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At least 1,297 records · Page 72Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

[Bladder cancer chemotherapy practice study].

OBJECTIVE: To study chemotherapy practice in invasive bladder cancer in a cancer centre (Centre Léon Bérard). MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study concerned all patients treated by chemotherapy between 1994 and 2000, either in the adjuvant setting (38) or for metastatic disease (66). RESULTS: Twenty four of the 38 patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy were treated with MVAC, 21% developed febrile neutropenia and 60% relapsed. The median recurrence-free survival was 12 months. In patients treated for metastatic disease, the objective response rate was 36% and the median survival with advanced disease after chemotherapy was 10 months. These results are in line with those reported in large-scale randomized trials. The toxicity of chemotherapy was also fairly high (21% of febrile neutropenia). CONCLUSION: Prospective studies help to optimize chemotherapy protocols, but practice studies show the limited results and the high toxicity. The benefit/risk ratio must be carefully considered.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed2002

Sentinel lymph node evaluation for tumor metastasis.

The sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure for evaluation of metastatic tumor has become a common procedure for breast carcinoma and malignant melanoma. There is little standardization in the histopathologic management of these specimens. The history, technical details, and histopathologic work-up for sentinel lymph node biopsy are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the intraoperative consultation and a protocol for optimal histopathologic management is presented.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Sucrose preculture to simplify cryopreservation of banana meristem cultures.

A simple cryopreservation method is described for proliferating meristem cultures of banana (Musa spp.). It relies on a 2-week preculture on media containing 0.4 M sucrose followed by rapid cooling in liquid nitrogen. Different preculture media were screened for efficient protection of banana meristems against cryopreservation. Sucrose can be replaced by both fructose and glucose without significantly affecting post-thaw survival rates. A high BA concentration (0.1 mM) in the preculture medium results in less material available for cryopreservation, but does not affect cryoprotection. Culture in liquid media significantly improved post-thaw regeneration. The optimized cryopreservation protocol was applied on 36 banana accessions belonging to 8 different genomic groups. It is shown that post-thaw regeneration frequencies (ranging between 0 and 66 percent) are highly dependent on the genomic constitution of the banana cultivar.

Cryopreservation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Automated multiple peptide synthesis.

A fully automated instrument for multiple simultaneous peptide synthesis was constructed to provide large numbers of peptides for immunological research. The synthesis is performed in a flow-through mode with the conventional solid supports contained in 48 individual reaction columns. The instrument is based on a commercial autosampler equipped with a motor-driven syringe for accurate delivery of reagents and a robot arm carrying a dispenser needle. Dedicated software was developed to compile overlapping peptides from a given protein sequence and to control all functions of the robot. In situ activation by BOP was chosen as the optimized chemistry protocol. The peptides are cleaved from the resin in the reactors used for synthesis, thus minimizing handling. Performance of the instrument was demonstrated by synthesis of overlapping 14-mer peptides derived from the sequence of HIV reversed transcriptase. A second mode of operation allows the synthesis to be carried out on the surface of polyethylene pins. Peptides derived from the sequence of human TNF were synthesized using this method and used to characterize antibodies raised against the intact protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2003

[Adipose tissue-derived stromal cells differentiate into neuron-like cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possibility of inducing adipose tissue-derived stromal cells to differentiate into neuron-like cells, and to explore a new cell source for central nervous system transplantation. METHODS: beta-mercaptoethanol was adopted to induce the cells to differentiate; undifferentiated cells and differentiated cells were identified with immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: A population of adipose tissue-derived stromal cells were isolated from adult rat adipose tissue; they were processed to obtain a fibroblast-like population of cells and could be maintained in vitro for extended periods with stable population doubling, and they were expanded as undifferentiated cells in culture for more than 10 passages, indicating their proliferative capacity. beta-mercaptoethanol induced the stem cells to express nestin, characteristic of neuronal precursor stem cells at early stage of differentiation, and at late stage they exhibited a neuronal phenotype, expressing neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and neurofilament(NF); with an optimal differentiation protocol, almost 60%-85% of the cells expressed NSE and NF. CONCLUSION: The data support the hypothesis that adult adipose tissue contains stem cells capable of differentiating into neurons.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed2003

Advances in endoscopic disc and spine surgery: foraminal approach.

