TORONTO – an antipsychotic drug used as a therapy for schizophrenia appears to have an unusual property — it can neutralize some cancer stem cells that allow tumours to come back after treatment.

In lab experiments, Canadian researchers found that thioridazine can alter cancer stem cells that give rise to a type of leukemia, as well as those that generate certain breast cancer cells, without harming normal stem cells.

The discovery, reported Thursday in the journal Cell, came after researchers screened about 3,000 compounds in search of those that would selectively inhibit human cancer stem cells.

Thioridazine is one of about 20 agents winnowed down through high-tech drug screening that appear to work against cancer stem cells, said principal investigator Mick Bhatia, scientific director of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster University.

“Cancer stem cells, what they do is they keep proliferating,” Bhatia said from Hamilton. “But they don’t do what normal stem cells do, which is make other cell types. and then those cells perform their function and then die. That’s the normal life cycle.

“Cancer stem cells refuse to go through that life cycle because they never differentiate. they just keep making copies of themselves.”

That’s why, even if a patient’s malignancy appears to have been eradicated with chemotherapy and radiation, the cancer can come back, Bhatia said.

“And the feeling there is that the drugs we’re using aren’t targeting the cancer stem cells, so you’re not getting to the root. You’re just picking the dandelion off the top.

“And it looks good for a while, the lawn looks fine, but if you don’t dig at it and get the root, it just comes back.”

Bhatia admits that thioridazine’s apparent power over cancer stem cells came as a bit of a surprise.

The drug works against schizophrenia, for example, by targeting dopamine receptors in the brain. Dopamine is a chemical messenger that plays a variety of roles in the brain, including helping to regulate attention, cognition and movement.

The drug is also used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, which develop in response to declining dopamine levels caused by the death of brain cells that make the neurotransmitter.

Thioridazine doesn’t appear to kill cancer stem cells, but rather encourages them to differentiate, thus exhausting the pool of self-renewing cells.

The researchers showed that the drug affects leukemia stem cells without harming normal blood stem cells. It turns out that unlike normal blood stems cells, leukemia cells have a dopamine receptor on their surfaces — making them vulnerable to the drug.

Dopamine receptors also appear on some breast cancer stem cells, the researchers found.

“This gives us some explanation,” Bhatia said. It also suggests that dopamine receptors might serve as a biomarker for early detection of rare, tumour-initiating cells in patients.

Michael Rudnicki, CEO and scientific director of the Stem Cell Network of Canada, described the paper as a “beautiful study, a very nice piece of work.”

“I think this paper really exemplifies the Canadian leadership in cancer stem cell research,” Rudnicki said Thursday from Ottawa. “Cancer stem cells were really discovered here in Canada, and this work takes it to a new level.”

He said the researchers’ findings strongly support the notion that already-approved, “human-ready” drugs exist in the global pharmaceutical armamentarium that could bolster doctors’ ability to defeat some cancers.

“Everything that we can do to build up the toolbox for the clinicians treating cancer will help this,” said Rudnicki, who was not involved in the study.

The McMaster-led team, which includes physicians, is planning to test thioridazine in combination with standard anti-cancer drugs in a small group of adults with acute myeloid leukemia who have not responded to chemotherapy alone.

The researchers’ next step is to investigate the effectiveness of thioridazine in other types of cancer, as well as exploring the potential of the other compounds identified so far, Bhatia said.

“We really want these drugs to be something that we can target at a clinical level.”

In the future, thousands of other compounds will be analyzed with McMaster’s robotic stem cell screening system in collaboration with other academic groups and the pharmaceutical industry.

“The goal for all of the partners,” said Bhatia, “is the same — to find unique drugs to change the way we tackle and treat cancer.”

FDA has issued a Safety Announcement warning that serious allergic reactions have been reported with the use of the antipsychotic medication asenapine maleate (Saphris).

Saphris was approved in August 2009 and is used to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The Contraindications, Warnings and Precautions, Adverse Reactions, and Patient Counseling Information sections of the Saphris drug label have been revised to include information about this risk and to inform healthcare professionals that Saphris should not be used in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the drug.

A search of FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) database identified 52 cases of type 1 hypersensitivity reactions (allergic reactions) with Saphris use. Hypersensitivity reactions can be classified into 4 categories (type 1 to type 4). Signs and symptoms of type 1 hypersensitivity reactions may include anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction), angioedema (swelling of the deeper layers of the skin), low blood pressure, rapid heart rate, swollen tongue, difficulty breathing, wheezing, or rash. These signs and symptoms are consistent with the reactions reported in the 52 cases. several cases reported multiple hypersensitivity reactions occurring at the same time, with some of these reactions occurring after the first dose of Saphris.

Healthcare professionals should be aware of the risk of hypersensitivity reactions with Saphris and counsel patients who are receiving the drug about how to recognize the signs and symptoms of a serious allergic reaction. Saphris should not be used in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the drug.

Patients should seek emergency medical attention immediately if they develop any signs and symptoms of a serious allergic reaction while taking Saphris.

I'm writing a story and would like some VERY subtle things someone with schizophrenia would do. So far I've been using the blank countenance and thousand-yard stare but I would like some that are more subtle and also depict someone in a somewhat advanced state of schizophrenia.

Seeing things that arent there, hearing things that aren't there

I think i might have schizophrenia, i just need to know the symptoms please.

Google is your friend, and can probably answer your question much more thoroughly than anyone on here.

I'm getting checked out tomorrow by a psychiatrist and i was just wondering what the symptoms were?

If you're wondering if you have the symptoms, you don't.
A psychiatrist will not diagnose you will schizophrenia on the first visit either way. I won't go into the symptoms, because it is an unfortunate human habit to take on things we read.

