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Medical Epigenetics
Second Edition
Translational Epigenetics Series
Trygve Tollefsbol - Series Editor
Edited by
Trygve O. Tollefsbol
Distinguished Professor of Biology, Senior Scientist, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Comprehensive
Center for Healthy Aging, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, United States
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ISBN 978-0-12-823928-5
v
vi Contents
Numbers in parenthesis indicate the pages on which the authors’ Vinayak S. Biradar (903), Molecular Biology Research
contributions begin. Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule
Charbel Abi Khalil (197), Epigenetics Cardiovascular Pune University, Pune, India
Lab, Research Department, Weill Cornell Medicine- Sarah J. Blossom (171), Department of Pharmaceutical
Qatar, Doha, Qatar; Department of Genetic Medicine, Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of New
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, United States; Joan Mexico Health Science Center, Albuquerque, NM,
and Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Weill United States
Cornell Medicine, New York, United States
Patricia Chaves (171), Medical Oncology Service, Section
Robert E. Akins (513), Center for Pediatric Clinical of Immuno-Oncology, Hospitales Universitarios
Research and Development, Alfred I. duPont Hospital Regional y Virgen de la Victoria, Institute of Biomedical
for Children, Nemours Children’s Health System, Research in Malaga (IBIMA); University of Málaga,
Wilmington, DE, United States Málaga, Spain
T. Alenghat (213), Division of Immunobiology and Center D. Chen (665), Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical
for Immunology and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children’s Biology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The
Hospital Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics, Netherlands
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine,
Cincinnati, OH, United States Hong Chen (471), Department of Food Science and Human
Nutrition; Division of Nutritional Sciences, University
Emily G Allen (873), Department of Human Genetics, of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United
Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States States
N. Altorok (251), Division of Rheumatology and Shijia Alexia Chen (471), Department of Food Science
Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-
University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
United States
Baoli Cheng (873), Department of Human Genetics, Emory
Lucia Altucci (447), Department of Precision Medicine, University, Atlanta, GA, United States
University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
P. Chun (597), College of Pharmacy, Inje University,
Aneta Balcerczyk (721), Department of Molecular Gimhae, South Korea
Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental
Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland Oskar Ciesielski (721), Department of Molecular
Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental
Isabel Barragán (117), Medical Oncology Service, Protection; The Bio-Med-Chem Doctoral School of the
Section of Immuno-Oncology, Hospitales Universitarios University of Lodz and Lodz Institutes of the Polish
Regional y Virgen de la Victoria, Institute of Biomedical Academy of Sciences, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
Research in Malaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain; Group
of Pharmacoepigenetics, Department of Physiology Maricarmen Colon-Diaz (309), San Juan Bautista Medical
and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, School, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Sweden O.H. Cox (81), The Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center,
Marta Biesiekierska (721), Department of Molecular Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland Baltimore, MD, United States
xvii
xviii Contributors
Angela Cozma (143), University of Medicine and Mengying Guo (919), Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai
Pharmacy; Department of 4th Internal Medicine, Cluj- University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai
Napoca, Romania University (The Sixth People’s Hospital of Nantong),
Xiaolong Cui (839), Department of Chemistry, University School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong;
of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of
Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering
F.J. Dekker (665), Department of Chemical and Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life
Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Groningen, Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Groningen, The Netherlands
J.G. Hall (377), Department of Medical Genetics and
Carmela Dell’Aversana (447), Institute for Experimental Pediatrics, University of British Columbia; BC
Endocrinology and Oncology “Gaetano Salvatore” Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
(IEOS) – National Research Council (CNR); Department
S. Hashimoto-Hill (213), Division of Immunobiology
of Precision Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi
and Center for Immunology and Tolerance, Cincinnati
Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
Children’s Hospital Medical Center; Department of
Engin Demirdizen (425), Neurology Clinic and National Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine,
Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Cincinnati, OH, United States
Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Mustapha Umar Imam (33), Centre for Advanced
Jiali Deng (919), Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai Medical Research and Training; Department of Medical
University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai Biochemistry, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences,
University (The Sixth People’s Hospital of Nantong), Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong;
Maznah Ismail (33), Laboratory of Molecular Biomedicine,
Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of
Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM,
Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering
Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia
Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life
Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China Alexander J. Jaramillo (309), San Juan Bautista Medical
School, Caguas, Puerto Rico
Deepti D. Deobagkar (903), Molecular Biology Research
Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule M.P. Jennings (407), Institute for Glycomics, Griffith
Pune University, Pune, India University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
Mona Dvir-Ginzberg (633), Institute of Bio-Medical and Peng Jin (873), Department of Human Genetics, Emory
Oral Research, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hebrew University, Atlanta, GA, United States
University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel A.C. Johnson (817), Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience,
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; Veterans
Devon Ehnes (853), Institute for Stem Cell and
Affairs Health Care System; Department of Physiology,
Regenerative Medicine; Department of Biochemistry,
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center;
School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle,
Department of Neurology, University of Oklahoma Health
WA, United States
Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United States
J.C. Eissenberg (103), Edward A. Doisy Department
B. Kahaleh (251), Division of Rheumatology and
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis
Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University
University School of Medicine, Doisy Research Center,
of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH, United States
St Louis, MO, United States
D.R. Kelly (213), Division of Immunobiology and Center
Perla M. Elosegui (309), San Juan Bautista Medical for Immunology and Tolerance, Cincinnati Children’s
School, Caguas, Puerto Rico Hospital Medical Center; Department of Pediatrics,
Adriana Fodor (143), University of Medicine and University of Cincinnati College of Medicine,
Pharmacy; Department of Diabetes, Nutrition and Cincinnati, OH, United States
Metabolic Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Alexander Koliada (11), Molecular Genetic Laboratory
A. Ganesan (885), School of Pharmacy, University of East Diagen, Kyiv, Ukraine
Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom Narasaiah Kolliputi (185), Division of Allergy and
Cristina Giorgio (447), Department of Precision Medicine, Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine,
University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Unites States
Contributors xix
Ashok Kumar (633), Department of Biochemistry and Shyamala C. Navada (585), Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn
Biophysics, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY,
United States United States
R.S. Lee (81), The Johns Hopkins Mood Disorders Center, Nicoletta Nuzziello (559), National Research Council,
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Institute of Biomedical Technologies, Bari Unit, Bari, Italy
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Jessica Oh (51), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Baltimore, MD, United States
Hospital, New York, NY, United States
Anait S. Levenson (741), Department of Veterinary
Elisa Oltra (279), Department of Pathology, School of
Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine,
Health Sciences, Catholic University of Valencia,
Long Island University, Brookville, NY, United States
Valencia, Spain
Shiri Levy (853), Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative
Juan Luis Onieva (117), Medical Oncology Service,
Medicine; Department of Biochemistry, School of
Section of Immuno-Oncology, Hospitales Universitarios
Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA,
Regional y Virgen de la Victoria, Institute of Biomedical
United States
Research in Malaga (IBIMA), Málaga, Spain
C.O. Ligon (817), Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience,
Der Jiun Ooi (33), Department of Oral Biology &
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,
Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, MAHSA
Oklahoma City, OK, United States
University, Jenjarom, Selangor, Malaysia
Maria Liguori (559), National Research Council, Institute
of Biomedical Technologies, Bari Unit, Bari, Italy Luciano Pirola (721), Cardiology, Metabolism and Nutrition
Laboratory, INSERM U1060, Lyon-1 University, South
Ji Liu (347), Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Lyon Medical Faculty, Pierre Benite, France
Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New
Haven, CT, United States S. Proschinger (491), Department for Molecular and
Cellular Sports Medicine, German Sport University
T. Louwies (817), Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience, Cologne, Cologne, Germany
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center,
Oklahoma City, OK, United States Shriram N. Rajpathak (903), Molecular Biology Research
Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Savitribai Phule
Qianjin Lu (231), Department of Dermatology, Second Pune University, Pune, India
Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan
Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Changsha, Karyn G. Robinson (513), Tissue Engineering and
Hunan, People’s Republic of China Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, Alfred I. duPont
Hospital for Children, Nemours Children’s Health
Shuaihantian Luo (231), Department of Dermatology,
System, Wilmington, DE, United States
Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University,
Hunan Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, Gabriela Roman (143), University of Medicine and
Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China Pharmacy; Department of Diabetes, Nutrition and
Metabolic Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Oleh Lushchak (11), Department of Biochemistry and
Biotechnology, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National Hannele Ruohola-Baker (853), Institute for Stem Cell and
