Page 10 - Palm City Spotlight - April '24

Page 10, Palm City Spotlight

cleveland clinic Martin HealtH neWs

Minor Head Injuries No Small a number that is
Affair For Seniors constantly increasing
as new discoveries
are made. Treating
New Treatment For Leaky Blood Vessels In virus-induced cancers
The Brain with standard cancer
therapies can help shrink
Any knock to the head, be it from a car accident, slip tumors that are already
on the pickleball court, or fall from a chair, is no small there, but it doesn’t fix
affair. Especially for older adults who experience head the underlying problem
trauma. They are at greater risk of an increasingly common of the virus,” said
neurological condition caused by leaky blood vessels in Jun Zhao, Ph.D., of
the brain. Cleveland Clinic Florida
Called a subdural hematoma, it occurs when a blow Research & Innovation
to the head tears blood vessels between the brain and the Center. “Understanding
skull. Blood then leaks, pools and clots in the space below ho w pa t hog e ns
the dura mater, the outermost layer of three protective transform a healthy
membranes surrounding the brain. cell into a cancer cell
“A recently published study predicts that by 2030, uncovers exploitable
chronic subdural bleeds will be the most common reason for vulnerabilities and
neurosurgical intervention,” said Jeffrey Miller, M.D., a neuro allows us to make and
endovascular surgeon at Cleveland Clinic Martin Health. repurpose existing drugs
A New Understanding that can effectively treat virus-associated malignancies.” To understand the cells’ metabolic processes to
Subdural hematomas occur in up to 25 percent of people The Nature Communications study, led by Dr. Zhao, uncover the virus’s vulnerabilities, Zhao collaborated with
with head injuries, and individuals taking blood thinners are reveals that KSHV manipulates two human enzymes Michaela Gack, Ph.D., scientific director of the Florida
at increased risk. called CDK6 and CAD to reshape the way human cells Research & Innovation Center.
Symptoms may include ongoing headache, confusion produce new nucleotides – the building blocks of DNA Rapidly replicating cancer cells reprogram metabolism
and drowsiness, nausea and vomiting, slurred speech and and RNA – and process glucose. The changes to how to fuel growth. Meanwhile, most viruses cannot produce
changes in vision. If the bleeding occurs slowly enough, infected cells grow and how KSHV persists put cells at energy or necessary molecules on their own, so they
the symptoms may not appear for weeks or months. As a a much higher risk of forming tumors and play a crucial rely on human cells to do the work for them. The team
result, an older person may not even recall how their head role in causing cancer. found that the virus takes over the host protein CDK6
injury happened. The team showed the virus activates a specific pathway and CAD, causing the infected cells to produce extra
“If someone is driving cell metabolism and proliferation. Inhibiting this metabolites, which allows faster replication of the virus
experiencing any of these process with existing FDA-approved breast cancer drugs and an uncontrolled proliferation of the cells.
symptoms, it is always reduced KSHV replication, blocked lymphoma progression The research team treated preclinical models with a
best to be evaluated by and shrunk existing tumors in preclinical models. CDK6-blocking drug, Palbociclib, an FDA-approved
a professional,” said Dr. Like other herpesviruses, KSHV often has no symptoms breast cancer medication, as well as a compound targeting
Miller. “If left untreated, initially and remains in the body after primary infection. CAD. They saw significant decreases in tumor size and
subdural hematomas can The virus stays dormant, suppressed by the immune increases in cancer survival rates: Most tumors virtually
quickly lead to permanent system. However, KSHV can reactivate when immunity disappeared after about a month of treatment, and
neurological injury or death.” is weakened – as in older people, those with HIV/AIDS, remaining tumors shrank around 80 percent. Survival
It is now believed, and transplant recipients. In these high-risk groups, the increased to 100 percent for selected lymphoma cell lines.
however, that chronic now active virus can trigger aggressive cancers. Zhao and his team are working to better understand
bleeding into the site of the KSHV-induced cancers are fast-acting, aggressive the connections among KSHV, CDK6/CAD pathway, and
hematoma may be instead and difficult to treat. An estimated 10 percent of people cancer formation. With the knowledge they obtain, they
caused by blood leaking in North America and Northern Europe have KSHV, but plan to implement and refine their experimental drug
from fragile arteries that Jeffrey Miller, M.D. this ranges throughout the globe. More than 50 percent combinations for clinical trials.
develop after the injury and of individuals in parts of Northern Africa are estimated “Cellular metabolism could be hijacked by both
initial blood clot formation. “These new blood vessels to have the virus. Experts estimate these rates are higher, viruses and cancers for pathogenesis,” said Zhao. “By
feed the membrane that forms around the clotted blood,” as KSHV often goes undiagnosed because of lack of investigating these metabolic rewiring mechanisms, we
says Miller. symptoms. These findings have implications that reach aim to find the Achilles’ heel of cancer-causing viruses
Innovative Treatment past KSHV; researchers can apply knowledge about and nonviral cancers. I’m excited to see what the future
This new understanding has led to the development of KSHV to other cancer-associated viruses that might use of this work holds.”
an innovative endovascular treatment for chronic subdural the same process to cause cancer.
hematomas called middle meningeal artery (MMA) embolization.
The middle meningeal artery is a large blood vessel that
supplies oxygen-rich blood to the dura mater surrounding the
brain. A flexible tube called a catheter is used to inject a small Are You Ready Hurricane?
amount of bioadhesive gel into branches of the artery that lead
to the hematoma. This cuts off blood supply to the membrane
surrounding the hematoma and prevents rebleeding. For The Next Storm?
The team at Cleveland Clinic Martin Health has successfully
treated more than 100 patients with this minimally invasive
approach. In addition to being an effective treatment, patients No Air Conditioning?
enjoy a faster recovery and a lower risk of complications. No Refrigeration?
To learn more about neurological services at Cleveland
Clinic in Florida, visit ClevelandClinicFlorida.org/Neuro or FREE
call (877) 463-2010 to make an appointment. 10% OFF
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