New mammogram measures of breast cancer risk could revolutionise screening, diagnosis

World-first techniques for predicting breast cancer risk from mammograms that were developed in Melbourne could revolutionise breast screening by allowing it to be tailored to women at minimal extra cost.

Published in the International Journal of Cancer, the University of Melbourne-led study found two new mammogram-based measures of risk.

When these measures are combined, they are more effective in stratifying women in terms of their risk of breast cancer than breast density and all the known genetic risk factors.

Researchers say if successfully adopted, their new measures could substantially improve screening, make it more effective in reducing mortality and less stressful for women, and therefore encourage more to be screened. They could also help address the problem of dense breasts.

Since the late 1970s, scientists have known that women with denser breasts, which shows up on a mammogram as having more white or bright regions, are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer and to have it missed at the screening.

Collaborating with Cancer Council Victoria and BreastScreen Victoria, University of Melbourne researchers were the first to study other ways of investigating breast cancer risk using mammograms.

Using computer programs to analyse mammogram images of large numbers of women with and without breast cancer, they found two new measures for extracting risk information. Cirrocumulus is based on the image's brightest areas and Cirrus on its texture.

First, they used a semi-automated computer method to measure density at the usual, and successively higher levels of brightness to create Cirrocumulus.

They then used artificial intelligence (AI) and high-speed computing to learn about new aspects of the texture (not brightness) of a mammogram that predict breast cancer risk and created Cirrus.

When their new Cirrocumulus and Cirrus measures were combined, they substantially improved risk prediction beyond that of all other known risk factors.

Lead researcher and University of Melbourne Professor John Hopper said that in terms of understanding how much women differ in their risks of breast cancer, these developments could be the most significant since the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 were discovered 25 years ago.

"These measures could revolutionise mammographic screening at little extra cost, as they simply use computer programs. The new measures could also be combined with other risk factors collected at screening, such as family history and lifestyle factors, to provide an even stronger and holistic picture of a woman's risk," Professor Hopper said.

"Tailored screening - not 'one size fits all' - could then be based on accurately identifying women at high, as well as low, risk so that their screening can be personalised. Given mammography is now digital, and our measures are now computerised, women could be assessed for their risk at the time of screening - automatically - and given recommendations for their future screening based on their personal risk, not just their age," Hopper added.

Professor Hopper said this information could be used to ease pressure on BreastScreen, which had to close for a period during the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking for ways to best handle the backlog while continuing to provide a valuable service with limited resources.

He said the current breakthrough could not have occurred without the extraordinary support his mammogram research had received from the National Breast Cancer Foundation, starting with its first funding round more than 20 years ago.

"Only around 55 per cent of Australian women aged 50-74 currently present for screening aimed at detecting breast cancers early," he said.

"Knowing that screening could also give an accurate risk prediction could encourage more women to take up the offer of free screening. Women with high risk based on their mammogram would also benefit greatly from also knowing their genetic risk," he added.

Adjunct Associate Professor Helen Frazer, Clinical Director of St Vincent's BreastScreen Melbourne, said that improvements in assessing a woman's risk of breast cancer would be transformative for screening programs.

"Using AI developments to assess risk and personalise screening could deliver significant gains in the fight against breast cancer," Adjunct Associate Professor Frazer said.

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A wearable device that is designed to detect abnormalities in breast thermal patterns and tissue elasticity, which can be strong indicators of early stage breast cancer. It consists of two biosensing patches that the user can place on her own brassier. 

The patches collect data that is sent to the user’s phone or tablet through blue-tooth technology, and our Artificial Intelligence algorithms produce a risk assessment within minutes. 

 Thermal Abnormalities

As cancer cells multiply, blood vessels grow around them in a process known as angiogenesis, in order to provide nutrients that allow the tumor to grow. These blood vessel formations are distinguishable from those naturally occurring in the body, and hence breast cancer risk can be assessed by detecting the thermal patterns associated with them.

Tissue Elasticity

Benign and malignant tissues have different elastic properties and hence breast cancer risk can be assessed by quantifying tissue elasticity. Our tactile sensors produce smooth vibrations that excite the breast tissue surrounding the mammary glands, generating elasticity data that our artificial intelligence algorithms study to determine the presence of abnormal masses.

