Word: antigen
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...those checks is the T cell’s dependence on another cellular player: the antigen presenting cell. The APC is an omnivorous creature whose job, among other things, is to gobble up microbial invaders. To initiate the immune response, the APC coughs up a molecule from the bug it has eaten, latches onto a helper T cell and "presents" it with the target molecule, instructing the T cell to prepare its troops for war. This activation is tightly controlled. It cannot occur without the lock-step interaction of a several proteins on the surface of both cells-one of which...
Here's a fun quiz for all you armchair oncologists. A 50-year-old man gets a blood test that measures his PSA (prostate-specific antigen)--a substance that is produced only by the prostate. His results edge just past normal, which probably means he has an enlarged prostate. No big deal. Or he could have prostate cancer. "This must be our unlucky day," says his wife, also 50, when he tells her. "I just found out that my mammogram is positive." Which spouse is more likely to have cancer...
...lycopene, an antioxidant that ripens tomatoes and gives them their red color, may not only prevent prostate cancer but shrink existing tumors as well. Men who took 30 mg of the supplement (the quantity found in 2 lbs. to 3 lbs. of tomatoes) had lower levels of prostate-specific antigen--an indicator of cell growth--and smaller tumors...
...other tests received qualified endorsements. The CEA test, which detects as many as 80% of colon-cancer recurrences, measures the amount of carcinoembryonic antigen, a protein found in the blood that is often produced by tumor cells. Regular proctosigmoidoscopy, which looks directly at the rectum, is recommended for patients with rectal cancer who have not undergone standard treatment with radiation...
...course of his probing, listening and thumping that follow our conversation. He announces that it is in fine shape, meaning that it revealed no lumps, bumps or hardness that would indicate a malignancy. The results of one of my blood tests--less than 0.2 on the prostate-specific-antigen screen, commonly known as a PSA--corroborate his finding...