BRAIN CANCER A M EDICAL D ICTIONARY , B IBLIOGRAPHY , AND A NNOTATED R ESEARCH G UIDE TO I NTERNET R E FERENCES
J AMES N. P ARKER , M.D. AND P HILIP M. P ARKER , P H .D., E DITORS
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ICON Health Publications ICON Group International, Inc. 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, 4th Floor San Diego, CA 92122 USA Copyright 2003 by ICON Group International, Inc. Copyright 2003 by ICON Group International, Inc. All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. Last digit indicates print number: 10 9 8 7 6 4 5 3 2 1
Publisher, Health Care: Philip Parker, Ph.D. Editor(s): James Parker, M.D., Philip Parker, Ph.D. Publisher's note: The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended for the diagnosis or treatment of a health problem. As new medical or scientific information becomes available from academic and clinical research, recommended treatments and drug therapies may undergo changes. The authors, editors, and publisher have attempted to make the information in this book up to date and accurate in accord with accepted standards at the time of publication. The authors, editors, and publisher are not responsible for errors or omissions or for consequences from application of the book, and make no warranty, expressed or implied, in regard to the contents of this book. Any practice described in this book should be applied by the reader in accordance with professional standards of care used in regard to the unique circumstances that may apply in each situation. The reader is advised to always check product information (package inserts) for changes and new information regarding dosage and contraindications before prescribing any drug or pharmacological product. Caution is especially urged when using new or infrequently ordered drugs, herbal remedies, vitamins and supplements, alternative therapies, complementary therapies and medicines, and integrative medical treatments. Cataloging-in-Publication Data Parker, James N., 1961Parker, Philip M., 1960Brain Cancer: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References / James N. Parker and Philip M. Parker, editors p. cm. Includes bibliographical references, glossary, and index. ISBN: 0-597-83772-4 1. Brain Cancer-Popular works. I. Title.
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Disclaimer This publication is not intended to be used for the diagnosis or treatment of a health problem. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher, editors, and authors are not engaging in the rendering of medical, psychological, financial, legal, or other professional services. References to any entity, product, service, or source of information that may be contained in this publication should not be considered an endorsement, either direct or implied, by the publisher, editors, or authors. ICON Group International, Inc., the editors, and the authors are not responsible for the content of any Web pages or publications referenced in this publication.
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Acknowledgements The collective knowledge generated from academic and applied research summarized in various references has been critical in the creation of this book which is best viewed as a comprehensive compilation and collection of information prepared by various official agencies which produce publications on brain cancer. Books in this series draw from various agencies and institutions associated with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and in particular, the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services (OS), the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), the Administration on Aging (AOA), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Healthcare Financing Administration (HCFA), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Indian Health Service (IHS), the institutions of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Program Support Center (PSC), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In addition to these sources, information gathered from the National Library of Medicine, the United States Patent Office, the European Union, and their related organizations has been invaluable in the creation of this book. Some of the work represented was financially supported by the Research and Development Committee at INSEAD. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Finally, special thanks are owed to Tiffany Freeman for her excellent editorial support.
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About the Editors James N. Parker, M.D. Dr. James N. Parker received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychobiology from the University of California, Riverside and his M.D. from the University of California, San Diego. In addition to authoring numerous research publications, he has lectured at various academic institutions. Dr. Parker is the medical editor for health books by ICON Health Publications. Philip M. Parker, Ph.D. Philip M. Parker is the Eli Lilly Chair Professor of Innovation, Business and Society at INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France and Singapore). Dr. Parker has also been Professor at the University of California, San Diego and has taught courses at Harvard University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and UCLA. Dr. Parker is the associate editor for ICON Health Publications.
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About ICON Health Publications To discover more about ICON Health Publications, simply check with your preferred online booksellers, including Barnes & Noble.com and Amazon.com which currently carry all of our titles. Or, feel free to contact us directly for bulk purchases or institutional discounts: ICON Group International, Inc. 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, Fourth Floor San Diego, CA 92122 USA Fax: 858-546-4341 Web site: www.icongrouponline.com/health
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Table of Contents FORWARD .......................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1. STUDIES ON BRAIN CANCER ......................................................................................... 3 Overview........................................................................................................................................ 3 The Combined Health Information Database................................................................................. 3 Federally Funded Research on Brain Cancer ................................................................................. 4 The National Library of Medicine: PubMed ................................................................................ 13 CHAPTER 2. NUTRITION AND BRAIN CANCER ............................................................................... 29 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 29 Finding Nutrition Studies on Brain Cancer................................................................................ 29 Federal Resources on Nutrition ................................................................................................... 30 Additional Web Resources ........................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 3. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND BRAIN CANCER ......................................................... 33 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 33 National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.................................................. 33 Additional Web Resources ........................................................................................................... 34 General References ....................................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 4. DISSERTATIONS ON BRAIN CANCER ........................................................................... 35 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 35 Dissertations on Brain Cancer..................................................................................................... 35 Keeping Current .......................................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 5. CLINICAL TRIALS AND BRAIN CANCER ..................................................................... 37 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 37 Recent Trials on Brain Cancer..................................................................................................... 37 Keeping Current on Clinical Trials ............................................................................................. 41 CHAPTER 6. PATENTS ON BRAIN CANCER ..................................................................................... 43 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 43 Patents on Brain Cancer .............................................................................................................. 43 Patent Applications on Brain Cancer .......................................................................................... 48 Keeping Current .......................................................................................................................... 54 CHAPTER 7. BOOKS ON BRAIN CANCER ......................................................................................... 55 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 55 Book Summaries: Federal Agencies.............................................................................................. 55 Book Summaries: Online Booksellers........................................................................................... 56 The National Library of Medicine Book Index ............................................................................. 56 Chapters on Brain Cancer............................................................................................................ 57 CHAPTER 8. MULTIMEDIA ON BRAIN CANCER .............................................................................. 59 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 59 Bibliography: Multimedia on Brain Cancer................................................................................. 59 CHAPTER 9. PERIODICALS AND NEWS ON BRAIN CANCER ........................................................... 61 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 61 News Services and Press Releases................................................................................................ 61 Newsletters on Brain Cancer ....................................................................................................... 65 Academic Periodicals covering Brain Cancer .............................................................................. 65 CHAPTER 10. RESEARCHING MEDICATIONS................................................................................... 67 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 67 U.S. Pharmacopeia....................................................................................................................... 67 Commercial Databases ................................................................................................................. 68 APPENDIX A. PHYSICIAN RESOURCES ............................................................................................ 71 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 71 NIH Guidelines............................................................................................................................ 71 NIH Databases............................................................................................................................. 73
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Other Commercial Databases....................................................................................................... 75 The Genome Project and Brain Cancer ........................................................................................ 75 APPENDIX B. PATIENT RESOURCES ................................................................................................. 79 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 79 Patient Guideline Sources............................................................................................................ 79 Finding Associations.................................................................................................................... 85 APPENDIX C. FINDING MEDICAL LIBRARIES .................................................................................. 87 Overview...................................................................................................................................... 87 Preparation................................................................................................................................... 87 Finding a Local Medical Library.................................................................................................. 87 Medical Libraries in the U.S. and Canada ................................................................................... 87 ONLINE GLOSSARIES.................................................................................................................. 93 Online Dictionary Directories ..................................................................................................... 93 BRAIN CANCER DICTIONARY ................................................................................................. 95 INDEX .............................................................................................................................................. 133
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FORWARD In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: "The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading."1 Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and printing. Since only the smallest fraction of information dealing with brain cancer is indexed in search engines, such as www.google.com or others, a non-systematic approach to Internet research can be not only time consuming, but also incomplete. This book was created for medical professionals, students, and members of the general public who want to know as much as possible about brain cancer, using the most advanced research tools available and spending the least amount of time doing so. In addition to offering a structured and comprehensive bibliography, the pages that follow will tell you where and how to find reliable information covering virtually all topics related to brain cancer, from the essentials to the most advanced areas of research. Public, academic, government, and peer-reviewed research studies are emphasized. Various abstracts are reproduced to give you some of the latest official information available to date on brain cancer. Abundant guidance is given on how to obtain free-of-charge primary research results via the Internet. While this book focuses on the field of medicine, when some sources provide access to non-medical information relating to brain cancer, these are noted in the text. E-book and electronic versions of this book are fully interactive with each of the Internet sites mentioned (clicking on a hyperlink automatically opens your browser to the site indicated). If you are using the hard copy version of this book, you can access a cited Web site by typing the provided Web address directly into your Internet browser. You may find it useful to refer to synonyms or related terms when accessing these Internet databases. NOTE: At the time of publication, the Web addresses were functional. However, some links may fail due to URL address changes, which is a common occurrence on the Internet. For readers unfamiliar with the Internet, detailed instructions are offered on how to access electronic resources. For readers unfamiliar with medical terminology, a comprehensive glossary is provided. For readers without access to Internet resources, a directory of medical libraries, that have or can locate references cited here, is given. We hope these resources will prove useful to the widest possible audience seeking information on brain cancer. The Editors
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From the NIH, National Cancer Institute (NCI): http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/ten-things-to-know.
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CHAPTER 1. STUDIES ON BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we will show you how to locate peer-reviewed references and studies on brain cancer.
The Combined Health Information Database The Combined Health Information Database summarizes studies across numerous federal agencies. To limit your investigation to research studies and brain cancer, you will need to use the advanced search options. First, go to http://chid.nih.gov/index.html. From there, select the “Detailed Search” option (or go directly to that page with the following hyperlink: http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html). The trick in extracting studies is found in the drop boxes at the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” Select the dates and language you prefer, and the format option “Journal Article.” At the top of the search form, select the number of records you would like to see (we recommend 100) and check the box to display “whole records.” We recommend that you type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “For these words:” box. Consider using the option “anywhere in record” to make your search as broad as possible. If you want to limit the search to only a particular field, such as the title of the journal, then select this option in the “Search in these fields” drop box. The following is what you can expect from this type of search: •
Electrical Occupations and Neurodegenerative Disease: Analysis of U.S. Mortality Data Source: Archives of Environmental Health. 53(1): 71-74. January-February 1998. Summary: Previous investigations suggest that occupations involving electrical and magnetic field exposure may be associated with a variety of health problems including neurological disease. The authors conducted a case-control study of males using U.S. death certificates with occupational coding to compare 256 cases of Alzheimer's disease (AD), 168 cases of Parkinson's disease (PD), and 114 cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; Lou Gehrig's disease). Controls died of causes other than leukemia, brain cancer, and breast cancer. The data showed a modest overall association with electrical occupations. The adjusted odds ratios were 1:2 for AD, 1:1 for PD, and 1:3 for ALS. Some electrical occupations, especially power plant operator, had a stronger association with
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all three diseases than overall electrical occupations did. Relative risk for ALS ranged from two to five across several job categories. 13 references, 2 tables (AA-M).
Federally Funded Research on Brain Cancer The U.S. Government supports a variety of research studies relating to brain cancer. These studies are tracked by the Office of Extramural Research at the National Institutes of Health.2 CRISP (Computerized Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects) is a searchable database of federally funded biomedical research projects conducted at universities, hospitals, and other institutions. Search the CRISP Web site at http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/crisp_query.generate_screen. You will have the option to perform targeted searches by various criteria, including geography, date, and topics related to brain cancer. For most of the studies, the agencies reporting into CRISP provide summaries or abstracts. As opposed to clinical trial research using patients, many federally funded studies use animals or simulated models to explore brain cancer. The following is typical of the type of information found when searching the CRISP database for brain cancer: •
Project Title: A NEW APPROACH TO MEDICAL DECISION MAKING Principal Investigator & Institution: Chetty, Veerappa K.; Boston Medical Center Gambro Bldg, 2Nd Fl, 660 Harrison Ave, Ste a Boston, Ma 02118 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001; Project Start 01-JUL-2000; Project End 30-JUN-2002 Summary: (Adapted from the applicant's abstract): The statistical framework used in medical decision making is based on the theory of errors developed 200 years ago by Legendre, Gauss and Laplace. This framework was developed to combine observations with experimental or observational errors in astronomy, geodesy and physics. The costs of errors were assumed to be symmetric and quadratic. In medical decision making, costs of false negative errors are quite different from the costs of false positive errors. Some errors have no consequence for the final decision. Another problem with many traditional statistical methods is that parameter estimates are developed to minimize the estimation errors and not the prediction errors for a specific class of decision problems. In this project, a new approach to medical decision making is proposed. When the number of feasible medical conditions is m, with one least cost treatment for each, the total number of correct decision is m and the maximum number of errors is m(m-1). Parameter estimates and threshold probabilities will be developed jointly to minimize the total cost of errors and correct decisions. The popular estimation methods such as the least squares and the maximum likelihood are special cases in this approach. The estimates will in general be biased, but will minimize the costs of treatment. It is similar to using weights in an estimation procedure with a crucial difference: the weights here are not exogenously specified, but endogenously determined and sensitive to the decision context. The efficiency of the new approach will be studied using Monte Carlo techniques as well as real data relating to two medical conditions, brain cancer and diabetes. According to preliminary studies, this approach leads to a cost reduction of
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Healthcare projects are funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Office of Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH).
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6.4% when compared with the logistic regression models. While these methods can be used to determine the least cost decision rules, they can even be used to diagnose the diagnostician's own behavior using actual cost to point out the areas for improvement such as sensitivity and specificity. Algorithms to compute the decision rules will be developed for frequently used probability distributions. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: ANTISENSE IMAGING OF BRAIN GENE EXPRESSION IN VIVO Principal Investigator & Institution: Pardridge, William M.; Professor of Medicine; Medicine; University of California Los Angeles 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200 Los Angeles, Ca 90024 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002; Project Start 01-JUN-2002; Project End 31-MAY-2004 Summary: (provided by applicant): The sequence of the human genome will lead to the detection of thousands of genes that are uniquely expressed in cancer of the brain as well as other organs. The genes uniquely expressed in brain cancer could be used to guide new forms of diagnosis and therapeutic strategies if it was possible to develop a new technology for imaging gene expression in the brain in vivo. Technology that enables the imaging of gene expression is needed because it will not be possible to subject patients to repeated craniotomies to obtain tissue samples. The only way that specific genes can be imaged is with antisense radiopharmaceuticals. However, these molecules do not cross cell membranes well and do not cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB). It could be possible to use antisense radiopharmaceuticals to image gene expression, if these molecules were transportable through the BBB. This will require the development of brain targeting technology applied to antisense molecules, which is the subject of the present application. In this approach, the antisense radiopharmaceutical is conjugated to BBB drug targeting systems. The targeting vector is a peptidomimetic monoclonal antibody (MAb) to the BBB transferrin receptor (TfR). This MAb undergoes receptor-mediated transcytosis through the BBB via the endogenous BBB TfR. The model antisense molecule that will be used in these studies is a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) because prior work has shown that this type of antisense has ideal characteristics for imaging compared to other antisense molecules. The conjugation of the antisense radiopharmaceuticals to the drug targeting vector is facilitated with the use of avidinbiotin technology. In the R21 phase of this work, the imaging of an endogenous gene will be performed and the target mRNA will be a gene product that is over-expressed in experimental brain tumors. The second phase of these studies (R33) will extend the imaging technologies to include [ 11 l-indium] antisense radiopharmaceuticals and validation of the in vivo imaging with parallel in vitro measurements with in situ hybridization. If successful, these studies will provide the basis for a new technology that enables non-invasive imaging of gene expression in the brain in vivo. This technology could be extended to humans and to other organs. At present, there is no parallel technology that enables the non-invasive in vivo imaging of "any gene in any person," which is the goal of this work. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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Project Title: BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS OF EXPANDED PORPHYRINS Principal Investigator & Institution: Sessler, Jonathan L.; Roland K. Pettit Centennial Professor; Chemistry and Biochemistry; University of Texas Austin 101 E. 27Th/Po Box 7726 Austin, Tx 78712 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001; Project Start 01-AUG-1990; Project End 30-JUN-2005
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Summary: (Verbatim from Abstract) The long range goal of this project is to develop the biomedical potential of expanded porphyrins. The rich nature of this potential, although far from being fully tapped, is already beginning to be realized in the case of the texaphyrins. Currently, two different water soluble lanthanide(III) texaphyrin complexes, GD-Tex and Lu-Tex, are being tested clinically. The first of these, known by the trade name XCYTRIN(TM) and the generic name motexafin gandolinium, is in a pivotal Phase III clinical trial as a potential enhancer of X-ray radiation therapy (XRT) for patients with metastatic cancers to the brain. The second, to which the generic name motexafin lutetium has been assigned, is being tested in various formulations as a photosensitizer for use in (i) the photodynamic treatment of recurrent breast cancer (LUTRIN(TM); Phase II clinical trials complete), (ii) photoangioplastic reduction of atherosclerosis involving peripheral arteries (ANTRIN(TM); Phase II testing ongoing) and (iii) light-based treatment of age-related macular degeneration (OPTRIN(TM); currently in Phase I clinical trials). The cancer-related aspects of these trials, sponsored by Pharmacyclics, Inc., a company the PI helped co-found, are being complemented by numerous NCI-supported Phase I studies that are focused on such diverse and important indications as primary brain cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colrectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. The present application is designed to support these clinical trials while allowing the medically targeted chemistry of expanded porphyrins to become better developed. Specifically, funds are requested to enable the mechanism of the Gd-Tex-mediated XRT effect to be elucidated at both the chemical and biochemical levels and to allow for the synthesis of new bifunctional conjugates that exploit the biolocalizing properties of texaphyrins to effect the cancer-specific delivery of known cytotoxic agents. These same funds will also be used to prepare a number of new expanded porphyrins and to study existing ones with the goal of generating cancerselective MRI contrast agents, tissue and disease specific fluorescent probes, and catalysts that function as superoxide dismutase mimics or act to decompose efficiently peroxynitrite. These latter species could prove useful in the treatment of ischemia and reperfusion injury. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: CORE--BRAIN CANCER Principal Investigator & Institution: Heilbrun, Peter M.; University of Utah 200 S University St Salt Lake City, Ut 84112 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001 Summary: The overall objective of the Brain Cancer Program is to translate insights into glial cell biology and cancer genetics into improved treatments for brain tumor patients. Advances in diagnostic imaging, neurological surgery, and radiation therapy have improved brain tumor treatment by making possible earlier detection, safer surgical removal, and more accurate radiation targeting. Nevertheless, treatment of malignant gliomas remains unsatisfactory on account of their diffuse infiltration throughout the brain and their inconsistent response to radiation and chemotherapy. The clinical research program is based on the premise that early identification of brain tumors using state-of-the-art imaging, coupled with precision stereotactic biopsy and resection a and consistent neuropathologic diagnosis and staging, is the best method for establishing a rational basis for treatment. A central aim of the overall research program is to develop an improved classification scheme of human gliomas based on the glial cell lineage and molecular genetics of individual tumors, that allows better prediction of differences in treatment responsiveness of gliomas that appear histopathologically identical but may be of different lineage origin and/or many have different genetic abnormalities. Basic
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research programs also include efforts to elucidate the biology of the precursor cells that give rise to normal and neoplastic CNS tissue, analysis of the interactions between glial cells and neurons, investigator of neurotransmitter receptor structure and function, analysis of the biology if inflammation in the CNS, development of improved therapeutic procedures, enhancement of imaging capacity and interpretation of the information obtained through non-invasive imaging techniques, and mechanistic analysis of the basis for neurological disease. In addition, the creation of the Center for Advanced Technologies (CAMT) has significantly enhanced our local imaging capabilities. Future aims are to initiate clinical investigation of the utility of differentiation markers in treatment stratification of patients with malignant astrocytoma; investigate the efficacy of functional imaging, particularly magnetic source imaging, in maximizing the benefit of surgical resection; implement clinical trials of noel therapeutic approaches; develop and implement methods to improve delivery of macromolecules to tumors; establish the utility of radiation beam-sharing as an improved adjunct therapy; establish new preclinical models for tumors of the CNS that more closely resemble human gliomas in their biology than do present animal models; expand and integrate into clinical application the studies of basic cellular and molecular mechanisms in neurological dysfunction (e.g. receptors and ion channels). Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: DEVELOPMENT OF DIET METHODOLOGY FOR N-NITROSO COMPOUNDS Principal Investigator & Institution: Stuff, Janice E.; Pediatrics; Baylor College of Medicine 1 Baylor Plaza Houston, Tx 77030 Timing: Fiscal Year 2003; Project Start 01-SEP-2003; Project End 31-AUG-2005 Summary: (provided by applicant): Brain cancer is a leading cause of cancer death and it is a deadly disease with a poorly understood etiology. The most consistent risk factor is ionizing radiation, and the genetic and environmental risk factors are unknown. It has been suggested that N-nitroso compounds or foods high in them may be a major contributor to cancer risk. The proposed research focuses on the association between dietary N-nitroso intake and brain cancer. The hypothesis that N-nitroso compounds are associated with human brain cancer is supported by several lines of evidence. First, animal experiments have shown the N-nitroso compounds to be the most broad acting and the most potent group of carcinogens. Second, mechanisms how N-nitroso compounds promote DNA damage and lead to carcinogenesis have been described. Finally, some, but not all epidemiological studies evaluating the role of N-nitroso compounds have shown a positive association or increased risk of stomach and upper gastro-intestinal tract cancers, colorectal cancer, and brain cancer. However, most dietary epidemiological studies have measured intakes of N-nitroso compounds poorly, used surrogate or incomplete measures, and had low statistical power. Therefore, a validated instrument for the dietary assessment for N-nitroso intake using appropriate nutritional, biometric, and epidemiological techniques is needed. The goal of this developmental project is to use quantitative techniques to develop a valid, reliable, and sensitive tool for assessing N-nitroso dietary intake in adults, and then retest the association between N-nitroso intake and brain cancer. Ultimately the methodology will support subsequent investigations in the rapidly developing area of genetic and molecular epidemiology, and help understand genetic and dietary interactions of Nnitroso compounds in the development of brain and other cancers. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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Project Title: GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PROSTATE CANCER Principal Investigator & Institution: Stanford, Janet L.; Head, Prostate Cancer Research Program; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Box 19024, 1100 Fairview Ave N Seattle, Wa 98109 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001; Project Start 08-APR-1999; Project End 31-JAN-2004 Summary: Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. A family history of prostate cancer is one of the strongest risk factors for the disease. Both epidemiological and segregation analyses confirm that hereditary components are involved in prostate cancer etiology, with inheritance of rare, autosomal dominant alleles thought to explain incidence in some families. We hypothesize that hereditary prostate cancer genes will be localized through analyses of high-risk families with three or more affected first degree relatives, affected men in three generations, or siblings diagnosed at younger ages (<65 years). Towards this end, the Prostate Cancer Genetic Research Study (PROGRESS) has collected baseline data on 152 high-risk families. Using this resource, specific aims to be accomplished as part of this grant are: 1) To extend pedigrees and verify family history of cancer data for families segregating prostate cancer and other cancers, families with five or more living affected men, and non-Caucasian families, 2) To initiate recruitment of new high-risk minority families, particularly African American families, 3) To extend pedigrees and confirm linkage analyses using markers in the region of 1p36, which appears to be the locus for an hereditary prostate cancer gene (CAPB) in families with brain cancer, and, 4) To complete linkage analyses on the 152 families using six markers in the region of 1q24-25, which is the locus for the first hereditary prostate gene (HPC1) to be reported. Epidemiological and clinical data such as age at diagnosis, family cancer history, and tumor stage and grade will be used to stratify families into homogeneous subsets, maximizing power to identify linkage in this complex disease. Finding such linkages and associated genes may provide powerful insights into the underlying genetic defects involved in the development of prostate cancer, including both the hereditary and more common sporadic forms of the disease. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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Project Title: LASER DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED THERMAL THERAPY Principal Investigator & Institution: Gowda, Ashok; Biotex, Inc. 8018 El Rio Houston, Tx 770544104 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002; Project Start 09-JUL-2002; Project End 30-SEP-2003 Summary: (provided by applicant): The liver and brain are the most common sites of metastatic tumors. At the time of death, approximately two-thirds of patients with colorectal cancer have liver metastases. In addition approximately 83 percent of all brain cancers will be diagnosed as metastatic tumors. In this work, we propose to develop an improved laser thermal therapy system for treatment of cancer metastases. The BioTex Cooled Laser Delivery System will combine a novel cooled applicator and low power diode laser system. The proposed innovative applicator is designed to remove heat from both the fiber optic and tissue in contact with the applicator surface while maintaining a low profile and thereby causing less damage to normal tissue during placement. A reduction in temperature of the fiber optic applicator and surrounding tissue during laser irradiation will increase the overall light penetration into tissue, allow for longer exposure times, and produce larger photocoagulative lesions in a far safer manner than previously possible. Combining the novel applicator with a low-power diode laser that is reliable, convenient, and easy to use should greatly increase the overall appeal for
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laser therapy in the treatment of solid tumors. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: This research is specifically targeted towards the development of a safer, more efficient minimally invasive treatment for metastatic tumors. Laser interstitial thermal therapy offers a unique opportunity for minimally invasive destruction of such tumors. A safer more efficient laser system would significantly increase the number of tumors amenable to laaser therapy and therefore result in a significant potential for commercial success. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: PARACRINE IMMUNOTHERAPY
CYTOKINE
DELIVERY
FOR
BRAIN
TUMOR
Principal Investigator & Institution: Pardoll, Drew M.; Professor; Johns Hopkins University 3400 N Charles St Baltimore, Md 21218 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002 Summary: Because major clinical problems associated with glioblastoma are local expansion, invasion and metastasis, approaches that locally deliver antitumor agents intracranially are becoming an important frontier in the therapy of brain cancer. The applicant?s group has explored the local delivery of cytokines in murine models of brain cancer for activating antitumor immunity. This group has shown that sustained delivery of cytokines can be achieved either through the introduction of irradiated cytokine gene-transduced cells or via incorporation of cytokine protein into degradable biopolymer microspheres. Towards this goal, with cytokine gene-transduced cells, they have explored the paracrine delivery of three cytokines, GM-CSF, IL-2 and IL-12, based on the earlier demonstration of bioactivity of locally delivered cytokine in the periphery. These studies showed that local delivery of IL-2 and IL-12 was quite active in preventing the growth of stereo-tactically implanted brain tumors. There was synergy between intracranial paracrine delivery of IL-2 and locally delivered chemotherapy through the use of biopolymer delivered BCNU. For the current application, the specific aims are: 1) to develop biopolymer delivery systems for cytokines and directly compare the efficacy of biopolymer microspheres with transduced cells as local delivery vehicles for cytokines, 2) to evaluate evidence of synergy between different cytokine combinations using gene transduced bystander cells, particularly IL-2 family (IL-2, IL-15) and IL-12 family (IL-12 and IL-18), 3) to extend the evaluation of synergy between single and combination local cytokine delivery and other polymer-delivered chemotherapy drugs (including doxorubicin, taxol, carboplatin and camptothecin), 4) to evaluate combinations between peripheral vaccination, to activate tumor specific immune responses, and local delivery of cytokines with or without local polymer delivery chemotherapy, and 5) to evaluate tumor specific immune responses using murine models in which immunodominant tumor antigens have been identified. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: PHASE I STUDY OF DENDRITIC CELL IMMUNOTHERAPY Principal Investigator & Institution: Liau, Linda M.; Surgery; University of California Los Angeles 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200 Los Angeles, Ca 90024 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001; Project Start 01-JUL-2001; Project End 30-JUN-2003 Summary: (provided by applicant): Malignant gliomas (anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme) are the most frequent primary brain tumors in adults and account for about 2 percent of all cancers. It is currently incurable, inevitably fatal, and inflicts an enormous social and economic impact, often striking patients during the
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prime of their lives. This sobering fact underscores the need to rethink standard approaches to treating brain cancer and to base therapeutic strategies on advances in our understanding of basic cancer biology and tumor immunology. Although a recent renaissance in cancer vaccine research has produced a plethora of approaches designed to elicit immune responses against extra-cranial tumors, there is a paucity of rigorous clinical evaluations of immunotherapeutic treatments for intra-cranial brain tumors. This is due primarily to gaps in our existing knowledge of the unique immunological milieu of the central nervous system (CNS), which have limited conclusive hypotheses about whether brain tumor immunotherapy is actually feasible, safe, or clinically relevant. Therefore, the broad, long-term objectives of this research are: i) to develop and optimize immunotherapy approaches for the clinical treatment of intracranial brain tumors; and ii) to gain a better understanding of the anti-tumor immune responses generated within the traditionally "immune privileged" CNS. In order to achieve these objectives, this project initiates a Phase I study of dendritic cell (DC) immunotherapy for patients with malignant gliomas. Dendritic cells, antigen-presenting cells specialized to elicit cellular immunity, have been used in pilot clinical trials for patients with non-CNS cancers. The specific aims of our project are: 1) to determine the feasibility, safety and toxicity of intradermal injections of autologous peptide-pulsed dendritic cells in patients with CNS gliomas; 2) to monitor tumor progression and cellular/humoral immune responses in brain tumor patients injected with antigen-pulsed dendritic cells and compare them with those of historical controls; and 3) to evaluate the nature of immune infiltrates and cytokine profiles in brain tumor specimens prior to treatment (at initial surgical resection) and following DC vaccination (at subsequent surgical resection for recurrence or autopsy). Correlation of the clinical and immunological response data in these patients will hopefully validate mechanistic hypotheses that systemic immune responses can translate to relevant immune responses within the CNS, which in turn may result in clinical benefit for brain tumor patients. The results of this research will help to determine the pertinent clinical and immunological endpoint measures that can meaningfully guide further clinical development of brain tumor immunotherapies. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: PHASE IB/II TRIAL OF PC 0120AS RADIOSENSITIZER IN METASTATIC BRAIN CANCER Principal Investigator & Institution: Mehta, Minesh P.; University of Wisconsin Madison 750 University Ave Madison, Wi 53706 Timing: Fiscal Year 2001 Summary: This abstract is not available. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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Project Title: REGULATION OF THE PTEN TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENE IN PROSTATE CANCER Principal Investigator & Institution: Sawyers, Charles L.; Associate Professor; University of California Los Angeles 10920 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200 Los Angeles, Ca 90024 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002; Project Start 16-SEP-2002; Project End 30-JUN-2003 Summary: (provided by applicant): The PTEN tumor suppressor gene plays a critical role in a number of human cancers, including prostate. PTEN encodes a lipid phosphatase that plays a key role in regulating the PI3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway, providing a compelling explanation of why loss of PTEN function leads to cancer. Our group has shown that: (i) PTEN function is lost in up to 50 percent of advanced prostate
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cancers; (ii) PTEN regulates the PI3- kinase/Akt pathway in prostate cancer cells; (iii) PTEN binds a multi-PDZ scaffold protein (MAGI-2) in prostate and brain cells and (iv) MAGI-2 can regulate the phosphatase activity of PTEN. Here we propose to characterize the regulation of PTEN by MAGI-2 in detail by examining the effect of MAGI-2 on the tumor suppressor activity of PTEN and by examining the importance of the MAGI2/PTEN complex in maintaining the integrity of signaling through the PI3- kinase/Akt pathway. We will also examine the possibility that MAGI-2 itself may play a role in oncogenesis through studies of its expression profile in prostate and brain cancers. Finally, we will study the importance of the MAGI-2/PTEN interaction in the context of a whole animal by creating targeted deletions of the MAGI-2 binding domain in the Cterminus of PTEN and by creating a MAGI-2 knockout mouse. Together, these experiments will define a novel mode of PTEN regulation in human cancers. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: SPORE IN BRAIN CANCER Principal Investigator & Institution: Bigner, Darell D.; Jones Cancer Research Professor; Pathology; Duke University Durham, Nc 27706 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002; Project Start 30-SEP-2002; Project End 31-AUG-2004 Summary: (provided by applicant): The Duke Brain Tumor SPORE grant consists of 5 projects, 5 cores, a developmental Research Program and 2 Career Development Program. Each project is led by a basic and clinical principal investigator. Project 1: Development of monoclonal antibody reagents against targets identified in Project 2 by serial analysis of gent expression. Project 2 will provide new peptide-based targets 'for vaccine trials in Project 3 and identify new cell-surface targets for Project 1. It also will identify small molecule inhibitors of signal transduction pathway: Activated in gliomas. Project 4 will investigate DNA repair-mediated BCNU resistance and new treatments to welcome that resistance. Project 5 is a case-control study of environmental risk factors and polymorphisms in metabolic genes and the risk and outcome of primary brain tumors. The cores include a tissue procurement core, an investigational new drug permit core, a Phase 1/11 clinical trials core, a biostatistics and information systems core and an administrative core. The Developmental Research Program will consist of pilot project. Identified by seeking applications from the entire cancer center membership. The two initial projects are treatment of central nervous system malignancies with radiohalogenated therapeutics undergoing DNA incorporation by Dr. Michael Zalutsky and convection-enhanced delivery for brain tumors by Dr. Dennis Dr. Groothuis. The two initial Career Developmental awardees are Dr. Matthias Gromeier for nonpathogenic onocolytic poliovirus recombinants for the treatment of malignant brain tumors and delineation of molecular determinants of responsiveness to EGFR signal transduction inhibitors by Dr. Jeremy Rich. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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Project Title: STEM CELL-BRAIN TUMOR INTERPLAY & IN VIVO PHAGE DISPLAY Principal Investigator & Institution: Arap, Wadih; Professor; General and Hospital Dentistry; University of Texas Md Anderson Can Ctr Cancer Center Houston, Tx 77030 Timing: Fiscal Year 2003; Project Start 15-AUG-2003; Project End 31-JUL-2006 Summary: (provided by applicant): This proposal aims to develop innovative methods for brain cancer diagnosis and therapy that will combine the strengths of neural stem cell (NSC) biology and in vivo phage display technology. The proposal is based on our
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prior work that demonstrated a remarkable, apparently "magnetic" attraction of NSCs to glioblastoma brain tumor cells. When NSCs were injected into one cerebral hemisphere, and rat or human glioblastoma tumors into the other, the NSCs migrated across the midline and headed directly to the tumor masses. When the NSCs were injected intravenously, they entered the brain and selectively targeted on the tumor. NSCs attached even to single tumor cells which were in the process of invading normal brain tissue. When NSCs were engineered to deliver toxic molecules, tumor cells were killed. New experiments will build on these results. 1. Short- and long-term effects of NSCs will be analyzed on genetically-induced natural tumors, not only on grafted tumors. 2. Optimal cell numbers and optimal route of injection into mice will be explored with mouse and human NSCs, including determination of whether a carotid intra-arterial route might be more effective than intracerebral or intravenous routes. 3. As a step toward development of diagnostic procedures of higher sensitivity, for future use in humans, NSCs will be modified to carry molecules allowing radiological visualization, so that the NSCs will serve to delineate the positions, sizes, and number of tumor masses in the brain. 4. As model "proof-of principle" experiments, NSCs will be engineered genetically to synthesize and release agents that kill dividing cancer cells and/or other agents that may induce cancer cells to differentiate into stable, quiescent glial cells that no longer endanger life. 5. To uncover the basic molecular and cell biological mechanisms controlling the "cross-talk" between NSCs and tumor cells, the powerful phage display technology, which allows identification of ligands and their receptors without preexisting data about their natures, will be used in tissue culture and in intact mice to define host and tumor ligands that react with NSC receptors and attract NSCs to the tumor, as well as the reverse - - specific receptors on brain tumor cells and on their specialized blood vessels that bind peptide ligands released by NSCs. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen •
Project Title: TESTS FOR SPATIAL RANDOMNESS IN CANCER MAPS Principal Investigator & Institution: Kulldorff, Martin; Associate Professor, Biostatistics; Community Med and Health Care; University of Connecticut Sch of Med/Dnt Bb20, Mc 2806 Farmington, Ct 060302806 Timing: Fiscal Year 2002; Project Start 01-AUG-2002; Project End 31-JUL-2006 Summary: (provided by applicant): Cancer maps can provide important clues concerning geographical variability in the etiology, prevention, screelling or treatment of cancer. As in all medical research, it ts important to determine whether any variation observed may reasonably be due to chance or not. This can be done using tests for spatial randomness, adjusting for the uneven geographical population density. Many such tests have been proposed, but for most, little is known about their properties, and they are seldomly used in cancer atlases. In this methodological project we will (i) develop theoretical properties that any test for spatial randomness should fulfill in order to be useful for cancer maps, (ii) determine which test statistics do and do not fulfifi these properties, (iii) evaluate the statistical power of different test statistics for different alternative hypotheses, (iv) determine the ability of different tests to estimate cluster model parameters when the null hypothesis is rejected, and (v) evaluate and ifiustrate the practical use of different test statistics on, among other data sets, county based brain cancer mortality data from the United States and individually geocoded breast cancer treatment data from Connecticut. Website: http://crisp.cit.nih.gov/crisp/Crisp_Query.Generate_Screen
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The National Library of Medicine: PubMed One of the quickest and most comprehensive ways to find academic studies in both English and other languages is to use PubMed, maintained by the National Library of Medicine.3 The advantage of PubMed over previously mentioned sources is that it covers a greater number of domestic and foreign references. It is also free to use. If the publisher has a Web site that offers full text of its journals, PubMed will provide links to that site, as well as to sites offering other related data. User registration, a subscription fee, or some other type of fee may be required to access the full text of articles in some journals. To generate your own bibliography of studies dealing with brain cancer, simply go to the PubMed Web site at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed. Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and click “Go.” The following is the type of output you can expect from PubMed for brain cancer (hyperlinks lead to article summaries): •
A case-cohort study of angiosarcoma of the liver and brain cancer at a polymer production plant. Author(s): Lewis R, Rempala G. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2003 May; 45(5): 538-45. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12762079&dopt=Abstract
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A human IAP-family gene, apollon, expressed in human brain cancer cells. Author(s): Chen Z, Naito M, Hori S, Mashima T, Yamori T, Tsuruo T. Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 1999 November 2; 264(3): 847-54. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10544019&dopt=Abstract
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A New York neurosurgeon turns to multi-modality therapy to treat brain cancer. Author(s): Mahaney FX Jr. Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1990 June 6; 82(11): 900-1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2342123&dopt=Abstract
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An analysis of occupational risks for brain cancer. Author(s): Brownson RC, Reif JS, Chang JC, Davis JR. Source: American Journal of Public Health. 1990 February; 80(2): 169-72. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2297060&dopt=Abstract
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PubMed was developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The PubMed database was developed in conjunction with publishers of biomedical literature as a search tool for accessing literature citations and linking to full-text journal articles at Web sites of participating publishers. Publishers that participate in PubMed supply NLM with their citations electronically prior to or at the time of publication.