Mode Of Use

The wearable device can be used in the commodity of the user’s home. The user just has to place the device, follow simple instructions on her phone or tablet, and in less than an hour she will have results from her monthly examination. During this time, the user is free to continue with her daily routine as long as she doesn’t engage in intense physical activity and is not heavily exposed to sunlight.

The Oracle Behind The Bra

The device uses state of the art Artificial Intelligence algorithms in order to provide the most reliable results possible with the information collected through its sensors. Our algorithms are in constant refinement, and they learn from each new user they have access to. 

We have fed our algorithms with breast data from about 150 women, and we have obtained a 89% sensitivity (percentage of cancer cases detected as such).

We are confident that our results will only continue to improve as our trials provide more cases for our algorithms to learn from and as our engineers and scientists continue to refine our mathematical models.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/  

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Walnuts are loaded with nutrition

The benefits of walnuts are known since centuries. But sadly, it has got a bad name now, as people believe that it will lead to weight gain, but on the contrary, you'll lose weight. Can't believe, read to know the truth about walnuts. For vegetarians, it is very important to consume walnuts, as it is rich in omega 3 fatty acids, which normally one gets from fish mainly.

1. Aid Weight loss: Contrary to what people believe, walnuts can form a part of weight management diet. Several studies have suggested that regular consumption of walnuts is unlikely to cause weight gain or obesity. In fact, an ounce of walnuts contains 2.5g of omega 3 fats, 4g of protein and 2g of fibre that help provide satiety. Any successful weight management plan must include satiety factor; so walnut is undoubtedly the right food to consider if you are into a weight management programme. Despite being ‘dense in calories, walnuts can be an important tool in helping you lose weight.

2. Reduces breast cancer risk: The researchers found that a daily dose of walnuts – equal to 2 ounces a day in humans – reduces the growth of breast cancer tumours in mice. Lead researcher  and colleagues studied the mice from the mother, through conception and throughout life. They then compared mice given walnuts to those fed a regular diet. The research found that the group whose diet included walnut at both stages developed breast cancer at less than half the rate of the group with the typical diet.  In addition, the number of tumours and their sizes were significantly smaller.

3. For sound sleep: Walnuts contain a compound called melatonin, responsible for conveying messages regarding the cycle of light and dark to the body. Since melatonin is already synthesised by the body, consumption of walnuts increases the blood levels of melatonin, thereby inducing sleep. That’s why eating walnuts can be a great way to improve sleep.

4. Stress buster- If daily stress is taking a toll on your health, it’s time to eat walnuts, as they help fight stress, according to a study. The researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet lowered both resting blood pressure and blood pressure responses to stress in the laboratory. Walnuts are a rich source of fibre, antioxidants, and unsaturated fatty acids, particularly alpha linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid. These are the nutrients that give walnuts it’s stress fighting properties.

5. Great for your hair: Walnut is a good ‘hair food’ too. This is because walnuts contain Biotin, Vitamin B7, that helps strengthen hair, reduce hair fall and improve hair growth to certain extent. In addition to walnuts, you can try these foods to prevent hair loss.

6. Good for pregnant women: Mothers-to-be who eat a diet rich in fatty acids such as those found in walnuts can reduce the baby’s chances of developing food allergies, researchers say. The research found that if a mother’s diet contains a certain group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), the baby’s gut develops differently. The PUFAs are thought to improve how gut immune cells respond to bacteria and foreign substances, making the baby less likely to suffer from allergies.

7. Keeps heart disease at bay: Among all the dietary plants and nuts, walnuts contain the highest amount of antioxidants. Around 100 g of walnuts will give more than 20 mm of antioxidants, which makes them extremely effective in combating heart disease by their ability to destroy free radicals. They are also loaded with omega 3 fatty acids that lowers bad cholesterol and increases the production of good cholesterol making it a great snack to keep your heart in great health.

8. Helps you live longer: Eating a handful of walnuts just thrice a week is the key to a longer life, a study has found. Scientists discovered that these edible seeds cut the risk of dying from cancer by 40 per cent and from cardiovascular disease by at least 55 per cent. In general, nut eaters in the research had a 39 per cent lesser risk of death and walnut eaters in particular a 45 per cent reduced threat. 

9. Prevents diabetes: All types of nuts are associated with a lowered risk of diabetes and walnuts are no exception. According to a study, women who consumed 28 grams of walnuts twice a week were 24% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. The study was published in a journal , and even though it was conducted on women, experts believe that the benefits would be similar for men too. 

