Ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a significant clinical infection affecting up to one-third of patients requiring mechanical ventilation, and is associated with significant attributable morbidity and mortality. Clinicians should have a heightened clinical suspicion for VAP with diagnostic goals focusing on accuracy; gathering of lower respiratory tract culture; and appropriate and timely initial antibiotic therapy. Early and adequate antibiotic therapy is important to optimize the management of patients with VAP.

Analysis of CUL-5 expression in breast epithelial cells, breast cancer cell lines, normal tissues and tumor tissues.

Background: The chromosomal location of CUL-5 (11q 22-23) is associated with LOH in breast cancer, suggesting that CUL-5 may be a tumor suppressor. The purpose of this research was to determine if there is differential expression of CUL-5 in breast epithelial cells versus breast cancer cell lines, and normal human tissues versus human tumors. The expression of CUL-5 in breast epithelial cells (HMEC, MCF-10A), and breast cancer cells (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231) was examined using RT-PCR, Northern blot analysis, and Western blot analysis.