Constitutively Higher Level of GSTT2 in Esophageal Tissues From African Americans Protects Cells Against DNA Damage

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Review: Surveillance of patients with Barrett oesophagus

There has been a rapid increase in the incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma in most Western countries over the past thirty years. Barrett's oesophagus (BE) is a common premalignant lesion of oesophageal adenocarcinoma, although the risk of developing cancer in BE remains low. Therefore, screening is not recommended in the general population. Surveillance of BE is recommended to detect high grade dysplasia or carcinoma in an early stage, although there is no clear evidence that surveillance leads to a reduced mortality. This review discusses the several screening and surveillance techniques, including chromoendoscopy, narrow band imaging, autofluorescence imaging and confocal laser endomicroscopy, pointing out the areas that are well established as well as the new techniques that require more research.     

One-week and 6-month cardiovascular magnetic resonance outcome of the pharmacoinvasive strategy and primary angioplasty for the reperfusion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Introduction and objectives

Pharmacoinvasive strategy represents an attractive alternative to primary angioplasty. Using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging we compared the left ventricular outcome of the pharmacoinvasive strategy and primary angioplasty for the reperfusion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance was performed 1 week and 6 months after infarction in two consecutive cohorts of patients included in a prospective university hospital ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction registry. During the period 2004-2006, 151 patients were treated with pharmacoinvasive strategy (thrombolysis followed by routine non-immediate angioplasty). During the period 2007-2008, 93 patients were treated with primary angioplasty. A propensity score matched population was also evaluated.

Results

At 1-week cardiovascular magnetic resonance, pharmacoinvasive strategy and primary angioplasty patients showed a similar extent of area at risk (29 ± 15 vs. 29 ± 17%, P = .9). Non-significant differences were detected by cardiovascular magnetic resonance at 1 week and at 6 months in infarct size, salvaged myocardium, microvascular obstruction, ejection fraction, end-diastolic volume index and end-systolic volume index (P > .2 in all cases). The same trend was observed in 1-to-1 propensity score matched patients. The rate of major adverse cardiac events (death and/or re-infarction) at 1 year was 6% in pharmacoinvasive strategy and 7% in primary angioplasty patients (P = .7).

Conclusions

A pharmacoinvasive strategy including thrombolysis and routine non-immediate angioplasty represents a widely available and logistically attractive approach that yields identical short-term and long-term cardiovascular magnetic resonance-derived left ventricular outcome compared to primary angioplasty.Full English text available from:www.revespcardiol.org     

消痰利水酊剂对艾氏腹水瘤小鼠作用的实验研究

[目的]研究消痰利水酊剂对艾氏腹水瘤（EAC）小鼠的作用及其可能的机制。[方法]昆明种实验小鼠腹腔内注射0．2mlEACE2G8细胞株悬液（瘤细胞浓度4×10^6／ml）制备腹水瘤小鼠模型。成模小鼠分为荷瘤（对照）组、消痰利水酊剂（酊剂）组、环磷酰胺（CTX）组、酊剂加CTX（联用）组,分别给予荷瘤对照、腹壁外用消痰利水酊剂、腹腔注射CTX、腹壁外用酊剂加腹腔注射CTX联用。观察各组小鼠体重、死亡后排净腹水之净体重、死亡时腹水重量、生存时间,ELISA法检测各组腹水上清液血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）、肝素酶（HPA）水平。[结果]酊剂组可降低荷瘤小鼠种瘤后o～12d体重恶化趋势（P〈0．05）,与CTX腹腔注射联用可加强此作用（P〈0．05）,并能减少小鼠死亡时腹水量（P〈0．05）,有效提高荷瘤小鼠死亡时净体重（P〈0．05）,效果优于单纯予以CTX（P〈0．05）。酊剂组、CTX组、联用组均能明显降低小鼠腹水上清液中HPA水平（P〈0．05）。但各组生存时间差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）。[结论]消痰利水酊剂与CTX联用更可加强延缓艾氏腹水瘤小鼠体重变化,抑制恶性腹水的生成,增加小鼠净体重,改善小鼠生存质量,减少化疗部分不良反应。其作用机制可能与下调腹水中HPA的水平从而降低腹膜及血管通透性相关。     

Venom of Indian monocellate cobra and Russell's viper show anticancer activity in experimental models

Indian monocellate cobra (Naja kaouthia) and Russell's viper (Vipera russelli) are common snakes of the East Indian sub-peninsula. The anticarcinogenic activities of their crude venoms were studied on carcinoma, sarcoma and leukemia models. Sub-lethal doses of venoms showed cytotoxicity on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells in vivo. The venoms increased lifespan of EAC mice and strengthened the impaired host antioxidant system. Sarcoma formation in mice (3-methylcholanthrene induced) after venom treatment was significantly less (p < 0.005). Histopathological examination of tumors showed tissue necrosis. The venoms displayed potent cytotoxic and apoptogenic effect on human leukemic cells (U937/K562). The venoms reduced cell proliferation rate (p < 0.005) and produced morphological alterations indicative of apoptosis induction. Different degree and nature of anticarcinogenic property of cobra and viper venoms may be attributed to the difference in their constituents.     

