New technique predicts which melanoma patients are at risk for cancer recurrence, spread

For most patients, melanoma begins with a small, pigmented spot on their skin that they notice starts to change. Many primary melanomas can be cured by having this lesion removed, but melanoma can also recur and spread; an analysis of the removed lesion can offer some information on the likelihood that the cancer will come back. Today, lesions are analyzed […]

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Researchers identify one driver of melanoma spread

Using a small noncoding RNA, microRNA 211, and tools that track the stability and decay of the protein-coding and noncoding RNAs in lab-grown melanoma cells, a team led by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researcher identified highly unstable RNA molecules in human melanomas, including a novel miR-211 target gene DUSP3. Ranjan J. Perera, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at […]

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Papillomaviruses may be able to be spread by blood

Papillomavirus has traditionally been considered strictly a sexually transmitted disease, but a recent study found that rabbit and mouse papillomaviruses could be transferred by blood to their respective hosts. Penn State researchers on the study said this raises the possibility that human papillomavirus (HPV) may also be transferable by blood in humans. According to the Centers for Disease Control and […]

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How DNA outside cells can be targeted to prevent the spread of cancer

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is DNA found in trace amounts in blood, which has escaped degradation by enzymes. Scientists from Tokyo University of Science, led by Prof Ryushin Mizuta, have now discovered exactly how cfDNA is generated. They also talk about the applications of DNase1L3—the enzyme mainly responsible for generating cfDNA—as a novel molecule to prevent the spread of tumors. Prof […]

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Model predicts bat species with the potential to spread deadly Nipah virus in India

Since its discovery in 1999, Nipah virus has been reported almost yearly in Southeast Asia, with Bangladesh and India being the hardest hit. In a new study, published today in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, scientists used machine learning to identify bat species with the potential to host Nipah virus, with a focus on India—the site of a 2018 outbreak. Four […]

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Rapid spread of a meningitis bacteria linked to hypermutable sequences helping avoidance of the immune system

An enhanced potential to avoid the human immune system has been found in recent serogroup W isolates of Neisseria meningitidis by University of Leicester researchers, which may explain in part why the strain spread so rapidly among young people in 2013. The study, published last week in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, saw researchers from Leicester, the University of Nottingham […]

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Pneumonia-causing bacteria can be spread by nose picking and rubbing

Pneumonia-causing bacteria can be spread through picking and rubbing the nose, according to new research published in the European Respiratory Journal. Pneumococcus, the bacteria that can cause pneumonia, is known to be spread through inhalation of airborne droplets containing the bacteria, for example in coughs and sneezes. This study is the first to show that transmission can also occur via […]

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Lymphatic vessels unexpectedly promote the spread of cancer metastases

Lymphatic vessels actively contribute to the spread of cancer metastases from various organs. This unexpected realisation is the result of a joint study by researchers from ETH Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich as part of the research initiative Skintegrity. Together with medical experts from the University Hospital Zurich, researchers from ETH Zurich have discovered a new mechanism by which […]

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