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In this paper, we construct a surface family possessing a Mannheim B pair of a given curve as a geodesic curve. Using the Bishop frame of the given Mannheim B curves, we present the surface as a linear combination of this frame and analyse the necessary and suficient condition for a given curve such that its Mannheim B pairs is both isoparametric and geodesic on a parametric surface. Also we analyze the conditions when the resulting surface is a ruled surface. In addition, developability along the common Mannheim B -geodesic of the members of surface family are discussed. Finally, we present some interesting examples to show the validity of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, strategy in cancer therapy in general, and breast cancer in particular, has been the use of maximum tolerated doses of toxic non-specific agents as well as the investigation of a range of new agents that specifically target tumor-related molecules, in a variety of biological pathways. The trial of chemotherapy (CT) versus chemotherapy+trastuzumab (Herceptin®) in HER-2-overexpressing metastatic breast cancer (MBC) was one of the first to use a biological agent in combination with chemotherapy with success and, together with some trials of taxanes in anthracycline-resistance patients one of the few to demonstrate an overall survival (OS) advantage in MBC. Five main molecular pathways are of particular interest in terms of new drug development in breast cancer: the estrogen receptor (ER) pathway, the tyrosine kinase signal transduction pathway, the cell cycle regulation pathway, the apoptosis pathway and the angiogenesis pathway. This review will focus on new agents, cytotoxic, hormonal and molecular-targeted, which are in advanced clinical stages of development for the treatment of MBC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Regional lymph node (LN) involvement in colorectal cancer (CRC) identifies the stage and the subset of patients who would benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. We performed a retrospective analysis to determine if the number of recovered LNs was associated with long-term outcome in patients operated on for stage II and III CRC., Patients and Methods: Hospital records of 179 patients with CRC followed in our unit from 1997 to April 2003 were reviewed., Results: On average 11.68 +/- 7.3 LNs were sampled per surgical specimen. Sampling of at least nine LNs appeared to be the minimum number required for accurately predicting LN involvement (P = 0.002). Three-year rates of disease-free survival (DFS), local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) were lower in patients with fewer than nine LNs sampled (P = 0.032, P = 0.006 and P = 0.04, respectively). However, this had no impact on the three-year distant metastasis-free survival rate (DMFS) (P = 0.472). In stage II disease, patients with nine or more LNs dissected had significantly higher three year DFS and LRFS rates than the subgroup with fewer than nine LNs dissected (P = 0.024 and P = 0.015, respectively), but this did not have any effect on DMFS or OS (P = 0.406 and P = 0.353, respectively)., Conclusion: Current protocols provide adjuvant treatment in stage III patients; the problem is to correctly determine stage by recovering as many LNs as possible.

A close relationship between autoimmunity and malignant diseases has been supposed for a long time. In clinical practice, anti-SS-B and anti-CENP-B antibodies are used as serologic markers for autoimmune diseases. In this study, anti-SS-B and anti-CENP-B autoantibodies were studied in breast cancer patients and compared to a control group surgically treated due to benign diseases. These antibodies were evaluated by enzyme linked immunoassay and serum values >10 U/ml were accepted as positive. Fifty-five patients with breast cancer and 25 patients with benign diseases were prospectively included in the study. In the breast cancer group, both anti-CENP-B (33% vs. 8%) and anti-SS-B (44% vs. 24%) autoantibodies had higher positivity compared to the control group, but this difference reached statistical significance only for anti-CENP-B antibodies (p=0.02). Besides, anti-SS-B positivity was detected more frequently in breast cancer patients with axillary involvement (63% vs. 24%) (p=0.006) and increased as the number of involved lymph nodes increased in the axilla (p=0.03). Although the clinical significance of autoantibody detection in cancer patients is still not clear, autoantibodies especially detected in individuals without proven autoimmune diseases needs to be thoroughly evaluated for early diagnosis and treatment of various cancers.

Treatment regimens for solid tumours have been extensively investigated for their physical toxic effects, but far less is known about the potential impairment of cognitive function by anticancer treatment regimens. Here, we review published studies that examined cognitive function in adult patients receiving systemic therapy for solid tumours. Our review suggests that patients can experience cognitive changes related to their treatment. However, several studies had methodological limitations, such as use of a limited sample size, lack of baseline assessment, and lack of control for potential confounding factors. Better designed clinical trials are required so that the difficulties patients face in terms of reduced cognitive function as a result of anticancer treatment can be fully elucidated. These trials should have sufficient statistical power and, importantly, should also be prospective.

The association between Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer has been debated in the last decade and evidence for such a causal relationship has been claimed. This study aimed to detect the seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastric cancer and compare it to the other cancer patients. In addition, the value of IgG and IgA in Helicobacter pylori detection was compared in patients with gastric cancer. Consecutive gastric and other cancer patients treated between 1999-2001 were prospectively studied. Serum Helicobacter pylori IgG and IgA levels were determined. Serological tests revealed IgA and IgG positivity as 53.9% and 50.9%, respectively, while 74.5% had positive results for either IgA or IgG. Serum IgA positivity was significantly higher in gastric cancer group compared to control group (p=0.02). In contrast, serum IgG positivity did not show a significant difference in both groups and either IgG or IgA seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer compared to control patients (p=0.04). This study revealed a higher seroprevalence of Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer patients and IgA was a better predictor of Helicobacter pylori seropositivity in gastric cancer patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to register the different cancer cases diagnosed in our hospital with an aim to define the most common and treatable cancer types and help define accurate targets for the allocation of the already limited resources of the Ministry of Health., Materials and Methods: We surveyed 12 months of the hospital's pathology records to determine the prevalence of various cancer types., Results: Out of 9720 biopsy and cytology samples, 662 were cancer cases. Breast and gastric cancers were higher and colorectal cancers were lower than the series reported from the United States. Of the pulmonary malignancies, lung cancer in general was not particularly higher in proportion to other cases, something interesting for a country with smoking rates exceeding 60% of the adult population. Squamous cell lung cancer was more common compared to the rates reported in the western world statistics., Conclusion: Although biases may exist, as certain cancers are more amenable to surgical intervention and physician groups may have special interest toward a particular cancer, distribution of cancer cases in Turkey is probably similar to the western world.

Objective: The effects of nitric oxide donor SNAP and nitric oxide inhibitors L-NMMA and AG on the functions of neutrophils in patients with Behçet's Disease (BD) were investigated in vitro., Methods: Oxidative burst and phagocytosis of neutrophils were evaluated by flow cytometry in patients with Behçet's disease (n = 32), inflammatory (n = 17) and healthy controls (n = 14), in the presence of L-NMMA, AG and SNAP., Results: The stimulation index of oxidative burst was found to be significantly decreased following PMA stimulation in patients with active BD compared to inflammatory and healthy controls. Oxidative function of neutrophils were inhibited in all 3 groups in the presence of L-NMMA, AG and SNAP L-NMMA inhibited the oxidative burst of neutrophils obtained from healthy controls more than inflammatory controls and BD (80% vs 52% and 53% respectively, p = 0.001). No significant difference of phagocytosis inhibition was found with L-NMMA, AG and SNAP and there were also no differences between the groups (% 9-39)., Conclusion: Nitric oxide donors and inhibitors may have a therapeutic role in Behçet's disease by suppresing neutrophil activity.