(Press-News.org) Philadelphia, PA, March 20, 2015 - A new study provides the first evidence that the mediator complex subunit 15 (MED15) may play a crucial role in the pathophysiology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). MED15 overexpression was found to be associated with higher mortality rates in HNSCC patients with cancer recurrence, particularly in oral cavity/oropharyngeal tumors, according to the study published in The American Journal of Pathology. MED15 overexpression was also associated with heavy alcohol consumption, which is an HNSCC risk factor.
HNSCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and has a high rate of recurrence and early metastatic disease, resulting in approximately 350,000 deaths each year. "Our findings suggest that MED15 may serve as a prognostic marker for HNSCC recurrence and as a therapeutic target in HNSCC patients suffering from recurrences," said lead investigator Sven Perner, MD, PhD, of the Department of Prostate Cancer Research, Institute of Pathology, and the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University Hospital of Bonn (Germany).
Mediator is a multiprotein complex that regulates many signaling pathways. In humans, it consists of 30 subunits including MED15, which has been implicated in breast and prostate cancer, with particular attention being given to its link to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling. "The evidence that multiple aberrant pathways account for the progression of HNSCC calls for a much deeper understanding of the effect of molecules involved in these signaling pathways upon HNSCC progression," noted Dr. Perner.
To investigate the role of MED15 in HNSCC, the researchers analyzed tissues from 113 patients with primary tumors, 30 recurrent tumor tissues, 85 lymph node metastases, and 20 control samples of normal squamous epithelial tissue. Using immunohistochemical staining, expression scores were calculated by multiplying staining intensity by the index of immunoreactive cells and categorized as no expression ( END
Researchers ID potential prognostic marker for recurrence of head & neck squamous cell carcinoma
Molecular profiling may be useful for early diagnosis and treatment decisions, according to study published in The American Journal of Pathology
2015-03-20
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New approach uses 'twisted light' to increase efficiency of quantum cryptography systems
2015-03-20
Researchers at the University of Rochester and their collaborators have developed a way to transfer 2.05 bits per photon by using "twisted light." This remarkable achievement is possible because the researchers used the orbital angular momentum of the photons to encode information, rather than the more commonly used polarization of light. The new approach doubles the 1 bit per photon that is possible with current systems that rely on light polarization and could help increase the efficiency of quantum cryptography systems.
Quantum cryptography promises more secure communications. ...
Nova Southeastern University researcher part of team researching DNA of tigers
2015-03-20
FORT LAUDERDALE-DAVIE, Fla. - Tigers - they are some of nature's most beautiful, deadly and endangered species. In fact, living tigers are severely endangered in fragmented geographic areas across Asia - some reports show their numbers as low as 3,000 wild individuals. While there are efforts to help protect these magnificent creatures, more was needed in terms of research into the genetics of tigers.
Nova Southeastern University researcher Stephen O'Brien was part of a team of research scientists from China, the United Kingdom, Israel, Russia and Qatar that looked at ...
INFORMS journal: Firms don't use controversial skimming/penetration strategies to price products
2015-03-20
A new study in Marketing Science, a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), finds that most firms do not use the skimming or penetration strategies that deliberately overprice or underprice new products.
Skimming or Penetration? Strategic Dynamic Pricing for New Products appears in the Articles in Advance Section of Marketing Science. The research was conducted by Martin Spann, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich; Marc Fischer, University of Cologne and University of Technology, Sydney; and Gerard J. Tellis, Marshall School ...
Measuring treatment response proves to be a powerful tool for guiding leukemia treatment
2015-03-20
Measuring the concentration of leukemia cells in patient bone marrow during the first 46 days of chemotherapy should help boost survival of young leukemia patients by better matching patients with the right intensity of chemotherapy. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators led the research, which appears in the March 20 edition of the journal Lancet Oncology.
The findings stem from a study of 498 children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) enrolled in a St. Jude-led protocol between 2000 and 2007. The clinical trial was the first to use ...
Researchers develop detailed genetic map of world wheat varieties
2015-03-20
MANHATTAN, Kansas -- Kansas State University scientists have released findings of a complex, two-year study of the genomic diversity of wheat that creates an important foundation for future improvements in wheat around the world.
Their work has produced the first haplotype map of wheat that provides detailed description of genetic differences in a worldwide sample of wheat lines. In genetics, a haplotype map is a powerful tool for transferring sequence-level variation to multiple gene mapping projects.
"All of these new, genomic-based strategies of breeding promise ...
Additives to biodegrade plastics don't work
2015-03-20
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Recycling plastic works; additives to biodegrade plastic do not.
