Complex network theory for the identification and assessment of candidate protein targets.

In this work we use complex network theory to provide a statistical model of the connectivity patterns of human proteins and their interaction partners. Our intention is to identify important proteins that may be predisposed to be potential candidates as drug targets for therapeutic interventions. Target proteins usually have more interaction partners than non-target proteins, but there are no hard-and-fast rules for defining the actual number of interactions.

Acquired monosomy 7 myelodysplastic syndrome in a child with clinical features suggestive of dyskeratosis congenita and IMAGe association.

We describe a case of acquired monosomy 7 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in a boy with congenital adrenocortical insufficiency, genital anomalies, growth delay, skin hyperpigmentation, and chronic lung disease. Some of his clinical manifestations were suggestive of dyskeratosis congenita (DC), while other features resembled IMAGe association. DC has been linked to mutations in telomere maintenance genes.

Pilocytic astrocytoma in a child with Noonan syndrome.

Noonan syndrome (NS; MIM 163950) is an autosomal dominant dysmorphic syndrome characterized by distinct facial features, cardiac anomalies, short stature, and motor delay. Activating mutations in PTPN11, encoding the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, are associated with about 50% of cases. Mutations in other genes in the RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway are responsible for many of the remainder of cases.

Efficacy and safety of 6-thioguanine in the management of inflammatory bowel disease.

Objective: 6-Thioguanine has been used as an alternative immunomodulator in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease but data on its efficacy and safety are limited. The aim of this study was to analyse our experience of the efficacy and safety of 6-thioguanine in inflammatory bowel disease.

Material And Methods: Patients attending the inflammatory bowel disease clinic who were started on 6-thioguanine therapy were included in this prospective observational study.

Performance and reporting of clinical breast examination: a review of the literature.

Clinical breast examination (CBE) seeks to detect breast abnormalities or evaluate patient reports of symptoms to find palpable breast cancers at an earlier stage of progression, when treatment is more effective and treatment options are greater than for later stage disease. Evidence suggests that, for some women, CBE can be an important complement to mammography in the earlier detection of breast cancer; CBE identifies some cancers missed by mammography and provides an important screening tool among women for whom mammography is not recommended or women who do not receive high-quality screening mammography according to recommended guidelines. But CBE performance and reporting approaches are inconsistent.

The antioxidant conundrum in cancer.

The health-related effects of interactions between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and dietary antioxidants and the consequences of dietary antioxidant supplementation on human health are by no means clear. Although ROS, normal byproducts of aerobic metabolism, are essential for various defense mechanisms in most cells, they can also cause oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids, resulting in enhanced disease risk. Dietary antioxidants (e.

An evidence-based approach to cancer prevention clinical trials.

Research on carcinogenesis and its inhibition has made significant progress in the last 30 years, providing an impressive body of evidence that supports various strategies for cancer prevention. Innovative studies have helped to identify potential causes of cancer, including environmental factors such as diet, and provided valuable information about their mechanisms of action. Hundreds of epidemiologic and experimental studies have focused on possible associations between dietary factors and different types of cancer.

Micronutrients in cancer chemoprevention.

The selection of micronutrients, defined as essential and nonessential dietary components consumed in minute quantities, for testing in clinical chemoprevention trials is based on the totality of evidence arising from epidemiologic, in vitro, animal, and clinical studies. Those micronutrients that surface with chemopreventive potential, in terms of high efficacy and low toxicity, in early-phase clinical studies are then candidates for large-scale, randomized clinical chemoprevention trials with cancer endpoints. Micronutrients currently being examined in National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored phase I, II, or III chemoprevention trials for prostate, breast, and colon cancers include isoflavones, lycopene, selenized yeast, selenomethionine, selenium, vitamin E, perillyl alcohol, folic acid, vitamin D, calcium, and curcumin.