No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Freezing* ; Mice* ; Sucrose*

No abstract available.
Laryngeal Muscles*

Many reports have been made concerning underlying and associated conditions causing pseudomembranous colitis and it has been documented that occurrence of pseudomembranous colitis is related with antibiotics administration. Recent study showed that Clostridium difficile produced enterotoxin by colonization in intestinal wall and leading into pseudomembranous colitis. Diagnosis is based on positive culture of Clostridium difficile, positive test of Clostridium difficile toxin and specific histological findings after observation of whitish plaque on colonoscopic or sigmoidoscopic examination. Authors have experienced one case of pseudomembranous colitis developing after long term ampicillin administration in a case with colon cancer associated with diarrhea and diagnosis was confirmed by typical pseudomembrane on biopsy following classical whitish plaque absevation on sigmoidoscopic examination. Symptoms have been ameliorated by discontinuation of antibiotics and administration of metron-idazole in four days and disappearance of whitish plaque on repeated sigmoidoscopic examination and improvement of clinical symptoms after 9 days of medication.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Clostridium difficile ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous* ; Enterotoxins

No abstract available.
Child* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Poisoning*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of common three photon energies (6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV) on intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans to treat prostate cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty patients with prostate cancer treated locally to 81.0 Gy were retrospectively studied. 6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV IMRT plans for each patient were generated using suitable planning objectives, dose constraints, and 8-field setting. The plans were analyzed in terms of dose-volume histogram for the target coverage, dose conformity, organs at risk (OAR) sparing, and normal tissue integral dose. RESULTS: Regardless of the energies chosen at the plans, the target coverage, conformity, and homogeneity of the plans were similar. However, there was a significant dose increase in rectal wall and femoral heads for 6-MV compared to those for 10-MV and 15-MV. The V20 Gy of rectal wall with 6-MV, 10-MV, and 15-MV were 95.6%, 88.4%, and 89.4% while the mean dose to femoral heads were 31.7, 25.9, and 26.3 Gy, respectively. Integral doses to the normal tissues in higher energy (10-MV and 15-MV) plans were reduced by about 7%. Overall, integral doses in mid and low dose regions in 6-MV plans were increased by up to 13%. CONCLUSION: In this study, 10-MV prostate IMRT plans showed better OAR sparing and less integral doses than the 6-MV. The biological and clinical significance of this finding remains to be determined afterward, considering neutron dose contribution.
Head ; Humans ; Neutrons ; Organs at Risk ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies

The funding acknowledgment in this article was omitted as published.

Nerve conduction studies help delineate the extent and distribution of the neural lesion. The nerve conduction was studied on upper (median, ulnar and radial nerves) and lower (personal, posterior tibial and sural nerves) extremities in 83 healthy subjects 23 to 66 years of age, and normal values were established (Table 1). The mean motor terminal latency (TL): median, 3.6 (±0.6) milliseconds; ulnar, 2.9 (±0.5) milliseconds; radial nerve, 2.3 (±0.4) milliseconds. Mean motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) along distal and proximal segments: median, 61.2 (±9.1) (W-E) and 57.8 (±13.2) (E-Ax) meters per second; ulnar, 63.7 (±9.1) (W-E) and 50.6 (±10.0) meters per second. Mean sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV): median, 34.7 (±6.7) (F-W), 63.7 (±7.1) (W-E) and 62.8 (±12.3) (E-Ax) meters per second; ulnar, 38.0 (±6.7) (F-W), 63.4 (±7.5) (W-E) and 57.0 (±10.1) (E-Ax) meters per second; radial, 45.3 (±6.8) (F-W) and 64.2 (±11.0) (W-E) meters per second; sural nerve, 43.4 (±6.1) meters per second. The amplitudes of action potential and H-reflex were also standardized. Mean H latency was 28.4 (±3.2) milliseconds. And, the fundamental principles, several factors altering the rate of nerve conduction and clinical application of nerve stimulation techniques were reviewed.
Action Potentials ; Adult* ; Extremities ; H-Reflex ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Neural Conduction* ; Radial Nerve ; Reference Values ; Sural Nerve

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Herpes Simplex type 2 Defective Infectious Single Cycle virus (DISC virus) is an attenuated virus originally produced as a viral vaccine, but it also serves as an efficient gene transfer vehicle. The main goals of this study were to examine determinants of gene transfer using DISC vectors for squamous cell carcinoma and to evaluate the efficacy of vaccination with the DISC virus carrying a combination of immunomodulatory genes (IL-2, GM-CSF) as cancer therapy in a model of squamous cell cancer in the C3H/HeJ mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determinated the gene and protein expression of DISC-IL-2 and DISC-GM-CSF transfected SCCVII cells by RT-PCR and ELISA method. Also, we evaluated the ex vivo vaccination effects of DISC-IL-2 and DISC-GMCSF on preventing the development of SCCVII tumor. RESULTS: SCCVII cells transduced by the DISC virus vector (MOI=10) carrying the IL-2, or the GM-CSF gene, produced nanogram quantities of IL-2 or GM-CSF per 10(6) cells. Of particular interest was the observation that cells irradiated at different doses (5,000 cGy, 10,000 cGy) secreted levels of GM-CSF or IL-2 that were comparable to non-irradiated cells. In vivo vaccination using tumor cells transduced ex vivo with DISC-IL-2 or DISC-GMCSF resulted in protection against subsequent tumor challenge (p<0.01). Among the multiple immunomodulatory transgenes vaccination groups, the DISC-GMCSF transfected vaccine showed the greatest suppression of tumor development and growth (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that: 1) The DISC virus vector is capable of efficient gene transfer to SCCVII cells, 2) The GM-CSF secreting, genetically modified tumor vaccine (SCCVII/GMCSF) efficiently protected against tumor cell challenge and suppressed tumor growth in our tumor model. The DISC virus-mediated, cytokine gene transfer may prove to be useful in clinical therapy for head and neck cancers.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genetic Therapy* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor* ; Growth and Development ; Head* ; Herpes Simplex ; Interleukin-2* ; Mice ; Neck* ; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell* ; Transgenes ; Vaccination

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: According to our previous study Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) induces inhibition of cell proliferation and apoptosis in SCC 1483 oral cavity cancer cells. On the other hand, in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, activation of mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) is the key event in the inhibition of inflammation by EGb 761. Therefore, we have investigated whether MAPK pathway is involved in the apoptotic process by EGb 761 in oral cavity cancer cell lines or not. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: In SCC 1483 oral cavity cancer cell lines, Western blot analysis, Fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) analysis, and transient transfection using MAPK-dominant negative constructs were used. RESULTS: When SCC 1483 oral cavity cancer cell lines were treated with the concentration of 250 microgram/ml EGb 761, activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and apoptosis were noted. This apoptosis was inhibited by the treatment with ERK inhibitor (PD 98059). In the transiently transfected cells by MAPK/ERK kinase 1 (MEK1)-dominant negative construct, phosphorylations of ERK and p90 ribosomal S 6 protein kinase (RSK1) were inhibited which led to the inhibition of apoptosis by EGb 761. The inhibition of apoptosis was also noted in the transfected cells by RSK1 dominant negative construct and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB)-dominant negative construct. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the apoptosis of SCC 1483 oral cavity cancer cell lines by EGb 761 is linked to the activation of ERK and it can happen via ERK MAPK/RSK1/CREB signal transduction pathway.
Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line* ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein ; Ginkgo biloba* ; Hand ; Inflammation ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Mouth* ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinases ; Signal Transduction ; Transfection