Translational research in glioblastoma multiforme: molecular criteria for patient selection.

In spite of the dismal outcome of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), we are in a position to provide a ray of hope to patients and families. Methylation of MGMT in tumor occurs in approximately a third of patients and predicts meaningful response and survival to adjuvant radiotherapy plus temozolomide. Limited access to tumor tissue in some patients could be circumvented by examining MGMT methylation in circulating serum DNA, although this approach needs to be validated.

Effectiveness and safety of tranexamic acid administration during total knee arthroplasty.

Background: The administration of tranexamic acid (TA) is associated with a decrease in the number of red blood cell (RBC) units transfused. However, concerns about its safety have hindered its broader use.

Study Design And Methods: We evaluated the effect of TA on RBC transfusion and thromboembolic complications in total knee arthroplasty.

Age- and sodium-sensitive hypertension and sex-dependent renal changes in rats with a reduced nephron number.

We have demonstrated that the reduction of angiotensin II effects during the nephrogenic period reduces the nephron number and induces the development of hypertension. The hypotheses examined are that this reduction of angiotensin effects leads to the development of an age-dependent sodium sensitive hypertension and that the hypertension is angiotensin II dependent. Newborn rats were treated with an angiotensin II type 1 receptor antagonist during the first 2 weeks of age.

Delayed intracerebral hemorrhage after ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion. Case report and literature review.

We present another case of delayed intracerebral hemorrhage after a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunting procedure. In this case, a right occipital intraparenchymal hematoma and associated intraventricular hemorrhage occurred six days after the operation for hydrocephalus secondary to subarachnoid hemorrhage in a 64 year old woman. It is a rare complication of VP shunting, with few cases reported previously in the literature.

Changes in renal hemodynamics and excretory function induced by a reduction of ANG II effects during renal development.

The aim was to evaluate whether blockade of ANG II effects during renal development modifies the renal response to an increment of plasma amino acid concentration. It was also examined in anesthetized rats whether the reduction of the renal ability to eliminate an acute volume expansion (VE), elicited by blockade of ANG II during renal development, is sex and/or age dependent. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with vehicle or an AT(1)-receptor antagonist (ARA) during postnatal nephrogenesis.

Sex and age differences of renal function in rats with reduced ANG II activity during the nephrogenic period.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that blockade of angiotensin II effects during renal development accelerates the aging-related changes in renal hemodynamics and proteinuria, and that these changes are sex dependent. It has also been examined whether the deterioration of urinary concentrating ability elicited by angiotensin II blockade is sex and/or aging dependent. Newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with vehicle or an AT(1) angiotensin II receptor antagonist (ARA) during the first 14 postnatal days.

Sex differences in the renal changes elicited by angiotensin II blockade during the nephrogenic period.

The renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in renal development. However, it is unknown whether reduction in angiotensin II effects during the nephrogenic period leads to different renal alterations in males and females during the adult age. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the role of angiotensin II on renal development is sex dependent and whether there are sex differences in blood pressure, renal hemodynamics, and severity of renal damage during adult life when nephrogenesis is altered by blocking angiotensin II effects.

Substance P receptor expression in healthy and inflamed human pulp tissue.

Aim: To use radioreceptor analysis for comparing substance P (SP) receptor expression in human pulp tissue samples collected from teeth having a clinical diagnosis of acute irreversible pulpitis, healthy pulps and teeth with induced inflammation.

Methodology: Five pulp samples were obtained from teeth having a clinical diagnosis of acute irreversible pulpitis. Another 10 pulp samples were obtained from healthy premolars where extraction was indicated for orthodontic purposes.

Comparative study of protein stabilization in white wine using zirconia and bentonite: physicochemical and wine sensory analysis.

A semi-industrial application of the continuous stabilization of white wine protein using a column packed with zirconia was studied and compared to the traditional bentonite treatment using a Macabeu white wine. Physicochemical and wine sensory properties were evaluated using a rating system and triangle tests. Continuous protein stabilization was analyzed in three residence times, and the equivalent of 300 BV of wine was used for both treatments.

Improved preoperative iron status assessment by soluble transferrin receptor in elderly patients undergoing knee and hip replacement.

A poor preoperative haemoglobin (Hb) status is frequently encountered among adult patients scheduled for corrective surgery of the locomotive system, representing the main risk factor for blood transfusion. The soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) has become a highly specific parameter for the detection of iron deficits as it can differentiate between iron deficiency anaemia and anaemia of chronic disease, because of the lack of effect by associated inflammation, unlike ferritin. The objectives of this study were to evaluate patients with the prevalence of risk for transfusion, the effect of inflammation on ferritin (F) values and functional iron deficiency in elderly patients with advanced degenerative arthropathy scheduled for hip or knee replacement.

Characterization of manures from fish cage farming in Chile.

This study aims to characterize salmonid manures and to determine their potential use in agricultural soils. Sampling was carried out below salmon and trout cages in farms located in lakes and in the sea in the South of Chile during 2002-2003. Manure was analyzed for macronutrients, micronutrients and heavy metals.

Fatality in mice due to oversaturation of cellular microRNA/short hairpin RNA pathways.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a universal and evolutionarily conserved phenomenon of post-transcriptional gene silencing by means of sequence-specific mRNA degradation, triggered by small double-stranded RNAs. Because this mechanism can be efficiently induced in vivo by expressing target-complementary short hairpin RNA (shRNA) from non-viral and viral vectors, RNAi is attractive for functional genomics and human therapeutics. Here we systematically investigate the long-term effects of sustained high-level shRNA expression in livers of adult mice.

From the bench to the bed: individualizing treatment in non-small-cell lung cancer.

