DNA copy-number alterations underlie gene expression differences between microsatellite stable and unstable colorectal cancers.

Purpose: About 15% of colorectal cancers harbor microsatellite instability (MSI). MSI-associated gene expression changes have been identified in colorectal cancers, but little overlap exists between signatures hindering an assessment of overall consistency. Little is known about the causes and downstream effects of differential gene expression.

Toxicity of cylindrospermopsin, and other apparent metabolites from Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii and Aphanizomenon ovalisporum, to the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo.

Cyanobacteria produce a diverse array of toxic or otherwise bioactive compounds that pose growing threats to human and environmental health. We utilized the zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo, as a model of vertebrate development, to investigate the inhibition of development pathways (i.e.

Characterization of anti-Listeria bacteriocins isolated from shellfish: potential antimicrobials to control non-fermented seafood.

This work had as main objectives to characterize two bacteriocins produced by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) previously isolated from non-fermented seafood, in order to evaluate their potential as new food protective agents. The two bacteriocinogenic isolates were identified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using genus- and species-specific primers, and confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing, as Enterococcus faecium and Pediococcus pentosaceus. The antimicrobial spectrum of each strain included several indicator microorganisms, some of them also isolated from seafood.

A pilot human evaluation of a formulation of irinotecan and hyaluronic acid in 5-fluorouracil-refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Background: Preclinical data demonstrate that the polysaccharide hyaluronic acid (HA) acts as a macromolecular carrier for chemotherapeutic drugs. In these studies the formulation of HA and irinotecan reduced treatment-related toxicity and improved efficacy via the preferential delivery of irinotecan to the tumor and lymph nodes. This study was designed as a first-in-man investigation of the safety and pharmacokinetics of irinotecan when administered within the HA-Irinotecan formulation.

Vitiligo following a combined liver-kidney transplant.

We report an Afro-Caribbean male who developed vitiligo 10 days following a combined liver-kidney transplant from a Caucasian donor. Neither the donor nor the recipient had any previous history of vitiligo, nor of autoimmunity. The depigmentation gradually resolved by 8 weeks post-transplant with topical corticosteroids and standard maintenance immunosuppression.

Correlation of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance data with cellularity in prostate cancer.

Objective: To assess the relationship between the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cell density (CD) obtained from radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens.

Patients And Methods: In all, 36 patients with prostate cancer were recruited; T2-weighted and diffusion-weighted MRI was obtained axially using a 3.0 T scanner.

Open-label phase I trial of vandetanib in combination with mFOLFOX6 in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: Vandetanib (ZACTIMA) is a once-daily oral inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor, epidermal growth factor and RET receptor tyrosine kinases. The safety and tolerability of vandetanib plus mFOLFOX6 was investigated in patients with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: Patients eligible for first- or second-line chemotherapy received once-daily oral doses of vandetanib (100 or 300 mg) plus 14-day treatment cycles of mFOLFOX6.

Experience with intravenous ribavirin in the treatment of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in Korea.

Results of a clinical study using intravenous (IV) ribavirin for treating Department of Defense personnel with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) acquired in Korea from 1987 to 2005 were reviewed to determine the clinical course of HFRS treated with IV ribavirin. A total of 38 individuals enrolled in the study had subsequent serological confirmation of HFRS. Four of the 38 individuals received three or fewer doses of ribavirin and were excluded from treatment analysis.

Chemotherapy treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer: is evidence-based medicine in practice?

Treatment options for colorectal cancer have expanded to include multiple oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based regimens and more biological/targeted therapies.

Whole-body plethysmography in African green monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) with and without jackets.

Indwelling central venous catheters are often used to facilitate frequent phlebotomy while minimizing stress and anesthetic effects on animals. However, nonhuman primates with central venous catheters must wear protective jackets. Jackets routinely are removed for aerosol exposure to agents and respiratory measurements by whole-body plethysmography (WBP) because of the potentially confounding effects of jackets on these procedures.

Towards establishing a national colorectal cancer database: lessons learnt from Bio21 molecular medicine informatics model.

