Long-term survival in a stage IV small cell carcinoma of the endometrium.

•Small cell carcinoma of the endometrium is a rare malignancy with poor survival.•A patient was diagnosed with stage IV small cell carcinoma of the endometrium.•She was treated with surgery, chemotherapy (cisplatin/etoposide) and radiotherapy.•She remains disease free 5 years after completion of her treatments.

[Repeated radiation dose effect and DNA repair: Importance of the individual factor and the time interval between the doses]. / Effets de répétitions de doses d'irradiation et réparation de l'ADN : importance du facteur individuel et de l'intervalle de temps entre les doses.

The dose fractionation effect is a recurrent question of radiation biology research that remains unsolved since no model predicts the clinical effect only with the cumulated dose and the radiobiology of irradiated tissues. Such an important question is differentially answered in radioprotection, radiotherapy, radiology or epidemiology. A better understanding of the molecular response to radiation makes possible today a novel approach to identify the parameters that condition the fractionation effect. Particularly, the time between doses appears to be a key factor since it will permit, or not, the repair of certain radiation-induced DNA damages whose repair rates are of the order of seconds, minutes or hours: the fractionation effect will therefore vary according to the functionality of the different repair pathways, whatever for tumor or normal tissues.

[Radiation biology: major advances and perspectives for radiotherapy]. / Biologie des radiations: avancées majeures et perspectives pour la radiothérapie.

At the beginning of the 21st century, radiation biology is at a major turning point in its history. It must meet the expectations of the radiation oncologists, radiologists and the general public, but its purpose remains the same: to understand the molecular, cellular and tissue levels of lethal and carcinogenic effects of ionizing radiation in order to better protect healthy tissues and to develop treatments more effective against tumours. Four major aspects of radiobiology that marked this decade will be discussed: technological developments, the importance of signalling and repair of radiation-induced deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, the impact of individual factor in the response to radiation and the contribution of radiobiology to better choose innovative therapies such as protontherapy or stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). A translational radiobiology should emerge with the help of radiotherapists and radiation physicists and by facilitating access to the new radio and/or chemotherapy modalities.

Direct inhibition of excision/synthesis DNA repair activities by cadmium: analysis on dedicated biochips.

The well established toxicity of cadmium and cadmium compounds results from their additive effects on several key cellular processes, including DNA repair. Mammalian cells have evolved several biochemical pathways to repair DNA lesions and maintain genomic integrity. By interfering with the homeostasis of redox metals and antioxidant systems, cadmium promotes the development of an intracellular environment that results in oxidative DNA damage which can be mutagenic if unrepaired. Small base lesions are recognised by specialized glycosylases and excised from the DNA molecule. The resulting abasic sites are incised, and the correct sequences restored by DNA polymerases using the opposite strands as template. Bulky lesions are recognised by a different set of proteins and excised from DNA as part of an oligonucleotide. As in base repair, the resulting gaps are filled by DNA polymerases using the opposite strands as template. Thus, these two repair pathways consist in excision of the lesion followed by DNA synthesis. In this study, we analysed in vitro the direct effects of cadmium exposure on the functionality of base and nucleotide DNA repair pathways. To this end, we used recently described dedicated microarrays that allow the parallel monitoring in cell extracts of the repair activities directed against several model base and/or nucleotide lesions. Both base and nucleotide excision/repair pathways are inhibited by CdCl2, with different sensitivities. The inhibitory effects of cadmium affect mainly the recognition and excision stages of these processes. Furthermore, our data indicate that the repair activities directed against different damaged bases also exhibit distinct sensitivities, and the direct comparison of cadmium effects on the excision of uracile in different sequences even allows us to propose a hierarchy of cadmium sensibility within the glycosylases removing U from DNA. These results indicate that, in our experimental conditions, cadmium is a very potent DNA repair poison.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene as a biomarker of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: biological monitoring strategies and methodology for determining biological exposure indices for various work environments.

