Cryoablation and immunotherapy: an overview of evidence on its synergy.

Cancer cells can escape the immune system by different mechanisms. The evasion of cancer cells from immune surveillance is prevented by immune checkpoint inhibitors, allowing the patient's own immune system to attack their cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have shown improvement in overall survival for melanoma, lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma in clinical trials. Unfortunately, not all patients respond to this therapy.In cancer management, percutaneous ablation techniques are well established for both cure and local control of many tumour types. Cryoablation of the tumour tissue results in cell destruction by freezing. Contrary to heat-based ablative modalities, cryoablation induces tumour cell death by osmosis and necrosis. It is hypothesised that with necrosis, the intracellular contents of the cancer cells stay intact allowing the immune system to induce an immune-specific reaction. This immune-specific reaction can, in theory, also affect cancer cells outside the ablated tissue, known as the abscopal effect. Unfortunately, this effect is rarely observed, but when cryoablation is combined with immunotherapy, the effect of both therapies may be enhanced. Although several preclinical studies demonstrated a synergistic effect between cryoablation and immunotherapy, prospective clinical trials are needed to prove this clinical benefit for patients. In this review, we will outline the current evidence for the combination of cryoablation with immunotherapy to treat cancer.

Comparative in vitro sliding-wear study of conventional, microfilled, and light-cured composite restoratives.

The sliding-wear behavior of a number of commercially available microfilled and light-cured composite restoratives has been investigated and compared with the wear characteristics of conventional composites. The surface profiles of the composite restoratives, both pre- and post-test, have also been examined in order to study material attrition processes. The results indicate that: (1) microfilled composites are significantly more resistant to sliding wear than are restoratives containing conventionally-sized filler particles; (2) light-cured, microfilled composites exhibit a lower rate of sliding wear than do self-curing, microfilled restoratives; and (3) the wear process leads to an increase in surface roughness for all materials tested, but microfilled materials display lower surface roughness values, both before and after sliding-wear tests, than do restoratives containing conventional-sized filler particles.

Wear behavior of a composite restorative and various styli in sliding contact.

Using a pin-on-disc sliding-wear test apparatus, the wear behavior of a typical composite restorative vs. styli fashioned from human enamel, sintered alumina, and magnesium fluoride was examined. The rates of restorative wear were found to be identical, within the experimental error of the measurements, for tests using either human enamel pins or styli fabricated from sintered alumina. Moreover, these two pin materials generated morphologically similar wear-tracks in the restorative disc. Thus, styli of sintered alumina produce restorative wear that is both qualitatively and quantitatively analogous to that observed in tests using human enamel pins.

Influence of contact stress, sliding velocity, and surface roughness on the sliding wear of a composite restorative.

The influence of several experimental parameters on the sliding-wear behavior of a composite restorative has been examined. The results demonstrate that: 1) Changes in surface finish and sliding velocity have little effect on the moderate wear-rate observed at nominal levels of stress, and 2) increased contact stress can profoundly alter wear mechanisms and produce marked surface failure at levels well within the range associated with human mastication.

Influence of variation in contact stress on the sliding-wear behaviour of a dental amalgam.

The influence of variation in contact stress on the sliding-water behaviour of a dispersed amalgam has been investigated. The results demonstrate that: (1) the rate of wear of the amalgam in sliding contact with pins fashioned from human enamel remains virtually constant (0.39 +/- 0.06 micrometer/h-1) throughout the range of stresses encountered in vivo; and (2) the wear process involves adhesive transfer of amalgam to the contacting face of the enamel pin during sliding.

Polygalacturonase, biomass and ascospore production by Byssochlamys fulva. II. Effects of sugars found in fruits.

Polygalacturonase, biomass, and ascospore production by four strains of Byssochlamys fulva cultured in laboratory media supplemented with glucose, sucrose, or fructose was studied over a 20-day incubation period at 30 degrees C. The production of polygalacturonase was variable, but most activity was detected between 4 and 8 days in 1% sugar media at an initial pH of 4 or 5. The rate of biomass production was retarded early in the incubation period in media initially at pH 3 or 4 as compared to pH 5, but the amount of growth was about the same in media containing the test sugars after 20 days. Large numbers of ascospores were produced between 8 and 10 days in media containing 5% sugar initially at pH 5 and 4. Production of ascospores was retarded at pH 3 in media containing 5% sugar as compared to media initially at pH 5 and 4.

Patulin production by Byssochlamys spp. in fruit juices.

Ten strains of Byssochlamys fulva and three strains of B. nivea were cultured in a laboratory medium and tested for their ability to produce patulin. Two strains of B. fulva and all three strains of B. nivea produced the mycotoxin. One strain of B. fulva produced patulin in 11 of 13 processed fruit juices, with greatest amounts being produced in blueberry, red raspberry, and boysenberry juices, whereas no patulin was detected in prune or tomato juices. Grown in Concord grape juice at 18, 25, 30, and 38 degrees C, this strain produced the highest patulin concentration at 18 degrees C after 25 days, whereas biomass production was greatest at 25 and 30 degrees C after 20 and 25 days.