Antiangiogenic metronomic chemotherapy and hyperthermia in the palliation of advanced cancer.

Among a large series of cancer patients treated with a combination of chemotherapy and sessions of hyperthermia, particular attention was given to a specific group of patients with advanced cancer who refused standard, aggressive, treatment. In these cases, hyperthermia was associated to low-dose (metronomic) chemotherapy. No toxicity was reported in any of our patients, while a marginal benefit in terms of tumour progression was observed.

Endovascular Thermal Coagulation Using the Double-Helix GDC. Feasibility Study in Experimental Aneurysms.

An experimental study was undertaken to explore the possibility of treating this subset of aneurysms with thermal coagulation. Endovascular endosaccular thermal coagulation of experimental aneurysms was successfully performed using a radiofrequency electrical current applied to a novel device, the double-helix GDC. Theoretically this technique could be utilized in selected patients to occlude large and giant intracranial aneurysms.

Testosterone:estradiol ratio changes associated with long-term tadalafil administration: a pilot study.

Introduction: It has been reported that lack of sexual activity due to erectile dysfunction (ED) may be associated with testosterone (T) decline.

Aim: To investigate whether the known changes in sex hormones associated with resumption of sexual activity are sustained in the long term.

Main Outcome Measures: Primary endpoints were variations from baseline of steroid hormones: total T, free T (f T), and estradiol (E).

Impaired nociception and inflammatory pain sensation in mice lacking the prokineticin receptor PKR1: focus on interaction between PKR1 and the capsaicin receptor TRPV1 in pain behavior.

Bv8, prokineticin-1 or EG-VEGF (endocrine gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor), and prokineticin-2, are naturally occurring peptide agonists of two G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), prokineticin receptor 1 (PKR1) and PKR2. PKRs are expressed in neurons in the CNS and peripheral nervous system and many dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells expressing PKRs also express transient receptor potential vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV1). Mice lacking the pkr1 gene were generated to explore the role of the PKR1 receptor in nociceptive signaling and in nociceptor sensitization.

Report of two cases of controlateral groin recurrence after ipsilateral groin node dissection for vulval cancer.

Among the more conservative management strategies intended to individualize the surgical treatment of vulval cancer, ispilateral groin dissection is proposed for T1-T2 lateral lesions. Since patients found negative for metastatic nodes in the ipsilateral groin and developing unexpected recurrences in the controlateral non-dissected groin have a poor outcome, it is useful to report such cases to better evaluate the safety of these less aggressive surgical procedures.

Anterior cervical fusion with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages in the treatment of degenerative disc disease. Preliminary observations in 36 consecutive cases with a minimum 12-month follow-up.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of 36 cases of degenerative disc disease treated by interbody fusion with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficiency of PEEK cages for anterior cervical fusion (ACF).

Summary Of Background Data: ACF with autologous bone has been reported since over 50 years ago.

The head-centered meridian effect: auditory attention orienting in conditions of impaired visuo-spatial information.

This paper examines the characteristics of spatial attention orienting in situations of visual impairment. Two groups of subjects, respectively schizophrenic and blind, with different degrees of visual spatial information impairment, were tested. In Experiment 1, the schizophrenic subjects were instructed to detect an auditory target, which was preceded by a visual cue.

Downregulation of the major histocompatibility complex class I molecules by human herpesvirus type 8 and impaired natural killer cell activity in primary effusion lymphoma development.

Primary effusion lymphomas (PELs) are invariably infected by human herpesvirus type 8 (HHV8) and often co-infected by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). We found that expression of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) surface molecules was significantly decreased in PEL cells when compared with HHV8 negative lymphomas, irrespective of EBV infection. MHC-I downregulation rendered PEL cells sensitive to recognition and killing by natural killer (NK) cells.

Biochemical and molecular genetic correlation in adenylosuccinate lyase deficiency.

An homology model of human adenylosuccinate lyase structure shows that P100A substitution distorts the amino acid chain of domain I in the proximity of His-86, which behaves as general acid in the catalysis, and may expose Cys-98 and Cys-99 to oxidising agents. This model is in line with the observation that the defective protein is strongly inhibited by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, an hydroxyalkenal that is known to form thio-ether linkage with proteins.

Urinary methylxanthine and autistic disorder: absence of previously reported correlation.

We were unable to reveal significant difference in the levels of xanthine and methylxanthines in the urine samples from 59 patients diagnosed with autistic symptoms and 64 age- and sex-matched normal volunteers. Our data suggest that abnormalities in xanthine and methylxanthine excretion (US Patent 20020019406 A1, Feb. 12, 2002) represent distincly uncommon symptoms in autism.

Toward a quantitative analysis of skin lesion images.

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Skin cancers, and particularly melanomas, can be easily cured if detected early. The regularity of the pigment network structure is a significant sign for early diagnosis of melanoma.

Influence of ionic strength, sample size, and flow conditions on the retention behavior of pullulan in flow field-flow fractionation.

Polymer molecular parameters such as hydrodynamic size are expected to be invariant regardless of the technique used to measure them, and to vary only, to some extent, with the solvent power and the polymer structure and properties as predicted from polymer chemistry. The hydrodynamic size of five pullulan standards derived from FlFFF in solutions of different ionic strength appears to correlate well to molecular mass as expected for neutral polymers for all fractions except that of lower mass. The correlation also holds for large amounts of injected sample even though with a slope which increases with rising polymer load.

