Surgical conservative treatment of breast cancer in Constanta

Spitalul Clinic Județean, Constanța, Al XI-lea Congres al Asociației Chirurgilor „Nicolae Anestiadi” din Republica Moldova și cea de-a XXXIII-a Reuniune a Chirurgilor din Moldova „Iacomi-Răzeșu” 27-30 septembrie 2011În ultimele 4 decenii conceptul de chirurgie conservatoare s-a impus ca o alternativă viabilă în arsenalul terapeutic al cancerului de sân. Această evoluție a fost determinată de concluziile numeroaselor studii clinice randomizate şi de atenția deosebită acordată calității vieții pacientelor diagnosticate cu neoplasm mamar, astfel încât standardul actual al tratamentului cancerului de sân din stadiile I şi II este reprezentat de tehnicile de chirurgie conservatoare.Cu toate că această problematică reprezintă o preocupare constantă în ultimii 7 ani în cadrul Clinicii de Chirurgie din cadrul Spitalului Clinic Judetean Constanta, numărul de intervenții chirurgicale conservatoare reprezintă un procent de doar 11.18% din totalul operațiilor pentru neoplasmele mamare.Scopul acestei lucrări este de prezenta experiența colectivului Clinicii de Chirurgie în acest domeniu şi de a identifica problemele ridicate de aplicarea în practică a acestui concept în contextul medicinei româneşti, în dorința ca această opțiune terapeutică să devină o realitate a chirurgiei cancerului de sân din țara noastră.In the last 4 decades, the concept of conservative surgery imposed itself as a viable alternative in the therapeutic scheme of breast cancer. The evolvement was determined by the conclusions of numerous randomized clinical studies and by the special attention given to the quality of life of the patients diagnosed with breast cancer so that the actual standard of treatment in breast cancer in stages Ist, and IInd is represented by conservative surgery techniques. Although this pathology represents a constant preoccupation in the last 7 years in the Surgery Clinic of County Hospital Constanta, the number of conservative surgery in breast cancer represents only 11.18% out of the total number of interventions for breast cancer. The purpose of this article is to present the experience in this domain in the Surgery Clinic of County Hospital Constanta and to identify the problems of application into the practice of this concept in the context of Romanian medicine, wishing that this therapeutical option become a reality in the surgery of breast cancer in our country

PROPOSALS FOR IMPROVING THE PROCESS OF SEED DISTRIBUTION

The paper presents theoretical studies performed to adapt a universal drills forsowing of seeds for different sizes by improving their distribution process, changing the distributor groove

Cellulose acetate membranes functionalized with resveratrol by covalent immobilization for improved osseointegration

Covalent immobilization of resveratrol onto cellulose acetate polymeric membranes used as coating on a Mg-1Ca-0.2Mn-0.6Zr alloy is presented for potential application in the improvement of osseointegration processes. For this purpose, cellulose acetate membrane is hydrolysed in the presence of potassium hydroxide, followed by covalent immobilization of aminopropyl triethoxy silane. Resveratrol was immobilized onto membranes using glutaraldehyde as linker. The newly synthesised functional membranes were thoroughly characterized for their structural characteristics determination employing X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Subsequently, in vitro cellular tests were performed for evaluating the cytotoxicity biocompatibility of synthesized materials and also the osseointegration potential of obtained derivatised membrane material. It was demonstrated that both polymeric membranes support viability and proliferation of the pre-osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells, thus providing a good protection against the potential harmful effects of the compounds released from coated alloys. Furthermore, cellulose acetate membrane functionalized with resveratrol exhibits a significant increase in alkaline phosphatase activity and extracellular matrix mineralization, suggesting its suitability to function as an implant surface coating for guided bone regeneration

The photocatalytic effects of textile materials treated with TiO2 and Fe/TiO2

The research has been focused on the photocatalytic activity of the textile materials treated with TiO2 and TiO2 iron doped by pad-dry-cure and cationization - pad-dry-cure. The fabrics have been exposed to UV and visible light. The photocatalytic efficiency was evaluated by measuring the color differences (dL∗da∗db, dE∗, dC∗, dH∗) of the exposed and un-exposed samples on a Hunterlab spectrophotometer. The anti-fungal activity was assessed according modified ISO 20743:2007 standard. The results show that under visible light, independent of treatment used (padding or] cationization - padding), the highest discoloration is produced by TiO2-Fe on polyester. Under UV light, the highest discoloration is produced by TiO2-Fe only for the cationized materials. The cationization pre-treatment has no positive effect on MB photodegradation, the colour and lightness difference being similar or smaller than those obtained in the case of padding treatment without cationization. The degree of discoloration of PET and PET/co fabrics stained with MB is higher under visible light then under UV light. In the case of cotton, a slightly higher discoloration under UV light is noticed. All samples yielded very good reduction rates of Candida a., with 100% reduction for samples treated by padding. The reduction rates of Epidermophyton f. varies between 46.87% (D-V1-Fe) and to 99.18 % for A-V2-Fe.UEFISCD

Investigations on the properties of a two-dimensional nanopatterned metallic film

This paper presents some investigations of the effect of nanopatterning on the properties of aluminum layer deposited by sputtering. UV-Nanoimprint Lithography technique has been used for the realization of a 2D array of nanostructures (pillars) in aluminum film characterized by cylindrical shape and the following structural parameters: diameter between 400 nm and 490 nm, depth between 320 nm and 420 nm and periodicity of 1.1 μ m, which have been revealed by SEM and AFM measurements. The UV-Vis transmission, reflection and photoluminescence measurements have evidenced the effect of the nanopatterning on the optical properties of the Al layer

Expression of LIM kinase 1 is associated with reversible G1/S phase arrest, chromosomal instability and prostate cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1), a LIM domain containing serine/threonine kinase, modulates actin dynamics through inactivation of the actin depolymerizing protein cofilin. Recent studies have indicated an important role of LIMK1 in growth and invasion of prostate and breast cancer cells; however, the molecular mechanism whereby LIMK1 induces tumor progression is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of ectopic expression of LIMK1 on cellular morphology, cell cycle progression and expression profile of LIMK1 in prostate tumors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ectopic expression of LIMK1 in benign prostatic hyperplasia cells (BPH), which naturally express low levels of LIMK1, resulted in appearance of abnormal mitotic spindles, multiple centrosomes and smaller chromosomal masses. Furthermore, a transient G1/S phase arrest and delayed G2/M progression was observed in BPH cells expressing LIMK1. When treated with chemotherapeutic agent Taxol, no metaphase arrest was noted in these cells. We have also noted increased nuclear staining of LIMK1 in tumors with higher Gleason Scores and incidence of metastasis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results show that increased expression of LIMK1 results in chromosomal abnormalities, aberrant cell cycle progression and alteration of normal cellular response to microtubule stabilizing agent Taxol; and that LIMK1 expression may be associated with cancerous phenotype of the prostate.</p

Measuring and Estimating GFR and Treatment Effect in ADPKD Patients: Results and Implications of a Longitudinal Cohort Study

Trials failed to demonstrate protective effects of investigational treatments on glomerular filtration rate (GFR) reduction in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD). To assess whether above findings were explained by unreliable GFR estimates, in this academic study we compared GFR values centrally measured by iohexol plasma clearance with corresponding values estimated by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-Epi) and abbreviated Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (aMDRD) formulas in ADPKD patients retrieved from four clinical trials run by a Clinical Research Center and five Nephrology Units in Italy. Measured baseline GFRs and one-year GFR changes averaged 78.6±26.7 and 8.4±10.3 mL/min/1.73 m2 in 111 and 71 ADPKD patients, respectively. CKD-Epi significantly overestimated and aMDRD underestimated baseline GFRs. Less than half estimates deviated by <10% from measured values. One-year estimated GFR changes did not detect measured changes. Both formulas underestimated GFR changes by 50%. Less than 9% of estimates deviated <10% from measured changes. Extent of deviations even exceeded that of measured one-year GFR changes. In ADPKD, prediction formulas unreliably estimate actual GFR values and fail to detect their changes over time. Direct kidney function measurements by appropriate techniques are needed to adequately evaluate treatment effects in clinics and research