A new study from Michigan State University shows that several additives that claim to break down polyethylene (i.e., plastic bags) and polyethylene terephthalate (i.e., soda bottles) simply don't work in common disposal situations such as landfills or composting.
"Making improper or unsubstantiated claims can produce consumer backlash, fill the environment with unwanted polymer debris and expose companies to legal penalties," said Susan Selke, co-author of the study and MSU packaging ...
Origins of Indo-European languages, new phonological section highlight Language issue
2015-03-20
The March 2015 issue of Language, the flagship scholarly journal of the Linguistic Society of America, is now available online:
https://muse.jhu.edu/journals/language/toc/lan.91.1.html
Highlights of the March issue include a paper on the origins of Indo-European languages which has already been the subject of significant interest, as well as the inaugural article of Language's new online section for "Phonological Analysis".
"Ancestry-constrained phylogenetic analysis supports the Indo-European steppe hypothesis", by Will Chang, Chundra Cathcart, David Hall and Andrew ...
UN urged to ensure open access to plant genomes: ANU media release
2015-03-20
A plant scientist from The Australian National University (ANU) has called for the United Nations to guarantee free and open access to plant DNA sequences to enable scientists to continue work to sustainably intensify world food production.
Dr Norman Warthmann, a plant geneticist at the ANU Research School of Biology, has lodged a submission with the UN, which is currently considering issues to include in its 2015 Global Sustainable Development Report.
Food security depends on an acceleration in plant breeding, which could be threatened by private companies restricting ...
First blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be available
2015-03-20
The first blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be developed, thanks to research by the University of Warwick.
The research findings could potentially lead to patients being tested for osteoarthritis and diagnosed several years before the onset of physical symptoms.
Conducted by the University's Medical School, the research identified a biomarker linked to both rheumatoid and osteoarthritis.
Whilst there are established tests for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the newly identified biomarker could lead to one which can diagnose both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis ...
Sipuleucel-T in prostate cancer: Indication of added benefit
2015-03-20
Sipuleucel-T (trade name Provenge) has been approved since September 2014 for men with metastatic prostate cancer who have few or no symptoms and do not yet require chemotherapy. In the dossier assessment conducted by the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) in January 2015, no added benefit could be derived for sipuleucel-T.
In an addendum, the Institute now examined information subsequently submitted by the manufacturer in the commenting procedure: According to the findings, there is an indication of added benefit; however, the extent is ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Even bumble bee queens need personal days, too
Carbon capture method mines cement ingredients from the air
Fostering Integration: SELINA’s 5th project Workshop on the Azores unites partners to strengthen collaboration
Reelin marks cocaine-activated brain neurons and regulates cocaine reward
Creatine is safe, effective and important for everyone, longtime researcher says
Robots made of linked particle chains
Research alert: laying the groundwork for potential age-related macular degeneration therapies
It’s not the game, it’s the group: Sports fans connect the most over rituals
AI identifies key gene sets that cause complex diseases
Virginia Tech study sheds light on solar farm impacts to property values
Study defines key driver of aggressive ovarian cancer
Rings of time: unearthing climate secrets from ancient trees
Medical AI systems failing to disclose inaccurate race, ethnicity information
Light and AI drive precise motion in soft robotic arm developed at Rice
Vital connections between journalists and whistleblowers under increasing pressure
Patients are opting in for 10 years of breast cancer treatment
Center for Bioenergy Innovation taps Cregger, Eckert as chief science officers
Anthropologists map Neanderthals’ long and winding roads across Europe and Eurasia
Stress genes clear dead cells, offering disease insights
Healthy sleep patterns in adolescence predict better cardiovascular health in the future
A study led by CIC bioGUNE delves into the complexity of the most aggressive form of prostate cancer
Effects of psilocybin on religious and spiritual attitudes and behaviors in clergy from major world religions
Investigating how stress may cause sleep and memory deficits
Researchers find thousands of pediatric firearm deaths linked to more permissive state gun laws
Landmark test for coeliac disease promises to take away the pain of diagnosis
A recipe for success: beefing up the taste of cultured meat with amino acids
Protecting peppers from devastating viral diseases through gene pyramiding
Lizards of Madagascar
Beyond the brain: how BCIs are rewiring medicine and redefining humanity
Fossilized dinosaur gut shows that sauropods barely chewed
[Press-News.org] Researchers ID potential prognostic marker for recurrence of head & neck squamous cell carcinomaMolecular profiling may be useful for early diagnosis and treatment decisions, according to study published in The American Journal of Pathology