Improved understanding of type 2B von Willebrand disease
11/27/2013
In response to blood vessel damage, von Willebrand factor (vWF) binds to the exposed extra cellular matrix, recruits platelets to the site of injury, and activates platelets, which promotes thrombis formation.
Key findings for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and potential cure for acute myeloid leukemia
11/27/2013
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of heterogeneous diseases with considerable diversity in terms of genetic abnormalities. Mutations of CEBPA, a tumour suppressor, are found in about 10 per cent of human AML patients.
Understanding how blood vessels develop may provide new way to fight cancer in the future
11/27/2013
A new mechanism that regulates the way blood vessels grow and connect to each other has been discovered by an international team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Germany. The knowledge might open up new opportunities for future cancer therapy. The study is published in the scientific journal PNAS.
Brain cancer destroyed by killer cocktail in mouse model
11/27/2013
A novel immune-boosting drug combination eradicates brain cancer in mice, according to a study in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.Glioblastoma is the most aggressive form of brain cancer, and current treatments only modestly prolong patient survival.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient response to radiation therapy predicted
11/27/2013
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) affects cells lining the nasopharynx. The majority of NPC cases can be cured by radiation therapy, however ~20% are resistant to radiation treatment.In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Yu-Sun Chang and colleagues at Chang Gung University sought to find a way to predict which individual cases of NPC would be sensitive to radiation therapy.
Oncology nurse navigators help cancer patients cope early in care
11/27/2013
When Group Health patients received support from a nurse navigator, or advocate, soon after a cancer diagnosis, they had better experiences and fewer problems with their care - particularly in health information, care coordination, and psychological and social care - according to a randomized controlled trial in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
FDA analysis of cigarette warnings 'inadequate'
11/26/2013
Canadian researchers claim that graphic images and warning labels on cigarette packaging do reduce smoking, suggesting the FDA has underestimated their significance.The saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words" may sound like an advertising executive's mantra, but we often fall for the dream when sleek and glossy images allow us a glimpse of the "perfect world.
'Digital taste simulator' developed that tickles the tastebuds
11/26/2013
Those who have seen the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, will likely remember the lickable fruit wallpaper that supposedly tasted real. Now, scientists are not far off this concept after creating a "digital taste simulator" that can produce four main elements of taste - salty, sour, bitter and sweet.
Indolent T-cell lymphoproliferative disease of the gastrointestinal tract
11/26/2013
A manuscript in this week's issue of Blood provides important new details on potential therapeutic strategies for primary T-cell lymphoma of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, a rare yet very aggressive disease.
Study examines barriers to human papillomavirus vaccination among teens
11/26/2013
Barriers to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among adolescents in the U.S. range from financial concerns and parental attitudes to social influences and concerns about the vaccination's effect on sexual behavior, according to a review of the available medical literature published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.