Lungs can also make blood for mammals — study

For the longest time, it was believed by medical science that blood was produced from the bone marrow. However, a recent study suggests that the lungs also produce much of the body’s blood.

Researchers made the discovery through the use of a technology called two-photon intravital imaging. Experiments done on mice suggested that over half of the platelets produced in its body came from the lungs, reports Science Alert.

Further study also revealed a vast number of hidden blood stem cells as well as cells that create red blood cells sitting just outside the lung tissue. By their estimates, the lung was producing at least half of the body’s blood supply.

As to how these cells got to the lungs, the study suggests that the blood- and platelets-producing cells started out in the bone marrow and migrated to the lungs. Once at their new location, they started producing blood like the marrow does.

The researchers say that their findings need to be replicated in humans first before they are sure that the same process occurs in humans.

They would also like to understand how the marrow and the lungs work together as the body’s blood factories. In any case, this discovery could mean a great deal when it comes to treating blood-related illnesses. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Understanding Mesothelioma Symptoms

If you have been exposed to asbestos, either through your work, in a home, school, or office building, or through a spouse or parent who brought home asbestos fibers on work clothing, it pays to be vigilant for signs of asbestos diseases. The thin, spiky fibers of this toxic mineral can lodge in lung tissue and cause long-term irritation that may eventually lead to mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. It can take many years – often decades – for this irritation and inflammation to lead to mesothelioma symptoms.


While researchers search for a cure for mesothelioma, the best way to improve your life expectancy if you have this form of cancer is to catch it early, when surgery or chemotherapy have the best chance to slow the progress of the disease.

As we age, it can be harder to tell the difference between normal aches and pains and signs of something more serious. Understanding mesothelioma symptoms can help you decide when you should consult your doctor and ask for testing.

 Mesothelioma Basics

Although you may not have heard of it, the mesothelium is a membrane that serves a vital function in your body. This thin lining surrounds your abdominal organs, giving them a lubricated surface so they can move. The mesothelium also protects your heart, lungs, and reproductive organs.


Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer, caused by exposure to asbestos, that affects this membrane. Pleural mesothelioma, is cancer of the lining around the lungs. Pericardial mesothelioma affects the sac around the heart and peritoneal mesothelioma attacks the protective lining around the organs in the abdomen. Like many cancers, mesothelioma comes in a number of different forms. Asbestos exposure is the known cause of mesothelioma.

Recognizing Mesothelioma Symptoms

Mesothelioma symptoms may be hard to recognize because, taken individually, most symptoms could have a range of other, more mundane, causes. Here are some symptoms that might be a warning sign of mesothelioma as well as other types of cancer:


    Excessive tiredness without a clear cause
    Unexplained or sudden weight loss


The warning signs for each type of mesothelioma may be slightly different. Here are some signs that you should get checked for pleural mesothelioma, which affects your lungs:


    Chest or back pain
    Difficulty breathing, short of breath
    Persistent cough, wheeziness, or hoarseness
    Coughing up blood
    Difficulty swallowing
    Fever
    Swelling in the upper body, especially around the face or arms.


In addition, if your doctor notices that you have fluid around your lungs or a blood clot in one of the arteries that supplies blood to your lungs, you might want to get checked for pleural mesothelioma. If you are experiencing some of these mesothelioma symptoms, and especially if you have been exposed to asbestos, you may want to ask your doctor to check for mesothelioma.

For peritoneal mesothelioma, which affects the lining around your abdominal organs, you may experience a somewhat different set of mesothelioma symptoms, including:

    Pain in the stomach or groin
    Swollen belly caused by excess fluid
    Difficult bowel movements or constipation
    Nausea that can’t be explained by other causes

Pericardial mesothelioma, which affects the lining around your heart, can look a lot like other heart problems. Symptoms may include:

    Chest pain
    Difficulty breathing, especially when lying on your back
    Coughing
    Tiredness
    Swelling in your abdomen
    Heart palpitations (fast, irregular heartbeat)
    Heart failure

In advanced cases of mesothelioma, you may notice some additional mesothelioma symptoms:

    Jaundice, which gives your skin and eyes a yellowish tinge
    Extreme and noticeable fluid retention or swelling
    Low blood sugar


Mesothelioma Diagnosis

If you have worked with or otherwise been exposed to asbestos, you should keep an eye on your health. If you are experiencing mesothelioma symptoms, your doctor has several tools to determine whether you are suffering from this cancer or if there is another reason you aren’t feeling up to par.