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Aspartame and brain cancer. Author(s): Roberts HJ. Source: Lancet. 1997 February 1; 349(9048): 362. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9024408&dopt=Abstract
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Association of brain cancer with dental X-rays and occupation in Missouri. Author(s): Neuberger JS, Brownson RC, Morantz RA, Chin TD. Source: Cancer Detection and Prevention. 1991; 15(1): 31-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=1646072&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer among OCAW members in three Texas oil refineries. Author(s): Thomas TL, Waxweiler RJ, Crandall MS, White DW, Moure-Eraso R, Itaya S, Fraumeni JF Jr. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1982; 381: 120-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=6953782&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and exposure to electromagnetic fields. Author(s): Gallagher RP, McBride ML, Band PR, Spinelli JJ, Threlfall WJ, Tamaro S. Source: J Occup Med. 1991 September; 33(9): 944-5. No Abstract Available. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=1744741&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and farming in western Canada. Author(s): Morrison HI, Semenciw RM, Morison D, Magwood S, Mao Y. Source: Neuroepidemiology. 1992; 11(4-6): 267-76. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=1337947&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and leukemia and exposure to power-frequency (50- to 60-Hz) electric and magnetic fields. Author(s): Miller RD, Neuberger JS, Gerald KB. Source: Epidemiologic Reviews. 1997; 19(2): 273-93. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9494788&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and nonoccupational risk factors: a case-control study among workers at two nuclear facilities. Author(s): Carpenter AV, Flanders WD, Frome EL, Cole P, Fry SA. Source: American Journal of Public Health. 1987 September; 77(9): 1180-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=3618849&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and occupational exposure to lead. Author(s): Cocco P, Dosemeci M, Heineman EF. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1998 November; 40(11): 937-42. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9830598&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and occupational exposure to magnetic fields among men: results from a Canadian population-based case-control study. Author(s): Villeneuve PJ, Agnew DA, Johnson KC, Mao Y; Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. Source: International Journal of Epidemiology. 2002 February; 31(1): 210-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11914323&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer and other causes of death in anatomists. Author(s): Stroup NE, Blair A, Erikson GE. Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1986 December; 77(6): 1217-24. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=3467114&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer in a residential area bordering on an oil refinery. Author(s): Neuberger JS, Ward-Smith P, Morantz RA, Tian C, Schmelzle KH, Mayo MS, Chin TD. Source: Neuroepidemiology. 2003 January-February; 22(1): 46-56. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12566954&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer in petrochemical workers: a case series report. Author(s): Alexander V, Leffingwell SS, Lloyd JW, Waxweiler RJ, Miller RL. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1980; 1(1): 115-23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7342751&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer in the Du Pont Company. Author(s): Karrh BW, Pell S. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1982; 381: 91-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=6953806&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer incidence in the provinces of Zaragoza and Navarre (Spain): effect of age, period and birth cohort. Author(s): Ruiz-Tovar M, Lopez-Abente G, Pollan M, Aragones N, Ardanaz E, Moreo P, Moreno C, Vergara A. Source: Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 1999 March 15; 164(1): 93-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10385055&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer incidence, mortality and case survival: observations from two Australian cancer registries. Author(s): Shugg D, Allen BJ, Blizzard L, Dwyer T, Roder D. Source: International Journal of Cancer. Journal International Du Cancer. 1994 December 15; 59(6): 765-70. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7989116&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer mortality among French farmers: the vineyard pesticide hypothesis. Author(s): Viel JF, Challier B, Pitard A, Pobel D. Source: Archives of Environmental Health. 1998 January-February; 53(1): 65-70. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9570310&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer mortality at a manufacturer of aerospace electromechanical systems. Author(s): Park RM, Silverstein MA, Green MA, Mirer FE. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1990; 17(5): 537-52. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2337080&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer risk and electromagnetic fields (EMFs): assessing the geomagnetic component. Author(s): Aldrich TE, Andrews KW, Liboff AR. Source: Archives of Environmental Health. 2001 July-August; 56(4): 314-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11572274&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer with induction periods of less than 10 years in young military radar workers. Author(s): Richter ED, Berman T, Levy O. Source: Archives of Environmental Health. 2002 July-August; 57(4): 270-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12530592&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer, flying, and socioeconomic status: a nested case-control study of USAF aircrew. Author(s): Grayson JK, Lyons TJ. Source: Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine. 1996 December; 67(12): 1152-4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8968480&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer: a case of glioblastoma multiforme. Author(s): Chang R, Finlay J, Badmaev V, Singh RH, Chapman J. Source: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.). 2002 October; 8(5): 551-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12470435&dopt=Abstract
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Brain cancer: issues and dilemmas. Author(s): Hanis NM, Holmes TM, Newill VA, Smith FR, Smith LG. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1982; 381: 83-90. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=6953805&dopt=Abstract
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Case-cohort analysis of brain cancer and leukemia in electric utility workers using a refined magnetic field job-exposure matrix. Author(s): Savitz DA, Cai J, van Wijngaarden E, Loomis D, Mihlan G, Dufort V, Kleckner RC, Nylander-French L, Kromhout H, Zhou H. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 2000 October; 38(4): 417-25. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10982982&dopt=Abstract
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cDNA cloning of a novel trypsin inhibitor with similarity to pathogenesis-related proteins, and its frequent expression in human brain cancer cells. Author(s): Yamakawa T, Miyata S, Ogawa N, Koshikawa N, Yasumitsu H, Kanamori T, Miyazaki K. Source: Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. 1998 January 21; 1395(2): 202-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9473672&dopt=Abstract
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Cell phones & brain cancer. No clear connection. Author(s): Nordenberg T. Source: Fda Consumer. 2000 November-December; 34(6): 19-23. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11192814&dopt=Abstract
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Cellular telephones and brain cancer: current research. Author(s): Frey AH. Source: Environmental Health Perspectives. 2001 May; 109(5): A200. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11401770&dopt=Abstract
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Cerebrospinal fluid versus serum concentrations of 5-FU, allopurinol, and oxypurinol during treatment of metastatic brain cancer with 5-FU infusion, allopurinol, and radiation. Author(s): Hornbeck CL, Floyd RA, Byfield JE, Griffiths JC, Frankel S, Sharp TR. Source: Cancer Treat Rep. 1982 March; 66(3): 571-3. No Abstract Available. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7060045&dopt=Abstract
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Clues to the etiology of childhood brain cancer: N-nitroso compounds, polyomaviruses, and other factors of interest. Author(s): Gurney JG, Smith MA, Olshan AF, Hecht SS, Kasum CM. Source: Cancer Investigation. 2001; 19(6): 630-40. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11486706&dopt=Abstract
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Cohort and nested case-control studies of hematopoietic cancers and brain cancer among electric utility workers. Author(s): Sahl JD, Kelsh MA, Greenland S. Source: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.). 1993 March; 4(2): 104-14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8452898&dopt=Abstract
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Computer screens and brain cancer. Author(s): Wood AW. Source: Australas Phys Eng Sci Med. 1995 December; 18(4): 167-76. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8867387&dopt=Abstract
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Computer-assisted microscope characterization of BCNU-induced modifications in the collective behavior of 12 human brain cancer cell lines. Author(s): Camby I, Salmon I, Danguy A, Pasteels JL, Kiss R. Source: Journal of Neuro-Oncology. 1996 April; 28(1): 1-11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8740586&dopt=Abstract
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Diet and brain cancer in adults: a case-control study in northeast China. Author(s): Hu J, La Vecchia C, Negri E, Chatenoud L, Bosetti C, Jia X, Liu R, Huang G, Bi D, Wang C. Source: International Journal of Cancer. Journal International Du Cancer. 1999 March 31; 81(1): 20-3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10077146&dopt=Abstract
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Do occupational exposures in nuclear refineries contribute to mortality from brain cancer? Author(s): Kusiak R, Ashmore P, Baris D. Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1997 February; 54(2): 142-3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9072024&dopt=Abstract
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Drinking water source and chlorination byproducts in Iowa. III. Risk of brain cancer. Author(s): Cantor KP, Lynch CF, Hildesheim ME, Dosemeci M, Lubin J, Alavanja M, Craun G. Source: American Journal of Epidemiology. 1999 September 15; 150(6): 552-60. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10489993&dopt=Abstract
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Electric and magnetic field exposure and brain cancer: a review. Author(s): Kheifets LI. Source: Bioelectromagnetics. 2001; Suppl 5: S120-31. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11170122&dopt=Abstract
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Evaluating cluster alarms: a space-time scan statistic and brain cancer in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Author(s): Kulldorff M, Athas WF, Feurer EJ, Miller BA, Key CR. Source: American Journal of Public Health. 1998 September; 88(9): 1377-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9736881&dopt=Abstract
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Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) and brain cancer in adults and children: review and comment. Author(s): Gurney JG, van Wijngaarden E. Source: Neuro-Oncology. 1999 July; 1(3): 212-20. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11550314&dopt=Abstract
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Family pesticide and childhood brain cancer. Author(s): Duffy LC, Cole P, Lamm SH. Source: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 1994 January; 26(1): 130-3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8110021&dopt=Abstract
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Family pesticide use and childhood brain cancer. Author(s): Davis JR, Brownson RC, Garcia R, Bentz BJ, Turner A. Source: Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 1993 January; 24(1): 87-92. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8466294&dopt=Abstract
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Final height and body mass index among adult survivors of childhood brain cancer: childhood cancer survivor study. Author(s): Gurney JG, Ness KK, Stovall M, Wolden S, Punyko JA, Neglia JP, Mertens AC, Packer RJ, Robison LL, Sklar CA. Source: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2003 October; 88(10): 4731-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=14557448&dopt=Abstract
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Geographical pattern of brain cancer incidence in the Navarre and Basque Country regions of Spain. Author(s): Lopez-Abente G, Pollan M, Ardanaz E, Errezola M. Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2003 July; 60(7): 504-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12819284&dopt=Abstract
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Germline mutations in the p73 gene do not predispose to familial prostate-brain cancer. Author(s): Peters MA, Janer M, Kolb S, Jarvik GP, Ostrander EA, Stanford JL. Source: The Prostate. 2001 September 15; 48(4): 292-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11536309&dopt=Abstract
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Handheld cellular telephone use and risk of brain cancer. Author(s): Muscat JE, Malkin MG, Thompson S, Shore RE, Stellman SD, McRee D, Neugut AI, Wynder EL. Source: Jama : the Journal of the American Medical Association. 2000 December 20; 284(23): 3001-7. Erratum In: Jama 2001 March 14; 286(10): 1293. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11122586&dopt=Abstract
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Handheld cellular telephones and brain cancer risk. Author(s): Zimmerman SM, Zimmerman RW. Source: Jama : the Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001 April 11; 285(14): 1838-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11308391&dopt=Abstract
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Handheld cellular telephones and brain cancer risk. Author(s): Hardell L, Mild KH. Source: Jama : the Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001 April 11; 285(14): 1838; Author Reply 1838-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11308390&dopt=Abstract
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Handheld cellular telephones and brain cancer risk. Author(s): Kane RC. Source: Jama : the Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001 April 11; 285(14): 1838; Author Reply 1838-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11308389&dopt=Abstract
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Health related quality of life assessment methodology and reported outcomes in randomised controlled trials of primary brain cancer patients. Author(s): Efficace F, Bottomley A. Source: European Journal of Cancer (Oxford, England : 1990). 2002 September; 38(14): 1824-31. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12204663&dopt=Abstract
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Hydrogen magnetic resonance spectroscopy follow-up after radiation therapy of human brain cancer. Unexpected inverse correlation between the changes in tumor choline level and post-gadolinium magnetic resonance imaging contrast. Author(s): Sijens PE, Vecht CJ, Levendag PC, van Dijk P, Oudkerk M. Source: Investigative Radiology. 1995 December; 30(12): 738-44. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8748188&dopt=Abstract
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Immunological enhancement of chemotherapy in advanced brain cancer. Author(s): Rosner S. Source: Acta Neurol Latinoam. 1975; 21(1-4): 126-32. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=1243998&dopt=Abstract
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Increasing brain cancer rates in Canada. Author(s): Mao Y, Desmeules M, Semenciw RM, Hill G, Gaudette L, Wigle DT. Source: Cmaj : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L'association Medicale Canadienne. 1991 December 15; 145(12): 1583-91. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=1742695&dopt=Abstract
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Inhibition of breast and brain cancer cell growth by BCCIPalpha, an evolutionarily conserved nuclear protein that interacts with BRCA2. Author(s): Liu J, Yuan Y, Huan J, Shen Z. Source: Oncogene. 2001 January 18; 20(3): 336-45. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11313963&dopt=Abstract
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Interpretation of secular increases in incidence rates for primary brain cancer in Connecticut adults, 1965-1988. Author(s): Polednak AP. Source: Neuroepidemiology. 1996 January-February; 15(1): 51-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8719049&dopt=Abstract
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Is brain cancer an occupational disease of cardiologists? Author(s): Finkelstein MM. Source: The Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 1998 November; 14(11): 1385-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9854520&dopt=Abstract
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Is brain cancer mortality increasing in industrial countries? Author(s): Davis DL, Ahlbom A, Hoel D, Percy C. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1991; 19(4): 421-31. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2035544&dopt=Abstract
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Is brain cancer mortality increasing in industrial countries? Author(s): Davis DL, Hoel D, Percy C, Ahlbom A, Schwartz J. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1990; 609: 191-204. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2264643&dopt=Abstract
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Is there an elevated risk of brain cancer among physicians performing interventional radiology procedures? Author(s): Wenzl T, McDonald JC. Source: Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2002; 102(2): 99-100. No Abstract Available. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12408485&dopt=Abstract
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Lipid metabolism as a target for brain cancer therapy: synergistic activity of lovastatin and sodium phenylacetate against human glioma cells. Author(s): Prasanna P, Thibault A, Liu L, Samid D. Source: Journal of Neurochemistry. 1996 February; 66(2): 710-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8592143&dopt=Abstract
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Long term survivors of childhood brain cancer have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Author(s): Heikens J, Ubbink MC, van der Pal HP, Bakker PJ, Fliers E, Smilde TJ, Kastelein JJ, Trip MD. Source: Cancer. 2000 May 1; 88(9): 2116-21. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10813724&dopt=Abstract
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Magnetic field exposure in relation to leukemia and brain cancer mortality among electric utility workers. Author(s): Savitz DA, Loomis DP. Source: American Journal of Epidemiology. 1995 January 15; 141(2): 123-34. Erratum In: Am J Epidemiol 1996 July 15; 144(2): 205. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7817968&dopt=Abstract
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Mahoney centre set to tackle brain cancer head on. Author(s): Gershon D. Source: Nature. 2000 August 3; 406(6795): 546. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10952320&dopt=Abstract
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Meta-analyses of brain cancer and farming. Author(s): Khuder SA, Mutgi AB, Schaub EA. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1998 September; 34(3): 252-60. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9698994&dopt=Abstract
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Metastatic spread and common symptoms. Part One: Introduction, bladder cancer, and brain cancer. Author(s): Kemp C. Source: Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 1998 November-December; 15(6): 355-60. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9866458&dopt=Abstract
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Mortality from brain cancer and leukaemia among electrical workers. Author(s): Loomis DP, Savitz DA. Source: Br J Ind Med. 1990 September; 47(9): 633-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2207035&dopt=Abstract
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Nitrate in drinking water and the incidence of gastric, esophageal, and brain cancer in Yorkshire, England. Author(s): Barrett JH, Parslow RC, McKinney PA, Law GR, Forman D. Source: Cancer Causes & Control : Ccc. 1998 March; 9(2): 153-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9578292&dopt=Abstract
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Novel chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of brain cancer. Author(s): Newton HB. Source: Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs. 2000 December; 9(12): 2815-29. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11093355&dopt=Abstract
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Null association between frequency of cured meat consumption and methylvaline and ethylvaline hemoglobin adduct levels: the N-nitroso brain cancer hypothesis. Author(s): Gurney JG, Chen M, Skluzacek MC, Kasum CM, Carmella SG, Villalta PW, Hecht SS. Source: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention : a Publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, Cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 2002 April; 11(4): 421-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11927506&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational electric and magnetic field exposure and brain cancer. Author(s): Raabe GK, Wong O. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1996 July; 38(7): 655-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8823654&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational electric and magnetic field exposure and brain cancer: a meta-analysis. Author(s): Kheifets LI, Afifi AA, Buffler PA, Zhang ZW. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1995 December; 37(12): 1327-41. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8749738&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational exposure to chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons and risk of astrocytic brain cancer. Author(s): Heineman EF, Cocco P, Gomez MR, Dosemeci M, Stewart PA, Hayes RB, Zahm SH, Thomas TL, Blair A. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1994 August; 26(2): 155-69. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7977393&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational exposure to magnetic fields and brain cancer. Author(s): Savitz DA. Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2001 October; 58(10): 617-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11555680&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational exposure to magnetic fields in relation to mortality from brain cancer among electricity generation and transmission workers. Author(s): Harrington JM, McBride DI, Sorahan T, Paddle GM, van Tongeren M. Source: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 1997 January; 54(1): 7-13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9072027&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational exposures and brain cancer mortality: a preliminary study of east Texas residents. Author(s): Speers MA, Dobbins JG, Miller VS. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1988; 13(6): 629-38. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=3389360&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational risk factors for brain cancer: a population-based case-control study in Iowa. Author(s): Zheng T, Cantor KP, Zhang Y, Keim S, Lynch CF. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2001 April; 43(4): 317-24. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11322092&dopt=Abstract
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Occupational risks for brain cancer: a New Zealand Cancer Registry-based study. Author(s): Reif JS, Pearce N, Fraser J. Source: J Occup Med. 1989 October; 31(10): 863-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2607385&dopt=Abstract
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Panel exploring pro and con arguments as to whether EMFs cause childhood brain cancer. Author(s): Neutra RR. Source: Bioelectromagnetics. 2001; Suppl 5: S144-9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11170124&dopt=Abstract
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Parental age as a risk factor of childhood leukemia and brain cancer in offspring. Author(s): Hemminki K, Kyyronen P, Vaittinen P. Source: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.). 1999 May; 10(3): 271-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10230837&dopt=Abstract
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Parental occupational exposure to pesticides and childhood brain cancer. Author(s): van Wijngaarden E, Stewart PA, Olshan AF, Savitz DA, Bunin GR. Source: American Journal of Epidemiology. 2003 June 1; 157(11): 989-97. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12777362&dopt=Abstract
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Paternal occupation and brain cancer in offspring: a mortality-based case-control study. Author(s): Wilkins JR 3rd, Koutras RA. Source: American Journal of Industrial Medicine. 1988; 14(3): 299-318. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=3189347&dopt=Abstract
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Pathophysiology, clinical manifestations and supportive care of metastatic brain cancer. Author(s): Riva M, Landonio G, Arena O, Citterio A, Galli C, Ferrante E, Brioschi A, Collice M, Gambacorta M, Scialfa G, Defanti CA, Siena S. Source: Forum (Genova). 2001 January-March; 11(1): 4-26. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11734861&dopt=Abstract
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Pesticide prioritization for a brain cancer case-control study. Author(s): Sanderson WT, Talaska G, Zaebst D, Davis-King K, Calvert G. Source: Environmental Research. 1997; 74(2): 133-44. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9339226&dopt=Abstract
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Primary brain cancer in adults and the use of common household appliances: a casecontrol study. Author(s): Mutnick A, Muscat JE. Source: Rev Environ Health. 1997 January-March; 12(1): 59-62. Erratum In: Rev Environ Health 1997 April-June; 12(2): 131. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9128911&dopt=Abstract
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Racial patterns of childhood brain cancer by histologic type. Author(s): Bunin G. Source: Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 1987 May; 78(5): 875-80. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=3471996&dopt=Abstract
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Receptor-mediated delivery of an antisense gene to human brain cancer cells. Author(s): Zhang Y, Jeong Lee H, Boado RJ, Pardridge WM. Source: The Journal of Gene Medicine. 2002 March-April; 4(2): 183-94. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11933219&dopt=Abstract
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Scientific progress - wireless phones and brain cancer: current state of the science. Author(s): Carlo GL, Jenrow RS. Source: Medgenmed [electronic Resource] : Medscape General Medicine. 2000 July 11; 2(3): E40. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=11104486&dopt=Abstract
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Sensitivity of the relation between cumulative magnetic field exposure and brain cancer mortality to choice of monitoring data grouping scheme. Author(s): Kromhout H, Loomis DP, Kleckner RC, Savitz DA. Source: Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.). 1997 July; 8(4): 442-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9209861&dopt=Abstract
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Serum cholesterol concentration and risk of brain cancer. Author(s): Herrinton LJ, Friedman GD. Source: Bmj (Clinical Research Ed.). 1995 February 11; 310(6976): 367-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=7866214&dopt=Abstract
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Targeted drug delivery for brain cancer treatment. Author(s): Gutman RL, Peacock G, Lu DR. Source: Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society. 2000 March 1; 65(1-2): 31-41. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10699267&dopt=Abstract
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The development and psychometric validation of a brain cancer quality-of-life questionnaire for use in combination with general cancer-specific questionnaires. Author(s): Osoba D, Aaronson NK, Muller M, Sneeuw K, Hsu MA, Yung WK, Brada M, Newlands E. Source: Quality of Life Research : an International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation. 1996 February; 5(1): 139-50. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=8901377&dopt=Abstract
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The optimun schedule for palliative radiotherapy for metastatic brain cancer. Author(s): Hendrickson FR. Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics. 1977 JanuaryFebruary; 2(1-2): 165-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=66225&dopt=Abstract
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The requirements and development of neutron beams for neutron capture therapy of brain cancer. Author(s): Moss RL, Aizawa O, Beynon D, Brugger R, Constantine G, Harling O, Liu HB, Watkins P. Source: Journal of Neuro-Oncology. 1997 May; 33(1-2): 27-40. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9151221&dopt=Abstract
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The use of significant others as proxy raters of the quality of life of patients with brain cancer. Author(s): Sneeuw KC, Aaronson NK, Osoba D, Muller MJ, Hsu MA, Yung WK, Brada M, Newlands ES. Source: Medical Care. 1997 May; 35(5): 490-506. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=9140337&dopt=Abstract
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Topical topics: Brain cancer incidence in children: time to look beyond the trends. Author(s): Gurney JG. Source: Medical and Pediatric Oncology. 1999 August; 33(2): 110-2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10398186&dopt=Abstract
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Trends in brain cancer tumor mortality and morbidity in the United States. Author(s): Garfinkel L, Sarokhan B. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1982; 381: 1-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=6953780&dopt=Abstract
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Trends in brain cancer. Author(s): Levi F, La Vecchia C. Source: Lancet. 1989 October 14; 2(8668): 917. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=2571832&dopt=Abstract
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Uncertainty in the relation between exposure to magnetic fields and brain cancer due to assessment and assignment of exposure and analytical methods in dose-response modeling. Author(s): Kromhout H, Loomis DP, Kleckner RC. Source: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1999; 895: 141-55. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10676414&dopt=Abstract
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Vesicular stomatitis virus G pseudotyped retrovector mediates effective in vivo suicide gene delivery in experimental brain cancer. Author(s): Galipeau J, Li H, Paquin A, Sicilia F, Karpati G, Nalbantoglu J. Source: Cancer Research. 1999 May 15; 59(10): 2384-94. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=10344748&dopt=Abstract
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Vinyl chloride and liver and brain cancer at a polymer production plant in Louisville, Kentucky. Author(s): Lewis R, Rempala G, Dell LD, Mundt KA. Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine / American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2003 May; 45(5): 533-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12762078&dopt=Abstract
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CHAPTER 2. NUTRITION AND BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we will show you how to find studies dedicated specifically to nutrition and brain cancer.
Finding Nutrition Studies on Brain Cancer The National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) offers a searchable bibliographic database called the IBIDS (International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements; National Institutes of Health, Building 31, Room 1B29, 31 Center Drive, MSC 2086, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-2086, Tel: 301-435-2920, Fax: 301-480-1845, E-mail:
[email protected]). The IBIDS contains over 460,000 scientific citations and summaries about dietary supplements and nutrition as well as references to published international, scientific literature on dietary supplements such as vitamins, minerals, and botanicals.4 The IBIDS includes references and citations to both human and animal research studies. As a service of the ODS, access to the IBIDS database is available free of charge at the following Web address: http://ods.od.nih.gov/databases/ibids.html. After entering the search area, you have three choices: (1) IBIDS Consumer Database, (2) Full IBIDS Database, or (3) Peer Reviewed Citations Only. Now that you have selected a database, click on the “Advanced” tab. An advanced search allows you to retrieve up to 100 fully explained references in a comprehensive format. Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and click “Go.” To narrow the search, you can also select the “Title” field.
4 Adapted from http://ods.od.nih.gov. IBIDS is produced by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health to assist the public, healthcare providers, educators, and researchers in locating credible, scientific information on dietary supplements. IBIDS was developed and will be maintained through an interagency partnership with the Food and Nutrition Information Center of the National Agricultural Library, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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The following information is typical of that found when using the “Full IBIDS Database” to search for “brain cancer” (or a synonym): •
Brain cancer: a case of glioblastoma multiforme. Author(s): Institute of East-West Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA.
[email protected] Source: Chang, R Finlay, J Badmaev, V Singh, R H Chapman, J J-Altern-ComplementMed. 2002 October; 8(5): 551-8 1075-5535
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Trends in cured meat consumption in relation to childhood and adult brain cancer in the United States. Source: Murphy, R.S. Sadler, C.J. Blot, W.J. Food-Control (United Kingdom). (1998). volume 9(5) page 299-305. mankind cured meat meat products consumption trends neoplasms anions nitrites brain nervous system
Federal Resources on Nutrition In addition to the IBIDS, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide many sources of information on general nutrition and health. Recommended resources include: •
healthfinder®, HHS’s gateway to health information, including diet and nutrition: http://www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/SearchContext.asp?topic=238&page=0
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The United States Department of Agriculture’s Web site dedicated to nutrition information: www.nutrition.gov
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The Food and Drug Administration’s Web site for federal food safety information: www.foodsafety.gov
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The National Action Plan on Overweight and Obesity sponsored by the United States Surgeon General: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/obesity/
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The Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition has an Internet site sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services: http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/
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Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/
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Food and Nutrition Information Center, National Agricultural Library sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/
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Food and Nutrition Service sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/
Additional Web Resources A number of additional Web sites offer encyclopedic information covering food and nutrition. The following is a representative sample: •
AOL: http://search.aol.com/cat.adp?id=174&layer=&from=subcats
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Family Village: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/med_nutrition.html
Nutrition
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Google: http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Nutrition/
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Healthnotes: http://www.healthnotes.com/
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Open Directory Project: http://dmoz.org/Health/Nutrition/
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Yahoo.com: http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Nutrition/
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WebMDHealth: http://my.webmd.com/nutrition
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WholeHealthMD.com: http://www.wholehealthmd.com/reflib/0,1529,00.html
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The following is a specific Web list relating to brain cancer; please note that any particular subject below may indicate either a therapeutic use, or a contraindication (potential danger), and does not reflect an official recommendation: •
Food and Diet Cancer Prevention and Diet Source: Healthnotes, Inc.; www.healthnotes.com
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CHAPTER 3. ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we will begin by introducing you to official information sources on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) relating to brain cancer. At the conclusion of this chapter, we will provide additional sources.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) of the National Institutes of Health (http://nccam.nih.gov/) has created a link to the National Library of Medicine’s databases to facilitate research for articles that specifically relate to brain cancer and complementary medicine. To search the database, go to the following Web site: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nccam/camonpubmed.html. Select “CAM on PubMed.” Enter “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box. Click “Go.” The following references provide information on particular aspects of complementary and alternative medicine that are related to brain cancer: •
Brain cancer: a case of glioblastoma multiforme. Author(s): Chang R, Finlay J, Badmaev V, Singh RH, Chapman J. Source: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (New York, N.Y.). 2002 October; 8(5): 551-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12470435&dopt=Abstract
•
Ruta 6 selectively induces cell death in brain cancer cells but proliferation in normal peripheral blood lymphocytes: A novel treatment for human brain cancer. Author(s): Pathak S, Multani AS, Banerji P, Banerji P. Source: International Journal of Oncology. 2003 October; 23(4): 975-82. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ uids=12963976&dopt=Abstract
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Additional Web Resources A number of additional Web sites offer encyclopedic information covering CAM and related topics. The following is a representative sample: •
Alternative Medicine Foundation, Inc.: http://www.herbmed.org/
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AOL: http://search.aol.com/cat.adp?id=169&layer=&from=subcats
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Chinese Medicine: http://www.newcenturynutrition.com/
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drkoop.com: http://www.drkoop.com/InteractiveMedicine/IndexC.html
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Family Village: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/med_altn.htm
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Google: http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Alternative/
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Healthnotes: http://www.healthnotes.com/
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MedWebPlus: http://medwebplus.com/subject/Alternative_and_Complementary_Medicine
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Open Directory Project: http://dmoz.org/Health/Alternative/
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HealthGate: http://www.tnp.com/
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WebMDHealth: http://my.webmd.com/drugs_and_herbs
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WholeHealthMD.com: http://www.wholehealthmd.com/reflib/0,1529,00.html
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Yahoo.com: http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Alternative_Medicine/
The following is a specific Web list relating to brain cancer; please note that any particular subject below may indicate either a therapeutic use, or a contraindication (potential danger), and does not reflect an official recommendation: •
General Overview Brain Cancer Source: Integrative Medicine Communications; www.drkoop.com
•
Herbs and Supplements Melatonin Source: Healthnotes, Inc.; www.healthnotes.com
General References A good place to find general background information on CAM is the National Library of Medicine. It has prepared within the MEDLINEplus system an information topic page dedicated to complementary and alternative medicine. To access this page, go to the MEDLINEplus site at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alternativemedicine.html. This Web site provides a general overview of various topics and can lead to a number of general sources.
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CHAPTER 4. DISSERTATIONS ON BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we will give you a bibliography on recent dissertations relating to brain cancer. We will also provide you with information on how to use the Internet to stay current on dissertations. IMPORTANT NOTE: When following the search strategy described below, you may discover non-medical dissertations that use the generic term “brain cancer” (or a synonym) in their titles. To accurately reflect the results that you might find while conducting research on brain cancer, we have not necessarily excluded non-medical dissertations in this bibliography.
Dissertations on Brain Cancer ProQuest Digital Dissertations, the largest archive of academic dissertations available, is located at the following Web address: http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations. From this archive, we have compiled the following list covering dissertations devoted to brain cancer. You will see that the information provided includes the dissertation’s title, its author, and the institution with which the author is associated. The following covers recent dissertations found when using this search procedure: •
Epidemiologic Issues in Squamous Cell Skin Cancer, Primary Adult-onset Brain Cancer, and Parkinson's Disease by Efird, Jimmy Thomas; Phd from Stanford University, 2003, 94 pages http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3090582
•
Parental Occupational Exposures and Childhood Brain Cancer by Van Wijngaarden, Edwin; Phd from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2002, 178 pages http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations/fullcit/3047085
Keeping Current Ask the medical librarian at your library if it has full and unlimited access to the ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. From the library, you should be able to do more complete searches via http://wwwlib.umi.com/dissertations.
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CHAPTER 5. CLINICAL TRIALS AND BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we will show you how to keep informed of the latest clinical trials concerning brain cancer.
