Transdural Skull Base Infiltration by Glioblastoma: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

We report the rare occurrence of a temporal glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) showing transdural tumor extension into adjacent mastoid cells. As the dura mater provides a barrier to intraaxial tumors, GBM seldom penetrates into the skull base, even though it is a high-grade astrocytoma with a tendency to spread. Yet, some mechanisms of GBM-induced skull invasion have been identified, making this entity a very rare but nonetheless relevant differential diagnosis in otherwise ambiguous cases of an intracerebral tumor extending into the skull base. In addition, imaging markers that may assist in distinguishing extra- from intraaxial tumor infiltration of the temporal bone are described.

Mimivirus-Encoded Nucleotide Translocator VMC1 Targets the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane.

Mimivirus (Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus) was the first giant DNA virus identified in an amoeba species. Its genome contains at least 979 genes. One of these, L276, encodes a nucleotide translocator with similarities to mitochondrial metabolite carriers, provisionally named viral mitochondrial carrier 1 (VMC1). In this study, we investigated the intracellular distribution of VMC1 upon expression in HeLa cells and in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We found that VMC1 is specifically targeted to mitochondria and to the inner mitochondrial membrane. Newly synthesized VMC1 binds to the mitochondrial outer-membrane protein Tom70 and translocates through the import channel formed by the ß-barrel protein Tom40. Derivatization of the four cysteine residues inside Tom40 by N-ethylmaleimide caused a delay in translocation but not a complete occlusion. Cell viability was not reduced by VMC1. Neither the mitochondrial membrane potential nor the intracellular production of reactive oxygen species was affected. Similar to endogenous metabolite carriers, mimivirus-encoded VMC1 appears to act as a specific translocator in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Due to its permeability for deoxyribonucleotides, VMC1 confers to the mitochondria an opportunity to contribute nucleotides for the replication of the large DNA genome of the virus.

Decisions about Limiting Treatment in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Clinical Ethical Analysis of Reported Variables.

BACKGROUND: Survey research indicates that decisions about the provision and limitation of treatment near the end of life in patients with cancer vary considerably. OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to review the evidence on variables associated with explicit decisions about limitation of treatment in patients with cancer and to critically appraise the factors from a clinical ethics perspective. METHODS: A search was conducted of studies published in EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Assia, Current Contents Medicine, Belit, and Euroethics before February 5, 2014. Eligible studies reported data on explicit treatment limitation in patients with cancer and included a statistical analysis on possibly associated factors. Information on study participants, types of limited treatment, and variables associated with limiting treatment were extracted by two researchers independently. Data synthesis was performed jointly by researchers from oncology, medical ethics, and social sciences. RESULTS: The search yielded 897 publications, of which 7 were relevant for this review. Factors significantly associated with decisions about limitation of treatment could be distinguished in three categories: first, sociodemographic variables such as the ethnic background of patients; second, health- or treatment-related variables including a lack of capacity in patients with cancer; and third, patients' preferences and the role of relatives in decisions about limitation of treatment. Limitations to this study are that the studies lacked a predefined hypothesis and they all had been conducted in Western countries. CONCLUSION: The identified variables raise ethical issues with regards to possible influence of value judgments underlying decisions about limitation of treatment in end-of-life care.

HPLC fluorescence method for the determination of nizatidine in human plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic study.

A sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the determination of nizatidine in human plasma. Nizatidine was derivatized by 4-fluoro-7-nitrobenzofurazan (NBD-F). Chromatographic separation was performed on a Inertsil C18 column (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm) using isocratic elution by a mobile phase consisting of methanol/water (55:45) at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min. Amlodipine was used as the internal standard (IS). Fluorescence detector was used operated at 461 nm (excitation) and 517 nm (emission), respectively. The calibration curve was linear over the range of 50-2000 ng/mL. This method was successfully applied to a pharmacokinetic study after oral administration of a dose (150 mg) of nizatidine.