Central Role of Sibling Small RNAs NgncR_162 and NgncR_163 in Main Metabolic Pathways of Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Small bacterial regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) have been implicated in the regulation of numerous metabolic pathways. In most of these studies, sRNA-dependent regulation of mRNAs or proteins of enzymes in metabolic pathways has been predicted to affect the metabolism of these bacteria. However, only in a very few cases has the role in metabolism been demonstrated.

Tobacco leaf tissue rapidly detoxifies direct salt loads without activation of calcium and SOS signaling.

Salt stress is a major abiotic stress, responsible for declining agricultural productivity. Roots are regarded as hubs for salt detoxification, however, leaf salt concentrations may exceed those of roots. How mature leaves manage acute sodium chloride (NaCl) stress is mostly unknown.

The evolutionarily conserved kinase SnRK1 orchestrates resource mobilization during Arabidopsis seedling establishment.

The onset of plant life is characterized by a major phase transition. During early heterotrophic seedling establishment, seed storage reserves fuel metabolic demands, allowing the plant to switch to autotrophic metabolism. Although metabolic pathways leading to storage compound mobilization are well-described, the regulatory circuits remain largely unresolved.

Perturbations in plant energy homeostasis prime lateral root initiation via SnRK1-bZIP63-ARF19 signaling.

Plants adjust their energy metabolism to continuous environmental fluctuations, resulting in a tremendous plasticity in their architecture. The regulatory circuits involved, however, remain largely unresolved. In , moderate perturbations in photosynthetic activity, administered by short-term low light exposure or unexpected darkness, lead to increased lateral root (LR) initiation.

Inhibition of lipoxygenase affects induction of both direct and indirect plant defences against herbivorous insects.

Herbivore-induced plant defences influence the behaviour of insects associated with the plant. For biting-chewing herbivores the octadecanoid signal-transduction pathway has been suggested to play a key role in induced plant defence. To test this hypothesis in our plant-herbivore-parasitoid tritrophic system, we used phenidone, an inhibitor of the enzyme lipoxygenase (LOX), that catalyses the initial step in the octadecanoid pathway.

Methodological challenges in quality of life research among Turkish and Moroccan ethnic minority cancer patients: translation, recruitment and ethical issues.

The large population of first generation Turkish and Moroccan immigrants who moved to Western Europe in the 1960s and 1970s is now reaching an age at which the incidence of chronic diseases, including cancer, rises sharply. To date, little attention has been paid to the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of these ethnic minority groups, primarily due to the paucity of well translated and validated measures, but also because of a range of methodological and logistical barriers. The primary objective of this paper is to describe the methodological challenges in conducting HRQOL research among these patient populations, based on experience gained in a project in which four widely used HRQOL questionnaires were translated into Turkish, Moroccan-Arabic and Tarifit, and administered to a sample of 90 Turkish and 79 Moroccan cancer patients in the Netherlands.

Cognitive complaints and cognitive impairment following BEP chemotherapy in patients with testicular cancer.

Introduction: There is growing concern that some cytotoxic regimens for cancer affect cognitive functioning. This study examined the prevalence of cognitive complaints and deficits in testicular cancer (TC) patients treated with the worldwide standard BEP (bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin) chemotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Seventy TC patients treated with BEP chemotherapy after surgery (S + CT) were examined with interviews and neuropsychological tests.

Quality of life after surgical treatment for oral and oropharyngeal cancer: a prospective longitudinal assessment of patients reconstructed by a microvascular flap.

The aim of this study was to document changes from baseline to 6 and 12 months after treatment in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in relation to sociodemographic and clinical parameters among advanced oral/oropharyngeal cancer patients treated with reconstructive surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy. The HRQOL of 80 consecutive patients was assessed by the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires, pretreatment and 6 and 12 months posttreatment. Several patterns of HRQOL changes were distinguished: most general HRQOL issues do not change after treatment or improve compared to baseline scores (emotional functioning, pain, insomnia, constipation) and most head and neck specific issues deteriorate after treatment but return to pretreatment levels at 12 months, except for senses, opening mouth, sticky saliva, and coughing which remain deteriorated in the long term.

Quality of life and functional status in patients with cancer of the oral cavity and oropharynx: pretreatment values of a prospective study.

We assessed the pretreatment health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and functional status of patients with advanced oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Eighty patients were investigated. HRQOL was assessed by EORTC QLQ-C30/QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires.

Change in cognitive function after chemotherapy: a prospective longitudinal study in breast cancer patients.

Some breast cancer survivors experience cognitive decline following chemotherapy. We prospectively examined changes in cognitive performance among high-risk breast cancer patients who had received high-dose chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, thiotepa, and carboplatin (CTC group; n = 28) or standard-dose chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC group; n = 39); stage-I breast cancer patients who had received no systemic chemotherapy (no-CT group; n = 57); and healthy control subjects (n = 60). All patients underwent neuropsychologic testing before and 6 months after treatment (12-month interval); control subjects underwent repeated testing over a 6-month interval.