University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine Regenerative Medicine; Department of Biochemistry,
School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle,
B. Greenwood-Van Meerveld (817), Oklahoma Center
WA, United States
for Neuroscience, University of Oklahoma Health
Sciences Center; Veterans Affairs Health Care System; Adriana Rusu (143), University of Medicine and
Department of Physiology, University of Oklahoma Pharmacy; Department of Diabetes, Nutrition and
Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, United Metabolic Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
States Kamaldeen Olalekan Sanusi (33), Department of
Rachel L. Miller (51), Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Physiology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences; Centre
Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, United States for Advanced Medical Research and Training, Usmanu
V. Nagaraja (251), Division of Rheumatology, Department Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria
of Internal Medicine University of Michigan, Ann A. Schenk (491), Institute for Sport and Sport science, TU
Arbor, MI, United States Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
xx Contributors
K.L. Seib (407), Institute for Glycomics, Griffith University, Alexander Vaiserman (11), Laboratory of Epigenetics,
Gold Coast, QLD, Australia D.F. Chebotarev Institute of Gerontology, NAMS, Kyiv,
Giulia Sgueglia (447), Department of Precision Medicine, Ukraine
University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy Romana Vulturar (143), University of Medicine and
Liqi Shu (873), Department of Human Genetics, Emory Pharmacy; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology,
University, Atlanta, GA, United States Cluj-Napoca, Romania
J. Singh (529), Forma Therapeutics, Watertown, MA, Huan Wang (471), Department of Food Science and Human
United States Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
Urbana, IL; Human Genetics, David Geffen School of
Adela Sitar-Tăut (143), University of Medicine and Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA,
Pharmacy; Department of 4th Internal Medicine, Cluj- United States
Napoca, Romania
H. Wapenaar (665), Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology,
Edwin Y. Soto (309), San Juan Bautista Medical School,
University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Caguas, Puerto Rico
R. Weksberg (377), Division of Clinical and Metabolic
Ramona Suharoschi (143), University of Agricultural
Genetics and Genetics and Genome Biology
Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca;
Program, The Hospital for Sick Children; Department
Molecular Nutrition and Proteomics Research
of Pediatrics and Institute of Medical Science,
Laboratory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
J. Tajbakhsh (529), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los
Junjie Xiao (919), Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai
Angeles, CA, United States
University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai
Francesco Paolo Tambaro (447), Center for Bone Marrow University (The Sixth People’s Hospital of Nantong),
Transplant and Blood Transfusion, Children’s Hospital School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong;
“Santobono-Pausilipon”, Naples, Italy Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of
Julian Taranda (425), Neurology Clinic and National Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering
Center for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life
Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
Akshaya Thoutam (185), Division of Allergy and Guanying Bianca Xu (471), Department of Food Science
Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-
University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, Unites States Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
Trygve O. Tollefsbol (3), Distinguished Professor, Chang Zeng (839), Department of Preventive Medicine,
Department of Biology; O’Neal Comprehensive Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
Cancer Center; Integrative Center for Aging Research; Chicago, IL, United States
Nutrition Obesity Research Center; Comprehensive Wei Zhang (839), Department of Preventive Medicine,
Diabetes Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
Birmingham, AL, United States Chicago, IL, United States; Institute of Precision
P. Trojer (693), Constellation Pharmaceuticals Inc., Medicine, Jining Medical University, Jining, China;
Cambridge, MA, United States The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Sevin Turcan (425), Neurology Clinic and National Center Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
for Tumor Diseases, University Hospital Heidelberg, Chicago, IL, United States
Heidelberg, Germany Zhou Zhang (839), Department of Preventive Medicine,
Yaaqub Abiodun Uthman (33), Department of Physiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,
Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences; Centre for Advanced Chicago, IL, United States
Medical Research and Training, Usmanu Danfodiyo P. Zimmer (491), Institute for Sport and Sport science, TU
University, Sokoto, Nigeria Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
Preface
It has been several years since the first volume of Medical Epigenetics appeared, and a second volume is not only timely but
also appropriate given the rapid developments in the areas covered in this field. The field of medical epigenetics has indeed
undergone rapid growth, and the chapters contained in this new edition have been updated and revised to reflect these new
changes. The first edition of Medical Epigenetics received Honorable Mention in the Clinical Medicine Award Category
by the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) and also a “Highly Commended”
Award by the British Medical Association, which attests to the high standards of this book. Many of the chapters in the
second edition are authored by the same leaders in this field who contributed to the first edition of this award-winning book.
