Targeting the mTOR pathway in neuroendocrine tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare, generally indolent tumors that are lethal in the metastatic setting. Treatment options to control tumor growth are limited. In clinical trials, investigational oral mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors have shown activity in patients with metastatic NETs.

Survival and prognostic factor analysis of 146 metastatic neuroendocrine tumors of the mid-gut.

Background: Gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are heterogeneous neoplasms that vary in mortality according to location of primary tumor and stage of disease. Past analyses of survival suggest a trend towards improving longevity among patients with metastatic mid-gut NETs.

Methods: We evaluated all cases of metastatic NETs of the mid-gut seen in our institution between 1999 and 2003, measuring survival from time of diagnosis of distant metastatic disease.

Survival and prognostic factor analysis in patients with metastatic pancreatic endocrine carcinomas.

Objectives: Pancreatic endocrine carcinomas (PECAs) are uncommon, with an incidence of 1 per 100,000. Past studies of chemotherapy and hepatic arterial embolization have described median survival durations of approximately 2 to 3 years. Overall survival from time of diagnosis of metastases has never been reported in a large cohort of patients.

Multimodality management of a polyfunctional pancreatic endocrine carcinoma with markedly elevated serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and calcitonin levels.

We present an unusual case of a 52-year-old woman with severe, uncontrollable, refractory diarrhea attributable to pancreatic endocrine carcinoma (ECA) with markedly elevated serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and calcitonin levels. After initial correction of fluid and electrolyte abnormalities, the patient was treated with high-dose octreotide. Shortly thereafter, due to the intractable nature of her diarrhea, she underwent cytoreductive hepatic surgery.

Effective treatment of locally advanced endocrine tumors of the pancreas with chemoradiotherapy.

Background/aims: The use of chemoradiation in the management of locally advanced pancreatic endocrine tumors has not been reported in the medical literature. Patients with unresectable tumors are often included in trials of systemic chemotherapy, and use of external beam radiation has been only described in few case reports. Given the sensitivity of pancreatic endocrine tumors to cytotoxic agents including streptozocin, doxorubicin and 5-FU, we have hypothesized that the combination of concurrent and sequential chemotherapy and radiation will yield higher response rates than acheivable with chemotherapy alone.

Metastatic carcinoid tumor to the ovary: a clinicopathologic analysis of seventeen cases.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical behavior and histologic characteristics of metastatic carcinoid tumors to the ovary.

Methods: Retrospective chart review and histologic specimen analysis of all patients with pathologically confirmed metastatic carcinoid tumor to the ovaries seen at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

Challenges in the addition of probiotic cultures to foods.

Probiotic cultures are increasingly being added to foods in order to develop products with health-promoting properties. Although the literature is abundant on the beneficial effects of bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus acidophilus on health, little information is available on the challenges industry faces in adding these probiotic cultures to food products. The aim of this article is to examine seven issues that should be addressed when developing functional foods: 1) type or form of probiotic that should be used; 2) addition level required to have a beneficial effect; 3) toxicity; 4) effect of the processing steps on viability; 5) determination, in the product, of the cell populations added; 6) stability during storage; 7) changes in sensory properties of the foods.

Determination of Viable Bacterial Populations in Raw Milk within 20 Minutes by Using a Direct Epifluorescent Filter Technique.

The results from a shortened procedure for the direct epifluorescent filter technique (DEFT) determination of viable bacterial populations in raw milk were compared to standard plate counts. Shortening the prefiltration trypsin-Triton X-100 incubation period from 10 to 3 min enabled the completion of the analysis within 20 min. The short DEFT method results had a correlation coefficient () of 0.

Enumeration of Psychrotrophic Bacteria in Raw Milk Inoculated with Lactic Acid Bacteria by the Agar Droplet Method.

Selected cultures of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) can be added to raw milk with the aim of inhibiting growth of pyschrotrophic bacteria. We compared the standard pour plate method (7°C/10 d) and a rapid surface plate method (18°C/45 h) with the agar droplet method for enumeration of psychrotrophs in raw milks seeded with LAB. The LAB did not interfere with the standard method or the 7°C/5 d agar droplet method, but interfered with the surface plate method.