scholarly journals Role of Biomarkers in the Integrated Management of Melanoma

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Piyu Parth Naik

Melanoma, which is an aggressive skin cancer, is currently the fifth and seventh most common cancer in men and women, respectively. The American Cancer Society reported that approximately 106,110 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States in 2021, with 7,180 people dying from the disease. This information could facilitate the early detection of possible metastatic lesions and the development of novel therapeutic techniques for melanoma. Additionally, early detection of malignant melanoma remains an objective of melanoma research. Recently, melanoma treatment has substantially improved, given the availability of targeted treatments and immunotherapy. These developments have highlighted the significance of identifying biomarkers for prognosis and predicting therapy response. Biomarkers included tissue protein expression, circulating DNA detection, and genetic alterations in cancer cells. Improved diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers are becoming increasingly relevant in melanoma treatment, with the development of newer and more targeted treatments. Here, the author discusses the aspects of biomarkers in the real-time management of patients with melanoma.

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo M. Contreras

Cancer remains a significant public health problem in the United States and is now the leading cause of death for men and women younger than 85 years of age. The etiology of cancer development is often multifactorial, although direct links have been made between specific cancer types and environmental exposures, infections, pharmaceutical agents, and hereditary syndromes. There has been a slight decrease in both incidence and mortality over the past decade, but there is significant room for progress with respect to cancer prevention, screening for early detection, and treatment. This review covers cancer epidemiology, cancer prevention, and screening and early detection. The tables list known human carcinogens, radiation doses for common diagnostic radiology evaluations, common hereditary cancer syndromes, risk-reducing surgery and associated clinical entities, and American Cancer Society screening recommendations for individuals of average risk.   This review contains 5 tables and 65 references


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-301
Author(s):  
PHILIP R. WYATT

To the Editor.— The report of the New England Regional Screening Program1 on neonatal hypothyroidism is a stunning illustration of the vulnerability of screening programs. It is unfortunate that this experience will probably be used as an argument to minimize the input of screening programs in the health care system in the United States. The report illustrates that, in addition to the 2% of the screened population that eluded the program, 14 infants with hypothyroidism escaped the full benefits of early detection and treatment.


Author(s):  
Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP ◽  
Kelley Mayden, MSN, FNP, AOCNP

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the United States and ranks second as the most common cause of cancer-related death among women (Siegel et al., 2020). According to American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates, approximately 276,480 new cases of breast cancer would have been diagnosed in 2020, and greater than 42,000 deaths would be attributed to breast cancer (ACS, 2020). Although only 7% of all cancer-related deaths are from breast cancer every year, it is the leading cause of death among women between the ages of 40 and 49 years (Siegel et al., 2020). The death rate associated with breast cancer, however, has decreased by 1.3% annually from 2013 to 2017.


