Clinicopathological study and Prognostic Factors in Radical Cystectomy.

Fifty-four thousand new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed each year. It is the second most common genitourinary cancer and results in over 12,000 cancer-related deaths annually. Twenty percent to 25% of newly diagnosed bladder cancer consist of muscle-invasive disease, with majority of these invasive bladder cancers demonstrating invasion at the time of diagnosis. While tumor grade and stage do influence progression, only approximately 15% of superficial tumors will eventually develop the characteristic features of muscle-invasion. For those that become muscle-invasive, however, the risk of metastasis and mortality unquestionably and dramatically rises. OBJECTIVES : 1. To study the recurrence pattern and disease-free survival of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. 2. To study the effect of lymphadenectomy on recurrence in bladder cancer after radical cystectomy. 3. To study the prognostic factors governing disease-free survival after radical cystectomy. 4. To do a descriptive analysis of patients undergoing radical cystectomy, to study the morbidity pattern and the quality of life after surgery. MATERIALS AND METHOD : From January 2001 to March 2007, 37 patients underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. These patients were followed up till October 2007. The recurrence pattern and the time to recurrence were studied at follow up. Prognostic factors such as histology, age, grade and stage of the disease that influence the survival and recurrence were studied. The extent of lymphadenectomy and pathological nodal status were correlated with the recurrence. The analysis was done using the SPSS 11.0.1 (15 Nov 2001) statistical package. CONCLUSION : The incidence of bladder cancer is low in India and at the Madras Metropolitan Tumor Registry. Radical cystectomy, performed for muscle-invasive bladder cancer has acceptable morbidity, and level of satisfaction with urinary diversion is satisfactory. Pathological stage of the disease and grade of the tumor has a bearing on the recurrence of the disease. Extent of lymph node dissection and pathological nodal status can prognosticate local recurrence. Extended disease free survival is possible in stage I and stage II disease, and after extensive lymph nodal dissection. High loco-regional failure was observed for N3 disease after surgery, which questions the role of surgery in such a scenario

An efficient protocol for the regeneration of whole plants of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) by using axillary meristem explants derived from in vitro-germinated seedlings

An efficient and reproducible protocol for the regeneration of shoots at high frequency was developed by using explants derived from the axillary meristems from the cotyledonary nodes of in vitro-germinated seedlings of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Culture conditions for various stages of adventitious shoot regeneration including the induction, elongation, and rooting of the elongated shoots were optimized. The medium for synchronous induction of multiple shoot buds consisted of Murashige and Skoog basal medium (MS) with low concentrations of thidiazuron (TDZ), 2-isopentenyladenine (2-iP), and kinetin. Exclusion of TDZ and lowering the concentration of 2-iP and kinetin in the elongation medium resulted in faster and enhanced frequency of elongated shoots. Cultivation of the stunted shoots on MS with giberellic acid (GA3) increased the number of elongated shoots from the responding explants. pH of the medium played a very crucial role in the regeneration of multiple shoot buds from the explants derived from cotyledonary nodes. A novel rooting system was developed by placing the elongated shoot on a filter paper bridge immersed in liquid rooting medium that resulted in rooting frequency of up to 90%. A comprehensive protocol for successful transplantation of the in vitro-produced plants is reported. This method will be very useful for the genetic manipulation of chickpea for its agronomic improvement

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Chickpea is one of the most important leguminous, cool-season, food crops, cultivated prevalently in the Asian Pacific region. In spite of its nutritional importance, its area of cultivation has been low, with virtually no increase. Conventional breeding has resulted in several important improvements in this crop, and recent advances in biotechnology such as plant tissue culture and genetic transformation can significantly contribute to better sustainability of this important food crop. Here, we describe an efficient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocol for chickpea using axillary meristem explants, which results in a high frequency of genetic transformation (70%) and recovery of valuable transgenic plants. The protocol is significant owing to its high reproducibility and recovery of the transgenics in a relatively short period (90–100 days)

Ureteral stump transitional cell carcinoma after radical nephrectomy: A case report with review of literature

Primary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the ureter accounts for less than 1% of all malignancies of upper genitourinary tract .Ureteral stump after radical nephrectomy may develop malignancy very rarely, TCC being the commonest. Definite risk exists if the urinary bladder harbored TCC. Presence of TCC of the urinary bladder and persistent urinary tract infections in a nephrectomized patient may indicate closer evaluation

In vitro micropropagation of Boswellia ovalifoliolata

A protocol for micropropagation of Boswellia ovalifoliolata Bal & Henry (Burseraceae) was developed using cotyledonary nodal explant on Murashige and Skoog modified medium (MS). A comparative study of micropropagation with 6-benzyladenine, kinetin and thidiazuron along with 1-naphthalene acetic acid (0.054 mu M) was conducted. The highest shoot multiplication (7.1 +/- 0.2 shoots per node) was achieved in 50 d on MS supplemented with thidiazuron (2.72 mu M). Excised shoot cuttings of 3.0 cm were placed on the MS basal medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid and indole-3-butyric acid alone and in combinations for rooting. Activated charcoal (100 mg l(-1)) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (40 mg l(-1)) were added to the medium to prevent browning of cultures. The regenerated plantlets have been successfully acclimatized and transferred to soil