Endoscopic spine surgery is evolving rapidly due to improvements in surgical technique, endoscope design, and instrumentation. The current technique expands on the basic features and principles of Kambin's access to the spine through the triangular zone. A standardized method for foraminal surgery, the Yeung Endoscopic Spine System (YESS) (Richard Wolf Surgical Instrument Company, Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA) technique is proposed: (1) A protocol for optimal instrument placement by identifying the skin window, annular window, anatomic disc center, and disc inclination plane through topographical coordinates calculated by lines drawn on the skin from the C-Arm image. Adjustments in the trajectory are made to accommodate individual anatomic considerations and the pathologic disorders to be accessed. (2) Evocative Chromo-Discography (Richard Wolf Surgical Instrument Company, Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA). (3) Selective Endoscopic Discectomy (Richard Wolf Surgical Instrument Company, Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA). (4) Thermal discoplasty and annuloplasty. (5) Endoscopic foraminoplasty. (6) Accessing the epidural space in the axilla between the traversing and exiting nerve root. (7) Partially resecting the posterior annulus to get beneath the herniated fragment, if needed. This technique allows access to the epidural space from the lumbar disc as far cephalad as the middle of the vertebral body or approximately 2-3 mm caudally. The foraminal approach is routinely accessible from T-10 to L4-5. L5-S1 can be accessed with special techniques that include foraminoplasty of the lateral facet. Surgical results continue to improve, consistent with refinement of indications and techniques for specific conditions treatable by this endoscopic method.

Cadaver↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of OK-432 on cytotoxic activity in cancer patients without tumor burden.

The present study was designed to determine the optimal therapeutic protocol for OK-432, a streptococcal preparation, and to clarify the kinetics of various immunological parameters following intracutaneous administration of OK-432 in 39 disease-free postoperative patients with early cancer. These patients were randomly divided into 4 groups according to the dose (1KE or 5KE) and the frequency of administration (one or 3 times every other day) of OK-432. NK activity 3-4 days after the first injection increased significantly in patients whose pretreatment baseline activity was below the lower level of normal values (60 LU) in all study groups (P < 0.05). The elevation of post-therapeutic NK activity lasted for 2 weeks in the group of patients given repeated injections. The serum content of cytotoxic activity against L-M cells increased significantly after the injection of OK-432 at doses of more than 5 KE doses (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that repeated injections of OK-432 over a period of a week have important immunotherapeutic results.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Regeneration from mature and immature embryos and transient gene expression via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in emmer wheat (Triticum dicoccum Schuble).

The present study establishes a regeneration protocol and optimizes conditions for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the tetraploid emmer wheat, Triticum dicoccum. Regeneration from mature and immature embryos was accomplished as a two-step process involving callus induction in the presence of 2,4-D followed by regeneration on a 2,4-D free, cytokinin-containing medium (RM1). Higher concentrations of 2,4-D (4 mg/l) though conducive for callusing (89.39% in mature embryos and 96% in immature embryos) proved detrimental for further regeneration. At lower 2,4-D (1 mg/ml) although callusing was suboptimal, (56.8% and 84% from mature and immature embryos, respectively) the regeneration response was the highest on RM1 medium (64.4% and 56.6% from mature and immature embryos, respectively). Overall, the regeneration response of immature embryos was lower than the mature embryos by 10-12%. Due to the ease of availability of mature embryos the mature embryo-derived calli were chosen as the target tissue for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in the two Indian varieties DDK1001 and DDK1009. Histochemical GUS expression revealed the suitability of the mature embryo-derived calli for such investigations. Of the CaMV35S and Act1 promoters employed, the monocot promoter Act1 displayed higher GUS gene activity in the mature embryo derived calli when co-cultivated with LBA4404 (pBI101::Act1).

