Protection against cisplatin ototoxicity in a Sprague-Dawley rat animal model

2/6/2008 Ferrara, Italy P Giordano et al. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital, August 1, 2006; 26(4): 198-207 Cisplatin (CDDP) is an anti-neoplastic drug extensively used in cases of head and neck cancer. Cisplatin induces numerous untoward side-effects including ototoxicity. In this study, cisplatin ototoxicity in Sprague-Dawley rat animal model has been evaluated and the oto-protection provided by the systemic administration of the antioxidant drug D-methionine has been tested. A total of 12 Sprague-Dawley rats were used: 8 were treated intra-peritoneally with D-methionine (300 mg/kg) and cisplatin (16 mg/kg, slow 30 min-infusion), 4 only with cisplatin. The hearing threshold of the animals was evaluated by electrophysiological procedures as Otoacoustic Emissions and Auditory Brainstem Responses. The effects of protection were evaluated after 72 hours. The data from the Otoacoustic Emissions (in the 4.0-12 kHz band) and Auditory Brainstem Responses recordings suggested that D-methionine can partially protect from Cisplatin ototoxicity. Authors: P Giordano, G Lorito, A Ciorba, A Martini, and S Hatzopoulos Authors' affiliation: Department of Audiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

2009-04-16T11:49:25-07:00February, 2008|Archive|

Patient in Finland gets a new jaw made from his own stem cells

2/2/2008 Helsinki, Finland staff International Herald Tribune (www.iht.com) Scientists in Finland said Friday that they had replaced a 65-year-old patient's upper jaw with a bone transplant cultivated from stem cells isolated from his own fatty tissue and grown inside his abdomen. The researchers said the breakthrough opened up new ways to treat severe tissue damage and made the prospect of custom-made living spares parts for humans a step closer to reality. "There have been a couple of similar-sounding procedures before, but these didn't use the patient's own stem cells that were first cultured and expanded in laboratory and differentiated into bone tissue," said Riitta Suuronen of the Regea Institute of Regenerative Medicine, part of the University of Tampere. She said at a news conference that the patient was recovering more quickly than he would have if he had received a bone graft from his leg. "From the outside nobody would be able to tell he has been through such a procedure," she said. The team used no materials from animals - preventing the risk of transmitting viruses than can be hidden in an animal's DNA, and followed European Union guidelines, she said. Stem cells are the body's master cells and they can be found throughout the blood and tissues. Researchers have recently found that fat contains stem cells which can be manipulated so that they form a variety of different tissues. Using a patient's own stem cells provides a tailor-made transplant that the body should not reject. Suuronen and her [...]

2009-04-16T11:48:32-07:00February, 2008|Archive|

Incidence Trends for Human Papillomavirus. Related and Unrelated Oral Cancer

2/2/2008 web-based article Anil K. Chaturvedi et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 26, No 4 (February 1), 2008: pp. 612-619 Purpose: To investigate the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) on the epidemiology of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) in the United States, we assessed differences in patient characteristics, incidence, and survival between potentially HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OSCC sites. Patients and Methods: Data from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program registries (1973 to 2004) were used to classify OSCCs by anatomic site as potentially HPV-related (n = 17,625) or HPV-unrelated (n = 28,144). Joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort models were used to assess incidence trends. Life-table analyses were used to compare 2-year overall survival for HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OSCCs. Results: HPV-related OSCCs were diagnosed at younger ages than HPV-unrelated OSCCs (mean ages at diagnosis, 61.0 and 63.8 years, respectively; P < .001). Incidence increased significantly for HPV-related OSCC from 1973 to 2004 (annual percentage change [APC] = 0.80; P < .001), particularly among white men and at younger ages. By contrast, incidence for HPV-unrelated OSCC was stable through 1982 (APC = 0.82; P = .186) and declined significantly during 1983 to 2004 (APC = –1.85; P < .001). When treated with radiation, improvements in 2-year survival across calendar periods were more pronounced for HPV-related OSCCs (absolute increase in survival from 1973 through 1982 to 1993 through 2004 for localized, regional, and distant stages = 9.9%, 23.1%, and 18.6%, respectively) than HPV-unrelated OSCCs (5.6%, 3.1%, and 9.9%, respectively). During 1993 to [...]

2009-04-16T11:48:10-07:00February, 2008|Archive|

HPV Causing More Oral Cancer in Men

2/1/2008 Atlanta, GA Mike Stobbe news.myway.com The sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer in women is poised to become one of the leading causes of oral cancer in men, according to a new study. The HPV virus now causes as many cancers of the upper throat as tobacco and alcohol, probably due both to an increase in oral sex and the decline in smoking, researchers say. The only available vaccine against HPV, made by Merck & Co. (MRK) Inc., is currently given only to girls and young women. But Merck plans this year to ask government permission to offer the shot to boys. Experts say a primary reason for male vaccinations would be to prevent men from spreading the virus and help reduce the nearly 12,000 cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in U.S. women each year. But the new study should add to the argument that there may be a direct benefit for men, too. "We need to start having a discussion about those cancers other than cervical cancer that may be affected in a positive way by the vaccine," said study co-author Dr. Maura Gillison of Johns Hopkins University. The study was published Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the leading cause of cervical cancer in women. It also can cause genital warts, penile and anal cancer - risks for males that generally don't get the same attention as cervical cancer. Previous research by Gillison and others established HPV as a primary [...]

2009-04-16T12:23:10-07:00February, 2008|Archive|

Committed to Raising Dentistry Awareness of Oral Cancer

2/1/2008 web-based article Joe Blaes Dental Office Magazine (www.dentalofficemag.com) In 2008, I am committed to raising dentistry's awareness of oral cancer. All of my seminars now begin with a discussion of oral cancer. I have committed to an oral cancer article in every issue of DE® during 2008 to increase the awareness of the dental profession. When was the last time you read an article, saw a TV news report, or read an Internet report on oral cancer? Did you know that the death rate for oral cancer has not decreased in the last three decades, that in 2007 there will be 34,360 new cases of oral cancer and that it will kill 7,500 people? I bet you have heard about the great success in reducing the new cases of cervical cancer to 11,000 and the deaths to 3,670. Three times as many people get oral cancer and twice as many die! The five-year survival rate for oral cancer is only 52 percent, but when diagnosed early, it can be 80 to 90 percent. Unfortunately, only 35 percent of oral cancer is diagnosed early. Late diagnosis leads to a high death rate. There has been a nearly fivefold increase in oral cancer patients under the age of 40 with none of the traditional risk factors. Oral cancer is no longer limited to heavy smokers and drinkers over the age of 45. This trend underscores the need for a thorough cancer screening examination of all our patients and an increased awareness [...]

2009-04-16T11:47:12-07:00February, 2008|Archive|
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