The enzyme COX-2 is induced at high levels in tumors but not in surrounding normal tissues, which makes it an attractive target for molecular imaging of cancer. We evaluated the ability of novel optical imaging agent, fluorocoxib A to detect urinary bladder canine transitional cell carcinomas (K9TCC). Here, we show that fluorocoxib A uptake overlapped with COX-2 expression in primary K9TCC cell...

Efforts are underway to develop staple crops with improved levels of provitamin A carotenoids to help combat dietary vitamin A deficiency (VAD), which has afflicted the health of resource-poor people in the developing world. As a staple crop for more than 500 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, cassava enriched with provitamin A carotenoids could have a widespread nutritional impact. To this ...

The membrane attack complex of complement (C) in sublytic concentrations stimulates endothelial cells (EC) to express adhesion molecules and to release biologically active products. We have examined the ability of a cytolytically inactive form of this complex, which is incapable of inserting into the cell membrane, to upregulate the expression of adhesion molecules and of tissue factor (TF) pro...

Quantification of the role of reactive oxygen species, phycotoxins and fatty acids in fish toxicity by harmful marine microalgae remains inconclusive. An in vitro fish gill (from rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss) assay was used to simultaneously assess the effect in superoxide dismutase, catalase and lactate dehydrogenase enzymatic activities caused by seven species of ichthyotoxic microalgae ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the activity and toxicity of gemcitabine and carboplatin in consecutive patients presenting with locally advanced or metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium (TCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Seventeen consecutive patients referred to a single institution with locally advanced or metastatic TCC were treated with carboplatin AUC 5 on day 1 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/...

BACKGROUND Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCC) is the second most common malignancy of the urinary tract. More than 70% of treated tumors recur, and 30% of recurrent tumors progress. Currently, pathologic staging and grading are valuable prognostic factors for detecting and monitoring TCC. Urinalysis, cystoscopy, and cytology are either invasive or lack sensitivity and specificity....

BACKGROUND Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPs) play a major role in the maintenance of extracellular matrix homeostasis and are involved in the process of tumour invasion and metastasis in several malignant tumour entities. The goal of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of various circulating MMPs and TIMPs in blood plasma for a non-invasive detection of tr...

BACKGROUND Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCC) is a transient condition characterised by severe left ventricular dysfunction combined with symptoms and signs mimicking myocardial infarction. Emotional triggers are common, but little is known about the psychological background characteristics of TCC. This study examined whether patients with TTC have higher levels of psychological distress (depressiv...

Arsenic is a well-documented human carcinogen, and contamination with this heavy metal is of global concern, presenting a major issue in environmental health. However, the mechanism by which arsenic induces cancer is unknown, in large part due to the lack of an appropriate animal model. In the present set of experiments, we focused on dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), a major metabolite of arsenic in...