复方小柴胡汤对荷EAC鼠IL-2水平和CD4+/CD8+比值的影响

目的： 探讨复方小柴胡汤（FFXCHT）对艾氏腹水癌（EAC）荷瘤小鼠脾细胞IL-2水平和血CD4+/CD8+比值的影响。方法： 观察FFXCHT对EAC荷瘤小鼠的肿瘤重量、胸腺和脾系数的影响；用［3H］-TdR掺入法测定脾细胞IL-2的水平；用流式细胞仪测定血CD4+和CD8+T淋巴细胞含量，并计算CD4+/CD8+比值。结果： FFXCHT高、中和低浓度治疗组EAC荷瘤小鼠肿瘤重量均明显少于模型组（P<0.01）。模型组胸腺系数和脾系数高于空白对照组（P<0.05）。FFXCHT高、中和低浓度治疗组脾系数和胸腺系数均明显高于模型组（P<0.01）。与模型组相比，FFXCHT高、中和低浓度治疗均能明显提高荷瘤鼠脾细胞IL-2分泌水平（P<0.05）和血CD4+/CD8+ T淋巴细胞比值（P<0.05）,其中以中浓度治疗组最为明显。结论： FFXCHT能明显抑制EAC肿瘤的生长，提高胸腺和脾系数、脾细胞IL-2活性及血CD4+/CD8+比值，提示FFXCHT可能通过调整EAC荷瘤小鼠免疫功能而发挥其抗肿瘤作用。     

Growth inhibition and apoptosis of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cells by the methanol extract of Eucalyptus camaldulensis

Context: Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (Myrtaceae) is a tall evergreen tree found commonly in Bangladesh. Its use in traditional folk medicine for the treatment of various health complications are well known.

Objective: To explore the in vivo antitumor effect of Eucalyptus camaldulensis stem bark methanol extract (ME) against Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma (EAC) in Swiss albino mice.

Materials and methods: The antitumor activity of ME was studied by determining viable tumor cell count, recording tumor weight and survival time, observing morphological changes and nuclear damage of EAC cells, and estimating hematological as well as biochemical parameters of experimental mice (25, 50 and 100?mg/kg/day for 5?d, i.p.).

Results: ME showed 96% (p?p?EAC-bearing mice significantly (71.36%; p?50 value (1120?mg/kg) of ME indicated its low host toxic effects. ME-treated EAC cells showed membrane blebbing, chromatin condensation, nuclear fragmentation (apoptotic features) in Hoechst 33342 staining under fluorescence microscope. The DNA profile in agarose gel (1.5%) electrophoresis also confirmed that ME caused EAC cell death by apoptosis.

Discussion and conclusion: Results showed that ME exhibits strong anticancer activity through apoptosis and stimulation of host immunity. Thus, E. camaldulensis may be considered as a promising resource in cancer chemotherapy.     

Doxycycline exerts multiple anti-allergy effects to attenuate murine allergic conjunctivitis and systemic anaphylaxis

Allergic diseases, which affect up to 20–30% of the world population, are still therapeutic challenge for allergists. Tetracyclines, which belong to an antibiotic drug family that possesses a striking variety of non-antibiotic properties, have been successfully applied to a wide range of diseases. However, their roles in allergic conjunctivitis and anaphylaxis and their underlying anti-allergy mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we reported that treatment with doxycycline significantly reduced IgE release from mouse B cells and the degranulation and inflammatory cytokines production of mouse mast cells (MCs) activated by IgE-dependent way. Furthermore, doxycycline treatment significantly inhibited histamine-induced vascular hyperpermeability in vitro. Mechanistically, the doxycycline-mediated inhibition of B cells, MCs and histamine may occur via modulation of the PI3K/Akt pathway. In vivo, our results demonstrated that treatment with doxycycline significantly attenuated clinical symptoms of mouse models of experimental allergic conjunctivitis (EAC) with a significant decrease in inflammatory cell frequency, IgE production, histamine release, and a decrease in TNF-α and IL-4 production. Using mouse models of MCs-dependent passive systemic anaphylaxis (PSA), we further confirmed anti-allergy effects of doxycycline and doxycycline-mediated inhibitory effects on MCs. Furthermore, our results showed that doxycycline significantly attenuate histamine-induced systemic anaphylaxis-like reaction (HISA) with a significantly downregulation of PI3K/Akt/eNOS/VE-cadherin pathway. The doxycycline-mediated anti-allergy effects during EAC, PSA and HISA were abrogated when an Akt activator, SC79, was administered. These findings suggest that doxycycline inhibits B cell, MC and histamine function and attenuates experimental allergic conjunctivitis and systemic anaphylaxis by possible modulating the PI3K/Akt pathway.