Recent Trials on Brain Cancer The following is a list of recent trials dedicated to brain cancer.5 Further information on a trial is available at the Web site indicated. •
Combination Chemotherapy Followed by Peripheral Stem Cell Transplantation or Bone Marrow Transplantation in Treating Patients With Brain Cancer Condition(s): adult brain tumor; childhood central nervous system germ cell tumor; childhood ependymoma; Childhood Medulloblastoma; childhood supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors Study Status: This study is currently recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Kaplan Cancer Center; National Cancer Institute (NCI) Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation may allow the doctor to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of combining temozolomide, thiotepa, and carboplatin followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation or bone marrow transplantation in treating patients who have brain cancer. Phase(s): Phase I Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00025558
5
These are listed at www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
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•
Combination Chemotherapy Plus Radiation Therapy in Treating Adult Patients With Brain Cancer Condition(s): Adult Medulloblastoma; adult malignant ependymoma Study Status: This study is currently recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group; National Cancer Institute (NCI); Southwest Oncology Group Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Combining more than one drug and combining chemotherapy with radiation therapy may kill more tumor cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy in treating adult patients with brain cancer. Phase(s): Phase II Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00003309
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Modafinil in Treating Fatigue and Behavioral Change in Patients With Primary Brain Cancer Condition(s): adult brain tumor; Fatigue; cognitive/functional effects Study Status: This study is currently recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; National Cancer Institute (NCI) Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Modafinil may be effective in relieving fatigue and improving behavioral changes such as memory loss in patients who have undergone treatment for primary brain cancer. The effectiveness of modafinil in relieving fatigue and improving behavioral change is not yet known. PURPOSE: Randomized clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of modafinil in treating fatigue and behavioral changes in patients who have undergone treatment for primary brain cancer. Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00052286
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Safety and effectiveness study of G207, a tumor-killing virus, in patients with recurrent brain cancer Condition(s): Glioma; Astrocytoma; Glioblastoma Study Status: This study is currently recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): MediGene Purpose - Excerpt: This clinical trial will study the safety and effectiveness of an engineered herpes virus, G207, administered directly into the brain of patients with recurrent brain cancer. G207 has been modified from the herpes virus that causes cold sores (called herpes simplex virus type 1 or HSV-1). G207 has been designed so that it should kill tumor cells, but not harm normal brain cells. G207 has been shown to be safe in animal testing completed to date and in previous studies in patients with brain tumors. This is a phase Ib/II study. In the phase Ib portion of the study, patients will
Clinical Trials 39
receive G207 at a dose that is higher than tested in previous human studies. Patients will initially receive 15% of the assigned dose injected directly into the brain tumor. Approximately two days later, as much of the tumor as possible will be surgically removed, and more G207 will be injected into the brain tumor bed. Patients will be monitored, and medical tests will be done at specific study timepoints. The phase II portion will begin only if there are no safety concerns in the phase Ib portion. The goals of the phase II portion of the study are to determine the safety of G207 and to study patient survival at six months after G207 dosing. In the phase II portion of the study, patients will receive a single dose of G207 at the highest dose determined to be safe in the phase Ib portion of the study. The tumor will be removed, and G207 will be injected into any remaining tumor tissue in the brain tumor bed. Patients will be closely monitored, medical tests will be performed at specific study visits, and survival will be evaluated. Phase(s): Phase I; Phase II Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00028158 •
Flavopiridol in Treating Children With Relapsed or Refractory Solid Tumors or Lymphomas Condition(s): childhood bone cancer; childhood brain cancer; childhood eye cancer; childhood kidney tumors; childhood non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; childhood soft tissue sarcoma Study Status: This study is no longer recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Children's Oncology Group; National Cancer Institute (NCI) Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase I trial to study the effectiveness of flavopiridol in treating children who have relapsed or refractory solid tumors or lymphoma. Phase(s): Phase I Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00012181
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Phenylbutyrate in Treating Children With Progressive or Recurrent Cancer of the Central Nervous System Condition(s): Brain Cancer Study Status: This study is no longer recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Texas Children's Cancer Center; National Cancer Institute (NCI) Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop tumor cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of phenylbutyrate in treating children who have recurrent or progressive cancer of the central nervous system. Phase(s): Phase II Study Type: Interventional
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Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00006238 •
Study of 111In-DAC as an Medical Imaging Agent for Lung Cancer and Brain Cancer Consistent with Metastatic Lung Cancer Condition(s): Lung Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung; Brain Neoplasms; Metastases, Neoplasm Study Status: This study is no longer recruiting patients. Sponsor(s): Copharos Purpose - Excerpt: The purpose of this study is to investigate the safety and imaging ability of 111In-DAC when used with planar and SPECT imaging for the detection of lung cancer and brain cancer consistent with metastatic lung cancer. Phase(s): Phase I Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00040560
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Radiolabeled Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Treating Patients With Primary or Metastatic Brain Cancers Condition(s): Brain Tumor Study Status: This study is completed. Sponsor(s): Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center Purpose - Excerpt: RATIONALE: Radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies can locate tumor cells and either kill them or deliver tumor-killing substances to them without harming normal cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of radiolabeled monoclonal antibody therapy in treating patients who have primary or metastatic brain cancer. Phase(s): Phase I; Phase II Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00002752
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Study of a drug [DCVax(TM)-Brain(elu)] to treat brain cancer Condition(s): Glioblastoma Multiforme Study Status: This study is suspended. Sponsor(s): Northwest Biotherapeutics Purpose - Excerpt: The purpose of the study is to determine the safety and efficacy of an investigational therapy called DCVax(TM)-Brain(elu) in patients with GBM after surgical resection and radiation therapy. Phase(s): Phase II Study Type: Interventional Contact(s): see Web site below
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Web Site: http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00045968
Keeping Current on Clinical Trials The U.S. National Institutes of Health, through the National Library of Medicine, has developed ClinicalTrials.gov to provide current information about clinical research across the broadest number of diseases and conditions. The site was launched in February 2000 and currently contains approximately 5,700 clinical studies in over 59,000 locations worldwide, with most studies being conducted in the United States. ClinicalTrials.gov receives about 2 million hits per month and hosts approximately 5,400 visitors daily. To access this database, simply go to the Web site at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ and search by “brain cancer” (or synonyms). While ClinicalTrials.gov is the most comprehensive listing of NIH-supported clinical trials available, not all trials are in the database. The database is updated regularly, so clinical trials are continually being added. The following is a list of specialty databases affiliated with the National Institutes of Health that offer additional information on trials: •
For clinical studies at the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center located in Bethesda, Maryland, visit their Web site: http://clinicalstudies.info.nih.gov/
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For clinical studies conducted at the Bayview Campus in Baltimore, Maryland, visit their Web site: http://www.jhbmc.jhu.edu/studies/index.html
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For cancer trials, visit the National Cancer Institute: http://cancertrials.nci.nih.gov/
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For eye-related trials, visit and search the Web page of the National Eye Institute: http://www.nei.nih.gov/neitrials/index.htm
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For heart, lung and blood trials, visit the Web page of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/studies/index.htm
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For trials on aging, visit and search the Web site of the National Institute on Aging: http://www.grc.nia.nih.gov/studies/index.htm
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For rare diseases, visit and search the Web site sponsored by the Office of Rare Diseases: http://ord.aspensys.com/asp/resources/rsch_trials.asp
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For alcoholism, visit the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/intramural/Web_dicbr_hp/particip.htm
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For trials on infectious, immune, and allergic diseases, visit the site of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/clintrials/
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For trials on arthritis, musculoskeletal and skin diseases, visit newly revised site of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health: http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/studies/index.htm
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For hearing-related trials, visit the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/clinical/index.htm
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For trials on diseases of the digestive system and kidneys, and diabetes, visit the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/patient/patient.htm
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•
For drug abuse trials, visit and search the Web site sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse: http://www.nida.nih.gov/CTN/Index.htm
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For trials on mental disorders, visit and search the Web site of the National Institute of Mental Health: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/studies/index.cfm
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For trials on neurological disorders and stroke, visit and search the Web site sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the NIH: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/funding/funding_opportunities.htm#Clinical_Trials
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CHAPTER 6. PATENTS ON BRAIN CANCER Overview Patents can be physical innovations (e.g. chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment) or processes (e.g. treatments or diagnostic procedures). The United States Patent and Trademark Office defines a patent as a grant of a property right to the inventor, issued by the Patent and Trademark Office.6 Patents, therefore, are intellectual property. For the United States, the term of a new patent is 20 years from the date when the patent application was filed. If the inventor wishes to receive economic benefits, it is likely that the invention will become commercially available within 20 years of the initial filing. It is important to understand, therefore, that an inventor’s patent does not indicate that a product or service is or will be commercially available. The patent implies only that the inventor has “the right to exclude others from making, using, offering for sale, or selling” the invention in the United States. While this relates to U.S. patents, similar rules govern foreign patents. In this chapter, we show you how to locate information on patents and their inventors. If you find a patent that is particularly interesting to you, contact the inventor or the assignee for further information. IMPORTANT NOTE: When following the search strategy described below, you may discover non-medical patents that use the generic term “brain cancer” (or a synonym) in their titles. To accurately reflect the results that you might find while conducting research on brain cancer, we have not necessarily excluded non-medical patents in this bibliography.
Patents on Brain Cancer By performing a patent search focusing on brain cancer, you can obtain information such as the title of the invention, the names of the inventor(s), the assignee(s) or the company that owns or controls the patent, a short abstract that summarizes the patent, and a few excerpts from the description of the patent. The abstract of a patent tends to be more technical in nature, while the description is often written for the public. Full patent descriptions contain much more information than is presented here (e.g. claims, references, figures, diagrams, etc.). We will tell you how to obtain this information later in the chapter. The following is an 6Adapted
from the United States Patent and Trademark Office: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/whatis.htm.
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example of the type of information that you can expect to obtain from a patent search on brain cancer: •
Antisense oligonucleotides and methods for treating central nervous system tumors Inventor(s): Chiang; Lan (Plymouth, MN), Conrad; John A. (Lino Lakes, MN), Flores; Eric P. (Minneapolis, MN), Hall; Walter A. (Minneapolis, MN), Low; Walter C. (Shorewood, MN) Assignee(s): Regents of the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) Patent Number: 5,994,320 Date filed: December 5, 1997 Abstract: The invention provides compositions and methods for treating primary brain cancer. The compositions include at least one antisense oligonucleotide that inhibits the proliferation of primary brain cancer cells. The antisense oligonucleotides are preferably complementary to and hybridize to a mRNA encoding c-myb. A method of the invention involves treating patients with primary brain cancer with a pharmaceutical composition including at least one antisense oligonucleotide in an amount effective to inhibit primary brain cell proliferation. The invention also provides probes and primers useful to identify primary brain cells having amplified and/or rearranged genes encoding c-myb. Excerpt(s): The work described herein was supported by the National Institute of Health under grant numbers K08-NS-01713 and R01-NS-24464. The government may have certain rights in the invention. c-myb RNA levels are exceptionally high during the proliferation of immature thymocytes, prostate, and during the development of the central nervous system (CNS). Thompson et al., Nature, 319:374 (1986); Thiele et al., Mol. Cell Biol. 8:1677 (1988). More recent studies have demonstrated that c-myb expression is required for T-lymphocyte proliferation and the proliferation of intermediate-late myeloid and erythroid progenitors, but less important for early progenitor cell amplification. Caracciolo et al., J. Clin. Invest., 85:55 (1990). In human HL-60 leukemic cells, Brelvi and Studzinski reported that c-myb RNA was elevated in cell populations enriched for S-phase cells. Graser et al., J. Cell Physiol., 131:43 (1987). However, not all cells utilize c-myb protein during the proliferative process, and may use other members of the myb family (e.g., b-myb) to carry out these functions. c-myb is a cellular homolog of the transforming gene v-myb, found in avian myeloblastosis virus (AVM) and the E26 virus. These avian viruses cause myeloblastic leukemias in chickens and can transform myelomonocytic cells in culture. Furthermore, the oncogenic activation of c-myb in chicken hematopoietic cells and murine myeloid tumor cells has been shown to be associated with 5' and 3' truncations. (Cuddihy et al., Mol. Cell. Biol., 13:3505-3513 (1993).) The human c-myb gene has been found to be altered in human glioblastoma multiforme cell lines. The degree of amplification in four cell lines was 10fold as determined by densitometry. A rearrangement within the coding region and an enhanced gene activity were also noted. Welter, C. et al., Cancer Letters, 52:57 (1990). Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05994320__
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•
Apoptosis inducing adamantyl derivatives and their usage as anti-cancer agents Inventor(s): Lu; Xian-Ping (San Diego, CA), Pfahl; Magnus (Solana Beach, CA), Rideout; Darryl (San Diego, CA), Zhang; Hongyue (La Jolla, CA) Assignee(s): Galderma Research & Development, S.N.C. (Valbonne, FR) Patent Number: 6,127,415 Date filed: April 14, 1999 Abstract: The present invention relates to specific adamantyl or adamantyl group derivative containing retinoid compounds induce apoptosis of cancer cells. These adamantyl retinoid derivatives are useful for the treatment of many cancers and solid tumors, especially androgen-independent prostate cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic carcinomas, colon cancer, melanoma, ovarian cancer, liver cancer, small cell lung carcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, cervical carcinoma, brain cancer, bladder cancer, breast cancer, neuroblastoma/glioblastoma, and leukemia. Also, the invention relates to novel adamantyl or adamantyl group derivative compounds which are useful as active agents for the treatment or prevention of keratinization disorders and other dermatological conditions, and other diseases. Excerpt(s): This application is a 371 of PCT/US97/11564 Jul. 8, 1999. The invention relates to the discovery that specific adamantyl or adamantyl group derivative containing retinoid related compounds induce apoptosis of cancer cells and therefore may be used for the treatment of cancer, including advanced cancers. Also, the present invention relates to novel adamantyl or adamantyl group derivative containing retinoid related compounds and their use for the treatment and/or prevention of cancer, keratinization disorders, dermatological conditions and other therapies. Solid tumors are the leading cause of death attributable to cancers worldwide. Conventional methods of treating cancer include surgical treatments, the administration of chemotherapeutic agents, and recently immune based treatments which typically involve the administration of an antibody or antibody fragment which may be conjugated to a therapeutic moiety such as a radio-nuclide. However, to date, such treatments have been of limited success. Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06127415__
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Method for treating brain cancer with a conditionally lethal gene Inventor(s): Barber; Jack R. (San Diego, CA), Gruber; Harry E. (San Diego, CA), Jolly; Douglas J. (Leucadia, CA) Assignee(s): Chiron Corporation (Emeryville, CA) Patent Number: 6,241,982 Date filed: June 6, 1995 Abstract: The present invention provides recombinant viral vectors carrying a vector construct which directs the expression of a gene product (e.g., HSVTK) that activates a compound with little or no cytotoxicity into a toxic product. Also provided are methods of destroying or inhibiting pathogenic agents in a warm blooded animal, comprising the step of administering to the animal a viral vector such as that described above, in order to inhibit or destroy the pathogenic agent. Excerpt(s): The present invention relates generally to viral vectors, and more specifically, to recombinant viral vectors which are capable of delivering vector
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constructs to susceptible target cells. These vector constructs are typically designed to deliver a gene product which is capable of activating a compound with little or no activity into an active product. Although many bacterial diseases are, in general, easily treated with antibiotics, very few effective treatments exist for many viral, cancerous, and other diseases, including genetic diseases. For example, cancer now accounts for one-fifth of the total mortality in the United States, and is the second leading cause of death. Briefly, cancer is typically characterized by the uncontrolled division of a population of cells. This uncontrolled division typically leads to the formation of a tumor, which may subsequently metastasize to other sites. Cancer, in general, represents a class of diseases which are very difficult to treat. For example, although primary solid tumors can generally be treated by surgical resection, a substantial number of patients that have solid tumors also possess micrometastases beyond the primary tumor site. If treated with surgery alone, many of these patients will experience recurrence of the cancer. Therefore, in addition to surgery many cancers are now also treated with cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs (e.g., vincristine, vinblastine, cisplatin, methotrexate, 5-FU, etc.) and/or radiation therapy. One difficulty with this approach however, is that radiotherapeutic and chemotherapeutic agents are toxic to normal tissues, and often create life-threatening side effects. In addition, these approaches often have extremely high failure/remission rates (up to 90% depending upon the type of cancer). Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US06241982__ •
Radioactive chitosan complex for radiation therapy Inventor(s): Kim; Jae-Rock (Seoul, KR), Kim; Young-Mi (Seoul, KR), Park; Kyoung Bae (Seoul, KR) Assignee(s): Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (Daejeon-Si, KR) Patent Number: 5,762,903 Date filed: March 8, 1996 Abstract: The present invention relates to the radioactive chitosan complex formed by labelling a chitosan, a biocompatible and biodegradable natural polymer, with radionuclide, a radioactive chitosan macroaggregate formed by making chitosan complex into particles, and a kit for preparing radioactive chitosan complex, process for preparation thereof and the use thereof for an internal radiation therapeutic agent. The radioactive chitosan complex and its macroaggregate can be used as an internal radiation therapy for rheumatoid arthritis or cystic cancer such as liver cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, ovary cancer and the like by administering them directly to the lesion. Excerpt(s): The present invention relates to a radioactive chitosan complex, its macroaggregate and a kit for preparing radioactive chitosan complex, process for preparation thereof, and the use thereof for radiation therapy. In particular, the present invention relates to a radioactive chitosan complex formed by labelling chitosan with radionuclides, and radioactive chitosan macroaggregate formed by making chitosan complex into particles, and a kit for preparing radioactive chitosan complex. The present invention relates to the process for preparation of radioactive chitosan complex by reacting radionuclide solution with chitosan solution, and the process for preparation of radioactive chitosan macroaggregate by adding alkaline solution to radioactive chitosan complex. Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05762903__
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•
Recognins and their chemoreciprocals Inventor(s): Bogoch; Samuel (46 E. 91st St., New York, NY 10028) Assignee(s): none reported Patent Number: 4,624,932 Date filed: July 30, 1981 Abstract: A product, Astrocytin, derived from brain cancer cells growing in vivo, and the method of preparing same. Astrocytin may be complexed with an inert carrier, such as bromoacetyl cellulose, and employed in tests for brain tumors. The antibody to Astrocytin is also prepared. A complex of Astrocytin and an inert carrier may be further complexed to anti-Astrocytin. Excerpt(s): This invention is directed to a novel group of compounds, herein termed Recognins. Recognins are made by treating normal or diseased cells or tissues, e.g. tumor cells or artificial cancer cells and separating the desired products. The Recognins may be used to prepare their Chemoreciprocals, i.e., by contacting the Recognins or the Recognins on a support with body fluids. The Chemoreciprocals are substances which react with immunochemical-like specificity with a Recognin in vivo or in vitro, e.g., in a quantitative precipitate in test, in Ouchterlony double diffusion or in immunofluorescence. One of the Recognins of the present invention is Astrocytin. Astrocytin is produced from brain tumor tissue, preferably brain glioma tumor tissue. Protein fractions containing the Astrocytin precursor are first extracted from the tissue. A preferred method of accomplishing the extraction is to treat the tissue with a neutral buffer under conditions of homogenization or other techniques to disrupt the cells and tissues in order to solubilize protein fractions which contain the Astrocytin precursor. At this point, the Astrocytin precursor is still bound to many large molecular weight substances including protein, glycoproteins, lipoproteins, nucleic acid, leoproteins, etc. The solubilized proteins are then separated from the resultant tissue extract. The extract solution from the tissue is then clarified to remove insoluble particles. The low molecular weight contaminants are then removed from the resultant solution, by a perevaporation concentration technique. The solution which is obtained is then treated to cleave Astrocytin precursor from other contaminants in order to obtain the protein fraction having a pK range between 1 and 4. Thus, for example, the solution is placed on a chromatographic column and eluted with increasingly acidic solvents. All of the fractions which are eluted in the neutral or acid range down to pK 4 are discarded and those fractions with pK range 1-4 are collected. The eluate is then treated to obtain a product having a molecular weight of about 8,000. This is accomplished, for example, by first filtering the material to remove low molecular weight substances, i.e., those below 1,000 molecular weight, and filtering again to remove those above 25,000. The fraction having a molecular weight between 1,000 and 25,000 is then further treated, i.e., by thin layer gel (TLG) chromatography, to obtain Astrocytin. Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US04624932__
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Verotoxin pharmaceutical compositions and medical treatments therewith Inventor(s): Farkas-Himsley, deceased; Hannah (late of Jerusalem, IL), Geva; Ruth (Mishol Ha'Magaliit 17, Jerusalem, IL), Hill; Richard (555 University Avenue, Toronto, CA), Kroyanker; Leorah (132 Hakfi Street Malha, Jerusalem 96952, IL), Lingwood; Clifford A. (555 University Avenue, Toronto, CA) Assignee(s): none reported Patent Number: 5,968,894 Date filed: November 28, 1995 Abstract: Pharmaceutical compositions comprising known verotoxins, particularly, verotoxin 1 and their pentameric subunit B, have been found to be useful in the treatment of mammalian neoplasia, particularly, brain cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer. Although verotoxin 1 has previously been shown to have antineoplastic activity in vitro, non-lethal doses of verotoxin 1 have been shown to be therapeutically anti-neoplastic in vivo. Use of a sensitizer, such as sodium butyrate, enhances the efficacy of verotoxins and their subunit B. Excerpt(s): This invention relates to verotoxin pharmaceutical compositions and to methods of treating mammalian neoplasia, particularly, brain, ovarian and skin cancers, therewith. Bacteriocins are bacterial proteins produced to prevent the growth of competing microorganisms in a particular biological niche. A preparation of bacteriocin from a particular strain of E. coli (HSC.sub.10) has long been shown to have antineoplastic activity against a variety of human tumour cell lines in vitro (1,2). This preparation, previously referred to as PPB (partially purified bacteriocin (2)) or ACP (anti-cancer proteins (2)) was also effective in a murine tumour model of preventing metastases to the lung (2). Verotoxins, also known as SHIGA-like toxins, comprise a family known as Verotoxin 1, Verotoxin 2, Verotoxin 2c and Verotoxin 2e of subunit toxins elaborated by some strains of E. coli (3). These toxins are involved in the etiology of the hemolytic uremic syndrome (3,4) and haemorrhagic colitis (5). Cell cytotoxicity is mediated via the binding of the B subunit of the holotoxin to the receptor glycolipid, globotriaosylceramide, in sensitive cells (6). Web site: http://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US05968894__
Patent Applications on Brain Cancer As of December 2000, U.S. patent applications are open to public viewing.7 Applications are patent requests which have yet to be granted. (The process to achieve a patent can take several years.) The following patent applications have been filed since December 2000 relating to brain cancer:
7
This has been a common practice outside the United States prior to December 2000.
Patents 49
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GPCR diagnostic for brain cancer Inventor(s): Au-Young, Janice; (Brisbane, CA), Cheng, Muzong; (Oakland, CA), Guegler, Karl J.; (Menlo Park, CA) Correspondence: INCYTE CORPORATION (formerly known as Incyte; Genomics, Inc.); 3160 PORTER DRIVE; PALO ALTO; CA; 94304; US Patent Application Number: 20030165989 Date filed: March 18, 2002 Abstract: The invention provides a chemokine receptor-like protein, a cDNA encoding the protein and an antibody which specifically binds the protein. It also provides for the use of the cDNA, protein, and antibodies in the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and evaluation of therapies for infection, inflammation and cancer, particularly meningioma of the brain. The invention further provides vectors and host cells for the production of the protein and transgenic model systems. Excerpt(s): This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/848,889, filed 3 May 2001, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/392,076, filed 8 Sep. 1999, which was a divisional of U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,303, issued 21 Sep. 1999, which matured from U.S. Ser. No. 08/812,871, filed 6 Mar. 1997. This invention relates to a human chemokine receptor-like protein, encoding cDNA, an antibody which specifically binds the protein, and to the use of these molecules in the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and evaluation of therapies for infection, inflammation, and cancer. Phylogenetic relationships among organisms have been demonstrated many times, and studies from a diversity of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms suggest a more or less gradual evolution of molecules, biochemical and physiological mechanisms, and metabolic pathways. Despite different evolutionary pressures, the proteins of nematode, fly, rat, and man have common chemical and structural features and generally perform the same cellular function. Comparisons of the nucleic acid and protein sequences from organisms where structure and/or function are known accelerate the investigation of human sequences and allow the development of model systems for testing diagnostic and therapeutic agents for human conditions, diseases, and disorders. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
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Method and apparatus for delivery of genes, enzymes and biological agents to tissue cells Inventor(s): Desai, Ashvin H.; (San Jose, CA) Correspondence: PILLSBURY WINTHROP LLP; 2550 HANOVER STREET; PALO ALTO; CA; 94304; US Patent Application Number: 20030073908 Date filed: October 4, 2002 Abstract: A method and apparatus for delivery of genes, enzymes and biological agents to tissue cells, including a method and apparatus wherein treatment fluids, including genes, enzymes and biological agents, are injected into a target area of a body providing selective attachment to the specific target cells without affecting normal tissue cells. The method is used to treat prostate cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, bladder cancer, stomach, lung, colon, and brain cancer, etc. A hollow core needle is inserted into a body, the needle being visually guided by a selected imaging technique. A first embodiment
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utilizes an endoscopic instrument, wherein a probe is inserted into the body, guided by the endoscope to the vicinity of the target area. The hollow core needle is guided to the vicinity by a channel through the probe. A needle adjustment apparatus is used to extend or retract the needle and adjust needle tip orientation toward a target area. The endoscope provides a view to an operator for adjustment of the apparatus to extend the tip of the needle into and through tissue, interstitially, to a target area for deposit of the specific treatment fluid. A non-invasive imaging technique is used either alone, or in addition to the endoscope, to give an operator a view of the needle for guiding the needle tip to the precise target area. Typical non-invasive techniques include CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, etc. Excerpt(s): This application is a Continuation-in-Part of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/105,896 filed Jun. 26, 1998. The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for injecting treatment fluid into a body, and more particularly to a method for interstitially injecting treatment fluid including genes, enzymes, biological agents, etc., using a needle, guided to a target tissue of any body organ through use of minimally invasive endoscopic instruments or non-invasive imaging techniques. A variety of treatment fluids are currently known to be of benefit in treating illness in particular body parts. For example, there are a number of tumor suppressor genes, viral vectors, markers, vaccines, enzymes, proteins and biological agents that can be used for gene therapy and cancer treatment. The current method of delivery of these substances is to inject them into the blood stream through use of a conventional needle and syringe. The result is that the substance is carried by the blood to every part of the body. In many cases, it would be advantageous to be able to treat only a particular organ, or part of an organ. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html •
Method and composition for inhibiting the incidence and proliferation of nervous system and brain cancer cells Inventor(s): Alworth, William; (New Orleans, LA), Kumar, Addanki P.; (Lakewood, CO), Slaga, Thomas J.; (Golden, CO) Correspondence: DAVID G. HENRY; 900 Washington Avenue; P.O. Box 1470; Waco; TX; 76701; US Patent Application Number: 20030027803 Date filed: February 6, 2001 Abstract: The invention is of both a composition and method for inhibiting the proliferation of cancerous cells, and brain and nervous system cells in particular. The composition is, and the method is based on the use of a composition consisting (among active ingredients) substantially of 2-methoxyestradiol and/or one of a number of analogues thereof. The present inventors have demonstrated beyond serious doubt that these compounds have a pronounced effect in inhibiting the proliferation of cancerous brain and nervous system cells and, therefore, provide a desperately needed stepping stone for advancing toward meaningful treatment of brain and nervous system cancer. Excerpt(s): This is a continuation-in-part with respect to U.S. application, Ser. No. 09/527283, filed Mar. 17, 2000 from which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C.sctn.120 and under provisions of the Patent Cooperation Treaty. This is also a continuation-inpart with respect to that prior application (filed Feb. 5, 2001--no serial number yet available) which also claims priority of Ser. No. 09/527283. The present invention relates
Patents 51
to non-surgical intervention of brain and nervous system cancer, as well as prophylactic use of herein identified compounds in the prevention of brain and nervous system cancer. Metastatic and primary brain and nervous system (hereinafter "NS") cancer affects the lives of approximately 185,239 people in the United States a year. This year approximately 13,000 people in the United States alone will die of malignant brain tumors-that is more than 35 people a day. Unfortunately, a group particularly victimized by this disease are children. Brain tumors are the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children, accounting for approximately 25% of all of such deaths. Alarmingly, brain and NS cancer has continued to increase in both incidence and mortality in the United States. Presently, for example, 80% of patients with medulloblastoma, which represents about 25% of childhood brain tumors, currently die within the first year of diagnosis. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html •
Multi-use multimodal imaging chelates Inventor(s): Bornhop, Darryl J.; (Lubbock, TX), Goebel, Timothy; (Lubbock, TX), Manning, H. Charles; (Lubbock, TX) Correspondence: JONES, TULLAR & COOPER, P.C.; P.O. BOX 2266 EADS STATION; ARLINGTON; VA; 22202 Patent Application Number: 20030129579 Date filed: September 4, 2002 Abstract: Cyclen-based chelates can be used as contrast agents for multi-modal imaging of tissue cells. The cyclen-based chelates are preferably polyazamacrocyclic molecules formed from 1,4,7,10 tetraazacyclododecane ("cyclen") having varying chelating ions, phosphoester chains, and light harvesting moieties. By changing the chelating ion, phosphoester chain length and/or the light harvesting moiety different imaging techniques, such as MRI, CT, fluorescence and absorption, x-ray and NIR, may be employed to image the tissue cells. Additionally, the cyclen-based chelates may be conjugated to provide for site-specific delivery of the cyclen-based chelate to the desired tissue cells. The cyclen-based chelates may also be delivered to the tissue cells by attaching the cyclen-based chelates to a polymeric delivery vehicle. Although these cyclen-based chelates have a wide variety of application, the preferred use is for imaging of cancer cells, such as brain cancer, for improving resection of a cancerous tissue. Excerpt(s): This application claims the benefit, under 35 U.S.C. 119(e), of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 60/316,284 and 60/316,303 both filed Sep. 4, 2001, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates generally to the formation of contrast agents containing cyclen-based chelates in order to produce multimodal images of a sample of cells. The American Cancer Society estimates that 16,800 new intracranial tumors were diagnosed in 1999, more than double the number of diagnosed cases of Hodgkin's disease, and over half the number of cases of melanoma. Moreover, in the same year, primary cancer of the central nervous system was the cause of death in approximately 13,100 people. Despite aggressive treatment strategies including surgical resection, irradiation and chemotherapy, most patients die from the disease, with median survival measured in months. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
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•
Use of benzopyranones for treating or preventing a primary brain cancer or a brain metastasis Inventor(s): Zeldis, Jerome B.; (Princeton, NJ) Correspondence: PENNIE AND EDMONDS; 1155 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS; NEW YORK; NY; 100362711 Patent Application Number: 20030149025 Date filed: September 30, 2002 Abstract: This invention relates to methods for using benzopyranones, or their pharaceutically acceptable salts, for treating or preventing a primary brain cancer or a brain metastasis. The benzopyranones have the formula: 1wherein R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, n and p are as defined herein. Excerpt(s): This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/327,060, filed Oct. 3, 2001, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This invention relates to methods for using benzopyranones, or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, for treating or preventing a primary brain cancer or a brain metastasis. There are about 10,000 incidences of brain tumors each year, and about 4000 incidences of spinal cord tumors each year (Komblith et al.(1985), Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 2.sup.nd Ed., DeVita, V., Hellman, S., Rosenberg, S., eds., J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, Chapter 41: Neoplasms of the Central Nervous System). Central nervous system (CNS) tumors comprise the most common group of solid tumors in young patients (Id). Gliomas comprise about 60% of all primary CNS tumors, with the most common cerebral primary tumors being astrocytomas, meningioma, oligodendroglioma and histocytic lymphoma (Id). Gliomas usually occur in the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, but may be found in other areas such as the optic nerve, brain stem or cerebellum (Brain Tumor Society; www/tbts.org/primary.htm). Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
•
Use of glucosylceramide synthesis inhibitors in brain cancertherapy Inventor(s): Platt, Frances Mary; (Oxford, GB), Seyfried, Thomas Neil; (Boston, MA), Smith, Paul David; (Abingdon, GB) Correspondence: David A. Jackson; KLAUBER & JACKSON; 4th Floor; 411 Hackensack Street; Hackensack; NJ; 07601; US Patent Application Number: 20030069200 Date filed: September 13, 2002 Abstract: Treatments for brain cancer are provided, based on administration of inhibitors of glycophospholipids synthesis. Excerpt(s): The present invention provides the use of inhibitors of glycolipid synthesis in the manufacture of medicaments for use in the treatment of brain cancer. Chemotherapy has generally been less effective for the treatment of brain cancers than for the treatment of non-brain cancers. This has been due in part to difficulties in penetrating the blood brain barrier and to the general inaccessibility of tumour cells after invading the neural parenchyma. The highly invasive properties of most malignant brain tumours protects them from direct chemical, radiological, or surgical assault (Harbaugh et al. 1998. Semin-Surg-Oncol. 14:26-33). Recent strategies for chemotherapy
Patents 53
have focused on small molecules that specifically block growth-factor receptors (Barinaga 1997. Science 278:1036-1039). The rationale for these strategies comes from findings that many cancers, including gliomas, involve quantitative or qualitative abnormalities in various growth factor receptors, e.g. epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) (Barinaga 1997. Science 278:1036-1039). In vitro studies of D-threo-1-phenyl-2decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1- -propanol (D-PDMP), which is known to have some glucosylceramide synthesis inhibition activity, have shown that it reduces ganglioside shedding that masks immune recognition from blocking the growth of neuroblastoma tumours (Li et al (1996) Cancer Res 56:4602-5). Similarly, PDMP has been shown to inhibit neurite outgrowth by neuroblastoma cells in vitro (Uemura et al (1990) J Biochem (Tokyo) 110:96-102). However, PDMP is known to inhibit sphingomyelin synthesis, growth factor signalling, and protein and membrane transport (Rosenwald et al, (1992) Biochemistry 31:3581-90; Mutoh et al, (1998) J Biol Chem 273:26001-7; Kok et al, (1998) J Cell Biol 142:25-38; Rosenwald et al (1992) Biochemistry 31:3581-90). Therefore, the data provided by Li and Uemura makes it impossible to predict whether the effects of PDMP observed are caused by the inhibition of glucosylceramide synthesis. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html •
VEGF-D expression in brain cancer Inventor(s): Debinski, Waldemar; (Hershey, PA), Gibo, Denise M.; (Hershey, PA) Correspondence: Stanley A. Kim, Ph.D., Esq.; Akerman, Senterfitt & Eidson, P.A.; 222 Lakeview Avenue, Suite 400,; P.O. Box 3188; West Palm Beach; FL; 33402-3188; US Patent Application Number: 20020164624 Date filed: February 12, 2002 Abstract: VEGF-D serves as a target for diagnosing and treating glioblastoma multiforme and related brain cancers. Cancer in a brain tissue sample is detected by analyzing expression of VEGF-D in the sample. Brain cancer is treated by modulating VEGF-D gene expression in cells of the cancer, and by inhibiting angiogenesis associated with the cancer by interfering with VEGF-D binding to a VEGF-D receptor. Excerpt(s): The present application claims the priority of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. number 60/268,089 filed Feb. 12, 2001. The invention relates to the fields of medicine, angiogenesis and neuro-oncology. More particularly, the invention relates to compositions and methods for detecting and treating malignant tumors. Cancer is presently the second leading cause of death in developed nations. Wingo et al., J. Reg. Management, 25:43-51 (1998). Despite recent research that has revealed many of the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, few new treatments have achieved widespread clinical success in treating solid tumors. Current treatments for most malignancies thus remain gross resection, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. While increasingly successful, each of these treatments still causes numerous undesired side effects. The primary cause of these side effects is that none of these conventional methods specifically targets only diseased cells. For example, surgery results in pain, traumatic injury to healthy tissue, and scarring. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy cause nausea, immune suppression, gastric ulceration and secondary tumorigenesis. Web site: http://appft1.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
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Keeping Current In order to stay informed about patents and patent applications dealing with brain cancer, you can access the U.S. Patent Office archive via the Internet at the following Web address: http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. You will see two broad options: (1) Issued Patent, and (2) Published Applications. To see a list of issued patents, perform the following steps: Under “Issued Patents,” click “Quick Search.” Then, type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “Term 1” box. After clicking on the search button, scroll down to see the various patents which have been granted to date on brain cancer. You can also use this procedure to view pending patent applications concerning brain cancer. Simply go back to http://www.uspto.gov/patft/index.html. Select “Quick Search” under “Published Applications.” Then proceed with the steps listed above.
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CHAPTER 7. BOOKS ON BRAIN CANCER Overview This chapter provides bibliographic book references relating to brain cancer. In addition to online booksellers such as www.amazon.com and www.bn.com, excellent sources for book titles on brain cancer include the Combined Health Information Database and the National Library of Medicine. Your local medical library also may have these titles available for loan.
Book Summaries: Federal Agencies The Combined Health Information Database collects various book abstracts from a variety of healthcare institutions and federal agencies. To access these summaries, go directly to the following hyperlink: http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html. You will need to use the “Detailed Search” option. To find book summaries, use the drop boxes at the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” Select the dates and language you prefer. For the format option, select “Monograph/Book.” Now type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “For these words:” box. You should check back periodically with this database which is updated every three months. The following is a typical result when searching for books on brain cancer: •
Am I Still a Sister? Source: Albuquerque, NM: Big A and Company. 1992. 46 p. Contact: Available from Centering Corporation, 1531 N. Saddle Creek Road, Omaha, NE 68104. (402) 553-1200, (402) 553-0507 (Fax),
[email protected] (Email). $7.00 including shipping and handling. ISBN 0-961-8995-0-6, Order No. AISO. Summary: This book was written by an 11-year-old girl named Alicia whose 13- monthold brother died of brain cancer when she was 4 years old. Alicia shares her thoughts and feelings about her brother and his death through letters she wrote to him and to God in the years following the death. The book is intended to help children survive the death of a sibling and to assure them that they are still brothers and sisters.
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Book Summaries: Online Booksellers Commercial Internet-based booksellers, such as Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com, offer summaries which have been supplied by each title’s publisher. Some summaries also include customer reviews. Your local bookseller may have access to in-house and commercial databases that index all published books (e.g. Books in Print). IMPORTANT NOTE: Online booksellers typically produce search results for medical and non-medical books. When searching for “brain cancer” at online booksellers’ Web sites, you may discover non-medical books that use the generic term “brain cancer” (or a synonym) in their titles. The following is indicative of the results you might find when searching for “brain cancer” (sorted alphabetically by title; follow the hyperlink to view more details at Amazon.com): •
21st Century Complete Medical Guide to Brain Tumors including Brain Cancer and Pituitary Tumors - Authoritative Government Documents and Clinical References for Patients and Physicians with Practical Information on Diagnosis and Treatment Options by PM Medical Health News; ISBN: 1592480128; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592480128/icongroupinterna
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American Cancer Society Atlas of Clinical Oncology: Brain Cancer (Book with CDROM) by Michael Prados (2001); ISBN: 1550090984; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1550090984/icongroupinterna
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Human Brain Cancer: Diagnostic Decisions by Lauren A. MD Langford; ISBN: 1572760265; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1572760265/icongroupinterna
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Last Trip to Baker 5: Beating Brain Cancer Twice by Diane F. Jepsen (2002); ISBN: 0595218806; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0595218806/icongroupinterna
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Passion And Shadow: The Lights Of Brain Cancer by Judi Kaufman (2000); ISBN: 0941017656; http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0941017656/icongroupinterna
The National Library of Medicine Book Index The National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health has a massive database of books published on healthcare and biomedicine. Go to the following Internet site, http://locatorplus.gov/, and then select “Search LOCATORplus.” Once you are in the search area, simply type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and select “books only.” From there, results can be sorted by publication date, author, or relevance. The following was recently catalogued by the National Library of Medicine:8 •
8
Dental caries as a cause of nervous disorders: epilepsy, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, brain cancer: additional notes on myasthenia gravis, high blood pressure
In addition to LOCATORPlus, in collaboration with authors and publishers, the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is currently adapting biomedical books for the Web. The books may be accessed in two ways: (1) by searching directly using any search term or phrase (in the same way as the bibliographic database PubMed), or (2) by following the links to PubMed abstracts. Each PubMed abstract has a "Books" button that displays a facsimile of the abstract in which some phrases are hypertext links. These phrases are also found in the books available at NCBI. Click on hyperlinked results in the list of books in which the phrase is found. Currently, the majority of the links are between the books and PubMed. In the future, more links will be created between the books and other types of information, such as gene and protein sequences and macromolecular structures. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Books.
