ACR appropriateness criteria® resectable rectal cancer.

The management of resectable rectal cancer continues to be guided by clinical trials and advances in technique. Although surgical advances including total mesorectal excision continue to decrease rates of local recurrence, the management of locally advanced disease (T3-T4 or N+) benefits from a multimodality approach including neoadjuvant concomitant chemotherapy and radiation. Circumferential resection margin, which can be determined preoperatively via MRI, is prognostic.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy for rectal carcinoma can reduce treatment breaks and emergency department visits.

Purpose. To compare the acute toxicities of IMRT to 3D-conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) in the treatment of rectal cancer. Methods and Materials.

Reporting of preclinical tumor-graft cancer therapeutic studies.

Purpose: Characterize the parameters of reporting tumor-graft experiments for oncologic drug development.

Experimental Design: Using Institute of Scientific Information impact factors, we identified the most-cited medical and oncology journals with tumor-graft experiments in murine models. For each article, the characteristics of the experimental design, outcome measurements, and statistical analysis were examined.

Clinicopathologic Comparison of High-Dose-Rate Endorectal Brachytherapy versus Conventional Chemoradiotherapy in the Neoadjuvant Setting for Resectable Stages II and III Low Rectal Cancer.

Purpose. To assess for differences in clinical, radiologic, and pathologic outcomes between patients with stage II-III rectal adenocarcinoma treated neoadjuvantly with conventional external beam radiotherapy (3D conformal radiotherapy (3DRT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT)) versus high-dose-rate endorectal brachytherapy (EBT). Methods.

A thymidylate synthase ternary complex-specific antibody, FTS, permits functional monitoring of fluoropyrimidines dosing.

5-Fluorouracil (5FU) and similar fluoropyrimidines induce covalent modification of thymidylate synthase (TS) and inhibit its activity. They are often used to treat solid cancers, but drug resistance and toxicity are drawbacks. Therefore, there is an unmet need for a functional assay to quantify fluorouracil activity in tissues, so as to individually tailor dosing.

Outcome of surgical treatment of monocular elevation deficiency.

Objective: To assess the outcome of surgical treatment in patients with monocular elevation deficiency.

Methods: This prospective study included 36 patients of monocular elevation deficiency surgically treated from January 2006 to June 2009, at a tertiary care eye hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Corrected visual acuity, refractive error, ocular examination, orthoptic assessment and ptosis evaluation were recorded.

Multifunctional role of Bcl-2 in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis of Cr(VI)-transformed lung cells.

B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) is an antiapoptotic protein known to be important in the regulation of apoptosis in various cell types. However, its role in malignant transformation and tumorigenesis of human lung cells is not well understood. We previously reported that chronic exposure of human lung epithelial cells to the carcinogenic hexavalent chromium Cr(VI) caused malignant transformation and Bcl-2 upregulation; however, the role of Bcl-2 in the transformation is unclear.

Phase I pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of cetuximab, irinotecan and sorafenib in advanced colorectal cancer.

Background This phase Ib study was designed to determine the maximum tolerated doses (MTD) and dose limiting toxicities (DLTs) of irinotecan and cetuximab with sorafenib. Secondary objectives included characterizing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and evaluating preliminary antitumor activity in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods Patients with metastatic, pretreated CRC were treated at five dose levels.

Reactive oxygen species-mediated p38 MAPK regulates carbon nanotube-induced fibrogenic and angiogenic responses.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are fibrous nanoparticles that are being used widely for various applications including drug delivery. SWCNTs are currently under special attention for possible cytotoxicity. Recent reports suggest that exposure to nanoparticles leads to pulmonary fibrosis.

Impact of codon 72 Arg > Pro single nucleotide polymorphism in TP53 gene in the risk of kangri cancer: a case control study in Kashmir.

Kangri cancer found only in Kashmir (north India) is a unique thermally induced squamous cell carcinoma of the skin that develops because of chronic and persistent irritation due to the use of a kangri (a brazier) by the Kashmiri people to combat the chilling cold temperature during winter. Being unique to this region, the molecular etiology of the invasive kangri cancer is not known fully. The TP53 gene, codon 72 polymorphism (Arg72Pro), has been found to be associated with cancer susceptibility but has not been investigated in kangri cancer risk.

Nitric Oxide is Necessary for Diazoxide Protection Against Ischemic Injury in Skeletal Muscle.

Ischemia reperfusion injury (IR injury) is a common problem in clinical conditions. Researches have frequently revealed that ATP- sensitive potassium (KATP) channels and nitric oxide plays a role in protection against ischemic injury in skeletal muscle. The present study aimed at evaluating the possible link between this two pathways.

Nitrosothiol Signaling in Anoikis Resistance and Cancer Metastasis.

