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PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between tear function tests and impression cytology results and the clinical findings in ocular rosacea. METHODS: Patients with a histopathologic and clinical diagnosis of acne rosacea were studied. Ocular examination consisted of best-corrected visual acuity measurement, slitlamp examination, tear break-up time (BUT), basal Schirmer test, and rose Bengal staining. Impression cytology was done two days later. Ocular findings and symptoms were checked and scored. Age-matched controls were assessed using the same parameters. RESULTS: The most frequent symptoms were itching (80%), redness (68%), burning (64%), and photophobia (60%). The most frequent clinical findings were meibomitis (92%), telangiectasis (88%), blepharitis (84%), superficial punctate keratopathy (72%), and hyperemia (60%). Mean tear BUT was 9.6+/-3.1 (SD) seconds (range 5-17 seconds). Mean Schirmer test measured 11.4+/-1.6 mm (SD) (range 8-15 mm). Mean rose Bengal staining scored 1.8+/-0.1. Mean tear BUT, Schirmer test and rose Bengal staining scores were lower in the rosacea group than the control group (p0.05). A significant relation was observed between the stages of impression cytology and the severity of meibomitis (Fisher's test, chi2=9.625, p=0.001). The Schirmer test gave lower results in patients with severe blepharitis (Mann-Whitney U Test, U=180.5, p=0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis prevents serious ocular complications and chronic dry eye in rosacea. We suggest that in addition to tear function tests, rose Bengal staining and impression cytology can be successfully used in the early diagnosis of dry eye and in monitoring medical treatment in ocular rosacea. Meibomian glands play an important role in the pathogenesis of the ocular disease.

We evaluated the treatment results and prognostic factors that might affect local control and survival in patients receiving radiotherapy for oral cavity cancers.The study included 32 patients (16 men, 16 women; mean age 62 years; range 26 to 90 years) who received radiotherapy for oral cavity cancers. All the patients had squamous cell carcinoma, which involved the tongue in 15 patients (46.9%) and the lower lip in 13 patients (40.6%). Most of the patients (n=21, 65.7%) had T1 or T2 tumors. Neck lymph nodes were positive in 11 patients (34.4%). Fifteen patients had early stage (stage I, II), 17 patients had advanced stage (stage III, IV) tumors. Sixteen patients received primary radiotherapy and 16 patients received postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy, with doses ranging from 5000 cGy to 7000 cGy. The mean follow-up period was 68 months (range 5 to 147 months).Two-year and five-year survival rates were 53% and 39%, respectively. Age, sex, tumor differentiation, and the total radiotherapy dose were not found to affect survival (p0.05), whereas tumor size, positive lymph nodes, stage, and treatment modality were found as significant prognostic factors (p=0.01).Our data show that tumor size, lymph node involvement, stage, and postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy are significant parameters that affect survival in oral cavity cancers.

To determine the sensitivity of drug-resistant prostate cancer cell lines to doxazosin-mediated cell death, and the effects of combining doxazosin and chemotherapeutic agents on these cell lines. Materials and methods The cytotoxic effect of doxazosin was initially evaluated in the prostate carcinoma cell lines DU145 and PC-3. Doxazosin was combined either with adriamycin, etoposide or paclitaxel after its cytotoxic effects were detected in these cell lines. The tetrazolium dye (MTT) assay and trypan blue dye-exclusion tests were used to determine drug-mediated cytotoxicity. Experiments were performed at least three times and representative data are presented.Both cell lines were sensitive to doxazosin-mediated cytotoxicity and the maximum cytotoxicity was achieved after 72 h. While cell death increased with increasing concentrations of doxazosin, 60 micromol/L doxazosin killed more than half of the cells in these cell lines. The combination of doxazosin with both adriamycin and etoposide resulted in significant synergistic cytotoxic activity at subtoxic concentrations of the drugs. Interestingly, the combination of doxazosin and paclitaxel resulted in antagonistic activity.Doxazosin-mediated cytotoxicity in the drug-resistant human prostate carcinoma cell lines was confirmed. Combinations of doxazosin with either adriamycin and etoposide, but not paclitaxel, had synergistic cytotoxic activity in these tumour cell lines. These results suggest that doxazosin could be a new cytotoxic agent, either used alone or combined, in the treatment of prostate cancer.