Advances in managing breast cancer: a clinical update.
Authors: Gucalp A, Gupta GP, Pilewskie ML, Sutton EJ, Norton L
Abstract
Although substantial progress has been made in the screening and management of breast cancer, globally it remains the most common cause of cancer and cancer death in women. While breast cancer is potentially curable when detected at an early stage, it remains incurable in the metastatic setting. Thus, given its high prevalence, improved prevention and treatment of metastases remains a clinically meaningful unmet need. We review here the advances made in the last several years in the screening and treatment of breast cancer and explore ...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Management of neonatal sepsis in term newborns.
Authors: Du Pont-Thibodeau G, Joyal JS, Lacroix J
Abstract
Neonatal sepsis is a common and deadly disease. It is broadly defined as a systemic inflammatory response, occurring in the first four weeks of life, as a result of a suspected or proven infection. Yet, more reliable and consistently applied diagnostic criteria would help improve our knowledge of the disease epidemiology. Several therapeutic attempts to control systemic inflammation in sepsis were unsuccessful. Immediate empirical administration of broad-spectrum anti-microbials, aggressive fluid resuscitation, and vaso-active or inotropic support ...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Management of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Authors: Seibell PJ, Hollander E
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common, often debilitating disorder characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are repetitive thoughts or images which are experienced as intrusive and unwanted; they cause marked anxiety and distress. Compulsions (also known as rituals) are repetitive behaviors or mental acts that individuals with OCD perform in an attempt to decrease their anxiety. Patients tend to hide their symptoms due to shame; the amount of time between onset of symptoms and appropriate treatment is often many years. The d...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: review of recent findings.
Authors: Renzoni E, Srihari V, Sestini P
Abstract
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is likely to result from the interaction between environmental exposures, including cigarette smoke, and genetic predisposition. This review focuses on clues provided by recent genetic association studies and other selected data and hypotheses. In IPF, association with surfactant mutations has highlighted the importance of type II epithelial cells, while shortened telomeres in some patients suggest that accelerated aging may play a role in the pathogenesis of lung fibrosis, possibly by affecting the renewal/differentiatio...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Advances in the management of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
Authors: Parikh SA, Patel VA, Ratner D
Abstract
Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most common non-melanoma skin cancers worldwide. While most cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas are easily managed, there is a high-risk subset of tumors that can cause severe morbidity and mortality. Tumor characteristics as well as patient characteristics contribute to the classification of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas as low-risk vs. high-risk. Advances in the treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas largely relate to the management of this high-risk subset. Surgical and non-surgical management op...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Palliative care and quality of life in neuro-oncology.
Authors: Mummudi N, Jalali R
Abstract
Health-related quality of life has become an important end point in modern day clinical practice in patients with primary or secondary brain tumors. Patients have unique symptoms and problems from diagnosis till death, which require interventions that are multidisciplinary in nature. Here, we review and summarize the various key issues in palliative care, quality of life and end of life in patients with brain tumors, with the focus on primary gliomas.
PMID: 25165570 [PubMed] (Source: F1000 Medicine Reports)
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Recent advances in the management of hemodialysis patients: a focus on cardiovascular disease.
Authors: Jablonski KL, Chonchol M
Abstract
The number of patients requiring chronic hemodialysis is rapidly growing worldwide. Hemodialysis both greatly reduces quality of life and is associated with extremely high mortality rates. Management of care of patients requiring chronic hemodialysis is complex, and randomized controlled trials aimed at reducing primary outcomes of cardiovascular disease events, mortality, or both in this population have largely been unsuccessful. Topics of major concern in the management of maintenance hemodialysis patients as related to these outcomes include the overall cardiov...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Protein quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum.
Authors: Koenig PA, Ploegh HL
Abstract
THE TOPOLOGICAL BARRIERS DEFINED BY BIOLOGICAL MEMBRANES ARE NOT IMPERMEABLE: from small solutes to intact proteins, specialized transport and translocation mechanisms adjust to the cell's needs. Here, we review the removal of unwanted proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and emphasize the need to extend observations from tissue culture models and simple eukaryotes to studies in whole animals. The variation in protein production and composition that characterizes different cell types and tissues requires tailor-made solutions to exert proper control over both ...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Recent advances in the understanding and management of rosacea.
