Th.--Méd.--Reims, 1981. N°: 78.

Ovarian cancers often develop resistance mechanisms against the standard platinum and taxane chemotherapy, which indicates the need for novel therapeutics to improve patient outcome. In vitro assays were performed to assess the effects and mechanism of action of a novel peptide, GAP-107B8, on ovarian cancer cell viability. Xenograft models were used to determine GAP-107B8’s effects on tumour burden in immune-incompetent mice. GAP-107B8 significantly reduced cell viability in ovarian cancer cell lines, although no synergistic effects with carboplatin were observed. This reduction in cell viability was due in part to apoptosis and may involve mechanisms leading to decreased pAKT, but without any change in pPKC levels. In vivo, GAP-107B8 had no effect on ovarian tumour burden, but significantly reduced ascites volume. The findings suggest that GAP-107B8 can reduce some malignant characteristics of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo and should be evaluated further as a potential therapeutic for ovarian cancer.

This study was designed to: 1. Examine the diagnostic value of ADA levels in ascitic fluid, 2. Establish the sensitivity and specificity of this test in the diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis, in a large number of patients, 3. Establish levels of adenosine deaminase activity which give the best discriminatory information in patients with ascites. 4. Determine what conditions may give rise to false positive or false negative results. 5. Finally, the study was designed to assess the relative diagnostic accuracy of previously used biochemical and haematological data, such as ascites total protein and white cell count. The diagnostic value of these tests alone, and combined with ADA activity in a descriminant analysis, was compared with the diagnostic accuracy of adenosine deaminase activity alone.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The present view of the lipid metabolism of tumors appears to be, as stated by Gore and Popjak (32) and Gore (11), that tumors in general lack the capacity to utilize acetate for the biosynthesis of lipids. The results of Medes et al. (12), Busch (13), and Busch and Baltrush (14), lend support to the view expressed by Gore and Popjak. However, evidence to the contrary, namely that the lipid metabolism in tumors is not impaired, also exists. In this regard the results of Trew and Begg (16), Jablonski and Olson (17), Olson et al. (54), and Haven (19,20) are of special significance. The lack of agreement in the results of various investigators was attributed by Henderson and LePage (15) to differences between the tumors studied, but it was felt that the discrepancies in the results could also be attributed to differences in the conditions of incubation, the importance of which was emphasized by Busch (27) [TRUNCATED]. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / Ehrlich ascites carcinoma lactic acid dehydrogenase was isolated from an eleven-day old tumor by acid precipitation, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and chromatography on DEAE cellulose. Electrophoretic analysis indicated that the final enzyme preparation and the ammonium sulfate fraction contained a single isoenzyme, that is, one of the five possible forms of lactic acid dehydrogenase two of which are tetramers of a single but different protein while the other three are tetramer mixtures of both proteins (i.e. hybrid enzymes). Ultracentrifugal analysis indicated that the final enzyme preparation was composed of two major components with sedimentation rates of 7.3 S and 1.9 S. The enzymatic activity was associated only with the 7.3 S component. The apparent loss of enzymatic activity in 0.1 M phosphate buffer pH 7.0 and the magnitude of the value of the 1.9 S component indicated that this represented the subunit of the enzyme. [TRUNCATED]

No description available.

L'ascites és una de les complicacions més freqüents de la cirrosi hepàtica i sol ser el primer signe de descompensació en un gran nombre de malalts amb cirrosi. La seva existència no tan sols és indicativa d'un mal pronòstic de la malaltia, sino que a més afavoreix l'aparició de complicacions i condiciona un gran nombre d'hospitalitzacions. El tractament de l'ascites constitueix un problema terapèutic de gran importància amb un impacte notable sobre les despeses sanitàries i la qualitat de vida del malalt, perquè molt sovint cal hospitalitzar el malalt per poder obtenir una resposta terapèutica, durant períodes llargs i amb un elevat percentatge de reingressos.Tot i quedar en desús per la introducció dels diürètics moderns (vers el 1960), la paracentesi terapèutica resulta una alternativa interessant al mètode de tractament de l'ascites en pacients amb cirrosi hepàtica, que es basa en una dieta hiposòdica i l'administració de diürètics, atesa la presència habitual de complicacions com ara encefalopatia hepàtica, insuficièncuia renal i hiponatrèmia dilucional. A més, una proporción significativa d'aquests malalts (entre un 10 i un 20%) tenen una ascietes refractària al tractament diürètic. Encara que la paracentesi presenta alguns riscos genys menyspreables (com ara l'aparció d'infeccions o hemorràgies), l'anàlisi de la literatura científica que defensava l'abandó d'aquest procediment no dona raons prou fundades per justifiquin l'oblit a què s'ha vist sotmès durant els últims trenta anys. Entre els problemes més remarcables, hi ha un seguit d'alteracions en el volum plasmàtic que donen com a resultat una situació hemodinàmica inestable. Aquest trastorn es pot combatre eficaçment amb la utilització d'albúmina, encara que pel seu elevat cost s'ha mirat de trobar un altre expansor plasmàtic. En aquest sentit, aquesta tesi ha tingut fonamentalment dos objectius que s'ha estudiat en el marc de sengles protocols dissenyats específicament per a l'ocasió. El primer objectiu ("Protocol 1"), de gran interès clínic, ha consistit a comparar l'eficàcia de tres expansors plasmàtics (albúmina humana, dextran 70 i gelatina polimeritzada) en la prevenció del trastorn circulatori postparacentesi en els pacients cirròtics amb ascites a tensió tractats amb apracentesi total, i a estudiar si aquest trastorn és un fenomen transitori o si, pel contrari, és persistent i comporta uns canvis en l'evolució natural de la malaltia. El segon objetiu ("Protocol 2") ha estat estudiar quin és el mecanisme que determina el trastorn hemodinàmic i l'acticació dels sistemes vasoconstrictors després de la paracentesi, per tal d'esbrinar si es tracta només d'una hipovolèmia efectiva o si, per contra, és una hipovolèmia real.

Thesis (docotral)--München, 1979.

No description available.