Each type of cause that initiates rheumatoid arthritis or RA flares differentially affects the response to therapy.

The autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) presents difficulty in diagnosis, commonly observed flare ups, polycyclical nature of RA progression, and variable response to therapies. Congruent with multiple causes, literature has documented various infectious agents, environmental factors, physical trauma, silica and food sensitivities as potential causes of RA or RA flares in different populations. We propose that these>36 events can initiate RA or RA flares which complicates treatment decisions.

Virus-mediated oncolysis of thyroid cancer by a replication-selective adenovirus driven by a thyroglobulin promoter-enhancer region.

Context: Currently, there is no effective treatment for iodine-resistant thyroid cancers.

Objective: As a new approach to treatment, the efficacy of replication-selective, human thyroglobulin (TG) enhancer and promoter-driven, adenovirus (AdhTGEP)-mediated oncolysis was investigated using two well-differentiated thyroid cancer cell lines, XTC (TG positive) and FTC-133 (TG negative), and other control tumor and nontumor cell lines (all TG negative).

Design: A cohort study design was used.

An E2F-responsive replication-selective adenovirus targeted to the defective cell cycle in cancer cells: potent antitumoral efficacy but no toxicity to normal cell.

To improve the transduction and distribution of adenovirus in a tumor mass, we generated an adenovirus to selectively replicate in tumors. We hypothesized that after infection the replicating adenovirus would spread throughout the tumor mass and cause direct oncolysis of tumor cells. E2F transcription factors are critical regulators of cell growth and are often overexpressed in cancer cells because of the frequent aberrations in the pRb/E2F/p16(INK4a) pathway.

Replication-selective herpes simplex virus type 1 mutant therapy of cervical cancer is enhanced by low-dose radiation.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-based oncolytic treatment is a promising therapeutic approach for malignancy. Recombinant strains of HSV-1 containing mutations in the ICP 34.5 protein have been shown to replicate preferentially in rapidly proliferating malignant cells, resulting in a direct cytolytic effect.