Hydroxyurea induces apoptosis and regular DNA fragmentation in a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line.

Hydroxyurea (HU) is an S-phase-specific cytotoxic drug used in the clinical treatment of haematological malignancies. HU treatment has been shown to lead to accumulation of short DNA fragments which show direct correlation with cytotoxicity. Specific regular DNA fragmentation is a biochemical feature of apoptosis (programmed cell death) in some systems. We investigated the effect of HU on a neoplastic (Burkitt's lymphoma) cell line (BM13674) in vitro to determine the role of apoptosis in HU action. HU produced growth inhibition and cell death by apoptosis in BM13674 cells. Low dose HU (66 and 131 mumol/l) gave a growth inhibition effect only with no apoptosis being induced. Higher doses (0.66-13 mmol/l) induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Regular DNA fragmentation was detected by agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA and this correlated in time with the onset of apoptosis detected by light and electron microscopy. The results do not exclude the possibility that HU directly induces DNA strand breaks, which then initiate apoptosis and accompanying regular fragmentation of DNA in the apoptotic cells.

[Manually-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomy]. / Handassistierte laparoskopische Spendernephrektomie.

The number of patients suffering from terminal renal failure awaiting kidney transplantation has continued to increase. Since the number of available cadaver donor kidneys has largely remained unchanged, a special publicity campaign achieved that almost one-half of the kidneys transplanted in Basle come from live donors. We performed a laparoscopic live donor nephrectomy in 14 patients between March 1998 and August 1999. Despite good experience regarding transplant function and patient satisfaction, the hand-assisted technique was introduced in 1999 because of the long average operating time of 230 min (200-270) and warm ischemia time of 7.5 min (4-9). In the 33 operations performed up to now, the average operating time and warm ischemia time could be significantly reduced to 185 min (135-240) and 2.4 min (1.5-4), respectively. Most recently, the technique of retroperitoneoscopic live donor nephrectomy was successfully employed in 4 patients and could possibly represent the method of choice for the future.

["... The better to see you with"--phothodynamic diagnostic in superficial bladder cancer]. / "... damit ich Dich besser sehen kann"--Photodynamische Diagnostik beim oberflächlichen Blasenkarzinom.

Fluorescence cystoscopy of the urinary bladder allows to better identify tumors and altered bladder mucosa (e.g. Carcinoma in situ). Instillation of 5-aminolevulinic acid or hexyl aminolevulinate approx. two hours before transurethral resection leads to metabolism of these compounds in the Häm-biosynthesis and to accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). PPIX is an excellent fluorochrom, which lights up red when illuminated by blue light. During transurethral resection all tumors and all suspicious mucosal areas can be completely resected. As a consequence recurrence rate drops and patients need less re-operations and hospitalizations.