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1992

Changes in actin state and chemotactic peptide receptor expression in granulocytes during cytokine administration after autologous bone marrow transplantation.

We studied the changes in actin state and chemotactic peptide receptor expression in granulocytes from patients receiving different cytokines following high dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT). The F-actin content in granulocytes was higher in all patients following ABMT. However, in patients receiving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) the increase in F-actin content was much greater than in those not receiving these cytokines (159, 149, and 90% for G-CSF, M-CSF, and noncytokine group, respectively). Patients receiving granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) had only a 62% increase in the F-actin content, which was not statistically significant from patients undergoing ABMT without any cytokines. Although the basal level of F-actin was high following ABMT, granulocytes from all patients showed an additional increase in F-actin content after stimulation with either the chemotactic peptide N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). The chemotactic peptide receptor expression was significantly higher in patients treated with ABMT alone or ABMT plus G-CSF. These observations suggest that the granulocytes generated following ABMT and cytokine administration may have different functional potential depending on the cytokine administered. Further studies to evaluate these potential differences are essential to devise optimal therapeutic protocols for maximizing the granulocyte protective function in this clinical setting.

Actins↗
PubMed1992

Computed tomographic evaluation of silicosis and coal workers' pneumoconiosis.

The introduction of computed tomography (CT) has modified the radiologic approach to silicosis and coal worker's pneumoconiosis considerably, allowing earlier recognition and more precise characterization of pulmonary abnormalities than chest radiography. An optimal approach to CT recognition requires an understanding of the main physiologic and pathologic features that are known to occur in both pneumoconioses. This report focuses on the most common CT features of simple and complicated forms of silicosis and coal worker's pneumoconiosis as well as on the optimal scanning protocol. The respective roles of chest radiographs and CT scans in the recognition of pneumoconiosis and follow-up of exposed workers are discussed.

Coal Mining↗
PubMed2004

Positive tissue transglutaminase antibodies with negative endomysial antibodies: low rate of celiac disease.

BACKGROUND: Screening for celiac disease is based on the sequential evaluation of serologic tests and intestinal biopsy; an optimal screening protocol is still under investigation. The screening policy of one of the main healthcare providers in Israel (Maccabi) consists of measuring total immunoglobulin A and tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies and confirming positive results by endomysial antibodies. For IgA-deficient patients antigliadin IgG is measured. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the use of tTGA as a first-level screening test in patients suspected of having celiac disease METHODS: The results of tTGA and EMA tests over a 3 month period were obtained from the laboratory computer. Letters were sent to the referring physicians of patients with positive tests, requesting clinical information and small intestinal biopsy results. tTGA was performed using an anti-guinea pig tTG-IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: Overall, 2,505 tTGA tests were performed: 216 (8.6%) were tTGA-positive of which 162 (75%) were EMA-negative (group 1) and 54 (25%) EMA-positive (group 2.) Clinical information was obtained for 91 patients in group 1 and 32 in group 2. Small intestinal biopsy was performed in 33 (36%) and 27 patients (84%) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Celiac disease was diagnosed in 4 biopsies (12%) in group 1 and 23 (85%) in group 2 (P < 0.0001). The positive predictive value was 45% for tTGA and 85% for EMA. CONCLUSIONS: Symptomatic patients with positive tTGA and negative EMA have a low rate of celiac disease compared to those who are tTGA-positive and EMA-positive. Confirmation with EMA is advised when tTGA is performed as a first-level screening for suspected celiac disease.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cryopreservation of shoot-tips of citrus using vitrification: effect of reduced form of glutathione.

