Auto-antibodies in prostate cancer: humoral immune response to antigenic determinants coded by the differentially expressed transcripts FLJ23438 and VAMP3.

Background: Here we evaluate auto-antibody response against two potential antigenic determinants of genes highly expressed in low Gleason Score prostate cancer (PC) tumor samples, namely FLJ23438 and VAMP3.

Methods: RT-PCR assays were used to analyze mRNA expression profiles of FLJ23438 and VAMP3 transcripts. The auto-antibody response against FLJ23438 and VAMP3 recombinant proteins was tested by immunoblot assays using PC, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), healthy donors (HD), and other human cancers plasma samples.

Cushing's syndrome secondary to bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumor: report of two cases and literature review.

Bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors have been associated with a variety of endocrine disorders including Cushing's syndrome (CS), which is caused by ectopic adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion. We report two cases of CS secondary to bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumors. The first patient, a 29-year-old woman, presented hypokalemia, high serum ACTH level and high free-urinary cortisol, raising suspicion of an ectopic ACTH syndrome.

Neuroendocrine gastric carcinoma expressing somatostatin: a highly malignant, rare tumor.

Poorly differentiated gastric neuroendocrine carcinomas, although rare, deserve particular attention, as they are aggressive and have an extremely poor prognosis. In this report we describe a gastric neuroendocrine carcinoma with rapidly fatal outcome. Immunohistological staining of the resected specimens revealed that the tumor was an endocrine carcinoma.

Age-related effects of dexamethasone administration in adrenal zona reticularis.

Suppression of adrenocorticotropic hormone results in reduced adrenal steroid output, adrenocortical cell atrophy, and apoptosis in young rats. To verify such effects during aging, dexamethasone was injected into rats for 3 days at five different ages; at day 4, adrenals and blood were collected for morphologic and corticosterone assay. Adrenal structure was similar at all ages, but in dexamethasone-injected animals there were ultrastructural features of apoptosis and a higher percentage of TUNEL and caspase-3-labeled nuclei and cytoplasm; their corticosterone decreased significantly.

Pulmonary thromboembolism in AIDS patient with chronic venous insufficiency, pulmonary tuberculosis and breast cancer: a case report and pathophysiology review.

Recent literature reports thrombotic episodes occurring in patients with HIV infection associated with other abnormalities including neoplasms and infections predisposing to a hypercoagulable state. We report a 47-year-old woman who developed pulmonary thromboembolism in association with HIV infection, pulmonary tuberculosis and breast cancer. She was treated with rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide; heparin, phenprocoumon, zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz.

[Pleuroamniotic shunting--case report].

Fetal hydrothorax refers to a collection of fluid within the fetal thorax that may be the result of chylous leak from the thoracic duct (primary hydrothorax) or generalized fluid retention associated with immune or no immune fetal hydrops (secondary hydrothorax). The authors' presents a case report occurred in 2002, of a pregnant woman that at 25 weeks' gestation that was referred to Maternidade Bissaya-Barreto-Coimbra because of a fetal hydrothorax at left, under tension and with cardiac decompensation signs. A fetal thoracocentesis was performed and the diagnosis was chylothorax.

Carrier-envelope phase dynamics and noise analysis in octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers.

We investigate the carrier-envelope phase dynamics of octave-spanning Ti:sapphire lasers and perform a complete noise analysis of the carrier-envelope phase stabilization. We model the effect of the laser dynamics on the residual carrier-envelope phase noise by deriving a transfer function representation of the octave-spanning frequency comb. The modelled phase noise and the experimental results show excellent agreement.

Analysis of inherited genetic variants in ret proto-oncogene of Brazilian patients with apparently sporadic medullary thyroid carcinoma.

Mutations in different exons of ret proto-oncogene are responsible for the development of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). The mutations can occur as sporadic or as part of multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) type 2 hereditary syndromes. Here we report the first focused study of sporadic MTC in Brazilian patients regarding clinical and molecular analysis of ret proto-oncogene.

Perindopril/indapamide combination more effective than enalapril in reducing blood pressure and left ventricular mass: the PICXEL study.

Objective: Few data are available comparing the effects of monotherapy and combination therapy on target organ damage. The PICXEL study compared the efficacy of a strategy based on first-line combination with perindopril/indapamide versus monotherapy with enalapril in reducing left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients.

Methods: In this 1-year multicentre randomized double-blind study, patients received an increasing dosage of perindopril/indapamide (n = 284) or enalapril (n = 272).

Self-Referenced 200 MHz Octave-Spanning Ti:Sapphire Laser with 50 Attosecond Carrier-Envelope Phase Jitter.

Carrier-envelope phase stabilization of a 200MHz octave-spanning Ti:sapphire laser without external broadening is demonstrated. The individual comb lines spaced by 200MHz can conveniently be resolved using commercial wavemeters. The accumulated in-loop carrier-envelope phase error (integrated from 2.

Angiogenesis as an indicator of metastatic potential in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Unlabelled: Angiogenesis is new blood vessel formation, a process that can lead to tumor development. Microvessel count has been correlated to metastasis in some neoplasias.

Purpose: To determine if measurement of microvessel density is useful in predicting metastasis to the cervical lymph node and prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Diet and exercise training restore blood pressure and vasodilatory responses during physiological maneuvers in obese children.

Background: The effects of diet and diet plus exercise training on muscle vasodilatation during physiological maneuvers in obese children are unknown. We tested the hypothesis that (1) blood pressure (BP) and forearm vascular conductance (FVC) responses during handgrip exercise and mental stress would be altered in obese children and (2) diet plus exercise training would restore BP and FVC responses during exercise and mental stress in obese children.

