Is gastro-oesophageal reflux a factor in exercise-induced asthma?

AbstractExercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) occurs in the majority of patients with asthma. The relationship between asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux (GER) is well defined, and the reports of exertional gastro-oesophageal acid reflux in healthy subjects, prompted us to study the relationship between EIB and GER.Following an overnight fast and medication withholding, 15 asthmatics and 15 normal subjects were placed on continuous monitoring of oesophageal pH and ECG. After baseline monitoring of oesophageal pH, at rest, for 30 min, spirometry was performed. Thereafter, the subjects underwent rigorous treadmill exercise for 8 min followed by spirometry, 10 min after running.Twelve out of 15 asthmatics and none in the control group demonstrated significant fall in FEV1 in response to exercise. However, only six out of 15 normal subjects and three in the asthmatic group had evidence of GER during or following exercise.We concluded that there is no significant correlation between EIB and GER in patients with asthma

Expression of COX-2, NF-κB-p65, NF-κB-p50 and IKKα in malignant and adjacent normal human colorectal tissue

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Forecasting of Demand for New Products

The principal aim of the economic reform that is being implemented in our country â increasing the effectiveness of social production â presupposes a painstaking analysis of demand for new products. When indices of the volume of commodities sold, of profit and the level of profitability are pushed into the forefront, the performance of the manufacturing plant depends, to a large extent, on the volume of sales, which is determined by the demand for the commodities produced. This is why of late more and more importance is attached to the proper forecasting of demand for various items and to planning the sale of commodities on this basis. Accordingly, the development of scientific methods for such forecasting becomes an imperative necessity.

On True and Supposed Humanity in Foreign Historical Cinema of the 21st Century / Об истинной и мнимой человечности в зарубежном историческом кино XXI века

The article studies the phenomenon of true and supposed humanity in foreign historical films of the beginning of the 21st century. The reason for addressing the topic was the appearance of films devoted to the images of an odious personality and viewed in a new (as opposed to old films about tyrants, such as Caligula by T. Brass; Great Britain, USA, Italy, 1979) humane perspective. Such are the films about Nero (Nero, directed by P. Markus; Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France, Tunisia, 2004), Hitler (Downfall, Germany, France, Italy; directed by O. Hirschbiegel, 2004), which have already outlined a perspective in development, crowned by a film about the family of a death camp commandant (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, directed by M. Herman; Great Britain, USA, 2008). The focus here is on the reinterpretation of the main images in the context of revealing some hidden personal features of the protagonists. For this purpose, the evil they have caused is left behind the scenes, and the viewer’s attention is focused on simple “human” emotions: Nero tearfully regrets his crimes, Hitler suffers before committing a suicide, the concentration camp commandant and his wife are horrified by the disappearance of their eight-year-old son in the death camp. By disguising the true nature of the personalities, film creators shift attention from their criminal activities to their “virtuous” everyday life not concerning the war and the military affairs. As a result, the works of art in question reinterpret the established characteristics of recognizable large-scale villains and transform them into ordinary people requiring sympathy. But, contrary to such a free interpretation of humanity, the authors of the article present a different perspective on it, where the studied phenomenon acts as a versatile-heroic one. Therefore, the aim of the article is to specify the phenomenon on the basis of two opposing matrices: 1) the development of humanistic traditions—“exceeding humanity in man” (G.-H. Gadamer), 2) distorting historical facts for the sake of artificial transformation of the representative of evil into a humane one. Статья посвящена изучению явления истинной и мнимой человечности в зарубежных исторических фильмах начала XXI века. Причиной обращения к теме стало появление кинокартин, посвященных образам одиозной личности и рассмотренных в новом (в отличие от старых фильмов о тиранах, как, например, «Калигула», гл. реж. Т. Брасс; Великобритания, США, Италия, 1979) — человечном — ракурсе. Таковы фильмы о Нероне («Римская империя: Нерон», реж. П. Маркус; Италия, Германия, Великобритания, Франция, Тунис, 2004), Гитлере («Бункер», Германия, Франция, Италия; реж. О. Хиршбигель, 2004), которые уже наметили перспективу в развитии, увенчанную картиной о семье коменданта лагеря смерти («Мальчик в полосатой пижаме», реж. М. Херман; Великобритания, США, 2008). Фокус здесь нацелен на реинтерпретацию основных образов в контексте выявления неких скрытых личностных качеств протагонистов. Для этого зло, которое они причинили, остается как бы за кадром, а внимание зрителя концентрируется на простых «человеческих» эмоциях: Нерон слезно сожалеет о своих преступлениях, Гитлер страдает перед суицидом, комендант концлагеря и его жена впадают в ужас от исчезновения в лагере смерти своего восьмилетнего сына. Маскируя подлинную сущность персоналий, авторы фильмов переводят внимание с их преступной деятельности на «добропорядочную» вневоенно-бытовую. В итоге в рассматриваемых произведениях переосмысливаются устоявшиеся характеристики узнаваемо-масштабных злодеев в обычных, требующих сочувствия, людей. Но, вопреки такой вольной трактовке человечности, авторы статьи представляют иную его проекцию, где изучаемое явление выступает в качестве разносторонне-героического. Поэтому цель статьи заключается в его специфизации на основе двух противоположных матриц: 1) развитии гуманистических традиций — «превышении человечности в человеке» (Г.-Х. Гадамер), 2) искажении исторических фактов в угоду искусственного преображения репрезентанта зла в человечного

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Loss of pigment epithelium-derived factor: a novel mechanism for the development of endocrine resistance in breast cancer

Abstract Introduction Despite the benefits of endocrine therapies such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors in treating estrogen receptor (ER) alpha-positive breast cancer, many tumors eventually become resistant. The molecular mechanisms governing resistance remain largely unknown. Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a multifunctional secreted glycoprotein that displays broad anti-tumor activity based on dual targeting of the tumor microenvironment (anti-angiogenic action) and the tumor cells (direct anti-tumor action). Recent studies indicate that PEDF expression is significantly reduced in several tumor types, including breast cancer, and that its reduction is associated with disease progression and poor patient outcome. In the current study, we investigated the role of PEDF in the development of endocrine resistance in breast cancer. Methods PEDF mRNA and protein levels were measured in several endocrine-resistant breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7:5C, MCF-7:2A, and BT474 and in endocrine-sensitive cell lines MCF-7, T47D, and ZR-75-1 using real-time PCR and western blot analyses. Tissue microarray analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to assess the PEDF protein level in tamoxifen-resistant breast tumors versus primary tumors. Lentiviruses were used to stably express PEDF in endocrine-resistant breast cancer cell lines to determine their sensitivity to tamoxifen following PEDF re-expression. Results We found that PEDF mRNA and protein levels were dramatically reduced in endocrine-resistant MCF-7:5C, MCF-7:2A, and BT474 breast cancer cells compared with endocrine-sensitive MCF-7, T47D, and ZR-75-1 cells, and that loss of PEDF was associated with enhanced expression of pSer167ERα and the receptor tyrosine kinase rearranged during transfection (RET). Importantly, we found that silencing endogenous PEDF in tamoxifen-sensitive MCF-7 and T47D breast cancer cells conferred tamoxifen resistance whereas re-expression of PEDF in endocrine-resistant MCF-7:5C and MCF-7:2A cells restored their sensitivity to tamoxifen in vitro and in vivo through suppression of RET. Lastly, tissue microarray studies revealed that PEDF protein was reduced in ~52.4% of recurrence tumors (31 out of 59 samples) and loss of PEDF was associated with disease progression and poor patient outcome. Conclusion Overall, these findings suggest that PEDF silencing might be a novel mechanism for the development of endocrine resistance in breast cancer and that PEDF expression might be a predictive marker of endocrine sensitivity

Pigment epithelium-derived factor as an anticancer drug and new treatment methods following the discovery of its receptors: A patent perspective

Traditional forms of cancer therapy, which include chemotherapy, have largely been overhauled due to the significant degree of toxicity they pose to normal, otherwise healthy tissue. It is hoped that the use of biological agents, most of which are endogenously present in the body, will lead to safer treatment outcomes, without sacrificing efficacy. The finding that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), a naturally-occurring protein, is a potent angiogenesis inhibitor has become the basis for studying the role of PEDF in tumours that are highly resistant to chemotherapy. The determination of the direct role of PEDF against cancer paves the way for understanding and developing PEDF as a novel drug. This review focuses on the patent applications behind testing the anticancer therapeutic effect of PEDF via its receptors as an antiangiogenic agent and as a direct anticancer agent. The majority of the PEDF patents describe the antiangiogenic ability and usage of recombinant vectors as the mode of treatment delivery. PEDF's therapeutic potential against different diseases and the discovery of its receptors open possibilities for improving PEDF-based peptide design and drug delivery modes