Anti-proliferative effect of the gastrin-release peptide receptor antagonist RC-3095 plus temozolomide in experimental glioblastoma models

Malignant gliomas have a dismal prognosis despite multi-modality treatments like neurosurgical resection, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Evidence has indicated that gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) and its receptor (GRPR) play a role in the development of a variety of cancers including gliomas. In the present study, we investigated the effects of RC-3095, a selective GRPR antagonist, alone or in combination with temozolomide (TMZ), a DNA alkylating agent, in in vitro and in vivo experimental rat C6 glioma models. Cellular proliferation was significantly reduced by all treatments with the combined administration of TMZ and RC-3095 being the most effective treatment. In in vivo experiments, the control group displayed the largest tumors (52 ± 15.5 mm³), whereas RC-3095 reduced the tumor size, with the most significant effect at the dose of 0.3 mg/kg (21 ± 9.7 mm³). The combined therapy produced further reduction in tumor size (10 ± 7.5 mm³). Our results show that the combination of RC-3095 with TMZ produced an important reduction in in vitro and in vivo glioma growth therefore making RC-3095 a candidate drug to potentiate the effects of the DNA alkylating agent TMZ in the treatment of glioma. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Qualitätsorientierte Einrichtungsauswahl in der Rehabilitation der Deutschen Rentenversicherung

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Die Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV) hat entsprechend dem Sozialgesetzbuch VI den Auftrag, die Erwerbsfähigkeit...     

Teilbrustbestrahlung nach brusterhaltender Operation bei Brustkrebs

Ohne ZusammenfassungStellungnahme der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Radioonkologie, der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Senologie (D. Wallwiener und M. Bamberg, Tübingen) und der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Gynäkologische Onkologie der Deutschen Krebsgesellschaft (M.W. Beckmann, Erlangen, M. Kaufmann, Frankfurt/M., und G. von Minckwitz, Neu–Isenburg)     

Satisfaction of attenders during the establishment of an Australian mammography screening program

Abstract: We aimed to examine the satisfaction and the predictors of reported satisfaction with the service offered by a pilot mammography screening service. Information was collected from 481 attenders at the screening clinic and from 318 consecutive attenders at the recall clinic using two different standard self-administered questionnaires covering respectively six and five dimensions of satisfaction. For the screening clinic attenders, mean scores on most subscales indicated quite high levels of satisfaction. There were no significant differences among different samples over time for the perceptions of technical competence of the staff. Decreases in reported level of satisfaction were found for subscales measuring interpersonal skills, information giving, physical surroundings, convenience and accessibility, and general satisfaction. Waiting times, age and marital status were predictors in most satisfaction subscales. For those attending the recall clinic, mean satisfaction scores for most scales were high, except for the scale measuring satisfaction with the way the results were received. The median time between screening and recall visits for women in this study was 27 days (range 3 to 112 days). Attenders were most dissatisfied with the delay in getting results, an area where the service might improve.     

Insulin stimulation of Na+-K+ pump in clonal rat osteosarcoma cells

Clonal osteoblast-like cells derived from a rat osteogenic sarcoma (UMR 106-06) were shown to possess specific, high-affinity binding sites for insulin, with a receptor density of 22,000/cell. The hormone, at physiologic concentrations (1-10 ng/ml), was found to stimulate active K+ transport into these cells, the effect being mediated via the Na+-K+ pump. Alterations in insulin-receptor status by treatment of cells with glucocorticoids or exposure to subphysiologic pH was reflected in parallel changes in the sensitivity of the K+-uptake process to the hormone. We conclude that insulin can directly affect the metabolism of bone cells and that the hormone's action on transmembrane ion transport may be linked to interaction with its cell surface receptors.     

The Tuskegee Legacy Project: willingness of minorities to participate in biomedical research

The broad goal of the Tuskegee Legacy Project (TLP) study was to address, and understand, a range of issues related to the recruitment and retention of Blacks and other minorities in biomedical research studies. The specific aim of this analysis was to compare the self-reported willingness of Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites to participate as research subjects in biomedical studies, as measured by the Likelihood of Participation (LOP) Scale and the Guinea Pig Fear Factor (GPFF) Scale. The Tuskegee Legacy Project Questionnaire, a 60 item instrument, was administered to 1,133 adult Blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites in 4 U.S. cities. The findings revealed no difference in self-reported willingness to participate in biomedical research, as measured by the LOP Scale, between Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites, despite Blacks being 1.8 times as likely as Whites to have a higher fear of participation in biomedical research on the GPFF Scale.     

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease severity and cardiovascular outcomes

Objective: To identify predictors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) severity and assess the relation between COPD severity and risk of cardiovascular outcomes. Study design and setting: A␣cohort of patients with diagnosed and treated COPD was compiled from the Saskatchewan Health longitudinal databases. We used multivariate modeling to identify predictors of hospitalization for COPD as an indicator of COPD severity, and we used the model to characterize patients according to quintiles of COPD severity. These severity levels were used as independent variables in multivariate models of cardiovascular outcomes. Results: Determinants of COPD severity included emphysema, recent nebulizer use, home oxygen services, corticosteroid use, frequent bronchodilator use, pneumonia and prior COPD exacerbation. The 20% of patients with the highest COPD severity were 1.27 (CI: 1.07–1.50) times more likely to have arrhythmia, 1.25 (CI: 1.07–1.46) times more likely to have ischemic heart disease, 1.38 (CI: 1.11–1.71) times more likely to have angina, 2.28 (CI: 1.95–2.66) times more likely to have congestive heart failure, and 1.63 (CI: 1.22–2.16) times more likely to die of cardiovascular causes than the least severe 20% of patients. Conclusions: Patients with more severe COPD, as defined by our model, had higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than patients with less severe COPD.