Background: Collecting data regarding treatment and outcomes of patients with cancer, for both audit and research purposes, is a common but challenging goal. Modern technology promises greater ease and sophistication for data collection, linkage and analysis, but many traditional challenges remain.

Method: Here we relate our experience of an initiative aimed at multicentre colorectal cancer data collection, that is, in collaboration with the Colorectal Surgical Society Australia and New Zealand, moving towards a national initiative.

Quality of life up to 30 years following liver transplantation.

Liver transplantation provides a return to a satisfactory quality of life (QOL) for the majority of patients in the short to medium term (first 5 years), but there is very little information on the QOL in the longer term and the factors influencing it. We therefore undertook a single-center cross-sectional analysis to determine QOL in patients 10 or more years after liver transplantation. All liver transplant recipients who were followed up at the Cambridge Transplant Unit for 10 or more years (transplanted between 1968 and 1994) and resident in the United Kingdom were asked to complete by post the Short Form 36 version 2 and the Ferrans and Powers questionnaires to evaluate their QOL.

Phylogeography of the invasive weed Hypochaeris radicata (Asteraceae): from Moroccan origin to worldwide introduced populations.

In an attempt to delineate the area of origin and migratory expansion of the highly successful invasive weedy species Hypochaeris radicata, we analysed amplified fragment length polymorphisms from samples taken from 44 populations. Population sampling focused on the central and western Mediterranean area, but also included sites from Northern Spain, Western and Central Europe, Southeast Asia and South America. The six primer combinations applied to 213 individuals generated a total of 517 fragments of which 513 (99.

Feasibility of conducting a primary prevention trial of low-dose aspirin for major adverse cardiovascular events in older people in Australia: results from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) pilot study.

Aim: To determine the feasibility of performing a large clinical trial of the use of aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in older participants--the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial.

Design And Participants: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial of 100 mg of enteric-coated aspirin tablets daily, in men and women aged 70 years and over who did not have overt cardiovascular disease, and who were followed for 12 months. Participants were identified from the computer databases of general practitioners who were co-investigators in a previous trial.

Successful treatment of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma of the rectum with radiation therapy: report of a case.

We report a case of Stage IE mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma arising in the rectum, which was successfully treated with radiotherapy. A 60-year-old man had several months of altered bowel habit with rectal bleeding and was found to have a large rectal tumor with no evidence of distant spread. Histologic studies showed this to be a mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma.

Preoperative investigations for metastatic staging of colon and rectal cancer across multiple centres--what is current practice?

Objective: The optimal strategy for elective distant staging of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has yet to be defined, with current guidelines based on small and limited series. One specific issue requiring review is the value of routine computerized tomographic (CT) chest examination. Also lacking is data on current routine clinical practice.

Radiation treatment for Ewing family of tumors in adults: the University of Florida experience.

Purpose: To review the clinical characteristics and outcomes of adult patients with Ewing family of tumors treated with radiation at the University of Florida.

Methods And Materials: Clinical features, treatment, and outcomes of 47 patients older than 18 years with Ewing family of tumors treated with combined radiation therapy and chemotherapy from 1970 to 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. Analysis was stratified by age older or younger than 30 years.

Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy: review of recent process and outcome studies.

Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) is a widely practised form of psychological intervention. Given that the Roth and Fonagy (1996) review concluded that there was a lack of confirming evidence for STPP, the current review is focused on studies published between 1996 and 2006 that evaluate the efficacy of STPP. As a result of a systematic literature review, 18 studies were found that met inclusion criteria consistent with those used by Roth and Fonagy (1996) for selection of studies, patient groupings and definition of therapeutic method.

Human biliverdin reductase is an ERK activator; hBVR is an ERK nuclear transporter and is required for MAPK signaling.

Activation of the MEK/ERK/Elk-signaling cascade is a mechanism for relaying mitogenic and stress stimuli for gene activation. MEK1 is the proximate kinase for activation of ERK1/2, and nuclear targeting of ERK1/2 is obligatory for Elk1 transcriptional activity. Human biliverdin reductase (hBVR) is a recently described Ser/Thr/Tyr kinase in the MAPK insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1)-signaling cascade.