Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomédecine & pharmacothérapie
-
Epidemiologic studies indicate strongly that aspirin use reduces the risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma by approximately 40 to 50%. Perhaps up to ten years of use may be required before a benefit is apparent in colorectal cancer. The chemo-preventive actions of aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs) in colorectal carcinogenesis are also supported by animal studies, and by intervention studies that demonstrate that the anti-inflammatory agent sulindac causes regression of adenomas in familial adenomatous polyposis. ⋯ If confirmed, a new generation of selective COX-2 inhibitors may retain some of the chemo-preventive properties of NSAIDs with fewer side-effects. Firm recommendations regarding the use of aspirin or other NSAIDs to prevent colorectal cancer must await further research. For now, the decision must lie with the patient, in consultation with his or her healthcare provider, after a careful weighing of all potential risks and benefits.
-
Biomed. Pharmacother. · Apr 1999
Non-small cell lung cancer: report on the 5th central European lung cancer conference.
Organized by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the European Lung Cancer Working Party, and with the support of several learned Czech societies, the 5th central European lung cancer conference was held in Prague from September 13th to 16th. Over 500 participants from different disciplines (surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chest medicine) attended the meeting, which was once again shown to be an important forum for interchanges. The various specialists involved in the management of lung cancer patients were able to discuss recent progress, problems to be resolved, and prospects for the future. The present article is designed to report the main communications relating to the most frequent type of lung cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
-
Biomed. Pharmacother. · Jan 1998
Direct evidence for glutathione as mediator of apoptosis in neuronal cells.
Recent evidence has focused attention on the role of oxidative stress in various acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, a decrease in the level of the powerful antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and death of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra are prominent features in Parkinson's disease. The mode of neuronal death is uncertain; however, apoptosis has been hypothesized to be mediated through the induction of free radicals via oxidative pathways. ⋯ A direct cause/effect relationship between GSH depletion and apoptosis was evidenced in this neuronal cell type. GSH depletion induced the death of NS20Y and promoted nuclear alterations of apoptosis as demonstrated by the in situ staining of DNA fragmentation after 5 days of BSO treatment (by terminal-deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP-nick end labeling), and the appearance of DNA laddering on agarose gel. These results suggested that redox desequilibrium induced by GSH depletion may serve as a general trigger for apoptosis in neuronal cells, and are consistent with the hypothesis that GSH depletion contribute to neuronal death in Parkinson's disease.
-
Due to short relaxation times, fat has a high signal on magnetic resonance images (MRI). This high signal, easily recognized on MRI, may be useful to characterize a lesion. However, small amounts of lipids are more difficult to detect on conventional MRI. ⋯ Fat may be suppressed on the basis of its difference in resonance frequency with water by means of frequency selective pulses or phase contrast techniques, or on the basis of its short T1 relaxation time by means of inversion recovery sequences. Lastly, hybrid techniques combining several of these fat suppression techniques are also possible. The aim of this paper is to review the basic principles of all these fat suppression techniques and to exemplify their clinical use.