Posted on 02/27/2023 8:25:02 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Researchers have provided important molecular understanding of how injury may contribute to the development of a relatively rare but often aggressive form of brain tumor called a glioma.
The UCL team have now identified a possible mechanism to explain this link, implicating genetic mutations acting in concert with brain tissue inflammation to change the behavior of cells.
Professor Parrinello said, "Normally astrocytes are highly branched, but we found that without p53 and only after an injury the astrocytes had retracted their branches and become more rounded. They weren't quite stem cell-like, but something had changed. So we let the mice age, then looked at the cells again and saw that they had completely reverted to a stem-like state with markers of early glioma cells that could divide."
This suggested that mutations in certain genes synergized with brain inflammation, which is induced by acute injury and then increases over time during the natural process of aging to make astrocytes more likely to initiate a cancer.
They consulted electronic medical records of more than 20,000 people.
They found that patients who experienced a head injury were nearly four times more likely to develop a brain cancer later in life, than those who had no head injury. It is important to keep in mind that the risk of developing a brain cancer is overall low, estimated at less than 1% over a lifetime, so even after an injury the risk remains modest.
"In a young brain, basal inflammation is low so the mutations seem to be kept in check even after a serious brain injury. However, upon aging, our mouse work suggests that inflammation increases throughout the brain but more intensely at the site of the earlier injury. This may reach a certain threshold after which the mutation now begins to manifest itself."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Do note under 1% of people are known to get gliomas.
Umm…okay.
Been hit over the head with a pool cue twice, beer bottle once, glass Gatorade bottle once and a roll down a cliff.
Excellent advice!
Think fish oil, polyphenols, curcumin, and astaxanthin (among other supplements.)
Not a recommendation, of course. Always do your own DD.
Head injuries are risk for alzheimers and dementia and parkinsons, too.
Whatever supplement it is has to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
As kids I remember playing chicken game with head butting. 75 years later, I don’t think there is glioma in my brain. Whew!
Curcumnin is main ingredient in curry powder. Might explain cancer is low occurenece in India. It could also be less meat in diet.
I wonder if Teddy hit his head on the something that night at Chappaquiddick?
Football injuries?
From many different things. Concussions from a bad fall at work or the home, for example.
Turmeric is the same thing. I buy it in pill format. 1kmg per pill.
Someone I know used to beat his head on the wall, when he was drunk, and in his mid 50s, is pretty much a vegetable now, with traumatic brain injury.
Rush viewed these head injury stories as the perpetual push to ban American football.
I had 3 concussions during my motorcycle racing days.
We sent a helmet back to Bell in the early 80’s. They liked to inspect crash damaged helmets.
Got a letter back from them wanting to know if the person wearing the helmet survived, and if so the extent of injuries.
Must have noticed the blood in liner.
I had some leakage from my ears and nose.
Thanks for the information.
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