Ciprofloxacin induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of human colorectal carcinoma cells

Efficacy of chemotherapy in advanced stages of colorectal tumours is limited. The quinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin was recently shown to inhibit growth and to induce apoptosis in human bladder carcinomas cells. We investigated the effect of ciprofloxacin on colon carcinoma lines in vitro. CC-531, SW-403 and HT-29 colon carcinoma and HepG2 hepatoma cells (control cells) were exposed to ciprofloxacin. Proliferation was assessed by bromodeoxyuridine-incorporation into DNA and apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry after propidium iodide or JC-1 staining. Expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic Bax was analyzed by semiquantitative Western blot analysis and activity of caspases 3, 8 and 9 by substrate-cleavage assays. Ciprofloxacin suppressed DNA synthesis of all colon carcinoma cells time- and dose-dependently, whereas the hepatoma cells remained unaffected. Apoptosis reached its maximum between 200 and 500 μg ml−1. This was accompanied by an upregulation of Bax and of the activity of caspases 3, 8 and 9, and paralleled by a decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential. Ciprofloxacin decreases proliferation and induces apoptosis of colon carcinoma cells, possibly in part by blocking mitochondrial DNA synthesis. Therefore, qualification of ciprofloxacin as adjunctive agent for colorectal cancer should be evaluated

Mobile decision support for transplantation patient data

In high-critical medical fields instant information delivery is essential. Task-flow analyses within the transplantation unit of the Technische Universität München revealed that valuable time could be saved in pre-transplantation management being able to retrieve data of organ receivers ubiquitously. Inspired by this clinical scenario, a mobile application was designed and implemented providing surgeons with decision-relevant information on potential organ receivers. It assists them in considering the prospects of forthcoming organ transplantations and facilitates decision making and documentation with regard to high security demands. The described system services three organ receiver lists and is used by the surgeons in every transplantation procedure. After a 6-month period of clinical usage, the system has been evaluated in terms of handling, clinical benefit and total time savings. Intuitive, ubiquitous access to decision-relevant patient data and authenticated documentation were the major improvements with average total time savings of 50 min in comparison to the old system

PDA-based decision support and documentation for transplantation surgery data

The Transplantation Unit of the Technical University of Munich has developed a mobile, handheld based application for preoperative transplantation patient management. It provides information on potential organ receivers and thus assists the surgeons in considering the prospects of a forthcoming organ transplantation. Any decision is documented and authenticated. The system employs sophisticated security mechanisms for both the front-ends and the synchronization conduit

PDA-based decision support and documentation for transplantation surgery data

The Transplantation Unit of the Technical University of Munich has developed a mobile, handheld based application for preoperative transplantation patient management. It provides information on potential organ receivers and thus assists the surgeons in considering the prospects of a forthcoming organ transplantation. Any decision is documented and authenticated. The system employs sophisticated security mechanisms for both the front-ends and the synchronization conduit

Mobile decision support for transplantation patient

dat