A novel prosurvival model for cancer under environmental challenge: the "heart-felt" message for therapeutic intervention.

In the present review I propose a novel model system to analyze and to aid prediction of suitable targeted treatments aimed at therapy-resistant cancer cells. The concept of cancer cell prosurvival reaction to adverse external tumor microenvironment is explored in the context of the reaction of myocardium to unfavorable physiologic conditions. Many of the protective and indeed nonprotective (tumor suppressor) reactive mechanisms in both cancer and heart tissue challenged with an adverse environment follow similar and predictable patterns.

Design, implementation and initial assessment of the Northern Territory Point-of-Care Testing Program.

Objective: The objective of the study was to improve pathology services in selected remote health centres from the Northern Territory (NT) through the implementation of a quality managed point-of-care pathology testing (POCT) service.

Design: Study of the efficacy of the POCT service after 1 year and qualitative survey of POCT device operators.

Setting: The study was set in thirty-three remote health centres in the NT administered by the NT Department of Health.

Cancer: a novel "no-nonsense" approach to treatment.

Nonsense mutations, which lead to premature termination codons, are prevalent in a wide variety of cancers and many studies highlight clear evidence of functions. Based on these observations, a strategy is proposed for using various natural and synthetic derivatives based on aminoglycosides and their conjugates that have the unique property of read-through of nonsense mutations. The results and current status of this group of drugs are presented to show their effectiveness in treating other nonsense-codon-mediated diseases unrelated to cancer such as cystic fibrosis, thalassaemia, and muscular dystrophy.