Endovascular treatment of pulmonary sequestration in adults using Amplatzer® vascular plugs.

Two adult patients were diagnosed with extralobar and intralobar pulmonary sequestration. One patient presented with haemoptysis. Both patients suffered from recurrent episodes of severe pulmonary infections.

Cancer stem cells: a new paradigm for understanding tumor growth and progression and drug resistance.

Normal somatic stem cells (SC) are naturally resistant to chemotherapeutic agents due to their expression of various membrane transporter molecules (such as MDR-1), detoxifying enzymes and DNA repair proteins. In addition, they also have a slow rate of cell turnover and therefore escape from chemotherapeutic agents that target rapidly replicating cells. Cancer stem cells (CSC), being the mutated counterparts of normal SC, also have similar properties, which allow them to survive therapy.

Inexpensive anatomical trainer for bronchoscopy.

Flexible fiberoptic bronchoscopy is an indispensable tool for optimal management of intensive care unit patients. However, the acquisition of sufficient training in bronchoscopy is not straightforward during residency, because of technical and ethical problems. Moreover, the use of commercial simulators is limited by their high cost.