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Recent Articles

LONG COVID, MAST CELL ACTIVATION, AND FINDING A WAY OUT

  By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “The mast cell is a complex immune cell that in its mature form resides in the tissues that interact with the external environment such as the air passageway, skin, and gastrointestinal tract. While best known for its central role in allergy, anaphylaxis, and asthma, mast cells primarily function in…

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Heparin to the rescue — Three case reports

  By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “Heparin is emerging as a promising therapy for inflammatory bowel disease.”  ~ Korzenik, 2000 “Hypercoagulable state may be an important contributing factor in the pathogenesis of IBD, especially ulcerative colitis (UC). “Apart from its anticoagulant effects, there are several studies which have shown that heparin possesses various anti-inflammatory and…

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Bromelain — Two Case Reports

  By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “Hypercoagulable state may be an important contributing factor in the pathogenesis of IBD, especially ulcerative colitis (UC).”  ~ Mousavi et al., 2015 “Bromelain is widely administered for its well-recognized properties, such as its anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and fibrinolytic affects, anticancer activity and immunomodulatory effects, in addition to being a wound…

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Taking Flight with IBD

Last update: 03-05-24 By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “Hypoxia [inappropriately low blood oxygenation] can induce inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.”  ~ Vavricka et al., 2014 Without delving into the matter, one would never guess that an airline flight could negatively affect the individual with IBD.  But it can.  There are unseen forces at work. During airplane…

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LDN: Two case reports

  By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “Studies have shown that opioids have immunomodulatory activity, including modulation of the inflammatory response and healing and repair of tissues. Short-term blockade of opioid receptors leads to increased endogenous levels of opioids, which is the basis for naltrexone use in CD [Crohn’s disease].”  ~ Kais, 2013 “Signaling through opioid…

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Escape from the Acidic Tumor Microenvironment

Last update: 02-07-24 By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “The biggest weakness of current cancer treatments is that they only treat the cancer and not the actual patient.”  ~ Wada et al., 2022 “The Warburg phenomenon, with the attendant acidification of the extracellular milieu of tumors, has fascinated cancer scientists for many decades, but the modulation of…

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I.V. Vitamin C in Palliative Care

Last update: 06-06-23 By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “VitC monotherapy in palliative care alleviates cancer-related pain and fatigue and improves the patients’ quality of life.”  ~ Li et al., 2022 “In palliative care, high-dose VitC is currently gaining ground due to its highly safe and tolerable profile. Not only is high-dose VitC known to relieve pain…

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A Case for Losartan in the Management of Malignant Ascites

Last revision: 02-13-24 By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “Key to dismal clinical treatment is the unique tumor micro-environment (TME), especially abnormal tumor mechanics, associated with PDAC [pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma]. It is well-documented that PDAC has an abundant stroma with overactivated cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and massive extracellular matrix (ECM). Together with the fast-proliferating cancer cells, extremely…

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I Like What I Am Learning About Lactoferrin and Cancer

  By Eugene L. Heyden, RN “LF [lactoferrin] acts as a multipotent protective factor both by acting on DNA, activating transcription factors, gene expression, regulating the cell cycle, differentiation and leading to the death of cells that threaten the body, such as cancer cells.”  ~ Bukowska-Ośko et al., 2022 “As a matter of fact, Lf…

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