Development and characterization of HAT-sensitive Ewing tumour cells for immunotherapy.

Background: Despite improvements in the treatment of patients with Ewing family tumours (EFT) during the past decades, the prognosis for patients with advanced disease is still unsatisfying. New treatment strategies have to be developed.

Materials And Methods: A hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine (HAT)-sensitive EFT cell line was developed by repetitive treatment of the EFT cell line SK-N-MC with 8'-azaguanine (8AG).

Influence of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms on efficacy and toxicity of methotrexate in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Objective: To study the relationship of C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene to toxicity and efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and restriction enzyme analysis of DNA extracted from peripheral blood cells. The fasting plasma homocysteine concentration was analyzed by enzyme immunoassay.