[Palliative chemotherapy for colorectal cancer--current state, significance, trends].

Background: There are a number of effective substances available for palliative treatment of colorectal cancer, contributing to a considerable extension of the median survival time either purely medically or by increasing the chance of secondary resectability through improved effectiveness of the administered drugs. PATIENTS / MATERIAL: Defining treatment depending on predominant patient characteristics remains crucial for any therapeutic success. This requires interdisciplinary co-ordination within tumour boards.

In vitro metabolic and mitogenic signaling of insulin glargine and its metabolites.

Background: Insulin glargine (Lantus) is a long-acting basal insulin analog that demonstrates effective day-long glycemic control and a lower incidence of hypoglycemia than NPH insulin. After subcutaneous injection insulin glargine is partly converted into the two main metabolites M1 ([Gly(A21)]insulin) and M2 ([Gly(A21),des-Thr(B30)]insulin). The aim of this study was to characterize the glargine metabolites in vitro with regard to their insulin receptor (IR) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R) binding and signaling properties as well as their metabolic and mitogenic activities.

Identification of protein components of the microsomal glucose 6-phosphate transporter by photoaffinity labelling.

The glucose-6-phosphatase system catalyses the terminal step of hepatic glucose production from both gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis and is thus a key regulatory factor of blood glucose homoeostasis. To identify the glucose 6-phosphate transporter T1, we have performed photoaffinity labelling of human and rat liver microsomes by using the specific photoreactive glucose-6-phosphate translocase inhibitors S 0957 and S 1743. Membrane proteins of molecular mass 70, 55, 33 and 31 kDa were labelled in human microsomes by [3H]S 0957, whereas in rat liver microsomes bands at 95, 70, 57, 54, 50, 41, 33 and 31 kDa were detectable.

E. coli derived human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rh GM-CSF) available for clinical trials.

Recombinant human GM-CSF has been expressed as a fusion protein in E. coli in the form of inclusion bodies. Using denaturing agents, acid cleavage and sulfitolysis, the biologically inactive GM-CSF protein could be highly purified and additionally renaturated under suitable reoxidizing conditions.

Pregnancy after in vitro fertilization, cryopreservation, and embryo transfer.

We reported on the first pregnancy achieved in the Erlangen IVF program after cryopreservation and embryo transfer. After hMG stimulation in the first treatment cycle, nine oocytes were retrieved by laparoscopy from a 31-year-old woman and three embryos transferred. Five other oocytes were fertilized and developed to four- to eight-cell embryos, which were subsequently cryopreserved.