Prognostic value of post-operative iron biomarkers in colorectal cancer: population-based patient cohort.

Background: Post-operative anaemia is linked to iron deficiency. We investigated the prognostic value of post-operative iron biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Ferritin, transferrin, iron, and transferrin saturation (TS%) were measured from blood collected at a single time-point post-surgery in 2769 CRC patients.

Oncolytic Measles Virus Encoding MicroRNA for Targeted RNA Interference.

Virotherapy is a promising, novel form of cancer immunotherapy currently being investigated in pre-clinical and clinical settings. While generally well-tolerated, the anti-tumor potency of oncolytic virus-based monotherapies needs to be improved further. One of the major factors limiting the replication efficiency of oncolytic viruses are the antiviral defense pathways activated by tumor cells.

Verification of sex- and age-specific reference intervals for 13 serum steroids determined by mass spectrometry: evaluation of an indirect statistical approach.

Objectives: Conventionally, reference intervals are established by direct methods, which require a well-characterized, obviously healthy study population. This elaborate approach is time consuming, costly and has rarely been applied to steroid hormones measured by mass spectrometry. In this feasibility study, we investigate whether indirect methods based on routine laboratory results can be used to verify reference intervals from external sources.

Enhanced Control of Oncolytic Measles Virus Using MicroRNA Target Sites.

Measles viruses derived from the live-attenuated Edmonton-B vaccine lineage are currently investigated as novel anti-cancer therapeutics. In this context, tumor specificity and oncolytic potency are key determinants of the therapeutic index. Here, we describe a systematic and comprehensive analysis of a recently developed post-entry targeting strategy based on the incorporation of microRNA target sites (miRTS) into the measles virus genome.