Sleep spindles in bipolar disorder - a comparison to healthy control subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar disorder is a severe mental disorder for which currently no reliable biomarkers exist. It has been shown that patients with schizophrenia but not with unipolar depression have a reduced density of fast sleep spindles during N2 sleep. The aim of this study was to assess fast sleep spindle density in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Patients with bipolar disorder (n = 24) and healthy control subjects (n = 25) were assessed using all-night polysomnography. Sleep spindles within stage N2 sleep were identified by visual inspection and subdivided into fast (>13 Hz) and slow (≤13 Hz) spindles. All spindles were subsequently characterised by density, frequency, amplitude, duration and coherence. RESULTS: Euthymic patients with bipolar disorder were found to have a reduced density and a lower mean frequency of fast spindles. Slow spindle density and frequency did not differ between groups. There were no differences regarding amplitude, duration or coherence. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in fast spindle density during N2 sleep points towards thalamic dysfunction as a potential neurobiological mechanism of relevance in bipolar disorder. In addition, a reduced sleep spindle density could be interpreted as a common endophenotype shared with schizophrenia but not unipolar depression and may - if replicated - be of utility in early recognition and risk stratification.

Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in dermatology: "How we do it".

In dermatology PDT has been proven to be effective in the treatment of actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinomas (BCC), Bowen's disease, superficial squamous cell carcinomas (SCC).

ALA-induced photodynamic effect on vitality, apoptosis, and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) by colon cancer cells in normoxic environment in vitro.

BACKGROUND: Cancer therapy is often based on combination of conventional methods of cancer treatment with immunotherapy. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the immunomodulating methods used in oncology. We examined how PDT influences the secretory activity of colon cancer cells in vitro, especially the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aerobic conditions. METHODS: We used two cancer cell lines with different malignancy potentials: a metastatic SW620 line and a non-metastatic SW480 line. In the first stage of the experiment, we exposed each cell line to three different concentrations of photosensitizer's precursor: 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and varying levels of light radiation, after which we assessed cell viability and apoptosis induction in these lines, using the MTT and LDH assays. Then, we determined the secretion of VEGF by these cells in aerobic conditions and under the ALA-PDT parameters at which cells presented the highest viability. RESULTS: Photodynamic treatment with ALA did not influence on VEGF secretion by the non-metastatic SW480 cells, but caused a decrease in VEGF secretion by the metastatic SW 620 cell line by 29% (p<0.05). SW 620 cell line secreted more actively VEGF than the SW480 cells, both before and after photo dynamic therapy (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The outcome of this in vitro study presented a beneficial effect of ALA-PDT, resulting in a decrease of VEGF secretion in the more malignant SW620 cell lines. Further studies should be considered to confirm the clinical relevance of this finding.

Treatment of localized prostate cancer using WST-09 and WST-11 mediated vascular targeted photodynamic therapy-A review.

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is well known for its direct cytotoxicity of the free radical-producing photochemical reaction, indirect mechanisms of action including modulation of intrinsic anti-tumour immune activity, and occlusion of pathologically altered tumour vessels leading to tumour ischaemia. The aim of this work is to critically review the evidence base for the use of vascular targeted PDT (VTP) to treat low-risk prostate cancer, and to discuss perspectives and challenges yet to be overcome. A brief general overview of focal prostate cancer therapy was provided, followed by a discussion of both basic and clinical research pertaining to prostate cancer VTP, with a focus on the palladium-based WST-09 and WST-11 photosensitisers. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Literature on VTP for prostate cancer with the fallowing medical subject headings search terms: prostate cancer, photodynamic therapy, vascular targeted photodynamic therapy, bacteriopheophorbide were reviewed. The articles were selected by their relevance to the topic. RESULTS: The clinical and basic research data available to date show much promise for WST-09, and WST-11 based VTP eventually joining the standard urologist's armamentarium against prostate cancer. With good reported tolerability and efficacy VTP can be proposed as an intermediate treatment for local low risk disease, halfway between watchful waiting and radical therapy.

Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Clinical perspectives.

Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), with use of verteporfin as a photosensitizer is one of the few therapies, which has been shown to effectively slow the progression of the "wet" form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and even to stabilize visual acuity over many years. Although, due to considerable advance of AMD treatment, it is currently not recommended in monotherapy of AMD, however, its combination with steroids and anti-angiogenic biologic drugs may reveal high therapeutic potential in the treatment of neovascular AMD. The future of VTP as a method of AMD treatment is development of new selective and targeted photosensitizer and combination of this method with other therapeutic strategies targeting cellular structures or pathways involved in AMD progression.

