Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for treating ovarian cancer.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has been used for decades as a treatment for disseminated abdominal malignancies, including pseudomyxoma peritonei and peritoneal mesothelioma. HIPEC had been used to treat recurrent ovarian cancer only when curative options were lacking, but new data indicate that it may be suitable as a primary treatment for patients with late-stage epithelial ovarian cancer, increasing the recurrence-free time interval and improving quality of life. However, treatment can be challenging because of patient trauma from surgery, combined with the toxicity and high temperature of the chemotherapeutic agents.

Function and viability of human islets encapsulated in alginate sheets: in vitro and in vivo culture.

Islet encapsulation offers an immune system barrier for islet transplantation, and encapsulation within an alginate sheetlike structure offers the ability to be retrievable after transplanted. This study aims to show that human islets encapsulated into islet sheets remain functional and viable after 8 weeks in culture or when transplanted into the subcutaneous space of rats. Human islets were isolated from cadaveric organs.

Influence of intermittent pneumatic compression devices on non-invasive blood pressure measurement of the ankle.

Background: It is rapidly becoming the standard of care to employ the perioperative use of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) devices on the lower leg to prevent the development of deep venous thrombosis. There are instances when the anesthesiologist must apply a blood pressure cuff to the ankle in order to obtain a blood pressure reading. The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of IPC devices on non-invasive blood pressure measurements of the ankle.

Preclinical development of the Islet Sheet.

The Islet Sheet is a thin planar bioartificial endocrine pancreas fabricated by gelling highly purified alginate and islets of Langerhans. Acellular alginate layers form a uniform immunoprotective barrier to host rejection of the encapsulated cells, with the tissue nourished by passive diffusion from adjacent host tissue. The overall thickness of the Islet Sheet, 250 microm, is chosen to maximize nutrient diffusion.

Extracorporeal whole body hyperthermia treatment of HIV patients, a feasibility study.

The literature supports that the retrovirus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which is thought to cause Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is heat sensitive at temperatures which can be achieved in man. Invasive or non-invasive induction of whole body hyperthermia (WBH) has been used to treat an array of illnesses, primarily in the field of oncology, until recently. Non-invasive methods have proven to be less toxic than invasive means.

[Prosthetic and wheelchair management of elderly patients following above the knee amputation--a decision at the acute hospital].

Following above-knee amputation in aged persons, rehabilitative measures have to be initiated already by the acute-care clinic, inter alia because lack of movement fosters physical and mental decline. Energy consumption in walking with an above-knee prosthesis moreover is considerably higher than in the non-amputated. The rehabilitation counsellor is called upon to determine the most promising route in view of an acceptable long-term outcome.

DNA synthesis and proliferation of human lymphocytes in vitro. I. Cell kinetics of response to phytohemagglutinin.

The response of human lymphocytes to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation was assessed in detailed kinetic studies, in order to define conditions permitting and regulating proliferation. By utilizing live and dead cell counts, cell cycle characterizations, and calculations of rates of entry into S phase and mitosis, it was demonstrated that dilute culture conditions (2 X 10(5) cells/ml) enable lymphocytes to proliferate for a period of 5 or 6 days. Although cell division occurs in concentrated cultures (2 X 10(6) cells/ml), net proliferation is not demonstrable due to extensive cell death and earlier decay in the proliferative response.

Quantification of entry into and exit from the cell cycle in human lymphocyte cultures.

A mathematical model is presented for the analysis of transition between cycling and non-cycling compartments by cells responding to a growth stimulus. The cellular age distribution as a function of time is derived from sequential [3H]thymidine pulse labeling indices. Rates of entry into and exit from the cycling compartment are determined on the basis of labeling indices obtained after instantaneous and long duration [3H]thymidine pulses.

Kinetics of cell death and disintegration in human lymphocyte cultures.

In order to quantitate lymphocyte proliferative responses, we explored the role of cell death in the kinetics of phytohemagglutinin-stimulated cultures. Unless the disintegration time (tDIS) of nonviable lymphocytes in culture is known, the rate of cell death cannot be calculated. To obtain tDIS, we determined the time interval between total and viable cell population decay after various killing events.