A recent study in Circulation investigated the mechanisms underlying the negative effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer on heart function.
Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors. These complications, including impaired heart function, are thought to be caused, in part, by the anti-cancer therapy.
Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and heart dysfunction:
For instance, trastuzumab, also known as Herceptin, is a highly effective chemotherapeutic agent used for breast cancer patients that have the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein. Trastuzumab, however, has been reported to have the most frequent occurrences of heart dysfunction in patients. It is important, therefore, to investigate the potential negative heart effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer, as well as the effect of other cancer drugs on overall heart health.
In a recent study, published in Circulation, researchers used heart cells from the stem cells of healthy and breast cancer patients to investigate the mechanisms of trastuzumab-induced heart dysfunction. More precisely, they began by isolating and developing cardiac muscle cells from stem cells of 3 healthy participants and 7 breast cancer patients.
Trastuzumab caused cells to contract less vigorously:
Administration of trastuzumab caused cells from breast cancer patients to contract less vigorously compared to cells derived from healthy participants. No differences were observed in cell death and in the structure of cellular components responsible for heart contraction.
These results are consistent with clinical findings, where HER+ breast cancer patients experience impaired heart contraction following trastuzumab treatment. The authors believe that heart cells derived and developed from stem cells of breast cancer patients can be used as an effective model to study the effects of chemotherapy on heart cells.
The researchers also conducted further studies which found that trastuzumab acts by disrupting the way the cells consume energy. These findings were validated by further experimentation where metformin, an FDA-approved drug for type 2 diabetes, caused by trastuzumab-weakened cells to contract more vigorously and take up more glucose. In other words, improving the cell’s ability to uptake glucose for energy improved the cell’s contractile force.
Metformin may negate the adverse effects of chemotherapy on the heart:
In summary, the authors believe that the current study provides novel insight into the potential mechanisms by which trastuzumab can induce heart toxicity in breast cancer patients. Furthermore, they demonstrated that the use of metformin might be an effective strategy in negating the adverse effects of chemotherapy on the heart.
Furthers studies needed:
Moving forward, the authors plan to conduct a prospective study in breast cancer patients using trastuzumab to investigate whether those that also take metformin for diabetes have a reduced number of cardiac side effects, compared to those that do not.
If successful, the authors propose that clinicians will be able to isolate cells from breast cancer patients using trastuzumab and determine the likelihood that they will suffer heart dysfunction. These cells can further be used to test whether the patient would benefit from using metformin or other drugs to reduce the heart toxicity of chemotherapeutics.
The Colombian singer Shakira has appeared in a Spanish court to testify over allegations that she avoided paying €14.5m (£13m) in taxes.
The 42-year-old said she was up-to-date with her taxes, had given her full cooperation to the investigation and had no outstanding debts with the tax authorities.
She arrived at the Esplugues de Llobregat court near Barcelona at about 10am, using the court’s car park entrance to avoid the media.
Prosecutors, who accused her of tax evasion in December last year, argue she avoided taxes by claiming to live in the Bahamas when she was resident in Catalonia.
Shakira changed residences in 2015 from the Bahamas to Spain, where she lives with her partner, the Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, and their two sons.
But prosecutors allege she was already living in the Catalan capital between 2012 and 2014, and should have paid tax in Spain on her worldwide income for those years.
They argue she was resident in Spain for most of the year, only travelling abroad for short periods.
Court Case
In February, the Catalan newspaper El Periódico reported that the singer had paid the Spanish tax authorities €14.5m to settle the debt.
In a statement released on Thursday morning, Shakira’s PR company said she had appeared in court to “help clarify the facts over her tax situation in Spain”. It said the singer had always met her tax obligations in every country where she had worked and did not own taxes to the Spanish state.
“As soon as she learned how much she owed the Spanish tax authorities – and before a complaint was filed – Shakira paid the full amount, as well as providing the tax office with exhaustive information. For this reason, there is currently no debt whatsoever.”
Given that there were no more payments to be made, it continued, the only remaining matter for discussion was the interpretation of rules over when Shakira began to be liable to pay taxes as a resident in Spain.
Last month, a Spanish court cleared Shakira and fellow Colombian star Carlos Vives of accusations of plagiarism of part of their Grammy award-winning hit La Bicicleta.
Cuban singer known as Livam, had alleged that the tune copied parts of the melody and lyrics from his song Yo te quiero tanto (I love you so much).
The court ruled that the allegedly shared lyrics – including the line, “I love you so much” – were “common, used in all sorts of songs and lyrics, all through history”, adding that the melody, rhythm and harmony were different.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has alerted to a recent emergence and spread of new strains of vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in southern Nigeria and, especially Lagos.
WHO disclosed that there is evidence of missed transmission in Nigeria and Somalia, which suggests that the situation continues to deteriorate.
