Immunotherapy is the generic name for treatment modalities aiming to reinforce the immune system against diseases in which the immune system plays a role. The design of an optimal immunotherapeutic treatment against chronic viruses and associated diseases requires a detailed understanding of the interactions between the target virus and its host, in order to define the specific strategies that ...

In view of the anomalous expression of blood group and related antigens in the gastric mucosae of patients with malignant and premalignant diseases of the stomach, and the potential clinical value of their measurement, a preliminary study has been performed on the blood group antigens A, B, H, Lea, Leb, and I(Ma) in glycoprotein rich extracts of the resting and tetragastrin stimulated gastric j...

BACKGROUND Background: Actinic keratosis is a frequently-encountered premalignant lesion occurring in areas exposed to sunlight in fair-skinned elderly or middle-aged people. Cryosurgery with liquid nitrogen is the most common method for treating the lesions. OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this study was to measure the intensity of pain during cryosurgery by using the Visual Analog Scale...

Premalignant disease of the breast is a controversial and evolving area of medical research. Breast cancer remains the number one cause of death in women in the US between the ages of 40 and 55 and ultimately causes about 4% of all deaths in women. Efforts to identify women at increased risk are of tremendous importance both clinically and from an insurance perspective. To make appropriate unde...

The role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in cancer is enigmatic, and both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing functions have been ascribed to JNK pathway components. We have used the Drosophila eye to investigate the function of the JNK pathway in three different tumor models of increasing malignancy. Benign lesions caused by loss of the neoplastic tumor suppressor gene scribble ca...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were one of the first classes of compounds identified as carcinogens and are often chemicals of concern at hazardous waste sites. Remediation goals established by regulatory agencies for carcinogenic PAHs in soil are generally either risk based or based on the method detection limits. PAHs are products of incomplete combustion, are components of petroleum...

The incidence of invasive uterine cervical cancer in Israeli Jewish women is persistently lower than in many other countries, although the frequency of premalignant lesions is similar to that in other populations. Most characteristics, except certain traditional habits, are similar to those in other populations. The incidence among women born in North Africa and their Israeli born descendants i...

The discovery of molecular markers to detect the precancerous state would have profound implications in the prevention of breast cancer. We report that the expression of the Polycomb group protein EZH2 increases in histologically normal breast epithelium with higher risk of developing cancer. We identify EZH2 as a potential marker for detecting preneoplastic lesions of the breast in vivo and as...

Current routine diagnosis of premalignant lesions of the central airways is hampered due to a limited sensitivity (white light bronchoscopy) and resolution (computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET)) of currently used techniques. To improve the detection of these subtle mucosal abnormalities, novel optical imaging bronchoscopic techniques have been developed over the past dec...

Here, we apply the theoretical framework of dispersal evolution to understand the emergence of invasive and metastatic cells. We investigate whether the dysregulated metabolism characteristic of cancer cells may play a causal role in selection for cell motility, and thus to the tissue invasion and metastasis that define cancer. With an agent-based computational model, we show that cells with hi...