Translation and validation of the SF-36 Health Survey for use among Turkish and Moroccan ethnic minority cancer patients in The Netherlands.

In this study, the SF-36 Health Survey was translated into two oral Moroccan languages and the existing Turkish version was culturally adapted for use in The Netherlands, and was tested among 79 Moroccan and 90 Turkish cancer patients. There were normal levels of missing item responses but a higher administration time. With minor exceptions, the scale structure of the SF-36 was confirmed and the reliability of the scales met the 0.

Level of agreement between patient self-report and observer ratings of health-related quality of life communication in oncology.

Objective: To determine the level of agreement between patients and observers regarding the frequency with which health-related quality of life topics are discussed during outpatient clinical oncology visits.

Methods: The sample (n=50) consisted of a consecutive series of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Both the patients and observers used a checklist to report which HRQL topics had been discussed during the consultation.

Radiotherapy alone, versus radiotherapy with amifostine 3 times weekly, versus radiotherapy with amifostine 5 times weekly: A prospective randomized study in squamous cell head and neck cancer.

Background: The main objective of this study was to investigate whether nondaily intravenous administration of amifostine was as effective as daily intravenous administration with regard to the reduction of the incidence of Grade 2 or greater xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancer.

Methods: Ninety-one patients who received bilateral irradiation for head and neck cancer were included. Thirty patients received no amifostine (AMI-0), 31 patients received amifostine at a dose of 200 mg/m2 3 times weekly (AMI-3), and 30 patients received amifostine at a dose of 200 mg/m2 daily (5 times weekly) (AMI-5).

Effects of high-dose and conventional-dose adjuvant chemotherapy on long-term cognitive sequelae in patients with breast cancer: an electrophysiologic study.

Background: The mechanisms underlying cognitive deficits found in a number of patients with breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy are still unclear. In the current study, we used a combination of measures of brain electric activity and cognitive performance during information processing to elucidate the origin of these cognitive deficits.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-nine patients at high risk with breast cancer treated with adjuvant conventional-dose cyclophosphamide/epirubicin/5-fluorouracil or adjuvant high-dose cyclophosphamide/thiotepa/carboplatin were compared with 23 patients with stage I breast cancer not treated with chemotherapy approximately 4 years after completion of treatment.

Hypnotherapy in radiotherapy patients: a randomized trial.

Purpose: To determine whether hypnotherapy reduces anxiety and improves the quality of life in cancer patients undergoing curative radiotherapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: After providing written informed consent, 69 patients were randomized between standard curative RT alone (36 controls) and RT plus hypnotherapy (33 patients). Patients in the hypnotherapy group received hypnotherapy at the intake, before RT simulation, before the first RT session, and halfway between the RT course.

Cognitive dysfunction and chemotherapy: neuropsychological findings in perspective.

Currently, the interest in cognitive functioning following chemotherapy is rapidly expanding as is reflected in a growing number of published studies on this topic. Although most studies are indicative of cognitive deficits after chemotherapy, definite conclusions on the role of chemotherapy on cognitive function can often not be drawn due to methodological problems. On the basis of the studies on cognitive functioning after chemotherapy that are conducted in The Netherlands Cancer Institute, the current article describes a number of such methodological topics that obscure straightforward interpretation of neuropsychological findings in toxicity research.

Health-related quality-of-life assessments and patient-physician communication: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: There has been increasing interest in the use of health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) assessments in daily clinical practice, yet few empirical studies have been conducted to evaluate the usefulness of such assessments.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of standardized HRQL assessments in facilitating patient-physician communication and increasing physicians' awareness of their patients' HRQL-related problems.

Design: Prospective, randomized crossover trial.

Quality of life after curative radiotherapy in Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate changes in quality of life (QOL) among medically inoperable Stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with curative radiotherapy.

Patients And Methods: The study sample was composed of 46 patients irradiated for Stage I NSCLC. Quality of life was assessed before, during, and after radiotherapy using the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13.

Long-term results of olfaction rehabilitation using the nasal airflow-inducing ("polite yawning") maneuver after total laryngectomy.

Objectives: To study the long-term results of the nasal airflow-inducing maneuver (NAIM) as an olfaction rehabilitation tool after laryngectomy and to investigate the effectiveness of a new, simpler odor detection test (ODT) called the smell disk test (SDT), or Zürcher Geruchstest.

Design: Intervention study.

Settings: National cancer center.

A Pain Monitoring Program for nurses: effect on the administration of analgesics.

Both physicians and nurses are responsible for adequate pain management. The aim of this study was to assess pain management behavior of physicians and nurses, and to evaluate the effects of a Pain Monitoring Program for nurses on the extent to which nurses administer analgesics. The Pain Monitoring Program consisted of two components: educating nurses about pain, pain assessment and pain management; and implementing daily pain assessment by means of a numeric rating scale.