As a medical oncologist at Morrison Cancer Center in Hastings, Nebraska, Dr. Sanda Morar draws on the most up-to-date information in her field. Dr. Sandra Morar focuses particularly on treating gynecological, breast, and colorectal cancers.According to research recently published by the journal Immunity, the loss of two specific genes may increase a patient's risk of colorectal cancer. The genes in question play a role in encoding two kinase proteins, the loss of which can prompt the development of noncancerous or precancerous growths known as serrated polyps. Prior research has shown that as many as 35 percent of colorectal cancers develop from this type of polyp.Through a mouse model, researchers found that the loss of these genes caused the infiltration of the PD-L1 protein, which helps cancer cells to survive in the body. Introduction of a TGF-beta receptor inhibitor and anti-PD-L1 reduced the size of the tumors.Researchers believe that these findings may also help to explain the increased risk of colon cancer in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. The study showed that gene loss decreased the concentration of CD8+ immune cells and prompted the development of colorectal cancer. The loss of these immune cells can be opportunistic for colorectal cancers, particularly since patients with IBD may already be immunocompromised due to immune-suppressing treatments.
Dr. Sanda Morar brings nearly three decades of experience to her work as a medical oncologist at the Morrison Cancer Center. In her role with the Hastings, Nebraska, medical facility, Dr. Sanda Morar treats patients for gynecological, colon, and breast cancer, among various additional forms of the disease.According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), lung and bronchus cancer is the deadliest form of the disease, claiming an estimated 154,050 lives in 2018. Lung cancer is more prevalent in men, with an estimated 83,550 deaths involving male patients, and makes up the vast majority of respiratory system cancers.Cancer of the lung and bronchus was also the most prevalent form of the disease in 2018, with more than 234,000 new cases reported, while 164,690 individuals developed prostate cancer. Colon cancer ranked as the third most commonly observed form of the disease with 97,220 new cases. Other common forms of the disease included melanoma of the skin, of which there were 91,270 cases, and urinary bladder cancer with 81,190 cases.
An oncologist at Morrison Cancer Center, Sanda Morar treats patients in Hastings, Nebraska. In addition to her work as a cancer specialist, Sanda Morar is the mother of a daughter who has recently enrolled at Georgetown University. Starting college is a difficult transition, especially for students attending universities far from home. Here are a few ways parents can support their children as they enter their freshman year:- Discuss finances. First-year students often run into financial problems caused by inexperience with budgeting and paying for their own expenses. Parents should make sure their children have a plan for managing their money, which may include finding a part-time job or a roommate to split living costs.- Be a guide. To help students get the most out of their first year, parents should avoid taking action to solve their children’s problems. Instead, parents can advise their children to talk with their school counselor about difficulties they may be having.- Plan during the summer. To ensure the big move goes smoothly, parents can use the summer before school begins to help their children prepare. For example, students and parents can work together to make and complete a summer to-do list, which may include tasks such as buying dorm furniture and making arrangements for health insurance.
One of today’s most-loved ballroom dances, the tango has a complex history. Born in the lower-class dance halls in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the latter decades of the 19th century, it combines characteristics of the rural milonga and a sprightlier version of the flamenco. Cuba’s habanera, the traditions of African drumming, and the cowboy rhythms of the Argentine pampas have also influenced the expressiveness of the dance.The tango began as the dance of social outcasts, many of them European immigrants working in Buenos Aires’ meatpacking plants on the outskirts of the city. By the first years of the 20th century, the dance had gained enough respectability to become broadly popular in Europe, with composers creating new music specifically to accompany it. Originally a lively and lighthearted dance, it began to be suffused with longing and melancholy romance by the 1920s, with its duple meter turning into a 4/4 or 4/8 time. Carlos Gardel and Astor Piazzolla are among the best-known figures in tango music on the world stage. The life of singer and actor Gardel ended in a plane crash in 1935, when he was in the midst of a performance tour. Only in his mid-40s when he died, he had become famous in the 1920s and 1930s for his interpretations of tango ballads. Argentine-born Piazzolla, who lived from 1921 to 1992, was renowned for his virtuosity on the accordion-like bandoneon. His compositions fused elements of classical music and jazz with tango.
