[Adjacent segment degeneration after lumbosacral fusion in spondylolisthesis: a retrospective radiological and clinical analysis].

Purpose Of The Study: Whereas the posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) technique with pedicle screw fixation has shown satisfactory clinical results, solid fusion has been reported to accelerate degenerative changes at adjacent unfused levels, especially at the cranial level. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate a group of patients with adjacent segment disease (ASD) developed after 360-degrees lumbar fusion for spondylolisthesis performed by PLIF with transpedicular fixation and posterolateral fusion (PLF).Radiographic examinations were focused on the origin or progression of degenerative changes at the adjacent segments after the operation, with statistical evaluation of some parameters.

Reduction of doxorubicin and oracin and induction of carbonyl reductase in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells.

In cancer cells, the drug-metabolizing enzymes may deactivate cytostatics, thus contributing to their survival. Moreover, the induction of these enzymes may also contribute to development of drug-resistance through acceleration of cytostatics deactivation. However, the principal metabolic pathways contributing to deactivation of many cytostatics still remain poorly defined.

[Irinotecan in combination with 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer].

Background: Introducing irinotecan and oxaliplatin in to the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer substantially improved the therapeutic results for this malignancy. The first results of clinical trials with these two drugs were published in 2000.

Methods And Results: Between 1999 to 2004 we treated 51 patients with the combination of irinotecan 180mg/m2 on day 1 and two hour infusion of leucovorin 200mg/m2 and 5-FU push of 400mg/m2 followed by infusion of 5- FU for 22 hours on days 1 and 2 every 2 weeks.