Authors: Wollina U
Abstract
Rosacea is a chronic relapsing inflammatory facial dermatosis. There are several known triggers but the pathogenesis remains unknown. Recent achievements in understanding this disease point to the importance of skin-environmental interactions. This includes physical and chemical factors, but also microbial factors. The impairment of the skin barrier function and the activation of the innate immune defences are major and connected pathways contributing to an ongoing inflammatory response in the affected skin. This becomes modulated by endogenous factors like neurovascular, drugs,...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Microbiome analysis - from technical advances to biological relevance.
Authors: Smith MI, Turpin W, Tyler AD, Silverberg MS, Croitoru K
Abstract
The development of culture-independent techniques and next-generation sequencing has led to a staggering rise in the number of microbiome studies over the last decade. Although it remains important to identify the taxa of microbes present in a variety of environmental samples, including the gut microbiomes of healthy and diseased individuals, the next stage of microbiome research will need to focus on uncovering the role of the microbiome rather than its mere composition. Here, we introduce techniques that go beyond identifying the t...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
mTOR and lysosome regulation.
Authors: Puertollano R
Abstract
Lysosomes are key cellular organelles that play a crucial role in catabolism by degrading extracellular and intracellular material. It is, therefore, very intriguing that mTORC1 (mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1), a major promoter of anabolic processes, localizes in its active form to the surface of lysosomes. In recent years, many exciting observations have revealed a tightly regulated crosstalk between mTORC1 activity and lysosomal function. These findings highlight the complex regulatory network that modulates energy metabolism in cells.
PMID: 25184042 [...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Convergence of stem cell behaviors and genetic regulation between animals and plants: insights from the Arabidopsis thaliana stomatal lineage.
Authors: Matos JL, Bergmann DC
Abstract
Plants and animals are two successful, but vastly different, forms of complex multicellular life. In the 1600 million years since they shared a common unicellular ancestor, representatives of these kingdoms have had ample time to devise unique strategies for building and maintaining themselves, yet they have both developed self-renewing stem cell populations. Using the cellular behaviors and the genetic control of stomatal lineage of Arabidopsis as a focal point, we find current data suggests convergence of stem cell regulation at developmental and molecular levels. ...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Intermediate filaments: a dynamic network that controls cell mechanics.
Authors: Gruenbaum Y, Aebi U
Abstract
In humans the superfamily of intermediate filament (IF) proteins is encoded by more than 70 different genes, which are expressed in a cell- and tissue-specific manner. IFs assemble into approximately 10 nm-wide filaments that account for the principal structural elements at the nuclear periphery, nucleoplasm, and cytoplasm. They are also required for organizing the microtubule and microfilament networks. In this review, we focus on the dynamics of IFs and how modifications regulate it. We also discuss the role of nuclear IF organization in determining nuclear mechanics...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Advances in treating premature ejaculation.
Authors: Cayan S, Serefoğlu EC
Abstract
In spite of its high prevalence and long history, the ambiguity regarding the definition, epidemiology and management of premature ejaculation continues. Topical anesthetic creams and daily or on-demand selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) treatment forms the basis of pharmacotherapy for premature ejaculation today, in spite of low adherence by patients. Psychotherapy may improve the outcomes when combined with these treatment modalities. Tramadol and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors have a limited role in the management of premature ejaculation. Further...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
Advances in managing medulloblastoma and intracranial primitive neuro-ectodermal tumors.
Authors: Adamski J, Ramaswamy V, Huang A, Bouffet E
Abstract
Medulloblastoma and central nervous system (CNS)-primitive neuro-ectodermal tumors (PNETs) are a diverse group of entities which encompasses different pathological and clinical pictures. Initially divided based on histology and location, molecular insight is leading to new definitions and a change in the borders delineating these diseases, such that they become more divergent. Current treatment approaches consist of surgical resection, radiotherapy and intensive chemotherapy, dependent on age. Stratification is one risk factor shown to be prognos...
Source: F1000 Medicine Reports - December 1, 2014 Category: Biomedical Science Tags: F1000Prime Rep Source Type: research
