La eritropoyetina como factor de protección de la radioterapia sobre células del sistema nervioso central. Estudio in vitro / Erythropoietin as a protective factor in rat CNS cells receiving radiotherapy -an in vitro study

Objetivo. Investigar el efecto de la eritropoyetina en cultivos celulares de corteza cerebral de ratas cuando se administra radioterapia. Materiales y métodos. El estudio se desarrolla con la obtención de corteza cerebral de embriones de 17 días de preñez de ratas Wistar. Las células cultivadas después de 72 horas de la extracción de la corteza se dividieron en dos grupos, a uno de ellos se le administró eritropoyetina alfa a una concentración de 30 pM y el otro era el grupo control. A los dos grupos de células se les radió con 6 Gy mediante un aparato Phoenix. Tras la radioterapia permanecieron 24 horas en la incubadora antes de fijarlas. Las células fueron fijadas con formaldehído al 4%. A continuación, con la técnica de TUNEL, se valoró el número de células apoptóticas en los cultivos radiados. Resultados. Se observó un porcentaje de apoptosis del 25,22% del grupo de cultivo sin eritropoyetina, mientras que en el grupo de células radiadas con eritropoyetina fue del 15,5%. Las variables cuantitativas se analizaron mediante el test t de Student y el resultado de la comparación entre los dos grupos fue estadísticamente significativo (p < 0,0001). Conclusión. En nuestro modelo experimental in vitro se comprobó que la eritropoyetina es eficaz en la prevención de la apoptosis en células del sistema nervioso central de ratas por radiación. Esto abre nuevos campos para la investigación del efecto protector del sistema nervioso (AU)

Aim. To investigate the effect of erythropoietin in cultured rat cerebral cortex cells receiving radiotherapy. Materials and methods. Cerebral cortex was taken from 17-day-old Wistar rat embryos and placed in culture. At 72 hours, the cultures were divided into two groups, one receiving 30 pM erythropoietin alpha and the other was the control group. Both groups received 6 Gy from a Phoenix apparatus and were incubated for another 24 hours before fixation in 4% formaldehyde. TUNEL technique was employed to calculate the number of apoptotic cells in the irradiated cultures. Results. Apoptosis affected 25.22% of the cells cultured without erythropoietin and 15.5% in the group receiving erithropoyetin. Student’s t-test was used to analyse quantitative variables and showed a significant difference in apoptosis between the two groups (p < 0.0001). Conclusion. Our in vitro experimental model demonstrated that erythropoietin effectively prevents apoptosis in irradiated rat SNC cells, opening new fields for investiga ion into protective agents for the nervous system (AU)

[Erythropoietin as a protective factor in rat CNS cells receiving radiotherapy -an in vitro study]. / La eritropoyetina como factor de proteccion de la radioterapia sobre celulas del sistema nervioso central. Estudio in vitro.

AIM: To investigate the effect of erythropoietin in cultured rat cerebral cortex cells receiving radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cerebral cortex was taken from 17-day-old Wistar rat embryos and placed in culture. At 72 hours, the cultures were divided into two groups, one receiving 30 pM erythropoietin alpha and the other was the control group. Both groups received 6 Gy from a Phoenix apparatus and were incubated for another 24 hours before fixation in 4% formaldehyde. TUNEL technique was employed to calculate the number of apoptotic cells in the irradiated cultures. RESULTS: Apoptosis affected 25.22% of the cells cultured without erythropoietin and 15.5% in the group receiving erithropoyetin. Student's t-test was used to analyse quantitative variables and showed a significant difference in apoptosis between the two groups (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our in vitro experimental model demonstrated that erythropoietin effectively prevents apoptosis in irradiated rat SNC cells, opening new fields for investigation into protective agents for the nervous system.