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Author: Störtebecker, Tore Patrick.; Year: 1982; Stockholm: Störtebecker Foundation for Research, c1982; ISBN: 9186034030 •
Guidance on the use of temozolomide for the treatment of recurrent malignant glioma (brain cancer) Author: National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Great Britain).; Year: 2001; London: National Institute for Clinical Excellence, c2001; ISBN: 1842570862
Chapters on Brain Cancer In order to find chapters that specifically relate to brain cancer, an excellent source of abstracts is the Combined Health Information Database. You will need to limit your search to book chapters and brain cancer using the “Detailed Search” option. Go to the following hyperlink: http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html. To find book chapters, use the drop boxes at the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” Select the dates and language you prefer, and the format option “Book Chapter.” Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “For these words:” box. The following is a typical result when searching for book chapters on brain cancer: •
Motor Speech Disorders in Children Treated for Brain Tumours Source: in Murdoch, B.E. Communication Disorders and Childhood Cancer. London, United Kingdom: Whurr Publishers Ltd. 1999. p. 170-186. Contact: Available from Taylor and Francis, Inc. 7625 Empire Drive, Florence, KY 41042. (800) 634-7064. Fax (800) 248-4724. PRICE: $47.95 plus shipping and handling. ISBN: 1861561156. Summary: As the treatments become more effective, an increasing number of children displaying communication deficits as a consequence of treatment for childhood cancer have begun to appear in the caseloads of speech pathologists and other health professionals. This chapter on motor speech disorders (MSD) is from a book that offers an overview of the communication impairments that occur in association with the two most common forms of childhood cancer, namely leukemia and brain tumor. The authors summarize a study reported by Murdoch and Hudson-Tennent (1994) which considers the presence of absence of developmental components in the observed speech disorders exhibited by these children. The authors remind readers that, as in other forms of acquired childhood dysarthria (MSDs), many of the children treated for brain cancer are still developing speech at the time of central nervous system (CNS) trauma. Consequently, they cannot be expected to have consolidated adult skills in the areas of respiration, phonation, resonation, or articulation, and hence, their speech may be affected differently from that of adults undergoing the same types of treatment. The authors summarize 11 cases from the study; offering a detailed analysis of one case. The authors conclude that when designing programs for the treatment of dysarthria occurring in children subsequent to treatment for posterior fossa tumors, clinicians should base their decisions on a combination of both perceptual and physiological measures. 1 figure. 2 tables. 31 references.
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CHAPTER 8. MULTIMEDIA ON BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we show you how to keep current on multimedia sources of information on brain cancer. We start with sources that have been summarized by federal agencies, and then show you how to find bibliographic information catalogued by the National Library of Medicine.
Bibliography: Multimedia on Brain Cancer The National Library of Medicine is a rich source of information on healthcare-related multimedia productions including slides, computer software, and databases. To access the multimedia database, go to the following Web site: http://locatorplus.gov/. Select “Search LOCATORplus.” Once in the search area, simply type in brain cancer (or synonyms). Then, in the option box provided below the search box, select “Audiovisuals and Computer Files.” From there, you can choose to sort results by publication date, author, or relevance. The following multimedia has been indexed on brain cancer: •
Brain cancer Source: Michael Prados; Year: 2002; Format: Edited by; Hamilton, Ont.; London: B.C. Decker; Lewiston, NY: Sales and distribution, U.S., B.C. Decker, 2002
•
Brain cancer [videorecording]: from diagnosis to treatment Source: a presentation of Films for the Humanities & Sciences; ITV, Information Television Network; Year: 1998; Format: Videorecording; Princeton, N.J.: Films for the Humanities & Sciences, c1998
•
Human brain cancer [electronic resource]: diagnostic decisions Source: author, Lauren A. Langford; special advisor, Robert G. Grossman; American Medical Association; Year: 1997; Format: Electronic resource; Newton, MA: SilverPlatter Education, 1997
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CHAPTER 9. PERIODICALS AND NEWS ON BRAIN CANCER Overview In this chapter, we suggest a number of news sources and present various periodicals that cover brain cancer.
News Services and Press Releases One of the simplest ways of tracking press releases on brain cancer is to search the news wires. In the following sample of sources, we will briefly describe how to access each service. These services only post recent news intended for public viewing. PR Newswire To access the PR Newswire archive, simply go to http://www.prnewswire.com/. Select your country. Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box. You will automatically receive information on relevant news releases posted within the last 30 days. The search results are shown by order of relevance. Reuters Health The Reuters’ Medical News and Health eLine databases can be very useful in exploring news archives relating to brain cancer. While some of the listed articles are free to view, others are available for purchase for a nominal fee. To access this archive, go to http://www.reutershealth.com/en/index.html and search by “brain cancer” (or synonyms). The following was recently listed in this archive for brain cancer: •
Genentech, OSI's brain cancer drug gets orphan status Source: Reuters Medical News Date: August 08, 2003
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Mutated virus obliterates brain cancer in mice Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 06, 2003
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Treatment benefits elderly brain cancer patients Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: March 14, 2003
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Chemoradiotherapy benefits elderly brain cancer patients Source: Reuters Medical News Date: March 14, 2003
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New treatment seems promising for brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: December 24, 2002
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Widely used drug boosts radiation for brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: November 21, 2002
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Brain cancer treatment can impair mental function Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: November 01, 2002
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Stem cells used to treat brain cancer in mice Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: October 15, 2002
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Smelly plant could offer brain cancer treatment Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: October 01, 2002
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Man-made molecule may thwart brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: September 24, 2002
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Measles, flu possibly linked to kids' brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: September 17, 2002
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Allergies may protect against brain cancer: study Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 13, 2002
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Treatment found to extend brain cancer survival Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: April 09, 2002
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Infections may play role in childhood brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: April 02, 2002
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Chemo slightly extends brain cancer survival Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: March 22, 2002
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Mouse model developed for deadly brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: October 04, 2001
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KS Biomedix brain cancer drug wins fast-track status Source: Reuters Industry Breifing Date: August 06, 2001
Periodicals and News
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Brain cancer risk related to occupational factors Source: Reuters Medical News Date: May 28, 2001
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Work in some industries linked to brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 16, 2001
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NICE recommends Schering-Plough's Temodal for brain cancer Source: Reuters Industry Breifing Date: April 27, 2001
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Breast implants linked with brain cancer, suicide Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: April 25, 2001
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Antisense oligodeoxynucleotide shows promise in treatment of brain cancer Source: Reuters Industry Breifing Date: April 17, 2001
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New therapy offers hope for brain cancer patients Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: February 06, 2001
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Allos tests lead compound in brain cancer chemotherapy trial Source: Reuters Industry Breifing Date: January 16, 2001
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Brain cancer risk not elevated with cellular phone use Source: Reuters Medical News Date: December 19, 2000
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Poliovirus may aid brain cancer treatment Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: June 08, 2000
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Proteins behind brain cancer spread identified Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 17, 2000
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Study links cell phones to brain cancer risk Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 08, 2000
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Childhood brain cancer ups adult heart disease risk Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: May 04, 2000
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Survivors of childhood brain cancer face higher cardiovascular disease risk Source: Reuters Medical News Date: May 01, 2000
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Pot may block fatal brain cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: February 28, 2000
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FDA approves brain cancer drug Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: August 12, 1999
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High-level occupational lead exposure linked to brain cancer risk Source: Reuters Medical News Date: November 16, 1998
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Ribozyme May Slow Brain Cancer Growth Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: April 15, 1998
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Protein Aids Spread Of Brain Cancer Source: Reuters Health eLine Date: April 07, 1998 The NIH
Within MEDLINEplus, the NIH has made an agreement with the New York Times Syndicate, the AP News Service, and Reuters to deliver news that can be browsed by the public. Search news releases at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alphanews_a.html. MEDLINEplus allows you to browse across an alphabetical index. Or you can search by date at the following Web page: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/newsbydate.html. Often, news items are indexed by MEDLINEplus within its search engine. Business Wire Business Wire is similar to PR Newswire. To access this archive, simply go to http://www.businesswire.com/. You can scan the news by industry category or company name. Market Wire Market Wire is more focused on technology than the other wires. To browse the latest press releases by topic, such as alternative medicine, biotechnology, fitness, healthcare, legal, nutrition, and pharmaceuticals, access Market Wire’s Medical/Health channel at http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_index?channel=MedicalHealth. Or simply go to Market Wire’s home page at http://www.marketwire.com/mw/home, type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and click on “Search News.” As this service is technology oriented, you may wish to use it when searching for press releases covering diagnostic procedures or tests. Search Engines Medical news is also available in the news sections of commercial Internet search engines. See the health news page at Yahoo (http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/News_and_Media/), or you can use this Web site’s general news search page at http://news.yahoo.com/. Type in “brain cancer” (or synonyms). If you know the name of a company that is relevant to brain cancer, you can go to any stock trading Web site (such as http://www.etrade.com/) and search for the company name there. News items across various news sources are reported on indicated hyperlinks. Google offers a similar service at http://news.google.com/.
Periodicals and News
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BBC Covering news from a more European perspective, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) allows the public free access to their news archive located at http://www.bbc.co.uk/. Search by “brain cancer” (or synonyms).
Newsletters on Brain Cancer Find newsletters on brain cancer using the Combined Health Information Database (CHID). You will need to use the “Detailed Search” option. To access CHID, go to the following hyperlink: http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html. Limit your search to “Newsletter” and “brain cancer.” Go to the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” Select the dates and language that you prefer. For the format option, select “Newsletter.” Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “For these words:” box. The following list was generated using the options described above: •
Perinatal nutrition update Source: Berkeley, CA: Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Nutrition Leadership Program, University of California at Berkeley. 1994-. semi-annual. Contact: Available from University of California at Berkeley, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Nutrition Leadership Program, School of Public Health, 426 Earl Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720. Telephone: (415) 642-2523 / fax: (510) 643-6981 / e-mail:
[email protected]. Summary: This semiannual newsletter provides abstracts of current research and studies on prenatal nutrition, lactation, and maternal health that have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The newsletter provides a snapshot of new directions in perinatal nutrition instead of a comprehensive review of the literature. Highlights of the first issue include the following topics: maternal diet and childhood brain cancer, whether caffeine is a risk in pregnancy, postpartum weight loss, and lactation and breast cancer. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau].
Academic Periodicals covering Brain Cancer Numerous periodicals are currently indexed within the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed database that are known to publish articles relating to brain cancer. In addition to these sources, you can search for articles covering brain cancer that have been published by any of the periodicals listed in previous chapters. To find the latest studies published, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed, type the name of the periodical into the search box, and click “Go.” If you want complete details about the historical contents of a journal, you can also visit the following Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/jrbrowser.cgi. Here, type in the name of the journal or its abbreviation, and you will receive an index of published articles. At http://locatorplus.gov/, you can retrieve more indexing information on medical periodicals (e.g. the name of the publisher). Select the button “Search LOCATORplus.” Then type in the name of the journal and select the advanced search option “Journal Title Search.”
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CHAPTER 10. RESEARCHING MEDICATIONS Overview While a number of hard copy or CD-ROM resources are available for researching medications, a more flexible method is to use Internet-based databases. Broadly speaking, there are two sources of information on approved medications: public sources and private sources. We will emphasize free-to-use public sources.
U.S. Pharmacopeia Because of historical investments by various organizations and the emergence of the Internet, it has become rather simple to learn about the medications recommended for brain cancer. One such source is the United States Pharmacopeia. In 1820, eleven physicians met in Washington, D.C. to establish the first compendium of standard drugs for the United States. They called this compendium the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP). Today, the USP is a nonprofit organization consisting of 800 volunteer scientists, eleven elected officials, and 400 representatives of state associations and colleges of medicine and pharmacy. The USP is located in Rockville, Maryland, and its home page is located at http://www.usp.org/. The USP currently provides standards for over 3,700 medications. The resulting USP DI Advice for the Patient can be accessed through the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health. The database is partially derived from lists of federally approved medications in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Drug Approvals database, located at http://www.fda.gov/cder/da/da.htm. While the FDA database is rather large and difficult to navigate, the Phamacopeia is both user-friendly and free to use. It covers more than 9,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications. To access this database, simply type the following hyperlink into your Web browser: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginformation.html. To view examples of a given medication (brand names, category, description, preparation, proper use, precautions, side effects, etc.), simply follow the hyperlinks indicated within the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Below, we have compiled a list of medications associated with brain cancer. If you would like more information on a particular medication, the provided hyperlinks will direct you to ample documentation (e.g. typical dosage, side effects, drug-interaction risks, etc.). The
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following drugs have been mentioned in the Pharmacopeia and other sources as being potentially applicable to brain cancer: Ifosfamide •
Systemic - U.S. Brands: IFEX http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202293.html
Commercial Databases In addition to the medications listed in the USP above, a number of commercial sites are available by subscription to physicians and their institutions. Or, you may be able to access these sources from your local medical library.
Mosby’s Drug Consult Mosby’s Drug Consult database (also available on CD-ROM and book format) covers 45,000 drug products including generics and international brands. It provides prescribing information, drug interactions, and patient information. Subscription information is available at the following hyperlink: http://www.mosbysdrugconsult.com/. PDRhealth The PDRhealth database is a free-to-use, drug information search engine that has been written for the public in layman’s terms. It contains FDA-approved drug information adapted from the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR) database. PDRhealth can be searched by brand name, generic name, or indication. It features multiple drug interactions reports. Search PDRhealth at http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/index.html. Other Web Sites Drugs.com (www.drugs.com) reproduces the information in the Pharmacopeia as well as commercial information. You may also want to consider the Web site of the Medical Letter, Inc. (http://www.medletter.com/) which allows users to download articles on various drugs and therapeutics for a nominal fee. If you have any questions about a medical treatment, the FDA may have an office near you. Look for their number in the blue pages of the phone book. You can also contact the FDA through its toll-free number, 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332), or on the World Wide Web at www.fda.gov.
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APPENDICES
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APPENDIX A. PHYSICIAN RESOURCES Overview In this chapter, we focus on databases and Internet-based guidelines and information resources created or written for a professional audience.
NIH Guidelines Commonly referred to as “clinical” or “professional” guidelines, the National Institutes of Health publish physician guidelines for the most common diseases. Publications are available at the following by relevant Institute9: •
Office of the Director (OD); guidelines consolidated across agencies available at http://www.nih.gov/health/consumer/conkey.htm
•
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS); fact sheets available at http://www.nigms.nih.gov/news/facts/
•
National Library of Medicine (NLM); extensive encyclopedia (A.D.A.M., Inc.) with guidelines: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html
•
National Cancer Institute (NCI); guidelines available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/list.aspx?viewid=5f35036e-5497-4d86-8c2c714a9f7c8d25
•
National Eye Institute (NEI); guidelines available at http://www.nei.nih.gov/order/index.htm
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); guidelines available at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/index.htm
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National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI); research available at http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10000375
•
National Institute on Aging (NIA); guidelines available at http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/
9
These publications are typically written by one or more of the various NIH Institutes.
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•
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA); guidelines available at http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/publications.htm
•
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); guidelines available at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/publications/
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS); fact sheets and guidelines available at http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/index.htm
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National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD); guidelines available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubskey.cfm
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National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD); fact sheets and guidelines at http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/
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National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR); guidelines available at http://www.nidr.nih.gov/health/
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National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); guidelines available at http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/health.htm
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National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA); guidelines available at http://www.nida.nih.gov/DrugAbuse.html
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS); environmental health information available at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/external/facts.htm
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National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH); guidelines available at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/practitioners/index.cfm
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS); neurological disorder information pages available at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorder_index.htm
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National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR); publications on selected illnesses at http://www.nih.gov/ninr/news-info/publications.html
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National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; general information at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/becon/becon_info.htm
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Center for Information Technology (CIT); referrals to other agencies based on keyword searches available at http://kb.nih.gov/www_query_main.asp
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National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM); health information available at http://nccam.nih.gov/health/
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National Center for Research Resources (NCRR); various information directories available at http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/publications.asp
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Office of Rare Diseases; various fact sheets available at http://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/html/resources/rep_pubs.html
•
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; various fact sheets on infectious diseases available at http://www.cdc.gov/publications.htm
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NIH Databases In addition to the various Institutes of Health that publish professional guidelines, the NIH has designed a number of databases for professionals.10 Physician-oriented resources provide a wide variety of information related to the biomedical and health sciences, both past and present. The format of these resources varies. Searchable databases, bibliographic citations, full-text articles (when available), archival collections, and images are all available. The following are referenced by the National Library of Medicine:11 •
Bioethics: Access to published literature on the ethical, legal, and public policy issues surrounding healthcare and biomedical research. This information is provided in conjunction with the Kennedy Institute of Ethics located at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_bioethics.html
•
HIV/AIDS Resources: Describes various links and databases dedicated to HIV/AIDS research: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/aidsinfs.html
•
NLM Online Exhibitions: Describes “Exhibitions in the History of Medicine”: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/exhibition.html. Additional resources for historical scholarship in medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/hmd.html
•
Biotechnology Information: Access to public databases. The National Center for Biotechnology Information conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information for the better understanding of molecular processes affecting human health and disease: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
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Population Information: The National Library of Medicine provides access to worldwide coverage of population, family planning, and related health issues, including family planning technology and programs, fertility, and population law and policy: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_population.html
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Cancer Information: Access to cancer-oriented databases: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_cancer.html
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Profiles in Science: Offering the archival collections of prominent twentieth-century biomedical scientists to the public through modern digital technology: http://www.profiles.nlm.nih.gov/
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Chemical Information: Provides links to various chemical databases and references: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Chem/ChemMain.html
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Clinical Alerts: Reports the release of findings from the NIH-funded clinical trials where such release could significantly affect morbidity and mortality: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/alerts/clinical_alerts.html
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Space Life Sciences: Provides links and information to space-based research (including NASA): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_space.html
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MEDLINE: Bibliographic database covering the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the healthcare system, and the pre-clinical sciences: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases_medline.html
10
Remember, for the general public, the National Library of Medicine recommends the databases referenced in MEDLINEplus (http://medlineplus.gov/ or http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/databases.html). 11 See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/databases.html.
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•
Toxicology and Environmental Health Information (TOXNET): Databases covering toxicology and environmental health: http://sis.nlm.nih.gov/Tox/ToxMain.html
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Visible Human Interface: Anatomically detailed, three-dimensional representations of normal male and female human bodies: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/visible/visible_human.html
The NLM Gateway12 The NLM (National Library of Medicine) Gateway is a Web-based system that lets users search simultaneously in multiple retrieval systems at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM). It allows users of NLM services to initiate searches from one Web interface, providing one-stop searching for many of NLM’s information resources or databases.13 To use the NLM Gateway, simply go to the search site at http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/gw/Cmd. Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box and click “Search.” The results will be presented in a tabular form, indicating the number of references in each database category. Results Summary Category Journal Articles Books / Periodicals / Audio Visual Consumer Health Meeting Abstracts Other Collections Total
Items Found 72434 519 1073 31 0 74057
HSTAT14 HSTAT is a free, Web-based resource that provides access to full-text documents used in healthcare decision-making.15 These documents include clinical practice guidelines, quickreference guides for clinicians, consumer health brochures, evidence reports and technology assessments from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), as well as AHRQ’s Put Prevention Into Practice.16 Simply search by “brain cancer” (or synonyms) at the following Web site: http://text.nlm.nih.gov.
12
Adapted from NLM: http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/gw/Cmd?Overview.x.
13
The NLM Gateway is currently being developed by the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications (LHNCBC) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). 14 Adapted from HSTAT: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/hstat.html. 15 16
The HSTAT URL is http://hstat.nlm.nih.gov/.
Other important documents in HSTAT include: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference Reports and Technology Assessment Reports; the HIV/AIDS Treatment Information Service (ATIS) resource documents; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (SAMHSA/CSAT) Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIP) and Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (SAMHSA/CSAP) Prevention Enhancement Protocols System (PEPS); the Public Health Service (PHS) Preventive Services Task Force's Guide to Clinical Preventive Services; the independent, nonfederal Task Force on Community Services’ Guide to Community Preventive Services; and the Health Technology Advisory Committee (HTAC) of the Minnesota Health Care Commission (MHCC) health technology evaluations.
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Coffee Break: Tutorials for Biologists17 Coffee Break is a general healthcare site that takes a scientific view of the news and covers recent breakthroughs in biology that may one day assist physicians in developing treatments. Here you will find a collection of short reports on recent biological discoveries. Each report incorporates interactive tutorials that demonstrate how bioinformatics tools are used as a part of the research process. Currently, all Coffee Breaks are written by NCBI staff.18 Each report is about 400 words and is usually based on a discovery reported in one or more articles from recently published, peer-reviewed literature.19 This site has new articles every few weeks, so it can be considered an online magazine of sorts. It is intended for general background information. You can access the Coffee Break Web site at the following hyperlink: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Coffeebreak/.
Other Commercial Databases In addition to resources maintained by official agencies, other databases exist that are commercial ventures addressing medical professionals. Here are some examples that may interest you: •
CliniWeb International: Index and table of contents to selected clinical information on the Internet; see http://www.ohsu.edu/cliniweb/.
•
Medical World Search: Searches full text from thousands of selected medical sites on the Internet; see http://www.mwsearch.com/.
The Genome Project and Brain Cancer In the following section, we will discuss databases and references which relate to the Genome Project and brain cancer. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) The Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders authored and edited by Dr. Victor A. McKusick and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere. OMIM was developed for the World Wide Web by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).20 The database contains textual information, pictures, and reference information. It also contains copious links to NCBI’s Entrez database of MEDLINE articles and sequence information. 17 Adapted 18
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Coffeebreak/Archive/FAQ.html.
The figure that accompanies each article is frequently supplied by an expert external to NCBI, in which case the source of the figure is cited. The result is an interactive tutorial that tells a biological story. 19 After a brief introduction that sets the work described into a broader context, the report focuses on how a molecular understanding can provide explanations of observed biology and lead to therapies for diseases. Each vignette is accompanied by a figure and hypertext links that lead to a series of pages that interactively show how NCBI tools and resources are used in the research process. 20 Adapted from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. Established in 1988 as a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI creates public databases, conducts research in computational biology, develops software tools for analyzing genome data, and disseminates biomedical information--all for the better understanding of molecular processes affecting human health and disease.
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To search the database, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Omim/searchomim.html. Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and click “Submit Search.” If too many results appear, you can narrow the search by adding the word “clinical.” Each report will have additional links to related research and databases. In particular, the option “Database Links” will search across technical databases that offer an abundance of information. The following is an example of the results you can obtain from the OMIM for brain cancer: •
Prostate Cancer/Brain Cancer Susceptibility Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Omim/dispmim?603688 Genes and Disease (NCBI - Map)
The Genes and Disease database is produced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information of the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. This Web site categorizes each disorder by system of the body. Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/, and browse the system pages to have a full view of important conditions linked to human genes. Since this site is regularly updated, you may wish to revisit it from time to time. The following systems and associated disorders are addressed: •
Cancer: Uncontrolled cell division. Examples: Breast and ovarian cancer, Burkitt lymphoma, chronic myeloid leukemia, colon cancer, lung cancer, malignant melanoma, multiple endocrine neoplasia, neurofibromatosis, p53 tumor suppressor, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, Ras oncogene, RB: retinoblastoma, von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Cancer.html
•
Immune System: Fights invaders. Examples: Asthma, autoimmune polyglandular syndrome, Crohn’s disease, DiGeorge syndrome, familial Mediterranean fever, immunodeficiency with Hyper-IgM, severe combined immunodeficiency. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Immune.html
•
Metabolism: Food and energy. Examples: Adreno-leukodystrophy, atherosclerosis, Best disease, Gaucher disease, glucose galactose malabsorption, gyrate atrophy, juvenile-onset diabetes, obesity, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, phenylketonuria, Refsum disease, Tangier disease, Tay-Sachs disease. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Metabolism.html
•
Muscle and Bone: Movement and growth. Examples: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, Marfan syndrome, myotonic dystrophy, spinal muscular atrophy. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Muscle.html
•
Nervous System: Mind and body. Examples: Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Angelman syndrome, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, epilepsy, essential tremor, fragile X syndrome, Friedreich’s ataxia, Huntington disease, Niemann-Pick disease, Parkinson disease, Prader-Willi syndrome, Rett syndrome, spinocerebellar atrophy, Williams syndrome. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Brain.html
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•
Signals: Cellular messages. Examples: Ataxia telangiectasia, Cockayne syndrome, glaucoma, male-patterned baldness, SRY: sex determination, tuberous sclerosis, Waardenburg syndrome, Werner syndrome. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Signals.html
•
Transporters: Pumps and channels. Examples: Cystic fibrosis, deafness, diastrophic dysplasia, Hemophilia A, long-QT syndrome, Menkes syndrome, Pendred syndrome, polycystic kidney disease, sickle cell anemia, Wilson’s disease, Zellweger syndrome. Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disease/Transporters.html Entrez
Entrez is a search and retrieval system that integrates several linked databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). These databases include nucleotide sequences, protein sequences, macromolecular structures, whole genomes, and MEDLINE through PubMed. Entrez provides access to the following databases: •
3D Domains: Domains from Entrez Structure, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=geo
•
Books: Online books, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=books
•
Genome: Complete genome assemblies, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Genome
•
NCBI’s Protein Sequence Information Survey Results: Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/About/proteinsurvey/
•
Nucleotide Sequence Database (Genbank): Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Nucleotide
•
OMIM: Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=OMIM
•
PopSet: Population study data sets, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Popset
•
ProbeSet: Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=geo
•
Protein Sequence Database: Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Protein
•
PubMed: Biomedical literature (PubMed), Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed
•
Structure: Three-dimensional macromolecular structures, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Structure
•
Taxonomy: Organisms in GenBank, Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=Taxonomy
To access the Entrez system at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=genome, and then
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select the database that you would like to search. The databases available are listed in the drop box next to “Search.” Enter “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box and click “Go.” Jablonski’s Multiple Congenital Anomaly/Mental Retardation (MCA/MR) Syndromes Database21 This online resource has been developed to facilitate the identification and differentiation of syndromic entities. Special attention is given to the type of information that is usually limited or completely omitted in existing reference sources due to space limitations of the printed form. At http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/jablonski/syndrome_toc/toc_a.html, you can search across syndromes using an alphabetical index. Search by keywords at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/jablonski/syndrome_db.html. The Genome Database22 Established at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland in 1990, the Genome Database (GDB) is the official central repository for genomic mapping data resulting from the Human Genome Initiative. In the spring of 1999, the Bioinformatics Supercomputing Centre (BiSC) at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Ontario assumed the management of GDB. The Human Genome Initiative is a worldwide research effort focusing on structural analysis of human DNA to determine the location and sequence of the estimated 100,000 human genes. In support of this project, GDB stores and curates data generated by researchers worldwide who are engaged in the mapping effort of the Human Genome Project (HGP). GDB’s mission is to provide scientists with an encyclopedia of the human genome which is continually revised and updated to reflect the current state of scientific knowledge. Although GDB has historically focused on gene mapping, its focus will broaden as the Genome Project moves from mapping to sequence, and finally, to functional analysis. To access the GDB, simply go to the following hyperlink: http://www.gdb.org/. Search “All Biological Data” by “Keyword.” Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the search box, and review the results. If more than one word is used in the search box, then separate each one with the word “and” or “or” (using “or” might be useful when using synonyms).
21
Adapted from the National Library of Medicine: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/jablonski/about_syndrome.html. 22 Adapted from the Genome Database: http://gdbwww.gdb.org/gdb/aboutGDB.html - mission.
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APPENDIX B. PATIENT RESOURCES Overview Official agencies, as well as federally funded institutions supported by national grants, frequently publish a variety of guidelines written with the patient in mind. These are typically called “Fact Sheets” or “Guidelines.” They can take the form of a brochure, information kit, pamphlet, or flyer. Often they are only a few pages in length. Since new guidelines on brain cancer can appear at any moment and be published by a number of sources, the best approach to finding guidelines is to systematically scan the Internet-based services that post them.
Patient Guideline Sources The remainder of this chapter directs you to sources which either publish or can help you find additional guidelines on topics related to brain cancer. Due to space limitations, these sources are listed in a concise manner. Do not hesitate to consult the following sources by either using the Internet hyperlink provided, or, in cases where the contact information is provided, contacting the publisher or author directly. The National Institutes of Health The NIH gateway to patients is located at http://health.nih.gov/. From this site, you can search across various sources and institutes, a number of which are summarized below. Topic Pages: MEDLINEplus The National Library of Medicine has created a vast and patient-oriented healthcare information portal called MEDLINEplus. Within this Internet-based system are “health topic pages” which list links to available materials relevant to brain cancer. To access this system, log on to http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html. From there you can either search using the alphabetical index or browse by broad topic areas. Recently, MEDLINEplus listed the following when searched for “brain cancer”:
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•
Guides on brain cancer Brain Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/braincancer.html Brain Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/braincancerloader.html Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancer.html
•
Other guides Eye Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eyecancer.html Lung Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungcancer.html Spinal Cord Diseases http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spinalcorddiseases.html
Within the health topic page dedicated to brain cancer, the following was listed: •
General/Overviews Brain Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/braincancerloader.html
•
Diagnosis/Symptoms Computed Tomography (CT)-Head Source: American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/ct_of_the_head.htm Functional MR Imaging (fMRI) - Brain Source: American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/functional_mr.htm MR Imaging (MRI)-Head Source: American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/mr_of_the_head.htm Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture) Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ01414
•
Treatment Adult Brain Tumors (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/adultbrain/patient/ Gamma-Knife Radiosurgery: Neurosurgery without a Scalpel Source: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=HQ00736
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Issues to Consider When Choosing a Brain Tumor Treatment Center Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/FactSheetTreatmentCenter.pdf Other Malignant Tumors Source: International Radiosurgery Support Association http://www.irsa.org/other_malignant_tumors.html Radiation Injury to the Brain Source: International Radiosurgery Support Association http://www.irsa.org/radiation_injury.html Treatment of Specific Types of Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors Source: American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_4x_treatment_of_specific_ty pes_of_brain_and_spinal_cord_tumors_3.asp?sitearea=cri •
Coping Coping with Your Loved One's Brain Tumor http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/CopingBrochure.pdf
•
Specific Conditions/Aspects Astrocytomas (and Glioblastomas) Source: International Radiosurgery Support Association http://www.irsa.org/astrocytoma.html Brain Tumors That Are Not Gliomas Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/nongliomas.asp Childhood Brain Tumors Occurring in Adults Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/FactSheet-CHTumorsinA.pdf How Tumors Affect the Mind, Emotion, and Personality Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/Fact%2520SheetNeuroPsych.pdf Metastatic Brain Tumors Source: International Radiosurgery Support Association http://www.irsa.org/metastatic_tumors.html Who Gets Brain Tumors and Why? Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/FactSheet-WhoGetsBTsv.pdf
•
Children Basic Brain Tumor Information Source: American Brain Tumor Association http://www.abta.org/kids/learning/basic-info.htm
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Childhood Brain Stem Glioma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/child-brain-stemglioma/patient/ Childhood Brain Tumors (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/childbrain/patient/ Childhood Cerebellar Astrocytoma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/child-cerebellarastrocytoma/patient/ Childhood Cerebral Astrocytoma / Malignant Glioma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/child-cerebralastrocytoma/patient/ Childhood Ependymoma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/childependymoma/patient/ Childhood Medulloblastoma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/childmedulloblastoma/patien t/ Childhood Supratentorial Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/childSPNET/patient/ Childhood Visual Pathway and Hypothalamic Glioma (PDQ): Treatment Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/child-visualpathway/patient/ National Cancer Institute Research on Childhood Cancers Source: National Cancer Institute http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/6_40.htm Young People with Cancer: A Handbook for Parents Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/youngpeople •
From the National Institutes of Health Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors -- Hope Through Research Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/brain_tumor_hope_throug h_research.htm Brain and Spinal Tumors Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/brainandspinaltumors. htm
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What You Need to Know about Brain Tumors Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/brain •
Journals/Newsletters Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation Newsletter Source: Childhood Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.childhoodbraintumor.org/newsletter.html Heads Up Source: Brain Tumor Society http://www.tbts.org/virtual_html/backissu.htm Message Line Newsletter Source: American Brain Tumor Association http://www.abta.org/newsletters.php
•
Organizations American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/ Brain Tumor Society http://www.tbts.org/ National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/ National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/ Neuro-Oncology Branch Source: National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://home.ccr.cancer.gov/nob/patients/default.asp Neurosurgery://ON-CALL Source: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons http://www.neurosurgery.org/
•
Prevention/Screening What Are the Risk Factors for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors? Source: American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_2x_what_are_the_risk_factor s_for_brain_and_spinal_cord_tumors_3.asp?sitearea=cri
•
Research Cellular Telephone Use and Cancer Source: National Cancer Institute http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/3_72.htm
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Gene Therapy: A New Experimental Treatment for Brain Tumors Source: National Brain Tumor Foundation http://www.braintumor.org/pservices/pdfarchive/FactSheet-Genetherapy.pdf National Cancer Institute Brain Tumor Study in Adults Source: National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/braintumorsfactsheet Tumor-Tracking Missiles: Researchers Develop a Possible New Treatment Strategy for Deadly Brain Tumors Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/news_article_tumor_tracking_missil es.htm •
Statistics What Are the Key Statistics for Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors? Source: American Cancer Society http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_sta tistics_for_brain_and_spinal_cord_tumors_4.asp?sitearea=&level=
You may also choose to use the search utility provided by MEDLINEplus at the following Web address: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/. Simply type a keyword into the search box and click “Search.” This utility is similar to the NIH search utility, with the exception that it only includes materials that are linked within the MEDLINEplus system (mostly patient-oriented information). It also has the disadvantage of generating unstructured results. We recommend, therefore, that you use this method only if you have a very targeted search. The NIH Search Utility The NIH search utility allows you to search for documents on over 100 selected Web sites that comprise the NIH-WEB-SPACE. Each of these servers is “crawled” and indexed on an ongoing basis. Your search will produce a list of various documents, all of which will relate in some way to brain cancer. The drawbacks of this approach are that the information is not organized by theme and that the references are often a mix of information for professionals and patients. Nevertheless, a large number of the listed Web sites provide useful background information. We can only recommend this route, therefore, for relatively rare or specific disorders, or when using highly targeted searches. To use the NIH search utility, visit the following Web page: http://search.nih.gov/index.html. Additional Web Sources A number of Web sites are available to the public that often link to government sites. These can also point you in the direction of essential information. The following is a representative sample: •
AOL: http://search.aol.com/cat.adp?id=168&layer=&from=subcats
•
Family Village: http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/specific.htm
•
Google: http://directory.google.com/Top/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/
Patient Resources
•
Med Help International: http://www.medhelp.org/HealthTopics/A.html
•
Open Directory Project: http://dmoz.org/Health/Conditions_and_Diseases/
•
Yahoo.com: http://dir.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/
•
WebMDHealth: http://my.webmd.com/health_topics
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Finding Associations There are several Internet directories that provide lists of medical associations with information on or resources relating to brain cancer. By consulting all of associations listed in this chapter, you will have nearly exhausted all sources for patient associations concerned with brain cancer. The National Health Information Center (NHIC) The National Health Information Center (NHIC) offers a free referral service to help people find organizations that provide information about brain cancer. For more information, see the NHIC’s Web site at http://www.health.gov/NHIC/ or contact an information specialist by calling 1-800-336-4797. Directory of Health Organizations The Directory of Health Organizations, provided by the National Library of Medicine Specialized Information Services, is a comprehensive source of information on associations. The Directory of Health Organizations database can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.sis.nlm.nih.gov/Dir/DirMain.html. It is composed of two parts: DIRLINE and Health Hotlines. The DIRLINE database comprises some 10,000 records of organizations, research centers, and government institutes and associations that primarily focus on health and biomedicine. To access DIRLINE directly, go to the following Web site: http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/. Simply type in “brain cancer” (or a synonym), and you will receive information on all relevant organizations listed in the database. Health Hotlines directs you to toll-free numbers to over 300 organizations. You can access this database directly at http://www.sis.nlm.nih.gov/hotlines/. On this page, you are given the option to search by keyword or by browsing the subject list. When you have received your search results, click on the name of the organization for its description and contact information. The Combined Health Information Database Another comprehensive source of information on healthcare associations is the Combined Health Information Database. Using the “Detailed Search” option, you will need to limit your search to “Organizations” and “brain cancer”. Type the following hyperlink into your Web browser: http://chid.nih.gov/detail/detail.html. To find associations, use the drop boxes at the bottom of the search page where “You may refine your search by.” For
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publication date, select “All Years.” Then, select your preferred language and the format option “Organization Resource Sheet.” Type “brain cancer” (or synonyms) into the “For these words:” box. You should check back periodically with this database since it is updated every three months. The National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. The National Organization for Rare Disorders, Inc. has prepared a Web site that provides, at no charge, lists of associations organized by health topic. You can access this database at the following Web site: http://www.rarediseases.org/search/orgsearch.html. Type “brain cancer” (or a synonym) into the search box, and click “Submit Query.”
