Radiotherapy utilization in developing countries: An IAEA study.

Background: The planning of national radiotherapy (RT) services requires a thorough knowledge of the country's cancer epidemiology profile, the radiotherapy utilization (RTU) rates and a future projection of these data. Previous studies have established RTU rates in high-income countries.

Methods: Optimal RTU (oRTU) rates were determined for nine middle-income countries, following the epidemiological evidence-based method.

Guidelines for equipment and staffing of radiotherapy facilities in the European countries: final results of the ESTRO-HERO survey.

Background And Purpose: In planning to meet evidence based needs for radiotherapy, guidelines for the provision of capital and human resources are central if access, quality and safety are not to be compromised. A component of the ESTRO-HERO (Health Economics in Radiation Oncology) project is to document the current availability and content of guidelines for radiotherapy in Europe.

Materials And Methods: An 84 part questionnaire was distributed to the European countries through their national scientific and professional radiotherapy societies with 30 items relating to the availability of guidelines for equipment and staffing and selected operational issues.

Comparative in vitro study regarding the biocompatibility of titanium-base composites infiltrated with hydroxyapatite or silicatitanate.

Background: The development of novel biomaterials able to control cell activities and direct their fate is warranted for engineering functional bone tissues. Adding bioactive materials can improve new bone formation and better osseointegration. Three types of titanium (Ti) implants were tested for in vitro biocompatibility in this comparative study: Ti6Al7Nb implants with 25% total porosity used as controls, implants infiltrated using a sol-gel method with hydroxyapatite (Ti HA) and silicatitanate (Ti SiO2).

Quantitative expression of serum biomarkers involved in angiogenesis and inflammation, in patients with glioblastoma multiforme: correlations with clinical data.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents a very aggressive brain tumor. Angiogenesis is the formation of a network of new blood vessels, from preexisting ones. It plays an important role in the formation of the tumor, as it supplies it with oxygen and nutrients.

Superior cytotoxicity and DNA cross-link induction by oxaliplatin versus cisplatin at lower cellular uptake in colorectal cancer cell lines.

Platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents are considered among the most potent anticancer drugs used in the treatment of human tumors. Cisplatin is efficient in the treatment of testicular, ovarian, bladder, and head and neck carcinomas, although its use is limited by severe nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity and resistance. Oxaliplatin has consistently exerted antitumor activity in colon, ovarian, and lung cancers and shown less toxicity than its analogue.

Antiproliferative effect and genotoxicity of novel synthesized palladium complexes with organoarsenic ligands.

Three new palladium complexes with general formula [PdCl(2)L(2)], where L=heterofunctional organoarsenic ligand: (2-isopropoxyphenyl)diphenylarsine (1), (2-methoxyphenyl)-diphenylarsine (2) and (2-hydroxyphenyl)diphenylarsine (3) have been synthesized and fully characterized, including X-ray crystallographic data. Their potential antitumor effect and genotoxicity have been studied as well. The viability test performed on human tumor (MLS) and normal (Hfl-1) cell lines indicates significant cytotoxicity of complexes, which is higher in tumor cells than in normal cells.