This article reviews the published studies on urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as a biomarker of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in work environments. Sampling and analysis strategies as well as a methodology for determining biological exposure indices (BEIs) of 1-OHP in urine for different work environments are proposed for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to PAHs. Owing to the kinetics of absorption of pyrene by different exposure routes and excretion of 1-OHP in urine, in general, 1-OHP urinary excretion levels increase during the course of a workday, reaching maximum values 3-9 h after the end of work. When the contribution of dermal exposure is important, post-shift 1-OHP excretion can however be lower than pre-shift levels in the case where a worker has been exposed occupationally to PAHs on the day prior to sampling. In addition, 1-OHP excretion levels in either pre-shift, post-shift or evening samples increase during the course of a work-week, levelling off after three consecutive days of work. Consequently, ideally, for a first characterization of a work environment and for an indication of the major exposure route, considering a 5-day work-week (Monday to Friday), the best sampling strategy would be to collect all micturitions over 24 h starting on Monday morning. Alternatively, collection of pre-shift, post-shift and evening urine samples on the first day of the work-week and at the end of the work-week is recommended. For routine monitoring, pre-shift samples on Monday and post-shift samples on Friday should be collected when pulmonary exposure is the main route of exposure. On the other hand, pre-shift samples on Monday and Friday should be collected when the contribution of skin uptake is important. The difference between beginning and end of work-week excretion will give an indication of the average exposure over the workweek. Pre-shift samples on the first day of the work-week will indicate background values, and, hence, reflect general environment exposure and body burden of pyrene and/or its metabolites. On the other hand, since PAH profile can vary substantially in different work sites, a single BEI cannot apply to all workplaces. A simple equation was therefore developed to establish BEIs for workers exposed to PAHs in different work environments by using a BEI already established for a given work environment and by introducing a correction factor corresponding to the ratio of the airborne concentration of the sum of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) equivalent to that of pyrene. The sum of BaP equivalent concentrations represents the sum of carcinogenic PAH concentrations expressed as BaP using toxic equivalent factors. Based on a previously estimated BEI of 2.3 µmol 1-OHP mol(-1) creatinine for coke-oven workers, BEIs of 4.4, 8.0 and 9.8 µmol 1-OHP mol(-1) creatinine were respectively calculated for vertical pin Söderberg workers, anode workers and pre-bake workers of aluminium plants and a BEI of 1.2 µmol 1-OHP mol(-1) creatinine was estimated for iron foundry workers. This approach will allow the potential risk of cancer in individuals occupationally exposed to PAHs to be assessed better.

Ectopic calcification as a late sequela of compartment syndrome. Report of two cases.

Ectopic calcification occurred in two patients as a late sequela of compartment syndrome. The clinical and roentgenographic appearance are sufficiently typical that the diagnosis should be made without difficulty. Leaving the wound open after incision and drainage of these lesions may lead to secondary infection. Closing the wound after decompression over suction drainage or needle decompression are treatment alternatives that may lead to more satisfactory results.

[Chromatographic analysis of urinary amino acids in Paget's disease. I : Biochemical study. Isolation and amino acid composition of a urinary peptide specific to this bone disease]. / Analyse chromatographique des acides aminés urinaires au cours de la maladie de Paget. Partie I : étude biochimique. Isolement et composition en acides aminés d'un peptide urinaire "spécifique" de cette atteinte osseuse

The authors demonstrated in the urine of patients presenting Paget's bone disease a peptide rich in hydroxyproline. The level of this compound expressed as "norleucine equivalent" was determined by chromatographic analysis of the urinary amino acids. There was a very good correlation between the total hydroxyproline level and the quantity of this peptide in the urine. The authors isolated this peptide and determined that it contained 3 hydroxyprolines for every 2 glutamines. This peptide thus seems to indicate an anomaly in the chain of synthesis; a disorder of the collagen metabolism would produce in these patients large quantities of these molecules that are excreted via the kidney. At the present stage of the author's studies this urinary peptide appears to be "specific" to Pagets disease.

Distribution of haptoglobin subtypes in French Basques.

THE Hl1f, Hp1s and Hp2 gene frequencies were studied in two French population samples: one from the Toulouse area and one from a Basque district. The hp alpha1F and alpha1S polypeptide chains were determined by a simple technique. The observations were in accordance with previous findings in Caucasoid populations. The frequency of the Hp1S gene was slightly higher in the Basque sample than in the group from Toulouse.