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APPENDIX C. FINDING MEDICAL LIBRARIES Overview In this Appendix, we show you how to quickly find a medical library in your area.
Preparation Your local public library and medical libraries have interlibrary loan programs with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), one of the largest medical collections in the world. According to the NLM, most of the literature in the general and historical collections of the National Library of Medicine is available on interlibrary loan to any library. If you would like to access NLM medical literature, then visit a library in your area that can request the publications for you.23
Finding a Local Medical Library The quickest method to locate medical libraries is to use the Internet-based directory published by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM). This network includes 4626 members and affiliates that provide many services to librarians, health professionals, and the public. To find a library in your area, simply visit http://nnlm.gov/members/adv.html or call 1-800-338-7657.
Medical Libraries in the U.S. and Canada In addition to the NN/LM, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) lists a number of libraries with reference facilities that are open to the public. The following is the NLM’s list and includes hyperlinks to each library’s Web site. These Web pages can provide information on hours of operation and other restrictions. The list below is a small sample of
23
Adapted from the NLM: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/psd/cas/interlibrary.html.
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libraries recommended by the National Library of Medicine (sorted alphabetically by name of the U.S. state or Canadian province where the library is located)24: •
Alabama: Health InfoNet of Jefferson County (Jefferson County Library Cooperative, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences), http://www.uab.edu/infonet/
•
Alabama: Richard M. Scrushy Library (American Sports Medicine Institute)
•
Arizona: Samaritan Regional Medical Center: The Learning Center (Samaritan Health System, Phoenix, Arizona), http://www.samaritan.edu/library/bannerlibs.htm
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California: Kris Kelly Health Information Center (St. Joseph Health System, Humboldt), http://www.humboldt1.com/~kkhic/index.html
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California: Community Health Library of Los Gatos, http://www.healthlib.org/orgresources.html
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California: Consumer Health Program and Services (CHIPS) (County of Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Library) - Carson, CA, http://www.colapublib.org/services/chips.html
•
California: Gateway Health Library (Sutter Gould Medical Foundation)
•
California: Health Library (Stanford University Medical Center), http://wwwmed.stanford.edu/healthlibrary/
•
California: Patient Education Resource Center - Health Information and Resources (University of California, San Francisco), http://sfghdean.ucsf.edu/barnett/PERC/default.asp
•
California: Redwood Health Library (Petaluma Health Care District), http://www.phcd.org/rdwdlib.html
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California: Los Gatos PlaneTree Health Library, http://planetreesanjose.org/
•
California: Sutter Resource Library (Sutter Hospitals Foundation, Sacramento), http://suttermedicalcenter.org/library/
•
California: Health Sciences Libraries (University of California, Davis), http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/healthsci/
•
California: ValleyCare Health Library & Ryan Comer Cancer Resource Center (ValleyCare Health System, Pleasanton), http://gaelnet.stmarysca.edu/other.libs/gbal/east/vchl.html
•
California: Washington Community Health Resource Library (Fremont), http://www.healthlibrary.org/
•
Colorado: William V. Gervasini Memorial Library (Exempla Healthcare), http://www.saintjosephdenver.org/yourhealth/libraries/
•
Connecticut: Hartford Hospital Health Science Libraries (Hartford Hospital), http://www.harthosp.org/library/
•
Connecticut: Healthnet: Connecticut Consumer Health Information Center (University of Connecticut Health Center, Lyman Maynard Stowe Library), http://library.uchc.edu/departm/hnet/
24
Abstracted from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/libraries.html.
Finding Medical Libraries
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•
Connecticut: Waterbury Hospital Health Center Library (Waterbury Hospital, Waterbury), http://www.waterburyhospital.com/library/consumer.shtml
•
Delaware: Consumer Health Library (Christiana Care Health System, Eugene du Pont Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute, Wilmington), http://www.christianacare.org/health_guide/health_guide_pmri_health_info.cfm
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Delaware: Lewis B. Flinn Library (Delaware Academy of Medicine, Wilmington), http://www.delamed.org/chls.html
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Georgia: Family Resource Library (Medical College of Georgia, Augusta), http://cmc.mcg.edu/kids_families/fam_resources/fam_res_lib/frl.htm
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Georgia: Health Resource Center (Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon), http://www.mccg.org/hrc/hrchome.asp
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Hawaii: Hawaii Medical Library: Consumer Health Information Service (Hawaii Medical Library, Honolulu), http://hml.org/CHIS/
•
Idaho: DeArmond Consumer Health Library (Kootenai Medical Center, Coeur d’Alene), http://www.nicon.org/DeArmond/index.htm
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Illinois: Health Learning Center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago), http://www.nmh.org/health_info/hlc.html
•
Illinois: Medical Library (OSF Saint Francis Medical Center, Peoria), http://www.osfsaintfrancis.org/general/library/
•
Kentucky: Medical Library - Services for Patients, Families, Students & the Public (Central Baptist Hospital, Lexington), http://www.centralbap.com/education/community/library.cfm
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Kentucky: University of Kentucky - Health Information Library (Chandler Medical Center, Lexington), http://www.mc.uky.edu/PatientEd/
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Louisiana: Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation Library (Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans), http://www.ochsner.org/library/
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Louisiana: Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Medical LibraryShreveport, http://lib-sh.lsuhsc.edu/
•
Maine: Franklin Memorial Hospital Medical Library (Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington), http://www.fchn.org/fmh/lib.htm
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Maine: Gerrish-True Health Sciences Library (Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston), http://www.cmmc.org/library/library.html
•
Maine: Hadley Parrot Health Science Library (Eastern Maine Healthcare, Bangor), http://www.emh.org/hll/hpl/guide.htm
•
Maine: Maine Medical Center Library (Maine Medical Center, Portland), http://www.mmc.org/library/
•
Maine: Parkview Hospital (Brunswick), http://www.parkviewhospital.org/
•
Maine: Southern Maine Medical Center Health Sciences Library (Southern Maine Medical Center, Biddeford), http://www.smmc.org/services/service.php3?choice=10
•
Maine: Stephens Memorial Hospital’s Health Information Library (Western Maine Health, Norway), http://www.wmhcc.org/Library/
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•
Manitoba, Canada: Consumer & Patient Health Information Service (University of Manitoba Libraries), http://www.umanitoba.ca/libraries/units/health/reference/chis.html
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Manitoba, Canada: J.W. Crane Memorial Library (Deer Lodge Centre, Winnipeg), http://www.deerlodge.mb.ca/crane_library/about.asp
•
Maryland: Health Information Center at the Wheaton Regional Library (Montgomery County, Dept. of Public Libraries, Wheaton Regional Library), http://www.mont.lib.md.us/healthinfo/hic.asp
•
Massachusetts: Baystate Medical Center Library (Baystate Health System), http://www.baystatehealth.com/1024/
•
Massachusetts: Boston University Medical Center Alumni Medical Library (Boston University Medical Center), http://med-libwww.bu.edu/library/lib.html
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Massachusetts: Lowell General Hospital Health Sciences Library (Lowell General Hospital, Lowell), http://www.lowellgeneral.org/library/HomePageLinks/WWW.htm
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Massachusetts: Paul E. Woodard Health Sciences Library (New England Baptist Hospital, Boston), http://www.nebh.org/health_lib.asp
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Massachusetts: St. Luke’s Hospital Health Sciences Library (St. Luke’s Hospital, Southcoast Health System, New Bedford), http://www.southcoast.org/library/
•
Massachusetts: Treadwell Library Consumer Health Reference Center (Massachusetts General Hospital), http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/library/chrcindex.html
•
Massachusetts: UMass HealthNet (University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worchester), http://healthnet.umassmed.edu/
•
Michigan: Botsford General Hospital Library - Consumer Health (Botsford General Hospital, Library & Internet Services), http://www.botsfordlibrary.org/consumer.htm
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Michigan: Helen DeRoy Medical Library (Providence Hospital and Medical Centers), http://www.providence-hospital.org/library/
•
Michigan: Marquette General Hospital - Consumer Health Library (Marquette General Hospital, Health Information Center), http://www.mgh.org/center.html
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Michigan: Patient Education Resouce Center - University of Michigan Cancer Center (University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor), http://www.cancer.med.umich.edu/learn/leares.htm
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Michigan: Sladen Library & Center for Health Information Resources - Consumer Health Information (Detroit), http://www.henryford.com/body.cfm?id=39330
•
Montana: Center for Health Information (St. Patrick Hospital and Health Sciences Center, Missoula)
•
National: Consumer Health Library Directory (Medical Library Association, Consumer and Patient Health Information Section), http://caphis.mlanet.org/directory/index.html
•
National: National Network of Libraries of Medicine (National Library of Medicine) provides library services for health professionals in the United States who do not have access to a medical library, http://nnlm.gov/
•
National: NN/LM List of Libraries Serving the Public (National Network of Libraries of Medicine), http://nnlm.gov/members/
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•
Nevada: Health Science Library, West Charleston Library (Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, Las Vegas), http://www.lvccld.org/special_collections/medical/index.htm
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New Hampshire: Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries (Dartmouth College Library, Hanover), http://www.dartmouth.edu/~biomed/resources.htmld/conshealth.htmld/
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New Jersey: Consumer Health Library (Rahway Hospital, Rahway), http://www.rahwayhospital.com/library.htm
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New Jersey: Dr. Walter Phillips Health Sciences Library (Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood), http://www.englewoodhospital.com/links/index.htm
•
New Jersey: Meland Foundation (Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, Englewood), http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/9360/
•
New York: Choices in Health Information (New York Public Library) - NLM Consumer Pilot Project participant, http://www.nypl.org/branch/health/links.html
•
New York: Health Information Center (Upstate Medical University, State University of New York, Syracuse), http://www.upstate.edu/library/hic/
•
New York: Health Sciences Library (Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park), http://www.lij.edu/library/library.html
•
New York: ViaHealth Medical Library (Rochester General Hospital), http://www.nyam.org/library/
•
Ohio: Consumer Health Library (Akron General Medical Center, Medical & Consumer Health Library), http://www.akrongeneral.org/hwlibrary.htm
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Oklahoma: The Health Information Center at Saint Francis Hospital (Saint Francis Health System, Tulsa), http://www.sfh-tulsa.com/services/healthinfo.asp
•
Oregon: Planetree Health Resource Center (Mid-Columbia Medical Center, The Dalles), http://www.mcmc.net/phrc/
•
Pennsylvania: Community Health Information Library (Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey), http://www.hmc.psu.edu/commhealth/
•
Pennsylvania: Community Health Resource Library (Geisinger Medical Center, Danville), http://www.geisinger.edu/education/commlib.shtml
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Pennsylvania: HealthInfo Library (Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton), http://www.mth.org/healthwellness.html
•
Pennsylvania: Hopwood Library (University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System, Pittsburgh), http://www.hsls.pitt.edu/guides/chi/hopwood/index_html
•
Pennsylvania: Koop Community Health Information Center (College of Physicians of Philadelphia), http://www.collphyphil.org/kooppg1.shtml
•
Pennsylvania: Learning Resources Center - Medical Library (Susquehanna Health System, Williamsport), http://www.shscares.org/services/lrc/index.asp
•
Pennsylvania: Medical Library (UPMC Health System, Pittsburgh), http://www.upmc.edu/passavant/library.htm
•
Quebec, Canada: Medical Library (Montreal General Hospital), http://www.mghlib.mcgill.ca/
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•
South Dakota: Rapid City Regional Hospital Medical Library (Rapid City Regional Hospital), http://www.rcrh.org/Services/Library/Default.asp
•
Texas: Houston HealthWays (Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library), http://hhw.library.tmc.edu/
•
Washington: Community Health Library (Kittitas Valley Community Hospital), http://www.kvch.com/
•
Washington: Southwest Washington Medical Center Library (Southwest Washington Medical Center, Vancouver), http://www.swmedicalcenter.com/body.cfm?id=72
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ONLINE GLOSSARIES The Internet provides access to a number of free-to-use medical dictionaries. The National Library of Medicine has compiled the following list of online dictionaries: •
ADAM Medical Encyclopedia (A.D.A.M., Inc.), comprehensive medical reference: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
•
MedicineNet.com Medical Dictionary (MedicineNet, Inc.): http://www.medterms.com/Script/Main/hp.asp
•
Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary (Inteli-Health, Inc.): http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/
•
Multilingual Glossary of Technical and Popular Medical Terms in Eight European Languages (European Commission) - Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish: http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~rvdstich/eugloss/welcome.html
•
On-line Medical Dictionary (CancerWEB): http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
•
Rare Diseases Terms (Office of Rare Diseases): http://ord.aspensys.com/asp/diseases/diseases.asp
•
Technology Glossary (National Library of Medicine) - Health Care Technology: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/nichsr/ta101/ta10108.htm
Beyond these, MEDLINEplus contains a very patient-friendly encyclopedia covering every aspect of medicine (licensed from A.D.A.M., Inc.). The ADAM Medical Encyclopedia can be accessed at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html. ADAM is also available on commercial Web sites such as drkoop.com (http://www.drkoop.com/) and Web MD (http://my.webmd.com/adam/asset/adam_disease_articles/a_to_z/a).
Online Dictionary Directories The following are additional online directories compiled by the National Library of Medicine, including a number of specialized medical dictionaries: •
Medical Dictionaries: Medical & Biological (World Health Organization): http://www.who.int/hlt/virtuallibrary/English/diction.htm#Medical
•
MEL-Michigan Electronic Library List of Online Health and Medical Dictionaries (Michigan Electronic Library): http://mel.lib.mi.us/health/health-dictionaries.html
•
Patient Education: Glossaries (DMOZ Open Directory Project): http://dmoz.org/Health/Education/Patient_Education/Glossaries/
•
Web of Online Dictionaries (Bucknell University): http://www.yourdictionary.com/diction5.html#medicine
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BRAIN CANCER DICTIONARY The definitions below are derived from official public sources, including the National Institutes of Health [NIH] and the European Union [EU]. Acetylcholine: A neurotransmitter. Acetylcholine in vertebrates is the major transmitter at neuromuscular junctions, autonomic ganglia, parasympathetic effector junctions, a subset of sympathetic effector junctions, and at many sites in the central nervous system. It is generally not used as an administered drug because it is broken down very rapidly by cholinesterases, but it is useful in some ophthalmological applications. [NIH] Acute renal: A condition in which the kidneys suddenly stop working. In most cases, kidneys can recover from almost complete loss of function. [NIH] Adaptability: Ability to develop some form of tolerance to conditions extremely different from those under which a living organism evolved. [NIH] Adenosine: A nucleoside that is composed of adenine and d-ribose. Adenosine or adenosine derivatives play many important biological roles in addition to being components of DNA and RNA. Adenosine itself is a neurotransmitter. [NIH] Adjustment: The dynamic process wherein the thoughts, feelings, behavior, and biophysiological mechanisms of the individual continually change to adjust to the environment. [NIH] Adverse Effect: An unwanted side effect of treatment. [NIH] Affinity: 1. Inherent likeness or relationship. 2. A special attraction for a specific element, organ, or structure. 3. Chemical affinity; the force that binds atoms in molecules; the tendency of substances to combine by chemical reaction. 4. The strength of noncovalent chemical binding between two substances as measured by the dissociation constant of the complex. 5. In immunology, a thermodynamic expression of the strength of interaction between a single antigen-binding site and a single antigenic determinant (and thus of the stereochemical compatibility between them), most accurately applied to interactions among simple, uniform antigenic determinants such as haptens. Expressed as the association constant (K litres mole -1), which, owing to the heterogeneity of affinities in a population of antibody molecules of a given specificity, actually represents an average value (mean intrinsic association constant). 6. The reciprocal of the dissociation constant. [EU] Albumin: 1. Any protein that is soluble in water and moderately concentrated salt solutions and is coagulable by heat. 2. Serum albumin; the major plasma protein (approximately 60 per cent of the total), which is responsible for much of the plasma colloidal osmotic pressure and serves as a transport protein carrying large organic anions, such as fatty acids, bilirubin, and many drugs, and also carrying certain hormones, such as cortisol and thyroxine, when their specific binding globulins are saturated. Albumin is synthesized in the liver. Low serum levels occur in protein malnutrition, active inflammation and serious hepatic and renal disease. [EU] Alertness: A state of readiness to detect and respond to certain specified small changes occurring at random intervals in the environment. [NIH] Algorithms: A procedure consisting of a sequence of algebraic formulas and/or logical steps to calculate or determine a given task. [NIH] Alkaline: Having the reactions of an alkali. [EU] Alkaloid: A member of a large group of chemicals that are made by plants and have
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nitrogen in them. Some alkaloids have been shown to work against cancer. [NIH] Alkylating Agents: Highly reactive chemicals that introduce alkyl radicals into biologically active molecules and thereby prevent their proper functioning. Many are used as antineoplastic agents, but most are very toxic, with carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and immunosuppressant actions. They have also been used as components in poison gases. [NIH]
Alleles: Mutually exclusive forms of the same gene, occupying the same locus on homologous chromosomes, and governing the same biochemical and developmental process. [NIH] Allogeneic: Taken from different individuals of the same species. [NIH] Allopurinol: A xanthine oxidase inhibitor that decreases uric acid production. [NIH] Alpha Particles: Positively charged particles composed of two protons and two neutrons, i.e., helium nuclei, emitted during disintegration of very heavy isotopes; a beam of alpha particles or an alpha ray has very strong ionizing power, but weak penetrability. [NIH] Alternative medicine: Practices not generally recognized by the medical community as standard or conventional medical approaches and used instead of standard treatments. Alternative medicine includes the taking of dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, and herbal preparations; the drinking of special teas; and practices such as massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH] Amino Acid Sequence: The order of amino acids as they occur in a polypeptide chain. This is referred to as the primary structure of proteins. It is of fundamental importance in determining protein conformation. [NIH] Amino Acids: Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins. [NIH] Amino Acids: Organic compounds that generally contain an amino (-NH2) and a carboxyl (COOH) group. Twenty alpha-amino acids are the subunits which are polymerized to form proteins. [NIH] Amplification: The production of additional copies of a chromosomal DNA sequence, found as either intrachromosomal or extrachromosomal DNA. [NIH] Ampulla: A sac-like enlargement of a canal or duct. [NIH] Anaesthesia: Loss of feeling or sensation. Although the term is used for loss of tactile sensibility, or of any of the other senses, it is applied especially to loss of the sensation of pain, as it is induced to permit performance of surgery or other painful procedures. [EU] Anaplasia: Loss of structural differentiation and useful function of neoplastic cells. [NIH] Anaplastic: A term used to describe cancer cells that divide rapidly and bear little or no resemblance to normal cells. [NIH] Anatomical: Pertaining to anatomy, or to the structure of the organism. [EU] Anemia: A reduction in the number of circulating erythrocytes or in the quantity of hemoglobin. [NIH] Angiogenesis: Blood vessel formation. Tumor angiogenesis is the growth of blood vessels from surrounding tissue to a solid tumor. This is caused by the release of chemicals by the tumor. [NIH] Angiosarcoma: A type of cancer that begins in the lining of blood vessels. [NIH] Animal model: An animal with a disease either the same as or like a disease in humans. Animal models are used to study the development and progression of diseases and to test
Dictionary 97
new treatments before they are given to humans. Animals with transplanted human cancers or other tissues are called xenograft models. [NIH] Anions: Negatively charged atoms, radicals or groups of atoms which travel to the anode or positive pole during electrolysis. [NIH] Anode: Electrode held at a positive potential with respect to a cathode. [NIH] Antagonism: Interference with, or inhibition of, the growth of a living organism by another living organism, due either to creation of unfavorable conditions (e. g. exhaustion of food supplies) or to production of a specific antibiotic substance (e. g. penicillin). [NIH] Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. [NIH]
Antibodies: Immunoglobulin molecules having a specific amino acid sequence by virtue of which they interact only with the antigen that induced their synthesis in cells of the lymphoid series (especially plasma cells), or with an antigen closely related to it. [NIH] Antibody: A type of protein made by certain white blood cells in response to a foreign substance (antigen). Each antibody can bind to only a specific antigen. The purpose of this binding is to help destroy the antigen. Antibodies can work in several ways, depending on the nature of the antigen. Some antibodies destroy antigens directly. Others make it easier for white blood cells to destroy the antigen. [NIH] Antibody therapy: Treatment with an antibody, a substance that can directly kill specific tumor cells or stimulate the immune system to kill tumor cells. [NIH] Antigen: Any substance which is capable, under appropriate conditions, of inducing a specific immune response and of reacting with the products of that response, that is, with specific antibody or specifically sensitized T-lymphocytes, or both. Antigens may be soluble substances, such as toxins and foreign proteins, or particulate, such as bacteria and tissue cells; however, only the portion of the protein or polysaccharide molecule known as the antigenic determinant (q.v.) combines with antibody or a specific receptor on a lymphocyte. Abbreviated Ag. [EU] Antigen-presenting cell: APC. A cell that shows antigen on its surface to other cells of the immune system. This is an important part of an immune response. [NIH] Antineoplastic: Inhibiting or preventing the development of neoplasms, checking the maturation and proliferation of malignant cells. [EU] Apoptosis: One of the two mechanisms by which cell death occurs (the other being the pathological process of necrosis). Apoptosis is the mechanism responsible for the physiological deletion of cells and appears to be intrinsically programmed. It is characterized by distinctive morphologic changes in the nucleus and cytoplasm, chromatin cleavage at regularly spaced sites, and the endonucleolytic cleavage of genomic DNA (DNA fragmentation) at internucleosomal sites. This mode of cell death serves as a balance to mitosis in regulating the size of animal tissues and in mediating pathologic processes associated with tumor growth. [NIH] Aqueous: Having to do with water. [NIH] Arginine: An essential amino acid that is physiologically active in the L-form. [NIH] Arterial: Pertaining to an artery or to the arteries. [EU] Arteries: The vessels carrying blood away from the heart. [NIH] Arterioles: The smallest divisions of the arteries located between the muscular arteries and the capillaries. [NIH] Articulation: The relationship of two bodies by means of a moveable joint. [NIH]
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Astrocytes: The largest and most numerous neuroglial cells in the brain and spinal cord. Astrocytes (from "star" cells) are irregularly shaped with many long processes, including those with "end feet" which form the glial (limiting) membrane and directly and indirectly contribute to the blood brain barrier. They regulate the extracellular ionic and chemical environment, and "reactive astrocytes" (along with microglia) respond to injury. Astrocytes have high- affinity transmitter uptake systems, voltage-dependent and transmitter-gated ion channels, and can release transmitter, but their role in signaling (as in many other functions) is not well understood. [NIH] Astrocytoma: A tumor that begins in the brain or spinal cord in small, star-shaped cells called astrocytes. [NIH] Ataxia: Impairment of the ability to perform smoothly coordinated voluntary movements. This condition may affect the limbs, trunk, eyes, pharnyx, larnyx, and other structures. Ataxia may result from impaired sensory or motor function. Sensory ataxia may result from posterior column injury or peripheral nerve diseases. Motor ataxia may be associated with cerebellar diseases; cerebral cortex diseases; thalamic diseases; basal ganglia diseases; injury to the red nucleus; and other conditions. [NIH] Atrophy: Decrease in the size of a cell, tissue, organ, or multiple organs, associated with a variety of pathological conditions such as abnormal cellular changes, ischemia, malnutrition, or hormonal changes. [NIH] Autoimmune disease: A condition in which the body recognizes its own tissues as foreign and directs an immune response against them. [NIH] Autologous: Taken from an individual's own tissues, cells, or DNA. [NIH] Autopsy: Postmortem examination of the body. [NIH] Avian: A plasmodial infection in birds. [NIH] Avidin: A specific protein in egg albumin that interacts with biotin to render it unavailable to mammals, thereby producing biotin deficiency. [NIH] Axons: Nerve fibers that are capable of rapidly conducting impulses away from the neuron cell body. [NIH] Bacteria: Unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. [NIH] Bacterial Proteins: Proteins found in any species of bacterium. [NIH] Bacteriophage: A virus whose host is a bacterial cell; A virus that exclusively infects bacteria. It generally has a protein coat surrounding the genome (DNA or RNA). One of the coliphages most extensively studied is the lambda phage, which is also one of the most important. [NIH] Bacterium: Microscopic organism which may have a spherical, rod-like, or spiral unicellular or non-cellular body. Bacteria usually reproduce through asexual processes. [NIH] Basal Ganglia: Large subcortical nuclear masses derived from the telencephalon and located in the basal regions of the cerebral hemispheres. [NIH] Basal Ganglia Diseases: Diseases of the basal ganglia including the putamen; globus pallidus; claustrum; amygdala; and caudate nucleus. Dyskinesias (most notably involuntary movements and alterations of the rate of movement) represent the primary clinical manifestations of these disorders. Common etiologies include cerebrovascular disease; neurodegenerative diseases; and craniocerebral trauma. [NIH] Base: In chemistry, the nonacid part of a salt; a substance that combines with acids to form
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salts; a substance that dissociates to give hydroxide ions in aqueous solutions; a substance whose molecule or ion can combine with a proton (hydrogen ion); a substance capable of donating a pair of electrons (to an acid) for the formation of a coordinate covalent bond. [EU] Benign: Not cancerous; does not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. [NIH]
Bile: An emulsifying agent produced in the liver and secreted into the duodenum. Its composition includes bile acids and salts, cholesterol, and electrolytes. It aids digestion of fats in the duodenum. [NIH] Biochemical: Relating to biochemistry; characterized by, produced by, or involving chemical reactions in living organisms. [EU] Biological Transport: The movement of materials (including biochemical substances and drugs) across cell membranes and epithelial layers, usually by passive diffusion. [NIH] Biopsy: Removal and pathologic examination of specimens in the form of small pieces of tissue from the living body. [NIH] Biosynthesis: The building up of a chemical compound in the physiologic processes of a living organism. [EU] Biotechnology: Body of knowledge related to the use of organisms, cells or cell-derived constituents for the purpose of developing products which are technically, scientifically and clinically useful. Alteration of biologic function at the molecular level (i.e., genetic engineering) is a central focus; laboratory methods used include transfection and cloning technologies, sequence and structure analysis algorithms, computer databases, and gene and protein structure function analysis and prediction. [NIH] Biotin: Hexahydro-2-oxo-1H-thieno(3,4-d)imidazole-4-pentanoic acid. Growth factor present in minute amounts in every living cell. It occurs mainly bound to proteins or polypeptides and is abundant in liver, kidney, pancreas, yeast, and milk.The biotin content of cancerous tissue is higher than that of normal tissue. [NIH] Bladder: The organ that stores urine. [NIH] Blood Glucose: Glucose in blood. [NIH] Blood pressure: The pressure of blood against the walls of a blood vessel or heart chamber. Unless there is reference to another location, such as the pulmonary artery or one of the heart chambers, it refers to the pressure in the systemic arteries, as measured, for example, in the forearm. [NIH] Blood vessel: A tube in the body through which blood circulates. Blood vessels include a network of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins. [NIH] Blood-Brain Barrier: Specialized non-fenestrated tightly-joined endothelial cells (tight junctions) that form a transport barrier for certain substances between the cerebral capillaries and the brain tissue. [NIH] Body Fluids: Liquid components of living organisms. [NIH] Body Mass Index: One of the anthropometric measures of body mass; it has the highest correlation with skinfold thickness or body density. [NIH] Bone Marrow: The soft tissue filling the cavities of bones. Bone marrow exists in two types, yellow and red. Yellow marrow is found in the large cavities of large bones and consists mostly of fat cells and a few primitive blood cells. Red marrow is a hematopoietic tissue and is the site of production of erythrocytes and granular leukocytes. Bone marrow is made up of a framework of connective tissue containing branching fibers with the frame being filled with marrow cells. [NIH]
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Bone Marrow Transplantation: The transference of bone marrow from one human or animal to another. [NIH] Bowel: The long tube-shaped organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion. There is both a small and a large bowel. Also called the intestine. [NIH] Bowel Movement: Body wastes passed through the rectum and anus. [NIH] Brachytherapy: A collective term for interstitial, intracavity, and surface radiotherapy. It uses small sealed or partly-sealed sources that may be placed on or near the body surface or within a natural body cavity or implanted directly into the tissues. [NIH] Brain Stem: The part of the brain that connects the cerebral hemispheres with the spinal cord. It consists of the mesencephalon, pons, and medulla oblongata. [NIH] Branch: Most commonly used for branches of nerves, but applied also to other structures. [NIH]
Buccal: Pertaining to or directed toward the cheek. In dental anatomy, used to refer to the buccal surface of a tooth. [EU] Caffeine: A methylxanthine naturally occurring in some beverages and also used as a pharmacological agent. Caffeine's most notable pharmacological effect is as a central nervous system stimulant, increasing alertness and producing agitation. It also relaxes smooth muscle, stimulates cardiac muscle, stimulates diuresis, and appears to be useful in the treatment of some types of headache. Several cellular actions of caffeine have been observed, but it is not entirely clear how each contributes to its pharmacological profile. Among the most important are inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, antagonism of adenosine receptors, and modulation of intracellular calcium handling. [NIH] Calcium: A basic element found in nearly all organized tissues. It is a member of the alkaline earth family of metals with the atomic symbol Ca, atomic number 20, and atomic weight 40. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and combines with phosphorus to form calcium phosphate in the bones and teeth. It is essential for the normal functioning of nerves and muscles and plays a role in blood coagulation (as factor IV) and in many enzymatic processes. [NIH] Camptothecin: An alkaloid isolated from the stem wood of the Chinese tree, Camptotheca acuminata. This compound selectively inhibits the nuclear enzyme DNA topoisomerase. Several semisynthetic analogs of camptothecin have demonstrated antitumor activity. [NIH] Cancer vaccine: A vaccine designed to prevent or treat cancer. [NIH] Carbohydrates: The largest class of organic compounds, including starches, glycogens, cellulose, gums, and simple sugars. Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ratio of Cn(H2O)n. [NIH] Carbon Dioxide: A colorless, odorless gas that can be formed by the body and is necessary for the respiration cycle of plants and animals. [NIH] Carboplatin: An organoplatinum compound that possesses antineoplastic activity. [NIH] Carcinogen: Any substance that causes cancer. [NIH] Carcinogenesis: The process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. [NIH] Carcinogenic: Producing carcinoma. [EU] Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. [NIH]
Cardiac: Having to do with the heart. [NIH] Cardiovascular: Having to do with the heart and blood vessels. [NIH] Cardiovascular disease: Any abnormal condition characterized by dysfunction of the heart
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and blood vessels. CVD includes atherosclerosis (especially coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks), cerebrovascular disease (e.g., stroke), and hypertension (high blood pressure). [NIH] Case report: A detailed report of the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual patient. Case reports also contain some demographic information about the patient (for example, age, gender, ethnic origin). [NIH] Case series: A group or series of case reports involving patients who were given similar treatment. Reports of case series usually contain detailed information about the individual patients. This includes demographic information (for example, age, gender, ethnic origin) and information on diagnosis, treatment, response to treatment, and follow-up after treatment. [NIH] Case-Control Studies: Studies which start with the identification of persons with a disease of interest and a control (comparison, referent) group without the disease. The relationship of an attribute to the disease is examined by comparing diseased and non-diseased persons with regard to the frequency or levels of the attribute in each group. [NIH] Catheters: A small, flexible tube that may be inserted into various parts of the body to inject or remove liquids. [NIH] Cations: Postively charged atoms, radicals or groups of atoms which travel to the cathode or negative pole during electrolysis. [NIH] Caudal: Denoting a position more toward the cauda, or tail, than some specified point of reference; same as inferior, in human anatomy. [EU] Cause of Death: Factors which produce cessation of all vital bodily functions. They can be analyzed from an epidemiologic viewpoint. [NIH] Cell: The individual unit that makes up all of the tissues of the body. All living things are made up of one or more cells. [NIH] Cell Cycle: The complex series of phenomena, occurring between the end of one cell division and the end of the next, by which cellular material is divided between daughter cells. [NIH] Cell Death: The termination of the cell's ability to carry out vital functions such as metabolism, growth, reproduction, responsiveness, and adaptability. [NIH] Cell Differentiation: Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function which takes place during the development of the embryo and leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs. [NIH] Cell Division: The fission of a cell. [NIH] Cell Lineage: The developmental history of cells as traced from the first division of the original cell or cells in the embryo. [NIH] Cell membrane: Cell membrane = plasma membrane. The structure enveloping a cell, enclosing the cytoplasm, and forming a selective permeability barrier; it consists of lipids, proteins, and some carbohydrates, the lipids thought to form a bilayer in which integral proteins are embedded to varying degrees. [EU] Cell proliferation: An increase in the number of cells as a result of cell growth and cell division. [NIH] Cell Respiration: The metabolic process of all living cells (animal and plant) in which oxygen is used to provide a source of energy for the cell. [NIH] Cell Transplantation: Transference of cells within an individual, between individuals of the same species, or between individuals of different species. [NIH]
