Assessment of palliative chemotherapy: a step beyond response

In summary, tumour response is a useful index of cytotoxic activity, but is of limited value in the assessment of benefit to the patient following treatment with cytotoxic drugs. Survival is a similarly inappropriate endpoint to assess the clinical benefits of palliative cytotoxic therapy. The widespread introduction of QL assessment as a primary outcome measure in cancer therapy will enhance our understanding of the value of a wide range of established cancer treatments, not only that of palliative chemotherapy, but also surgery and radiotherapy.     

Two measures of nurses' attitudes toward abortion as modified by experience

Random samples of nurses in two states which differed in abortion statues were sent questionnaires. Content areas included experience with 12 specific nursing activities associated with abortion, willingness to participate in the same activities, and extent of agreement with statements related to abortion. Attitudes toward abortion were inferred from the willingness-to-participate items and from the agreement section. These two measures correlated highly suggesting a common underlying dimension. However, the two samples differed significantly in extent of agreement but did not differ in willingness to participate. These results were interpreted as supporting the position that attitudes derived from items using situational contexts might bear a better relationship to behavior. The findings also suggest that abortion facilities can probably be staffed without violating personal preferences since so many expressed willingness to participate in at least some of the activities. Comparison across the two samples suggest that increased experience or even the potential for experience with abortion patients tended to increase the favorableness of attitudes toward this issue.     

Study of methods of inactivating a concentrated, purified cultured antirabies vaccine]

Two methods of inactivation, with ultraviolet (UV) and gamma (gamma) rays, of the concentrated purified tissue culture rabies vaccine from the Vnukovo-32 strain were studied. Under the optimal conditions of treatment of 100-fold concentrated purified virus-containing suspension, a completely inactivated vaccine with high immunogenicity indices (4.1 to 78) was obtained. Both the inactivation methods were found to be of equal value.     

DNA typing as a strategy for resolving issues relevant to forensic toxicology

Retinoids influence proliferation and differentiation in transformed thyroid cell lines. Retinoids are able to damage cells by destabilizing lysosomal membranes and induce apoptosis in certain cell lines. In normal thyrocytes retinol modulates iodine metabolism. At concentrations higher than 50x10(-6) M retinoids are cytotoxic for normal (not transformed) thyroid cells. The mechanism of this cytotoxicity is unknown. We studied the effect of 7-80x10(-6) M retinol on porcine follicular thyrocytes in culture. In order to differentiate between membrane-destabilizing effects and apoptosis we investigated cultures after incubation with retinol by light- and electron-microscopy and by labeling of potential nicks in the DNA helix by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-dUTP mediated DNA nick end labeling. We conclude that the observed cytotoxicity is caused mainly by the induction of apoptosis.