Dimorphic glioblastoma with glial and epithelioid phenotypes: Clonal evolution and immune selection.

Purpose: Epithelioid glioblastoma is an unusual histologic variant of malignant glioma. The present study investigates both the genomic and transcriptomic determinants that may promote the development of this tumor.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) and whole-transcriptome sequencing (WTS) were performed on an epithelioid glioblastoma, along with a specific bioinformatic pipeline to generate electronic karyotyping and investigate the tumor immune microenvironment.

Parkinsonism reversed from treatment of pineal non-germinomatous germ cell tumor.

Background: Parkinsonism is a rare complication of non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) arising from the pineal region.

Case Description: We describe a 23-year-old man who presented with Parinaud syndrome, fatigue, and hypersomnia that were caused by a pineal region NGGCT with yolk sac component and an initial α-fetoprotein (AFP) of 1011.0 ng/ml.

The Evolving Role of Circulating Tumor Cells in the Personalized Management of Breast Cancer: from Enumeration to Molecular Characterization.

Circulating Tumor cells (CTCs) represent tumor cells in the blood stream dislodged from the primary tumor. The presence of CTCs in the bloodstream provides a unique opportunity to sample cancer tissue by means of a relatively less-invasive "liquid biopsy." Over the past decade, there has been a tremendous increase in the amount of research examining the potential clinical utility of CTCs in the management of cancer.

Anti-platelet agents augment cisplatin nanoparticle cytotoxicity by enhancing tumor vasculature permeability and drug delivery.

Tumor vasculature is critically dependent on platelet mediated hemostasis and disruption of the same can augment delivery of nano-formulation based chemotherapeutic agents which depend on enhanced permeability and retention for tumor penetration. Here, we evaluated the role of Clopidogrel, a well-known inhibitor of platelet aggregation, in potentiating the tumor cytotoxicity of cisplatin nano-formulation in a murine breast cancer model. In vivo studies in murine syngeneic 4T1 breast cancer model showed a significant greater penetration of macromolecular fluorescent nanoparticles after clopidogrel pretreatment.

Precision medicine and personalized breast cancer: combination pertuzumab therapy.

Trastuzumab (Herceptin), a monoclonal antibody directed against the human epidermal growth-factor receptor 2 (HER2), is the poster child for antibody-based targeted therapy in breast cancer. Pertuzumab, another humanized monoclonal antibody, binds to a different domain of HER2 and prevents the formation of HER2:HER3 dimers, which is the most potent heterodimer in the HER family. The combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab has synergistic activity, and is associated with improved clinical outcomes.

Sequential application of a cytotoxic nanoparticle and a PI3K inhibitor enhances antitumor efficacy.

Nanomedicines that preferentially deploy cytotoxic agents to tumors and molecular targeted therapeutics that inhibit specific aberrant oncogenic drivers are emerging as the new paradigm for the management of cancer. While combination therapies are a mainstay of cancer chemotherapy, few studies have addressed the combination of nanomedicines and molecular targeted therapeutics. Furthermore, limited knowledge exists on the impact of sequencing of such therapeutics and nanomedicines on the antitumor outcome.

PEGylated liposomal Gemcitabine: insights into a potential breast cancer therapeutic.

Purpose: Nanoencapsulation of chemotherapeutics is an established method to target breast tumors and has been shown to enhance the efficacy of therapy in various animal models. During the past two decades, the nucleoside analog Gemcitabine has been under investigation to treat both recalcitrant and localized breast cancer, often in combination with other chemotherapeutics. In this study, we investigated the chemotherapeutic efficacy of a novel Gemcitabine-encapsulated liposome previously formulated by our group, GemPo, on both sensitive (4T1) and recalcitrant (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell lines.

P2Y12 receptor inhibition augments cytotoxic effects of cisplatin in breast cancer.

Expression of P2Y12 receptors has been documented in some cancer cell lines like C6 glioma, renal carcinoma and colon carcinoma. However, its direct role in altering response to chemotherapeutics has not been studied. In this study, we characterize the expression of P2Y12 receptor in breast cancer cell lines and evaluate its role in enhancing the cytotoxic effects of cisplatin.

Smartphone apps as a source of cancer information: changing trends in health information-seeking behavior.

There is an increased interest in smartphone applications as a tool for delivery of health-care information. There have been no studies which evaluated the availability and content of cancer-related smartphone applications. This study aims to identify and analyze cancer-related applications available on the Apple iTunes platform.

Effect of rotating acoustic stimulus on heart rate variability in healthy adults.

Acoustic stimulus can modulate the Autonomic Nervous System. However, previous reports on this topic are conflicting and inconclusive. In this study we have shown, how rotating acoustic stimulus, a novel auditory binaural stimulus, can change the autonomic balance of the cardiac system.

Cholesterol-tethered platinum II-based supramolecular nanoparticle increases antitumor efficacy and reduces nephrotoxicity.

Nanoscale drug delivery vehicles have been harnessed extensively as carriers for cancer chemotherapeutics. However, traditional pharmaceutical approaches for nanoformulation have been a challenge with molecules that exhibit incompatible physicochemical properties, such as platinum-based chemotherapeutics. Here we propose a paradigm based on rational design of active molecules that facilitate supramolecular assembly in the nanoscale dimension.

Principles of physics in surgery: the laws of mechanics and vectors physics for surgeons-part 2.

In this sequel, to an earlier article, we discuss the laws of Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Vectors as they apply to soft and bony tissues. These include the Laplace's Law as applied to colonic perforation, compression therapy, parturition, variceal rupture, disc herniations etc. The Pascal's Law finds use in hernia repair and the Heimlich maneuver.

YouTube as a source of information on kidney stone disease.

Objective: To look into effective use of popular Internet site YouTube as an information source on kidney stone disease. Urolithiasis is among the most common urological conditions, accounting for significant morbidity, however adequate education regarding simple lifestyle modifications and early recognition of symptoms can reduce recurrence and visits to emergency department.

Materials And Methods: YouTube was searched using Keywords "nephrolithiasis"; "renal calculi"; "renal stones"; and "kidney stones" for videos uploaded containing relevant information about the disease.

Association of exclusive smokeless tobacco consumption with hypertension in an adult male rural population of India.

Introduction: Tobacco consumption is a major source of mortality and morbidity in India . Prevalence of smokeless tobacco (ST) consumption in India is around 20%. Studies have shown increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors and an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular events among the ST consumers.