Socrates Almanac

Number 3, 2014

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PRIMARY GLAUCOMA AS NEURODEGENERATIVE PATHOLOGY: NOVEL OPTIONS OF TREATMENT

Authors: Natalia Kurysheva

Abstract

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Number of views: 307

Glaucoma is a chronic disease that causes vision loss through the degeneration of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) neurons and their axons in the optic nerve. It is a leading cause of irreversible blindness estimated to affect 79.6 million people worldwide by 2020 [1]. RGCs and the optic nerve, integral parts of the CNS, have demonstrated similar mechanisms of cell death in glaucoma to those of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), marking glaucoma as a neurodegenerative disease [2].

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SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-POLITICAL FACTORS OF ACTIVE LONGEVITY

Authors: Prof. V.N. Shabalin, Prof. V.A. Grachev

Abstract

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Number of views: 329

The most important demographic phenomenon at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries was a global increase in life expectancy and, as a consequence, an adequate increase in the proportion of older people in the general population of the world. The growth rate of the elderly population is far ahead of the growth rate of the total population. At the same time, the older the age group, the more intense its population is growing. Dramatic aging of the population is a major social problem that has a significant impact on the economic, industrial and social relations of the present-day world. Importance of demographic aging is so great that the UN puts it on a par with the problem of preserving peace in the world.

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Study the synergistic effect of virotherapy and chemotherapy on tumor cells in vitro

Authors: Nahi Y. Yaseen, Ahmed M. Al-Shammari

Abstract

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Number of views: 297

Virotherapy, by using Newcastle disease virus, is a successful anti-tumor agent for in vitro studies. As with other modalities of treatment, oncolytic virotherapy, by itself, has not been effective in complete tumor eradication in both preclinical animal models and clinical studies. It appears that the best chance for complete tumor eradication lies with combining its mechanism of action with current treatment strategies of chemo- and radiation therapies and the emerging field of clinical gene therapy. The theory, based on combination chemotherapy, is that attacking tumor cells through different mechanisms of action will prevent tumor cells from having time to develop resistance to treatment. Oncolytic viruses can engender an increased sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, so we investigate the possibility of synergistic effect between Newcastle disease virus and chemotherapy in vitro. In the current study we used cytotoxicity assay and combination index to determine the most synergistic chemotherapeutic agent with Newcastle disease virus Iraqi strain, we used panel of different chemotherapies, and tested this combination for apoptosis induction. This combination tested for safety on normal cells. The results showed that Cyclophosphamide work in synergism with NDV as shown in cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays also it was safer when tested on normal cells. This study encourage to move for in vivo study to determine if Cyclophosphamide and NDV are powerful if used to treat transplanted tumors in mice.