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What's known on the subject? and What does the study add?• Novel intravesical therapies are needed for superficial bladder cancer that reduce the risk of infection associated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and further destabilization of the urothelium associated with cytotoxic chemotherapy. Experimental therapies to date have included photodynamic therapy, oncolytic viruses, gene therapy (antisense oligonucleotides and silencing RNA), cytokine therapy, death receptor agonists (tumour-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and anti-DR5 monoclonal antibody), naturally occurring substances (curcumin and deguelin) and human a-lactalbumin made lethal to tumour cells (HAMLET). HAMLET, a natural occurring product in milk, induces apoptosis in urothelial cancer cells but has limitations in clinical application because of its human source. A previous study in patients with bladder cancer has demonstrated that intravesical HAMLET (daily for 5 days before tumour resection) caused selective apoptotic tumour cell death. BAMLET, the bovine equivalent of HAMLET, is a complex of bovine a-lactalbumin and oleic acid (bLAC) that has been shown in vitro to accumulate in the endolysosomal compartment of tumour cells and induce leakage of lysosomal cathepsins into the cytosol followed by activation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax.• This is the first in vivo study to show that BAMLET (bLAC) induces apoptosis in urothelial cancer cells and controls the growth of high risk urothelial cancer in a syngeneic rat orthotopic model. This same bladder cancer model system has been used to test other novel therapies, including BCG, and therefore provides a relative comparison of its effectiveness with other intravesical therapies. Objective• To investigate the efficacy of a complex of bovine a-lactalbumin and oleic acid (bLAC) to kill urothelial cancer cells in vitro and inhibit tumour growth and progression in a high risk bladder tumour model. Materials and Methods• The cytotoxicity of bLAC to a large panel of urothelial cell cancer (UCC) cells was tested by the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide) assay, using bLA, the folded a-lactalbumin without oleic acid, as a control.• The mechanism of bLAC-inducing cell death was evaluated by annexin V staining, TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labelling) assay and sub-G1 DNA analysis.• The selective bLAC cytotoxicity was examined using multicellular spheroids consisting of UCC and non-transformed fibroblasts.• Rats bearing orthotopic tumour received intravesical instillations (twice weekly, for 3 weeks) of bLAC, bLA, BCG or saline, starting 6 days after UCC (AY-27) cell inoculation. Animals were monitored for survival, toxicity and tumour growth control. Results• A dose-dependent bLAC-inducing apoptotic-like cell death was shown in UCC cells tested, including cells refractory to classic apoptosis-inducing agents, whereas bLA showed little cytotoxicity.• bLAC selectively destroyed cancer cells in spheroids.• Intravesical bLA...

Photosensitive disorders are common, affecting up to 5% of HIV-positive patients. HIV itself induces photosensitivity but photoaggravated drug reactions, porphyria cutanea tarda and nutritional disorders such as pellagra are also more common in patients with HIV. In South Africa, actinic lichenoid leukomelanoderma of HIV is a unique photosensitive disorder which is associated with advanced HIV. It is important to be able to recognise these conditions and withdraw photosensitising medications wherever possible.

Background and Purpose-Ischemic stroke is a high-volume and financially draining diagnosis at this rural health system.The purpose of this clinical practice analysis was to identify resource utilization and clinical process inefficiencies and to promote clinically efficient, evidence-based improvements. Methods-A retrospective analysis of medical record and financial databases of 356 patients with ischemic stroke was performed. The medical record data were adjusted for severity, and outliers were eliminated. The resources utilized by each physician were determined. Comparative graphs were prepared, presented, and discussed. The physicians implemented two types of changes: (1) alteration of resource utilization and consultation patterns and (2)