Acute stroke effects on emotions: an interpretation through the mirror system.

Purpose Of Review: The most recent reports on emotional consequences of stroke are hereby reviewed and analyzed. In particular the interpretation of some neurological presentations found in stroke patients, such as athymormia, dysprosody, emotional incontinence and emotional blunting is discussed. As current theories on mental functions do not provide satisfactory explanations for the above syndromes, a novel interpretative framework is proposed, based on neuropsychological experimental data on the 'mirror system'.

Deacetylase recruitment by the C/H3 domain of the acetyltransferase p300.

The balance between acetylation and deacetylation of histone and nonhistone proteins controls gene expression in a variety of cellular processes, with transcription being activated by acetyltransferases and silenced by deacetylases. We report here the formation and enzymatic characterization of a complex between the acetyltransferase p300 and histone deacetylases. The C/H3 region of p300 was found to co-purify deacetylase activity from nuclear cell extracts.

Prognosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis-associated uveitis.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and the visual prognosis of uveitis in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA).

Methods: The authors examined 63 patients with uveitis and JRA observed from January 1985 to December 2000. The following characteristics of each patient were considered: age at first visit, age at onset of uveitis and arthritis, sex, laterality and localization of uveitis, ocular complications, antinuclear antibody (ANA) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DR11 positivity, and follow-up.

Medical therapy of sexual dysfunction.

The recent development of new medications for the treatment of the sexual dysfunction increased the possibility of improving the altered sexual performance. Although initially designed for the treatment of male sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction in particular, these substances have now been tested for the therapy of a broad range of sexual dysfunction also in the female. Here we will briefly review the therapeutic options currently available and the potential of new pharmacological treatments for male and female sexual dysfunction.

Extracts of various species of Epilobium inhibit proliferation of human prostate cells.

This study examined whether various species of Epilobium, a phytotherapeutic agent used in folk medicine as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia, may have an antiproliferative effect in PZ-HPV-7 human prostatic epithelial cells in-vitro. The MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide) test, [methyl-(3)H]thymidine incorporation into DNA and flow cytometry analysis were used to evaluate cell proliferation. Ethanolic extracts of E.

New beta-adrenergic agonists used illicitly as growth promoters in animal breeding: chemical and pharmacodynamic studies.

Clenbuterol and beta-adrenergic receptor agonist drugs are illegally used as growth promoters in animal production. Pharmacologically active residues in edible tissues led to intoxication outbreaks in several countries. Pressure of official controls pulsed synthesis of new compounds to escape analytical procedures.

Flow field-flow fractionation and characterization of ionic and neutral polysaccharides of vegetable and microbial origin.

The flow field-flow fractionation (FlFFF) analysis of a variety of neutral as well as ionic polysaccharides from plants and micro-organisms shows the generally broad distribution in molecular size of these polymers. This result is also obtained on a commercial sample of pullulan whose size distribution appears much wider than that of any of five standard fractions of the same polymer. Clear evidence of some physico-chemical properties of the polysaccharides is given by the study of the effect of the carrier ionic strength on salep, oxidized salep and konjac, carboxymethylcellulose and hyaluronic acid.

Sex-related variations in serum nerve growth factor concentration in humans.

A role of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the neuro-endocrine-immune interactions has been recently suggested by the presence of NGF and its receptors in cells of the immune and endocrine systems. The improvement in the comprehension of the role played by NGF in humans is linked to the availability of a sensitive and reliable method to quantify NGF concentrations in body fluids and tissues. As a consequence of different methods used, normal levels of human serum NGF reported in the literature show wide differences.

Increased expression of AP2 and Sp1 transcription factors in human thyroid tumors: a role in NIS expression regulation?

Background: Sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) is a key protein in iodide transport by thyroid cells and this activity is a prerequisite for effective radioiodide treatment of thyroid cancer. In the majority of thyroid cancers, however, iodide uptake is reduced, probably as a result of decreased NIS protein expression.

Methods: To identify the mechanisms that negatively affect NIS expression in thyroid tumors, we performed electrophoresis mobility shift assays and immunoblot analysis of nuclear protein extracts from normal and tumoral thyroid tissues from 14 unrelated patients.

Diagnostic value of urinary orotic acid levels: applicable separation methods.

Urinary orotic acid determination is a useful tool for screening hereditary orotic aciduria and for differentiating the hyperammonemia disorders which cannot be readily diagnosed by amino acid chromatography, thus reducing the need for enzyme determination in tissue biopsies. This review provides an overview of metabolic aberrations that may be related to increased orotic acid levels in urine, and summarises published methods for separation, identification and quantitative determination of orotic acid in urine samples. Applications of high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and capillary electrophoresis to the analysis of urinary specimens are described.

Long-term results of patients with pT2 rectal cancer treated with radiotherapy and transanal endoscopic microsurgical excision.

Anterior resection and abdomino-perineal resection are the surgical techniques used most frequently in the treatment of rectal cancer. Local recurrence rates of 10% to 14% are described after these conventional procedures. Preoperative neoadjuvant radiotherapy reduces local failure.