It said the detection of cVDPV2 strains underscores the importance of maintaining high level of routine polio vaccination at all levels to minimise the risk and consequences of poliovirus circulation.
A statement by the Twenty-first International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee Regarding the International Spread of Poliovirus, released yesterday, noted that the spread of vaccine-derived polio in southern Nigeria was in spite of mass immunisation with Monovalent Oral Poliovirus Type 2 (mOPV2).
Director General of WHO had convened the committee on May 14, 2019 at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland with members, advisers which invited member states attended via teleconference, supported by WHO’s secretariat.
The Committee said: “Insufficient coverage with Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) exacerbates the growing vulnerability on the continent to cVDPV2 transmission.
“Early detection of any international spread from the five currently infected countries and prioritized use of mOPV2 is essential to mitigate further depletion of the limited mOPV2 supply. “Repeatedly, cases have occurred in border districts (in Nigeria, close to Benin, in Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, close to Angola, in Somalia, close to Ethiopia and in Mozambique, close to Malawi).”
Meanwhile, the committee said the multiple cVDPV2 outbreaks on the continent of Africa are as concerning as the Wild Polio Virus type 1 (WPV1) situation in Asia.
It, however, said despite the significant further increase in WPV1 cases globally in 2019, particularly in Pakistan where 15 cases have already been reported, Nigeria has not detected any case for over two and half years and may be certified WPV free by WHO by early 2020.
The certification, according to WHO would happen after careful assessment of the risk of missed transmission in inaccessible areas of Borno, and other countries in the region where there is lack of confidence in surveillance.The committee agreed that the risk of international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) and endorsed extension of temporary recommendations for another three months.
Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal on Sunday attended the funeral of 25 persons killed by bandits in a fresh attack which occurred on Saturday in three communities in Rabah local government area of the state.
Tambuwal, together with heads of security agencies, traditional rulers and government officials later condoled the families of the victims after the burial held at Gandi town.
The bandits who were in large numbers raided Kalhu, Tsage and Geeri villages near Gandi and killed the 25 persons.
The attackers were said to have engaged in indiscriminate shooting from around 5pm on Saturday till Sunday morning, after which they carted away hundreds of cows, sheep and other valuables.
Rabah has been experiencing bandits’ attacks in recent time, with people losing their lives while many others who were rendered homeless now taking refuge at an Internally Displaced Persons camp in Gandi.
Tambuwal pledged that the government would take more measures “to end such uncivilized and barbaric attacks”, and urged community members to assist security agencies with useful information to track the bandits.
Speaking to newsmen, Sokoto state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Kaoje, said four persons including a woman informant who pretended to be a lunatic were arrested.
Kaoje said that a joint security operation was in progress to contain banditry and other crimes in the state.
The state Chairman, IDPs’ Welfare Committee, Malam Lawal Maidoki said relief materials had been delivered to the victims.
NAN reports that with the present 25 killed in the latest attack, the total number of persons killed by bandits in Sokoto state has risen to 108 from 2018 to date.
Other places affected by armed bandits’ attacks were Dalijan, Rakkoni and Tabanni communities within the period.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 12: Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari speaks after British Prime Minister Cameron opened the international anti-corruption summit on May 12, 2016 in London, England. Leaders from many of the worlds nations are gathering in London for the summit, which is aimed at stepping up action to tackle the problem of corruption. (Photo by Dan Kitwood -WPA Pool/Getty Images)
President Muhammadu Buhari has written the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad, on the appointment of additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
The President wrote: ‘‘Pursuant to the provisions of Section 230(2) A&B of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), I am pleased to request that you initiate in earnest the process of appointing additional five Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria to make the full complement of 21 Justices as provided by the aforementioned provisions of the Constitution.
‘‘This is in line with the Government’s Agenda of repositioning the Judiciary in general and Supreme Court in particular for greater efficiency, with a view to reducing the backlogs of appeals pending at the Supreme Court.
‘‘Please accept, your Lordship, the assurances of my highest regards.’’
Buhari has accepted the voluntary retirement from service of Hon. Justice Walter Onnoghen as Chief Justice of Nigeria, effective from May 28, 2019.
The President thanked Justice Onnoghen for his service to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and wished him the best of retirement life.
There are reports that President Muhammadu Buhari may appoint the General Overseer of Latter Rain Assembly, Pastor Tunde Bakare, as the new Chief of Staff.
This was made known by a highly dependable source, in Aso Rock.
“There is a big battle for the Office of Chief of Staff, which many consider to be the Prime Minister position, if it were a Parliamentary system”, the insider disclosed.
He added: “Those thought to be interested in the position are: Adamu Adamu, a long-time Ally of the President, who served as Education Minister from 2015-2019; Abubakar Malami, who was Attorney-General; as well as Tunde Bakare, Pastor of the Latter Rain Assembly, who is very close to the President. The President may settle for the Pastor.”