Medical Epigenetics, Second Edition provides a comprehensive analysis of the importance of epigenetics to health
management. The purpose of this book is to fill a current need for a comprehensive volume on the medical aspects of
epigenetics with a focus on human systems, epigenetic diseases that affect these systems, and modes of treating epigenetic-
based disorders and diseases. The intent of this book is to provide a stand-alone comprehensive volume that will cover all
human systems relevant to epigenetic maladies and all major aspects of medical epigenetics. The overall goal is to provide
the leading book on medical epigenetics that will be useful not only to physicians, nurses, medical students, and many oth-
ers directly involved with health care but also to investigators in life sciences, biotech companies, graduate students, and
many others who are interested in more applied aspects of epigenetics. Research in the area of translational epigenetics is
a cornerstone of this volume.
The first volume of Medical Epigenetics was published about 5 years ago, and many developments in the numerous
areas of epigenetic involvement in medicine have taken place since that time. There has also been a surge of interest in
precision medicine since 2015, and the second edition of Medical Epigenetics will cover this new and exciting area as well
with a focus on epigenetics in precision medicine. A few areas that have not changed considerably over the 5 years or that
were of lesser interest in the first edition have been removed from the second edition of Medical Epigenetics.
The overall design of this book is to build from the fundamental mechanisms of epigenetics as they apply to humans to
approaches for treating epigenetic-based diseases. The book begins with the basic tenets of epigenetics in human systems
and progresses through general medical aspects of epigenetics, epigenetics of system disorders, multisystem medical epi-
genetics, pharmacology of epigenetics, and therapeutic epigenetics. The volume closes with two chapters on future pros-
pects in medical epigenetics. It is intended that this book will be among the most comprehensive and leading books in the
area of medical epigenetics and improve upon the award-winning first volume of this book.
Trygve O. Tollefsbol
xxi
Section A
Overview
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Chapter 1
Introduction
Epigenetic processes consist of biochemical changes to the DNA or its associated proteins or RNA that does not change
the DNA sequence itself but does impact the level of gene expression. Epigenetics in general has a highly important role in
medicine that provides previously unimagined new opportunities to disease management that span from diagnosis to treat-
ment and extend as well to prognosis [1]. Virtually all systems of the body are affected by epigenetic processes and in many
cases, epigenetic processes impact many different biological systems [2]. DNA methylation, histone modifications, and
noncoding RNA comprise three major components of the epigenetic machinery that has relevance to medical conditions
[3–8]. All of these mechanisms are capable of regulating gene expression leading to many of the pathological features that
are manifested by epigenetic aberrations.
pulmonary disorders have been shown to have epigenetic components as part of their pathology. Moreover, the cardiovas-
cular system is prone to epigenetic alterations that can personalize the epigenome and lead to biomarkers of diseases of
this system. Cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, smoking, and obesity have been associated with epigenetic
alterations and epigenetic-modifying agents may have a potential in ameliorating the effects of these common conditions
(Chapter 11). Along with aberrations of an epigenetic nature in these systems, the microbiome, which is environmentally
sensitive through factors such as diet, can also be influenced by epigenetic factors that may be integrated with genetic, diet-
derived, and microbial cues that influence gastrointestinal health as described in Chapter 12.
Many skin and bone and joint disorders also have an epigenetic basis. Epigenetic modifications may contribute to
the aging of the skin, cancers of the skin, and immunologic skin diseases and treatments may be on the horizon for
epigenetic-based skin disorders (Chapter 13) as well as for bone and joint disorders such as rheumatic diseases as described
in Chapter 14. Epigenetic factors are even involved in cardiac, skeletal muscle, and smooth muscle diseases. For example,
atrial fibrillation (cardiac muscle), fibromyalgia (skeletal muscle), and gastrointestinal tract (smooth muscle) disorders
have been described to be involved with epigenetic aberrations as reviewed in Chapter 15. These may be areas for novel
approaches to new therapies for these disorders that are often recalcitrant to therapy.
