A study of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells was undertaken to ascertain the degree of apoptosis induction by paclitaxel and if the induction of apoptosis could be enhanced by caffeine. Paclitaxel (0-20 ng/ml) caused concentration-dependent increases in morphologically identifiable apoptotic cells (up to 43% of cell population) and cells with DNA strand breaks (up to 38%), a commonly cited marker of apoptosis. Maximal DNA strand breakage occurred after 16 hr of exposure to paclitaxel and maximal apoptotic-appearing cells occurred after 24 hr. The remaining non-apoptotic paclitaxel-exposed cells were growth arrested in G2. A 4-hr exposure to caffeine concentration-dependently (0-20 mM) increased apoptosis to 88% of the cell population. Our results show induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells by paclitaxel, and enhancement of this process by caffeine.

The data suggest that magnesium infusion during a coronary occlusion has a significant benefit in reducing the IS in this model. Magnesium may have a beneficial clinical role in AMI, especially if administered before reperfusion as a bolus followed by a constant infusion.

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The 2008 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging criteria is not an independent predictor of survival in stage IIA cervical cancer. Given the equivalent efficacy of radical hysterectomy and radiation, attention should be paid to the high risk of adjuvant radiation in these patients.