Meanwhile, Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs, is also said to be in the mix. He served as Chief of Staff to Buhari, before the 2015 Presidential election, and the Retired Colonel was reluctant to go to Customs, before his Associates prevailed on him.
I was in the University of Calabar recently, at the invitation of their Economics students, and one of the other speakers was an accomplished comedian/on-air personality. He made a profound statement that people (like me) who are too serious, never make money. And he is right. The powers-that-be at any point in time, also have more time for people who will make them laugh and absolutely none for people who are stressing them about doing the right thing. I also do not want to end up as a doomsday prophet. One thing I can say for myself, though, is that I try to offer real solutions. Most of them are ignored, a few are stolen, but the majority of them are timeless. In spite of all this, there is work to do. There are facts to deal with.
As for the coming war in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), I do not mean the war that will be stepped up by the deprived indigenes. The other day, they blocked the airport road and engaged the vice president. We hear that all indigenes of what is today known as the Federal Capital Territory were compensated a long time ago. But at least a generation has died since 1976 (43 years ago) when the Abuja project started. Chances are that the compensations were haphazard, incomplete, embezzled. Chances are that it was inequitable and inadequate. But here we are. A problem is brewing in that department. Is the FCT going to go down the route of the Niger Delta? Usually, and in organised societies, indigenes in such peculiar settings are relocated, and houses are built to set new standards of living for them. But here we haven’t done anything at all for people that governments – or businesses, as in the case of the Niger Delta, displace.
I am also not talking about the war between prostitutes and night clubs and the Abuja authorities who chose the Ramadan season to do some clean-ups. I must say I am one of the few who supported the actions of the FCTA to close down a certain notorious strip club in a residential area, but I don’t support the demolition of the building that was subsequently carried out. I recently noticed that the Voice of Nigeria now occupies the fraudulently acquired ultramodern plaza which hitherto belonged to the late Alex Badeh at Wuse 2. As an economist, I detest waste where value can be had. That Caramelo night club could have been converted to better use or reverted to its original use – a clinic. However, I am not one of those who speak about job loss for the strippers and bouncers in an illegal club whose stock-in-trade is immorality. Many Nigerians are actually challenged in this area, and we don’t see the line between good and bad.
If you are used to Abuja, you will see the explosion of shanty towns. The poor and neglected in Abuja have returned with vengeance. Shanty towns or ghettos are spreading across the face of the FCT like a nasty rash. This time, as someone commented, they are no longer building with mud but with bricks.
My chief concern today is simple. When next you are flying into Abuja and you happen to have a window seat, look down. If you are used to Abuja, you will see the explosion of shanty towns. The poor and neglected in Abuja have returned with vengeance. Shanty towns or ghettos are spreading across the face of the FCT like a nasty rash. This time, as someone commented, they are no longer building with mud but with bricks. Those who can afford to, cast ‘german floors’ before erecting their usually unplanned buildings. The real problem with these ghettos is that no one is in control. On the ground, people build haphazardly and there is no provision for niceties like sewage disposal. Government services never get to such places. These are tough places to live in, but this is what the people can afford.
I recall in 2005/6 when El Rufai was the minister of the FCT, he embarked on some merciless demolitions and, of course, showed the usual Nigerian planlessness but with a massive dollop of heartlessness. In better countries where people value human lives, there will be mass engagements to know how to provide for people because every human deserves survival – except if one were to play God. I recall El Rufai on TV saying that anyone who earned less than N50,000 monthly should return to their village as Abuja was not for the poor. I recall asking on these pages how many of us who live in Abuja could afford to pay over N50,000 for our maiguards, washmen, drivers and other domestic workers – except perhaps those like El Rufai who have been in government for decades now. Anyhow, as at 2006, the UN Commission for Refugees noted that Nigeria had 500,000 displaced people (mostly from Abuja), the second highest number in the world, and we were not in wartime. I recall families in Kubwa and elsewhere, in the heavy rain – father mother, children, even newborns – after the diminutive El Rufai had done what he knew how to do. Many died rushing back to their villages. Many lost businesses and homes at the same time.
That was an era. Some may say El Rufai is the best FCT minister so far, but I believe he could have done better. We need profound, humane and far-reaching policies.
I am advocating for us to have a government that truly thinks – and understands the value of human lives. I have studied other countries which managed to rein in their citizens from slums. Singapore did theirs early in the day. It is indeed a great sociological exercise to get people to move away from the ghetto mentality and enhance their standards of living.
