Health
UKIAH, Calif. – Cancer is the disease that Americans fear most, according to a 2011 study conducted by Harris Interactive for the MetLife Foundation.
Because of his knowledge, professionalism and compassion, oncologist Russell I. Hardy, M.D., has been nominated by his peers to receive this year’s Adventist Health Mission Service Award.
Dr. Hardy was chosen by exemplifying the following characteristics:
1. Manifests a life of integrity.
2. Incorporates loving care into practice.
3. Encourages others to incorporate loving care into practice.
4. Displays empathy for patients and staff.
5. Sees patients as whole persons (body, mind, and spirit).
6. Elicits confidence from patients and staff.
7. Is open- minded about matters of faith.
8. Exhibits sensitivity to emotions of others in the face of difficult situations such as end of life issues, poor prognosis, and emotionally- charged circumstances.
9. Is recognized by others as a caring practitioner.
10. When needed, integrates spiritual experts into care plan including the chaplains and clergy, or other spiritual leaders.
“Dr. Hardy has dedicated over 20 years to the care of cancer patients in Ukiah,” shared the Director of Medical Staff at UVMC, Paula Radell. “The letters supporting Dr. Hardy’s nomination include personal and professional stories of triumph, loss and gratitude by community members from all walks of life.”
One such letter from someone who preferred to remain anonymous stated:
“In my opinion, [Dr.] Hardy is the most loving oncologist I have ever met. I consider it a loving act to tell the truth even though the patient may not want to hear it. He bases the truth on science as he knows it, and the integrity he carries in his soul to treat people with respect – the way he would want to be treated. [Dr. Hardy] treats the whole patient. His work is complex and emotional, but he is “there” for his patients every day. He works tirelessly with them to deal with their fears and find a path toward the best quality of life they can have. He encourages them to take the time to do the things that are important to them, and he understands that many times it is not the path of endless medical intervention. He has the courage to say what many of his colleagues cannot, and his patients love and respect him for it.”
Thanks to Dr. Hardy, cancer patients in Mendocino County can receive the care they need close to home.
“Our community is truly blessed to have a physician of Dr. Hardy’s caliber and compassion here in Ukiah,” said UVMC Chief Executive Officer Gwen Matthews said.
Dr. Hardy will be presented with his award at the 2012 Adventist Health Physicians Symposium in Roseville on Oct. 16.
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Milk consumption has been linked to improved health, with decreased risks of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and colon cancer.
A group of scientists in Sweden found that lactoferricin4-14 (Lfcin4-14), a milk protein with known health effects, significantly reduces the growth rate of colon cancer cells over time by prolonging the period of the cell cycle before chromosomes are replicated.
In a new study, investigators report that treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Their results are published in the October issue of the Journal of Dairy Science.
“We previously hypothesized that the prolongation of the cell cycle in colon cancer cells as a result of Lfcin4-14 treatment may give the cells extra time for DNA repair,” said one of the lead investigators, Professor Stina Oredsson, of the Department of Biology at the University of Lund, Sweden. “Indeed, UV light-induced damage was decreased in colon cancer cells treated with Lfcin4-14 compared with controls. The differences were small but significant.”
Investigators exposed colon cancer cells to UV light that caused DNA damage and then grew the cells in the absence or presence of Lfcin4-14. They evaluated DNA damage using a sensitive technique known as comet assay.
After the cells are processed, the cells with DNA damage resemble a comet with a tail, and the intensity of the tail compared to the comet head indicates the number of DNA breaks.
UV light exposure resulted in an increase in the number of comets while treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced the number of comets in UV light-exposed cells.
To understand the mechanism by which Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage, investigators evaluated the levels of several proteins involved in cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and cell death.
They found an increase in flap endonuclease-1, a protein associated with DNA synthesis; a decrease in b-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein, which is involved with cell death; and a decrease in the level of -H2AX, indicating more efficient DNA repair.
“These changes in expression support our hypothesis that Lfcin4-14 treatment resulted in increased DNA repair,” said Dr. Oredsson.
Dr. Oredsson noted that cancer cells, in general, have defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. Thus, Lfcin4-14 may have a greater effect on normal cells than on cancer cells.
“Our data suggest that the effects of Lfcin4-14 in prolonging the cell cycle may contribute to the cancer preventive effect of milk. This must be further investigated in different systems,” she concluded.
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