Influence of individually estimated portion size on the assessment of nutritional risk in colorectal cancer in Portugal

We evaluated the influence of individually estimated portion sizes on the estimate of nutrient related risk of colorectal cancer, using data from a Portuguese hospital based case-control study on diet and colorectal cancer. A total of 100 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma (aged 15-92 years) and 211 controls (aged 36-89 years) were included. Two data sets were created for nutrient analysis, the first one allowed estimates of food intake using data on portion size as collected with visual aids during the interview. The second estimate substituted respondents' estimate with a standard portion size, as used in the semi-quantitative (SQ) food frequency approach. The two analytic approaches yielded similar energy and nutrient intakes in cases and controls. The percent range of concordance is acceptable, in the same quartile varying from 44 to 82% (mean: 56%) and very good in the same or adjacent (+/-1) quartile (mean: 91%, range: 85-97%). The two estimates lead to a similar pattern of multivariate odd's ratio, however the SQ estimates resulted in more significant findings. We conclude that little extra information is gained by including individual portion size information when assessing diet-related risk of colorectal cancer.     

人乳头瘤病毒多肽与人免疫球蛋白G融合表达

目的 将人乳头瘤病毒16型(Human papillomavirus type 16，HPV-16)的晚期表达蛋白E7上的抗原24肽(从第38位氨基酸到第61位氨基6病毒感染防治酸)与人免疫球蛋白G的重链恒定区融合表达，并以此融合蛋白作为抗原，可能为HPV-1提供免疫治疗方法。方法 利用PCR方法分别扩增HPV-16 E7(38-61)24肽的DNA片段和人免疫球蛋白G的重链恒定区DNA片段，并构建到pEV21a表达载体上，转化入E．coli中表达，利用SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(SDS-PAGE)和蛋白质免疫印迹(Western-blotting)的方法对表达结果进行鉴定。结果 构建的表达载体HPV16E7e／hIgGHCCR-pET21a经酶切鉴定和测序显示序列正确；通过SDS-PAGE和Western-blotting的鉴定，重组融合蛋白Mr约40000，表达量可占菌体蛋白的20％左右。结论 成功构建HPV16-E7的抗原多肽片段和人免疫球蛋白G的重链恒定区的融合蛋白，并可在E．coli中高效表达。     

低浓度5-Fu24-小时持续化疗对BEL-7402肝癌细胞株的细胞周期的影响

目的研究低浓度5-Fu 24-小时持续化疗和高浓度5-Fu短时间化疗对BEL-7402肝癌细胞株的细胞周期的影响：方法用低浓度(1000．0μg/L)的5．Fu对BEL-7402肝癌细胞株进行持续24小时的培养(A组)，用高浓度(50000．0μg/L)的5-Fu对BEL-1 7402肝癌细胞株进行2小时培养(B组)，在培养后的不同时间点用流式细胞技术检测细胞周期的变化。结果A组结果显示：0h、4h、8h、12h、16h、20h和24h的S期细胞的百分数分别为25.23％、32．35％、39．28％、41．05％、46．02％、47．00％及47．14％。B组结果显示：0h、4h、8h、12h、16h、20h和24h的S期细胞的百分数分别为24．68％、68．43％、46．67％、43．67％、35．42％、33．22％及32．96％。结论5-Fu引起的S期细胞周期阻滞不但和浓度相关，也和作用时间相关。低浓度(1000．0μg/L)的5-Fu持续化疗较高浓度(50000．0μg/L)的5-Fu短时间(2小时)化疗更容易引起BEL-7402肝癌细胞株S期阻滞。     

VALUE OF COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY FOR EVALUATING THE INJECTION SITE IN ENDOSONOGRAPHY‐GUIDED CELIAC PLEXUS NEUROLYSIS

Endosonography‐guided celiac plexus neurolysis (EUS‐CPN) safely and effectively relieves pain associated with intra‐abdominal malignancies when the neurolytic is accurately injected. We applied contrast medium to evaluate the ethanol injection sites in patients who received EUS‐CPN due to abdominal pain caused by malignancies. We injected, under the guidance of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS), ethanol containing 10% contrast medium into the celiac plexus of patients with intra‐abdominal pain due to malignancies. Immediately after the endoscopic therapy, patients underwent computed tomography (CT) to confirm the injection site. Images of distribution of injected solutions were classified into three groups. Injected solution dispersed in unilateral and bilateral anterocrural space was defined as ‘unilateral injection’ or ‘bilateral injection’, respectively. Injected solution located out of the anterocrural space was defined as ‘inappropriate injection’. Pre‐ and postprocedure pain was assessed using a standard analog scale. Before and 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after the procedure, pain scores were evaluated. From April 2003 to May 2005, 13 patients were enrolled in this study. Improvement of pain score in the ‘bilateral injection’ and ‘unilateral injection’ groups was significantly superior to the change in the ‘inappropriate injection’ group. Although EUS‐CPN was effective in eight of 13 patients (61.5%), additional EUS‐CPN to the ‘inappropriate injection group’ increased the response rate to 84.6%. Injection of ethanol to the anterocrural space by EUS‐CPN produced adequate pain relief. Immediate examination by CT for confirmation of injection sites after EUS‐CPN would increase the likelihood of induction of pain relief.     