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Cellobiose: A disaccharide consisting of two glucose units in beta (1-4) glycosidic linkage. Obtained from the partial hydrolysis of cellulose. [NIH] Cellulose: A polysaccharide with glucose units linked as in cellobiose. It is the chief constituent of plant fibers, cotton being the purest natural form of the substance. As a raw material, it forms the basis for many derivatives used in chromatography, ion exchange materials, explosives manufacturing, and pharmaceutical preparations. [NIH] Central Nervous System: The main information-processing organs of the nervous system, consisting of the brain, spinal cord, and meninges. [NIH] Cerebellar: Pertaining to the cerebellum. [EU] Cerebellum: Part of the metencephalon that lies in the posterior cranial fossa behind the brain stem. It is concerned with the coordination of movement. [NIH] Cerebral: Of or pertaining of the cerebrum or the brain. [EU] Cerebral hemispheres: The two halves of the cerebrum, the part of the brain that controls muscle functions of the body and also controls speech, emotions, reading, writing, and learning. The right hemisphere controls muscle movement on the left side of the body, and the left hemisphere controls muscle movement on the right side of the body. [NIH] Cerebrovascular: Pertaining to the blood vessels of the cerebrum, or brain. [EU] Cerebrum: The largest part of the brain. It is divided into two hemispheres, or halves, called the cerebral hemispheres. The cerebrum controls muscle functions of the body and also controls speech, emotions, reading, writing, and learning. [NIH] Cervical: Relating to the neck, or to the neck of any organ or structure. Cervical lymph nodes are located in the neck; cervical cancer refers to cancer of the uterine cervix, which is the lower, narrow end (the "neck") of the uterus. [NIH] Cervix: The lower, narrow end of the uterus that forms a canal between the uterus and vagina. [NIH] Chemotherapy: Treatment with anticancer drugs. [NIH] Cholesterol: The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils. [NIH] Choline: A basic constituent of lecithin that is found in many plants and animal organs. It is important as a precursor of acetylcholine, as a methyl donor in various metabolic processes, and in lipid metabolism. [NIH] Chromatin: The material of chromosomes. It is a complex of DNA, histones, and nonhistone proteins (chromosomal proteins, non-histone) found within the nucleus of a cell. [NIH] Chromosomal: Pertaining to chromosomes. [EU] Chromosome: Part of a cell that contains genetic information. Except for sperm and eggs, all human cells contain 46 chromosomes. [NIH] Chronic: A disease or condition that persists or progresses over a long period of time. [NIH] Chronic Disease: Disease or ailment of long duration. [NIH] Chronic renal: Slow and progressive loss of kidney function over several years, often resulting in end-stage renal disease. People with end-stage renal disease need dialysis or transplantation to replace the work of the kidneys. [NIH] CIS: Cancer Information Service. The CIS is the National Cancer Institute's link to the public, interpreting and explaining research findings in a clear and understandable manner, and providing personalized responses to specific questions about cancer. Access the CIS by calling 1-800-4-CANCER, or by using the Web site at http://cis.nci.nih.gov. [NIH]
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Cisplatin: An inorganic and water-soluble platinum complex. After undergoing hydrolysis, it reacts with DNA to produce both intra and interstrand crosslinks. These crosslinks appear to impair replication and transcription of DNA. The cytotoxicity of cisplatin correlates with cellular arrest in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. [NIH] Cleave: A double-stranded cut in DNA with a restriction endonuclease. [NIH] Clinical Medicine: The study and practice of medicine by direct examination of the patient. [NIH]
Clinical trial: A research study that tests how well new medical treatments or other interventions work in people. Each study is designed to test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. [NIH] Cloning: The production of a number of genetically identical individuals; in genetic engineering, a process for the efficient replication of a great number of identical DNA molecules. [NIH] Coenzyme: An organic nonprotein molecule, frequently a phosphorylated derivative of a water-soluble vitamin, that binds with the protein molecule (apoenzyme) to form the active enzyme (holoenzyme). [EU] Cofactor: A substance, microorganism or environmental factor that activates or enhances the action of another entity such as a disease-causing agent. [NIH] Colitis: Inflammation of the colon. [NIH] Colorectal: Having to do with the colon or the rectum. [NIH] Colorectal Cancer: Cancer that occurs in the colon (large intestine) or the rectum (the end of the large intestine). A number of digestive diseases may increase a person's risk of colorectal cancer, including polyposis and Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome. [NIH] Combination chemotherapy: Treatment using more than one anticancer drug. [NIH] Complement: A term originally used to refer to the heat-labile factor in serum that causes immune cytolysis, the lysis of antibody-coated cells, and now referring to the entire functionally related system comprising at least 20 distinct serum proteins that is the effector not only of immune cytolysis but also of other biologic functions. Complement activation occurs by two different sequences, the classic and alternative pathways. The proteins of the classic pathway are termed 'components of complement' and are designated by the symbols C1 through C9. C1 is a calcium-dependent complex of three distinct proteins C1q, C1r and C1s. The proteins of the alternative pathway (collectively referred to as the properdin system) and complement regulatory proteins are known by semisystematic or trivial names. Fragments resulting from proteolytic cleavage of complement proteins are designated with lower-case letter suffixes, e.g., C3a. Inactivated fragments may be designated with the suffix 'i', e.g. C3bi. Activated components or complexes with biological activity are designated by a bar over the symbol e.g. C1 or C4b,2a. The classic pathway is activated by the binding of C1 to classic pathway activators, primarily antigen-antibody complexes containing IgM, IgG1, IgG3; C1q binds to a single IgM molecule or two adjacent IgG molecules. The alternative pathway can be activated by IgA immune complexes and also by nonimmunologic materials including bacterial endotoxins, microbial polysaccharides, and cell walls. Activation of the classic pathway triggers an enzymatic cascade involving C1, C4, C2 and C3; activation of the alternative pathway triggers a cascade involving C3 and factors B, D and P. Both result in the cleavage of C5 and the formation of the membrane attack complex. Complement activation also results in the formation of many biologically active complement fragments that act as anaphylatoxins, opsonins, or chemotactic factors. [EU] Complementary and alternative medicine: CAM. Forms of treatment that are used in addition to (complementary) or instead of (alternative) standard treatments. These practices
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are not considered standard medical approaches. CAM includes dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, herbal preparations, special teas, massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH] Complementary medicine: Practices not generally recognized by the medical community as standard or conventional medical approaches and used to enhance or complement the standard treatments. Complementary medicine includes the taking of dietary supplements, megadose vitamins, and herbal preparations; the drinking of special teas; and practices such as massage therapy, magnet therapy, spiritual healing, and meditation. [NIH] Complete remission: The disappearance of all signs of cancer. Also called a complete response. [NIH] Computational Biology: A field of biology concerned with the development of techniques for the collection and manipulation of biological data, and the use of such data to make biological discoveries or predictions. This field encompasses all computational methods and theories applicable to molecular biology and areas of computer-based techniques for solving biological problems including manipulation of models and datasets. [NIH] Conjugated: Acting or operating as if joined; simultaneous. [EU] Conjugation: 1. The act of joining together or the state of being conjugated. 2. A sexual process seen in bacteria, ciliate protozoa, and certain fungi in which nuclear material is exchanged during the temporary fusion of two cells (conjugants). In bacterial genetics a form of sexual reproduction in which a donor bacterium (male) contributes some, or all, of its DNA (in the form of a replicated set) to a recipient (female) which then incorporates differing genetic information into its own chromosome by recombination and passes the recombined set on to its progeny by replication. In ciliate protozoa, two conjugants of separate mating types exchange micronuclear material and then separate, each now being a fertilized cell. In certain fungi, the process involves fusion of two gametes, resulting in union of their nuclei and formation of a zygote. 3. In chemistry, the joining together of two compounds to produce another compound, such as the combination of a toxic product with some substance in the body to form a detoxified product, which is then eliminated. [EU] Connective Tissue: Tissue that supports and binds other tissues. It consists of connective tissue cells embedded in a large amount of extracellular matrix. [NIH] Connective Tissue: Tissue that supports and binds other tissues. It consists of connective tissue cells embedded in a large amount of extracellular matrix. [NIH] Constitutional: 1. Affecting the whole constitution of the body; not local. 2. Pertaining to the constitution. [EU] Constriction: The act of constricting. [NIH] Consumption: Pulmonary tuberculosis. [NIH] Contraindications: Any factor or sign that it is unwise to pursue a certain kind of action or treatment, e. g. giving a general anesthetic to a person with pneumonia. [NIH] Coordination: Muscular or motor regulation or the harmonious cooperation of muscles or groups of muscles, in a complex action or series of actions. [NIH] Coronary: Encircling in the manner of a crown; a term applied to vessels; nerves, ligaments, etc. The term usually denotes the arteries that supply the heart muscle and, by extension, a pathologic involvement of them. [EU] Coronary heart disease: A type of heart disease caused by narrowing of the coronary arteries that feed the heart, which needs a constant supply of oxygen and nutrients carried by the blood in the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries become narrowed or clogged by fat and cholesterol deposits and cannot supply enough blood to the heart, CHD
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results. [NIH] Coronary Thrombosis: Presence of a thrombus in a coronary artery, often causing a myocardial infarction. [NIH] Cortex: The outer layer of an organ or other body structure, as distinguished from the internal substance. [EU] Cranial: Pertaining to the cranium, or to the anterior (in animals) or superior (in humans) end of the body. [EU] Curative: Tending to overcome disease and promote recovery. [EU] Cyclic: Pertaining to or occurring in a cycle or cycles; the term is applied to chemical compounds that contain a ring of atoms in the nucleus. [EU] Cytokine: Small but highly potent protein that modulates the activity of many cell types, including T and B cells. [NIH] Cytoplasm: The protoplasm of a cell exclusive of that of the nucleus; it consists of a continuous aqueous solution (cytosol) and the organelles and inclusions suspended in it (phaneroplasm), and is the site of most of the chemical activities of the cell. [EU] Cytotoxic: Cell-killing. [NIH] Cytotoxicity: Quality of being capable of producing a specific toxic action upon cells of special organs. [NIH] Databases, Bibliographic: Extensive collections, reputedly complete, of references and citations to books, articles, publications, etc., generally on a single subject or specialized subject area. Databases can operate through automated files, libraries, or computer disks. The concept should be differentiated from factual databases which is used for collections of data and facts apart from bibliographic references to them. [NIH] Daunorubicin: Very toxic anthracycline aminoglycoside antibiotic isolated from Streptomyces peucetius and others, used in treatment of leukemias and other neoplasms. [NIH]
Death Certificates: Official records of individual deaths including the cause of death certified by a physician, and any other required identifying information. [NIH] Decision Making: The process of making a selective intellectual judgment when presented with several complex alternatives consisting of several variables, and usually defining a course of action or an idea. [NIH] Deletion: A genetic rearrangement through loss of segments of DNA (chromosomes), bringing sequences, which are normally separated, into close proximity. [NIH] Dendrites: Extensions of the nerve cell body. They are short and branched and receive stimuli from other neurons. [NIH] Dendritic: 1. Branched like a tree. 2. Pertaining to or possessing dendrites. [EU] Dendritic cell: A special type of antigen-presenting cell (APC) that activates T lymphocytes. [NIH]
Density: The logarithm to the base 10 of the opacity of an exposed and processed film. [NIH] Depolarization: The process or act of neutralizing polarity. In neurophysiology, the reversal of the resting potential in excitable cell membranes when stimulated, i.e., the tendency of the cell membrane potential to become positive with respect to the potential outside the cell. [EU] Diabetes Mellitus: A heterogeneous group of disorders that share glucose intolerance in common. [NIH] Diagnostic Imaging: Any visual display of structural or functional patterns of organs or
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tissues for diagnostic evaluation. It includes measuring physiologic and metabolic responses to physical and chemical stimuli, as well as ultramicroscopy. [NIH] Diagnostic procedure: A method used to identify a disease. [NIH] Diffusion: The tendency of a gas or solute to pass from a point of higher pressure or concentration to a point of lower pressure or concentration and to distribute itself throughout the available space; a major mechanism of biological transport. [NIH] Digestion: The process of breakdown of food for metabolism and use by the body. [NIH] Digestive system: The organs that take in food and turn it into products that the body can use to stay healthy. Waste products the body cannot use leave the body through bowel movements. The digestive system includes the salivary glands, mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, small and large intestines, and rectum. [NIH] Dilatation: The act of dilating. [NIH] Direct: 1. Straight; in a straight line. 2. Performed immediately and without the intervention of subsidiary means. [EU] Diuresis: Increased excretion of urine. [EU] Dorsal: 1. Pertaining to the back or to any dorsum. 2. Denoting a position more toward the back surface than some other object of reference; same as posterior in human anatomy; superior in the anatomy of quadrupeds. [EU] Doxorubicin: Antineoplastic antibiotic obtained from Streptomyces peucetics. It is a hydroxy derivative of daunorubicin and is used in treatment of both leukemia and solid tumors. [NIH] Drug Interactions: The action of a drug that may affect the activity, metabolism, or toxicity of another drug. [NIH] Duodenum: The first part of the small intestine. [NIH] Dysarthria: Imperfect articulation of speech due to disturbances of muscular control which result from damage to the central or peripheral nervous system. [EU] Dysplasia: Cells that look abnormal under a microscope but are not cancer. [NIH] Dystrophy: Any disorder arising from defective or faulty nutrition, especially the muscular dystrophies. [EU] Efficacy: The extent to which a specific intervention, procedure, regimen, or service produces a beneficial result under ideal conditions. Ideally, the determination of efficacy is based on the results of a randomized control trial. [NIH] Electrolysis: Destruction by passage of a galvanic electric current, as in disintegration of a chemical compound in solution. [NIH] Electrolyte: A substance that dissociates into ions when fused or in solution, and thus becomes capable of conducting electricity; an ionic solute. [EU] Electromagnetic Fields: Fields representing the joint interplay of electric and magnetic forces. [NIH] Electrons: Stable elementary particles having the smallest known negative charge, present in all elements; also called negatrons. Positively charged electrons are called positrons. The numbers, energies and arrangement of electrons around atomic nuclei determine the chemical identities of elements. Beams of electrons are called cathode rays or beta rays, the latter being a high-energy biproduct of nuclear decay. [NIH] Elementary Particles: Individual components of atoms, usually subatomic; subnuclear particles are usually detected only when the atomic nucleus decays and then only
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transiently, as most of them are unstable, often yielding pure energy without substance, i.e., radiation. [NIH] Embryo: The prenatal stage of mammalian development characterized by rapid morphological changes and the differentiation of basic structures. [NIH] Endemic: Present or usually prevalent in a population or geographical area at all times; said of a disease or agent. Called also endemial. [EU] Endoscope: A thin, lighted tube used to look at tissues inside the body. [NIH] Endoscopic: A technique where a lateral-view endoscope is passed orally to the duodenum for visualization of the ampulla of Vater. [NIH] Endothelial cell: The main type of cell found in the inside lining of blood vessels, lymph vessels, and the heart. [NIH] End-stage renal: Total chronic kidney failure. When the kidneys fail, the body retains fluid and harmful wastes build up. A person with ESRD needs treatment to replace the work of the failed kidneys. [NIH] Enhancer: Transcriptional element in the virus genome. [NIH] Enteropeptidase: A specialized proteolytic enzyme secreted by intestinal cells. It converts trypsinogen into its active form trypsin by removing the N-terminal peptide. EC 3.4.21.9. [NIH]
Environmental Exposure: The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals. [NIH] Environmental Health: The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health. [NIH]
Enzyme: A protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body. [NIH] Epidemic: Occurring suddenly in numbers clearly in excess of normal expectancy; said especially of infectious diseases but applied also to any disease, injury, or other healthrelated event occurring in such outbreaks. [EU] Epidemiological: Relating to, or involving epidemiology. [EU] Epidermal: Pertaining to or resembling epidermis. Called also epidermic or epidermoid. [EU] Epidermal Growth Factor: A 6 kD polypeptide growth factor initially discovered in mouse submaxillary glands. Human epidermal growth factor was originally isolated from urine based on its ability to inhibit gastric secretion and called urogastrone. epidermal growth factor exerts a wide variety of biological effects including the promotion of proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal and epithelial cells. [NIH] Epidermis: Nonvascular layer of the skin. It is made up, from within outward, of five layers: 1) basal layer (stratum basale epidermidis); 2) spinous layer (stratum spinosum epidermidis); 3) granular layer (stratum granulosum epidermidis); 4) clear layer (stratum lucidum epidermidis); and 5) horny layer (stratum corneum epidermidis). [NIH] Epithelial: Refers to the cells that line the internal and external surfaces of the body. [NIH] Epithelial Cells: Cells that line the inner and outer surfaces of the body. [NIH] Erythrocytes: Red blood cells. Mature erythrocytes are non-nucleated, biconcave disks containing hemoglobin whose function is to transport oxygen. [NIH] Esophageal: Having to do with the esophagus, the muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach. [NIH]
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Esophagus: The muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach. [NIH]
Essential Tremor: A rhythmic, involuntary, purposeless, oscillating movement resulting from the alternate contraction and relaxation of opposing groups of muscles. [NIH] Eukaryotic Cells: Cells of the higher organisms, containing a true nucleus bounded by a nuclear membrane. [NIH] Expiration: The act of breathing out, or expelling air from the lungs. [EU] Expiratory: The volume of air which leaves the breathing organs in each expiration. [NIH] External-beam radiation: Radiation therapy that uses a machine to aim high-energy rays at the cancer. Also called external radiation. [NIH] Extracellular: Outside a cell or cells. [EU] Extraction: The process or act of pulling or drawing out. [EU] Family Planning: Programs or services designed to assist the family in controlling reproduction by either improving or diminishing fertility. [NIH] Fat: Total lipids including phospholipids. [NIH] Fatigue: The state of weariness following a period of exertion, mental or physical, characterized by a decreased capacity for work and reduced efficiency to respond to stimuli. [NIH]
Fetus: The developing offspring from 7 to 8 weeks after conception until birth. [NIH] Fibroblast Growth Factor: Peptide isolated from the pituitary gland and from the brain. It is a potent mitogen which stimulates growth of a variety of mesodermal cells including chondrocytes, granulosa, and endothelial cells. The peptide may be active in wound healing and animal limb regeneration. [NIH] Fibrosis: Any pathological condition where fibrous connective tissue invades any organ, usually as a consequence of inflammation or other injury. [NIH] Flavopiridol: Belongs to the family of anticancer drugs called flavinols. [NIH] Fluorescence: The property of emitting radiation while being irradiated. The radiation emitted is usually of longer wavelength than that incident or absorbed, e.g., a substance can be irradiated with invisible radiation and emit visible light. X-ray fluorescence is used in diagnosis. [NIH] Fold: A plication or doubling of various parts of the body. [NIH] Forearm: The part between the elbow and the wrist. [NIH] Fossa: A cavity, depression, or pit. [NIH] Fungi: A kingdom of eukaryotic, heterotrophic organisms that live as saprobes or parasites, including mushrooms, yeasts, smuts, molds, etc. They reproduce either sexually or asexually, and have life cycles that range from simple to complex. Filamentous fungi refer to those that grow as multicelluar colonies (mushrooms and molds). [NIH] Gadolinium: An element of the rare earth family of metals. It has the atomic symbol Gd, atomic number 64, and atomic weight 157.25. Its oxide is used in the control rods of some nuclear reactors. [NIH] Gallbladder: The pear-shaped organ that sits below the liver. Bile is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder. [NIH] Gamma Rays: Very powerful and penetrating, high-energy electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength than that of x-rays. They are emitted by a decaying nucleus, usually between 0.01 and 10 MeV. They are also called nuclear x-rays. [NIH]
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Ganglia: Clusters of multipolar neurons surrounded by a capsule of loosely organized connective tissue located outside the central nervous system. [NIH] Ganglioside: Protein kinase C's inhibitor which reduces ischemia-related brain damage. [NIH]
Gas: Air that comes from normal breakdown of food. The gases are passed out of the body through the rectum (flatus) or the mouth (burp). [NIH] Gastric: Having to do with the stomach. [NIH] Gastrointestinal: Refers to the stomach and intestines. [NIH] Gene: The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein. [NIH]
Gene Expression: The phenotypic manifestation of a gene or genes by the processes of gene action. [NIH] Genetic Code: The specifications for how information, stored in nucleic acid sequence (base sequence), is translated into protein sequence (amino acid sequence). The start, stop, and order of amino acids of a protein is specified by consecutive triplets of nucleotides called codons (codon). [NIH] Genetic Engineering: Directed modification of the gene complement of a living organism by such techniques as altering the DNA, substituting genetic material by means of a virus, transplanting whole nuclei, transplanting cell hybrids, etc. [NIH] Genetics: The biological science that deals with the phenomena and mechanisms of heredity. [NIH] Germ Cells: The reproductive cells in multicellular organisms. [NIH] Gestation: The period of development of the young in viviparous animals, from the time of fertilization of the ovum until birth. [EU] Gland: An organ that produces and releases one or more substances for use in the body. Some glands produce fluids that affect tissues or organs. Others produce hormones or participate in blood production. [NIH] Glioblastoma: A malignant form of astrocytoma histologically characterized by pleomorphism of cells, nuclear atypia, microhemorrhage, and necrosis. They may arise in any region of the central nervous system, with a predilection for the cerebral hemispheres, basal ganglia, and commissural pathways. Clinical presentation most frequently occurs in the fifth or sixth decade of life with focal neurologic signs or seizures. [NIH] Glioblastoma multiforme: A type of brain tumor that forms from glial (supportive) tissue of the brain. It grows very quickly and has cells that look very different from normal cells. Also called grade IV astrocytoma. [NIH] Glioma: A cancer of the brain that comes from glial, or supportive, cells. [NIH] Glucose: D-Glucose. A primary source of energy for living organisms. It is naturally occurring and is found in fruits and other parts of plants in its free state. It is used therapeutically in fluid and nutrient replacement. [NIH] Governing Board: The group in which legal authority is vested for the control of healthrelated institutions and organizations. [NIH] Grade: The grade of a tumor depends on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope and how quickly the tumor is likely to grow and spread. Grading systems are different for each type of cancer. [NIH] Graft: Healthy skin, bone, or other tissue taken from one part of the body and used to
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replace diseased or injured tissue removed from another part of the body. [NIH] Graft Rejection: An immune response with both cellular and humoral components, directed against an allogeneic transplant, whose tissue antigens are not compatible with those of the recipient. [NIH] Granulocytes: Leukocytes with abundant granules in the cytoplasm. They are divided into three groups: neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils. [NIH] Gravis: Eruption of watery blisters on the skin among those handling animals and animal products. [NIH] Growth: The progressive development of a living being or part of an organism from its earliest stage to maturity. [NIH] Habitat: An area considered in terms of its environment, particularly as this determines the type and quality of the vegetation the area can carry. [NIH] Headache: Pain in the cranial region that may occur as an isolated and benign symptom or as a manifestation of a wide variety of conditions including subarachnoid hemorrhage; craniocerebral trauma; central nervous system infections; intracranial hypertension; and other disorders. In general, recurrent headaches that are not associated with a primary disease process are referred to as headache disorders (e.g., migraine). [NIH] Heart attack: A seizure of weak or abnormal functioning of the heart. [NIH] Heme: The color-furnishing portion of hemoglobin. It is found free in tissues and as the prosthetic group in many hemeproteins. [NIH] Hemoglobin: One of the fractions of glycosylated hemoglobin A1c. Glycosylated hemoglobin is formed when linkages of glucose and related monosaccharides bind to hemoglobin A and its concentration represents the average blood glucose level over the previous several weeks. HbA1c levels are used as a measure of long-term control of plasma glucose (normal, 4 to 6 percent). In controlled diabetes mellitus, the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin A is within the normal range, but in uncontrolled cases the level may be 3 to 4 times the normal conentration. Generally, complications are substantially lower among patients with Hb levels of 7 percent or less than in patients with HbA1c levels of 9 percent or more. [NIH] Hemoglobin A: Normal adult human hemoglobin. The globin moiety consists of two alpha and two beta chains. [NIH] Hemoglobinuria: The presence of free hemoglobin in the urine. [NIH] Hemolytic: A disease that affects the blood and blood vessels. It destroys red blood cells, cells that cause the blood to clot, and the lining of blood vessels. HUS is often caused by the Escherichia coli bacterium in contaminated food. People with HUS may develop acute renal failure. [NIH] Hemorrhage: Bleeding or escape of blood from a vessel. [NIH] Hereditary: Of, relating to, or denoting factors that can be transmitted genetically from one generation to another. [NIH] Heredity: 1. The genetic transmission of a particular quality or trait from parent to offspring. 2. The genetic constitution of an individual. [EU] Herpes: Any inflammatory skin disease caused by a herpesvirus and characterized by the formation of clusters of small vesicles. When used alone, the term may refer to herpes simplex or to herpes zoster. [EU] Herpes virus: A member of the herpes family of viruses. [NIH] Herpes Zoster: Acute vesicular inflammation. [NIH]
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Homogeneous: Consisting of or composed of similar elements or ingredients; of a uniform quality throughout. [EU] Homologous: Corresponding in structure, position, origin, etc., as (a) the feathers of a bird and the scales of a fish, (b) antigen and its specific antibody, (c) allelic chromosomes. [EU] Hormonal: Pertaining to or of the nature of a hormone. [EU] Hormone: A substance in the body that regulates certain organs. Hormones such as gastrin help in breaking down food. Some hormones come from cells in the stomach and small intestine. [NIH] Host: Any animal that receives a transplanted graft. [NIH] Humoral: Of, relating to, proceeding from, or involving a bodily humour - now often used of endocrine factors as opposed to neural or somatic. [EU] Humour: 1. A normal functioning fluid or semifluid of the body (as the blood, lymph or bile) especially of vertebrates. 2. A secretion that is itself an excitant of activity (as certain hormones). [EU] Hydrogen: The first chemical element in the periodic table. It has the atomic symbol H, atomic number 1, and atomic weight 1. It exists, under normal conditions, as a colorless, odorless, tasteless, diatomic gas. Hydrogen ions are protons. Besides the common H1 isotope, hydrogen exists as the stable isotope deuterium and the unstable, radioactive isotope tritium. [NIH] Hydrogen Peroxide: A strong oxidizing agent used in aqueous solution as a ripening agent, bleach, and topical anti-infective. It is relatively unstable and solutions deteriorate over time unless stabilized by the addition of acetanilide or similar organic materials. [NIH] Hydrolysis: The process of cleaving a chemical compound by the addition of a molecule of water. [NIH] Hypersensitivity: Altered reactivity to an antigen, which can result in pathologic reactions upon subsequent exposure to that particular antigen. [NIH] Hypertension: Persistently high arterial blood pressure. Currently accepted threshold levels are 140 mm Hg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure. [NIH] Id: The part of the personality structure which harbors the unconscious instinctive desires and strivings of the individual. [NIH] Imidazole: C3H4N2. The ring is present in polybenzimidazoles. [NIH] Immune response: The activity of the immune system against foreign substances (antigens). [NIH]
Immune system: The organs, cells, and molecules responsible for the recognition and disposal of foreign ("non-self") material which enters the body. [NIH] Immunity: Nonsusceptibility to the invasive or pathogenic microorganisms or to the toxic effect of antigenic substances. [NIH]
effects
of
foreign
Immunization: Deliberate stimulation of the host's immune response. Active immunization involves administration of antigens or immunologic adjuvants. Passive immunization involves administration of immune sera or lymphocytes or their extracts (e.g., transfer factor, immune RNA) or transplantation of immunocompetent cell producing tissue (thymus or bone marrow). [NIH] Immunodeficiency: The decreased ability of the body to fight infection and disease. [NIH] Immunofluorescence: A technique for identifying molecules present on the surfaces of cells or in tissues using a highly fluorescent substance coupled to a specific antibody. [NIH]
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Immunoglobulin: A protein that acts as an antibody. [NIH] Immunologic: The ability of the antibody-forming system to recall a previous experience with an antigen and to respond to a second exposure with the prompt production of large amounts of antibody. [NIH] Immunology: The study of the body's immune system. [NIH] Immunosuppressive: Describes the ability to lower immune system responses. [NIH] Immunosuppressive therapy: Therapy used to decrease the body's immune response, such as drugs given to prevent transplant rejection. [NIH] Immunotherapy: Manipulation of the host's immune system in treatment of disease. It includes both active and passive immunization as well as immunosuppressive therapy to prevent graft rejection. [NIH] Impairment: In the context of health experience, an impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function. [NIH] Implant radiation: A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near the tumor. Also called [NIH] In situ: In the natural or normal place; confined to the site of origin without invasion of neighbouring tissues. [EU] In Situ Hybridization: A technique that localizes specific nucleic acid sequences within intact chromosomes, eukaryotic cells, or bacterial cells through the use of specific nucleic acid-labeled probes. [NIH] In vitro: In the laboratory (outside the body). The opposite of in vivo (in the body). [NIH] In vivo: In the body. The opposite of in vitro (outside the body or in the laboratory). [NIH] Incision: A cut made in the body during surgery. [NIH] Indicative: That indicates; that points out more or less exactly; that reveals fairly clearly. [EU] Induction: The act or process of inducing or causing to occur, especially the production of a specific morphogenetic effect in the developing embryo through the influence of evocators or organizers, or the production of anaesthesia or unconsciousness by use of appropriate agents. [EU] Infarction: A pathological process consisting of a sudden insufficient blood supply to an area, which results in necrosis of that area. It is usually caused by a thrombus, an embolus, or a vascular torsion. [NIH] Infection: 1. Invasion and multiplication of microorganisms in body tissues, which may be clinically unapparent or result in local cellular injury due to competitive metabolism, toxins, intracellular replication, or antigen-antibody response. The infection may remain localized, subclinical, and temporary if the body's defensive mechanisms are effective. A local infection may persist and spread by extension to become an acute, subacute, or chronic clinical infection or disease state. A local infection may also become systemic when the microorganisms gain access to the lymphatic or vascular system. 2. An infectious disease. [EU]
Infiltration: The diffusion or accumulation in a tissue or cells of substances not normal to it or in amounts of the normal. Also, the material so accumulated. [EU] Inflammation: A pathological process characterized by injury or destruction of tissues caused by a variety of cytologic and chemical reactions. It is usually manifested by typical signs of pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. [NIH] Information Systems: Integrated set of files, procedures, and equipment for the storage, manipulation, and retrieval of information. [NIH]
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Infusion: A method of putting fluids, including drugs, into the bloodstream. Also called intravenous infusion. [NIH] Inorganic: Pertaining to substances not of organic origin. [EU] Insecticides: Pesticides designed to control insects that are harmful to man. The insects may be directly harmful, as those acting as disease vectors, or indirectly harmful, as destroyers of crops, food products, or textile fabrics. [NIH] Insulator: Material covering the metal conductor of the lead. It is usually polyurethane or silicone. [NIH] Internal radiation: A procedure in which radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is placed directly into or near the tumor. Also called brachytherapy, implant radiation, or interstitial radiation therapy. [NIH] Interstitial: Pertaining to or situated between parts or in the interspaces of a tissue. [EU] Intestinal: Having to do with the intestines. [NIH] Intestine: A long, tube-shaped organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion. There is both a large intestine and a small intestine. Also called the bowel. [NIH] Intracellular: Inside a cell. [NIH] Intracranial tumors: Tumors that occur in the brain. [NIH] Intravenous: IV. Into a vein. [NIH] Invasive: 1. Having the quality of invasiveness. 2. Involving puncture or incision of the skin or insertion of an instrument or foreign material into the body; said of diagnostic techniques. [EU]
Involuntary: Reaction occurring without intention or volition. [NIH] Ion Channels: Gated, ion-selective glycoproteins that traverse membranes. The stimulus for channel gating can be a membrane potential, drug, transmitter, cytoplasmic messenger, or a mechanical deformation. Ion channels which are integral parts of ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors are not included. [NIH] Ionization: 1. Any process by which a neutral atom gains or loses electrons, thus acquiring a net charge, as the dissociation of a substance in solution into ions or ion production by the passage of radioactive particles. 2. Iontophoresis. [EU] Ionizing: Radiation comprising charged particles, e. g. electrons, protons, alpha-particles, etc., having sufficient kinetic energy to produce ionization by collision. [NIH] Ions: An atom or group of atoms that have a positive or negative electric charge due to a gain (negative charge) or loss (positive charge) of one or more electrons. Atoms with a positive charge are known as cations; those with a negative charge are anions. [NIH] Irradiation: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy) or from materials called radioisotopes. Radioisotopes produce radiation and can be placed in or near the tumor or in the area near cancer cells. This type of radiation treatment is called internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, interstitial radiation, or brachytherapy. Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body. Irradiation is also called radiation therapy, radiotherapy, and x-ray therapy. [NIH] Ischemia: Deficiency of blood in a part, due to functional constriction or actual obstruction of a blood vessel. [EU] Joint: The point of contact between elements of an animal skeleton with the parts that surround and support it. [NIH]
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Kb: A measure of the length of DNA fragments, 1 Kb = 1000 base pairs. The largest DNA fragments are up to 50 kilobases long. [NIH] Kidney Disease: Any one of several chronic conditions that are caused by damage to the cells of the kidney. People who have had diabetes for a long time may have kidney damage. Also called nephropathy. [NIH] Kinetic: Pertaining to or producing motion. [EU] Lactation: The period of the secretion of milk. [EU] Large Intestine: The part of the intestine that goes from the cecum to the rectum. The large intestine absorbs water from stool and changes it from a liquid to a solid form. The large intestine is 5 feet long and includes the appendix, cecum, colon, and rectum. Also called colon. [NIH] Laser therapy: The use of an intensely powerful beam of light to kill cancer cells. [NIH] Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change. [NIH] Lethal: Deadly, fatal. [EU] Leucocyte: All the white cells of the blood and their precursors (myeloid cell series, lymphoid cell series) but commonly used to indicate granulocytes exclusive of lymphocytes. [NIH]
