medical

An introduction to the Cannabis genome browser. For the paper and links, visit http://blog.openhelix.eu/?p=11320 .

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has issued a new guidance statement in the March 6 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine to encourage adults to get screened for colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths for men and women in the United States. ACP recommends that physicians perform an individualized assessment of risk for colorectal cancer in all adults. Physicians should screen for colorectal cancer in average risk adults starting at the...

Context: Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease increasingly prevalent in the U.S., particularly among children and certain minority groups. This umbrella review sought to assess and summarize existing systematic reviews of asthma-related interventions that might be carried out or supported by state or community asthma control programs, and to identify gaps in knowledge. Evidence acquisition: Eleven databases were searched through September 2010, using terms related to four concepts:...

HSP70i and other stress proteins have been used in anti-tumor vaccines. This begs the question whether HSP70i plays a unique role in immune activation. We vaccinated inducible HSP70i (Hsp70-1) knockout mice and wild-type animals with optimized TRP-1, a highly immunogenic melanosomal target molecule. We were unable to induce robust and lasting depigmentation in the Hsp70-1 knockout mice, and in vivo cytolytic assays revealed a lack of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity. Absence of T-cell...

Uveal melanoma is a very rare cancer that forms on the eye’s skin tissue, usually in the back part of the eye under the retina (choroid). Sapna Patel, M.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the causes, symptoms and treatment of uveal melanoma. Patel also explains why it is important for everyone to have their eyes examined, even if your vision is 20/20.

http://bit.ly/z2KOKJ Last week, the maker of the widely used cancer drug Avastin, issued a warning that a counterfeit version of the drug was discovered in the United States. The announcement revived concerns among hospital officials, government regulators, doctors and patients about the growing threat of fake drugs. Read the full story on Cancerwise http://bit.ly/z2KOKJ Upon learning of the notice, MD Anderson pharmacy staff examined their supply of Avastin and confirmed that none of the...