- New cancer therapy developed by scientists from Israel achieves “a 100% Tumor Shrinkage Rate”. The new “ALPHA DaRT” treatment achieves total tumor destruction in over 78% of cases by using alpha radiation for solid tumor treatment in a way tolerated by the human body. Until now using alpha particles for cancer treatment presented a challenge – while being highly efficient in tumor destruction without causing damaging side effects, the particles simply can’t travel the long distance to penetrate all of the tumor. The new technology uses an isotope called radium-224 to push alpha particles across entire the tumor. This technology was recently reported by Jerusalem Post and reporting on this research can be found in scholarly literature.
- Scientists at the University of Toronto have identified a protein related to developing colorectal cancers. The protein, called Importin-11, carries beta-catenin, a protein involved in cell adhesion and gene transcription, into the nucleus of colon cancer cells, where it may promote cell growth. Blocking the function of Importin-11 could lead to new approaches in developing therapies to treat colorectal cancer. The study was published in Journal of Cell Biology.
- Currently, cancer immunotherapy using CD-40 antibodies is unable to demonstrate efficacy in human clinical trials. However, recently scientists at the University Hospital Basel and Roche Innovation Center combined anti-CD40 antibodies with two other antibodies, whose mechanism of action was hypothetically conducive to boosting the anti-CD40 effect, and the combination demonstrated an increased treatment effect in animal models of colorectal, breast and skin cancer. According to study leader Dr. Abhishek Kashyap, “patients with ‘cold’ tumors — tumors that do not respond well to immunotherapy — could benefit most from this new combination.” The study, authored by academic and pharmaceutical scientists and supported, in part, by a Roche grant, was published in PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
- New animal research found that taking the antibiotic vancomycin before undergoing radiation therapy boosts the immune system and enhances the anti-tumor effect of radiotherapy (specifically, hypofractionated therapy) by altering gram-positive bacteria in the gut. The study conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania was related to lung cancer, melanoma and cervical cancer. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Author Archives: Marina
Finding E-Books at MSKCC
The MSKCC Library offers a mix of print and online books. Although some current books can be found on the shelves at the Library, our users should be aware that the most recent editions of many of the books on our shelves may be offered only online by the Library. Online books, as with all electronic resources, can be accessed on any of the MSKCC computers as well as remotely (via the VPN or by logging in as a remote user). While one can find print books by both browsing shelves at the Library or using ONESEARCH (search box) located on the Library homepage, e-books can be found only via ONESEARCH.
To find individual e-books, type the book information in the ONESEARCH box on the Library homepage. You can use the default search box (what is typically called Basic Search) or you can use Advanced Search for more precision. Continue reading
Persistent Links in Databases
Sometimes you need to capture a link to an electronic resource to use later or to share with others. In this case, your best bet is to use the persistent link (i.e., permalink) which is a stable, fixed link that can be copied and then pasted in your browser’s address bar. Many databases provide persistent links to their records. A few examples are given below:
– In MSK Library’s OneSearch, first search for an item, then in the results list click on the ellipsis (…) in the upper right corner of the record. Next, click on the permalink (paper clip) icon, and copy the URL from the box that appears under the icon. You can also click on the item title and look for Export To > Permalink in the record window.
– In CINAHL (EBSCO), the permalink icon can be found on the right hand side of each record. In many subscription databases, such as EBSCO databases, this link can be used only when the user is on the subscribed institution IP network (on campus or VPN) or using the library’s remote access.
-In other databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, the URL for the individual record can be copied from the browser’s address bar. You can copy the individual record URL and the direct URL link to your search. In PubMed it’s easy to create your own permalink. Simply take the address (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/) and add the article PubMed ID (PMID) to the end.
NOTE: Not every database will provide these features. You can always explore the possibility of capturing URLs either by looking for a persistent link (or permalink) or by trying to capture the record/search URL to see whether this link can be re-used.
Should you have any questions regarding persistent links, don’t hesitate to ASK US!