TITLE: La eritropoyetina como factor de proteccion de la radioterapia sobre celulas del sistema nervioso central. Estudio in vitro.Objetivo. Investigar el efecto de la eritropoyetina en cultivos celulares de corteza cerebral de ratas cuando se administra radioterapia. Materiales y metodos. El estudio se desarrolla con la obtencion de corteza cerebral de embriones de 17 dias de preñez de ratas Wistar. Las celulas cultivadas despues de 72 horas de la extraccion de la corteza se dividieron en dos grupos, a uno de ellos se le administro eritropoyetina alfa a una concentracion de 30 pM y el otro era el grupo control. A los dos grupos de celulas se les radio con 6 Gy mediante un aparato Phoenix. Tras la radioterapia permanecieron 24 horas en la incubadora antes de fijarlas. Las celulas fueron fijadas con formaldehido al 4%. A continuacion, con la tecnica de TUNEL, se valoro el numero de celulas apoptoticas en los cultivos radiados. Resultados. Se observo un porcentaje de apoptosis del 25,22% del grupo de cultivo sin eritropoyetina, mientras que en el grupo de celulas radiadas con eritropoyetina fue del 15,5%. Las variables cuantitativas se analizaron mediante el test t de Student y el resultado de la comparacion entre los dos grupos fue estadisticamente significativo (p < 0,0001). Conclusion. En nuestro modelo experimental in vitro se comprobo que la eritropoyetina es eficaz en la prevencion de la apoptosis en celulas del sistema nervioso central de ratas por radiacion. Esto abre nuevos campos para la investigacion del efecto protector del sistema nervioso.

Pharyngeal cancer prevention: evidence from a case--control study involving 232 consecutive patients.

The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for pharyngeal cancer and to propose 10 result-based preventive measures. It was a case-control study conducted in Madrid, Spain, with 232 consecutive patients diagnosed between January 1 1990 and December 31, 1995, sex- and age-matched with 232 control individuals with no oncological disease or history. By means of an interviewer-administered questionnaire, seven different epidemiological areas were surveyed, namely: (1) sociodemographic variables, (2) familial all-site cancer history, (3) medical history, (4) lifestyle (habits), (5) diet, (6) occupational exposure, and (7) non-occupational exposure. Of the great number of factors within each epidemiological area, the following were found to be risk factors after adjustment for tobacco smoking and alcoholic beverage drinking: (1) tobacco smoking, (2) alcoholic beverage drinking, (3) low and low-middle socioeconomic background, (4) low educational level, (5) rural milieu, (6) working, or having worked, as a manual worker in agriculture, (7) working, or having worked as a manual worker in building industry, (8) having an upper aerodigestive tract cancer familial history, (9) having a medical history of alcholism, low weight/malnutrition, gastroesophageal reflux or chronic obstructive bronchopneumonia, (10) low dietary intake of fruit, fruit juice, uncooked vegetables, dietary fibre-containing foods, fish and milk and dairy products, (11) high dietary intake of meat and fried foods, (12) deficient oral and dental hygiene, (13) abuse of black coffee, (14) abuse of 'carajillo' (a typical Spanish drink composed of black coffee and flambéed brandy), (15) occupational exposure to pesticides, solvents and dust of different origins. On the basis of our results and those reported by other authors, we put forward 10 measures for the prevention of pharyngeal cancer. However, due to the small size of the nasopharyngeal cancer subsample (n = 35, 15.08 per cent), our results as well as the preventive measures are to considered as referring uniquely to oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers. In addition, from descriptive statistical data inspection one can conclude that nasopharyngeal cancer is likely to bear risk factors different from those for oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers, thus nasopharyngeal cancer warrants specific epidemiological investigation with a sufficiently large patient sample.

Radiation therapy and combination of cladribine, cyclophosphamide, and prednisone as treatment of Bing-Neel syndrome: Case report and review of the literature.

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia is a low-grade lymphoma that produces monoclonal IgM. Central nervous system symptoms are frequent in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia, mostly associated with blood hyperviscosity. Nevertheless, central nervous system infiltration by malignant cells (Bing-Neel syndrome) has rarely been reported. We describe the case of a 72-year-old man with Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia and central nervous system infiltration by malignant cells with tumor formation. All similar cases reported in the literature are reviewed and the different therapeutic approaches discussed.