The reproductive system can also be impacted by epigenetic processes that can be manifested as fertility disorders and
even imprinting diseases as well as polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis (Chapter 16). Epigenetic aberrations can
occur at any stage of reproductive life and give rise to transcriptome dysregulations that can lead to human reproductive
disorders in both males and females. Finally, in Chapter 17, we see that ocular medicine is increasingly benefitting from the
exponential increase in epigenetic knowledge. In fact, inherited retinal diseases, myopia, age-related macular degeneration,
glaucoma, and many other ocular disorders such as diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and keratoconus can be mediated through
epigenetic processes that later manifest as disease.
of d iseases. It is obvious that a very powerful addition to the field of epigenetics would be enhancing the prediction of
phenotypes for more accurate diagnoses as well as the prediction of the clinical course of a disease. DNA methylation
has been shown to be especially useful for machine learning applications as applied especially to complex diseases. The
potential for the application of machine learning in epigenetic diseases appears to be especially high and may eventually
revolutionize our approaches to epigenetic-based diseases.
Pharmacology of epigenetics
With the development of many new epigenetic drugs and given the pervasiveness of epigenetics itself, the relative safety of
epigenetic agents is a highly pertinent issue with respect to medical epigenetics. It is important to be able to have selective
targeting of the novel drug and to avoid off-target effects. Chapter 25 reviews the importance of epigenetic drug assessment
not only for efficacy, but also for potential toxicity in human safety assessment. As more developed epigenetic drugs are
coming forward, clinical trials and full toxicity evaluation of these drugs will be an important aspect of medical epigenetics.
These points are most apparent in Chapter 26 on pharmacoepigenomics. Further considerations in this chapter include in-
dividualized response to the same treatment and ongoing clinical trials to search for epigenomic-modifying drugs against
neurodegenerative disease. A goal is to develop individualized and personalized novel applications to drug therapy based on
epigenetic analyses. Taken together, it is apparent that the field of pharmacoepigenetics is currently in a renaissance stage
of development. The future development of these drugs that impact epigenetic-based diseases will be highly important to
the overall success of the field of medical epigenetics.
Therapeutic epigenetics
A major goal of medical epigenetics is to ultimately devise a means to modify or correct epigenetic aberrations that con-
tribute to diseases. An area of therapeutic epigenetics that has grown considerably is the use of DNA methylation inhibitors
as reviewed in Chapter 27. For example, agents such as 5-azacytidine (azacitidine) and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (decitabine)
have been used to demethylate and reactivate tumor suppressor genes in cancer cells. These demethylating agents used ei-
ther alone or in combination have had the most success in treating hematologic diseases such as myelodysplastic syndromes
and acute myeloid leukemia in part because of increased bioavailability. Many efforts are now directed toward the use of
demethylating agents for solid tumor treatment in part through combinatorial approaches and for applications to diseases
other than cancer.
Use of HDAC inhibitors is also a major area of medical epigenetics therapy and is rapidly advancing as well.
HDAC inhibitors are relatively widespread treatment modalities and include potential treatment for not only cancer,
but also rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, schizophrenia, and many other disorders as reviewed in
Chapter 28. The NAD+-dependent deacetylases are also emerging as an important class of epigenetic-modifying com-
pounds. Notably, the sirtuins that require NAD+ for their catalytic activity have been an area of focus for this group and
many inhibitors of the sirtuins are currently in development (Chapter 29). Other aspects of epigenetic histone modifi-
cations have also received attention for potential therapeutic approaches in medical epigenetics. Among these are the
versatile HAT inhibitors that are described in Chapter 30 and have potential applications for therapeutic approaches for
inflammatory lung and cardiovascular diseases, viral infections, and neurological disorders. The histone methylation
modifiers are also of interest in medical epigenetics (Chapter 31). These include lysine methyltransferases and demeth-
ylases as well as the protein arginine methyltransferases and others and several drugs are in preclinical assessments for
use in many different therapeutic scenarios such as cancer therapy.
A completely different approach for therapy in medical epigenetics consists of noncoding RNA targets as well as novel
miRNA-based drugs. Several of these are in clinical trials and may have a clinical application to a large array of epigenetic-
based medical disorders such as cancer, metabolic diseases, and neurological disorders (Chapter 32).
