In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Fred Miller discuss the autoimmune disease epidemic, highlighting the economic burden and the rise of diseases like juvenile diabetes, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Miller explains that autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks the body, affecting various organs. He notes that there are at least 150 types of autoimmune diseases, with prevalence rates varying from 0.1% to 5% of the population - the exact number is unknown due to the need for better registries to track these diseases. Dr. Miller also discusses the role of genetics and environmental factors, lifestyle, and exposure to chemicals. He also mentions new treatments and the importance of lifestyle changes in prevention and management.

Key Takeaways:

• Virtually any organ system or tissue in the body can be damaged by the immune system, which makes autoimmune diseases difficult to assess, diagnose, and treat, as they can be so varied from person to person, and they can change over time.

• There are no fully agreed-upon definitions for autoimmune diseases. As such, we don't know how many there are, but most experts would say at least 150 different types.

• All of the autoimmune diseases are developed from interactions of many genes and many environmental risk factors in combination.

• Various environmental exposures might not change the genes themselves, but they might alter the normal way that genes are supposed to be turned on and off.

"We really don't have a way to measure all of these yet, but we are expanding the range of the types of exposures we can measure every year, and there are a few ways of capturing which exposures or mixtures of them we've experienced at what times, and by integrating all these together into a single number, this could help us understand the cumulative exposures that are that are probably important for the development of these diseases." — Dr. Fred Miller

Connect with Dr. Fred Miller:

Professional Bio: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/crb/pi/ea/staff/miller

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. John Kisiel discuss early cancer detection using liquid biopsies. Dr. Kisiel explains that liquid biopsies detect cancer signals in blood and urine, including tumor cells, fragments, proteins, and DNA. He highlights the FDA's approval of a blood test for colon cancer and the development of multi-cancer early detection tests. Dr. Kisiel notes that false positive and false negative rates vary by test. He emphasizes the potential of liquid biopsies to complement, not replace, standard screening methods and the need for further validation and clinical trials.

Key Takeaways:

• Liquid biopsies have been used in the oncology community to test if cancer is still present, may need additional or more aggressive treatment, or if the cancer has come back.

• Each test will have its own false positive and false negative rate, partially based on where manufacturers set the thresholds for that positive/negative result.

• Peripheral blood-based tests for colon cancer do not detect polyps, and it's the finding and removing of polyps that actually offers the greatest preventive benefit, so that somebody never gets cancer in the first place.

"Another word of cautious optimism, I think that I, personally, and many other people active in the space really view these as an addition to standard of care cancer screening and not a replacement." — Dr. John Kisiel

Connect with Dr. John Kisiel:

Professional Bio: https://www.mayo.edu/research/faculty/kisiel-john-b-m-d/bio-00092659

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

Some people live more than a hundred years with no health problems and very little cognitive decline. How come? While healthy lifestyles certainly play a part in healthy aging, these "centenarians" share a number of special biological attributes. Furthermore, these attributes, along with attaining an age of 100 or greater, show a strong genetic component. Dr. Stacy Andersen of the Boston University School of Medicine has been studying these centenarians and the factors that are associated with not only their attaining an advanced age, but also doing so with no history of major physical or mental health problems. In her interview, Dr. Andersen discusses what she and her colleagues have discovered about this unusual group of older people.

Key Takeaways:

• Centenarians are people who have reached 100 years of age, while "supercentenarians" are 110 and older.

• Recent studies of these groups of adults reveal that during their lives, they have "escaped" diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular problems, dementia, and diabetes that cause earlier mortality among adults born at the same time.

• Dr. Andersen discusses her work on the genetic bases for being an "escaper", as well as the lifestyle and personality characteristics they have in common.

"The older you get, the healthier you've been." — Dr. Stacy Andersen

Connect with Dr. Stacy Andersen:

BUMC Bio: profiles.bu.edu/Stacy.Andersen

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.