Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for sinonasal tumors: a single center long-term clinical analysis.

Background: Radiotherapy has a central role in the treatment of sinonasal malignancies, either as postoperative or as primary therapy. To study the efficacy and safety of intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for sinonasal tumors a single center retrospective evaluation focusing on survival and therapy related toxicity was performed.

Methods: One hundred twenty two patients with primary (n = 82) or recurrent (n = 40) malignant sinonasal tumors were treated with intensity modulated radiotherapy between 1999 and 2009 at the University Clinic of Heidelberg and the German Cancer Research Center and retrospectively analyzed.

Cytokeratin 20 positive circulating tumor cells are a marker for response after neoadjuvant chemoradiation but not for prognosis in patients with rectal cancer.

Background: Several studies have shown, that circulating tumor cells (CTC) have a negative prognostic value in colorectal cancer patients. Aim of this study was to evaluate the role of CTC in specifically rectal cancer patients regarding the influence on overall survival and to elucidate the impact of CTC in predicting response after chemoradiation (RCTX).

Methods: In this prospective monocentric study 267 patients with rectal cancer were included.

No evidence for induction of ABC transporters in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in humans after 14 days of efavirenz treatment.

Intracellular concentrations of antiretroviral drugs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) are an important determinant of therapeutic success. In vitro data indicate that efavirenz induces several ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, and pharmacogenetic studies found an association between ABCB1(C3435T) and efavirenz exposure and between this polymorphism and improved virological outcomes. We therefore aimed to clarify whether efavirenz also induces ABC transporters in vivo in PBMCs and whether intracellular concentrations might be altered after induction.

Schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease lead to equal motor-related changes in cortical and subcortical brain activation: an fMRI fingertapping study.

In schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, cortical and subcortical motor organization is influenced by primary disease conditions and neuroleptic treatment. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging patients with schizophrenia were compared, according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edn), under stable treatment with olanzapine (n = 7; OL) or haloperidol (n = 7; HA) to healthy controls (n = 7; HC), patients with schizophrenia without any neuroleptic treatment (n = 7; UN) and to patients with left (n = 7; LHP)- and right (n = 7; RHP)-sided hemiparkinsonism. All subjects performed a unilateral left-handed fingertapping task.

Motor-induced brain activation in cortical, subcortical and cerebellar regions in schizophrenic inpatients. A whole brain fMRI fingertapping study.

Motor symptoms including neurological soft signs have been found to be more prevalent in schizophrenic patients. In addition, catatonic symptoms and neuroleptic treatment as well may influence cortical and subcortical motor organization in schizophrenia. The results of previous neuroimaging studies exploring motor function in patients with schizophrenia are inhomogenous reporting on a decreased activity in cortical motor regions in some studies and normal activity in others.

Subcortical overactivation in untreated schizophrenic patients: a functional magnetic resonance image finger-tapping study.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a well established, non-invasive technique for mapping the working brain. Yet imaging of subcortical regions has proven to be difficult. We studied 40 subjects performing an unilateral self-paced finger-tapping task.