Search results for "blas"
showing 10 items of 2217 documents
Extent of resection and survival in glioblastoma multiforme
2016
Brown and colleagues1 reported the results of a systematic review of the literature aimed in determining whether greater extent of resection (EOR) is associated with improved 1- and 2-year overall survival and 6-month and 1-year progression-free survival in patients affected by glioblastoma multiforme. The analysis revealed 37 studies suitable for inclusion. The authors found that gross total resection (GTR) for glioblastoma multiforme reduces 1- and 2-year mortality, thus supporting GTR over subtotal resection and biopsy.
Survival in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia in Germany and the United States: Major differences in survival in young adults
2016
Previous epidemiologic studies on AML have been limited by the rarity of the disease. Here, we present population level data on survival of patients with AML in Germany and the United States (US). Data were extracted from 11 population-based cancer registries in Germany and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER13) database in the US. Patients diagnosed with AML in 1997-2011 were included. Period analysis was used to estimate 5-year relative survival (RS) and trends in survival in the early 21st century. Overall 5-year age-adjusted RS for patients with AML in 2007-2011 was greater in Germany than in the US at 22.8% and 18.8%, respectively. Five-year RS was higher in Germany t…
Novel Approaches for Glioblastoma Treatment: Focus on Tumor Heterogeneity, Treatment Resistance, and Computational Tools
2019
BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive primary brain tumor. Currently, the suggested line of action is the surgical resection followed by radiotherapy and treatment with the adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ), a DNA alkylating agent. However, the ability of tumor cells to deeply infiltrate the surrounding tissue makes complete resection quite impossible, and in consequence, the probability of tumor recurrence is high, and the prognosis is not positive. GBM is highly heterogeneous and adapts to treatment in most individuals. Nevertheless, these mechanisms of adaption are unknown. RECENT FINDINGS: In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries in molecular and cellular heterog…
Biotensegrity of the Extracellular Matrix: Physiology, Dynamic Mechanical Balance, and Implications in Oncology and Mechanotherapy
2014
Cells have the capacity to convert mechanical stimuli into chemical changes. This process is based on the tensegrity principle, a mechanism of tensional integrity. To date, this principle has been demonstrated to act in physiological processes such as mechanotransduction and mechanosensing at different scales (from cell sensing through integrins to molecular mechanical interventions or even localized massage). The process involves intra- and extracellular components, including the participation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and microtubules that act as compression structures, and actin filaments which act as tension structures. The nucleus itself has its own tensegrity system which is impli…
miR-133a Enhances the Protective Capacity of Cardiac Progenitors Cells after Myocardial Infarction
2014
Summary miR-133a and miR-1 are known as muscle-specific microRNAs that are involved in cardiac development and pathophysiology. We have shown that both miR-1 and miR-133a are early and progressively upregulated during in vitro cardiac differentiation of adult cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), but only miR-133a expression was enhanced under in vitro oxidative stress. miR-1 was demonstrated to favor differentiation of CPCs, whereas miR-133a overexpression protected CPCs against cell death, targeting, among others, the proapoptotic genes Bim and Bmf. miR-133a-CPCs clearly improved cardiac function in a rat myocardial infarction model by reducing fibrosis and hypertrophy and increasing vasculari…
Radiation-induced vascular changes in the intracranial irradiation field in medulloblastoma survivors: An MRI study
2019
While survival times after treatment of medulloblastoma are increasing, little is known about radiochemotherapy (RCT)-induced cerebrovascular changes. High resolution vessel wall imaging (VWI) sequences are an emerging tool for the evaluation of cerebrovascular diseases. We performed VWI in medulloblastoma long-term survivors to screen for late sequelae of RCT.Twenty-two pediatric medulloblastoma survivors (mean age 25.8 years (10-53 years); 16.3 years (mean) post primary RCT (range 1-45 years)) underwent 2D VWI-MRI. Vessel wall thickening, contrast enhancement and luminal narrowing were analyzed. The findings were correlated with the patients' radiation protocols.Vessel wall changes were o…
Staphylococcal alpha-toxin: repair of a calcium-impermeable pore in the target cell membrane
2000
Staphylococcal alpha-toxin forms heptameric pores that render membranes permeable for monovalent cations. The pore is formed by an amphipathic beta-barrel encompassing amino acid residues 118-140 of each subunit of the oligomer. Human fibroblasts are susceptible to alpha-toxin but are able to repair the membrane lesions. Thereby, toxin oligomers remain embedded in the plasma membrane and exposed to the extracellular medium. In this study, we sought to detect structural changes occurring in the pore-forming sequence during lesion repair. Single cysteine substitution mutants were labelled with the environmentally sensitive fluorochrome acrylodan and, after mixing with wild-type toxin, incorpo…
Central nicotinic receptors, neurotrophic factors and neuroprotection
2000
The multiple combinations of nAChR subunits identified in central nervous structures possess distinct pharmacological and physiological properties. A growing number of data have shown that compounds interacting with neuronal nAChRs have, both in vivo and in vitro, the potential to be neuroprotective and that treatment with nAChR agonists elicit long-lasting improving of cognitive performance in a variety of behavioural tests in rats, monkeys and humans. Epidemiological and clinical studies suggested also a potential neuroprotective/trophic role of (-)-nicotine in neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Taken together experimental and clinical data largely ind…
Induction of apoptosis by arachidonic acid in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells: involvement of oxidative stress
2000
Arachidonic acid administration caused apoptosis in Y79 cells, as shown by typical morphological changes, phosphatidylserine externalization, chromatin condensation, processing and activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of the endogenous caspase substrate poly-(ADP-ribose)-polymerase. Arachidonic acid also caused lamin B cleavage, suggesting caspase-6 activation. Arachidonic acid treatment was accompanied by increased formation of the lipid peroxidation end products malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, lowering in reduced glutathione content and in mitochondrial membrane potential. Inhibiting glutathione synthesis sensitized Y79 cells to apoptosis-inducing stimuli, whilst replenishing red…
Induction of programmed cell death in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells by C2-ceramide.
1998
C2-ceramide, a cell-permeable analogue of ceramide, induced significant, dose- and time-dependent death in human retinoblastoma Y79 cells. Dying cells strongly displayed the morphology of apoptosis as characterized by microscopic evidence of cell shrinkage, membrane blebbing, nuclear and chromatin condensation and degeneration of the nucleus into membrane-bound apoptotic bodies. Upon induction of apoptosis Y79 cells evidence early phosphatidylserine externalization, as shown by annexin V-FITC. Apoptosis was also assessed by monitoring changes in cell granularity by staining with the combined fluorescent dyes acridine orange and ethidium bromide. C2-ceramide induced these morphological chang…