The Effects of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning and N-Acetylcysteine with Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Rat Hepatic Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Model

Background. Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIP) and pharmacological preconditioning are the effective methods that can be used to prevent ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of RIP and N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) with RIP in the rat hepatic IR injury model. Materials and Methods. 28 rats were divided into 4 groups. Group I (sham): only laparotomy was performed. Group II (IR): following 30 minutes of hepatic pedicle occlusion, 4 hours of reperfusion was performed. Group III (RIP + IR): following 3 cycles of RIP, hepatic IR was performed. Group IV (RIP + NAC + IR): following RIP and intraperitoneal administration of NAC (150 mg/kg), hepatic IR was performed. All the rats were sacrificed after blood samples were taken for the measurements of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and liver was processed for conventional histopathology. Results. The hepatic histopathological injury scores of RIP + IR and RIP + NAC + IR groups were significantly lower than IR group (P = 0.006, P = 0.003, resp.). There were no significant differences in AST and ALT values between the IR, RIP + IR, and RIP + NAC + IR groups. Conclusions. In the present study, it was demonstrated histopathologically that RIP and RIP + NAC decreased hepatic IR injury significantly

Design, Performance, and Calibration of CMS Hadron-Barrel Calorimeter Wedges

Extensive measurements have been made with pions, electrons and muons on four production wedges of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) hadron barrel (HB) calorimeter in the H2 beam line at CERN with particle momenta varying from 20 to 300 GeV/c. Data were taken both with and without a prototype electromagnetic lead tungstate crystal calorimeter (EB) in front of the hadron calorimeter. The time structure of the events was measured with the full chain of preproduction front-end electronics running at 34 MHz. Moving-wire radioactive source data were also collected for all scintillator layers in the HB. These measurements set the absolute calibration of the HB prior to first pp collisions to approximately 4%

Design, Performance and Calibration of the CMS Forward Calorimeter Wedges

We report on the test beam results and calibration methods using charged particles of the CMS Forward Calorimeter (HF). The HF calorimeter covers a large pseudorapidity region (3\l |\eta| \le 5), and is essential for large number of physics channels with missing transverse energy. It is also expected to play a prominent role in the measurement of forward tagging jets in weak boson fusion channels. The HF calorimeter is based on steel absorber with embedded fused-silica-core optical fibers where Cherenkov radiation forms the basis of signal generation. Thus, the detector is essentially sensitive only to the electromagnetic shower core and is highly non-compensating (e/h \approx 5). This feature is also manifest in narrow and relatively short showers compared to similar calorimeters based on ionization. The choice of fused-silica optical fibers as active material is dictated by its exceptional radiation hardness. The electromagnetic energy resolution is dominated by photoelectron statistics and can be expressed in the customary form as a/\sqrt{E} + b. The stochastic term a is 198% and the constant term b is 9%. The hadronic energy resolution is largely determined by the fluctuations in the neutral pion production in showers, and when it is expressed as in the electromagnetic case, a = 280% and b = 11%

Levosimendan in sepsis

Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer and its inotropic effect is mainly attributed to the troponin C of the myocardial fine filaments with calcium. Levosimendan also inhibits phosphodiesterase III. In contrast to inotropic effects, this does not increase calcium entry into the cell, which explains that levosimendan does not worsen myocardial diastolic dysfunction and may even improve diastolic function. Levosimendan does not increase the use of myocardial oxygen and increases coronary vasodilation and myocardial oxygen delivery. Levosimendan opens potassium channels and causes hyperpolarization in smooth muscle cell membrane, thus causing vasodilatation [1]. Levosimendan has also been reported to have antiinflammatory [2,3] and antiapoptotic effects [2]

Can only chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment be applied to patients with rectal cancer who could not be operated?

Objectives: This study is aimed to evaluate patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer who could not be operated due to any reason and were treated with chemoradiotherapy alone or chemotherapy following chemoradiotherapy. Methods: Patients with locally advanced non-metastatic rectal cancer, who were treated and followed-up were evaluated. Results: Totally 263 patients with stage II and III rectal cancer were evaluated. It was determined that 14 (5.2%) of the patients with locally advanced stages received chemoradiotherapy alone or chemotherapy following chemoradiotherapy, and they were followed-up instead of undergoing operation. The baseline assessments revealed that 8 (57.1%) patients had clinical stage II, and 6 (42.9%) patients had clinical stage III diseases. Recurrence was detected in 3 (21.4%) patients. 6 (42.9%) patients died, and death due to rectal cancer progression was detected in 2 (14.3%) patients. Median progression-free survival was 25 months (8 to 68 months), median overall survival was 35 months (12 to 68 months), overall survival rates in 1, 3 and 5 years were 92.9%, 69.8% and 52.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Chemoradiotherapy alone or subsequent chemotherapy after chemoradiotherapy may be suitable for patients with non-metastatic locally advanced rectal cancer who could not be operated due to any reason. © Pioneer Bioscience Publishing Company

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Rather than Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer with High Tumor Burden

