Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles
Teeth Whitening Products

Grant Encourages Protected Research Time For Medical Fellows
The American Society of Hematology (ASH) announces the five 2009 recipients of the ASH Research Training Award for Fellows, a grant that encourages junior researchers to pursue careers in academic hematology by supporting protected time to conduct research during their fellowship training.
generic viagra online
Re-Do Your Family Barbeque: Experts Offers Tips On Grilling To Reduce Cancer Risks
Summer is in full swing, and barbeques are a perfect way to relax, spend time with family and friends, and celebrate the July 4th holiday. To help you better prepare for this popular activity, nutrition experts at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center offer advice on how to barbeque the healthy way.
News of the day
NHS Confederation Responds To Public Accounts Committee Report On NHS Funding
Nigel Edwards, the director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said, "The surpluses generated by the NHS over the 2007-2008 financial year are a testament to sound financial planning and an awareness on the part of everyone in the service of the need to spend public money carefully.
Mental Health

Polyomavirus Infection In Merkel Cell Carcinoma Is Associated With Better Outcomes

A polyomavirus known as MCPyV is associated with clinical outcomes, including fewer metastases and better survival, in patients with a rare form of skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma, according to a new study published online June 17 in the JNCI. Integration of the Merkel cell carcinoma polyomavirus (MCPyV) genome into the tumor genome was recently found to be frequent in skin cancers, but the clinical consequences of MVPyV genomic integration was unclear. To examine the consequences of viral DNA integration, Heikki Joensuu, M.D., of the Department of Oncology at Helsinki University Central Hospital, and colleagues, conducted histopathologic and molecular biological analyses of tumor tissue and DNA from 109 Finnish patients who were diagnosed with Merkel cell carcinoma from 1979 to 2004. Approximately 50% of the tumors were positive for MCPyV DNA. These cancers tended to be located in a limb, to have less frequent nodal or distant metastases at the time of diagnosis, and to be associated with better survival compared with MCPyV DNA-negative cancers. "Identification of MCPyV as a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma might provide novel choices for future therapeutic strategies," the authors write. In an accompanying editorial, James A. DeCaprio, M.D., of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, points out parallels between MCPyV infection in Merkel cell carcinoma and human papillomavirus infection in head and neck cancers, suggesting reasons that the presence of these viruses would predict a better prognosis. "Perhaps expression of the viral oncogenes can induce or promote the development of cancers that have fewer host cell chromosomal abnormalities, which may result in tumors with simpler genomic abnormalities," the editorialist writes. "Alternatively, the viral oncogenes may specifically perturb host signaling pathways, including immune surveillance, that render them less aggressive or lethal." Author: Joensuu Heikki Steve Graff Journal of the National Cancer Institute


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009