Citations

Abstract Intervention trials with supplemental β-carotene have observed either no effect or a harmful effect on lung cancer risk. Because food composition databases for specific carotenoids have only become available recently, epidemiological evidence relating usual dietary levels of these carotenoids with lung cancer risk is limited. We analyzed the association between lung cancer risk and intakes of specific carotenoids using the primary data from seven cohort studies in North America and Europe. Carotenoid intakes were estimated from dietary questionnaires administered at baseline in each study. We calculated study-specific multivariate relative risks (RRs) and combined these using a random-effects model. The multivariate models included smoking history and other potential risk factors. During follow-up of up to 7–16 years across studies, 3,155 incident lung cancer cases were diagnosed among 399,765 participants. β-Carotene intake was not associated with lung cancer risk (pooled multivariate RR = 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.87–1.11; highest versus lowest quintile). The RRs for α-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and lycopene were also close to unity. β-Cryptoxanthin intake was inversely associated with lung cancer risk (RR = 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.67–0.86; highest versus lowest quintile). These results did not change after adjustment for intakes of vitamin C (with or without supplements), folate (with or without supplements), and other carotenoids and multivitamin use. The associations generally were similar among never, past, or current smokers and by histological type. Although smoking is the strongest risk factor for lung cancer, greater intake of foods high in β-cryptoxanthin, such as citrus fruit, may modestly lower the risk.

Much work has been done on ultrasound phantoms foe biopsy and anatomic training of physicians and sonographers. Artifacts observed during scans in vivo also have been described. The authors' purpose in this article is to describe the construction and perdormance of phantoms designed to demonstrate ultrasound image artifacts for teaching purposes. Phantom images exhibiting ringdown, range errors, reverberation, and multipath artifacts produced by scanning intrauterine devices, shotgun pellets, and other objects are illustrated.

Sonography plays a crucial role in assessing liver transplant patients for vascular patency, fluid collections, and abdominal disease. This article discusses examination techniques, a suggested scanning routine, and the appearance of pretransplant and posttransplant disease.

AbstractSulindac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that induces apoptosis in cultured colon cancer cells and in intestinal epithelia in association with its chemopreventive efficacy. Resistance to sulindac is well documented in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying such resistance remain unknown. We determined the effect of ectopic Bcl-2 expression upon sulindac-induced apoptotic signaling in SW480 human colon cancer cells. Sulindac sulfide activated both the caspase-8-dependent and mitochondrial apoptotic pathways. Ectopic Bcl-2 attenuated cytochrome c release and apoptosis induction compared with SW480/neo cells. Coadministration of sulindac sulfide and the small-molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor HA14-1 increased apoptosis induction and enhanced caspase-8 and caspase-9 cleavage, Bax redistribution, and cytochrome c and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase release. Given that sulindac sulfide activated caspase-8 and increased membrane death receptor (DR4 and DR5) protein levels, we evaluated its combination with the endogenous death receptor ligand tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). Coadministration of sulindac sulfide and TRAIL cooperatively enhanced apoptotic signaling as effectively as did HA14-1. Together, these data indicate that HA14-1 or TRAIL can enhance sulindac sulfide–induced apoptosis and represent novel strategies for circumventing Bcl-2-mediated apoptosis resistance in human colon cancer cells.

AbstractResults from multiple clinical trials involving aromatase inhibitors have added to the knowledge base relating to endocrine therapy of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor–positive early breast cancer. In the extended adjuvant setting, data from the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group 6a trial showed an advantage for anastrozole following 5 years of tamoxifen treatment, consistent with the more robust MA.17 trial that examined letrozole versus placebo following 5 years of tamoxifen treatment. The combined analysis of the Austrian Breast and Colorectal Cancer Study Group 8 trial and the German Arimidex Nolvadex 95 trial, plus the Italian Tamoxifen Anastrozole trial, have shown the advantage of switching to anastrozole over continuing the tamoxifen to complete the full 5 years of adjuvant therapy. These trials support the previously reported larger and double-blind Intergroup Exemestane Study. The Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination trial now has data out to 68 months of median follow-up showing the maintenance of a significant advantage of anastrozole over tamoxifen for disease-free survival. In this initial treatment setting, the Breast International Group 1-98 trial recently showed a significant advantage for letrozole over tamoxifen. The current debate is centered on whether the optimal strategy is to give an aromatase inhibitor initially or after several years of tamoxifen treatment. Multiple important questions remain, including the predictive value of molecular markers such as progesterone receptor, the optimal duration of aromatase inhibitor therapy, the long-term adverse effects, and the relative efficacy and toxicity of the different aromatase inhibitors.

