Scientists discover how Tc toxins inject bacterial toxins
2/26/2014
Bacteria have developed many different ways of smuggling their toxic cargo into cells. Tripartite Tc toxin complexes, which are used by bacteria like the plague pathogen Yersinia pestis and the insect pathogen Photorhabdus luminescens, are particularly unusual.
Pancreatic and other cancers best treated with personalized medicine
2/26/2014
If a driver is traveling to New York City, I-95 might be their route of choice. But they could also take I-78, I-87 or any number of alternate routes. Most cancers begin similarly, with many possible routes to the same disease.
The increasing use of expensive medical imaging procedures in the U.S., like positron emission tomography (PET) scans, is being driven, in part, by patient decisions made after obtaining information from lay media and non-experts, and not from health care providers.
Late diagnosis of cancer a greater risk for uninsured adolescents and young adults
2/26/2014
Study shows way forward for age group that has benefited least from cancer progressA new American Cancer Society study shows that uninsured adolescents and young adults were far more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, which is more difficult and expensive to treat and more deadly, compared to young patients with health insurance.
Optical device uses light to quickly and easily measure blood's clotting properties
2/26/2014
Defective blood coagulation is one of the leading causes of preventable death in patients who have suffered trauma or undergone surgery. The body's natural defense against severe blood loss is the clotting process, in which platelets, plasma proteins, and other blood components interact to form a sticky, mesh-like structure. But often things go wrong, and blood coagulates too little or too much.
Fast and effective mechanism devised to combat ovarian cancer
2/26/2014
Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths of American women than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. According to the American Cancer Society, one in 72 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and one in 100 will ultimately die of the condition.Now Prof.
Optical device uses light to quickly and easily measure blood's clotting properties
2/26/2014
Defective blood coagulation is one of the leading causes of preventable death in patients who have suffered trauma or undergone surgery. The body's natural defense against severe blood loss is the clotting process, in which platelets, plasma proteins, and other blood components interact to form a sticky, mesh-like structure. But often things go wrong, and blood coagulates too little or too much.
New molecular mechanism pinpointed in autophagy spurs melanoma clinical trial
2/26/2014
Half of melanoma patients with the BRAF mutation have a positive response to treatment with BRAF inhibitors, but nearly all of those patients develop resistance to the drugs and experience disease progression.
Dual targeting approach successfully targets DNA synthesis in leukemic cells
2/26/2014
A novel two-pronged strategy targeting DNA synthesis can treat leukemia in mice, according to a study in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.Current treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer, include conventional chemotherapy drugs that inhibit DNA synthesis. These drugs are effective but have serious side effects on normal dividing tissues.
The findings of a recent study indicate that routine testing with both fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) may enhance the detection of ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Accurate determination of ALK-positive tumors is necessary to identify patients with advanced NSCLC who are most likely to benefit from targeted therapy with an ALK inhibitor.