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982. An outline of the history of radiotherapy at the Institute of oncology in Ljubljana from its beginning till 1980sAleksandra Oklješa Lukič, Karmen Hübscher, 2003, professional article Abstract: Background. The article presents the milestone events in the history of radiotherapy at the lnstitute of Oncology since its establishment till 1980s. It reviews the facts deduced from various jubilee publications, seminar reports and staff interviews of the Institute of Oncology. The aim of the article is to present the chronological history of radiotherapy at the Institute of Oncology, and to supplement the fragmented and incomplete recordswritten in the past. Conclusions. Available records are occasionally discrepant, but the most significant events in the history of the Institute ofOncology and its Radiotherapy Ward can nevertheless be ascertained.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 175; Downloads: 41
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983. Experiencing professional strains of nurses, radiation engineers and physicians working at the Institute of oncology in LjubljanaAndreja Cirila Škufca Smrdel, 2003, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Since 1974 the term burnout is used in psychology. Burnout describes the end result of stress and has been described by Maslach comprising three basic components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization andlow personal accomplishment. In this paper we would like to describe some aspects of burnout experiences of the employees of the Institute of Oncology in Ljubljana. Subjects and methods. We used Questionnaire of professional stress, created by Zunter Nagy and Kocmur. In our research 137 health workers from four professional groups participated: physicians, graduated nurses, nurses and radiation engineers, representing 38% of all employees. Results. Wefound out that in the experience the professional stressof all four professional groups is relatively equalized. The most prominent feelings are of fatigue, irritability and work overload. There were no signs of depersonalization - as described by Maslach - reported in our group. In nursesand in radiation engineers a distress is significantly more often displayed due to poorer personal income and poorer material status. Nurses reported significantly more often the intention to change work position (51%),institution (57%) or job (47%). Conclusions. Workstress impacts on the experience and on the thought patterns in those participating in the study. Wecan describe those signs as burnout signs. However, there are more new questions opening in the future as well as the need to a longitudinal approachto the research of this more and more prominent field.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 249; Downloads: 50
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984. Detection of apoptotic cells in tumour paraffin sectionsJože Pižem, Andrej Cör, 2003, professional article Abstract: Apoptosis is a distinct form of cell death characterised by specific morphological features and regulated by complex molecular mechanisms. Its deregulation is fundamental for tumour growth and progression and, moreover, anticancer therapies suppress tumour growth mainly by induction of apoptosis. Since the extent of apoptosis in a tumour may have prognostic as well as therapeutic implications, much effort has been invested in developing specificmethods that can be routinely used to detect apoptotic cells in archival formalin fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. Complex molecular pathways are involved in the regulation of apoptosis. Pro-apoptotic signals trigger activation of caspases that specifically cleave target proteins. Cleavage of proteins (caspase substrates) is responsible for morphological changes of apoptotic cells and DNA fragmentation. In the last decade, detection of apoptotic cells in formalin fixed tumour tissue sections has been based mainlyon morphology and characteristic DNA fragmentation. Recently, specific antibodies to activated caspases and cleaved target proteins (including cytokeratin 18, actin and PARP) have been produced that enable accurate detection of apoptosis in paraffin sections.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 230; Downloads: 54
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985. Brain metastases in lung cancer : impact of prognostic factors on patient survivalUroš Smrdel, Matjaž Zwitter, Viljem Kovač, 2003, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Brain metastases are common patterns of dissemination in lung cancer patients. In this paper we would like to assess the pattern of brain metastases in lung cancer patients and the impact of prognostic factors on thesurvival of lung cancer patients with brain metastases. Patients and methods. In the year 1998 there were 974 registered patients with lung cancer in Slovenia, six hundred and fifteen of them were treated at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana and we analyzed them. Among 615 patients 137 (22.3%) of them have had brain metastases during a natural course of disease. Results. For 12 patients presenting with solitary brain metastases (most of them were undertaken metastaseetomy) median survival was 7.6 months, while in patients with multiple brain metastases the median survival was 2.8 months (p = 0.0018). Of the 137 patients 45 (32.8%) were small cell lung cancer patients, 43 (31.4%) were adenocarcinoma patients and 19 (13.9%) were squamous cell carcinoma patients. Patients with performance status (WHO scale) less than 2 had the median survival time 3.7 months while patients with performance status2 or more had median survival time 2.7 moths (p=0.0448). Conclusions. Patients with solitary brain metastases had better survival comparing with those who had multiple metastases. It is surprisingly that the portion of brain metastases patients with adenocarcinoma is almost equal to those with small-call lung cancer therefore, the prophylactic cranial radiation becomes actual for both groups of patients. The performance status of patients with brain metastases remains very important prognostic factor.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 192; Downloads: 49
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986. Survivin - an inhibitor of apoptosis and a new therapeutic target in cancerJože Pižem, Andrej Cör, 2003, professional article Abstract: Survivin is a unique member of the inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) protein family. It inhibits apoptosis by interfering with post-mitochondrial events during apoptosis, thus blocking activation of caspases. The expression of survivin is among the most tumour specific of all human genes. It is overexpressed in most human cancers but is not detected in most normal tissues. Some molecular mechanisms of survivin upregulation in cancer have been elucidated, including loss of the wild-type p53. Tumours that overexpresssurvivin generally bear a worse prognosis and are associated with resistance to therapy. Its differential expression in caneer versus normal tissues makes survivin detection a useful tool in cancer diagnostics and a promising therapeutic target. Survivin targeting has resulted in increased spontaneous and induced apoptosis and inhibition of tumourgrowth. Some anticaneer drugs currently introduced into clinical practice might well act byinactivaring survivin.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 246; Downloads: 53