Nitric oxide (NO) has been widely recognized as an important cell-signaling molecule that regulates various physiological and pathological processes. -nitrosylation, or covalent attachment of NO to protein sulfhydryl groups, is a key mechanism by which NO regulates protein functions and cellular processes. In this article we discuss the various roles of NO and protein nitrosylation in cancer development, with a focus on cell invasion and anoikis resistance, both of which are key determinants of cancer metastasis.

Closing the osteoporosis care gap in hip fracture patients: an opportunity to decrease recurrent fractures and hospital admissions.

Background. Falls and hip fractures are an increasing health threat to older people who often never return to independent living. This study examines the management of bone health in an acute care setting following a hip fracture in patients over age 65.

Antioxidant c-FLIP inhibits Fas ligand-induced NF-kappaB activation in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent manner.

Fas ligand (FasL) belongs to the TNF family of death ligands, and its binding to the FasR leads to activation of several downstream signaling pathways and proteins, including NF-κB and PI3K/Akt. However, it is not known whether cross-talk exists between NF-κB and PI3K/Akt in the context of FasL signaling. We demonstrate using both human renal epithelial 293T cells and Jurkat T-lymphocyte cells that although FasL activates both Akt and NF-κB, Akt inhibits FasL-dependent NF-κB activity in a reactive oxygen species-dependent manner.

Observation on renal outcomes in the Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial.

Objective: The Veterans Affairs Diabetes Trial (VADT) was a randomized, prospective, controlled trial of 1,791 patients with type 2 diabetes to determine whether intensive glycemic control would reduce cardiovascular events compared with standard control. The effect of intensive glycemic control and selected baseline variables on renal outcomes is reported.

Research Design And Methods: Baseline mean age was 60.

Bilateral iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome with microspherophakia.

Iridocorneal endothelial syndrome is described to be a rare, usually unilateral ocular condition in young females. There are three known overlapping clinical variants of this condition namely, essential iris atrophy, Cogan-Reese and Chandler syndrome. We report a case of bilateral iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome with microspherophakia.

Neuroprotective effects of carnosic Acid in an experimental model of Alzheimer's disease in rats.

Objective: Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of neurodegenerative disorder. It has been suggested that oxidative stress can be one of the pathological mechanisms of this disease. Carnosic acid (CA) is an effective antioxidant substance and recent studies have shown that its electrophilic compounds play a role in reversing oxidative stress.

Simultaneous separation and analysis of water- and fat-soluble vitamins on multi-modal reversed-phase weak anion exchange material by HPLC-UV.

Several methods for the separation of vitamins on HPLC columns were already validated in the last 20 years. However, most of the techniques focus on separating either fat- or water-soluble vitamins and only few methods are intended to separate lipophilic and hydrophilic vitamins simultaneously. A mixed-mode reversed-phase weak anion exchange (RP-WAX) stationary phase was developed in our laboratory in order to address such mixture of analytes with different chemical characteristics, which are difficult to separate on standard columns.

Gender differences in the etiology of heart failure: A systematic review.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is an increasing problem for the aging population, specifically among women. The etiology of HF influences both the selection and outcome of the treatment. There are variations between genders in morbidity and mortality in different studies, possibly reflecting etiology.

A Direct Comparison of the Anticancer Activities of Digitoxin MeON-Neoglycosides and O-Glycosides: Oligosaccharide Chain Length-Dependent Induction of Caspase-9-Mediated Apoptosis.

Digitoxin is a cardiac glycoside currently being investigated for potential use in oncology. While a number of structure-activity relationship studies have been conducted, an investigation of anticancer activity as a function of oligosaccharide chain length has not yet been performed. We generated mono-, di-, and tri-O-digitoxoside derivatives of digitoxin and compared their activity to the corresponding MeON-neoglycosides.

Role of oxidative/nitrosative stress-mediated Bcl-2 regulation in apoptosis and malignant transformation.

Bcl-2 is a key apoptosis regulatory protein of the mitochondrial death pathway. The oncogenic potential of Bcl-2 is well established, with its overexpression reported in various cancers. The antiapoptotic function of Bcl-2 is closely associated with its expression levels.

Combination therapy: intermittent sorafenib with bevacizumab yields activity and decreased toxicity.

Background: We previously reported preliminary results of our phase I study of continuous daily sorafenib with bevacizumab every other week for solid tumours. Toxicity was moderate, leading to additional dose levels (DL) testing intermittent sorafenib dosing.

Methods: Seventeen patients with advanced solid tumours were treated on three additional DLs testing sorafenib days 1-5 per week.

Successful treatment of ligneous conjunctivitis with topical cyclosporine and heparin.

Ligneous conjunctivitis is a rare disease characterized by wood-like pseudomembranes developing on the ocular and extraocular mucosae. We present a case of ligneous conjunctivitis and cataracts in a 10-year-old boy with a positive family history of the disease and consanguinity. His condition was managed with topical cyclosporine, heparin, and steroids.