10. Helps to keep dementia at bay- Eating walnuts everyday can help ward off dementia, say scientists. In the study, the doctors found that mice deprived of walnuts suffered a dramatic loss in learning, memory and physical and emotional control. According to the results, vitamin E and flavanoids in walnuts helped destroy harmful free radical chemicals that cause dementia.  

11. Improves sperm quality: Eating 2.5 ounces of walnuts per day improves semen quality in healthy young men, researchers say. According to a study, eating 75 grams of walnuts a day improves the vitality, motility, and morphology of sperm in healthy men aged 21 to 35.

12. Prevents pancreatic cancer: A new study has found that consumption of nuts, including walnuts, is inversely associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, independent of other potential risk factors for pancreatic cancer. Researchers looked at the association between nut consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer among 75,680 women in the Study, with no previous history of cancer. It was observed that the women who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts two or more times per week had a significantly reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who largely abstained from nuts.

13. Makes your skin glow: Walnuts are rich in B-vitamins and antioxidants that prevents your skin from free radical damage and prevents wrinkles and signs of ageing. So if you want glowing skin long into your middle-age, eat walnuts.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                      PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   
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Common plastic chemical may increase breast cancer risk

An endocrine-disrupting chemical commonly found in polycarbonate hard plastics, currency bills and thermal paper receipts may potentially interfere with the body's hormones to increase the aggressiveness of breast cancer, a new study has showed.

Bisphenol S (BPS), a substitute for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, acts like estrogen in multiplying breast cancer cells.

Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive, and, according to the National Cancer Institute, 55 to 65 per cent of women who inherit a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 gene -- will develop breast cancer.

"If a woman has a mutated BRAC1 gene and uses products containing BPS, her risk for developing breast cancer may increase further," said principal investigator, Sumi Dinda, Associate Professor at Oakland University in Michigan.

"Despite hopes for a safer alternative to BPA, studies have shown BPS to exhibit similar estrogen-mimicking behaviour to BPA," Dinda added.

The results were presented at ENDO 2017, the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting in Orlando.

For the study, the team used two commercially available breast cancer cell lines obtained from women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, to expose the cancer cells to varying strengths of BPS or to an inactive substance as a control.

Compared with the control, BPS heightened the protein expression in estrogen receptor and BRCA1 after 24 hours, as did estrogen.

After a six-day treatment with BPS, the breast cancer cells in both cell lines reportedly increased in number by 12 per cent at the lowest dose (4 micromolars) and by 60 per cent at eight micromolars.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on. 
https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
htps://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes 
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

An endocrine-disrupting chemical commonly found in polycarbonate hard plastics, currency bills and thermal paper receipts may potentially interfere with the body's hormones to increase the aggressiveness of breast cancer, a new study has showed.

Bisphenol S (BPS), a substitute for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, acts like estrogen in multiplying breast cancer cells.

Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive, and, according to the Nationa ..

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/57985562.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppstAn endocrine-disrupting chemical commonly found in polycarbonate hard plastics, currency bills and thermal paper receipts may potentially interfere with the body's hormones to increase the aggressiveness of breast cancer, a new study has showed.

Bisphenol S (BPS), a substitute for the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, acts like estrogen in multiplying breast cancer cells.

Most breast cancers are estrogen receptor positive, and, according to the National Cancer Institute, 55 to 65 per cent of women who inherit a harmful mutation in the BRCA1 gene -- will develop breast cancer.

"If a woman has a mutated BRAC1 gene and uses products containing BPS, her risk for developing breast cancer may increase further," said principal investigator, Sumi Dinda, Associate Professor at Oakland University in Michigan.

"Despite hopes for a safer alternative to BPA, studies have shown BPS to exhibit similar estrogen-mimicking behaviour to BPA," Dinda added.

The results were presented at ENDO 2017, the Endocrine Society's 99th annual meeting in Orlando.

For the study, the team used two commercially available breast cancer cell lines obtained from women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, to expose the cancer cells to varying strengths of BPS or to an inactive substance as a control.

Compared with the control, BPS heightened the protein expression in estrogen receptor and BRCA1 after 24 hours, as did estrogen.

After a six-day treatment with BPS, the breast cancer cells in both cell lines reportedly increased in number by 12 per cent at the lowest dose (4 micromolars) and by 60 per cent at eight micromolars.