Hypoxia-associated proteome changes have been shown to be associated with resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. Our study evaluated the role of the hypoxia-inducible (HIF)-1 target gene carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX in the prediction of the response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer (stages II and III). A total of 29 pretreatment biopsy specimens were stained for CA IX by immunohistochemistry, converted to digital images and evaluated in a quantitative fashion using image analysis software.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Achalasia is one of the most common causes of dysphagia. Typical symptoms include difficulties in controlling the swallowing process, regurgitation, weight loss, and chest pain. A megaesophagus rarely causes tracheal compression with consecutive acute dyspnea or similar respiratory symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 54-year-old man was admitted to our clinic due to elevated γ-glutamyltransferase, without any clinical symptoms. About 25 years ago, he had undergone blunt abdominal and thoracic trauma during an accident. No diagnostic measures or therapy had been performed at that time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The protein kinase CK2 sustains multiple pro-survival functions in cellular DNA damage response and its level is tightly regulated in normal cells but elevated in cancers. Because CK2 is thus considered as potential therapeutic target, DNA double-strand break (DSB) formation and rejoining, apoptosis induction and clonogenic survival was assessed in irradiated mammalian cells upon chemical inhibition of CK2.
Methods: MRC5 human fibroblasts and WIDR human colon carcinoma cells were incubated with highly specific CK2 inhibitor 4,5,6,7-tetrabromobenzotriazole (TBB), or mock-treated, 2 hours prior to irradiation.