BBC News

Energy Pulses Could Target Cancer
Doctors may one day be able to use powerful electric fields to help destroy cancer cells from outside.


http://www.wellnesselectrotherapy.com/images/breast_cancer_cells.jpgThe field can penetrate cancer cells

US researchers say they can use energy pulses - which last a tiny fraction of a second - to attack the cell without harming its healthy neighbours. The pulses do not physically destroy the cell, but appear to start a process which makes them "commit suicide".

The technique, reported in New Scientist magazine, could also be used to tackle obesity, say experts. Currently, surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy are used to destroy cancer cells. The "nanopulse" system is closest to radiotherapy, but may perhaps offer a gentler alternative to radiation.

Non-invasive

The electric field could in theory be focused on a tumour sited deep inside the body using antennas placed around the body. By fine-tuning the frequency of the field, it may be possible to target only particular cell types, and hopefully spare healthy tissue around the tumour. The short duration of the pulses - measured in hundreds of microseconds - are designed to prevent the outer membrane of the cell "charging up" fully and acting as a shield for its contents.

Researchers at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, have shown that, in a laboratory dish at least, "nanopulses" can kill tumour cells. The Virginian team has also slowed the growth of tumours in mice using the technique.

'Reaching in'

Professor Tom Vernier, from the Los Angeles team, said: "The effects of these pulses are fairly dramatic.
"We see it as reaching into the cell and manipulating internal structures." The only detectable physiological change within the cell is a release of calcium from a structure called the endoplasmic reticulum.

Although this would not seem to be able to have any direct impact on whether a cancer cell lives or dies, it is taken as evidence of the power of the pulse to influence the make-up of the cell. The Virginia team has also found that they can use the same method to trigger suicide in cells which can become fat cells - perhaps offering a technique to help control obesity, they believe.

In the UK, a team at Imperial College London and Loughborough University is pursuing the same goal. Dr Michael Kong, from Loughborough, said that the use of electric fields in this way was a "hot area". "There are only about three or four groups in the world working on this, but I would expect others to start when they see the potential.
"It's an exciting new field - no-one knows exactly how this effect happens."

BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/3458675.stm

 

Electrotherapy: A clinically proven method to reduce pain using electrical stimulus
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

(TENS) is a noninvasive therapy indicated for the symptomatic relief from, and management of, chronic intractable pain and post-surgical and post-trauma acute pain.
For over 30 years, the medical community has used TENS as a safe and effective alternative to pharmacological approaches to pain control for many patients.

TENS has minimal side effects and is non-addictive. Adverse reactions associated with electrotherapy may include skin irritation beneath the electrodes.
Advantages of Integrating TENS in Pain Management

  • Decreases pain, increases activity, and promotes return to work (1)
  • Reduces the need for pain medication (2-4) and its concomitant side effects (2)
  • Reduces the need for muscle relaxants, tranquilizers and steroids
  • Reduces the need for PT and OT services (2)
  • Has no known side effects, no risk of overdosing, and no drug interference
  • Is cost effective, typically reimbursed, and easy to administer
  • Helps patients remain alert, functional, and productive
  • Puts patients in charge of their pain control

Mechanism of TENS

Pain messages transmitted by the peripheral nervous system to the brain are elecro-chemical in nature. Controlling or overriding these nociceptive impulses can bring about significant pain relief to patients.
With a TENS system, a portable stimulator generates a current which flows through leads to electrodes placed in specific locations on the patient’s skin.