At the time of diagnosis, half of lung cancer patients have advanced incurable disease. Different chemotherapy combinations--with or without targeted therapies--yield similar results in spite of the continuous efforts of clinicians. However, molecular biological studies have already shed a great deal of light on the existence of multiple genetic aberrations that can be useful for customizing treatment.

Bioluminescence imaging of systemic tumor targeting using a prostate-specific lentiviral vector.

Developments in vector design using tissue-specific and tumor-specific promoters have led to significant improvements in tumor-targeting strategies. These developments combined with the ability to monitor gene expression by molecular imaging have facilitated the detection and prolonged monitoring of disease progression in small-animal models. Bioluminescence imaging offers a convenient and sensitive platform for monitoring gene expression patterns in preclinical models of gene therapy.

14-3-3sigma methylation in pretreatment serum circulating DNA of cisplatin-plus-gemcitabine-treated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients predicts survival: The Spanish Lung Cancer Group.

Purpose: Survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are treated with platinum-based chemotherapy is rather variable. Methylation-dependent transcriptional silencing of 14-3-3sigma, a major G2-M checkpoint control gene, could be a predictor of longer survival.

Patients And Methods: A sensitive methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction assay was used to evaluate 14-3-3sigma methylation status in pretreatment serum DNA obtained from 115 cisplatin-plus-gemcitabine-treated advanced NSCLC patients.

Effective inhibition of HBV replication in vivo by anti-HBx short hairpin RNAs.

Exploiting the RNA interference pathway has shown promise for developing novel and effective treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To advance this approach, we analyzed the antiviral efficacy of a panel of 10 Pol III U6 promoter-encoded short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) that target conserved sequences of the oncogenic HBx open reading frame. To facilitate intracellular processing, the shRNAs included mismatches in the 25-bp stem region and a terminal loop of miRNA-23.

Fracture of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation hardware as a result of compulsive manipulation: case report.

Objective And Importance: Trichotillomania (TTM) is an impulse control disorder characterized by the recurrent pulling of one's hair resulting in noticeable hair loss. There has been no definite association drawn between Parkinson's disease (PD) and TTM, although there is a suggestion that obsessive-compulsive symptomatology may be more prevalent in left-side predominant PD. We believe that it is important to be aware of psychiatric comorbidities in the surgical treatment of PD, as they may significantly impact the postoperative course.

Central thickness of hydrogel contact lenses as a predictor of success when fitting patients with tear deficiency.

A randomized, double masked, study was designed in order to investigate the relationship between the central thickness of hydrogel contact lenses and the overall comfort of patients with tear deficiency. To allow for statistical analysis, a thin lens was fitted in one eye and a thicker lens of the same characteristics in the contralateral eye. Subjects were asked to wear the lenses for 30 days on a normal daily wear basis and to graduate several factors such as comfort, dryness sensation, redness, photophobia, tearing, quality of vision and others.

Thoracoscopically guided transaxillary resection of adjoining intercostal plexiform neurofibromas: review of mosaicism in neurofibromatosis: technical note.

Objective And Importance: The present article describes a rare presentation of Type I neurofibromatosis (NFI) involving adjoining intercostal plexiform neurofibromas, as well as the novel use of thoracoscopy to guide surgical resection. This presentation highlights the manner in which NFI may affect selective regions of the body disproportionately through genetic mosaicism.

Clinical Presentation: A 40-year-old man had intractable neuropathic anterior right chest wall pain in the distribution of T2 and T3.

Variables that predict the success of labor induction.

Background: To analyze the clinical and sonographic variables that affect the success of labor induction.

Methods: Bishop score, cervical length, and parity were studied in 196 pregnant women in the prediction of successful vaginal delivery within 24 hr of induction. Logistic regression and segmentation analysis were performed.

Measure of hemodynamic patterns by thoracic electrical bioimpedance in normal pregnancy and in preeclampsia.

Objective: To compare the differences in the hemodynamics between normal pregnancy and preeclampsia, using thoracic electrical bioimpedance.

Study Design: We compared heart rate, end-diastolic volume, systolic volume, cardiac output, ejection fraction and peripheral vascular resistances in 18 healthy pregnant women with 15 with preeclamptic women at the following intervals: third trimester, 48 h post-partum, 2 and 6 months post-partum. We took the measurements by thoracic electrical bioimpedance.

Assessment of the nitric oxide system in the heart, aorta and kidney of aged Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Objective: To assess the nitric oxide (NO) system in the cardiovascular and renal systems of old Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with young rats of the same strains.

Design And Methods: The NO pathway was assessed: (i) in analytical studies measuring the concentration of nitrate in plasma and the activity of NO synthases in the left ventricle, renal cortex and renal medulla; and (ii) in functional studies, in which we measured the blood pressure effects of NO blockade with intravenous N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 0.1 mg/kg) in anaesthetized rats.

Non-invasive imaging of a transgenic mouse model using a prostate-specific two-step transcriptional amplification strategy.

Non-invasive assessment of transgenic animals using bioluminescence imaging offers a rapid means of evaluating disease progression in animal models of disease. One of the challenges in the field is to develop models with robust expression to image repetitively live intact animals through solid tissues. The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter is an attractive model for studying gene regulation due to its hormonal response and tissue-specificity permitting us to measure signaling events that occur within the native tissues.

Endometrial polyps and their implication in the pregnancy rates of patients undergoing intrauterine insemination: a prospective, randomized study.

Background: It was our intention to determine whether hysteroscopic polypectomy before intrauterine insemination (IUI) achieved better pregnancy outcomes than no intervention.

Methods: A total of 215 infertile women from the infertility unit of a university tertiary hospital with ultrasonographically diagnosed endometrial polyps (EP) undergoing IUI were randomly allocated to one of two pretreatment groups using an opaque envelope technique with assignment determined by a random number table. Hysteroscopic polypectomy was performed in the study group.