The cisplatin-irradiation combination suggests that apoptosis is not a major determinant of clonogenic death.

It is commonly believed that tumor cells treated with anticancer agents, chemotherapy and/or radiation, die by apoptosis and that tumors which do not undergo apoptosis are resistant to treatment. In this study, we investigated the molecular basis underlying cisplatin cytotoxicity in the murine teratocarcinoma F9 cell line to see whether irradiation enhances cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. We compared the apoptosis induced by chemo and/or radiotherapy with other cellular effects such as cell survival, clonogenic capability, cell cycle perturbation, expression of p53 and p53-related mRNAs, and necrosis.

Asbestos reclamation at a disused industrial plant, Bagnoli (Naples, Italy).

Asbestos reclamation works were carried out at a disused industrial plant (157,000 m(2)) in Bagnoli, a high population density area of Naples. The case-study here presented recommends a new reclamation procedure that is not usually provided for by current international standards. To this purpose, a specific innovative cleaning machine (Safecar) was built in order to control the reclamation procedures also in non-confined areas.

[Flow cytometry in prostate cancer. Evaluation of its feasibility for biopsy specimens and correlation with grading].

Background: Pathologic staging and grading are the most important prognostic factors in prostatic cancer. Unfortunately, pathologic staging needs to be evaluated by surgical procedures; moreover, the proposed grading systems are largely based upon subjective histopathologic evaluations. In recent years, these problems have been approached with flow cytometry (FCM).

Revisiting the prognostic role of gallium scintigraphy in low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The purpose of this study was threefold: to evaluate the role of gallium-67 scintigraphy in the staging of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (LGNHL), to assess the relationship between the expression of CD71 on the surface of the neoplastic cells and the 67Ga uptake by the tumour, and to establish the contribution of 67Ga scan in defining the prognosis of LGNHL. Forty-eight patients with untreated LGNHL diagnosed in a single institution over a decade were reviewed. The end point of the study was survival of the patients according to the scintigraphic 67Ga score at diagnosis.