Abstract PURPOSE: We analyzed the expression of genes to identify reliable molecular markers in the diagnosis and progression of prostate cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Gene expression profiling was done using HG-U133 set microarrays in 32 prostate cancer and 8 benign tissues of patients with cancer. Expression levels of 11 genes were selected for quantitative real-time PCR evaluation in 52 prostate cancer and 20 benign tissues. Further, to assess transcriptional inactivation, we analyzed the promoter methylation of genes by quantitative methylation-specific PCR in 62 tumor and 36 benign tissues. RESULTS: Our results showed a significant down-regulation in the mRNA expression levels of PRIMA1, TU3A, PDLIM4, FLJ14084, SVIL, SORBS1, C21orf63, and KIAA1210 and up-regulation of FABP5, SOX4, and MLP in prostate cancer tissues by TaqMan real-time PCR. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR of PDLIM4, SVIL, PRIMA1, GSTP1, and PTGS2 detected prostate carcinoma with a sensitivity of 94.7%, 75.4%, 47.4%, 89.5%, and 87.7%, and a specificity of 90.5%, 75%, 54.2%, 95.8%, and 90.2%, respectively. Using this panel of methylation markers in combination, we were able to distinguish between prostate cancer and adjacent benign tissues with sensitivities and specificities of about 90% to 100%. Our data provide evidence of transcriptional repression of the putative tumor suppressor gene PDLIM4 by hypermethylation. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis revealed differential expression of eight down-regulated and three up-regulated genes, implicating their role in prostate cancer development and progression. We further showed that the hypermethylation of PDLIM4 gene could be used as a sensitive molecular tool in detection of prostate tumorigenesis.

Abstract Purpose: MV-CEA is an oncolytic measles virus currently being tested in patients with ovarian cancer and whose propagation can be monitored by measuring blood carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels. MV-NIS is an oncolytic measles virus coding for the thyroidal sodium iodide symporter (NIS) whose propagation can be mapped by serial radioiodine imaging. Expression of both CEA and NIS genes from a single virus would combine sensitive, quantitative expression monitoring (CEA) with radioisotopic expression mapping (NIS). Because of the unfavorable replication kinetics of measles viruses expressing both CEA and NIS, we explored the feasibility of combining MV-CEA with MV-NIS for comprehensive virotherapy monitoring in ovarian cancer. Experimental Design and Results: Mice implanted with i.p. SKOV3ip.1 ovarian cancer xenografts received MV-CEA alone, MV-NIS alone, or a combination of MV-CEA plus MV-NIS. Viral gene expression was monitored by measuring blood CEA levels, and the location of virus-infected cells was monitored by gamma camera imaging. Surprisingly, mice receiving the combination of MV-CEA plus MV-NIS showed greatly superior responses to therapy, but this was associated with 10-fold lower plasma levels of CEA compared with mice treated with MV-CEA alone. In vitro studies showed superior replication kinetics of MV-NIS relative to MV-CEA. The gamma camera scans were considerably less sensitive than the plasma CEA marker for monitoring virus infection. Conclusions: Dual therapy with MV-CEA and MV-NIS is superior to treatment with either virus alone, and it allows noninvasive monitoring of virotherapy via soluble marker peptide and gamma camera imaging. This has important implications for the clinical development of oncolytic measles viruses.