A controlled trial of live-virus vaccine against measles in Chile

In view of the high mortality from measles in Chile, it was decided to undertake a double-blind, controlled trial of the Enders Edmonston B strain of live measles vaccine in that country as part of a WHO-sponsored programme to obtain information on reactions to that vaccine strain and on the antibody response elicited in children.     

Plasma retinol levels and side effects following high-dose retinyl acetate in breast cancer patients

Plasma retinol levels and toxicity were evaluated in thirteen metastatic breast cancer patients treated orally with high-dose (300,000 I.U./day) retinyl acetate in combination with oral tamoxifen. Following the first dose of the drug, there was a drop of plasma retinol concentrations followed by a recovery to the pre-treatment levels and by a further increase to reach a plateau six to eight hours after drug administration. During the first two months of treatment cumulative increase of plasma retinol was seen, and long-term systemic concentrations in the +50-60% range level were maintained by the treatment. The toxicity observed was acceptable and included gastrointestinal symptoms, skin toxicity and headache. These toxicities could be related to the long-term increase of retinol systemic concentrations. We concluded that the daily dose of 300,000 I.U. retinyl acetate can be administered to cancer patients over a period of several months, is well tolerated and yields a substantial increase of systemic retinol.     

Surgical Prevention of Arm Lymphedema After Breast Cancer Treatment

Purpose  

To prospectively assess the efficacy of the lymphatic microsurgical preventive healing approach (LYMPHA) to prevent lymphedema after axillary dissection (AD) for breast cancer treatment.     

Viral origins of human cancer

The first consistent observations that viruses could be associated with some types of cancer where made almost a century ago. Since then researchers have spent a great deal of effort to address the infectious origins of human cancer. As a result of these studies, a strong link between some viral agents and several human cancers has been established. Some viruses as the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I), immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I) and several human papillomavirus types (including types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59 and 66) have been classified as group 1 carcinogens by the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC). Infection by these viruses constitutes a heavy burden for human populations as it accounts for almost 15% of all human malignancies. Furthermore, many other viral agents have been classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans and others have been occasionally found in human tumors suggesting that this figure may be an underestimation of virus involvement in the etiology of human cancer. Therefore, viral infection appears as one of the main preventable cancer risk factors. We summarize the current state of knowledge concerning virus-induced/associated cancers and discuss its significance in the context of human carcinogenesis. Prevention and control of infection by these agents could dramatically reduce the incidence of some prevalent cancers and, consequently, have a great impact on public health.     

Lymphodynamics in the fetus and newborn

Body fluid is distributed among three major fluid spaces: plasma, interstitial fluid, and intracellular fluid. The distribution of fluid in each of these compartments is dramatically different in the fetus and newborn compared to the adult. In addition, the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus may also be considered an extension of the extracellular space of the fetus. The purpose of this review is to discuss the complex mechanism that regulates volume in the fetus and newborn as well as the regulation of fluid distribution between the plasma and interstitial fluid, while placing special emphasis on the role the lymphatic system plays in mediating and maintaining this distribution.     

General surgery, translational lymphology and lymphatic surgery

A wide clinical experience in General Surgery has brought about a remarkable knowledge about lymphatic disorders both primary and secondary ones. Diagnostic and histopathological studies of lymphatic diseases allowed to better understand etiological aspects and pathophysiological mechanisms responsible of complex clinical features correlated to lymphatic dysfunctions. Translational lymphologic basic and clinical researches permitted to improve therapeutical approaches both from the medical and surgical point of view. Thus, strategies of treatment were proposed to prevent lymphatic injuries, to avoid lymphatic complications and to treat lymphatic diseases early in order to be able even to cure these pathologies.     

Searching for Preclinical Models of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: a Concise Narrative Overview and a Novel Swine Model

Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy - Available animal models of acute heart failure (AHF) and their limitations are discussed herein. A novel and preclinically relevant porcine model of decompensated...     

Radiation-Related Deregulation of TUBB3 and BRCA1/2 and Risk of Secondary Lung Cancer in Women With Breast Cancer

IntroductionBreast cancer survivors are at increased risk of developing unrelated primary cancers, particularly lung cancer. Evidence indicates that sex hormones as well as a deregulation of DNA-repair pathways may contribute to lung cancer onset. We investigated whether the hormone status and expression of markers involved in DNA repair (BRCA1/2, ERCC1, and P53R2), synthesis (TS and RRM1), and cell division (TUBB3) might be linked to lung cancer risk.Patients and MethodsThirty-seven breast cancer survivors with unrelated lung cancer and 84 control subjects comprising women with breast cancer (42/84) or lung cancer (42/84) were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry on tumor tissue was performed. Geometric mean ratio was used to assess the association of marker levels with patient groups.ResultsEstrogen receptor was expressed in approximately 90% of the breast cancer group but was negative in the majority of the lung cancer group, a result similar to the lung cancer control group. Likewise, ER isoform β was weakly expressed in the lung cancer group. Protein analysis of breast cancer versus control had a significantly lower expression of BRCA1, P53R2, and TUBB3. Likewise, a BRCA1 reduction was observed in the lung cancer group concomitant with a BRCA2 increase. Furthermore, BRCA2 and TUBB3 increased in ipsilateral lung cancer in women who had previously received radiotherapy for breast cancer.ConclusionThe decrease of DNA-repair proteins in breast cancer could make these women more susceptible to therapy-related cancer. The increase of BRCA2 and TUBB3 in lung cancer from patients who previously received radiotherapy for breast cancer might reflect a tissue response to exposure to ionizing radiation.