In general, far fewer studies are reported for each hormone-sensitive condition described in this section than for CVD risk factors. In addition, different soy products and endpoints were evaluated, and numerous experimental designs were employed. A summary of the AHRQ Report and accompanying update are presented. 

Ma, J., Poliak, M.N., Giovannucci, E., Chan, J.M. et al.. Prospective study of colorectal cancer risk in men and plasma levels of insulin-hke growth factor (IGF)-l and IGF-binding protein-3, J. Natl. Cancer Inst, 91, 620-625, 1999. 

Fontana, L., Klein, S., and Holloszy, J. O. (2006). Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 84,1456-1462. 

The second area of growing importance is that of susceptibility to disease. It has long been known that some common diseases run in families, although it was not known why. For the same reason, known disease risk factors carry very different levels of risk for different individuals. For example, in Topic 19 we met LDL, one of the proteins associated with transport of cholesterol. This has to dock with a specific protein receptor, the LDL receptor, at cell surfaces. A variety of mutations in the gene for the LDL receptor cause familial hypercholesterolaemia affected individuals have a much enhanced risk of heart disease. Detailed study of the human genome is likely to throw up many more correlations of this kind for various kinds of cancer and other diseases. It has recently been found that a polymorphism related to survival of mediaeval plague epidemics may also be responsible for certain individuals remarkable resistance to the HIV infection that causes AIDS ... 

Data submitted summarizing customer complaint records for cow s milk-and soy-based infant formulas with and without carrageenan content did not reveal statistical differences between these groups with respect to blood in stool or upper respiratory tract infections. The Committee noted that these records did not relate to hydrolysed protein- and/or amino acid-based liquid formulas and that such reports would be unlikely to reveal subtle adverse effects. One epidemiological study indicated an association between consumption of carrageenan and incidence of mammary cancer. The Committee concluded that these data did not support a causal relationship because of limitations in the methodology and lack of adjustments for acknowledged risk factors for mammary carcinoma. 

The inflammatory process is both varied and complex nevertheless its initial phase, the acute inflammatory reaction [AIR], is quite uniform. AIR is characterized by increased blood flow, exudation of plasma proteins, and migration and activation of leukocytes, cells that can act as biosensors. Chronic inflammation induced by physical, chemical, or infectious agents acts as a risk factor for several types of cancers. In these cases free radicals as oxygen species and molecular nitrogen species produced in these reactions induce DNA damage in surrounding cells, promoting cancer [52]. 

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