Methods And Results: Thirty-nine obese children (aged 10+/-0.

A Phase I safety study of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor and mitochondrial abnormalities have been described in ALS and its animal models. We have reported that hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment delayed the onset of weakness in the wobbler mouse.

Objective: To perform a Phase I safety study of HBO in patients with ALS.

Examining the motivational impact of intrinsic versus extrinsic goal framing and autonomy-supportive versus internally controlling communication style on early adolescents' academic achievement.

The present experimental research examined whether framing early adolescents' (11- to 12-year-olds) learning activity in terms of the attainment of an extrinsic (i.e., physical attractiveness) versus intrinsic (i.

Transmission of the Diachasmimorpha longicaudata rhabdovirus (DlRhV) to wasp offspring: an ultrastructural analysis.

During oviposition, the parasitic wasp Diachasmimorpha longicaudata introduces an entomopoxvirus (DlEPV) and a rhabdovirus (DlRhV) into larvae of its tephritid fruit fly host Anastrepha suspensa. DlEPV and DlRhV replicate, respectively, in host hemocytes and epidermal cells. Both viruses, like many beneficial viruses of parasitic wasps, are retained in all wasp generations but their avenue(s) of transmission are unknown.

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract from Spiranthera odoratissima A. St. Hillaire (Manacá) roots.

Acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, the tail flick test and carrageenan-induced peritonitis were used to study the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of the crude ethanolic extract from Spiranthera odoratissima roots. Pentobarbital-induced sleeping time was used to study the central depressant effect of the extract. The ethanolic extract caused a dose dependent inhibition of acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing and leukocyte migration, and produced a significant, dose-related increase in the duration of sleep.

Impact of 6 months of therapy with carvedilol on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in heart failure patients.

Background: The long-term effects of carvedilol on muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and muscle blood flow at rest and exercise in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) remain unknown.

Methods And Results: Twenty-six patients (New York Heart Association class II-III) were randomized to carvedilol or placebo. Blood pressure, heart rate, MSNA, and forearm vascular resistance (FVR) at rest and during isometric forearm exercise (10% and 30% maximal voluntary contraction) were assessed before and after 6 months.

Direct frequency comb generation from an octave-spanning, prismless Ti:sapphire laser.

We describe a self-referenced optical frequency comb generator based on an octave-spanning, prismless Ti:sapphire laser. Dispersion compensation is provided by novel double-chirped mirror pairs and BaF2 wedges. Current versions operate at 80 and 150 MHz.

[Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Side effects of drugs used in the treatment of thyroid diseases, on the fetus and the newborn].

The authors allude to the composed anti-thyroid drugs, blocking drugs, iodides, radioactive iodine, lithium carbonate and tyrosine side effects. The most common are composed anti-thyroid drugs and tyrosine. Anti-thyroid drugs risks are related to the tresspassing of the placenta barrier which can induce in goitre and hypothyroidism.

[New possibilities in clinical use of angiotensin II receptor inhibitors].

The use of angiotensin-receptor blockers has already been outlined in cardiology and diabetology. In extending clinical indications of this drug class their pleiotropic actions might play a role: they are improving endothelial function, and their antiatherogenic effect is not related to antihypertensive action. It may also be important that while some antihypertensive agents are impairing sexual function, angiotensin-receptor blocking agents seem to improve sexual activity in hypertensive men.

[Cardiologic and diabetologic aspects of therapy with angiotensin receptor blocking agents].

Authors based on studies fullfiling the principles of evidence based medicine review the efficiency and benefits of angiotensin receptor blocking agents in congestive heart failure and hypertension. Special attention is focused on their application in diabetes mellitus. The data support efficacy, good tolerability, beneficial side effect profile as well as cardio- and renoprotective properties of these drugs.

[Theoretical background of angiotensin II receptor blockade and its features in clinical pharmacology].

The angiotensin (II) receptor (1) blockers are known first of all as antihypertensive drugs, however, due to the role of the tissue renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in different pathological conditions, their clinical importance became more pronounced and are at present more widely used. The article gives an overview of the recent knowledge in this field. Beside of summarizing physiological and the most important pathophysiological aspects of the RAS, as well as pharmacokinetic properties of the different angiotensin receptor blocker drugs used at present in Hungary, the potential differences in blocking of the converting enzyme and the angiotensin II receptors are also reviewed.

Anti-inflammatory effect of Solanum lycocarpum fruits.

The croton oil-induced mouse ear oedema test, acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, and carrageenan-induced peritonitis were used to study the anti-inflammatory effects of the crude ethanol extract and its alkaloid fraction from Solanum lycocarpum fruits. The alkaloid fraction induced a dose-dependent reduction in ear oedema formation and leukocyte migration, suggesting that S. lycocarpum fruits may contain steroidal alkaloids accounting for the anti-inflammatory effect of the crude ethanol extract.

A clinical, prospective, randomized, double-blind trial comparing skin whitening complex with hydroquinone vs. placebo in the treatment of melasma.

Objectives: To compare, in a double-blind, randomized, prospective study, the clinical improvement of hyperpigmentation in 30 patients with melasma using hydroquinone or skin whitening complex topically on one side of the face vs. a placebo cream on the other. The study was performed during the period November 2000 to March 2001 at the Federal University of São Paulo, Escola Paulista de Medicina.