Application of the 64-slice computed tomography as a diagnostic method in acute posttraumatic ischaemia of the upper limbs - 3 case reports.

Background: Acute limb ischaemia' is a sudden, rapidly progressing inhibition of blood supply to a limb, characterised by appearance of new symptoms or by aggravation of the already existing ones, which may lead to amputation of the limb. Computed tomography angiography (CTA) performed with a multislice scanner belongs to methods used for arterial imaging in acute limb ischaemia. The main advantages of this method include: short examination time, low invasiveness, and possibility of a multiplanar and multivolume imaging of the vessels and adjacent tissues.

Complexity, retinoid-responsive gene networks, and bladder carcinogenesis.

Carcinogenesis involves inactivation or subversion of the normal controls of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, these controls are robust, redundant, and interlinked at the gene expression levels, regulation of mRNA lifetimes, transcription, and recycling of proteins. One of the central systems of control of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis is retinoid signaling.

Retinoid signaling in immortalized and carcinoma-derived human uroepithelial cells.

This paper investigates the presence and functionality of retinoid signaling pathways in human urinary bladder carcinoma and SV40-immortalized uroepithelial cell lines. Only two of eight cell lines were proliferation-inhibited by 10 microM of either all-trans or 13-cis-retinoic acid. Transactivation of the CAT gene under control of a retinoid-responsive element demonstrated functionality of the signaling pathway in both sensitive cell lines and four of six resistant cell lines.

Expression of retinoid-responsive genes occurs in colorectal carcinoma-derived cells irrespective of the presence of resistance to all-trans retinoic acid.

Background And Objectives: Retinoids are metabolized in human intestinal epithelial cells to all-trans retinoic acid; however, it is unknown whether these cells express retinoid receptors, and whether sensitivity or resistance to the hormone is associated with a particular pattern of expression of retinoid-responsive genes.

Methods: Northern blot analysis and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to identify mRNAs for retinoid receptors. Both Relative RT-PCR and transfection of retinoid-inducible plasmid were applied to test functionality of the pathway in a model system for colorectal carcinoma progression (primary SW480, all-trans retinoic acid-sensitive cells vs.

Expression of sex steroid receptor genes and comodulation with retinoid signaling in normal human uroepithelial cells and bladder cancer cell lines.

The expression of sex steroid receptor genes in human uroepithelial cells (UEC) and their role in bladder carcinogenesis is unknown. Expression of androgen receptor (hAR), estrogen receptor (hER), and vitamin d3 receptor (hVDR3) genes in normal human stromal cells (SC) and UEC, six bladder cancer cell lines, and two SV-40-immortalized cell lines (SVC) was determined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Functionality was assessed indirectly by relative RT-PCR, which identified comodulation of mRNA expression between retinoic acid and sex steroid receptor genes.

Retinoids and secosteroids induce gene expression in human colorectal carcinoma-derived cells but the macroscopic-scale effects remain unpredictable.

Expression of a number of retinoid-responsive genes (hRAR alpha, CRABP I, CRABP II, MK cytokine) and secosteroid-responsive genes (hVD3R, Calbindin) was studied in in vitro model of human colorectal carcinoma by Relative RT-PCR. MK cytokine mRNA has been identified in human colonocytes for the first time. Proliferation of SW480 cells was inhibited by 5 microM all-trans retinoic acid and 5 microM 1 alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol; however, SW620 cells were not inhibited by all-trans retinoic acid.