Background: One of the major goals of oncology is to predict the response of patients with cancer to chemotherapeutic agents by employing laboratory methods variously called ‘tumor chemosensitivity assays’, ‘drug response assays’, or ‘drug sensitivity assays’, in vitro. The MTT assay is one of the methods used to predict the drug response in malignancies. However, it may suffer from interference by the anticancer drugs with the MTT assay. Methods: The MTT assay, a colorimetric viability assay, was checked in a cell-free system in terms of its possible chemical interactions with 22 different anticancer drugs. Results: It was found that epirubicine, paclitaxel, doxetaxel, and cisplatin caused a relatively significant increase in absorbance values, resulting in the MTT assay giving rise to false results (untrue increase in viability) although most of the drugs tested did not seem to cause any significant change. Conclusion: It was concluded that before employing the MTT assay, drugs (or any kind of substances) to be included in the assay should be checked first in terms of possible chemical interactions with MTT, otherwise it may be impossible to evaluate the MTT viability assay results correctly.

Several genes encoding different cytokines may play crucial roles in host susceptibility to lung cancer, since cytokine production capacity varies among individuals and depends on cytokine gene polymorphisms. The association between cytokine gene polymorphisms with primary lung carcinoma was investigated. DNA samples were obtained from a Turkish population of 44 patients with primary lung cancer, and 59 healthy control subjects. All genotyping (IFN-gamma, TGF-beta1, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-10) experiments were performed using sequence-specific primers (SSP)-PCR. When compared to the healthy controls, the frequencies of high/intermediate producing genotypes of IL-10 and low producing genotype of TNF-alpha were significantly more common in the patient group. It is noteworthy that lung cancer patients with the TGF-beta T/T genotype in codon 10 had statistically longer survival compared to those having the C/C genotype (Kaplan-Meier survival function test, log rank significance = 0.014). These results suggest that IL-10, TNF-alpha and TGF-beta1 gene polymorphisms may affect host susceptibility to lung cancer and the outcome of the patients.

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PurposeIrrigation-induced increase in intrarenal pressure is of concern because it may cause infection due to increased pyelovenous and pyelolymphatic absorption. This study is the first to compare prospectively the absorbed fluid volumes during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS) for stones larger than 2 cm.Materials and methodsGeneral anesthesia was applied to all patients. Isotonic solution containing 1 % ethanol was used as irrigation fluid. Venous blood ethanol concentration was first measured with the start of irrigation and thereafter every 15 min until the patients left the recovery room. Absorbed fluid volumes were measured using the blood ethanol concentrations. Duration of irrigation, irrigated fluid volume, stone size and grade of hydronephrosis were also recorded.ResultsA total of 60 patients were included the study. Fluid absorption occurred in all patients. Minimum and maximum ranges of fluid absorption were 20–573 mL for RIRS and 13–364 mL for PCNL. The increase in fluid absorbed volume was observed as a result of the given amount of irrigating fluid used in the PCNL group. Also prolongation of operation led to a significant increase in absorption in the PCNL group. Increase in body mass index, stone size, and hydronephrosis did not affect fluid absorption significantly in either of the two operation techniques in correlation analyzes.ConclusionBoth RIRS and PCNL are conducted under high pressure and can be accompanied potential complications such as SIRS. The fluid absorption confirmed in our study should be taken into consideration during RIRS and PCNL.

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Internal ribosome entry site (IRES) sequences have become a valuable tool in the construction of gene transfer and therapeutic vectors for multi-cistronic gene expression from a single mRNA transcript. The optimal conditions for effective use of this sequence to construct a functional expression vector are not precisely defined but it is generally assumed that the internal ribosome entry site dependent expression of the second gene in such as cassette is less efficient than the cap-dependent expression of the first gene. Mainly tailoring inter-cistronic sequence significantly enhances IRES dependent second gene expression in bicistronic vector further in construction of optimised cassette for gene therapy of familial hypercholesterolemia. We tailored the size of the inter-cistronic spacer sequence at the 5′ region of the internal ribosome entry site sequence using sequential deletions and demonstrated that the expression of the 3′ gene can be significantly increased to similar levels as the cap-dependent expression of the 5’ gene. Maximum expression efficiency of the downstream gene was obtained when the spacer is composed of 18–141 base pairs. In this case a single mRNA transcriptional unit containing both the first and the second Cistron was detected. Whilst constructs with spacer sequences of 216 bp or longer generate a single transcriptional unit containing only the first Cistron. This suggests that long spacers may affect transcription termination. When the spacer is 188 bp, both transcripts were produced simultaneously in most transfected cells, while a fraction of them expressed only the first but not the second gene. Expression analyses of vectors containing optimised cassettes clearly confirm that efficiency of gene transfer and biological activity of the expressed transgenic proteins in the transduced cells can be achieved. Furthermore, Computational analysis was carried out by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to determine the most emerges as viable containing specific binding site and bridging of 5′ and 3′ ends involving direct RNA-RNA contacts and RNA-protein interactions. These results provide a mechanistic basis for translation stimulation and RNA resembling for the synergistic stimulation of cap-dependent translation.

SummaryBackgroundOur main objective was to evaluate the association between autoimmune thyroiditis and the Delphian lymph node during different stages of thyroiditis.Material/MethodsThe relationships between the ultrasonography (US) results of thyroiditis and characteristics of the Delphian lymph node in different stages of AT were evaluated. Thyroid hormone and antibody levels were assessed. A total of 126 patients were divided into four groups according to the thyroid US findings: Group 1: control cases; Group 2: indeterminate cases; Group 3: established thyroiditis cases; Group 4: advanced-late stage thyroiditis cases.Indeterminate cases attended a 1-year follow-up, and the cases with a sonographic finding matching thyroiditis formed Group 2.ResultsThe rate of Delphian lymph node presence in Group 4 was significantly higher than in Groups 1 and 2 (p<0.01). In addition, its presence was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Group 1 (p<0.05). Although there was a difference in Delphian lymph node presence between Groups 2 and 3, it was not significant (p=0.052), nor was there a significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 (p>0.05). Both the long and short axis measurements were significantly higher in Groups 2, 3, and 4 compared to those in the control group. However, the same increase was not observed in the long/short axis ratio.ConclusionsBoth the presence and dimensions of the Delphian lymph node were highly correlated with the progress of autoimmune thyroiditis. Evaluating the Delphian lymph nodes might prevent missing a diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis.

Careful and thorough review of the PLNs can ensure diagnosis of autoimmune thyroiditis even in cases of early stage of the disease and prevent false-negative diagnoses.