Cytotoxic stress induces transfer of mitochondria-associated human endogenous retroviral RNA and proteins between cancer cells.

About 8 % of the human genome consists of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which are relicts of ancient exogenous retroviral infections incurred during evolution. Although the majority of HERVs have functional gene defects or epigenetic modifications, many of them are still able to produce retroviral proteins that have been proposed to be involved in cellular transformation and cancer development. We found that, in chemo-resistant U87 glioblastoma cells, cytotoxic stress induced by etoposide promotes accumulation and large-scale fission of mitochondria, associated with the detection of HERV-WE (syncytin-1) and HERV-FRD (syncytin-2) in these organelles.

Management of traumatic spinal injuries in children and young adults.

Purpose: Spinal injuries are rarely seen in pediatric patients and therapeutic options are still poorly defined. The present study is aimed to present our experience with a rather large series of children and young adults suffering from traumatic spinal injury.

Patients And Methods: Between 1990 and 2010, 75 consecutive pediatric patients with spinal injuries were treated in our institution.

Cervical spondylodiscitis--a clinical analysis of surgically treated patients and review of the literature.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze our clinical and neurological results of surgically treated patients suffering from cervical spondylodiscitis with focusing particularly on the surgical methods used and to review the literature.

Patients And Methods: We present a series of 21 patients operated with cervical spondylodiscitis between 1998 and 2011. Basic demographic data, comorbidities, the radiological segments involved, the surgical strategy with special consideration of the material used and the clinical outcome were evaluated retrospectively.