ABSTRACT
AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a key proangiogenic factor and determine whether there is any correlation between its expression and clinical symptoms or endoscopic changes in patients with chronic radiation proctitis (ChRP). METHOD: Fifty patients who had all undergone radiotherapy for prostate, cervical or uterine cancer were included in the study (37 women, 13 men). There was a control group of 20 patients (9 women, 11 men). The Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (RTOG/EORTC) scoring system was used for grading the severity of the proctitis. Endoscopic scoring of late rectal mucosal damage was performed using Gilinsky's classification. Serum levels of VEGF were analysed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. RESULTS: Most patients presented with Grade 1 symptoms. Endoscopic assessment showed that most patients had Grade 1 late rectal mucosal damage. The predominant endoscopic finding was the presence of telangiectasia. Assessment of VEGF correlation between the control group and the degrees of endoscopic changes showed statistically significant differences for all three degrees (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0251 and P = 0.0005, respectively). Due to the small numbers of patients with Grades 2 and 3 symptoms using the RTOG/EORTC scoring system, they were grouped with Grades 1 and 4 respectively forming two groups for statistical purposes. VEGF expression differed significantly between controls and group I and between controls and group II (P = 0.0001, P = 0.0009, respectively). CONCLUSION: A significant increase in VEGF expression was found to correlate with clinical symptoms and endoscopic rectal mucosa changes in patients with ChRP, suggesting that it may play an important role in pathological angiogenesis.
Subject(s)
Intestinal Mucosa/radiation effects , Proctitis/blood , Radiation Injuries/blood , Rectum/radiation effects , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/blood , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Endoscopy, Digestive System , Female , Humans , Intestinal Mucosa/blood supply , Male , Middle Aged , Proctitis/etiology , Proctitis/pathology , Prostatic Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Radiation Injuries/pathology , Rectum/blood supply , Severity of Illness Index , Telangiectasis/etiology , Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/radiotherapy , Uterine Neoplasms/radiotherapyABSTRACT
The purpose of this report is to describe induced visual hallucinations among two sisters. The author suggests that the first sister has probably "organic" visual hallucinations but the second sister has "induced" hallucinations. The paper describes a family of three old maids, living commonly for several years.
Subject(s)
Hallucinations/psychology , Shared Paranoid Disorder/psychology , Sibling Relations , Aged , Family , Female , Humans , Interpersonal RelationsSubject(s)
Colonic Polyps/surgery , Gardner Syndrome/surgery , Rectal Neoplasms/surgery , Adult , Humans , Male , Rectal Neoplasms/secondarySubject(s)
Vagotomy, Proximal Gastric/methods , Vagotomy/methods , Adult , Aged , Duodenal Ulcer/surgery , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedSubject(s)
Gastric Mucosa/pathology , Ischemia/complications , Vagotomy/adverse effects , Adult , Aged , Gastric Mucosa/blood supply , Humans , Middle Aged , Necrosis , Vagotomy/methodsABSTRACT
Hook opening in seedlings of Cuscuta gronovii Willd. occurred only after prolonged exposures to blue, red, or far red light. Prolonged far red exposure was less effective than prolonged exposure to red or blue light. Brief far red irradiation inhibited the inductive effect of red light. The far red inhibition was in turn reversed by brief red irradiation. These effects suggest the involvement of two photosystems in the control of hook opening in Cuscuta gronovii Willd.: a phytochrome-mediated system and a separate high energy requirement.
