Top Disability Research Papers

The Social Science Research Network [SSRN] compiles published academic research papers and makes abstracts or the full articles available for download online. The database includes 376,944 abstracts, 308,704 full text articles and 177,289 authors, To date over 50,293,537 research paper downloads have occurred.


The TOP 4 Papers for the Journal of Disability Income & Work Injury Compensation eJournal hits for the last 90 days have been the following:

Rank		Paper Title
1		Pregnancy as 'Disability' and the Amended Americans with Disabilities Act Jeannette Cox, University of Dayton School of Law, Date posted to database: November 19, 2011 Last Revised: November 19, 2011
2		What Should We Do About Social Security Disability Appeals? Richard J. Pierce, George Washington University Law School, Date posted to database: November 8, 2011 Last Revised: November 8, 2011
3		What Can We Learn from Analyzing Historical Data on Social Security Entitlements? Joyce Manchester, Jae Song, Government of the United States of America - Congressional Budget Office (CBO), U.S. Social Security Administration, Date posted to database: November 4, 2011 Last Revised: November 4, 2011
4		The Complex World of Workers' Compensation and Pharmaceutical Benefits Jon L. Gelman, Attorney, Date posted to database: November 17, 2011 Last Revised: November 17, 2011 .....

Related articles

• Mitt Romney Plans to Cut Benefits to Disabled (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Winter Snowstorm Brings Concerns Over Work Related Accidents (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Court Reporters' Brain Aneurysm Held Compensable (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• Study Reveals Employer Fraud Is Rampant (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)
• It is All The Same Apple (workers-compensation.blogspot.com)

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900  jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered occupational accidents and illnesses.

New Biomarkers Discovered for Mesothelioma May Lead to Early Detection

Using a novel aptamer-based proteomics array technology, researchers and collaborators have identified biomarkers and protein signatures that are hallmarks of cancer at an early stage for two of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer — pancreatic and mesothelioma.

This technology would enable better clinical diagnosis at an earlier stage and may provide insight into new therapeutic targets, said Rachel Ostroff, Ph.D., clinical research director of Somalogic Inc.

“Currently these cancers are detected at an advanced stage, where the possibility of cure is minimal,” said Ostroff. “Detection of these aggressive cancers at an earlier stage would identify patients for early treatment, which may improve their survival and quality of life.”

Ostroff presented results of this ongoing study at the Fourth AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development.

Discovered about 20 years ago, aptamers are nucleic acid molecules that bind to specific proteins. SomaLogic has developed the next generation of aptamers, SOMAmers (Slow Off-rate Modified Aptamers), which have superior affinity and specificity. SOMAmers enable a highly multiplexed proteomic platform used for simultaneous identification and quantification of target proteins in complex biological samples.

The goal of this study was to determine if this proteomics technology could identify blood-based biomarkers for pancreatic cancer or mesothelioma in people diagnosed, but not yet treated, for cancer.

Participants in the control group had symptoms that resembled these cancers, but were benign (i.e. pancreatitis or lung fibrosis).

Ostroff and colleagues tested blood from participants to discover the biomarkers specific to those with cancer, which would then be used to identify these diseases at an early stage, where the potential for effective treatment is much higher than in disease that has progressed.

For both forms of cancer, the researchers discovered biomarkers and developed a signature with high accuracy for detection of each form of cancer. Equally important, they found high specificity, meaning few people without disease will be incorrectly diagnosed and thus avoid unnecessary tests or treatments.

“Validation studies are underway, which we hope will lead to the development of diagnostic tests that hold clinical benefits for patients,” Ostroff said.

Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Mesothelioma is an asbestos-related pulmonary cancer that causes an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 deaths per year worldwide.

For over 3 decades the Law Offices of Jon L. Gelman  1.973.696.7900 jon@gelmans.com have been representing injured workers and their families who have suffered asbestos related disease.

Related articles

• Tests may detect mesothelioma, pancreatic cancer (reuters.com)
• Discovery Of New Biomarkers For Pancreatic Cancer And Mesothelioma (medicalnewstoday.com)
• c-Met may be a biomarker for metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (physorg.com)
• New biomarkers discovered for pancreatic cancer and mesothelioma (eurekalert.org)