ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Rapid increase in engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) in many goods has raised significant concern about their environmental safety. Proper methodologies are therefore needed to conduct toxicity and exposure assessment of nanoparticles in the environment. This study reviews several analytical techniques for nanoparticles and summarizes their principles, advantages and disadvantages, reviews the state of the art, and offers the perspectives of nanometrology in relation to ENP studies. METHODS: Nanometrology is divided into five techniques with regard to the instrumental principle: microscopy, light scattering, spectroscopy, separation, and single particle inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Each analytical method has its own drawbacks, such as detection limit, ability to quantify or qualify ENPs, and matrix effects. More than two different analytical methods should be used to better characterize ENPs. CONCLUSIONS: In characterizing ENPs, the researchers should understand the nanometrology and its demerits, as well as its merits, to properly interpret their experimental results. Challenges lie in the nanometrology and pretreatment of ENPs from various matrices; in the extraction without dissolution or aggregation, and concentration of ENPs to satisfy the instrumental detection limit.
Subject(s)
Limit of Detection , Microscopy , Nanoparticles , Spectrum AnalysisABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Corticosteroids suppress the pituitary production of adrenocorticotropic hormone resulting in decreased adrenal steroid production, including adrenal androgens. Ketoconazole is an imidazole fungal agent that inhibit both testicular and adrenal androgenesis. Its primary mechanism of action is inhibition of a cytochrome P450 dependent step in the steroid synthesis pathway, although it has also been reported to have a direct cytotoxic effect in vitro. The effect of further adrenal androgen blockade with ketoconazole plus prednisolone was studied in 9 patients with prostatic cancer who previously progressed after standard hormone therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We treated 9 patients who had hormone refractory metastatic prostate cancer(goserelin acetate, 3 cases; combined goserelin acetate and flutamide, 6 cases) with 200 mg ketoconazole orally every 8 hours and 5 mg prednisolone orally every 12 hours. Mean follow-up period was 6 months(1-15 months). Results: Overall, of 8 evaluable patients 3 had greater than a 50% decrease, 2 had stable and 3 had increase in PSA. The median duration of response was 4 months. Pain was improved in 4 patients. Ketoconazole was generally well tolerated. Toxicity was mild. Nausea with vomiting, edema and hepatotoxicity occurred in 6, 4, 1 patients, respectively. Only 1 patient was withdrawn due to possible ketoconazole-related toxicity. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that ketoconazole with prednisolone may be a useful treatment modality for management of patients with hormone refractory prostatic cancer.
Subject(s)
Humans , Adrenal Cortex Hormones , Adrenocorticotropic Hormone , Androgens , Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System , Edema , Flutamide , Follow-Up Studies , Goserelin , Ketoconazole , Nausea , Prednisolone , Prostate , Prostatic Neoplasms , Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant , VomitingABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Hyperplasia , Prostate , Prostatic Hyperplasia , Prostatic NeoplasmsABSTRACT
PURPOSE: We evaluated the associations between the expression of bcl-2, CD44, p53 and tumor progression in prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of prostatic tissue from 36 men with histologically confirmed prostate cancer were obtained by biopsy or transurethral prostatectomy, and we examined the expression of bcl-2, CD44, p53 using immunohistochemical staining and related their expression with the stage, grade, disease progression. RESULTS: Ten of 23 tumors were positive for bcl-2, 10 of 20 negative for CD44 and 11 of 16 positive for p53 had progression. Nine of 16 tumors positive for p53 were poorly differentiated compared with 6 of 20 negative for p53(p < 0.05). Also, 13 of 20 tumors negative for CD44 were poorly differentiated compared with 2 of 16 positive for CD44(p < 0.05). A significant number of patients positive for p53 progressed and had shorter time to progression compared to those negative for p53(p < 0.05). Bcl-2 staining was not correlated with grade, clinical stage and tumor progression. p53 staining was not correlated with clinical stage, whereas CD44 was not correlated with clinical stage and tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS: There was an association between aggressive behaviour of prostate cancer and the increasing expression of p53. This study confirmed that the expression of p53 had significant impact on the disease progression regardless of stage in the prostate cancer however, the expression CD44 and bcl-2 had no role in the progression and clinical stage of the prostate cancer.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Adenocarcinoma , Biopsy , Disease Progression , Prostatic Neoplasms , Transurethral Resection of ProstateABSTRACT
Recent increased use of ultrasonography and computed tomography have led to the problem of adrenal incidentaloma, an asymptomatic adrenal mass discovered during investigation of some other problem. Treatment of these tumors, described as incidentalomas is controversial and the most important question in regard to such tumors is whether or not there is a need for surgical exploration as the final diagnostic measure because benign lesion of the adrenal gland is much more common than malignant one. And there exist a need to accumulate better information related to this entity in order to establish more reliable guideline for patient management when incidentaloma is encountered. Herein, we report a case of incidentally found adrenal ganglioneuroma in 14-year old boy who underwent surgical exploration.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Male , Adrenal Glands , Ganglioneuroma , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
The efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer is still debated. Between March 1986 and February 1995, we retrospectively reviewed 25 patients with invasive, pathological stage P3b, P4 or N1 and M0 transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder who were treated with radical cystectomy alone (control group), adjuvant M-VAC chemotherapy after the surgery. The mean follow up period was 28 months. There were 13 patients in the control group and 12 in adjuvant chemotherapy group. The pathological stage distributions were P3b in 9 patients (5 in control group, 4 in chemotherapy group), P4 in 9 patients (5 in control group, 4 in chemotherapy group), N1 in 7 patients (3 in control group, 4 in chemotherapy group). Median survival times were 27 months in adjuvant chemotherapy group compared to 15 months in the control group, however they were not related statistically each other (P>0.05). The 2-year survival rates were 38% in control group, 70% in adjuvant chemotherapy group but they were not related statistically each other (P>0.05). We are not able to confirm the efficacy of adjuvant M-VAC chemotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer. However adjuvant chemotherapy seems to have some beneficial effect. Controlled prospective clinical trials with large number of patients would be needed to assess the real efficacy of adjuvant M-VAC chemotherapy.
Subject(s)
Humans , Carcinoma, Transitional Cell , Chemotherapy, Adjuvant , Cystectomy , Drug Therapy , Follow-Up Studies , Retrospective Studies , Survival Rate , Urinary Bladder Neoplasms , Urinary BladderABSTRACT
The present study was performed to establish the cephalometric standards of Hellman dental age II C groups of Korean on the roentgenocephalometry. The subjects consisted of 26 males and 25 females with normal occlusion and acceptable profile. The major conclusions may be listed as follows: 1) The tables of standard deviation from the measurements were made. 2) All linear measurements of skeletal pattern in male were greater than in female with exception of the mandibular body length measurement. 3) The labial inclinations of the upper and lower incisors were greater in female than in male. 4) Vertical growth tendency of the face nab conformed in the late primary dentition as compared with the measurements of the mixed dentition.