Science to Practice: Systemic Implications of Ablative Tumor Therapies-Reality Uncovered and Myths Exposed?

In their effort to characterize the systemic "off-target" effects of radiofrequency (RF) ablation and irreversible electroporation (IRE), Bulvik et al demonstrated substantial differences in physiologic, tumorigenic, and immunologic responses between the two ablative modalities. By establishing that IRE may in fact stimulate more robust inflammatory and systemic reactions than RF at liver ablation, the authors conclude that the selection of a given ablation energy source may alter the clinical outcome depending on the circumstance-both favorably and unfavorably.

Science to practice: can antioxidant supplements protect against the possible harmful effects of ionizing radiation from medical imaging?

A novel mixture of antioxidants was shown to reduce formation of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs), as indicated by phosphorylated histone variant g-H2AX foci, in human lymphocytes following in vitro radiation with a radiation dose equivalent to 10 mGy (1). While provocative, it is too soon to conclude that antioxidant supplements should be used to protect against any future harmful effects of ionizing radiation potentially associated with medical imaging (2). It is unclear whether g-H2AX foci are associated with increased cancer rates, no experimental study has found any protective agent to reduce future cancer rates, and exposures typical of diagnostic imaging examinations are in the range that epidemiologic investigation is unable to detect an increase in cancer rates (even if one exists).

Pretreatments before the induction of ovulation in assisted reproduction technologies: evidence-based medicine in 2007.

Many pretreatment modalities used prior to ovulation induction have been proposed to increase the success rate in women undergoing assisted reproductive technologies. However, no clear evidence from well-designed clinical trials has shown a benefit of these treatments. We conducted a systematic review to explore the effect of different pretreatment therapies on outcomes of in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles.