Association between family history of cancer and breast cancer defined by estrogen and progesterone receptor status.

There are recent data to suggest that risk factors for breast cancer may differ according to whether the tumor expresses detectable levels of the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR). While a family history of breast cancer is one of the most consistent predictors of the disease, we recently reported a modest inverse association with ER+PR- tumors. However, the definition of a family history of cancer did not consider second-degree relatives or cancer sites that may be etiologically related.

Mechanisms of somatostatin action in RINm5F cells in culture: preliminary evidence for possible altered G protein function.

Octreotide (SMS), a somatostatin analogue, is an established antigrowth peptide, but it does not effectively inhibit the growth of insulinoma cells. In order to study the mechanisms that underlie this apparent lack of an antiproliferative effect on insulinoma tumor cells we established the rat insulinoma cell line, RINm5F, in culture. Cells in culture were tested by incubation in media with and without SMS.

The treatment of non-digitalized congestive heart failure patients with a fixed-dose combination of furosemide and spironolactone.

Seventeen non-digitalized congestive heart failure patients were treated with only the fixed-dose combinations of 20 mg furosemide and 50 mg spironolactone or 20 mg furosemide and 100 mg spironolactone, in a daily dose of 1 or 2 capsules, over a 4-week period. The selected patients had a severity rating ranging between Grades III and IV. Ten of these patients had a severe grade of dyspnoea.

A fixed-dose combination of furosemide and spironolactone in digitalized congestive heart failure patients.

Twenty-three optimally digitalized patients with congestive heart failure completed a 4-week treatment period with a fixed-drug association of 20 mg furosemide plus 50 mg spironolactone. Eleven patients responded with a 75% decrease in cardiac failure score on a daily dose of 1 capsule of the combination. The remaining 12 patients were initiated on the same dose, but needed, at the end of the first 14 days, an additional capsule (making a daily total of 40 mg furosemide and 100 mg spironolactone) over the next 2 weeks.