There appears to be considerable potential for the development of natural epigenetic-modifying molecules in medical
therapy as reviewed by Levenson in Chapter 33. Strong evidence has emerged in recent years that dietary natural com-
pounds such as polyphenols and other phytochemicals are able to either prevent epigenetic aberrations from occurring or
reverse the epigenetic alterations once they are formed. An important aspect of these approaches is the relatively low risk of
toxicity and the higher patient compliance associated with the consumption of natural dietary compounds. It is likely that
this area of medical epigenetics will continue to grow at a high rate as known compounds are further characterized and new
compounds are discovered. Another area of epigenetic medical therapeutics that is developing at a rapid rate is combinato-
rial approaches and the use of nutraceuticals in combination is showing considerable promise as the risk of toxicity of these
approaches remains low despite the multicompound approach.
Medical epigenetics advances Chapter | 1 7
Epigenetic therapy applied to conditions that have been shown to have an epigenetic basis is of course a major goal of
epigenetic medical therapy. Although the epigenetics of pain management is in its early stages of development, animal stud-
ies have provided some enticing findings that suggest that epigenetic modification approaches to chronic pain management
may have important applications to humans (Chapter 34). This area of medical epigenetics, although currently in its infancy
and the exact epigenetic mechanisms underlying chronic pain perception remain to be established, will be closely watched
as the potential for advancements could carry high importance. Also in the early stages of development but poised for excit-
ing breakthroughs is the area of precision medical epigenetics. Interindividual natural variation in human populations as
well as pathogenesis is a significant aspect of medical epigenetics and it is clear that personalized medicine will be of high
importance in the future as new technology is being developed that allows monitoring of disease processes in individuals
as well as monitoring the impact of epigenetic therapy in these individuals (Chapter 35).
The potential of epigenetic drugs to modify somatic cell reprograming has considerable potential and this could be a
basis for the application of epigenetic drugs to regenerative medicine. An important aspect of regenerative medicine is the
heterogeneity of regenerative potential for different tissues within the human body. Epigenetic mechanisms may contribute
to the disparity of regenerative potential for various human tissues/organs, especially during the aging process, and the
use of epigenetic drugs to facilitate regeneration in humans will almost certainly be an area for considerable activity as
epigenetic medical therapy approaches advance. Epigenetic editing tools may also have considerable potential with respect
to regenerative medicine (Chapter 36). An important aspect of regenerative medicine is stem cell therapy, and Chapter 37
covers the role of stem cell epigenetics in medical therapy. As knowledge of epigenetic machinery in stem cells advances,
so too will the potential for the application of epigenetic-modifying drugs to modify cells such as induced pluripotent stem
cells (iPSCs) that can be used for directing reprograming of stem cells and ultimately regeneration of tissues as a compo-
nent of epigenetic medical therapy.
HDAC inhibitors serve as an excellent example of the power of epigenetic-based therapy, and the development of these
drugs from bench to bedside has advanced notably in the past few decades. As described in Chapter 38, many HDAC
inhibitors have been approved for therapeutic uses and numerous compounds are in the near-approval stages of develop-
ment. Some of these compounds are highly selective and their use in solid tumors is on the rise. The application of HDAC
inhibitors in the clinical setting is also expanding to noncancerous medical conditions through corrections of epigenetic
aberrations that are becoming a hallmark of many diseases.
Conclusion
Exciting advances in epigenetics are giving way to new avenues for patient management that was not feasible just a decade
or so ago. Epigenetic processes are highly sensitive to changes in the environment, and as we witness major changes in
our environment, we also need to better understand how this impacts epigenetic mechanisms and their aberrations in the
formation and progression of an array of medical diseases. It was not long ago that epigenetic medicine was focused almost
entirely on cancer and few other diseases were known to have an epigenetic component. Now, it is apparent that virtually
every system of the human body is affected by epigenetic processes and that these epigenetic mechanisms also manifest
across many different systems that give relevance of epigenetic medicine to multisystem conditions as well. Recent ad-
vances in epigenetic medical therapeutics are now revealing the potential power of epigenetic-based therapy for application
to a large array of medical conditions including by not limited to neurological conditions, cancer, metabolic disorders, pain
management, and pediatric and infectious disease management. Epigenetic therapy is likely to also be an important com-
ponent of precision medicine as novel advances are rapidly developing in personalized epigenetic diagnoses and therapies.
