Cytogenetic behaviour of crocin on cultured lymphocytes from leukemic patients

Crocin is isolated from saffron, an important spice rich in carotenoids obtained from the stigmas of Crocus sativus L, commonly consumed all around the world and used as a medical drug to treat numerous diseases. In the present work a comparative study of the cytogenetic behaviour of crocin between cultured lymphocytes from chronic lymphocytic leukemic patients as well as from healthy individuals was undertaken in order to test the hypothesis that the sister chromatid exchange assay in vitro can be used for the prediction of the in vivo tumor response to the potential chemotherapeutic action of crocin. Sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and proliferation rate index (PRI) were evaluated in cultured lymphocytes from peripheral blood of all donors. Results showed that all tested crocin solutions didn’t cause remarkable changes to the PRI values of lymphocytes neither of the leukemic patients, nor of healthy individual. Contrariwise, after crocin affection a statistically significant decrease of the SCEs frequency of lymphocytes of leukemic patients had been observed (p<0,001, t-test) whereas the SCEs of the healthy donor’s cells presented slight, but not statistically significant increase. Our results indicate that crocin did not prove to be cytostatic in the tested concentrations, but it mainly reduced significantly the DNA damages along with being demonstrated as cytoprotectiv

Vascular endothelial growth factor protein expression in a renal ablation rabbit model under prolonged warm and cold ischemia

Background/Aims: To establish a potential correlation between renal and systemic production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein after prolonged ischemia in a renal ablation model under normothermic and hypothermic conditions. Methods: 38 uninephrectomized New Zealand rabbits were divided into 5 groups. The rabbits of each group underwent partial nephrectomy under 90 and 60 min of warm and 90 and 120 min of cold ischemia, except for the sham group (S), which served as control. Serum creatinine (SCr) and blood-urea-nitrogen (BUN) levels were assessed. On the 15th postoperative day (POD), the animals were euthanized and the remaining kidneys were evaluated. VEGF immunohistochemistry and serum Western blot analysis were performed. Results: In comparison to the control group, groups 60W, 90C and 120C showed 1.6-, 1.14- and 1.75-fold decreases, respectively, while the production of VEGF was significantly declined by 7.4-fold in group 90W (p &lt; 0.05). Immunohistochemistry revealed prominent VEGF staining in the above-mentioned three groups, while in group 90W staining was negative. Serum biochemistry and microscopic evaluation verified the same differentiation. Conclusion: Renal and serum VEGF seem to have an analogous expression under conditions of prolonged ischemia. VEGF is overexpressed in hypothermic conditions compared to warm ischemia exceeding 60 min. Hypothermia can be more advantageous in a procedure applying prolonged ischemia. Copyright (C) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Multiple metastases of prostatic adenocarcinoma to the urethra after radical prostatectomy

We present a rare case of multiple metastases of a prostatic adenocarcinoma to the urethra. Radical prostatectomy had been performed 13 years before, and during this time he had been frequently treated with transurethral resections of the bladder neck for obstructive urinary symptoms

Short- and long-term complications of open radical prostatectomy according to the Clavien classification system

To assess the use of the Clavien classification system in documenting the complications related to open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP). The medical records of 995 patients, who had open RRP during a period of 7 years, were reviewed retrospectively. Short- and long-term complications were classified according to the recently revised Clavien classification system. We also compared the results with a recently reported series of laparoscopic and robotic RRP. The overall complication rate was 26.9%; Grade I, Id, II, IIIa, IIIb and V complications were recorded in 3.4%, 3.9%, 12.8%, 2.6%, 3.8% and 0.3% of cases, respectively. Rectal injuries (10) and postoperative wound infections (24) were included in the Grade I category. Anastomotic leakage was recorded in 39 patients and rated as Grade Id. Grade II included cases of deep vein thrombosis (11), urinary tract infections (42), lymphorrhoeas (22) and haemorrhage requiring transfusion (53). Anastomotic strictures (26) and incisional hernias (38) were included in Grade IIIa and IIIb, respectively. Pulmonary embolism was fatal for three patients (0.3%) of Grade IV and V. To avoid incoherence in reporting morbidity data, a reproducible and practical classification system is necessary. The Clavien system could provide, after refinement and validation, a common language among urologists

Neoadjuvant cisplatin and interferon-α\alpha2B in the treatment and organ preservation of penile carcinoma

We investigated the antitumor activity and toxicity of cisplatin and interferon-alpha 2B as the primary treatment of penile carcinoma. A total of 13 consecutive patients with nonmetastatic histologically confirmed invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis underwent treatment consisting of 20 mg./m.(2) cisplatin intravenously and 5 x 10(6) mu./m.(2) interferon-alpha 2B subcutaneously daily for 5 consecutive days. An equivalent dose of interferon was then administered subcutaneously every 2 days for 3 weeks and the regimen was repeated at 28-day intervals. Of 12 evaluable patients 9 responded: 4 achieved a pathologically confirmed complete remission of 38+, 21+, 10 and 7 months in duration (2 with relapse were treated with local therapy and remain with no evidence of disease), and 5 achieved a partial response, underwent surgical removal of residual disease and remained disease-free for 14+ to 24+ months. The most significant toxicities were anemia in 5 patients and reversible renal impairment in 3 but no patient had neutropenic fever or required platelet transfusion. We conclude that primary treatment with cisplatin and interferon-alpha 2B induced responses in 75% of 12 patients with penile carcinoma and allowed for a less radical operation than originally scheduled. A larger number of patients and longer followup will be required to confirm these encouraging preliminary results