Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Five-fluorouracil (5FU) remains the single most effective treatment for advanced disease, despite a response rate of only 20%. Herein, we show that the antioxidants pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate and vitamin E induce apoptosis in CRC cells. This effect is mediated by induction of p21WAF1/CIP1, a powerful inhibitor of the cell cycle, through a mechanism involving C/EBPbeta (a member of the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein family of transcription factors), independent of p53. Antioxidants significantly enhance CRC tumor growth inhibition by cytotoxic chemotherapy in vitro (5FU and doxorubicin) and in vivo (5FU). Thus, chemotherapeutic agents administered in the presence of antioxidants may provide a novel therapy for colorectal cancer.

Remote endarterectomy is a viable and durable alternative to standard bypass procedures. It has equivalent patency to published results of bypass or endovascular procedures of the external iliac and superficial femoral arteries and may soon replace bypass as the preferred procedure for long-segment occlusions of these vessels.

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According to the 1980 Consumer Product Safety Commission's small parts standard, toys with small parts that pose a choking hazard cannot be marketed for children under the age of 3 years. To comply with the standard, toy manufacturers place age labels on packaging to indicate the ages for which toys with small parts are recommended. We conducted a survey of 199 toy buyers to determine the degree to which they understood such labels as warnings and whether more explicit warning labels would affect toy buyers' willingness to purchase toys with small parts for children between 2 and 3 years of age. Forty-four percent of respondents said they would buy for a child between 2 and 3 years of age a toy with the label "Recommended for 3 and up"; only 5% said they would buy for a young child a toy with the label "Not recommended for below 3--small parts." These findings indicate that a change in the small parts standard to require more specific labeling might substantially reduce potentially hazardous toy purchases.