[Selected issues regarding implementing alternative medicine with special reference to the patients with laryngological problems]. / Wybrane zagadnienia dotyczace zastosowania leczenia niekonwencjonalnego ze szczególnym uwzglednieniem chorych z problemami laryngologicznymi.

The review of the literature and some media data referring to chosen methods of unconventional treatment, its history of the development in Poland and around the world has been made in this paper (homeopathy, waxing of ears, bio-energy therapy) and the increasing interest among the treated patients has been shown. It is essential that the doctors (including laryngologists) while carrying out the interview should take the unconventional way of treatment of patients into consideration. This may explain the registering of patients to appropriate treatment in the advanced state of illness, which is particularly unprofitable in cancer-afflicted states.

Enhanced intratumoral expression of RNF2 is a favorable prognostic factor for patients with cutaneous melanoma?

Recent studies involving melanoma cell lines suggest that enhanced expression of epigenetic regulator RNF2 supports proliferation and promotes metastasis. However, it is not clear to what extent those data apply to disease progression and prognosis for melanoma patients. Therefore the aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic power of RNF2 intratumoral expression by melanoma cells. RNF2 was detected immunohistochemically in standard formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of 9 benign nevi, 60 melanomas and 24 nodal metastases. The lowest percentage of RNF2-positive melanocytes found in nevi was comparable to expression levels in normal skin. The RNF2 expression found in melanomas was significantly higher and it was even more enhanced in metastases. The increased occurrence of RNF2 expressing cells was positively correlated with longer patients' overall survival. Moreover, a negative correlation was found between intratumoral RNF2 expression and number of generated metastatic lesions. Our data indicate that development of melanoma is associated with significant changes in RNF2 intratumoral expression and imply that at least for some patients the enhancement of the expression levels of RNF2 in both primary and metastatic lesions may be considered a favorable prognostic factor in melanoma.