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987. The role of cyclooxygenase-2 in the malignant tissue and possible applicability of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in the therapy of cancerMateja Legan, 2003, review article Abstract: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX 2), an inducible prostaglandin (PG) synthase, is elevated in many types of malignant and pre-malignant tissues. This enzyme is localized in neoplastic (epithelial) cells, microvascular endothelial cells, and stromal fibroblasts. Through the released PG it enhances carcinogenesis with increasing angiogenesis, inhibiting apoptosis, activating matrix metalloproteinases, suppressing of cell mediated antitumor immune response andprotection against damage by cytotoxic agents. Evidences from in vitro studies, studies on animal models as well as first clinical outcomes suggest that the inhibition of COX 2 may suppress carcinogenesis by affecting a numberof pathways: inhibiting angiogenesis, invasiveness of tumors and promoting apoptosis. References forecast that COX 2 inhibitors, mostly COX 2 selective inhibitors, may get a role in the therapy of cancer as an adjuvant therapy or as an co-chemotherapeutic agent. The purpose of the present articleis to summarize the most important facts about the role of COX 2 in themalignant tissue and discuss possible ways for potential therapeutic place of COX 2 inhibitors in clinical practice.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 218; Downloads: 52
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988. Ten years of the journal Radiology and oncology: some bibliometric evaluationMatjaž Musek, Marjeta Oven, Primož Južnič, 2003, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Bibliometrics and its methods are a useful set of tools for analysing a scientific journal's relative position in the field. By measuring different quantitative data and comparing them with other journals in the field, certain decisions can be made as to the future of the journal. Objectives and methods. We thought as appropriate to take last ten years of Radiology and Oncology (1992-2001) and put that content to double scrutiny: first, by applying various guantitative measurements to the journal's content to get a more objective picture of the whole and of its development in the past ten years; then by additionally comparing it to another international journal from the field and of similar orientation, Neoplasma, to illustrate ifdifferences and/or similarities between the two are in favour of or detriment to Radiology and Oncology. Results and conclusion. Results show thatRadiology and Oncology has been progressing in the right direction, but that extra efforts should be made by the editors and the editorial board to attract more articles per issue and to gradually increase the share of experimental articles to boost its impact in the field. Also, to improve its visibility, editors, reviewers and also authors that publish in Radiology and Oncology could consider citing the articles published in this journal, in the articles published elsewhere, when appropriate.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 214; Downloads: 59
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989. Radioactive sources in brachytherapyJanez Burger, 2003, professional article Abstract: Background. In modern brachytherapy, a greast step forward was made in the 1960s in France with the introduction of new radioactive isotopes and new techniques. These innovations spread rapidly across Europe, though no single dosimetry standard had been set by then. In the new millennium, the advances in brachytherapy are further stimulated by the introduction of 3-D imaging techniques and the latest after loading irradiation equipment that use point sources. The international organiyation ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units) worked out brachytherapy techniques and standardized them in 1985 and in 1997. Due to rapid development of new techniques, the revision is required in order to set new international standards in dosimetry and brachytherapy techniques that will fit to the changed conditions in radiotherapy. Conclusions. This is an outline of radioactive sources that are currently used in brachytherapy, such as Cs-137, Ir-192, Ra-226, Rn-222, Co-60, I-131, I-125, Pd-103, Tu-106 and Cf-252.
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 224; Downloads: 46
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990. Assessment of atmospheric deposition of potentially toxic elements in Macedonia using a moss biomonitoring techniqueLambe Barandovski, Trajče Stafilov, Robert Šajn, Katerina Bačeva Andronovska, Marina V. Frontasyeva, Inga Zinicovscaia, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: This study aims to investigate the changes in atmospheric deposition trends in Macedonia, using a moss biomonitoring technique. This technique has been used to assess the content of potentially toxic elements in Macedonia in 2002, 2005, 2010, and 2015, within the framework of the International Cooperative Program on Effects of Air Pollution on Natural Vegetation and Crops. The content of 42 elements was analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry (ICP–AES), and atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), on 72 moss samples collected in the summer of 2015. The median values of the elements studied were compared with data from previous years and with median values obtained from comparable studies in Norway and the neighboring countries. Through factor and cluster analysis, three geogenic factors were identified: Factor 1, which includes the elements Al, Ce, Fe, Hf, La, Li, Na, Sc, Sm, Tb, Ti, Th, V, and U; Factor 4, which includes As, Cl, and I; and Factor 5, which includes the elements Ba and Sr. In addition, one geogenic-anthropogenic factor containing Co, Cr, and Ni (Factor 2), was identified, and one anthropogenic factor containing Cd, Pb, Sb, and Zn (Factor 3). The lead and zinc mines near the towns of Kriva Palanka, Probištip, and Makedonska Kamenica in the eastern region of the country, the former lead and zinc smelter in the town of Veles, and the ferronickel smelter near Kavadarci, have continuously had the greatest anthropogenic impact on the atmospheric deposition of potentially toxic elements during the time period of the study. In addition to the human influences, the lithology and the composition of the soil continue to play a significant role in the distribution of the elements.
Keywords: moss, biomonitoring, air pollution, potentially toxic elements, Macedonia
Published in DiRROS: 06.02.2024; Views: 253; Downloads: 69
Full text (9,82 MB) |