A commercial citrus scion cultivar, '439' tangor [C. Suavissima Hort. et Tanaka x C. sinensis (L.) Osbesk cv.Gailiangcheng] was used to investigate whether GSH (reduced form of glutathione) could improve survival of a vitrification procedure. The optimal pre-growth treatment was a 3-day pre-culture on basal pre-culture medium (BPM: MT basal medium containing 0.5 mol/L glycerol and 5 % sucrose at pH 5.8). GSH of 40 mg/L in the pre-culture medium improved shoot tip survival after cryopreservation. GSH in the recovery medium also improved survival, with 10 mg/L giving the best result. GSH of 40 mg/L in the loading and vitrification solutions also improved survival. The optimal cryopreservation protocol was successfully applied to 12 other citrus cultivars. This is the first report on the successful cryopreservation of shoot-tips from commercial citrus scion cultivars.

Cell Survival↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cryopreservation of garlic shoot tips by vitrification: effects of dehydration, rewarming, unloading and regrowth conditions.

This paper investigates the effect of dehydration, rewarming, unloading and regrowth conditions and of bulb post-harvest storage duration on survival and regeneration of cryopreserved garlic shoot tips. PVS3 was the most effective of the seven vitrification solutions compared. Treating shoot tips with PVS3 for 150-180 min ensured 92 % regeneration after freezing. An air-drying treatment, performed either before or after the PVS3 treatment, was detrimental to regeneration of cryopreserved shoot tips. Rapid rewarming in a water-bath at 37 degree C gave higher regeneration than the slower rewarming procedures employed. Regeneration was similar using either sucrose or sorbitol unloading solutions. The growth regulator content of the recovery medium did not influence percentage regeneration. However, the fresh weight of explants cultured on medium containing 0.3 mg/L zeatin and 0.3 mg/L gibberellic acid was significantly higher than on other media. Post-harvest storage duration of bulbs dramatically influenced survival and regeneration of non-cryopreserved and cryopreserved shoot tips, which were nil for samples cryopreserved immediately after harvest and highest after 3 and 6 months of storage. The optimized cryopreservation protocol was applied to ten different garlic varieties, with regeneration percentages ranging between 72 and 95 %.

Cell Survival↗
PubMed2004

Multiphase hepatic scans with multirow-detector helical CT in detection of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Multirow-detector helical CT (MDCT) allows faster Z-axis coverage and improves longitudinal resolution to scan the entire liver. This study was to evaluate the value of multiphase hepatic CT scans using MDCT in diagnosing hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Multiphase hepatic CT scans in 40 patients were carried out with a Marconi Mx8000 MDCT scanner. The scans of early arterial phase (EAP), late arterial phase (LAP) and portal venous phase (PVP) were started at 21, 34 and 85 seconds after injection of contrast medium, respectively. The number of detected lesions was calculated in each phase. The density of the liver and tumor was greater than 1 cm for HCC, and the density of the liver and tumor in each phase was statistically calculated. RESULTS: A total of 61 lesions were found in the 40 patients, and lesions greater than 1 cm were seen in 47 cases. The density differences between the liver and tumor were statistically significant (P<0.05) at the LAP and EAP and between the LAP, EAP and PVP. In the 61 lesions, the detectability in the EAP, LAP and the double arterial phases (DAP) was 32%, 87%, and 94%, respectively. Significant difference was found between the LAP plus PVP and the EAP plus PVP; but no significant difference was observed between the DAP plus PVP and the LAP plus PVP. CONCLUSIONS: The utility of MDCT scan in the liver has optimized the protocol of arterial phase scan. MDCT is possible to scan the entire liver in a real arterial phase and it is very valuable in the detection of small HCC.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular↗
PubMed2004

