Discovery medicine
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Currently, light therapies are widely used in both human and veterinarian medicine. The application of light to clinical therapeutics includes: photodynamic therapy, used to kill cancer cells; UVA therapies, used to treat a variety of skin diseases; and photobiomodulation, used to promote cell growth and recovery from injury. Photobiomodu-lation uses light emitting diodes (LEDs) or low energy lasers, which emit light in the visible red to near infrared range. ⋯ And third, low intensity light enhances nitric oxide synthesis by cytochrome c oxidase without altering its ability to reduce oxygen. From these findings, we propose that cytochrome c oxidase functions in photobiomodulation by producing nitric oxide, a signaling molecule which can then function in both intra- and extracellular signaling pathways. We also propose that the effectiveness of photobiomodulation is under the control of tissue oxygen and nitrite levels.
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Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), also known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR), has emerged as one of the standard treatment options for stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), mainly in medically inoperable patients. Its use has also been explored in operable patients. A large body of experience, either from retrospective studies or clinical trials, has been accumulated over the years and more is known about the radiobiology, cancer biology, technical aspects, clinical outcomes, and toxicities of SBRT. This article provides updates of these aspects of SBRT for stage I NSCLC.
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Dexmedetomidine is a new alpha-2 agonist with high specificity to alpha-2 receptors. The aim of this review is to present the most recent topics regarding the advantages in using dexmedetomidine in clinical anesthesia and intensive care, while discussing the controversial issue of its harmful effect on cerebral blood flow.
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Treatment outcome for advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited by empiric administration of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Recent advances in molecular genomics have revolutionized cancer management and, specifically, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation has become a potent biomarker for lung cancer, which predicts tumor response to and prolonged duration of disease control by EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). The Iressa Pan-Asia Study (IPASS) is a randomized phase III study comparing gefitinib (EGFR TKI) with paclitaxel/carboplatin (standard chemotherapy) in Asian non-/light smokers with adenocarcinoma. ⋯ The findings are confirmed by one single-arm study and three other randomized studies. It has become clear that personalized medicine for NSCLC is feasible. This small step towards personalized medicine represents a paradigm shift in the management of NSCLC.
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Review
Novel therapeutics approaches to chronic lymphocytic leukemia based on recent biological insights.
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a malignancy mainly affecting elderly people and is still considered an incurable disease. Despite recent advances in CLL treatment, relapse rates are high and often accompanied by the development of resistance towards conventional chemotherapy. ⋯ In recent years, our understanding of the biological mechanisms driving CLL pathogenesis has considerably improved, and novel treatment strategies are arising. This review summarizes recent insights in CLL biology and describes several new agents and treatment strategies that are currently explored in pre-clinical studies and early-phase clinical trials.