Studies in Vitamin D, Gene Mutation in Skin Cancer, and New Research at St. Jude

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Here are a few highlights of cancer research news that have recently caught my attention:

  • Recently two large studies were published linking low vitamin D levels to cancer and other diseases. The first study demonstrates that vitamin D is critically important in physiological processes while also indicating regulation of a very large number of genes either directly or indirectly responsive to vitamin D receptors. In the second study, scientists found evidence that vitamin D protects against numerous illnesses. Both papers were published in the British Medical Journal.
  • Scientists in the UK have identified a gene mutation that may be responsible for cases of melanoma.  The report was published in Nature Genetics.
  • A study led by researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital revealed promising results for treatment of childhood brain tumors using adult cancer drugs. The results were published in the journal Cancer Cell.

Please feel free to contact Marisol Hernandez for comments on the latest cancer research news.

Prestigious Cancer Research Organization Selects MSK’s Physician-in-Chief, Dr. Jose Baselga as President-elect 2014-2015 and more…

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  • The American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) has elected MSK’s Dr. Jose Baselga as President-elect for 2014-2015.  The Association has recognized Dr. Baselga with this honor for his achievements in developing innovative molecularly targeted agents for cancer treatment, especially for breast cancer.  Dr. Baselga will become president in April, 2015.
  • Musician Taylor Swift recently visited children at MSK.  Although her plans were to stay only one hour, she extended the visit to more than four and a half hours and thrilled the patients who met her.  The video shows how comfortable Taylor was interacting with one of the children, Shelby Huff. Continue reading →

23 Things MSK Challenge: March Solutions

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For those of you participating in the 23 Things MSK Challenge, the March solutions are posted below.

Thing 3

Go to the Images LibGuide (Click the see all link under LibGuides on the bottom left of the Library website) and click on the Find Images tab, and then click on Databases and eBooks. Click the link for SpringerImages. Do a search for cerebral tumor and you should retrieve many images. A note from SpringerImages: “Images obtained from SpringerImages can be used for almost all noncommercial purposes, including integration into presentations and PDF documents.”

Thing 4

Go to the Library website and click on the PubMed tab and click on the Search button. Then select MeSH from the drop down menu at the top left. Enter heart attack and hit the search button. You should retrieve one record for the term Myocardial Infarction. Scroll down to view subheadings and synonyms for this term. To do a search with this term, click the Add to search builder button on the right.

For any other questions you might have, reach out to Reference at asklibrarian@mskcc.org , or call us at 212-639-7439.