Coley's toxins and alternative medicine in cancer treatment Article

Coley's toxins and alternative medicine in cancer treatment - Article Example Coley’s toxins are also referred to as Coley’s vaccine and mixed bacterial vaccine. William Coley’s contribution toward bacterial immunotherapy of tumors and cancers can never be overlooked; however, the myths associated with use of Coley’s toxins have hindered the path towards understanding the exact phenomenon that Coley claimed to have observed (Nauts et al., 1953). One of the supporting claims for using the Coley’s toxins is that they activate the defense mode of macrophages (Starnes, 1992). Naturally the tumor cells in the body are not considered as antigen, and therefore, macrophages predominantly exist in repair mode (Coley and Higinbotham, 1936). Thus the injection of foreign particles or foreign agents into the body instigates an immune response, due to which macrophages target the tumor (Bickels et al., 2002). One must not overlook the success rate of Coley’s treatment; perhaps his method was more efficient than the modern day immunotherapy trials. Coley injected 104 cancer patients with his toxins, out of which 50% survived was for more than 5 years, while 20% of the patients survived longer than 20 years(Tsung and Norton, 2006). The question to ponder is what are the causes that lead to the variation in outcomes of immunotherapy? Why some patients perform better with immunotherapies, and why some struggle to cope with it? Therefore, there is a dire need for understanding the mechanism of action of Coley’s toxins. Another component of the Coley’s toxins is lipopolysaccharide, which is a component of a bacterial cell; initially it was considered that the presence of these molecules activated the tumor necrosis factor or TNF(Wiemann and Starnes, 1994). TNF is a molecule that is naturally present in the body of an organism, and it is reported to play a crucial role in i nitiating necrotic activity

Project Management - Organization and Communication (U5DB) Essay

Project Management - Organization and Communication (U5DB) - Essay Example The fifth tip is to practice the art of paraphrasing. The sixth tip is to carefully watch for and observe the demonstration of feelings from the other party. Finally, do not be afraid to ask questions for clarification (Lewis and Graham, 2003). In order to conduct a more productive and effective meeting, those in charge absolutely must stay focused on the subject at hand. EffectiveMeetings.com offers six objective tips for conducting more effective meetings. They include not meeting if the information can be exchanged through a memo or similar method, having a predetermined list of objectives for each meeting, having a predetermined agenda for each meeting, having action plans for items discussed in the meeting, and reviewing the process of each meeting at the end in order to determine how effective it was (EffectiveMeetings.com, 2008). Project reports are a useful tool that can be used for various different reasons. There are many different sets of guidelines that are available for one to follow when writing a report for any type of project, but most of them carry the same basic advice. First of all, data should be processed and placed directly into the report. Second, the audience should be determined and the report should be worded in such a manner that it addresses that audience. Third, examples and templates can be extremely helpful in deciding upon report formatting. Fourth, reports should follow a detailed layout plan. Fifth, explanations should be clear and logical. Sixth, points should be easy to understand and well-supported. Seventh, the readers’ attention should be kept throughout. It is also important that back-up reports be kept in a safe place and that a draft is provided to the project supervisor for review (University College London, 2008). Lewis, T.D. and G. Graham. (2003). 7 tips for effective listening: Productive listening does not occur naturally. It requires hard work and practice. Internal Auditor. Retrieved April 24,