Leukaemia: An acute or chronic disease of unknown cause in man and other warm-blooded animals that involves the blood-forming organs, is characterized by an abnormal increase in the number of leucocytes in the tissues of the body with or without a corresponding increase of those in the circulating blood, and is classified according of the type leucocyte most prominently involved. [EU] Leukemia: Cancer of blood-forming tissue. [NIH] Leukocytes: White blood cells. These include granular leukocytes (basophils, eosinophils, and neutrophils) as well as non-granular leukocytes (lymphocytes and monocytes). [NIH] Library Services: Services offered to the library user. They include reference and circulation. [NIH]
Ligament: A band of fibrous tissue that connects bones or cartilages, serving to support and strengthen joints. [EU] Ligands: A RNA simulation method developed by the MIT. [NIH] Linkage: The tendency of two or more genes in the same chromosome to remain together from one generation to the next more frequently than expected according to the law of independent assortment. [NIH] Lipid: Fat. [NIH] Liver: A large, glandular organ located in the upper abdomen. The liver cleanses the blood and aids in digestion by secreting bile. [NIH] Liver cancer: A disease in which malignant (cancer) cells are found in the tissues of the liver. [NIH]
Liver metastases: Cancer that has spread from the original (primary) tumor to the liver. [NIH]
Localized: Cancer which has not metastasized yet. [NIH] Lovastatin: A fungal metabolite isolated from cultures of Aspergillus terreus. The compound is a potent anticholesteremic agent. It inhibits 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA reductases), which is the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol biosynthesis. It also stimulates the production of low-density lipoprotein receptors in the liver. [NIH]
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Low-density lipoprotein: Lipoprotein that contains most of the cholesterol in the blood. LDL carries cholesterol to the tissues of the body, including the arteries. A high level of LDL increases the risk of heart disease. LDL typically contains 60 to 70 percent of the total serum cholesterol and both are directly correlated with CHD risk. [NIH] Lutetium: Lutetium. An element of the rare earth family of metals. It has the atomic symbol Lu, atomic number 71, and atomic weight 175. [NIH] Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system and carries cells that help fight infection and disease. [NIH] Lymph node: A rounded mass of lymphatic tissue that is surrounded by a capsule of connective tissue. Also known as a lymph gland. Lymph nodes are spread out along lymphatic vessels and contain many lymphocytes, which filter the lymphatic fluid (lymph). [NIH]
Lymphatic: The tissues and organs, including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and lymph nodes, that produce and store cells that fight infection and disease. [NIH] Lymphatic system: The tissues and organs that produce, store, and carry white blood cells that fight infection and other diseases. This system includes the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, lymph nodes and a network of thin tubes that carry lymph and white blood cells. These tubes branch, like blood vessels, into all the tissues of the body. [NIH] Lymphocyte: A white blood cell. Lymphocytes have a number of roles in the immune system, including the production of antibodies and other substances that fight infection and diseases. [NIH] Lymphoid: Referring to lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Also refers to tissue in which lymphocytes develop. [NIH] Lymphoma: A general term for various neoplastic diseases of the lymphoid tissue. [NIH] Lysine: An essential amino acid. It is often added to animal feed. [NIH] Macula: A stain, spot, or thickening. Often used alone to refer to the macula retinae. [EU] Macula Lutea: An oval area in the retina, 3 to 5 mm in diameter, usually located temporal to the superior pole of the eye and slightly below the level of the optic disk. [NIH] Macular Degeneration: Degenerative changes in the macula lutea of the retina. [NIH] Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Non-invasive method of demonstrating internal anatomy based on the principle that atomic nuclei in a strong magnetic field absorb pulses of radiofrequency energy and emit them as radiowaves which can be reconstructed into computerized images. The concept includes proton spin tomographic techniques. [NIH] Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: Spectroscopic method of measuring the magnetic moment of elementary particles such as atomic nuclei, protons or electrons. It is employed in clinical applications such as NMR Tomography (magnetic resonance imaging). [NIH] Malabsorption: Impaired intestinal absorption of nutrients. [EU] Malignant: Cancerous; a growth with a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. [NIH] Malignant tumor: A tumor capable of metastasizing. [NIH] Malnutrition: A condition caused by not eating enough food or not eating a balanced diet. [NIH]
Meat: The edible portions of any animal used for food including domestic mammals (the major ones being cattle, swine, and sheep) along with poultry, fish, shellfish, and game. [NIH]
Meat Products: Articles of food which are derived by a process of manufacture from any
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portion of carcasses of any animal used for food (e.g., head cheese, sausage, scrapple). [NIH] MEDLINE: An online database of MEDLARS, the computerized bibliographic Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System of the National Library of Medicine. [NIH] Medulloblastoma: A malignant brain tumor that begins in the lower part of the brain and can spread to the spine or to other parts of the body. Medulloblastomas are sometimes called primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET). [NIH] Melanocytes: Epidermal dendritic pigment cells which control long-term morphological color changes by alteration in their number or in the amount of pigment they produce and store in the pigment containing organelles called melanosomes. Melanophores are larger cells which do not exist in mammals. [NIH] Melanoma: A form of skin cancer that arises in melanocytes, the cells that produce pigment. Melanoma usually begins in a mole. [NIH] Membrane: A very thin layer of tissue that covers a surface. [NIH] Memory: Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory. [NIH] Meninges: The three membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. [NIH] Meningioma: A type of tumor that occurs in the meninges, the membranes that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord. Meningiomas usually grow slowly. [NIH] Mental Disorders: Psychiatric illness or diseases manifested by breakdowns in the adaptational process expressed primarily as abnormalities of thought, feeling, and behavior producing either distress or impairment of function. [NIH] Mesenchymal: Refers to cells that develop into connective tissue, blood vessels, and lymphatic tissue. [NIH] Meta-Analysis: A quantitative method of combining the results of independent studies (usually drawn from the published literature) and synthesizing summaries and conclusions which may be used to evaluate therapeutic effectiveness, plan new studies, etc., with application chiefly in the areas of research and medicine. [NIH] Metabolite: Any substance produced by metabolism or by a metabolic process. [EU] Metastasis: The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. Tumors formed from cells that have spread are called "secondary tumors" and contain cells that are like those in the original (primary) tumor. The plural is metastases. [NIH] Metastasize: To spread from one part of the body to another. When cancer cells metastasize and form secondary tumors, the cells in the metastatic tumor are like those in the original (primary) tumor. [NIH] Metastatic: Having to do with metastasis, which is the spread of cancer from one part of the body to another. [NIH] Metastatic cancer: Cancer that has spread from the place in which it started to other parts of the body. [NIH] MI: Myocardial infarction. Gross necrosis of the myocardium as a result of interruption of the blood supply to the area; it is almost always caused by atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries, upon which coronary thrombosis is usually superimposed. [NIH] Microbe: An organism which cannot be observed with the naked eye; e. g. unicellular animals, lower algae, lower fungi, bacteria. [NIH] Microorganism: An organism that can be seen only through a microscope. Microorganisms include bacteria, protozoa, algae, and fungi. Although viruses are not considered living
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organisms, they are sometimes classified as microorganisms. [NIH] Microspheres: Small uniformly-sized spherical particles frequently radioisotopes or various reagents acting as tags or markers. [NIH]
labeled
with
Mitosis: A method of indirect cell division by means of which the two daughter nuclei normally receive identical complements of the number of chromosomes of the somatic cells of the species. [NIH] Mitotic: Cell resulting from mitosis. [NIH] Modeling: A treatment procedure whereby the therapist presents the target behavior which the learner is to imitate and make part of his repertoire. [NIH] Modification: A change in an organism, or in a process in an organism, that is acquired from its own activity or environment. [NIH] Molecular: Of, pertaining to, or composed of molecules : a very small mass of matter. [EU] Molecule: A chemical made up of two or more atoms. The atoms in a molecule can be the same (an oxygen molecule has two oxygen atoms) or different (a water molecule has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom). Biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, can be made up of many thousands of atoms. [NIH] Monitor: An apparatus which automatically records such physiological signs as respiration, pulse, and blood pressure in an anesthetized patient or one undergoing surgical or other procedures. [NIH] Monoclonal: An antibody produced by culturing a single type of cell. It therefore consists of a single species of immunoglobulin molecules. [NIH] Monoclonal antibodies: Laboratory-produced substances that can locate and bind to cancer cells wherever they are in the body. Many monoclonal antibodies are used in cancer detection or therapy; each one recognizes a different protein on certain cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies can be used alone, or they can be used to deliver drugs, toxins, or radioactive material directly to a tumor. [NIH] Motion Sickness: Sickness caused by motion, as sea sickness, train sickness, car sickness, and air sickness. [NIH] Mucosa: A mucous membrane, or tunica mucosa. [EU] Multiple sclerosis: A disorder of the central nervous system marked by weakness, numbness, a loss of muscle coordination, and problems with vision, speech, and bladder control. Multiple sclerosis is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system destroys myelin. Myelin is a substance that contains both protein and fat (lipid) and serves as a nerve insulator and helps in the transmission of nerve signals. [NIH] Muscle Fibers: Large single cells, either cylindrical or prismatic in shape, that form the basic unit of muscle tissue. They consist of a soft contractile substance enclosed in a tubular sheath. [NIH] Muscular Atrophy: Derangement in size and number of muscle fibers occurring with aging, reduction in blood supply, or following immobilization, prolonged weightlessness, malnutrition, and particularly in denervation. [NIH] Muscular Dystrophies: A general term for a group of inherited disorders which are characterized by progressive degeneration of skeletal muscles. [NIH] Myasthenia: Muscular debility; any constitutional anomaly of muscle. [EU] Myelin: The fatty substance that covers and protects nerves. [NIH] Myocardial Reperfusion: Generally, restoration of blood supply to heart tissue which is ischemic due to decrease in normal blood supply. The decrease may result from any source
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including atherosclerotic obstruction, narrowing of the artery, or surgical clamping. Reperfusion can be induced to treat ischemia. Methods include chemical dissolution of an occluding thrombus, administration of vasodilator drugs, angioplasty, catheterization, and artery bypass graft surgery. However, it is thought that reperfusion can itself further damage the ischemic tissue, causing myocardial reperfusion injury. [NIH] Myocardial Reperfusion Injury: Functional, metabolic, or structural changes in ischemic heart muscle thought to result from reperfusion to the ischemic areas. Changes can be fatal to muscle cells and may include edema with explosive cell swelling and disintegration, sarcolemma disruption, fragmentation of mitochondria, contraction band necrosis, enzyme washout, and calcium overload. Other damage may include hemorrhage and ventricular arrhythmias. One possible mechanism of damage is thought to be oxygen free radicals. Treatment currently includes the introduction of scavengers of oxygen free radicals, and injury is thought to be prevented by warm blood cardioplegic infusion prior to reperfusion. [NIH]
Myocardium: The muscle tissue of the heart composed of striated, involuntary muscle known as cardiac muscle. [NIH] Myoglobin: A conjugated protein which is the oxygen-transporting pigment of muscle. It is made up of one globin polypeptide chain and one heme group. [NIH] Myotonic Dystrophy: A condition presenting muscle weakness and wasting which may be progressive. [NIH] Nausea: An unpleasant sensation in the stomach usually accompanied by the urge to vomit. Common causes are early pregnancy, sea and motion sickness, emotional stress, intense pain, food poisoning, and various enteroviruses. [NIH] NCI: National Cancer Institute. NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, is the federal government's principal agency for cancer research. NCI conducts, coordinates, and funds cancer research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. Access the NCI Web site at http://cancer.gov. [NIH] Necrosis: A pathological process caused by the progressive degradative action of enzymes that is generally associated with severe cellular trauma. It is characterized by mitochondrial swelling, nuclear flocculation, uncontrolled cell lysis, and ultimately cell death. [NIH] Need: A state of tension or dissatisfaction felt by an individual that impels him to action toward a goal he believes will satisfy the impulse. [NIH] Neoplasia: Abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth. [NIH] Neoplasm: A new growth of benign or malignant tissue. [NIH] Neoplastic: Pertaining to or like a neoplasm (= any new and abnormal growth); pertaining to neoplasia (= the formation of a neoplasm). [EU] Nephropathy: Disease of the kidneys. [EU] Nerve: A cordlike structure of nervous tissue that connects parts of the nervous system with other tissues of the body and conveys nervous impulses to, or away from, these tissues. [NIH] Nervous System: The entire nerve apparatus composed of the brain, spinal cord, nerves and ganglia. [NIH] Neural: 1. Pertaining to a nerve or to the nerves. 2. Situated in the region of the spinal axis, as the neutral arch. [EU] Neuroblastoma: Cancer that arises in immature nerve cells and affects mostly infants and children. [NIH]
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Neuroectodermal Tumors: Malignant neoplasms arising in the neuroectoderm, the portion of the ectoderm of the early embryo that gives rise to the central and peripheral nervous systems, including some glial cells. [NIH] Neurologic: Having to do with nerves or the nervous system. [NIH] Neurons: The basic cellular units of nervous tissue. Each neuron consists of a body, an axon, and dendrites. Their purpose is to receive, conduct, and transmit impulses in the nervous system. [NIH] Neurosurgeon: A doctor who specializes in surgery on the brain, spine, and other parts of the nervous system. [NIH] Neurosurgery: A surgical specialty concerned with the treatment of diseases and disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral and sympathetic nervous system. [NIH] Neutron Capture Therapy: A technique for the treatment of neoplasms in which an isotope is introduced into target cells followed by irradiation with thermal neutrons. [NIH] Neutrons: Electrically neutral elementary particles found in all atomic nuclei except light hydrogen; the mass is equal to that of the proton and electron combined and they are unstable when isolated from the nucleus, undergoing beta decay. Slow, thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons refer to the energy levels with which the neutrons are ejected from heavier nuclei during their decay. [NIH] Niche: The ultimate unit of the habitat, i. e. the specific spot occupied by an individual organism; by extension, the more or less specialized relationships existing between an organism, individual or synusia(e), and its environment. [NIH] Noel: The highest dose level of a chemical that, in a given toxicity test, causes no observable adverse effect in the test animals. [NIH] Nuclear: A test of the structure, blood flow, and function of the kidneys. The doctor injects a mildly radioactive solution into an arm vein and uses x-rays to monitor its progress through the kidneys. [NIH] Nuclei: A body of specialized protoplasm found in nearly all cells and containing the chromosomes. [NIH] Nucleic acid: Either of two types of macromolecule (DNA or RNA) formed by polymerization of nucleotides. Nucleic acids are found in all living cells and contain the information (genetic code) for the transfer of genetic information from one generation to the next. [NIH] Nucleus: A body of specialized protoplasm found in nearly all cells and containing the chromosomes. [NIH] Occupational Exposure: The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents that occurs as a result of one's occupation. [NIH] Odds Ratio: The ratio of two odds. The exposure-odds ratio for case control data is the ratio of the odds in favor of exposure among cases to the odds in favor of exposure among noncases. The disease-odds ratio for a cohort or cross section is the ratio of the odds in favor of disease among the exposed to the odds in favor of disease among the unexposed. The prevalence-odds ratio refers to an odds ratio derived cross-sectionally from studies of prevalent cases. [NIH] Oligodendroglial: A cell that lays down myelin. [NIH] Oligodendroglioma: A rare, slow-growing tumor that begins in brain cells called oligodendrocytes, which provide support and nourishment for cells that transmit nerve impulses. Also called oligodendroglial tumor. [NIH]
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Oncogene: A gene that normally directs cell growth. If altered, an oncogene can promote or allow the uncontrolled growth of cancer. Alterations can be inherited or caused by an environmental exposure to carcinogens. [NIH] Oncogenic: Chemical, viral, radioactive or other agent that causes cancer; carcinogenic. [NIH] Oncology: The study of cancer. [NIH] Optic Chiasm: The X-shaped structure formed by the meeting of the two optic nerves. At the optic chiasm the fibers from the medial part of each retina cross to project to the other side of the brain while the lateral retinal fibers continue on the same side. As a result each half of the brain receives information about the contralateral visual field from both eyes. [NIH]
Optic Nerve: The 2nd cranial nerve. The optic nerve conveys visual information from the retina to the brain. The nerve carries the axons of the retinal ganglion cells which sort at the optic chiasm and continue via the optic tracts to the brain. The largest projection is to the lateral geniculate nuclei; other important targets include the superior colliculi and the suprachiasmatic nuclei. Though known as the second cranial nerve, it is considered part of the central nervous system. [NIH] Organ Culture: The growth in aseptic culture of plant organs such as roots or shoots, beginning with organ primordia or segments and maintaining the characteristics of the organ. [NIH] Ovary: Either of the paired glands in the female that produce the female germ cells and secrete some of the female sex hormones. [NIH] Oxygen Consumption: The oxygen consumption is determined by calculating the difference between the amount of oxygen inhaled and exhaled. [NIH] Oxypurinol: A xanthine oxidase inhibitor. [NIH] Palate: The structure that forms the roof of the mouth. It consists of the anterior hard palate and the posterior soft palate. [NIH] Palliative: 1. Affording relief, but not cure. 2. An alleviating medicine. [EU] Pancreas: A mixed exocrine and endocrine gland situated transversely across the posterior abdominal wall in the epigastric and hypochondriac regions. The endocrine portion is comprised of the Islets of Langerhans, while the exocrine portion is a compound acinar gland that secretes digestive enzymes. [NIH] Pancreatic: Having to do with the pancreas. [NIH] Pancreatic cancer: Cancer of the pancreas, a salivary gland of the abdomen. [NIH] Parenchyma: The essential elements of an organ; used in anatomical nomenclature as a general term to designate the functional elements of an organ, as distinguished from its framework, or stroma. [EU] Paroxysmal: Recurring in paroxysms (= spasms or seizures). [EU] Partial remission: The shrinking, but not complete disappearance, of a tumor in response to therapy. Also called partial response. [NIH] Particle: A tiny mass of material. [EU] Pathogenesis: The cellular events and reactions that occur in the development of disease. [NIH]
Pathologic: 1. Indicative of or caused by a morbid condition. 2. Pertaining to pathology (= branch of medicine that treats the essential nature of the disease, especially the structural and functional changes in tissues and organs of the body caused by the disease). [EU] Pathologic Processes: The abnormal mechanisms and forms involved in the dysfunctions of
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tissues and organs. [NIH] PDQ: Physician Data Query. PDQ is an online database developed and maintained by the National Cancer Institute. Designed to make the most current, credible, and accurate cancer information available to health professionals and the public, PDQ contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care; a registry of cancer clinical trials from around the world; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care. Most of this information is available on the CancerNet Web site, and more specific information about PDQ can be found at http://cancernet.nci.nih.gov/pdq.html. [NIH] Pelvic: Pertaining to the pelvis. [EU] Peptide: Any compound consisting of two or more amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Peptides are combined to make proteins. [NIH] Perinatal: Pertaining to or occurring in the period shortly before and after birth; variously defined as beginning with completion of the twentieth to twenty-eighth week of gestation and ending 7 to 28 days after birth. [EU] Peripheral blood: Blood circulating throughout the body. [NIH] Peripheral stem cell transplantation: A method of replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by cancer treatment. Immature blood cells (stem cells) in the circulating blood that are similar to those in the bone marrow are given after treatment to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells. Transplantation may be autologous (an individual's own blood cells saved earlier), allogeneic (blood cells donated by someone else), or syngeneic (blood cells donated by an identical twin). Also called peripheral stem cell support. [NIH] Pesticides: Chemicals used to destroy pests of any sort. The concept includes fungicides (industrial fungicides), insecticides, rodenticides, etc. [NIH] Pharmaceutical Preparations: Drugs intended for human or veterinary use, presented in their finished dosage form. Included here are materials used in the preparation and/or formulation of the finished dosage form. [NIH] Pharmacologic: Pertaining to pharmacology or to the properties and reactions of drugs. [EU] Phenyl: Ingredient used in cold and flu remedies. [NIH] Phenylacetate: A drug being studied in the treatment of cancer. [NIH] Phenylbutyrate: An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of drugs called differentiating agents. [NIH] Phonation: The process of producing vocal sounds by means of vocal cords vibrating in an expiratory blast of air. [NIH] Phospholipases: A class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of phosphoglycerides or glycerophosphatidates. EC 3.1.-. [NIH] Photodynamic therapy: Treatment with drugs that become active when exposed to light. These drugs kill cancer cells. [NIH] Photosensitizer: A drug used in photodynamic therapy. When absorbed by cancer cells and exposed to light, the drug becomes active and kills the cancer cells. [NIH] Physiologic: Having to do with the functions of the body. When used in the phrase "physiologic age," it refers to an age assigned by general health, as opposed to calendar age. [NIH]
Pigment: A substance that gives color to tissue. Pigments are responsible for the color of skin, eyes, and hair. [NIH]
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Pituitary Gland: A small, unpaired gland situated in the sella turcica tissue. It is connected to the hypothalamus by a short stalk. [NIH] Plants: Multicellular, eukaryotic life forms of the kingdom Plantae. They are characterized by a mainly photosynthetic mode of nutrition; essentially unlimited growth at localized regions of cell divisions (meristems); cellulose within cells providing rigidity; the absence of organs of locomotion; absense of nervous and sensory systems; and an alteration of haploid and diploid generations. [NIH] Plasma: The clear, yellowish, fluid part of the blood that carries the blood cells. The proteins that form blood clots are in plasma. [NIH] Plasma cells: A type of white blood cell that produces antibodies. [NIH] Platelet Activation: A series of progressive, overlapping events triggered by exposure of the platelets to subendothelial tissue. These events include shape change, adhesiveness, aggregation, and release reactions. When carried through to completion, these events lead to the formation of a stable hemostatic plug. [NIH] Platinum: Platinum. A heavy, soft, whitish metal, resembling tin, atomic number 78, atomic weight 195.09, symbol Pt. (From Dorland, 28th ed) It is used in manufacturing equipment for laboratory and industrial use. It occurs as a black powder (platinum black) and as a spongy substance (spongy platinum) and may have been known in Pliny's time as "alutiae". [NIH]
Poisoning: A condition or physical state produced by the ingestion, injection or inhalation of, or exposure to a deleterious agent. [NIH] Polycystic: An inherited disorder characterized by many grape-like clusters of fluid-filled cysts that make both kidneys larger over time. These cysts take over and destroy working kidney tissue. PKD may cause chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease. [NIH] Polypeptide: A peptide which on hydrolysis yields more than two amino acids; called tripeptides, tetrapeptides, etc. according to the number of amino acids contained. [EU] Polyposis: The development of numerous polyps (growths that protrude from a mucous membrane). [NIH] Polysaccharide: A type of carbohydrate. It contains sugar molecules that are linked together chemically. [NIH] Pons: The part of the central nervous system lying between the medulla oblongata and the mesencephalon, ventral to the cerebellum, and consisting of a pars dorsalis and a pars ventralis. [NIH] Population Density: Number of individuals in a population relative to space. [NIH] Porphyrins: A group of compounds containing the porphin structure, four pyrrole rings connected by methine bridges in a cyclic configuration to which a variety of side chains are attached. The nature of the side chain is indicated by a prefix, as uroporphyrin, hematoporphyrin, etc. The porphyrins, in combination with iron, form the heme component in biologically significant compounds such as hemoglobin and myoglobin. [NIH] Posterior: Situated in back of, or in the back part of, or affecting the back or dorsal surface of the body. In lower animals, it refers to the caudal end of the body. [EU] Postsynaptic: Nerve potential generated by an inhibitory hyperpolarizing stimulation. [NIH] Potentiation: An overall effect of two drugs taken together which is greater than the sum of the effects of each drug taken alone. [NIH] Practice Guidelines: Directions or principles presenting current or future rules of policy for the health care practitioner to assist him in patient care decisions regarding diagnosis,
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therapy, or related clinical circumstances. The guidelines may be developed by government agencies at any level, institutions, professional societies, governing boards, or by the convening of expert panels. The guidelines form a basis for the evaluation of all aspects of health care and delivery. [NIH] Preclinical: Before a disease becomes clinically recognizable. [EU] Precursor: Something that precedes. In biological processes, a substance from which another, usually more active or mature substance is formed. In clinical medicine, a sign or symptom that heralds another. [EU] Prenatal: Existing or occurring before birth, with reference to the fetus. [EU] Prevalence: The total number of cases of a given disease in a specified population at a designated time. It is differentiated from incidence, which refers to the number of new cases in the population at a given time. [NIH] Primary tumor: The original tumor. [NIH] Primitive neuroectodermal tumors: PNET. A type of bone cancer that forms in the middle (shaft) of large bones. Also called Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor. [NIH] Probe: An instrument used in exploring cavities, or in the detection and dilatation of strictures, or in demonstrating the potency of channels; an elongated instrument for exploring or sounding body cavities. [NIH] Progeny: The offspring produced in any generation. [NIH] Progression: Increase in the size of a tumor or spread of cancer in the body. [NIH] Progressive: Advancing; going forward; going from bad to worse; increasing in scope or severity. [EU] Projection: A defense mechanism, operating unconsciously, whereby that which is emotionally unacceptable in the self is rejected and attributed (projected) to others. [NIH] Prophylaxis: An attempt to prevent disease. [NIH] Prostate: A gland in males that surrounds the neck of the bladder and the urethra. It secretes a substance that liquifies coagulated semen. It is situated in the pelvic cavity behind the lower part of the pubic symphysis, above the deep layer of the triangular ligament, and rests upon the rectum. [NIH] Protein S: The vitamin K-dependent cofactor of activated protein C. Together with protein C, it inhibits the action of factors VIIIa and Va. A deficiency in protein S can lead to recurrent venous and arterial thrombosis. [NIH] Proteins: Polymers of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. The specific sequence of amino acids determines the shape and function of the protein. [NIH] Protons: Stable elementary particles having the smallest known positive charge, found in the nuclei of all elements. The proton mass is less than that of a neutron. A proton is the nucleus of the light hydrogen atom, i.e., the hydrogen ion. [NIH] Protozoa: A subkingdom consisting of unicellular organisms that are the simplest in the animal kingdom. Most are free living. They range in size from submicroscopic to macroscopic. Protozoa are divided into seven phyla: Sarcomastigophora, Labyrinthomorpha, Apicomplexa, Microspora, Ascetospora, Myxozoa, and Ciliophora. [NIH] Proxy: A person authorized to decide or act for another person, for example, a person having durable power of attorney. [NIH] Public Policy: A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions. [NIH]
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Pulmonary: Relating to the lungs. [NIH] Pulmonary Artery: The short wide vessel arising from the conus arteriosus of the right ventricle and conveying unaerated blood to the lungs. [NIH] Pulse: The rhythmical expansion and contraction of an artery produced by waves of pressure caused by the ejection of blood from the left ventricle of the heart as it contracts. [NIH]
Quality of Life: A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral and social environment. [NIH] Quiescent: Marked by a state of inactivity or repose. [EU] Radar: A system using beamed and reflected radio signals to and from an object in such a way that range, bearing, and other characteristics of the object may be determined. [NIH] Radiation: Emission or propagation of electromagnetic energy (waves/rays), or the waves/rays themselves; a stream of electromagnetic particles (electrons, neutrons, protons, alpha particles) or a mixture of these. The most common source is the sun. [NIH] Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body in the area near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, or brachytherapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body. Also called radiotherapy. [NIH] Radioactive: Giving off radiation. [NIH] Radioimmunotherapy: Radiotherapy where cytotoxic radionuclides are linked to antibodies in order to deliver toxins directly to tumor targets. Therapy with targeted radiation rather than antibody-targeted toxins (immunotoxins) has the advantage that adjacent tumor cells, which lack the appropriate antigenic determinants, can be destroyed by radiation cross-fire. Radioimmunotherapy is sometimes called targeted radiotherapy, but this latter term can also refer to radionuclides linked to non-immune molecules (radiotherapy). [NIH] Radiolabeled: Any compound that has been joined with a radioactive substance. [NIH] Radiological: Pertaining to radiodiagnostic and radiotherapeutic procedures, and interventional radiology or other planning and guiding medical radiology. [NIH] Radiology: A specialty concerned with the use of x-ray and other forms of radiant energy in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. [NIH] Radiopharmaceutical: Any medicinal product which, when ready for use, contains one or more radionuclides (radioactive isotopes) included for a medicinal purpose. [NIH] Radiotherapy: The use of ionizing radiation to treat malignant neoplasms and other benign conditions. The most common forms of ionizing radiation used as therapy are x-rays, gamma rays, and electrons. A special form of radiotherapy, targeted radiotherapy, links a cytotoxic radionuclide to a molecule that targets the tumor. When this molecule is an antibody or other immunologic molecule, the technique is called radioimmunotherapy. [NIH] Randomized: Describes an experiment or clinical trial in which animal or human subjects are assigned by chance to separate groups that compare different treatments. [NIH] Receptor: A molecule inside or on the surface of a cell that binds to a specific substance and causes a specific physiologic effect in the cell. [NIH] Recombinant: A cell or an individual with a new combination of genes not found together in either parent; usually applied to linked genes. [EU]
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Recombination: The formation of new combinations of genes as a result of segregation in crosses between genetically different parents; also the rearrangement of linked genes due to crossing-over. [NIH] Rectum: The last 8 to 10 inches of the large intestine. [NIH] Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. [NIH] Red blood cells: RBCs. Cells that carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Also called erythrocytes. [NIH] Red Nucleus: A pinkish-yellow portion of the midbrain situated in the rostral mesencephalic tegmentum. It receives a large projection from the contralateral half of the cerebellum via the superior cerebellar peduncle and a projection from the ipsilateral motor cortex. [NIH] Reductase: Enzyme converting testosterone to dihydrotestosterone. [NIH] Refer: To send or direct for treatment, aid, information, de decision. [NIH] Refractory: Not readily yielding to treatment. [EU] Regeneration: The natural renewal of a structure, as of a lost tissue or part. [EU] Regimen: A treatment plan that specifies the dosage, the schedule, and the duration of treatment. [NIH] Registries: The systems and processes involved in the establishment, support, management, and operation of registers, e.g., disease registers. [NIH] Remission: A decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer. In partial remission, some, but not all, signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. In complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared, although there still may be cancer in the body. [NIH] Reperfusion: Restoration of blood supply to tissue which is ischemic due to decrease in normal blood supply. The decrease may result from any source including atherosclerotic obstruction, narrowing of the artery, or surgical clamping. It is primarily a procedure for treating infarction or other ischemia, by enabling viable ischemic tissue to recover, thus limiting further necrosis. However, it is thought that reperfusion can itself further damage the ischemic tissue, causing reperfusion injury. [NIH] Reperfusion Injury: Functional, metabolic, or structural changes, including necrosis, in ischemic tissues thought to result from reperfusion to ischemic areas of the tissue. The most common instance is myocardial reperfusion injury. [NIH] Resection: Removal of tissue or part or all of an organ by surgery. [NIH] Respiration: The act of breathing with the lungs, consisting of inspiration, or the taking into the lungs of the ambient air, and of expiration, or the expelling of the modified air which contains more carbon dioxide than the air taken in (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed.). This does not include tissue respiration (= oxygen consumption) or cell respiration (= cell respiration). [NIH] Retina: The ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. It is continuous with the optic nerve and receives images of external objects and transmits visual impulses to the brain. Its outer surface is in contact with the choroid and the inner surface with the vitreous body. The outer-most layer is pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent. [NIH] Retinal: 1. Pertaining to the retina. 2. The aldehyde of retinol, derived by the oxidative enzymatic splitting of absorbed dietary carotene, and having vitamin A activity. In the retina, retinal combines with opsins to form visual pigments. One isomer, 11-cis retinal combines with opsin in the rods (scotopsin) to form rhodopsin, or visual purple. Another,
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all-trans retinal (trans-r.); visual yellow; xanthopsin) results from the bleaching of rhodopsin by light, in which the 11-cis form is converted to the all-trans form. Retinal also combines with opsins in the cones (photopsins) to form the three pigments responsible for colour vision. Called also retinal, and retinene1. [EU] Retinal Ganglion Cells: Cells of the innermost nuclear layer of the retina, the ganglion cell layer, which project axons through the optic nerve to the brain. They are quite variable in size and in the shapes of their dendritic arbors, which are generally confined to the inner plexiform layer. [NIH] Retinoblastoma: An eye cancer that most often occurs in children younger than 5 years. It occurs in hereditary and nonhereditary (sporadic) forms. [NIH] Retinoid: Vitamin A or a vitamin A-like compound. [NIH] Rheumatism: A group of disorders marked by inflammation or pain in the connective tissue structures of the body. These structures include bone, cartilage, and fat. [NIH] Rheumatoid: Resembling rheumatism. [EU] Rheumatoid arthritis: A form of arthritis, the cause of which is unknown, although infection, hypersensitivity, hormone imbalance and psychologic stress have been suggested as possible causes. [NIH] Risk factor: A habit, trait, condition, or genetic alteration that increases a person's chance of developing a disease. [NIH] Rodenticides: Substances used to destroy or inhibit the action of rats, mice, or other rodents. [NIH]
