Frameless stereotactic radiosurgery of a solitary liver metastasis using active breathing control and stereotactic ultrasound.

Background And Purpose: Radiosurgery of liver metastases is effective but a technical challenge due to respiration-induced movement. The authors report on the initial experience of the combination of active breathing control (ABC) with stereotactic ultrasound (B-mode acquisition and targeting [BAT]) for frameless radiosurgery.

Patients And Methods: A patient with a solitary, inoperable liver metastasis from cholangiocellular carcinoma is presented (Figure 4).

[Minimal commonly deleted regions on chromosome 7q31 in primary gastric carcinoma and its clinical significance].

Background & Objective: Previous studies have showed that chromosome 7q occurs a high frequency of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in primary gastric carcinoma; D7S486 located in 7q31 is a locus with the highest frequency of LOH on 7q, which is significantly related to lymph node metastasis of tumor. Gastric carcinoma-related tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) might locate near the locus. In order to seek gastric carcinoma-related TSGs in a further narrow region, LOH of microsatellite marker loci on chromosome 7q31 was examined in primary gastric carcinoma to determine the minimal commonly deleted regions, and the possible roles of these regional deletions in gastric carcinoma pathogenesis were analyzed in this study.

The significance of telomeric aggregates in the interphase nuclei of tumor cells.

Telomeres are TTAGGG repetitive motifs found at the ends of vertebrate chromosomes. In humans, telomeres are protected by shelterin, a complex of six proteins (de Lange [2005] Genes Dev. 19: 2100-2110).

Proteomic profiling in the sera of workers occupationally exposed to arsenic and lead: identification of potential biomarkers.

Arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) are important inorganic toxicants in the environment. Frequently, humans are exposed to the mixtures of As and Pb, but little is known about the expression of biomarkers resulting from such mixed exposures. In this study, we analyzed serum proteomic profiles in a group of smelter workers with the aim of identifying protein biomarkers of mixed As and Pb exposure.

Dynamic modeling of the ratio volatile fatty acids/bicarbonate alkalinity in a UASB reactor for potato processing wastewater treatment.

In this work, dynamic mathematical model for the prediction of the operational parameter volatile fatty acids/bicarbonate alkalinity (VFA/ALK) in a UASB reactor was developed. The dynamic modeling technique was applied successfully to a two-year data record from an industrial wastewater treatment plant of a potato processing industry. The technique used included regression analysis by residuals.

Oncogenic remodeling of the three-dimensional organization of the interphase nucleus: c-Myc induces telomeric aggregates whose formation precedes chromosomal rearrangements.

The three-dimensional (3D) organization of the normal interphase nucleus permits the regulated completion of transcription and replication and assures proper chromosome organization. Aberrations from the normal 3D structural order of the nucleus are found in tumor cells. When examining the 3D organization of telomeres in nuclei of normal and tumor cells, we found that telomeres of normal nuclei do not overlap, while telomeres of tumor cells form aggregates of various numbers and sizes.

Characterizing the three-dimensional organization of telomeres.

Background: Quantitative analysis can be used in combination with fluorescence microscopy. Although the human eye is able to obtain good qualitative results, when analyzing the spatial organization of telomeres in interphase nuclei, there is a need for quantitative results based on image analysis.

Methods: We developed a tool for analyzing three-dimensional images of telomeres stained by fluorescence in situ hybridization in interphase nuclei with DNA counterstained with 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole.

Self-organization of skin cells in three-dimensional electrospun polystyrene scaffolds.

Much research in tissue engineering focuses on the synthesis of complex three-dimensional polymer scaffolds containing functional biomolecules to which cells are introduced. Typical scaffolds for skin tissue engineering are macroscopically porous with struts or fibers approximately 10 microm thick at a packing fraction of approximately 0.1.

Cyclin D expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Although the majority of circulating leukemic cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are in G0/early G1, recent studies have shown that these cells have undergone multiple cell divisions. In this study, we have determined whether there are abnormalities in cell cycle control in CLL by examining the three cyclin D isoforms in 43 patients and correlating the findings with clinical features. Cyclin D mRNA was measured by a sensitive RNase protection assay and the order of expression in CLL cells was D3 > D2 > D1.

c-Myc induces chromosomal rearrangements through telomere and chromosome remodeling in the interphase nucleus.

In previous work, we showed that telomeres of normal cells are organized within the 3D space of the interphase nucleus in a nonoverlapping and cell cycle-dependent manner. This order is distorted in tumor cell nuclei where telomeres are found in close association forming aggregates of various numbers and sizes. Here we show that c-Myc overexpression induces telomeric aggregations in the interphase nucleus.

Retrospective evaluation of combined modality treatment and prognostic factors in patients with esophageal cancer.

The influence of prognostic factors and combined modality treatment on survival was evaluated retrospectively for 156 patients with esophageal cancer receiving radiotherapy in different modalities between 1991 and 2001 at the University of Heidelberg and the Universitätsklinikum Mannheim. Forty-six patients (29.5%) were treated with radiotherapy alone, 74 patients (47.

Wastewater characteristics from Greek wineries and distilleries.

The present paper deals with the characterization of wastewater generated from Greek wineries and wine distilleries. The quantity and the quality of the wastewater of a distillery depends on the type of wine (white or red), on the processes followed for the production of wine as well as on the volume of the tanks that are used. The total production of wastewater from a winery is about 1.