Background/Aims: We investigated the characteristics of locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who had received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT), and who developed early metastasis during the perioperative period. Methodology: LARC who were treated and followed-up were included in this study. Patients' files were reviewed retrospectively and the data on patients were recorded. Results: Totally, 182 stage II and III rectal cancer patients who received NCRT were retrospectively evaluated. Seventeen (9.3%) patients were metastatic during the perioperative period. Of them, metastases developed pre-operatively in 3 (17.6%) patients after NCRT, while 14 (82.4%) developed metastases postoperatively before adjuvant chemotherapy (CT). Twelve (70.6%) patients had clinical stage T4N+ disease. The median time interval between pathological diagnosis and metastasis development was 4 (3-5) months. The median survival was 24 months. Conclusions: More effective treatment is warranted in patients with LARC with a high tumor burden

The Effects of N-Acetylcysteine on Kidney Apoptosis in a Rat Intraabdominal Sepsis Model

WOS: 000314145000022Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on kidney apoptosis using a rat intraabdominal sepsis model. Material and Methods: Rats were randomised into three study groups: sham (n=7), sepsis (n=7), and NAC (n=7) groups. In sham group, only laparotomy was performed, whereas in both sepsis and NAC groups, cecal ligation and perforation were done. After surgical process, in sham and sepsis groups, 1 mL saline was given once daily intraperitoneally for three Days, and in NAC group, 150 mg/kg NAC was given once daily intraperitoneally for three days. Six hours after the last dose, midline laparotomy was performed to all rats, and both kidneys were removed for biochemical and histopathological samplings. Findings from these tissues were compared based on malondialdehyde levels, structural changes in renal corpus and proximal tubules, mononuclear cell infiltration, erythrocyte extravasation and cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinases (caspases)-3 immunoreactivity. Data were analysed using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann Witney-U tests. Results: Structural changes in proximal tubules, caspase-3 immunoreactivity and mononuclear cell infiltration and erythrocyte extravasation were significantly increased in sepsis group when compared to sham (p<0.05). Mononuclear cell infiltration and erythrocyte extravasation were significantly less in NAC group when compared to sepsis (p<0.05). Structural changes in interstitial space were increased in both sepsis and NAC groups when compared to sham (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although the findings of this study demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect of NAC on kidneys when used during early sepsis, it was concluded that NAC as a free radical scavenger should be further studied for its potential effects on cell healing and prevention of apoptosis

FOLFOX7 regimen in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of a FOLFOX7 regimen in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients

Vasculo-Behcet's disease mimicking a metastatic neck mass

WOS: 000228094200010PubMed: 15802878This article presents a case of Behcet's Disease (BD) with vascular involvement of the neck, which mimicks a metastatic neck mass in the initial presentation. A 58-year-old man presented with dysphagia, weight loss, bulging on the lateral, wall of the left pyriform sinus, and a firm and fixated neck mass suggestive of metastasis. Computed tomography of the neck demonstrated a solid mass, around the bifurcation of the carotid artery together with a pseudoaneurysm of the left external carotid artery. The mass was about four centimeters in diameter and extended to hypopharynx medially. Biopsy from neck mass and hypopharynx revealed no specific pathology. During follow-up the firm and fixated mass changed into a completely pulsatile one in the following three weeks. Reassessment of the patient's past history in detail revealed that he had had recurrent oro-genital ulcers, arthralgia and recurrent skin lesions. The pathergy test was positive. The patient was diagnosed to be BD and treatment consisting of colchicine 1 mg/day, peroral was started. He had a favorable outcome after treatment and was asymptomatic at follow-up of 24 months. It is unusual for BD to present as a neck mass but yet it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck masses. The present case report demonstrates how such a mass may mimic metastatic tumoral involvement and cause diagnostic dilemma. (c) 2005 Tohoku University Medical Press

Vasculo-Behçet's disease mimicking a metastatic neck mass

This article presents a case of Behçet's Disease (BD) with vascular involvement of the neck, which mimicks a metastatic neck mass in the initial presentation. A 58-year-old man presented with dysphagia, weight loss, bulging on the lateral wall of the left pyriform sinus, and a firm and fixated neck mass suggestive of metastasis. Computed tomography of the neck demonstrated a solid mass, around the bifurcation of the carotid artery together with a pseudoaneurysm of the left external carotid artery. The mass was about four centimeters in diameter and extended to hypopharynx medially. Biopsy from neck mass and hypopharynx revealed no specific pathology. During follow-up the firm and fixated mass changed into a completely pulsatile one in the following three weeks. Reassessment of the patient's past history in detail revealed that he had had recurrent oro-genital ulcers, arthralgia and recurrent skin lesions. The pathergy test was positive. The patient was diagnosed to be BD and treatment consisting of colchicine 1 mg/day, peroral was started. He had a favorable outcome after treatment and was asymptomatic at follow-up of 24 months. It is unusual for BD to present as a neck mass but yet it must be considered in the differential diagnosis of neck masses. The present case report demonstrates how such a mass may mimic metastatic tumoral involvement and cause diagnostic dilemma. © 2005 Tohoku University Medical Press