Rods: One type of specialized light-sensitive cells (photoreceptors) in the retina that provide side vision and the ability to see objects in dim light (night vision). [NIH] Salivary: The duct that convey saliva to the mouth. [NIH] Salivary glands: Glands in the mouth that produce saliva. [NIH] Sarcoma: A connective tissue neoplasm formed by proliferation of mesodermal cells; it is usually highly malignant. [NIH] Schizophrenia: A mental disorder characterized by a special type of disintegration of the personality. [NIH] Sclerosis: A pathological process consisting of hardening or fibrosis of an anatomical structure, often a vessel or a nerve. [NIH] Screening: Checking for disease when there are no symptoms. [NIH] Secondary tumor: Cancer that has spread from the organ in which it first appeared to another organ. For example, breast cancer cells may spread (metastasize) to the lungs and cause the growth of a new tumor. When this happens, the disease is called metastatic breast cancer, and the tumor in the lungs is called a secondary tumor. Also called secondary cancer. [NIH] Secretion: 1. The process of elaborating a specific product as a result of the activity of a gland; this activity may range from separating a specific substance of the blood to the elaboration of a new chemical substance. 2. Any substance produced by secretion. [EU] Segregation: The separation in meiotic cell division of homologous chromosome pairs and their contained allelomorphic gene pairs. [NIH] Seizures: Clinical or subclinical disturbances of cortical function due to a sudden, abnormal, excessive, and disorganized discharge of brain cells. Clinical manifestations include abnormal motor, sensory and psychic phenomena. Recurrent seizures are usually referred to as epilepsy or "seizure disorder." [NIH]
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Semen: The thick, yellowish-white, viscid fluid secretion of male reproductive organs discharged upon ejaculation. In addition to reproductive organ secretions, it contains spermatozoa and their nutrient plasma. [NIH] Semisynthetic: Produced by chemical manipulation of naturally occurring substances. [EU] Serine: A non-essential amino acid occurring in natural form as the L-isomer. It is synthesized from glycine or threonine. It is involved in the biosynthesis of purines, pyrimidines, and other amino acids. [NIH] Serum: The clear liquid part of the blood that remains after blood cells and clotting proteins have been removed. [NIH] Sex Determination: The biological characteristics which distinguish human beings as female or male. [NIH] Shedding: Release of infectious particles (e. g., bacteria, viruses) into the environment, for example by sneezing, by fecal excretion, or from an open lesion. [NIH] Shock: The general bodily disturbance following a severe injury; an emotional or moral upset occasioned by some disturbing or unexpected experience; disruption of the circulation, which can upset all body functions: sometimes referred to as circulatory shock. [NIH]
Side effect: A consequence other than the one(s) for which an agent or measure is used, as the adverse effects produced by a drug, especially on a tissue or organ system other than the one sought to be benefited by its administration. [EU] Signal Transduction: The intercellular or intracellular transfer of information (biological activation/inhibition) through a signal pathway. In each signal transduction system, an activation/inhibition signal from a biologically active molecule (hormone, neurotransmitter) is mediated via the coupling of a receptor/enzyme to a second messenger system or to an ion channel. Signal transduction plays an important role in activating cellular functions, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation. Examples of signal transduction systems are the GABA-postsynaptic receptor-calcium ion channel system, the receptor-mediated T-cell activation pathway, and the receptor-mediated activation of phospholipases. Those coupled to membrane depolarization or intracellular release of calcium include the receptormediated activation of cytotoxic functions in granulocytes and the synaptic potentiation of protein kinase activation. Some signal transduction pathways may be part of larger signal transduction pathways; for example, protein kinase activation is part of the platelet activation signal pathway. [NIH] Signs and Symptoms: Clinical manifestations that can be either objective when observed by a physician, or subjective when perceived by the patient. [NIH] Small intestine: The part of the digestive tract that is located between the stomach and the large intestine. [NIH] Smooth muscle: Muscle that performs automatic tasks, such as constricting blood vessels. [NIH]
Sneezing: Sudden, forceful, involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth caused by irritation to the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. [NIH] Social Environment: The aggregate of social and cultural institutions, forms, patterns, and processes that influence the life of an individual or community. [NIH] Sodium: An element that is a member of the alkali group of metals. It has the atomic symbol Na, atomic number 11, and atomic weight 23. With a valence of 1, it has a strong affinity for oxygen and other nonmetallic elements. Sodium provides the chief cation of the extracellular body fluids. Its salts are the most widely used in medicine. (From Dorland, 27th ed) Physiologically the sodium ion plays a major role in blood pressure regulation,
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maintenance of fluid volume, and electrolyte balance. [NIH] Soft tissue: Refers to muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or other supporting tissue of the body. [NIH] Soft tissue sarcoma: A sarcoma that begins in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or other supporting tissue of the body. [NIH] Solid tumor: Cancer of body tissues other than blood, bone marrow, or the lymphatic system. [NIH] Somatic: 1. Pertaining to or characteristic of the soma or body. 2. Pertaining to the body wall in contrast to the viscera. [EU] Specialist: In medicine, one who concentrates on 1 special branch of medical science. [NIH] Species: A taxonomic category subordinate to a genus (or subgenus) and superior to a subspecies or variety, composed of individuals possessing common characters distinguishing them from other categories of individuals of the same taxonomic level. In taxonomic nomenclature, species are designated by the genus name followed by a Latin or Latinized adjective or noun. [EU] Specificity: Degree of selectivity shown by an antibody with respect to the number and types of antigens with which the antibody combines, as well as with respect to the rates and the extents of these reactions. [NIH] Speech Disorders: Acquired or developmental conditions marked by an impaired ability to comprehend or generate spoken forms of language. [NIH] Speech pathologist: A specialist who evaluates and treats people with communication and swallowing problems. Also called a speech therapist. [NIH] Spinal cord: The main trunk or bundle of nerves running down the spine through holes in the spinal bone (the vertebrae) from the brain to the level of the lower back. [NIH] Sporadic: Neither endemic nor epidemic; occurring occasionally in a random or isolated manner. [EU] Staging: Performing exams and tests to learn the extent of the cancer within the body, especially whether the disease has spread from the original site to other parts of the body. [NIH]
Stem cell transplantation: A method of replacing immature blood-forming cells that were destroyed by cancer treatment. The stem cells are given to the person after treatment to help the bone marrow recover and continue producing healthy blood cells. [NIH] Stem Cells: Relatively undifferentiated cells of the same lineage (family type) that retain the ability to divide and cycle throughout postnatal life to provide cells that can become specialized and take the place of those that die or are lost. [NIH] Stereotactic: Radiotherapy that treats brain tumors by using a special frame affixed directly to the patient's cranium. By aiming the X-ray source with respect to the rigid frame, technicians can position the beam extremely precisely during each treatment. [NIH] Stereotactic biopsy: A biopsy procedure that uses a computer and a three-dimensional scanning device to find a tumor site and guide the removal of tissue for examination under a microscope. [NIH] Stimulant: 1. Producing stimulation; especially producing stimulation by causing tension on muscle fibre through the nervous tissue. 2. An agent or remedy that produces stimulation. [EU]
Stimulus: That which can elicit or evoke action (response) in a muscle, nerve, gland or other excitable issue, or cause an augmenting action upon any function or metabolic process. [NIH]
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Stomach: An organ of digestion situated in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen between the termination of the esophagus and the beginning of the duodenum. [NIH] Stomatitis: Inflammation of the oral mucosa, due to local or systemic factors which may involve the buccal and labial mucosa, palate, tongue, floor of the mouth, and the gingivae. [EU]
Stress: Forcibly exerted influence; pressure. Any condition or situation that causes strain or tension. Stress may be either physical or psychologic, or both. [NIH] Stroke: Sudden loss of function of part of the brain because of loss of blood flow. Stroke may be caused by a clot (thrombosis) or rupture (hemorrhage) of a blood vessel to the brain. [NIH] Stroma: The middle, thickest layer of tissue in the cornea. [NIH] Subacute: Somewhat acute; between acute and chronic. [EU] Subclinical: Without clinical manifestations; said of the early stage(s) of an infection or other disease or abnormality before symptoms and signs become apparent or detectable by clinical examination or laboratory tests, or of a very mild form of an infection or other disease or abnormality. [EU] Submaxillary: Four to six lymph glands, located between the lower jaw and the submandibular salivary gland. [NIH] Subspecies: A category intermediate in rank between species and variety, based on a smaller number of correlated characters than are used to differentiate species and generally conditioned by geographical and/or ecological occurrence. [NIH] Superoxide: Derivative of molecular oxygen that can damage cells. [NIH] Superoxide Dismutase: An oxidoreductase that catalyzes the reaction between superoxide anions and hydrogen to yield molecular oxygen and hydrogen peroxide. The enzyme protects the cell against dangerous levels of superoxide. EC 1.15.1.1. [NIH] Supportive care: Treatment given to prevent, control, or relieve complications and side effects and to improve the comfort and quality of life of people who have cancer. [NIH] Suppression: A conscious exclusion of disapproved desire contrary with repression, in which the process of exclusion is not conscious. [NIH] Supratentorial: Located in the upper part of the brain. [NIH] Sympathetic Nervous System: The thoracolumbar division of the autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic preganglionic fibers originate in neurons of the intermediolateral column of the spinal cord and project to the paravertebral and prevertebral ganglia, which in turn project to target organs. The sympathetic nervous system mediates the body's response to stressful situations, i.e., the fight or flight reactions. It often acts reciprocally to the parasympathetic system. [NIH] Symphysis: A secondary cartilaginous joint. [NIH] Synaptic: Pertaining to or affecting a synapse (= site of functional apposition between neurons, at which an impulse is transmitted from one neuron to another by electrical or chemical means); pertaining to synapsis (= pairing off in point-for-point association of homologous chromosomes from the male and female pronuclei during the early prophase of meiosis). [EU] Synergistic: Acting together; enhancing the effect of another force or agent. [EU] Systemic: Affecting the entire body. [NIH] Telangiectasia: The permanent enlargement of blood vessels, causing redness in the skin or mucous membranes. [NIH]
130 Brain Cancer
Temozolomide: An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of drugs called alkylating agents. [NIH] Thalamic: Cell that reaches the lateral nucleus of amygdala. [NIH] Thalamic Diseases: Disorders of the centrally located thalamus, which integrates a wide range of cortical and subcortical information. Manifestations include sensory loss, movement disorders; ataxia, pain syndromes, visual disorders, a variety of neuropsychological conditions, and coma. Relatively common etiologies include cerebrovascular disorders; craniocerebral trauma; brain neoplasms; brain hypoxia; intracranial hemorrhages; and infectious processes. [NIH] Therapeutics: The branch of medicine which is concerned with the treatment of diseases, palliative or curative. [NIH] Thermal: Pertaining to or characterized by heat. [EU] Thiotepa: A very toxic alkylating antineoplastic agent also used as an insect sterilant. It causes skin, gastrointestinal, CNS, and bone marrow damage. According to the Fourth Annual Report on Carcinogens (NTP 85-002, 1985), thiotepa may reasonably be anticipated to be a carcinogen (Merck Index, 11th ed). [NIH] Threshold: For a specified sensory modality (e. g. light, sound, vibration), the lowest level (absolute threshold) or smallest difference (difference threshold, difference limen) or intensity of the stimulus discernible in prescribed conditions of stimulation. [NIH] Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot inside a blood vessel. [NIH] Tissue: A group or layer of cells that are alike in type and work together to perform a specific function. [NIH] Tissue Culture: Maintaining or growing of tissue, organ primordia, or the whole or part of an organ in vitro so as to preserve its architecture and/or function (Dorland, 28th ed). Tissue culture includes both organ culture and cell culture. [NIH] Toxic: Having to do with poison or something harmful to the body. Toxic substances usually cause unwanted side effects. [NIH] Toxicity: The quality of being poisonous, especially the degree of virulence of a toxic microbe or of a poison. [EU] Toxicology: The science concerned with the detection, chemical composition, and pharmacologic action of toxic substances or poisons and the treatment and prevention of toxic manifestations. [NIH] Toxins: Specific, characterizable, poisonous chemicals, often proteins, with specific biological properties, including immunogenicity, produced by microbes, higher plants, or animals. [NIH] Transduction: The transfer of genes from one cell to another by means of a viral (in the case of bacteria, a bacteriophage) vector or a vector which is similar to a virus particle (pseudovirion). [NIH] Transfection: The uptake of naked or purified DNA into cells, usually eukaryotic. It is analogous to bacterial transformation. [NIH] Transmitter: A chemical substance which effects the passage of nerve impulses from one cell to the other at the synapse. [NIH] Transplantation: Transference of a tissue or organ, alive or dead, within an individual, between individuals of the same species, or between individuals of different species. [NIH] Trauma: Any injury, wound, or shock, must frequently physical or structural shock, producing a disturbance. [NIH]
Dictionary 131
Trypsin: A serine endopeptidase that is formed from trypsinogen in the pancreas. It is converted into its active form by enteropeptidase in the small intestine. It catalyzes hydrolysis of the carboxyl group of either arginine or lysine. EC 3.4.21.4. [NIH] Tuberculosis: Any of the infectious diseases of man and other animals caused by species of Mycobacterium. [NIH] Tuberous Sclerosis: A rare congenital disease in which the essential pathology is the appearance of multiple tumors in the cerebrum and in other organs, such as the heart or kidneys. [NIH] Tumor suppressor gene: Genes in the body that can suppress or block the development of cancer. [NIH] Tumour: 1. Swelling, one of the cardinal signs of inflammations; morbid enlargement. 2. A new growth of tissue in which the multiplication of cells is uncontrolled and progressive; called also neoplasm. [EU] Ulcer: A localized necrotic lesion of the skin or a mucous surface. [NIH] Ulceration: 1. The formation or development of an ulcer. 2. An ulcer. [EU] Unconscious: Experience which was once conscious, but was subsequently rejected, as the "personal unconscious". [NIH] Urethra: The tube through which urine leaves the body. It empties urine from the bladder. [NIH]
Uric: A kidney stone that may result from a diet high in animal protein. When the body breaks down this protein, uric acid levels rise and can form stones. [NIH] Urine: Fluid containing water and waste products. Urine is made by the kidneys, stored in the bladder, and leaves the body through the urethra. [NIH] Uterus: The small, hollow, pear-shaped organ in a woman's pelvis. This is the organ in which a fetus develops. Also called the womb. [NIH] Vaccination: Administration of vaccines to stimulate the host's immune response. This includes any preparation intended for active immunological prophylaxis. [NIH] Vaccine: A substance or group of substances meant to cause the immune system to respond to a tumor or to microorganisms, such as bacteria or viruses. [NIH] Vascular: Pertaining to blood vessels or indicative of a copious blood supply. [EU] Vector: Plasmid or other self-replicating DNA molecule that transfers DNA between cells in nature or in recombinant DNA technology. [NIH] Vein: Vessel-carrying blood from various parts of the body to the heart. [NIH] Venous: Of or pertaining to the veins. [EU] Venules: The minute vessels that collect blood from the capillary plexuses and join together to form veins. [NIH] Vertebrae: A bony unit of the segmented spinal column. [NIH] Veterinary Medicine: The medical science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in animals. [NIH] Vinblastine: An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of plant drugs called vinca alkaloids. It is a mitotic inhibitor. [NIH] Vinca Alkaloids: A class of alkaloids from the genus of apocyanaceous woody herbs including periwinkles. They are some of the most useful antineoplastic agents. [NIH] Vincristine: An anticancer drug that belongs to the family of plant drugs called vinca
132 Brain Cancer
alkaloids. [NIH] Viral: Pertaining to, caused by, or of the nature of virus. [EU] Viral vector: A type of virus used in cancer therapy. The virus is changed in the laboratory and cannot cause disease. Viral vectors produce tumor antigens (proteins found on a tumor cell) and can stimulate an antitumor immune response in the body. Viral vectors may also be used to carry genes that can change cancer cells back to normal cells. [NIH] Virulence: The degree of pathogenicity within a group or species of microorganisms or viruses as indicated by case fatality rates and/or the ability of the organism to invade the tissues of the host. [NIH] Virus: Submicroscopic organism that causes infectious disease. In cancer therapy, some viruses may be made into vaccines that help the body build an immune response to, and kill, tumor cells. [NIH] Vitro: Descriptive of an event or enzyme reaction under experimental investigation occurring outside a living organism. Parts of an organism or microorganism are used together with artificial substrates and/or conditions. [NIH] Vivo: Outside of or removed from the body of a living organism. [NIH] Vocal cord: The vocal folds of the larynx. [NIH] White blood cell: A type of cell in the immune system that helps the body fight infection and disease. White blood cells include lymphocytes, granulocytes, macrophages, and others. [NIH]
Wound Healing: Restoration of integrity to traumatized tissue. [NIH] Xanthine: An urinary calculus. [NIH] Xanthine Oxidase: An iron-molybdenum flavoprotein containing FAD that oxidizes hypoxanthine, some other purines and pterins, and aldehydes. Deficiency of the enzyme, an autosomal recessive trait, causes xanthinuria. EC 1.1.3.22. [NIH] Xenograft: The cells of one species transplanted to another species. [NIH] X-ray: High-energy radiation used in low doses to diagnose diseases and in high doses to treat cancer. [NIH] X-ray therapy: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy) or from materials called radioisotopes. Radioisotopes produce radiation and can be placed in or near the tumor or in the area near cancer cells. This type of radiation treatment is called internal radiation therapy, implant radiation, interstitial radiation, or brachytherapy. Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that circulates throughout the body. X-ray therapy is also called radiation therapy, radiotherapy, and irradiation. [NIH] Zygote: The fertilized ovum. [NIH]
133
INDEX A Acetylcholine, 95, 102 Acute renal, 95, 110 Adaptability, 95, 101 Adenosine, 95, 100 Adjustment, 50, 95 Adverse Effect, 95, 119, 127 Affinity, 95, 98, 127 Albumin, 95, 98 Alertness, 95, 100 Algorithms, 5, 95, 99 Alkaline, 46, 95, 100 Alkaloid, 95, 100 Alkylating Agents, 96, 130 Alleles, 8, 96 Allogeneic, 96, 110, 121 Allopurinol, 17, 96 Alpha Particles, 96, 124 Alternative medicine, 64, 96 Amino Acid Sequence, 96, 97, 109 Amino Acids, 96, 109, 121, 122, 123, 127 Amplification, 44, 96 Ampulla, 96, 107 Anaesthesia, 96, 112 Anaplasia, 96 Anaplastic, 9, 96 Anatomical, 96, 112, 120, 126 Anemia, 77, 96 Angiogenesis, 53, 96 Angiosarcoma, 13, 96 Animal model, 7, 96 Anions, 30, 95, 97, 113, 129 Anode, 97 Antagonism, 97, 100 Antibiotic, 97, 105, 106 Antibodies, 49, 97, 115, 117, 122, 124 Antibody, 5, 11, 40, 45, 47, 49, 95, 97, 103, 111, 112, 113, 117, 124, 128, 132 Antibody therapy, 40, 97 Antigen, 10, 95, 97, 103, 105, 111, 112 Antigen-presenting cell, 10, 97, 105 Antineoplastic, 96, 97, 100, 106, 130, 131 Apoptosis, 45, 97 Aqueous, 97, 99, 105, 111 Arginine, 97, 131 Arterial, 12, 97, 111, 123 Arteries, 6, 97, 99, 104, 115, 116 Arterioles, 97, 99
Articulation, 57, 97, 106 Astrocytes, 98 Astrocytoma, 7, 9, 38, 81, 82, 98, 109 Ataxia, 76, 77, 98, 130 Atrophy, 76, 98 Autoimmune disease, 98, 117 Autologous, 10, 98, 121 Autopsy, 10, 98 Avian, 44, 98 Avidin, 5, 98 Axons, 98, 120, 126 B Bacteria, 97, 98, 104, 116, 127, 130, 131 Bacterial Proteins, 48, 98 Bacteriophage, 98, 130 Bacterium, 98, 104, 110 Basal Ganglia, 98, 109 Basal Ganglia Diseases, 98 Base, 10, 57, 98, 105, 109, 114 Benign, 99, 110, 118, 124 Bile, 99, 108, 111, 114 Biochemical, 6, 13, 49, 96, 99 Biological Transport, 99, 106 Biopsy, 99, 128 Biosynthesis, 99, 114, 127 Biotechnology, 13, 56, 64, 73, 75, 76, 77, 99 Biotin, 5, 98, 99 Bladder, 22, 45, 49, 99, 117, 123, 131 Blood Glucose, 99, 110 Blood pressure, 56, 99, 101, 111, 117, 127 Blood vessel, 12, 96, 99, 100, 101, 102, 107, 110, 113, 115, 116, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 Blood-Brain Barrier, 5, 99 Body Fluids, 47, 99, 127 Body Mass Index, 19, 99 Bone Marrow, 37, 99, 100, 111, 115, 121, 128, 130 Bone Marrow Transplantation, 37, 100 Bowel, 100, 106, 113 Bowel Movement, 100, 106 Brachytherapy, 100, 113, 124, 132 Brain Stem, 52, 82, 100, 102 Branch, 83, 91, 100, 115, 120, 128, 130 Buccal, 100, 129 C Caffeine, 65, 100 Calcium, 100, 103, 118, 127 Camptothecin, 9, 100
134 Brain Cancer
Cancer vaccine, 10, 100 Carbohydrates, 100, 101 Carbon Dioxide, 100, 125 Carboplatin, 9, 37, 100 Carcinogen, 100, 130 Carcinogenesis, 7, 100 Carcinogenic, 96, 100, 120 Carcinoma, 40, 45, 100 Cardiac, 100, 118 Cardiovascular, 22, 63, 100 Cardiovascular disease, 22, 63, 100 Case report, 101 Case series, 15, 101 Case-Control Studies, 18, 101 Catheters, 101, 112, 113 Cations, 101, 113 Caudal, 101, 122 Cause of Death, 45, 46, 51, 53, 101, 105 Cell Cycle, 101, 103 Cell Death, 33, 97, 101, 118 Cell Differentiation, 101, 127 Cell Division, 76, 98, 101, 117, 122, 126 Cell Lineage, 6, 101 Cell membrane, 5, 99, 101, 105 Cell proliferation, 44, 101, 127 Cell Respiration, 101, 125 Cell Transplantation, 37, 101 Cellobiose, 102 Cellulose, 47, 100, 102, 122 Central Nervous System, 10, 11, 37, 39, 44, 51, 52, 57, 95, 100, 102, 109, 110, 117, 120, 122 Cerebellar, 82, 98, 102, 125 Cerebellum, 52, 102, 122, 125 Cerebral, 12, 52, 82, 98, 99, 100, 102, 109 Cerebral hemispheres, 52, 98, 100, 102, 109 Cerebrovascular, 98, 101, 102, 130 Cerebrum, 102, 131 Cervical, 45, 102 Cervix, 102 Chemotherapy, 6, 9, 20, 37, 38, 39, 51, 52, 53, 63, 102 Cholesterol, 26, 99, 102, 104, 114, 115 Choline, 20, 102 Chromatin, 97, 102 Chromosomal, 96, 102 Chromosome, 102, 104, 114, 126 Chronic, 76, 102, 107, 112, 114, 122, 129 Chronic Disease, 102, 114 Chronic renal, 102, 122 CIS, 82, 83, 102, 125 Cisplatin, 46, 103
Cleave, 47, 103 Clinical Medicine, 103, 123 Clinical trial, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 37, 38, 41, 73, 103, 121, 124 Cloning, 17, 99, 103 Coenzyme, 103, 114 Cofactor, 103, 123 Colitis, 48, 103 Colorectal, 7, 8, 103 Colorectal Cancer, 7, 8, 103 Combination chemotherapy, 38, 103 Complement, 30, 103, 104, 109 Complementary and alternative medicine, 33, 34, 103 Complementary medicine, 33, 104 Complete remission, 104, 125 Computational Biology, 73, 75, 104 Conjugated, 5, 45, 51, 104, 118 Conjugation, 5, 104 Connective Tissue, 99, 104, 108, 109, 115, 116, 126 Constitutional, 104, 117 Constriction, 104, 113 Consumption, 23, 30, 104, 120 Contraindications, ii, 104 Coordination, 102, 104, 117 Coronary, 101, 104, 105, 116 Coronary heart disease, 101, 104 Coronary Thrombosis, 105, 116 Cortex, 98, 105, 125 Cranial, 10, 102, 105, 110, 120 Curative, 105, 130 Cyclic, 100, 105, 122 Cytokine, 9, 10, 105 Cytoplasm, 97, 101, 105, 110 Cytotoxic, 6, 46, 105, 124, 127 Cytotoxicity, 45, 48, 103, 105 D Databases, Bibliographic, 73, 105 Daunorubicin, 105, 106 Death Certificates, 3, 105 Decision Making, 4, 105 Deletion, 97, 105 Dendrites, 105, 119 Dendritic, 10, 105, 116, 126 Dendritic cell, 10, 105 Density, 99, 105 Depolarization, 105, 127 Diabetes Mellitus, 105, 110 Diagnostic Imaging, 6, 105 Diagnostic procedure, 12, 43, 64, 106 Diffusion, 47, 99, 106, 112
Index 135
Digestion, 99, 100, 106, 113, 114, 129 Digestive system, 41, 106 Dilatation, 106, 123 Direct, iii, 52, 67, 103, 106, 125 Diuresis, 100, 106 Dorsal, 106, 122 Doxorubicin, 9, 106 Drug Interactions, 68, 106 Duodenum, 99, 106, 107, 129 Dysarthria, 57, 106 Dysplasia, 77, 106 Dystrophy, 76, 106 E Efficacy, 7, 9, 40, 48, 106 Electrolysis, 97, 101, 106 Electrolyte, 106, 128 Electromagnetic Fields, 14, 16, 19, 106 Electrons, 99, 106, 113, 115, 124 Elementary Particles, 106, 115, 119, 123 Embryo, 101, 107, 112, 119 Endemic, 107, 128 Endoscope, 50, 107 Endoscopic, 50, 107 Endothelial cell, 99, 107, 108 End-stage renal, 102, 107, 122 Enhancer, 6, 107 Enteropeptidase, 107, 131 Environmental Exposure, 107, 120 Environmental Health, 3, 16, 17, 72, 74, 107 Enzyme, 100, 103, 107, 114, 118, 125, 127, 129, 132 Epidemic, 107, 128 Epidemiological, 7, 8, 107 Epidermal, 53, 107, 116 Epidermal Growth Factor, 53, 107 Epidermis, 107 Epithelial, 99, 107 Epithelial Cells, 107 Erythrocytes, 96, 99, 107, 125 Esophageal, 23, 107 Esophagus, 106, 107, 108, 129 Essential Tremor, 76, 108 Eukaryotic Cells, 108, 112 Expiration, 108, 125 Expiratory, 108, 121 External-beam radiation, 108, 113, 124, 132 Extracellular, 98, 104, 108, 127 Extraction, 47, 108 F Family Planning, 73, 108
Fat, 99, 104, 108, 114, 117, 126, 128 Fatigue, 38, 108 Fetus, 108, 123, 131 Fibroblast Growth Factor, 53, 108 Fibrosis, 77, 108, 126 Flavopiridol, 39, 108 Fluorescence, 51, 108 Fold, 44, 108 Forearm, 99, 108 Fossa, 57, 102, 108 Fungi, 104, 108, 116 G Gadolinium, 20, 108 Gallbladder, 106, 108 Gamma Rays, 108, 124 Ganglia, 95, 98, 109, 118, 129 Ganglioside, 53, 109 Gas, 100, 106, 109, 111 Gastric, 23, 53, 107, 109 Gastrointestinal, 109, 130 Gene, 5, 8, 9, 13, 19, 25, 27, 44, 45, 46, 50, 53, 56, 77, 78, 84, 96, 99, 109, 120, 126 Gene Expression, 5, 53, 77, 109 Genetic Code, 109, 119 Genetic Engineering, 99, 103, 109 Genetics, 6, 104, 109, 121 Germ Cells, 109, 120 Gestation, 109, 121 Gland, 109, 115, 120, 122, 123, 126, 128, 129 Glioblastoma, 9, 12, 16, 30, 33, 38, 40, 44, 45, 53, 109 Glioblastoma multiforme, 9, 16, 30, 33, 44, 53, 109 Glioma, 22, 38, 47, 57, 82, 109 Glucose, 76, 99, 102, 105, 109, 110 Governing Board, 109, 123 Grade, 8, 109 Graft, 109, 110, 111, 112, 118 Graft Rejection, 110, 112 Granulocytes, 110, 114, 127, 132 Gravis, 56, 110 Growth, 9, 21, 48, 53, 64, 76, 96, 97, 99, 101, 107, 108, 110, 115, 118, 120, 122, 126, 131 H Habitat, 110, 119 Headache, 100, 110 Heart attack, 101, 110 Heme, 110, 118, 122 Hemoglobin, 23, 96, 107, 110, 122 Hemoglobin A, 23, 110, 122 Hemoglobinuria, 76, 110
136 Brain Cancer
Hemolytic, 48, 110 Hemorrhage, 110, 118, 129 Hereditary, 8, 110, 126 Heredity, 109, 110 Herpes, 38, 110 Herpes virus, 38, 110 Herpes Zoster, 110 Homogeneous, 8, 111 Homologous, 96, 111, 126, 129 Hormonal, 98, 111 Hormone, 111, 126, 127 Host, 12, 49, 98, 111, 112, 131, 132 Humoral, 10, 110, 111 Humour, 111 Hydrogen, 20, 99, 100, 111, 117, 119, 123, 129 Hydrogen Peroxide, 111, 129 Hydrolysis, 102, 103, 111, 121, 122, 131 Hypersensitivity, 111, 126 Hypertension, 101, 110, 111 I Id, 30, 34, 52, 80, 84, 90, 92, 111 Imidazole, 99, 111 Immune response, 9, 10, 97, 98, 110, 111, 112, 131, 132 Immune system, 97, 111, 112, 115, 117, 131, 132 Immunity, 9, 10, 111 Immunization, 111, 112 Immunodeficiency, 76, 111 Immunofluorescence, 47, 111 Immunoglobulin, 97, 112, 117 Immunologic, 111, 112, 124 Immunology, 10, 95, 112 Immunosuppressive, 112 Immunosuppressive therapy, 112 Immunotherapy, 10, 112 Impairment, 98, 112, 116 Implant radiation, 112, 113, 124, 132 In situ, 5, 112 In Situ Hybridization, 5, 112 In vitro, 5, 47, 48, 53, 112, 130 In vivo, 5, 11, 27, 47, 48, 112 Incision, 112, 113 Indicative, 56, 112, 120, 131 Induction, 16, 112 Infarction, 105, 112, 116, 125 Infection, 49, 98, 111, 112, 115, 126, 129, 132 Infiltration, 6, 112 Inflammation, 7, 49, 95, 103, 108, 110, 112, 126, 129
Information Systems, 11, 112 Infusion, 17, 113, 118 Inorganic, 103, 113 Insecticides, 113, 121 Insulator, 113, 117 Internal radiation, 46, 113, 124, 132 Interstitial, 9, 100, 113, 132 Intestinal, 7, 107, 113, 115 Intestine, 100, 103, 113, 114 Intracellular, 100, 112, 113, 127 Intracranial tumors, 51, 113 Intravenous, 12, 113 Invasive, 5, 7, 9, 50, 52, 111, 113, 115 Involuntary, 98, 108, 113, 118, 127 Ion Channels, 7, 98, 113 Ionization, 113 Ionizing, 7, 96, 107, 113, 124 Ions, 51, 99, 106, 111, 113 Irradiation, 8, 51, 113, 119, 132 Ischemia, 6, 98, 109, 113, 118, 125 J Joint, 97, 106, 113, 129 K Kb, 72, 114 Kidney Disease, 41, 72, 77, 114 Kinetic, 113, 114 L Lactation, 65, 114 Large Intestine, 103, 106, 113, 114, 125, 127 Laser therapy, 9, 114 Lesion, 46, 114, 127, 131 Lethal, 45, 48, 114 Leucocyte, 114 Leukaemia, 22, 114 Leukemia, 3, 14, 17, 22, 24, 45, 57, 76, 106, 114 Leukocytes, 99, 110, 114 Library Services, 90, 114 Ligament, 114, 123 Ligands, 12, 114 Linkage, 8, 102, 114 Lipid, 10, 22, 102, 114, 117 Liver, 8, 13, 27, 45, 46, 95, 99, 106, 108, 114 Liver cancer, 45, 46, 114 Liver metastases, 8, 114 Localized, 8, 112, 114, 122, 131 Lovastatin, 22, 114 Low-density lipoprotein, 114, 115 Lutetium, 6, 115 Lymph, 102, 107, 111, 115, 129 Lymph node, 102, 115 Lymphatic, 112, 115, 116, 128
Index 137
Lymphatic system, 115, 128 Lymphocyte, 44, 97, 115 Lymphoid, 97, 114, 115 Lymphoma, 39, 52, 76, 115 Lysine, 115, 131 M Macula, 115 Macula Lutea, 115 Macular Degeneration, 6, 115 Magnetic Resonance Imaging, 20, 115 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, 20, 115 Malabsorption, 76, 115 Malignant, 6, 9, 11, 38, 51, 52, 53, 57, 76, 81, 82, 97, 109, 114, 115, 116, 118, 119, 124, 126 Malignant tumor, 53, 115 Malnutrition, 95, 98, 115, 117 Meat, 23, 30, 115 Meat Products, 30, 115 MEDLINE, 73, 75, 77, 116 Medulloblastoma, 37, 38, 51, 82, 116 Melanocytes, 116 Melanoma, 45, 51, 76, 116 Membrane, 53, 98, 101, 103, 105, 108, 113, 116, 117, 122, 125, 127 Memory, 38, 116 Meninges, 102, 116 Meningioma, 49, 52, 116 Mental Disorders, 42, 116 Mesenchymal, 107, 116 Meta-Analysis, 23, 116 Metabolite, 114, 116 Metastasis, 9, 52, 116 Metastasize, 46, 116, 126 Metastatic, 6, 8, 17, 22, 25, 26, 40, 51, 81, 116, 126 Metastatic cancer, 6, 116 MI, 93, 116 Microbe, 116, 130 Microorganism, 103, 116, 132 Microspheres, 9, 117 Mitosis, 97, 117 Mitotic, 117, 131 Modeling, 27, 117 Modification, 109, 117, 124 Molecular, 6, 7, 11, 12, 47, 53, 73, 75, 99, 104, 117, 129 Molecule, 5, 11, 62, 97, 99, 103, 111, 117, 124, 127, 131 Monitor, 10, 117, 119 Monoclonal, 5, 11, 40, 113, 117, 124, 132
Monoclonal antibodies, 40, 117 Motion Sickness, 117, 118 Mucosa, 117, 129 Multiple sclerosis, 56, 117 Muscle Fibers, 117 Muscular Atrophy, 76, 117 Muscular Dystrophies, 106, 117 Myasthenia, 56, 117 Myelin, 117, 119 Myocardial Reperfusion, 117, 118, 125 Myocardial Reperfusion Injury, 118, 125 Myocardium, 116, 118 Myoglobin, 118, 122 Myotonic Dystrophy, 76, 118 N Nausea, 53, 118 NCI, 1, 6, 37, 38, 39, 41, 71, 82, 83, 102, 118, 121 Necrosis, 97, 109, 112, 116, 118, 125 Need, 3, 10, 55, 57, 65, 83, 85, 102, 118 Neoplasia, 48, 76, 118 Neoplasm, 40, 118, 126, 131 Neoplastic, 7, 48, 96, 115, 118 Nephropathy, 114, 118 Nerve, 98, 105, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 126, 128, 130 Nervous System, 30, 50, 51, 52, 76, 102, 106, 118, 119, 129 Neural, 11, 52, 111, 118 Neuroblastoma, 45, 53, 118 Neuroectodermal Tumors, 82, 119 Neurologic, 109, 119 Neurons, 7, 105, 109, 119, 129 Neurosurgeon, 13, 119 Neurosurgery, 80, 83, 119 Neutron Capture Therapy, 26, 119 Neutrons, 96, 113, 119, 124 Niche, 48, 119 Noel, 7, 119 Nuclear, 14, 18, 21, 98, 100, 104, 106, 108, 109, 118, 119, 126 Nuclei, 96, 104, 106, 109, 115, 117, 119, 120, 123 Nucleic acid, 5, 47, 49, 109, 112, 119 Nucleus, 97, 98, 102, 105, 106, 108, 119, 123, 130 O Occupational Exposure, 15, 18, 25, 35, 119 Odds Ratio, 3, 119 Oligodendroglial, 119 Oligodendroglioma, 52, 119 Oncogene, 21, 76, 120
138 Brain Cancer
Oncogenic, 44, 120 Oncology, 18, 19, 23, 26, 27, 33, 38, 39, 52, 53, 56, 83, 120 Optic Chiasm, 120 Optic Nerve, 52, 120, 125, 126 Organ Culture, 120, 130 Ovary, 46, 120 Oxygen Consumption, 120, 125 Oxypurinol, 17, 120 P Palate, 120, 129 Palliative, 26, 120, 130 Pancreas, 99, 106, 120, 131 Pancreatic, 6, 45, 76, 120 Pancreatic cancer, 6, 76, 120 Parenchyma, 52, 120 Paroxysmal, 76, 120 Partial remission, 120, 125 Particle, 120, 130 Pathogenesis, 17, 120 Pathologic, 97, 99, 104, 111, 120 Pathologic Processes, 97, 120 PDQ, 80, 82, 121 Pelvic, 121, 123 Peptide, 5, 10, 11, 12, 107, 108, 121, 122, 123 Perinatal, 65, 121 Peripheral blood, 33, 121 Peripheral stem cell transplantation, 37, 121 Pesticides, 25, 113, 121 Pharmaceutical Preparations, 102, 121 Pharmacologic, 121, 130 Phenyl, 53, 121 Phenylacetate, 22, 121 Phenylbutyrate, 39, 121 Phonation, 57, 121 Phospholipases, 121, 127 Photodynamic therapy, 121 Photosensitizer, 6, 121 Physiologic, 99, 106, 121, 124 Pigment, 116, 118, 121 Pituitary Gland, 108, 122 Plants, 95, 100, 102, 109, 122, 130 Plasma, 95, 97, 101, 110, 122, 127 Plasma cells, 97, 122 Platelet Activation, 122, 127 Platinum, 103, 122 Poisoning, 118, 122 Polycystic, 77, 122 Polypeptide, 96, 107, 118, 122 Polyposis, 103, 122
Polysaccharide, 97, 102, 122 Pons, 100, 122 Population Density, 12, 122 Porphyrins, 6, 122 Posterior, 57, 98, 102, 106, 120, 122 Postsynaptic, 122, 127 Potentiation, 122, 127 Practice Guidelines, 74, 122 Preclinical, 7, 123 Precursor, 7, 47, 102, 123 Prenatal, 65, 107, 123 Prevalence, 119, 123 Primary tumor, 46, 52, 123 Primitive neuroectodermal tumors, 37, 116, 123 Probe, 50, 123 Progeny, 104, 123 Progression, 10, 96, 123 Progressive, 39, 101, 102, 110, 117, 118, 122, 123, 131 Projection, 120, 123, 125 Prophylaxis, 123, 131 Prostate, 8, 10, 19, 44, 45, 49, 76, 123 Protein S, 49, 56, 77, 99, 109, 123 Protons, 96, 111, 113, 115, 123, 124 Protozoa, 104, 116, 123 Proxy, 27, 123 Public Policy, 73, 123 Pulmonary, 99, 104, 124 Pulmonary Artery, 99, 124 Pulse, 117, 124 Q Quality of Life, 20, 26, 27, 124, 129 Quiescent, 12, 124 R Radar, 16, 124 Radiation, 6, 7, 17, 20, 26, 38, 40, 46, 62, 81, 107, 108, 113, 124, 132 Radiation therapy, 6, 20, 38, 40, 46, 108, 113, 124, 132 Radioactive, 46, 111, 112, 113, 117, 119, 120, 124, 132 Radioimmunotherapy, 124 Radiolabeled, 40, 113, 124, 132 Radiological, 12, 52, 80, 124 Radiology, 20, 21, 80, 124 Radiopharmaceutical, 5, 124 Radiotherapy, 26, 53, 100, 113, 124, 128, 132 Randomized, 38, 106, 124 Receptor, 5, 7, 25, 48, 49, 53, 97, 124, 127 Recombinant, 45, 124, 131
Index 139
Recombination, 104, 125 Rectum, 100, 103, 106, 109, 114, 123, 125 Recurrence, 10, 46, 125 Red blood cells, 107, 110, 125 Red Nucleus, 98, 125 Reductase, 114, 125 Refer, 1, 100, 103, 108, 110, 115, 119, 124, 125 Refractory, 39, 125 Regeneration, 108, 125 Regimen, 106, 125 Registries, 15, 16, 125 Remission, 46, 125 Reperfusion, 6, 118, 125 Reperfusion Injury, 6, 125 Resection, 6, 10, 40, 46, 51, 53, 125 Respiration, 57, 100, 117, 125 Retina, 115, 120, 125, 126 Retinal, 120, 125, 126 Retinal Ganglion Cells, 120, 126 Retinoblastoma, 76, 126 Retinoid, 45, 126 Rheumatism, 126 Rheumatoid, 46, 126 Rheumatoid arthritis, 46, 126 Risk factor, 7, 8, 11, 14, 24, 126 Rodenticides, 121, 126 Rods, 108, 125, 126 S Salivary, 106, 120, 126, 129 Salivary glands, 106, 126 Sarcoma, 123, 126, 128 Schizophrenia, 56, 126 Sclerosis, 3, 76, 117, 126 Screening, 103, 121, 126 Secondary tumor, 53, 116, 126 Secretion, 107, 111, 114, 126, 127 Segregation, 8, 125, 126 Seizures, 109, 120, 126 Semen, 123, 127 Semisynthetic, 100, 127 Serine, 127, 131 Serum, 17, 26, 95, 103, 115, 127 Sex Determination, 77, 127 Shedding, 53, 127 Shock, 127, 130 Side effect, 46, 53, 67, 95, 127, 129, 130 Signal Transduction, 11, 127 Signs and Symptoms, 125, 127 Small intestine, 106, 111, 113, 127, 131 Smooth muscle, 100, 127 Sneezing, 127
Social Environment, 124, 127 Sodium, 22, 48, 127 Soft tissue, 39, 99, 128 Soft tissue sarcoma, 39, 128 Solid tumor, 9, 39, 45, 46, 52, 53, 96, 106, 128 Somatic, 111, 117, 128 Specialist, 85, 128 Species, 6, 96, 98, 101, 117, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132 Specificity, 5, 47, 95, 128 Speech Disorders, 57, 128 Speech pathologist, 57, 128 Spinal cord, 52, 98, 100, 102, 116, 118, 119, 128, 129 Sporadic, 8, 126, 128 Staging, 6, 128 Stem cell transplantation, 37, 128 Stem Cells, 121, 128 Stereotactic, 6, 128 Stereotactic biopsy, 6, 128 Stimulant, 100, 128 Stimulus, 113, 128, 130 Stomach, 7, 49, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 118, 127, 129 Stomatitis, 27, 129 Stress, 118, 126, 129 Stroke, 42, 72, 82, 83, 84, 101, 129 Stroma, 120, 129 Subacute, 112, 129 Subclinical, 112, 126, 129 Submaxillary, 107, 129 Subspecies, 128, 129 Superoxide, 6, 129 Superoxide Dismutase, 6, 129 Supportive care, 25, 121, 129 Suppression, 53, 129 Supratentorial, 37, 82, 129 Sympathetic Nervous System, 119, 129 Symphysis, 123, 129 Synaptic, 127, 129 Synergistic, 22, 129 Systemic, 10, 68, 99, 112, 113, 124, 129, 132 T Telangiectasia, 77, 129 Temozolomide, 37, 57, 130 Thalamic, 98, 130 Thalamic Diseases, 98, 130 Therapeutics, 11, 68, 130 Thermal, 8, 119, 130 Thiotepa, 37, 130 Threshold, 4, 111, 130
140 Brain Cancer
Thrombosis, 123, 129, 130 Tissue Culture, 12, 130 Toxic, iv, 12, 45, 46, 96, 104, 105, 107, 111, 130 Toxicity, 10, 106, 119, 130 Toxicology, 19, 74, 130 Toxins, 48, 97, 112, 117, 124, 130 Transduction, 11, 127, 130 Transfection, 99, 130 Transmitter, 95, 98, 113, 130 Transplantation, 37, 102, 111, 121, 130 Trauma, 57, 98, 110, 118, 130 Trypsin, 17, 107, 131 Tuberculosis, 104, 131 Tuberous Sclerosis, 77, 131 Tumor suppressor gene, 10, 50, 131 Tumour, 48, 52, 131 U Ulcer, 131 Ulceration, 53, 131 Unconscious, 111, 131 Urethra, 123, 131 Uric, 96, 131 Urine, 99, 106, 107, 110, 131 Uterus, 102, 131 V Vaccination, 9, 10, 131 Vaccine, 11, 100, 131 Vascular, 112, 131
Vector, 5, 45, 130, 131 Vein, 113, 119, 131 Venous, 123, 131 Venules, 99, 131 Vertebrae, 128, 131 Veterinary Medicine, 73, 131 Vinblastine, 46, 131 Vinca Alkaloids, 131, 132 Vincristine, 46, 131 Viral, 45, 50, 120, 130, 132 Viral vector, 45, 50, 132 Virulence, 130, 132 Virus, 27, 38, 44, 61, 98, 107, 109, 130, 132 Vitro, 53, 132 Vivo, 5, 132 Vocal cord, 121, 132 W White blood cell, 97, 114, 115, 122, 132 Wound Healing, 108, 132 X Xanthine, 96, 120, 132 Xanthine Oxidase, 96, 120, 132 Xenograft, 97, 132 X-ray, 6, 14, 38, 51, 108, 113, 119, 124, 128, 132 X-ray therapy, 113, 132 Z Zygote, 104, 132
Index 141
142 Brain Cancer
Index 143
144 Brain Cancer