The low voltage current causes an electrical reaction in sensory and motor nerve fibers, overriding pain message transmission. The frequency and intensity of the stimulus are carefully controlled. TENS can also stimulate endorphin production. (5)Clinical Application

TENS is useful for:

  • Pain treatment and management for general and specialty medical practices
  • Patients whose pain therapy is limited by medication side effects
  • Patients requiring frequent and costly PT and OT services
  • A low risk, first line treatment option


References
1 Fisbain D, Chabal C, Abbott A, et al. . Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment outcome in long-term users. Clinical Journal of Pain. 1996;12;201-214.
2 Chabal C, Fishbain D, Weaver M, Heine L.. Long-term transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) use: Impact on medical utilization and physical therapy costs. Clinical Journal of Pain. 1998;14;66-73.
3 Erd M, Erdogan A, Erbil N, et al. . Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effect of TENS on post-thoracotomy pain and pulmonary function. World J Surg. 2005;29;1563-1570.
4 Bjordal J, Johnson M, Ljunggreen A. . Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can reduce postoperative analgesic consumption. A meta-analysis with assessment of optimal treatment parameters for postoperative pain. Eur J Pain. 2003;7;181-188.
5 Facchinetti F, Sforza G, Amidei M, et al. . Central and peripheral beta-endorphin responses to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. NIDA Res Monograph. 1986;75;555-558.

 

 

Blood Circulation

Effect of High Voltage Stimulation on Blood Flow in the Rat Hind Limb Thomas Mohr, Thomas K. Akers, and Henry C. Wessman

The purpose of this study was to test the effect of high voltage stimulation (HVS) on blood flow velocity (BFV) in the rat hind limb. A 20-MHz pulsed Doppler device was used to measure BFV changes in the fernoral artery of 20 anesthetized rats after electrical stimulation.

The animals were stimulated under the following conditions:

  • four different pulse rates
  • changes in stimulus voltage
  • changes in polarity

Blood flow velocity also was measured in the unstimulated hind limb. Although each of the four pulse rates caused significant increases in BFV, the 20-pulse-per-second rate produced BFV increases significantly greater than the other three pulse rates. The BFV changes, on the average, occurred less than 1 minute from the onset of stimulation and lasted up to 14 minutes after the cessation of the stimulation.

The BFV increased with increases in voltage intensity. Both the positive and negative poles elicited significant increases in BFV, but the negative pole produced the greatest increases. Blood flow in the unstimulated hind limb was unchanged after stimulation. This study indicates that HVS of muscle does cause significant increases in blood flow to the stimulated rat hind limb.

Bone reunion

Bone Changes Due to Pulses of Direct Electric Microcurrent
Richez, Chamay and Bieler, U. of Geneva:Virchows Arch. Abt. A Path Anat. 357, 11-18 (1972)

Summary: 26 rabbits had platinum electrodes surgically implanted into the medullary cavities of their humerus bones. Microcurrent stimulation was applied at 50 and 250 uA, allowing pause periods of one second between one second treatment bursts.

The scientists found that osteogenesis (bone growth) happened more around the cathode (negative polarity), and that slight tissue necrosis occurred around the anode. The tissues stimulated acted as capacitors, discharging 75% of the current absorbed during the rest periods. They concluded that pulsed current is superior to direct current for bone healing acceleration.

Cell Regeneration and ATP Production

The Effects of Electric Currents on ATP Generation, Protein Synthesis, and Membrane Transport

Summary: Research shows that ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels increase with the application of microcurrent and diminish with millicurrent (Cheng 1982). The increase of ATP peaked at 500 microamps and decreased rapidly at higher current levels. Cheng also observed that aminoisobutyric acid uptake increased dramatically beginning at 10 microamps and inhibitory effects began at 750 microamps. The uptake of aminoisobutyric acid which is essential for protein synthesis and membrane transport, showed an increase of 30 - 40%.

Mechanism

During electro stimulation, proton gradients are created across the mitochondrial membrane. The current produces a gradient when electrons at the cathode react with water to form hydroxyl ions while producing protons at the anodic side. As a result a proton and voltage gradient are established across the intervening tissues between the electrodes. The influence of the electrical field and the proton concentration difference produce a proton current that moves from anode to cathode.

As the migrating protons cross the mitochondrial membrane-bound H+ATPase, ATP is formed. The increased ATP production stimulates amino acid transport, and these two factors both contribute to increased protein synthesis. (Cheng, 1982)