Influence of socioeconomic environment on survival in patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer: a population-based study.

The influence of social environment on survival in patients with cancer has been demonstrated in many studies, subjects living in the most deprived areas having a poorer prognosis. Geographic remoteness and limited access to specialized care centers are often associated with socioeconomic deprivation. The aim was to assess the influence of social environment and geographic remoteness on the relative survival of patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer between 1997 and 2004 in the department of Calvados in France.

Analytical comparison of three quantitative immunochemical fecal occult blood tests for colorectal cancer screening.

Background: The superiority of several immunochemical fecal occult blood tests (I-FOBT) over guaiac-based tests in colorectal cancer screening is now established. The aim of this study was to compare the analytical performance of 3 quantitative I-FOBTs.

Methods: Stool samples from 10 healthy volunteers, initially I-FOBT negative, supplemented with human blood, were used to compare reproducibility and stability of measurement at varying storage temperatures (4°C, 10°C, 20°C, and 30°C) and durations before test analysis (1 to 10 days) for 3 I-FOBTs (New Hemtube/Magstream HT, OC-Auto sampling bottle3/OC-Sensor DIANA, and FOB Gold/SENTiFOB).

Enriched housing reverses age-associated impairment of cognitive functions and tPA-dependent maturation of BDNF.

Although tissue type plasminogen activator (tPA) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been extensively described to influence brain outcomes in a number of disorders, their roles during physiological aging are poorly investigated. In the present study, we investigated whether maintenance of mice in different environmental conditions could influence age-associated changes in hippocampal tPA expression and BDNF maturation in relation with modifications of their cognitive performances. Our data indicate that maintenance in enriched housing led to a reversal of age-associated decrease in expression of hippocampal tPA.