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States medical corps, who was appointed chief sanitary officer, and
with the assistance of local doctors and nurses and those furnished
by the Red Cross, these organizations soon established control of the
entire city in a comprehensive and effective manner.
The Ohio State Board of Health engineers were assigned to assist
in the water works, sewerage, and general cleaning up. Then, in co-
operation with the city board and Major Rhoades, the city was
divided into sixteen sanitary districts, with a physician in charge of
each. These physicians inspected their districts, reported to
headquarters, conditions requiring particular attention, instructed
people in sanitation and followed up all reported cases of illness to
guard against contagion.
The city bacteriologist reestablished his laboratory, which had
been inundated, and took up diagnostic and analytical work. The
state plumbing inspector and the state inspector of workshops and
factories established offices, and joined with the city inspectors in
pushing inspection work rapidly. Men were sent out to trace all
contagious cases that were on the books at the time of the floods, and
the reporting of infectious diseases and deaths were resumed as
rapidly as possible.
Four contagious disease wards were established in addition to the
tuberculosis and small-pox hospitals, two in the St. Elizabeth and
Miami Valley Hospitals in the city and one each in North Dayton and
Riverdale. As fast as infectious cases were reported or discovered,
they were removed to one of these wards, and the houses placarded
and disinfected.
A food inspection office was also opened, and all food arriving on
relief cars was inspected before distribution to relief stations, that
which had already been distributed being inspected at the stations.
The medical corps of the Ohio National Guard established a base
field hospital in the new courthouse, and a supply depot in the
probate court room of the old courthouse. In addition, seven relief
hospitals were established in Dayton View, Miami City, Edgemont,
South Park, the Davis Sewing Machine Company’s plant, North
Dayton, and Riverdale, with a surgeon of the medical corps of the
National Guard and a corps of civilian physicians and Red Cross
nurses in charge of each. These stations had maternity, general, and
infectious wards. Hospital and proved infectious cases were
promptly forwarded to St. Elizabeth’s or the Miami Valley Hospital.
The base hospital received all cases among the companies of the
National Guard on duty; those which would obviously not recover in
time for useful service were returned to their homes. The supply
depot of the field hospital not only furnished the base hospital and
the seven field stations, but supplies were also furnished to the
sixteen stations of the sanitary committee, at the request of Major
Rhoades.
An efficiently manned hospital doing all classes of work was
established by the National Cash Register Company and the
American Red Cross in the administration building at the National
Cash Register Company’s plant, and other medical relief stations
were maintained in the city by the Red Cross.
Up to the close of the first week following the flood no unusual
prevalence of infectious disease had developed. Some cases of
diphtheria, pneumonia, and measles were reported, but the number
was not substantially larger than that previous to the flood. When the
conditions that prevailed during the first three days after the disaster
are considered, with the strain on the entire population during the
first days of reconstruction, it seems impossible that Dayton will
escape without a considerable number of cases of intestinal and
exposure diseases, such as typhoid and pneumonia. But the
complete, efficient, and harmonious system of public health
organization that has been established gives promise that no
epidemic will follow and that the first cases, due to infection before
control was established, will be the last.
THE FRIEDMANN CURE
ALICE HAMILTON, M.D.
As the interest in Dr. Friedrich Franz Friedmann and his
tuberculin increases and a large part of the world is anxiously
waiting to have its hopes confirmed that at last a real cure for
tuberculosis has been discovered, it will be interesting to state what
is positively known about this treatment, to what extent it is a new
discovery and why the medical profession has shown such hostility to
its originator.
In the first place Friedmann’s remedy is not a “serum.” Anti-
toxins, such as those used against diphtheria and lock-jaw are sera.
An antitoxin is the serum of an animal which has been treated with
toxin-forming germs till his blood serum is full of defensive
substances against that toxin. An antitoxin, as its name indicates, is
an antidote to a poison.
Friedmann’s tuberculin belongs to the class which we have of late
begun to call vaccines, a term formerly applied only to the virus of
cowpox but now made to cover all forms of virus which are used to
stimulate the production of defensive substances. The real difference
between an antitoxin and a vaccine is that the first contains an
antidote and is an emergency remedy for an acute disease, while the
second is a weak form of virus which causes the body of the patient
to manufacture its own antidote.