[Investigation on the alteration of hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers in liver allograft of HBV related recipients in perioperative period].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the alteration of HBV markers in liver allograft of HBV related recipients pre and post liver transplantation under Lamivudine or combination of Lamivudine with HBIG prophylaxis and explore the mechanism of HBV de nova infection in liver allograft after orthotopic liver transplantation, as well as seek to establish a optimal prophylactic protocol. METHODS: The serial liver biopsy specimens of 90 liver allograft and sera of 78 liver transplant recipients during operation and after 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months post transplantation have been collected and detected for HBV markers with enzyme-linked radioimmunoassay, fluorescent quantitative assay for HBV-DNA in serology and with immunohistochemistry stain, HBV-DNA in situ hybridization in histology for detection of HBV markers in liver allograft samples. RESULTS: Whether recipients with active replicative or inactive replicative HBV preoperatively, none of positive HBV-DNA, HBsAg and HBcAg in 100% liver biopsy specimens with HBV-DNA hybridization in situ and immunohistochemistry stains in histology within 2 hours after reperfusion. CONCLUSION: Whatever HBV replicative status the recipients have before surgery, no evidence of HBV particles direct invasion to the liver allograft from HBV related cirrhotics during operation under current prophylactic measures. However, the further supposed mechanism and its significance in HBV de nova infection of liver allograft remained to be disclosed further.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Preparation of cardiovascular disease-related genes microarray and its application in exploring ligustrazine-induced changes in endothelial gene expression.

To study the molecular mechanism of action of ligustrazine, a low-density oligonucleotide microarray for cardiovascular disease-related genes, was constructed, and the preparation and hybridization protocols were optimized. Under the optimized conditions, the molecular mechanism of action of ligustrazine was analyzed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. After 4 h of treatment with 100 microg/ml of ligustrazine, calcium-ATPase gene, sodium channel gene, P450c11 gene in human umbilical vein endothelial cells were up-regulated while apolipoprotein C-III gene was down-regulated. The results were shown to be reproducible. RT-PCR confirmed the results from microarray. These results suggest that ligustrazine may act on the function of human umbilical vein endothelial cells via modulating the expressions of cardiovascular disease-related genes. This also demonstrates the use of oligonucleotide microarray technology as an approach to studying targets of active components of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Cardiovascular Diseases↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Use of annexin V for the identification of fetal cells in maternal circulation.

MACS with Annexin V-conjugated microbeads was used to isolate cells in apoptosis from the peripheral blood of 112 women at different weeks of gestation and from 15 women (60 samples) sequentially tested postpartum. FISH using X/Y probes was applied to quantitate fetal apoptotic cells. The mean apoptosis rate in the 16th-18th week was 6.5% and fetal cells constituted 5.1% of the apoptotic cell population. In the 26th-28th week it was 10.1%/7.5% and in the 37th-38th week 12.5%/9.9%, respectively. In samples obtained 30 min, 12h and 24h postpartum, the mean apoptosis was 25.1%, 12.5 and 6.1%, respectively and fetal cells constituted 14.8%, 2.1% and 0.16% of the apoptotic cells. Forty-eight h after delivery, apoptosis was 2.3% and no fetal cells were detected. Accurate estimation of the proportion of fetal cells undergoing apoptosis may facilitate the optimization of protocols for non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Recovery of cryopreserved embryogenic cultures of maritime pine--effect of cryoprotectant and suspension density.

Embryogenic cultures were obtained from seeds of open-pollinated maritime pine trees representing part of a breeding population. The aim of the present study was to develop and optimize a protocol for cryopreservation of Pinus pinaster somatic embryogenic tissue. The density of the embryogenic suspension and the type of pre-treatment significantly affected the recovery of cryopreserved embryogenic cultures, as evaluated by their survival and regrowth rate. An initial density of the suspension culture of 250 mg/ml improved the regrowth rate of the embryogenic lines. Pre-treatment with maltose 0.4 M significantly increased the regrowth rate when compared to the other tested carbohydrates. Also, the addition of DMSO in a mixture of PEG 4000 and sucrose (PSD solution), instead of DMSO alone, at the same final concentration, was clearly beneficial for recovery of cryopreserved tissues. This improved method for the cryopreservation of P pinaster embryogenic of cultures allowed the successful recovery of 97 percent of the lines stored in liquid of nitrogen.

Carbohydrates↗