Pleiotropic Action of TGF-Beta in Physiological and Pathological Liver Conditions.

The aim of this study is to review and analyze the pleiotropic effects of TGF-β in physiological and pathological conditions of the liver, with particular emphasis on its role in immune suppression, wound healing, regulation of cell growth and differentiation, and liver cell apoptosis. A literature review was conducted, including 52 studies, comprising review articles, in vitro and in vivo studies, and meta-analyses. Only studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals were included in the analysis.

Scalability of Sartobind Rapid A Membrane for High Productivity Monoclonal Antibody Capture.

Improved upstream titres in therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) production have shifted capacity constraints to the downstream process. The consideration of membrane-based chromatographic devices as a debottlenecking option is gaining increasing attention with the recent introduction of high-capacity bind and elute membranes. We have evaluated the performance and scalability of the Sartobind Rapid A affinity membrane (1 mL) for high-productivity mAb capture.

Autoimmune Encephalitis with Antibodies: Anti-NMDAR, Anti-AMPAR, Anti-GQ1b, Anti-DPPX, Anti-CASPR2, Anti-LGI1, Anti-RI, Anti-Yo, Anti-Hu, Anti-CV2 and Anti-GABAAR, in the Course of Psychoses, Neoplastic Diseases, and Paraneoplastic Syndromes.

Encephalitis is a condition with a variety of etiologies, clinical presentations, and degrees of severity. The causes of these disorders include both neuroinfections and autoimmune diseases in which host antibodies are pathologically directed against self-antigens. In autoimmune encephalitis, autoantibodies are expressed in the central nervous system.

Vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common cancer among men worldwide and its pathogenesis is complex. The development of PC depends on family and environmental factors. Vitamin D can be associated with both of these factors.

Determinants of vaccine hesitancy.

Vaccine hesitancy is a worrying phenomenon due to its range and health-related consequences. Secondary epidemiological data on the current situation of vaccination in Poland were analyzed. The source of the analyzed data were obtained from the reports of the National Sanitary Inspection and the National Institute of Public Health–National Institute of Hygiene in Warsaw.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor family genes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Aim Of The Study: Despite significant progress in the pathology of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), diagnostic and predictive factors of major importance have not been discovered. Some hopes are associated with insulin-like growth factors. The aim of the study was to compare the expression of genes for insulin-like growth factor family in tumours and in tissue of kidneys without cancer.

[Vitamin D blood levels of students in grades IV-Vl of primary schools in Katowice].

Unlabelled: Results of studies conducted around the world show a drastic deficiency vitamin D in almost all populations, and the strongest in the group of children and the elderly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration of vitamin D in children aged 10-12 years.

Material And Methods: The study included 42 children aged 10-12 years 24 girls and 18 boys).

The comparison between vitamin d concentration in upper silesia patients with prostate cancer and with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

A number of studies have shown that vitamin D has a protective effect against the development of cancer, which may also be related to prostate cancer. Low serum vitamin D concentration has also been demonstrated in benign prostate hyperplasia. We compared serum vitamin D concentration in two groups of Polish men with prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia.

[Madelung disease--case report].

Madelung disease-benign symetric lipomatosis--is uncommon condition affecting adults in age 30-60 years, characterized by symmetric accumulation of fatty tissue in the neck (type I), and upper back, shoulder girdle (type II). Type III is described as disproportionate accomodation of subcutaneous tissue in pelvic gridle. Pathogenesis of this disorder is not recognized well, but one of the most common risk factor is an alcohol consumption.

Changes in growth hormone (GH) messenger RNA (GH mRNA) expression in the rat anterior pituitary after single interferon (IFN) alpha administration.

Introduction: Interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) is a cytokine with pleiotropic effects which, via different pathways, influences the secretion of certain cytokines and hormones. Growth hormone (GH) secreted from the pituitary has physiological effects on various target tissues. The question is how IFN-alpha administered in various types of disease influences GH secretion.

Inhibition of proliferation in human MNNG/HOS osteosarcoma and SK-ES-1 Ewing sarcoma cell lines in vitro and in vivo by antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone: effects on insulin-like growth factor II.

Background: Antagonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GH-RH) can inhibit the proliferation of various tumors either indirectly through the suppression of the pituitary growth hormone/hepatic insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) axis and the lowering of serum IGF-I concentration or directly by reducing the levels of IGF-I and IGF-II and their mRNA expression in tumors and blocking the effect of autocrine GH-RH. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of the GH-RH antagonist JV-1-38 on MNNG/HOS human osteosarcoma and SK-ES-1 human Ewing sarcoma cell lines.

Methods: Male nude mice bearing subcutaneous xenografts of MNNG/HOS or SK-ES-1 tumors were treated subcutaneously with JV-1-38 at a dose of 20 microg twice daily for 4 weeks.

Expression of mRNA for growth hormone-releasing hormone and splice variants of GHRH receptors in human malignant bone tumors.

