Adherence to physician recommendation to colorectal cancer screening colonoscopy among Hispanics.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among Hispanics in the United States (US), yet the use of CRC screening is low in this population. Physician recommendation has consistently shown to improve CRC screening.

Objective: To identify the characteristics of Hispanic patients who adhere or do not adhere to their physician's recommendation to have a screening colonoscopy.

Evaluation of drugs acting at glutamate transporters in organotypic hippocampal cultures: new evidence on substrates and blockers in excitotoxicity.

Removal of L-glutamate (Glu) from the synapse is critical to maintain normal transmission and to prevent excitotoxicity, and is performed exclusively by excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs). We investigated the effects of substrates and blockers of EAATs on extracellular Glu and cellular viability in organotypic cultures of rat hippocampus. Seven-day treatment with a range of drugs (L-trans-pyrrolidine-2,4-dicarboxylate, (2S,4R)-4-methyl-glutamate, (+/-)-threo-3-methylglutamate and DL-threo-beta-benzyloxyaspartate), in the presence of 300 microM added Glu, resulted in increased extracellular Glu and a significant correlation between Glu concentration and cellular injury (as indicated by lactate dehydrogenase release).

Changes in the practice of angioaccess surgery: impact of dialysis outcome and quality initiative recommendations.

Purpose: Recommendations recently published by the National Kidney Foundation-Dialysis Outcome and Quality Initiative (DOQI) included an appeal for increased use of native arteriovenous fistulas (NAVFs) to improve overall patency and contain angioaccess costs. We evaluated the impact of the DOQI recommendations on angioaccess surgery and its outcome at our institution.

Methods: From June 1996 to April 1999, 483 angioaccess procedures were performed on 247 patients.

Trocar site tumor recurrence after laparoscopic-assisted colectomy.

As a variety of procedures become technically feasible with laparoscopic techniques, it becomes increasingly important to appropriately select the patients who will benefit from the laparoscopic approach. We report the case of a patient with Dukes C2 colon cancer treated by laparoscopic-assisted sigmoid colectomy who subsequently developed an abdominal wall recurrence at a trocar site scar. The case raises some concerns about the use of the laparoscopic technique in the surgical management of colon cancer.