Fluorine-MRI Based Longitudinal Immuno-Microenvironment-Monitoring for Pancreatic Cancer.

Background: Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis. Targeting Kirsten Rat Sarcoma (KRAS) mutation and its related pathways may enhance immunotherapy efficacy. While in vivo monitoring of therapeutic response and immune cell migration remains challenging, Fluorine-19 MRI (F MRI) may allow noninvasive longitudinal imaging of immune cells.

Tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 in solid tumors - bull's eye for targeted therapy?

Encoded by , the Src-homology 2 domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2) integrates signals from various membrane-bound receptors such as receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), cytokine and integrin receptors and thereby promotes cell survival and proliferation. Activating mutations in the gene may trigger signaling pathways leading to the development of hematological malignancies, but are rarely found in solid tumors. Yet, aberrant SHP2 expression or activation has implications in the development, progression and metastasis of many solid tumor entities.

Determinants of physician's office visits and potential effects of co-payments: evidence from Austria.

Objective: The objective of this study is to analyse determinants of physician office visits and potential effects of co-payments in Austria.

Methods: Based on survey data, the number of annual physician office visits is regressed on a set of explanatory variable such as income, communication behaviour in waiting room, travel time, gender, age, presence of chronic diseases and connectedness to family members. It was then examined how those determinants are affected by hypothetical co-payments in the range of €5 to €200.