Splice variants (SV) of receptors for growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) have been found in several human cancer cell lines. GHRH antagonists inhibit growth of various human cancers, including osteosarcomas and Ewing's sarcoma, xenografted into nude mice or cultured in vitro and their antiproliferative action could be mediated, in part, through these SV of GHRH receptors. In this study, we found mRNA for the SV(1) isoform of GHRH receptors in human osteosarcoma line MNNG/HOS and SK-ES-1 Ewing's sarcoma line.

Decrease of erythropoietin level by human recombinant tumour necrosis factor alpha (hrec TNFalpha) in patients with advanced cancer.

Unlabelled: Anaemia is a frequent complication of chronic inflammation, infectious diseases and cancer. Inappropriate erythropoietin production is regarded as one of the main causative factors responsible for the occurrence of anaemia. The pathogenesis of TNFalpha induced-anaemia has not been fully clarified yet and its influence on hematopoiesis has been suggested.

[The coexistence of breast and ovarian cancer in patient with insertion-duplication of 12bp in BRCA1 gene].

In the paper we present the case of 39-year old patient admitted to the hospital because of double cancer (i.e. breast and ovarian cancer).

Decline of met-enkephalins concentration after interleukin-2 subcutaneous administration due to renal carcinoma.

The authors have described the connections between nervous and immune systems. Endogenous opioids are one of the factors linking both systems. Endogenous and exogenous opioids can modify the function of interferons, humoral factors, antibody production and lymphocytes' activation.

[Depression as a risk factor for cancer--is it still a hypothesis or a proven fact?].

The connection between depression and cancer has been described several times. These observations have been made on major depression and on other kinds of depression as well. It is possible that similar genetic defect may play an important role in the development of cancer and major depression.

Central injection of morphine stimulates plasma corticosterone and interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-6 R mRNAs in the pituitary and adrenals in adjuvant-induced arthritis.

Adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) in the rat is a T-cell mediated, chronic inflammatory stress in which circulating interleukin (IL)-6 levels are elevated. In addition, there are profound neuroendocrine changes associated with the development of hind-paw inflammation which have major implications for the ability of the rat to respond the to stress. Central injection of morphine is also able to increase circulating IL-6 concentration in control animals.

Transient increase of plasma interleukin-6 after infusion of recombinant tumor necrosis factor alpha in advanced cancer patients.

Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha administered in the therapy of advanced cancer influences certain hormones and cytokines secretion. In turn, these also modulate the biological activity of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha. It has been shown in several studies that the cytokine Interleukin -6 (IL)-6 is produced in response to various hormones and other cytokines eg.

Possible biological indicators of the response to recombinant tumour necrosis factor alpha in patients with advanced neoplasms.

Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF alpha) immunotherapy, in addition to that of Interleukin-2 immunotherapy, represents one of the most promising biotherapies for human neoplasms. In order to identify immunological parameters of prognostic value we studied changes in immune response during first cycle of treatment with hree TNF alpha. The study included 21 locally advanced or metastatic solid tumor patients (M/F:12/9 median age: 57 years, range 38-65) for whom no other standard therapy was available.

Genetic testing for breast cancer susceptibility: Polish women's attitudes.

The aim of our study was to assess Polish women's attitudes and possible acceptance of genetic tests for breast cancer susceptibility. The research was carried out in 1995-1996 and enrolled 200 women of different age, education and professional status who were asked to answer the questions included in a questionnaire. We estimate the percentage of women presenting different attitudes towards breast cancer genetic testing: 77% of women accepted genetic tests for breast cancer (BRCA) and 48% of women accepted informing their close relatives of the genetic tests results.

Novel BRCA1 mutations and more frequent intron-20 alteration found among 236 women from Western Poland.

Three different novel BRCA1 mutations, five independent cases of the same 12 bp insertion-duplication in intron-20 and two novel rare BRCA1 sequence variants were identified among 122 Polish women with positive, in most cases moderate family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, 80 controls and 34 unselected breast cancer tissue specimens. All mutations and variants were germline. The 4153 delA frameshift mutation, the Tyr105Cys missense mutation and two cases of the alteration in intron-20 were found in the group of healthy women with positive family history.

Prevention of cytokine-induced hypotension in cancer patients by the pineal hormone melatonin.

Hypotension is a frequent side-effect of cancer biotherapies with cytokines. Cytokine-induced hypotension would mainly depend on the stimulation of nitric oxide (NO) production, which represents the most effective endogenous vasodilator. Moreover, it has been proven that both biological activity and toxicity of cytokines are influenced by the psychoneuroendocrine system, in particular by the pineal hormone melatonin.

[A case of recurrent untreated non-hodgkin's lymphoma localized in the nasopharynx and maxillary sinuses after a 10-year remission].

We present the case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (lymphoma malignum lymphocyticum) localised in nasal cavity and paranasal sinus (maxillary sinus). The patient suffered from weakness, fever and rhinorrhoea. We applied the chemotherapy (grade IV degrees) in COP, achieving partial remission.