[The role of free radicals in inflammatory states, ulceration, and ulcers of the stomach and duodenum]. / Rola wolnych rodników w stanach zapalnych, owrzodzeniu i w chorobie wrzodowej zoladka i dwunastnicy.

The free radicals derived from oxygen have been implicated in damage caused to the gastroduodenal mucosa. The association between the mucosal production of reactive oxygen radicals in the gastric antrum and duodenum, Helicobacter pylori density and duodenal ulcer has been previously described. The role of interleukin IL-8 in the inflammatory process and its relationship with reactive oxygen radicals has also been investigated. These results indicate that oxygen radicals play an important role in the mechanism of ulcer aggravation induced by a variety of different factors.

[Chaotic dynamics in medicine]. / Dynamika chaotyczna w medycynie.

It has turned out that almost all laws of nature (especially in biology and medicine) are nonlinear. This means that within the mathematical formulation of a law of nature some systems variables are coupled nonlinearly. The field, describing these nonlinear formulation, is referred to as dynamical systems theory or chaos theory. Analytical techniques derived from the field of chaos theory can be useful in characterising stability and complexity of homeostasis parameters (blood pressure, renal vascular, heart rate). It seems, that nonlinear characteristics may play an important role in prediction of some illnesses of the nervous and cardiovascular system.

Optical biopsy using spectral camera in BCC and oral leukoplakia.

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common neoplasmatic diseases of the skin. Oral leukoplakia is precancerous stage. Early diagnosis of both diseases gives very good treatment results. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a new modality of diagnostics using excitation of absorbed PPIX in tumor. Spectroscopy is an objective method showing concentration and emission spectrum of protoporphyrin IX. In fluorescence spectroscopy with PPIX we used diode light 405 nm to induce fluorescence and observed significant emission peak at 630 nm. Fluorescence spectroscopy is based on searching of emission peaks of photosensitizer in areas of BCC and oral leukoplakia. In our study we used spectral camera measuring spectrum from pictures taken in different wavelengths between 570 nm and 650 nm. The pictures taken with this camera were compared with the pictures captured with Xillix Onco Life system. 20 patients with histopathologically confirmed BCC and 10 with oral leukoplakia were examinated with spectral camera and with Xillix Onco Life system 8h after local instillation of delta aminolevulinic acid. Our spectral camera made pictures with different filters for wavelength between 570 nm and 650 nm showing highest fluorescence intensity in 630 nm. Captured spectral lines were compared with NCV (numerical color value) from Xillix Onco Life. All of spectral lines taken from neoplasmatic tissues were compared with spectral lines taken from healthy tissues in symmetrical areas of body. Results were statistically processed. All of spectral lines taken from neoplasmatic tissues showed significant peak at 630 nm in the area of BCC and oral leukoplakia in all of the examinated patients. Spectral lines taken from healthy tissues were significantly different. There was no peak in 630 nm and fluorescence intensity was decreasing from 570 nm to 630 nm. Intensity of fluorescence in 630 nm was in high correlation with NCV from Xillix Onco Life.

Photodynamic therapy of premalignant lesions and local recurrence of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers.

The main advantage of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in laryngology seems to be its non-invasiveness and the possibility of using it despite previous application of conventional methods. In the study, we gave PDT to two separate groups of patients, i.e. five patients with advanced tumour (four of them with local recurrence (squamous cell carcinoma) after surgery and radiotherapy and one with a primary hypopharyngeal tumour) and five patients with leucoplakia. In the first group delta-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) was administered orally (dose 3 g), while in the second, an ointment containing 10% ALA was applied locally. In both groups prior to irradiation, the tissue level of protoporphyrin IX was verified using an adapted Xillix Life instrument. All treated lesions were irradiated with an argon-pumped dye laser (dose range 100-250 J/cm2, wavelength 635 nm). In the first group, partial response was obtained. In these advanced cases, diminution of cancerous ulcerations was observed. In the leucoplakia group, complete response was achieved in four out of five treated patients. On the basis of our preliminary results, PDT may be useful in eradicating premalignant lesions of the oral cavity and in the palliation of advanced lesions of the oropharynx and larynx.