Anyhow the era has changed. Whereas ministers like Aliero and Bala Muhammad embarked on some demolition of their own – albeit not as ruthless as El Rufai did – the last FCT minister probably didn’t have any perspective on the matter. Like in other departments of governance, under Buhari’s government and leadership, the FCT has properly and fundamentally fallen apart. There is danger ahead. Serious danger. Any minister that comes in, in the future and seeks to correct the ‘ghettorisation’ of this built up city is going to have a proper war on his/her hands because of the sheer scale of what now needs to be done. Nigerians have become angry, and many more years of oppression, failed promises and gross mismanagement have hardened the hearts of many and turned them away from the possibility of cooperation. More than any other state administration, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has totally let go and sat around while a total mess is being made of whatever master plan it lays claim to.
I am not advocating for demolitions, but something more profound. I am advocating for us to have a government that truly thinks – and understands the value of human lives. I have studied other countries which managed to rein in their citizens from slums. Singapore did theirs early in the day. It is indeed a great sociological exercise to get people to move away from the ghetto mentality and enhance their standards of living. A great amount of investment must be made. A prototype must be developed across the country, of very cheap urban houses that current ghetto-dwellers can upgrade their lives into. It will be rough and tough, and mistakes will be made, but what must be done, must be done. The animalistic way we behave to each other must stop. And for certain, Abuja must be recovered from its current descent into coming anarchy. Each passing day that no action is taken, the intensity of the coming war will be fiercer.
Abuja should be the bellwether for the rest of our state capitals. We want to see our own ‘projects’ and ‘council houses’ in Nigeria, massive housing schemes for the poor. We should be able to try and mitigate against the mistakes other countries made with theirs. But in spite of those mistakes, mass housing for the really poor is better than ghetto life and the coming war. I just wonder when we will stop deceiving ourselves that housing development is about building luxury houses everywhere for the corrupt civil servants – many of which are empty presently.
By ‘Tope Fasua, an economist, author, blogger, entrepreneur, and recent presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party (ANRP), can be reached through topsyfash@yahoo.com.
Five persons, including a couple, have been killed in a road accident in Abuja this morning.
The accident was said to have occurred at about 8 a.m. near Setraco Junction along Kubwa Expressway.
The sixth passenger who was seriously injured was rushed to the hospital, according to an official of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Emmanuel Agbo.
Agbo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car coming from Kubwa area to Abuja city centre was hit by a trailer.
He said the impact of the contact with the trailer, which was travelling in the same direction, forced the car, with six passengers, off the road.
“The impact forced the car, with registration number ABC 978 SL, to crash onto a concrete pillar of a bridge across the highway.
“Five persons in the car, including a couple, died on the spot. You can see their corpses on the ground.
“A sixth person in the car, a woman, sustained serious injuries and has been rushed to the hospital.
“We are trying to move the dead to the mortuary of one of the hospitals in the city,” Agbor said.
He said that the trailer did not stop after hitting the car, adding, however, that it was chased and caught by the police.
A police officer, Insp. Danjuma Garba, confirmed that the fleeing trailer and its driver had been held.
The Chief Operating Officer of Ibom Air, Mr George Uruesi, flanked by the airline’s pilots and crew during the airline’s inaugural flight to the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Lagos on Friday, June 7, 2019.
The Ibom Air owned by Akwa Ibom Government on Friday conducted its maiden flight from Uyo to Ikeja, Lagos State.
The airline’s Bombardier CRJ-900LR aircraft, which took off from the Obong Victor Attah International Airport in Uyo landed at the Murtala Muhammed Airport 2, Lagos at 1.15 p.m.
It was welcomed with water canon salutation by officers of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Fire Services.
Gov. Udom Emmanuel said that the airline was a project designed to enhance the economy and create employment opportunities for Nigerians.
The governor, who was represented by the deputy governor, Mr Moses Ekpo, said the project was a testament to the vision of rapid industrialisation based on three gateways of land, sea and air into the state.
He, however, called on all Akwa Ibom indegenes to support the project regardless of their political affiliations.
“Finally, let me use this opportunity to appeal to some of our people in the opposition; it is not everything about us that should be coloured by, or be seen through the prism of politics.
“We should learn to separate development from politics.
“Ibom Air is a huge achievement for us all.
“When we board these aircraft to either Lagos or Abuja and back to Uyo, the Cabin Crew will not ask you whether you are a PDP or APC card-carrying member.
“Sponsoring articles in the newspapers aimed at dismissing the great works we have done such as this, or telling the world Ibom Air will never become a reality, is highly unfortunate and sad.
“We are better than this,” Emmanuel said.
According to him, the aircraft (Bombardier CRJ 900), would maintain regular daily flights to both Lagos and Abuja respectively, urging Akwa Ibom residents to avail themselves of the opportunity.
The Ibom Air represents one of the governor’s signature project in his first tenure.
Ibom Air was launched on Feb. 20 with three aircraft by the former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
