Autocrine production of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10 is required for survival and growth of thyroid cancer cells.

Although CD95 and its ligand are expressed in thyroid cancer, the tumor cell mass does not seem to be affected by such expression. We have recently shown that thyroid carcinomas produce interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10, which promote resistance to chemotherapy through the up-regulation of Bcl-xL. Here, we show that freshly purified thyroid cancer cells were completely refractory to CD95-induced apoptosis despite the consistent expression of Fas-associated death domain and caspase-8.

Food intolerance and chronic constipation: manometry and histology study.

Background: Chronic constipation in children can be caused by cows' milk intolerance (CMI), but its pathogenesis is unknown.

Aims: To evaluate the histology and manometry pattern in patients with food intolerance-related constipation.

Patients And Methods: Thirty-six consecutive children with chronic constipation were enrolled.

Thyroid cancer resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs via autocrine production of interleukin-4 and interleukin-10.

We investigated the mechanisms responsible for the widespread refractoriness to chemotherapeutic drugs observed in thyroid cancers. We show that malignant epithelial cells from papillary, follicular, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas express high levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL. Exogenous expression of either Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL in normal thyrocytes was sufficient to prevent chemotherapeutic drug-induced cytotoxicity.