What Friedmann claims as novel in his tuberculin is that it
consists of living tubercle bacilli, while those in general use consist of
dead bacilli or their extractives. It has long been known that living
bacilli would call forth a more rapid production of defensive
substances than dead. Dr. Trudeau of Saranac Lake demonstrated
this twenty years ago, experimenting on rabbits with bacilli of bird
tuberculosis. Later several Americans confirmed his results, using
non-virulent strains of human tubercle bacilli. Von Behring’s famous
experiments on immunizing calves were made with living bacilli. So
far therefore as is yet known, there is nothing new in the principle
Friedmann is following. As to the details of his cure, we are in
ignorance.
It will be long before any dependable word can be given out as to
the results of Friedmann’s work in New York city. Every physician
knows that optimism, eagerness to grasp at every hopeful sign, are
characteristics of a fair majority of consumptives. We shall need a
much longer period of observation before we can be sure that this
tuberculin has any superiority to the many previously tested, almost
all of which have had initial success followed by more or less
disillusionment.
Still greater caution must be used in estimating the immunizing
properties of Friedmann’s tuberculin. Friedmann treated over 300
children eighteen months ago and states that during this interval
none of them have developed tuberculosis. It will be at least fifteen
years before positive statements can be made concerning these
children and then only by comparing them with a similar group of
non-treated children living in conditions as nearly as possible
identical with those of the treated children.
As to the attitude of American physicians to Dr. Friedmann one
can hardly accuse them of unfairness and of narrow-minded
professional jealousy if one realizes that he has violated three of the
fundamental laws of medical ethics and, however impatient the non-
medical world may be of much that comes under this head, no one
can think that secrecy, exclusiveness or self-advertisement are in
accordance with the best traditions of medicine.
A significant contrast could be drawn between the methods
pursued by Dr. Friedmann and those pursued by Paul Ehrlich when
he announced his new cure for syphilis. No charge of charlatanism or
commercialism could ever be brought against Ehrlich. From the first,
the medical world knew all about salvarsan, and knew that it would
be put into everyone’s hands as soon as Ehrlich thought it safe to give
it out for general use. He insisted that it first must be carefully tested,
not by himself alone but by approved clinicians, who would agree to
use it only on patients that could be kept under constant supervision
in hospitals, and who also would agree to make detailed reports of
these cases. After this thorough trying out of the new cure, it was
given unreservedly to the medical profession the world over.
Undoubtedly Ehrlich could have come to America and reaped golden
profits by keeping the cure in his own hands, for thousands of cases
were eager to have it administered.
The Friedmann tuberculin may be what its discoverer claims it is,
but the confidence felt in its promoter can never be the same as that
which Ehrlich has won.
COURSES ON SEX HYGIENE
JANE R. McCRADY
Only in the last few years has the law required every child
attending an elementary school to be physically examined on
entering and leaving and, therefore, statistics on the health of school
children in England are only now available. About a million and a
half children are now examined annually. The report of Sir George
Newman, chief medical officer of the Board of Education for 1911,
has just been issued. It shows the condition of 186,652 children in
thirteen counties and sixteen urban areas and is far from
satisfactory. Only in one urban area did the percentage of “good”
nutrition reach 45, and from this figure it ranged down as low as 3.8.
Of 200,000 children examined in London more than half were found
to be defective and over 78,000 were recommended for treatment.
According to this report the malnutrition is due in the great majority
of cases to ignorance of the relative value of foodstuffs and the means
of using them economically, and only in the minority to poverty.
About .5 per cent of the children are feeble-minded and of these
about one-seventh are of such low grade as to be uneducable.
That the people are coming to favor taxing themselves for public
measures to control tuberculosis is indicated by a referendum vote
on the establishment of a county tuberculosis hospital in eight towns
of St. Lawrence county, New York. The public health committee of
the board of supervisors failed to draw up a question to be voted
upon in all the towns of the county as instructed by the board. But
eight town supervisors took an informal vote on the question. The
question carried in all eight towns. The ballots stood more than three
to one in the affirmative. This is the first time that this question has
been submitted to a vote of the people in New York state. Three of
the towns are distinctly rural and only one of the eight communities
is a city.
CALENDAR OF CONFERENCES
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