Your physician will probably start by checking your breathing and listening to your lungs. The next step may be X-rays to look for telltale signs of mesothelioma. Your doctor may want to do additional imagining such as a CT or CAT scan or an MRI. If these tests indicate that mesothelioma may be present, a tissue biopsy will be needed to make the final determination whether this rare cancer is the cause of your symptoms. In most cases, the biopsy can be done through minor, outpatient operation that requires a very small incision.

Early Detection to Help Fight Mesothelioma


No one wants to hear the bad news that they have cancer, least of all one as malicious as malignant mesothelioma. The only thing worse is not getting diagnosed. If you think you may be having mesothelioma symptoms, make sure your doctor knows your full work and medical history.

While there is no cure yet, there are treatments that can slow the growth and spread of mesothelioma, so you can have more time to spend with the people you love. If your doctor thinks you might have mesothelioma, early testing is your best chance to extend your life.

source:  .mesotheliomacircle.org

Talc, a common ingredient in baby powder and makeup, contains stray asbestos

Talc is a common ingredient in many everyday products, but as a number of recent lawsuits have brought to light, it may also contain trace amounts of asbestos, a material whose airborne fibers can scar lungs and cause cancer.

Talc is used in everything from makeup to baby powder. It’s even used as a food additive. But it is also sometimes interlaced with asbestos. Although asbestos is known to be dangerous—and known to be found in cosmetic talc— the US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the industry to monitor itself in its use of talc in cosmetics, despite concerns about its toxicity. Manufacturers say they test their talc for asbestos and only use talc that is proven to be asbestos-free. But some experts say that the outdated tests being used can’t detect the low levels of asbestos that may be present and can still be dangerous.

Government documents show that FDA officials first discussed the issue in 1976 but decided to allow the industry to test its own products. Proposals for the FDA to run the tests came up again in 1994 and 2001, but to no avail.

Asbestos was a common material used in buildings, toys, and various products until the mid-1970s, when its toxicity was recognized and its use became more limited. But it is still not entirely out of manufacturing in the US. Recent tests run by the non-profit Environmental Working Group found asbestos in four brands of crayons and toy crime-scene kits, it recently reported.

Asbestos exposure can cause a very aggressive form of cancer called mesothelioma. In the US, about 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, says the American Cancer Society. If you believe you or someone you care about has been exposed to asbestos, contact Cooney & Conway, a law firm specializing in mesothelioma, to learn more about your legal rights.

source: cooneyconway.com

Talc is a common ingredient in many everyday products, but as a number of recent lawsuits have brought to light, it may also contain trace amounts of asbestos, a material whose airborne fibers can scar lungs and cause cancer.
Talc is used in everything from makeup to baby powder. It’s even used as a food additive. But it is also sometimes interlaced with asbestos. Although asbestos is known to be dangerous—and known to be found in cosmetic talc— the US Food and Drug Administration has allowed the industry to monitor itself in its use of talc in cosmetics, despite concerns about its toxicity. Manufacturers say they test their talc for asbestos and only use talc that is proven to be asbestos-free. But some experts say that the outdated tests being used can’t detect the low levels of asbestos that may be present and can still be dangerous.
Government documents show that FDA officials first discussed the issue in 1976 but decided to allow the industry to test its own products. Proposals for the FDA to run the tests came up again in 1994 and 2001, but to no avail.
Asbestos was a common material used in buildings, toys, and various products until the mid-1970s, when its toxicity was recognized and its use became more limited. But it is still not entirely out of manufacturing in the US. Recent tests run by the non-profit Environmental Working Group found asbestos in four brands of crayons and toy crime-scene kits, it recently reported.
Asbestos exposure can cause a very aggressive form of cancer called mesothelioma. In the US, about 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year, says the American Cancer Society. If you believe you or someone you care about has been exposed to asbestos, contact Cooney & Conway, a law firm specializing in mesothelioma, to learn more about your legal rights.
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