Adenocarcinoma arising in Barrett's epithelium is seen with increasing frequency. Most patients are diagnosed with advanced cancer, and the overall survival is less than 15%. Therefore novel preventive and therapeutic strategies are needed. Molecular markers are being developed that may predict which patients with Barrett's will develop cancer. Combined modality therapy with chemotherapy and surgery has been studied extensively in clinical trials. Although the results of these studies suggest improved survival, definitive proof must await completion of ongoing randomized trials. Surgical resection of adenocarcinoma provides restoration of swallowing and local tumor control with a low operative mortality.

Adenocarcinoma↗

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Neutrophil activation by recombinant cytokines.

Interest in the use of recombinant cytokines for immunotherapy is increasing as more information becomes available on the influences of these products on effector cells (e.g., neutrophils) involved in the resistance of the host to disease. This review summarizes the information available on in vitro and in vivo activation of neutrophils by recombinant cytokines. The emerging theme is that various cytokines (e.g., colony-stimulating factors, interleukins, tumor necrosis factors, and interferons) have direct and often synergistic abilities that activate the neutrophil to have enhanced cytocidal activity towards microbial and cellular stimuli. Equally important (although less well studied), cytokines have been shown in some cases to enhance the function of neutrophils isolated from immunosuppressed animals. These neutrophils have depressed function, and influences of cytokines on these cells may be different from their influences on normal neutrophils. Only recombinant cytokine data are included in this review because of the potential for contamination of naturally produced cytokines with unknown biologically active substances.

Animals↗

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Soy fiber delays disease onset and prolongs survival in experimental Clostridium difficile ileocecitis.

Clostridium difficile colitis is a disabling complication in critically ill patients who commonly receive broad-spectrum antibiotics and liquid diets. To date, there is no experimental model specifically designed to investigate the effects of liquid diets on this type of colitis. The addition of fiber to liquid diets normalizes gut structure and improves absorptive function in selected conditions of intestinal dysfunction. The purposes of this study were the following: (1) to develop a reproducible model to examine the interaction of acute C difficile-induced colitis and liquid diets, (2) to determine whether the addition of soy fiber to a liquid diet improves disease, and (3) to investigate possible mechanisms of fiber-mediated disease improvement. Syrian hamsters were pair-fed with either a polymeric liquid diet or the same diet with 1.4% soy fiber for 10 days. Animals were given either clindamycin and C difficile (to produce ileocecitis), or equivalent volumes of saline. Mean survival time and systematic stool examinations for C difficile toxin positivity, liquidity, and percent water were performed to determine the effect of soy fiber on disease. Survival time was prolonged by 34% (p < .05), and C difficile toxin positivity and stool liquidity were significantly reduced (p < .05) with fiber. Additional animals were studied to determine possible mechanisms for improved survival in fiber-supplemented animals. Cecal histology, colonic water absorption, cecal microflora, and gastric to anus transit time were measured in these animals. Colonic water absorption and gastric to anus transit time were significantly increased (p < .05) and decreased (p < .05) with fiber, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

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Restoration of bax in prostate cancer suppresses tumor growth and augments therapeutic cell death induction.

BACKGROUND: Cancer cells are characterized by multiple genetic defects which result in altered rates of cell division, cell death and ability to differentiate. These same molecular alterations may also contribute to therapeutic resistance. We examined the potential contribution of the pro-apoptotic gene, bax, to suppressing the growth of prostate cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The bax-deficient DU145 prostate cancer cell line was transfected with a hemagluttinin-tagged bax (HA-bax) vector to generate stable expressing bax clones. RESULTS: Ha-bax clones exhibited a significant reduction in tumor growth compared to vector control and parental cells when xenografted into nude mice. HA-bax clones were significantly more sensitive to cell death induction by cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, etoposide, doxorubicin and gamma-radiation than vector control cells. Sensitivity to paclitaxel remained unaltered in the Ha-bax cells. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that bax may possess a tumor suppressor function in prostatic glandular epithelial cells and be an important determinant of sensitivity to therapeutic cell death induction.

Animals↗

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Weapons and minority youth violence.

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Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The effects of unilateral and bilacteral labyrinthectomy on optokinetic and flash-induced nystagmus in the cat.

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Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Anti-oncogene and tumor suppressor gene therapy--examples from a lung cancer animal model.

Rapid advances in cancer gene therapy are driven by an explosive development of gene transfer technology and a strong demand for effective alternatives to unsatisfactory conventional cancer therapies. Discovery of the genetic basis of cancer has indicated that cancer is a disease of genes. Among a variety of approaches to gene therapy of cancer, anti-oncogene and tumor suppressor gene therapy of cancer are the two strategies that aim at correcting genetic disorders of cancer. The potential effectiveness of these approaches is promised by their precise targeting at the mechanisms of the disease. Successful examples of human lung cancer animal models by applying anti-K-ras retrovirus and recombinant p53 adenovirus are reviewed. Future development of these approaches towards clinical application is also discussed.

Adenoviridae↗