Dendritic cells and natural killer cells: The road to a successful oncolytic virotherapy.

Every type of cancer tissue is theoretically more vulnerable to viral infection. This natural proclivity has been harnessed as a new anti-cancer therapy by employing oncolytic viruses (OVs) to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while providing little or no harm with no toxicity to the host. Whereas the primary oncolytic capabilities of OVs initially sparked the greatest concern, the predominant focus of research is on the association between OVs and the host immune system.

Therapeutic Efficacy of Oncolytic Viruses in Fighting Cancer: Recent Advances and Perspective.

Immunotherapy is at the cutting edge of modern cancer treatment. Innovative medicines have been developed with varying degrees of success that target all aspects of tumor biology: tumors, niches, and the immune system. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are a novel and potentially immunotherapeutic approach for cancer treatment.

Is 8860 variation a rare polymorphism or associated as a secondary effect in HCM disease?

Introduction: mtDNA defects, both deletions and point mutations, have been associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. The aim of this study was to establish a spectrum for mtDNA mutations in Iranian hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients.

Material And Methods: The control group was chosen among the special medical centre visitors who did not have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or any related heart disease.

Prediction of response to cardiac resynchronization therapy using simple electrocardiographic and echocardiographic tools.

Aims: To predict response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure (HF) and intraventricular conduction delay.

Methods And Results: The study population consisted of 82 consecutive HF patients with standard CRT indications. Patients were classified as responders, if they were alive without cardiac decompensation and experienced >or=15% decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume.

Pharmacological prevention of the deleterious effects of cardiopulmonary bypass.

Indomethacin is a known immune modulator that inhibits cyclooxygenase. Studies indicate that ketoconazole, a selective lipoxygenase and thromboxane A(2) synthetase inhibitor, can prevent activation of the inflammatory cascade by inhibition of proinflammatory mediators. This study was designed to determine if ketoconazole or indomethacin could reduce the adverse effects of extracorporeal circulation.

Evaluation of post-radiofrequency myocardial injury by measuring cardiac troponin I levels.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of myocardial injury created by radiofrequency (RF) ablation. We assessed the changes in levels of cardiac biochemical markers in patients who underwent RF ablation and we sought to evaluate the utility of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in detecting minor myocardial injury following RF ablation and determine its procedural correlates.

Methods: We analyzed the data of 115 consecutive patients who underwent RF ablation.