Correlation between basic fibroblast growth factor immunostaining of stromal cells and stromelysin-3 mRNA expression in human breast carcinoma.

We examined the localization of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in a series of human breast carcinomas using immunohistochemistry. Staining was observed in tumour cells in 15 out of 54 (28%) tumours and in the adjacent stroma in 34 out of 54 (63%) tumours examined. No correlation was observed between positive staining of these two compartments. The relationship between bFGF staining and expression of the metalloprotease stromelysin-3, and between bFGF and microvessel density, was examined. A statistically significant correlation (P < 0.003) was observed between bFGF staining of the stromal compartment and high expression of stromelysin-3 (ST-3; MMP-11) metalloprotease mRNA by stromal cells. In contrast, no correlation was observed between bFGF and intratumour microvessel density (IMD). These results raise the possibility that bFGF may be involved in the induction of stromelysin-3 mRNA expression in breast cancer stroma.     

Work Place Health Promotion

This article deals with the question of whether and how much workplace health promotion measures have infiltrated the working world and which factors determined the results of health promotion programs for the enterprises. To answer this question we conducted a longitudinal study (measuring times: 1997 and 2003) in 150 enterprises in Hessen and Thueringen of the service sector and metal branch. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. One of the results was that the high level of occupational safety and health (OSH) obtained was greatly appreciated by the enterprises interviewed. Many of the enterprises (82.7%) were able to implement at least one workplace health promotion (WHP) measure, mostly assessments of occupational health risks and behavior-oriented offers. The portion of businesses with a very good to sufficient level of workplace health promotion increased clearly from 16.0% in 1997 to 27.4% in 2003. Half of the enterprises interviewed confirmed the need for information and consultation in questions about occupational safety and health issues and workplace health promotion. They expected support particularly from the institutions for statutory occupational accident insurance, health insurance companies, public institutions for labor protection and safety engineering, as well as from the advisory boards of the trade unions. These institutions definitely need to address the consultation requests from the enterprises, as the lack of information and contact persons was one of the reasons why workplace health promotion measures could not be implemented.This study was commissioned by the Hans Boeckler Foundation and the SMBG and translated by Evelyn Jäck     

Effects of phencyclidine on acoustic startle and prepulse inhibition in neuronal nitric oxide synthase deficient mice.

Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle is a behavioural response, which is used to estimate sensorimotor gating deficits in schizophrenia. Recent studies show that several behavioural effects of the psychotomimetic drug, phencyclidine (PCP), in rodents are blocked by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors suggesting that NO plays an important role in the pharmacological effects of PCP. The present study was conducted to examine the effects of PCP on prepulse inhibition in neuronal NOS (nNOS) deficient mice. PCP treatment caused a significant and dose-related increase in prepulse inhibition in nNOS-/- mice whereas prepulse inhibition was not significantly affected in +/+ and +/- mice. Basal prepulse inhibition level did not differ significantly between the groups. Furthermore, PCP caused a dose-related decrease in startle response reactivity in +/+ mice but did not significantly affect this measure in +/- and -/- mice. Basal startle response level did not differ between +/+ and +/- but was significantly lower in -/- mice. It is concluded that nNOS plays a role in the NO-sensitive effects of PCP.     

Survival for rectal cancer patients and international comparisons.

BACKGROUND: Population-based cancer registry data are important because they reflect routine care, present long-term follow-up, can show differences in treatment, outcomes and health care over time, and can be used for comparisons between regions and countries. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Details of all cancer patients in the Munich region are recorded by the Munich Cancer Registry. Rectal cancer patients with an invasive primary tumor diagnosed between 1996 and 1998 were included in this analysis (n=936). Observed and relative survival are presented. Observed survival was also investigated with a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Median follow-up time of survivors was 5.7 years. Five-year relative survival for the whole sample was 62.2%. International Union Against Cancer (UICC) stage was the most important prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis. Compared with the 1992-1999 Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data (62.4%), relative survival for each disease stage and the whole sample were very similar. In comparison with other European registries, Munich patients had slightly higher survival rates per stage (for example, 5-year relative survival in UICC III was 58.3% in Munich, 54.6% in South East Netherlands, 33.3% in Modena and 47.4% in Cote d'Or); however, more patients in Munich were in higher disease stages with worse prognoses, indicating poorer early detection. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that treatment of rectal cancer in Munich is good, but early detection could be improved. Cancer registries should publish their population-based stage data to ensure quality of care and provide regular feedback to health-care workers and decision makers. Comparisons between countries without stage data should be conducted cautiously.     

Interests and specialty choice in medicine

The study deals with the origin of occupational satisfaction in the medical profession. It examines the relationship between the specialty choice within the medical profession on the one hand, and satisfaction with the occupational choice on the other. Following an intensive analysis of the medical profession and interviews with senior physicians, three dimensions along which the medical specialties differ were defined: contact with people (contact), usage of instruments and equipment (instruments), and occurrence of dramatic events in the physician's daily work (sensation). Eighty-one medical practitioners answered the IIP (interest inventory for physicians) which was constructed to measure their vocational interests. Results show: reliability coefficients of 0.85, 0.92 and 0.83 for the contact, instruments and sensation components of the IIP, respectively; and correlations of 0.31, 0.27 and 0.53 between interest-specialty congruence in contact, instruments and sensation, respectively, on the one hand, and satisfaction with the medical specialty choice on the other. Several implications and applications are discussed.     

Subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics induce phenazine production in a marine Streptomyces sp

Subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics were found to enhance and modulate the production of new phenazines, streptophenazines A-H, in a marine Streptomyces isolate. The streptophenazines differ in length and substitution of an alkyl chain. The pattern of metabolites formed depends on the antibiotic used. In the presence of tetracycline, streptophenazines F and G were induced and the production of streptophenazines A-D was increased. When using bacitracin, mainly streptophenazine H was produced. Streptophenazines C and H showed moderate activity against Bacillus subtilis, while streptophenazine C was also active against Staphylococcus lentus.