Search

The review article describes the criteria established for methodology of antisense anti IGF-I therapy of malignant tumors, particularly of glioblastoma. The cancer patients, after classical therapy of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, have undergone the injection of genetically modified autologous malignant cells—transfected by IGF-I antisense/triple helix expression vectors. For all cancer patients supervised for up to 19 months, the period corresponding to minimum survival of glioblastoma patients, the following common immune criteria for “anti IGF-I” strategy were admitted: 1) characteristics of cell “vaccines”—absence of IGF-I and expression of MHC-I in cloned transfected cells; 2) the peripheral blood lymphocytes, PBL cells, removed after every of two successive vaccinations, demonstrate an increasing level of CD8+ and CD8+28+ molecules (with a switch from CD8+11b+ to CD8+11b-).

The authors would like to make the following corrections. In page 2, paragraph 2, Materials and Methods, first column, 34th line, it should be Cartagena's University Hospital del Caribe (preclinical study) instead of Cartagena's University, second column, 29th line, it should be Bogota, instead of Cartagena.

The aim of this study was to establish the criteria for methodology of cellular “anti-IGF-I” therapy of malignant tumours and particularly for glioblastoma multiforme. The treatment of primary glioblastoma patients using surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy was followed by subcutaneous injection of autologous cancer cells transfected by IGF-I antisense/triple helix expression vectors. The prepared cell “vaccines” should it be in the case of glioblastomas or other tumours, have shown a change of phenotype, the absence of IGF-I protein, and expression of MHC-I and B7. The peripheral blood lymphocytes, PBL cells, removed after each of two successive vaccinations, have demonstrated for all the types of tumour tested an increasing level of CD8+ and CD8+28+ molecules and a switch from CD8+11b+ to CD8+11. All cancer patients were supervised for up to 19 months, the period corresponding to minimum survival of glioblastoma patients. The obtained results have permitted to specify the common criteria for “anti-IGF-I” strategy: characteristics sine qua non of injected “vaccines” (cloned cells IGF-I(−) and MHC-I(+)) and of PBL cells (CD8+ increased level).

Background. Many authors believe that the functional capacity of patients in the early period following intracranial aneurysm surgery influences their long-term capacity and quality of life. The purpose of our study was to estimate whether selected factors such as gender, age, aneurysm location, clinical manifestation, type of surgery, length of hospitalization and clinical condition prior to surgery have an effect on the functional capacity of patients in the early period following intracranial aneurysm surgery. Material and methods. The study was conducted in the Neurosurgery and Neurotraumatology Department of the Jurasz Clinical Hospital in Bydgoszcz. We examined 97 patients after intracranial aneurysm surgery, using direct observation and measurement. The patients' condition was assessed using standard neurosurgical scales (Hunt.