Look it up, kid.

I'm looking for pages discussing the medical aspects/symptoms of schizophrenia, but not the more commonly-known paranoia, but rather the incomprehensible speech and ways of thinking, abnormal thought patterns, and such.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated; it's pretty much just an interesting subject for me.

Just Search in Google,you Find there more.

I am being treated for undifferentiated Schizophrenia. how to overcome the negative symptoms of it?

It's a combination of medication and counseling.

get treated. thats about all you can do. sorry buddy

To be honest ***** i don't know.

Schizophrenia can be defined as mental disorder or brain disorder. some times it is called as split personality disorder. it is a disorder that directly affect the brain, interfere in the personal life of human being that in the ability to think , feel and act. This disease is one of the type of psychotic mental disorder and is characterized by the symptoms of behaviour and social problem. the thinking of Schizophrenic patient is completely differ from the reality. it is a myth that almost Schizophrenia patient are dangerous and violent during their treatment but its nor true. it is declared as most debilitating diseases affecting human beings by the World Health Organization.There are various other type of this disorder. Schizophrenia are of five types and each types is based on the symptoms the person suffered through. Types are Paranoid schizophrenia, Disorganized schizophrenia, Catatonic schizophrenia, Undifferentiated schizophrenia and Residual schizophreniaSymptoms

This dosorder has variety of symptoms and these symptoms develop slowly over the month or year. Its symptoms vary from person to person. in the early stages the patient may feel tense, find trouble in sleeping. As this illness continues the it turn to psychotic disorder and also include the symptoms of the same like hallucinations, delusions, catatonic behaviour and flat affect. Other symptoms may include problem of paying attention and disordered thinking. People suffering from this disorder may  find it difficult to keep their friends and does not concentrate on working and they may also have problem of depression, anxiety ans suicidal thoughts.the causes for this illness/disorder is not known properly. Researcher are of the view that there are both historical and other causes responsible for this illness.Treatment

There are many medicines available in the market dor the treatment of this illness. many doctors and health care professionals have suggested and recommended Risperdal as the most trusting and best medicine. it is a prescription medicine used for the treatment of Schizophrenia. it comes in both that is by brand name and generic name. This medication is specially ment for the use in adults, do not give to the children with doctor’s prescription.

Before using Risperdal you should know few things that you should not use this medicine if you are allergic to it or to its ingredients. the people taking treatment with this medication should avoid drinking Alcohol. it is a prescription medicine and should be used as prescribed by the doctor or health care professionals.Use of this medicine should be made very carefully as it may increase the risk of heart attack and diabetes. if you are pregnant or breast feeding mother you should not buy this medicine as use of this medicine in breast feeding mother and pregnant women may harm the health of new born baby or nursed child. Risperdal comes in the form of tablet. take the medicine with a full glass of water. take the medicine as prescribed, do not increase or decrease the dose of the medicine on your own. Store the medicine at room temperature. keep this medicine in the dry place away from light, heat and moisture. keep all the medicine away from the children and pet.

Delusions. Delusions are false personal beliefs that are not part of the person’s culture and do not change, even when other people present proof that the beliefs are not true or logical. People with schizophrenia can have delusions that are quite bizarre, such as believing that neighbors can control their behavior with magnetic waves, people on television are directing special messages to them, or radio stations are broadcasting their thoughts aloud to others. they may also have delusions of grandeur and think they are famous historical figures. People with paranoid schizophrenia can believe that others are deliberately cheating, harassing, poisoning, spying upon, or plotting against them or the people they care about. these beliefs are called delusions of persecution.

Thought Disorder. People with schizophrenia often have unusual thought processes. one dramatic form is disorganized thinking, in which the person has difficulty organizing his or her thoughts or connecting them logically. Speech may be garbled or hard to understand. Another form is “thought blocking,” in which the person stops abruptly in the middle of a thought. When asked why, the person may say that it felt as if the thought had been taken out of his or her head. Finally, the individual might make up unintelligible words, or “neologisms.”

Disorders of Movement. People with schizophrenia can be clumsy and uncoordinated. they may also exhibit involuntary movements and may grimace or exhibit unusual mannerisms. they may repeat certain motions over and over or, in extreme cases, may become catatonic. Catatonia is a state of immobility and unresponsiveness. it was more common when treatment for schizophrenia was not available; fortunately, it is now rare.

When you hear voices in your head, how does it feel? are you frightened? Can you start to ignore them after you understand you have schizophrenia?

Honey with this disease knowledge is power. when I first began getting sick the things I would see and hear would indeed scare me. I didn't know what was going on, things can seem so real. later I began to learn and then sometimes could say o.k. that is not really there that is such and such symptom. I try to compensate. After a while the stuff happens and you just start kind of getting used to it. now that of course doesn't work all the time. I had a command voice which was so loud and would tell me dangerous things. Such as PULL OUT NOW, in traffic when there was a car coming. and what was so frightening is that my body reacted immediatly and obeyed. Thank God that has left me. now my voices are pretty low key except in stressful situations. It is just nonsense phrases, lots of echoes, sometimes instructions (mostly helpful) comments on what I am doing, She is sitting now. I do still see things but not so horrific, actually pretty mundane. the other day there was quite a large turtle in the driveway, plain as day. I just stopped and waited oh just a small bit and then it was gone. you can train yourself to have some control if you are fortunate enough to have insight into your illness. as years go by you quit being so startled. Keep working at it honey, you can do things to help yourself.

i kinda like them, they make me feel like i can do anything but yet they are very scary, they have started to make me 2 different people