This preliminary study suggests that TS repetitive-sequence polymorphisms are predictive for tumor downstaging. TR sequences in TS promoter may be useful as a novel means of predicting response to preoperative 5-FU-based chemoradiation.

The EORTC Quality of Life Study Group has developed a questionnaire for evaluating Quality of Life in international clinical trials: QLQ-C30. The purpose of the present work is to validate the third version of this questionnaire (3.0) for use in Spain. Two hundred and one head and neck cancer patients completed the QLQ-C30 at one or two time points during the treatment and follow-up periods, and a subsample completed the questionnaire on three occasions. Psychometric evaluation of the structure, reliability and validity of the questionnaire was undertaken. The data support the structure and the reliability of the scales. Validity was confirmed in three ways: the interscale correlations are statistically significant and moderate, several scales and items discriminate among groups of patients with different scores on the clinical variables, and some scales reflect significant changes during treatment and the follow-up period. The EORTC QLQ-C30 (version 3.0) is a reliable and valid questionnaire when applied to a sample of Spanish head and neck cancer patients. These results are in line with previous studies.

A comprehensive survey to document the presence of free-living amoebae of the genus Acanthamoeba was conducted in tap water and sea water sources related to human environments in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Acanthamoeba identification was based on the morphology of cyst and trophozoite forms and PCR amplification with a genus-specific primer pair. The pathogenic potential of Acanthamoeba isolates was characterized by temperature and osmotolerance assays and PCR reactions with two primer pairs related to Acanthamoeba pathogenesis. The results demonstrate the presence of potentially pathogenic strains in both sources. Thus, some of the amoebae in these aquatic habitats can act as opportunistic pathogens, could play a role in the diseases of aquatic organisms, and may present a risk to human health.

Zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (ZVL) is a parasitic disease caused by Leishmania infantum/L. chagasi that is emerging as an important medical and veterinary problem. Dogs are the domestic reservoir for this parasite and, therefore, the main target for controlling the transmission to humans. In the present work, we have evaluated the immunogenicity of the Leishmania infantum heat shock protein (HSP)-70, paraflagellar rod protein (PFR)-2 and kinetoplastida membrane protein (KMP)-11 recombinant proteins in dogs experimentally infected with the parasite. We have shown that peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from experimentally infected dogs proliferated in response to these recombinant antigens and against the soluble leishmanial antigen (SLA). We have also quantified the mRNA expression level of the cytokines induced in PBMC upon stimulation with the HSP-70, PFR-2 and KMP-11 proteins. These recombinant proteins induced an up-regulation of IFN-gamma. HSP-70 and PFR-2 also produced an increase of the TNF-alpha transcripts abundance. No measurable induction of IL-10 was observed and low levels of IL-4 mRNA were produced in response to the three mentioned recombinant antigens. Serum levels of specific antibodies against HSP-70, PFR-2 and KMP-11 recombinant proteins were also determined in these animals. Our study showed that HSP-70, KMP-11 and PFR-2 proteins are recognized by infected canines. Furthermore, these antigens produce a Th1-type immune response, suggesting that they may be involved in protection. The identification as vaccine candidates of Leishmania antigens that elicit appropriate immune responses in the canine model is a key step in the rational approach to generate a vaccine for canine visceral leishmaniasis.

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The OUT-PATSAT35 RT appears to be a reliable and valid instrument when applied to a sample of Spanish cancer patients. These results are in line with those of the validation study conducted by the authors of the questionnaire.

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Introduction There are few studies on the effect on quality of life (QL) of cancer-related illness and treatment in elderly patients. The aim of this work was to evaluate prospectively QL in a sample of elderly patients with stages I-III breast cancer who started radiotherapy treatment and compare their QL with that of a sample of younger patients. Materials and methods Forty-eight patients, ≥ 65 years of age completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QL questionnaires QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23, and the Interview for Deterioration in Daily Living Activities in Dementia (IDDD) daily activities scale three times throughout treatment and follow-up periods. Clinical and demographic data were also recorded. Fifty patients ages 40-64 years with the same disease stage and treatment modality had previously completed the QL questionnaires. QL scores, changes in them among the three assessments, differences between groups based on clinical factors, and differences between the two samples were calculated. Results QL scoring was good and stable (> 70/100 points) in most areas, in line with clinical data. Light and moderate limitations occurred in global QL and some emotional, sexual, and treatment-related areas. Moderate decreases (10-20) appeared in some toxicity-related areas, which recovered during the follow-up period. Breast-conservation and sentinel-node patients presented higher scores in emotional areas. There were few QL differences among agebased samples. Conclusions QL and clinical data indicate radiotherapy was well tolerated. Age should not be the only factor evaluated when deciding upon treatment for breast cancer patients.