INDICATIONS FOR ENDOSCOPIC MUCOSAL RESECTION FOR EARLY COLORECTAL CANCER: SHOULD THEY BE STRICT OR SHOULD THEY BE EXPANDED?

Endoscopic technologies have been developed greatly. As for early gastric cancer, the indications for endoscopic mucosal resection for early colorectal cancer have been widened recently. Technological advances can support wider and deeper resections using endoscopy but the remaining problem for the endoscopic management of cancer is lymph node metastasis. I discuss here the indication for endoscopic mucosal resection for early colorectal cancer to bring into focus the risk factors for metastasis to lymph nodes.     

Evaluation ofin vitro drug screening leads using experimental models of human ovarian cancer

Summary Five compounds which were identified as potential new anticancer drugs inin vitro screening with the human tumor colony forming assay were selected for further evaluation usingin vitro andin vivo models of human ovarian cancer. Three of five compounds were found to inhibitin vitro colony formation of ovarian cancer cell lines derived from both untreated and combination chemotherapy refractory patients. One compound was also found to prolong survival in a human ovarian carcinoma xenograft model system. This compound, chloroquinoxaline sulfonamide, was selected for development and has shown preliminary indication of activity in phase I clinical testing.     

Spontaneous circadian fluctuations of prostate specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase serum activities in patients with prostatic cancer

Summary Spontaneous circadian variations of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), determined simultaneously by radioimmunoassay (RIA), were investigated by multiple sampling, over a 24-hour period, in 32 patients with prostatic cancer. In 29/32 patients (91%), the coefficient of variation of 24-hour values, for either marker, was greater than that of the RIA method at the same range of values; stage D patients showed the greatest spontaneous variability. Fluctuations around the mean of 24-hour values ranged from-65% to +85% for PAP, from-72% to +190% for PSA, occurring random and independently for each marker. Variability was about 20% greater for PSA than for PAP. The existence of spontaneous fluctuations should be considered in multiple marker evaluation of prostatic cancer patients.Preliminary results of this study have been presented at the International Symposium on Hormonal Therapy of Prostatic Diseases —Basic and Clinical Aspects, April 6–8, 1987, Milan, Italy     

Lymphoid tissues induce NGF-dependent and NGF-independent neurite outgrowth from rat superior cervical ganglia explants in culture

Induction of neurite outgrowth from superior cervical ganglia (SCG) by rat lymphoid tissues was studied using a tissue culture model. Neonatal rat SCG were cultured with 6–12-week-old rat thymus, spleen, or mesenteric lymph node (MLN) explants in a Martrigel layer, in defined culture medium without exogenous nerve growth factor (NGF). SCG were also co-cultured with neonatal rat heart (as positive control) or spinal cord (SC; as negative control). To determine whether inflammation affects the ability of lymphoid tissues to induce neurite outgrowth, we also examined MLN at various times after infecting rats with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb-MLN). In one series of experiments, a single lymphoid tissue explant was surrounded by four SCG at a distance of 1 mm. The extent of neurite outgrowth was determinded by counting the number of neurites 0.5 mm away from each ganglion at several time points. Adult thymus and, to a lesser extent, spleen had strong stimulatory effects on neurite outgrowth from SCG after 12 hr or more in culture. For thymus tissue, this was similar to the positive control heart explants. MLN from normal rats had minimal effect on neurite outgrowth; however, Nb-MLN showed a time-dependent enhancement of the neurite outgrowth, maximal at 3 weeks after infection. The relative efficacy of neurite outgrowth induction (heart ≥ thymus ≥ Nb-MLN ≥ spleen ≥ MLN ≥ SC) was confirmed in a second series of experiments where one SCG was surrounded by three different tissue explants. We then examined the role of 2.5S NGF, a well-known trophic factor for sympathetic nerves, in the lymphoid tissue-induced neurite outgrowth. Anti-NGF treatment of co-cultures of SCG and heart almost completely blocked the neurite outgrowth. Anti-NGF also significantly inhibited thymus- and spleen-induced neurite outgrowth, but not as effectively as heart-induced neuritogenesis (93,80, and 77% inhibition at 24 hr; 86,70, and 68% inhibition at 48 hr for heart, thymus, and spleen, respectively). On the other hand, anti-NGF inhibited only 8% of neurite outgrowth induced by 3-week post-infection Nb-MLN at 24 hr, and 41% at 48 hr. These data show that several adult rat lymphoid tissues exert neurotrophic/tropic effects. The predominant growth factor in thymus and spleen is NGF, while Nb-MLN produces factor(s) which is (are) immunologically distinguishable from NGF. These neurotrophic/tropic factors are produced during the reactive lymphoid hyperplasia that forms part of the inflammatory response against the nematode, N. brasiliensis. This suggests the possibility that cytokines produced by lymphocytes or other inflammatory cells may stimulate sympathetic neurite outgrowth in vivo. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

乳癌根治术后并发臂丛神经损伤

乳癌根治术是治疗乳腺癌的主要手段,但并发臂丛神经损伤的报道却很少,总结从1989年10月～1991年2月华山医院诊治的9例,3例门诊治疗,6例住院治疗。其中5例行神经松解后,皮瓣或肌皮瓣转移覆盖神经瘢痕区。随访到8例,疼痛改善3例,感觉和运动改善2例,疗效不理想,认为寻找预防措施是减少乳癌根治术后臂丛损伤的根本办法。