Preliminary studies concerning the culture of cryopreserved bovine corneal endothelium.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to C A Carter.
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Recurrence of pressure ulcers is a serious problem following myocutaneous flap surgery and can lead to prolonged and expensive hospitalization. One of the most important aspects of patient care after surgery is the monitoring of reduced pressure in the area of the flap. Usually reducing pressure requires an expensive high-tech support surface. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a less expensive support surface. There were 12 patients involved in a clinical trial that lasted 14 days and compared the effectiveness of the ROHO dry-floatation mattress to that of the Clinitron bed. Findings indicated that post-operative patients were effectively treated on either support surface.
BACKGROUND: All-trans retinoic acid is currently used in clinical trials in combination with tamoxifen to treat breast cancer, and 13-cis retinoic acid is used with a-interferon to treat metastatic endometrial cancer. We examined the effects of all-trans retinoic acid and 13-cis RA alone on endometrial adenocarcinoma (RL95-2) cells to investigate the cell biological mechanisms by which retinoic acid may reduce the metastatic phenotype and induce differentiation. METHODS: RL95-2 cells were seeded onto 4-chamber plastic slides and treated with 13-cis retinoic acid or all-trans retinoic at 0.5 microM, 1 microM and 5 microM doses for 90 minutes at 37 degrees C and stained for F-actin. RESULTS: Untreated RL95-2 cells exhibited staining of disrupted aggregates of F-actin only near the cell periphery. Cells treated with the three doses of 13-cis retinoic acid exhibited a dramatic reorganization of F-actin throughout the cells. When cells were treated with 0.5 microM all-trans retinoic acid, actin filaments reorganized. Cells treated with 1 microM all-trans retinoic acid and 5 microM all-trans retinoic acid displayed increased organization of F-actin and cell size increased. The percentage of S-phase cells increased at the high doses of retinoic acid treatment. This effect was apparently transient, since retinoic acid did not significantly affect cell growth. CONCLUSION: An organized cytoskeleton and an increase in cell size are associated with differentiation. We suggest that retinoic acid exerts its effects on these transformed cells by reorganizing actin filaments, and inducing differentiation, thus inducing a more stationary phenotype.
BACKGROUND: Patients with poorly differentiated endometrial cancers have a worse prognosis than patients with well-differentiated endometrial cancers. If poorly differentiated cells in endometrial cancers could be induced to differentiate, they would be more responsive to hormonal manipulation, and survival rates would be increased. We set up an in vitro model system to examine the effects of retinoic acid on human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells at three states of differentiation. METHODS: Cells were treated with pharmacological doses of 13-cis or all-trans retinoic acid (0.5 microM, 1 microM or 5 microM), and stained for mucins or actin filaments. RESULTS: Untreated undifferentiated (KLE) cells lack organized actin filaments and cytoplasmic mucins. Treatment with 5 microM retinoic acid caused some reorganization of actin filaments, but cytoplasmic mucins remained absent. Moderately differentiated (RL95-2) cells differentiated the most with retinoic acid treatment evidenced by a dramatic reorganization of actin filaments and an increase in cytoplasmic mucins. Untreated or treated well differentiated (Ishikawa) cells possessed well organized actin filaments and exhibit positive staining for cytoplasmic mucins. CONCLUSION: Retinoic acid causes cellular differentiation in less differentiated human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells.