An Antimicrobial Peptide Regulates Tumor-Associated Macrophage Trafficking via the Chemokine Receptor CCR2, a Model for Tumorigenesis

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a significant part of infiltrating inflammatory cells that are frequently correlated with progression and poor prognosis of a variety of cancers. Tumor cell-produced human β-defensin-3 (hBD-3) has been associated with TAM trafficking in oral cancer; however, its involvement in tumor-related inflammatory processes remains largely unknown., applying a cross-desensitization strategy of CCR2 and its pharmacological inhibitor (RS102895), respectively, was also carried out. outcome and demonstrates the importance of the innate immune system in the development of tumors

Stage T1c prostate cancer: defining the appropriate staging evaluation and the role for pelvic lymphadenectomy

A good staging system should be able to accurately reflect the natural history of a malignant disease, to express the extent of the disease at the time of diagnosis, and stratify patients in prognostically distinctive groups. The staging system for prostate cancer, as it is today, fails to fulfill these requirements. Approximately one third of the patients who undergo surgery for complete excision of prostate cancer in fact do not have a localize disease. The incidence of tumor at the inked margin may reach 30% for T1 stage and up to 60% for clinical T2b prostate cancer according to comparision with pathologic examination of resected specimen. Several concepts have been recently proposed as a means of improving the accuracy of the available staging system. In this paper, we review current aspects of clinical and pathological staging of prostate cancer, and the importance of these new concepts on the early stages of prostate cancer.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/47057/1/345_2005_Article_BF01300182.pd

Vitamin D in health and disease: Current perspectives

Despite the numerous reports of the association of vitamin D with a spectrum of development, disease treatment and health maintenance, vitamin D deficiency is common. Originating in part from the diet but with a key source resulting from transformation by exposure to sunshine, a great deal of the population suffers from vitamin D deficiency especially during winter months. It is linked to the treatment and pathogenesis and/or progression of several disorders including cancer, hypertension, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and diabetes. This widespread deficiency of Vitamin D merits consideration of widespread policies including increasing awareness among the public and healthcare professionals

Task-free functional MRI in cervical dystonia reveals multi-network changes that partially normalize with botulinum toxin

Contains fulltext : 115429.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Cervical dystonia is characterized by involuntary, abnormal movements and postures of the head and neck. Current views on its pathophysiology, such as faulty sensorimotor integration and impaired motor planning, are largely based on studies of focal hand dystonia. Using resting state fMRI, we explored whether cervical dystonia patients have altered functional brain connectivity compared to healthy controls, by investigating 10 resting state networks. Scans were repeated immediately before and some weeks after botulinum toxin injections to see whether connectivity abnormalities were restored. We here show that cervical dystonia patients have reduced connectivity in selected regions of the prefrontal cortex, premotor cortex and superior parietal lobule within a distributed network that comprises the premotor cortex, supplementary motor area, primary sensorimotor cortex, and secondary somatosensory cortex (sensorimotor network). With regard to a network originating from the occipital cortex (primary visual network), selected regions in the prefrontal and premotor cortex, superior parietal lobule, and middle temporal gyrus areas have reduced connectivity. In selected regions of the prefrontal, premotor, primary motor and early visual cortex increased connectivity was found within a network that comprises the prefrontal cortex including the anterior cingulate cortex and parietal cortex (executive control network). Botulinum toxin treatment resulted in a partial restoration of connectivity abnormalities in the sensorimotor and primary visual network. These findings demonstrate the involvement of multiple neural networks in cervical dystonia. The reduced connectivity within the sensorimotor and primary visual networks may provide the neural substrate to expect defective motor planning and disturbed spatial cognition. Increased connectivity within the executive control network suggests excessive attentional control and while this may be a primary trait, perhaps contributing to abnormal motor control, this may alternatively serve a compensatory function in order to reduce the consequences of the motor planning defect inflicted by the other network abnormalities

Primary pyomyositis of the paraspinal muscles: a case report and literature review

A case of non-tropical pyomyositis in a healthy, adolescent, 13-year-old boy, affecting the paraspinal muscles is presented. Computerised axial tomography scan (CT scan) of the spine provided valuable information on the nature, extent of the disease and helped to plan successful surgical management. None of the reported cases of such severity of paraspinal pyomyositis had involvement of quadratus lumborum muscle or compression on retroperitoneal organ as in our case