X irradiation induced colonic mucosal injury and the detection of apoptosis through PARP-1/p53 regulatory pathway.

This study aimed to explore whether PARP-1 regulatory pathway mediated X irradiation induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis or not. In this regard, colonic mucosal injury caused by whole-body X-irradiation induced apoptosis through PARP-1, caspase 3 and p53 regulatory pathway were evaluated in experimental rat models. Eighteen Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups. Two radiation groups received 8.3 Gy dose of whole-body X-irradiation as a single dose and the control group received physiological saline intraperitoneally. Radiation groups were sacrificed after 6 h and 4 days of irradiation. PARP-1 and caspase 3 expression in the nuclei of colonic crypt cells significantly increased 6 h after irradiation, and declined 4 days after irradiation. In conflict with other studies that reported p53 as not being expressed widely in colonic mucosa, in our study the expressions of p53 were elevated both in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus of the crypt cells, especially 6 h after irradiation. In the radiation groups, colonic mucosal injury score was significantly elevated compared with that of the control group. Our data demonstrated that PARP-1, caspase-3 and p53 expression increased in colonic mucosa 6 h after irradiation.

Filgrastim helps to heal herpes zoster faster: two case reports.

Herpes zoster is an infectious disease caused by varicella-zoster virus that may occur sporadically at any age. We report on two patients with herpes zoster who received chemotherapy for breast cancer. Both patients were immunocompromised and received filgrastim therapy for the management of neutropenia. Zoster occurred during filgrastim therapy but the symptoms were alleviated rapidly in the course of therapy. We conclude that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy helped symptom alleviation and accelerated the recovery from herpes zoster in our chemotherapy-treated patients.

The results of hypofractionated radiotherapy in 31 patients with high-grade gliomas.

In this prospective study, we investigated the effects of hypofractionated radiotherapy for patients with high-grade gliomas. About 31 patients with glioblastoma multiforme or anaplastic astrocytoma were studied between October 2003 and December 2004. Hypofractionated radiotherapy (3 Gy/fraction/day) was delivered to a total dose of 45 Gy in 15 fractions in 10 patients (32%) who had total excision before radiotherapy and to a total dose of 54 Gy in 18 fractions in 21 patients (68%) who had subtotal excision or biopsy alone. Sex, age, type of surgery, tumor grade, Karnofsky performance status, time between surgery and initiation of radiotherapy, and total radiotherapy dose were analyzed as potential prognostic factors for survival using the univariate log-rank method. The median follow-up was 15 months (4-16 months). A total of 15 patients (48%) died of their illness; 16 patients (52%) were still alive at the last follow-up. The median survival time was 8 months. Actuarial 1-year overall survival was 40%. Type of surgery, timing of radiotherapy after surgery, and initial Karnofsky performance status were significant prognostic factors for survival. No grade 3-4 acute or late neurotoxicity was observed. The tolerance of patients to hypofractionated RT was not different from that for conventional radiotherapy. This treatment schedule can be used for patients with high-grade gliomas. Future investigations are needed to determine the optimal fractionation for high-grade gliomas.

Brain metastasis of cardiac myxoma: case report and review of the literature.

Cardiac myxoma is the most common benign heart tumor. Cardiac myxoma can be a sporadic lesion (93% of cases) and usually occurs in women over 30 years. Complete surgical removal of the myxoma and its cardiac attachment is usually curative. The frequency of recurrences in cardiac myxomas varies between 3% for sporadic cases and 22% for cases of Carney complex. Recurrence has been related to incomplete excision, multifocality, and embolism of tumor fragments. We report a case with multiple brain metastases presumably due to tumor embolization from previously operated cardiac myxoma.