2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann T. Hilliard

The focus of this article is about the utilization of student leadership at the University.  Based on research, student leadership opportunities at the university have been frequently at a low percentage (Zimmerman, Burkhart, 2002).  The researcher identifies practical ways to involve students in various leadership activities. Emphases are placed on the definition of leadership, characteristics of strong leadership, importance of stakeholders, early involvement, expectations of today’s leaders, and benefits of student leadership at the university.  The three ways to look at leadership includes a respond to an idea that the future is unknown and there is not any one model for leadership, prepare for the future by embracing and creating the capacity for change, participate in organized learning and look at collective leadership that helps in the capacity to change.  There are many characteristics of strong leadership based on the needs of the organization.  A strong sense of moral purpose, a clear understanding of the dynamics of change, having academic and emotional intelligence and being able to connect with people, demonstrating a commitment to developing and sharing new ideas and knowledge and being able to be coherent in the middle of chaos are some common characteristics of strong leadership.  Leadership today is not the position of one individual.  Stakeholders play a key role in the aim toward effective leadership at the university.  Leadership is motivated by the increase complexity of university reform efforts for organizational improvement.  There is a need for more individuals to participate in the reform effort to ensure greater university success.  The role of university leaders and partnerships is to identify, promote and develop student leadership skills.  Stakeholders are key individuals within the university’s leadership system.  These stakeholders are frequently identified as alumni, community leaders/supporters, faculty, staff, students and parents.  Students’ early involvement in leadership activities provide opportunities for volunteer services,  internships in experiential activities, collaborative activities as group projects, engagement in services related to civic activities, assisting faculty in conducting workshops and university assessment and working with other students to create a community of inclusive learners on various tasks.  Today, students are expected to demonstrate effective time management, show ability to set goals, build positive relationships, use effective conflict resolution skills, show an interest in helping others to build their leadership skills, become involved in community action programs and promote understanding and respect across racial and ethnic groups.  Over fifty-five students participated summer 2009 in leadership workshop opportunities at a large land grant university in the mid-west of the United States of America. Students stated that the workshops were beneficial, because the workshops helped students to improve ability to set goals, show more interest in developing leadership skills in others, gain a sense of personal clarity and their own values, gain improved conflict resolution/ better decision making skills, deal better with complex and uncertainties, willing to take on more risk and are able to use leadership theories and practices in an meaningful manner.  


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 783-791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuke Cen ◽  
Alessandro Fiori ◽  
Patrick Van Dijck

ABSTRACTCandida glabratais reported as the second most prevalent human opportunistic fungal pathogen in the United States. Over the last decades, its incidence increased, whereas that ofCandida albicansdecreased slightly. One of the main reasons for this shift is attributed to the inherent tolerance ofC. glabratatoward the commonly used azole antifungal drugs. Despite a close phylogenetic distance toSaccharomyces cerevisiae, homologous recombination works with poor efficiency inC. glabratacompared to baker's yeast, in fact limiting targeted genetic alterations of the pathogen's genome. It has been shown that nonhomologous DNA end joining is dominant over specific gene targeting inC. glabrata. To improve the homologous recombination efficiency, we have generated a strain in which theLIG4gene has been deleted, which resulted in a significant increase in correct gene targeting. The very specific function of Lig4 in mediating nonhomologous end joining is the reason for the absence of clear side effects, some of which affect theku80mutant, another mutant with reduced nonhomologous end joining. We also generated aLIG4reintegration cassette. Our results show that thelig4mutant strain may be a valuable tool for theC. glabrataresearch community.


2021 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuxuan Cai ◽  
Bei Wang ◽  
Wen Xu ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Yisong Gao ◽  
...  

