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Biomedical subjects

S Lang

Publications and source records attributed to S Lang.

355 records · Page 20Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Targeting head and neck cancer by GM-CSF-mediated gene therapy in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) has remained poor during the last decades, emphasizing the need for new treatment modalities. Consequently, the objective of our study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of cytokine-mediated gene therapy in SCCHN in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS/RESULTS: The SCCHN cell line PCI-1 was transduced by lipofection with a plasmid encoding the human granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Transfection of PCI-1 resulted in the production of significant amounts of GM-CSF as tested by ELISA. Enhanced proliferation of a GM-CSF sensitive cell line, TF-1, after incubation with supernatants of GM-CSF-transduced tumor cells demonstrated the release of biological active GM-CSF from these PCI-1 cells. In addition, GM-CSF-secreting PCI-1 cells enhanced antitumor cytotoxicity of allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells, as tested in 24h-MTT-cytotoxicity assays. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of GM-CSF-mediated stimulation of the antitumor immune response against SCCHN in vitro and may help to define new strategies in the treatment of this malignancy.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Immune restoration in head and neck cancer patients via cyclooxygenase inhibition: an update.

Most carcinomas overexpress cyclooxygenase, especially COX-2, thus secreting large amounts of immunosuppressive prostaglandins. Epidemiological data and animal models have provided evidence that inhibition of cyclooxygenase and thus prostaglandin E2 synthesis via non-steroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibits tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, it could be demonstrated that chemoprevention, i.e. the long-term use of NSAIDs, significantly reduced the risk of developing certain types of cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these antineoplastic effects are not entirely understood. This review focuses on prostaglandin-mediated immunosuppressive mechanisms in head and neck cancer and presents immunorestorative strategies via cyclooxygenase inhibition in vitro and in vivo with special emphasis on COX-2. A better understanding of the interaction of tumors with the immune system and how the process of carcinogenesis can be antagonized by selectively modulating the activity of specific enzymes such as COX-2 will provide the rationale for the use of NSAIDs for chemoprevention or immunoadjuvant cancer therapies.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Importance of bidirectional arterial flow in dialysis fistula construction.

The normal direction of blood flow in end of cephalic vein to side of radial artery arteriovenous dialysis fistulas in the wrist was antegrade in the proximal arterial limb and retrograde through the distal arterial limb. There were no instances of arterial insufficiency in the hand due to a steal phenomenon. These findings support the surgical construction of end of vein to side of artery fistulas.

Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Incidence of recurrence of aneurysmal bone cysts following surgical treatment and adjuvant therapy with phenol].

Between 1966 and 1991, at the Department of Orthopaedics 34 patients with a mean age of 15.7 years (range 7-46 years) underwent surgery because of aneurysmatic bone cysts. Mean follow-up was 11 years (range 1-26.3 years). We observed a total rate of recurrence of 11.8%. In a group of 9 patients who received local phenol therapy after curettage and bone transplantation no recurrence was observed. The different surgical and conservative methods of treatment are discussed also with respect to rates of recurrence stated in the literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cost containment in cardiac surgery: results with a critical pathway for coronary bypass surgery at the New York hospital-Cornell Medical Center.

PURPOSE: A multidisciplinary project was undertaken at The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center to develop critical pathways for open-heart surgery to help reduce cost, shorten hospital length of stay (LOS), and streamline patient care. METHODS: A critical pathway for elective coronary artery bypass grafting instituted on March 1, 1995, was developed through a cooperative effort involving surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, nutritionists, and patient case managers. Prospective data collected on consecutive patients forming a critical pathway group (n = 114) over a 6-month period were compared with retrospective data on consecutive patients forming a cohort group (n = 382) who underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting in 1994. RESULTS: The critical pathway group of patients experienced a significantly shorter total hospital LOS (7.7 +/- 2.3 days vs 11.1 +/- 6 days, p < 0.0001) and shorter intensive care unit LOS (1.5 +/- 0.9 days vs 2.0 +/- 2.8 days, p < 0.0001). Direct costs were computed by use of hospital charges multiplied by the Medicare cost-to-charge ratio. Mean hospital direct cost (ancillary resources) was $1181 lower in the critical pathway group when compared with the control group (p < 0.0001). The postoperative mortality and readmission rates were similar for the two groups of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The ongoing analysis of cost, LOSs, and outcomes has made possible a process of continuous quality improvement on the cardiothoracic service in which further areas for improvement are identified and studied. The use of a critical pathway for elective coronary artery bypass grafting at our institution significantly reduced hospital LOS and direct costs while maintaining the overall quality of patient care.

Coronary Artery Bypass↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The primary culture of rat prostate basal cells.

The objective of this study was to identify the cells from rat prostate epithelium that attach and proliferate in primary culture. Minced ventral prostate was dissociated by DNAse/collagenase digestion, suspended in RPMI-1640 containing 10% fetal bovine serum, and subjected to Percoll centrifugation to separate the epithelial cells from stromal cells. With the use of lectins, it became possible to identify and monitor the fate of the dissociated epithelial cells held in suspension at 37 degrees C for several hours. In tissue sections of the rat prostate, Griffonia simplicifolia I-isolectin B4 (GSI-B4) specifically bound to basal cells, while Glycine maximus (soybean agglutinin [SBA]) was specific for secretory cells. Double staining with lectins and propidium iodide of dissociated cells revealed a preponderance of GSI-B4-positive live cells. The cells were plated in WAJC-404 medium supplemented with various factors, including insulin (5 ng/ml), transferrin (5 ng/ml), EGF (10 ng/ml), and bovine pituitary extract (30 microg/ml). Epithelial colonies that formed and proliferated from these cells also stained positively for GSI-B4 marker and for cytokeratins specific for basal cells as assessed by immunocytochemical staining. Proliferation was greater in cells grown on a collagen Type I matrix. These findings suggest that the epithelial cells that survived in suspension and proliferated in culture originated from basal cells of the rat prostate epithelium.

Animals↗