Uncoupling of genomic instability and tumorigenesis in a mouse model of Burkitt's lymphoma expressing a conditional box II-deleted Myc protein.

Burkitt's lymphomas (BL) are characterized by the constitutive expression of c-Myc protein. In total, 50-60% of all BL cells carry mutant c-Myc proteins. Using a mouse model of spontaneously immortalized pro-B-lymphocytes (Ba/F3), we have investigated genomic instability mediated by the conditional expression of either wild-type (WT) or deletion box II Delta106-Myc proteins.

Rearrangements of the telomeric region of mouse chromosome 11 in Pre-B ABL/MYC cells revealed by mBANDing, spectral karyotyping, and fluorescence in-situ hybridization with a subtelomeric probe.

Previous work has demonstrated that chromosome 11 is trisomic or shows a duplicated region encompassing the E1/E2 band of chromosome 11 in 90% of v-abl/myc-induced plasmacytomas (Wiener et al. 1995). In the present report, we have studied BALB/c PreB lymphocytes that were immortalized by v-abl and stably transfected with a conditional MycER vector (Mai et al.

Cell cycle-dependent 3D distribution of telomeres and telomere repeat-binding factor 2 (TRF2) in HaCaT and HaCaT-myc cells.

Telomeres are specialized structures at the ends of the chromosomes that, with the help of proteins--such as the telomere repeat-binding factor TRF2 -, form protective caps which are essential for chromosomal integrity. Investigating the structure and three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the telomeres and TRF2 in the nucleus, we now show that the telomeres of the immortal HaCaT keratinocytes are distributed in distinct non-overlapping territories within the inner third of the nuclear space in interphase cells, while they extend more widely during mitosis. TRF2 is present at the telomeres at all cell cycle phases.

Electrochemical detoxification of four phosphorothioate obsolete pesticides stocks.

The phosphorothioate pesticides are widely used for crop production and fruit tree treatment, but their disposal causes serious environmental problems. Four commercial phosphorothioate pesticides (Demeton-S-methyl, Metamidophos, Fenthion and Diazinon) were treated by an electrolysis system using Ti/Pt as anode and stainless steel 304 as cathode. A number of experiments were run in a laboratory scale pilot plant and the results are presented.

Impact of chemoradiotherapy-induced anemia on survival in uniformly staged patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus.

Aim: Objective of this study was to evaluate the hemoglobin level (Hb) as potential prognostic factor in uniformly staged patients (pts) undergoing primary chemoradiotherapy (ChRT) for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus.

Patients And Methods: Pts with histologically proven SCC of the esophagus (uT3/4 Nx or uTx N+) were included in the analysis. Staging procedures comprised endoscopic ultrasound, barium swallow and computed tomography.

Degradation of methylparathion in aqueous solution by electrochemical oxidation.

The electrochemical degradation of methylparathion has been investigated by using Ti/Pt as anode, Stainless Steel 304 as cathode, and sodium chloride as electrolyte. The pesticide is rapidly degraded, but full mineralization is not observed. Degradation products have been monitored through gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, and the overall degradation process has been monitored through dissolved and particulate organic carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus measurements.

IMRT for postoperative treatment of gastric cancer: covering large target volumes in the upper abdomen: a comparison of a step-and-shoot and an arc therapy approach.

Purpose: Data from the randomized Intergroup Trial 116 suggest effectiveness of adjuvant radiochemotherapy in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Late toxicity, however, especially with respect to the kidneys, may pose significant longtime problems. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) may reduce toxicity to organs at risk.

Thermodynamics of micellization of tapered statistical copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide in water.

Two tapered statistical copolymers were prepared by the oxyanionic polymerization of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and characterized by gel permeation chromatography and 13C NMR spectroscopy. We denote the copolymers t-E/P38 and t-E/P30, where E = oxyethylene, OCH2CH2, and P = oxypropylene, OCH2CH(CH3), and the number denotes the mole percentage P. In each case the copolymer chain length was ca.

The three-dimensional organization of telomeres in the nucleus of mammalian cells.

Background: The observation of multiple genetic markers in situ by optical microscopy and their relevance to the study of three-dimensional (3D) chromosomal organization in the nucleus have been greatly developed in the last decade. These methods are important in cancer research because cancer is characterized by multiple alterations that affect the modulation of gene expression and the stability of the genome. It is, therefore, essential to analyze the 3D genome organization of the interphase nucleus in both normal and cancer cells.

[Optimizing the use of radiotherapy with IMRT and image guided location of advanced prostate cancer].

Intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) combined with recently developed noninvasive image-guided targeting techniques for tumor localization/repositioning provide a means to further improve on conformal radiotherapy of prostate cancer by optimally sparing the rectum. This refined approach may potentially improve treatment results for locally advanced prostate cancer while reducing side effects. This review summarizes the clinical requirements for effective prostate radiotherapy and describes the new technology that helps to better fulfil these requirements.

c-Myc-induced genomic instability.

c-myc is one of a small family of proto-oncogenes that do not require mutation to contribute to neoplastic transformation. Instead, the deregulated expression of the oncoprotein at even modest levels is sufficient to initiate this process. The transforming activity of c-Myc is generally thought to lie in its ability to modulate the expression of a series of genes, among them certain proliferation-promoting genes.