Background: Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common malignancy in the female population worldwide. It was estimated that 65,620 new cases and 12,590 subsequent deaths occurred in 2020 in the United States. Patients with type II and advanced endometrial cancer do not respond well to the current treatments. Therefore, endometrial cancer should be better understood in order to develop more effective treatments. Objective: To provide an overview of genetic, metabolic characteristics, therapeutic strategies and current application of nanotechnology surrounding endometrial cancer. Method: Relevant articles were retrieved from Pubmed and were systematically reviewed. Results: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 and Von Hippel-Lindau factor participated in oncogenesis and progression of endometrial cancer, and Nrf2 was associated with oncogenesis. Various genetic alterations were found in endometrial cancer. The examination of the abnormal X chromosome inactivation may help with the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and its precancerous lesions. Some absent tumor suppressor genes, activated oncogenes were revealed by the genetically modified mouse models. Disorders in glucose and lipid metabolism were found in endometrial cancer. Current therapeutic strategies focused on the HIF-1α pathway, the mTOR pathway as well as immunotherapy. Nanotechnology showed great potential in endometrial cancer’s early diagnosis, metastasis determination and treatment. Conclusion: Endometrial cancer has been understood in various aspects, but the underlying mechanisms still remain relatively unknown, which might be the source of novel diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets. Nanomedicine in endometrial cancer is poorly studied, but the current researches showed great results in treating endometrial cancer. It needs further researching.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas B Sajjadi ◽  
Kaylea Feldman ◽  
Samuel Shepard ◽  
Arjun K Reddy ◽  
Trevor Torgerson ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third highest cancer mortality rate in the United States. Enhanced screening has reduced mortality rates; however, certain populations remain at high risk, notably African Americans. Raising awareness among at-risk populations may lead to improved CRC outcomes. The influence of celebrity death and illness is an important driver of public awareness. As such, the death of actor Chadwick Boseman from CRC may have influenced CRC awareness. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the influence of Chadwick Boseman’s death on public interest in CRC in the United States, evidenced by internet searches, website traffic, and donations to prominent cancer organizations. METHODS We used an auto-regressive integrated moving average model to forecast Google searching trends for the topic “Colorectal cancer” in the United States. We performed bivariate and multivariable regressions on state-wise CRC incidence rate and percent Black population. We obtained data from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Colon Cancer Foundation (CCF) for information regarding changes in website traffic and donations. RESULTS The expected national relative search volume (RSV) for colorectal cancer was 2.71 (95% CI 1.76-3.66), reflecting a 3590% (95% CI 2632%-5582%) increase compared to the expected values. With multivariable regression, the statewise RSV increased for each percent Black population by 1.09 (SE 0.18, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), with 42% of the variance explained (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). The American Cancer Society reported a 58,000% increase in CRC-related website traffic the weekend following Chadwick Boseman’s death compared to the weekend before. The Colon Cancer Foundation reported a 331% increase in donations and a 144% increase in revenue in the month following Boseman’s death compared to the month prior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that Chadwick Boseman’s death was associated with substantial increases in awareness of CRC. Increased awareness of CRC may support earlier detection and better prognoses.


Sensor Review ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-100
Author(s):  
Isra Rawashdeh1 ◽  
Mohamed Ghazi Al-Fandi ◽  
Yahia Makableh ◽  
Tasneem Harahsha

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the development of a simple electrochemical nanobiosensor for early detection of pancreatic cancer. The nanobiosensor uses the newly emerged stable micro ribonucleic acid (miR-21) as a cancer-associated biomarker for diagnosis, prognosis or therapy response. Design/methodology/approach The biosensing practice consists of two main steps: capturing probe immobilization on a working electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and gold nanoparticles (MWCNTs-AuNPs) and then sensing the miR-21 interaction electrochemically. Two electrochemical techniques, atomic force microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, were applied for characterizations. Findings The nanobiosensor sensitivity exhibited satisfying results to miR-21 and demonstrated a wide dynamic range with a detection limit of just about 3.68 femtomolar using the source measure unit (SMU). Originality/value Researchers commonly use potentiostats to perform the differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) measurements for the electrochemical biosensing applications. In this study, the SMU was used to perform the DPV to detect the biomarker miR-21 using the MWCNTs-AuNPs screen-printed electrode as the electrochemical system.


2000 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
KB Keller ◽  
L Lemberg

The most frequent cause of death among women in the United States is coronary heart disease, which claims 200,000 lives a year. The prognosis with either medical or surgical therapy is worse in females than in males. The following significant gender differences have been observed and reported: (1) the rate of early death following acute myocardial infarction is greater in women, (2) the difference between sexes remains whether or not thrombolytic therapy is used, and (3) the hospital mortality rate following coronary angioplasty, atherectomy, or bypass surgery is greater in females. The reasons for these gender differences are not clearly understood. Nevertheless, awareness of the higher morbidity and mortality in women dictates the need for early detection and more aggressive therapy of the risk factors. However, diabetes mellitus and essential hypertension are 2 well-established major risk factors for coronary disease and stroke that are more prevalent in the female gender. These 2 risk factors are cumulative and require more intensive and aggressive therapy to prevent acute vascular events, and therefore early detection is mandatory.


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