Bystander killing

B. W. Hughes, A. H. Wells, Z. Bebok, V. K. Gadi, R. J. Garver, W. B. Parker, and E. J. Sorscher, Bystander killing of melanoma cells using the human tyrosinase promoter to express the Escherichia coli purine nucleoside phosphorylase gene, Cancer Res. 55 3339 (1995). 

Ishii Morita, H., Agbaria, R., Mullan, C.A., Hirano, H., Koeplin, D.A., Ram, Z., Oldfield, E.H., lohns, D.G., and Blaese, R.M., Mechanism of bystander effect killing in the herpes simplex thymidine kinase gene therapy model of cancer treatment, Gene Therapy, 1997, 4, 244—251. 

Two bodies were left behind, a flattened skull and a broken neck respectively. So Bruno killed two and wounded one, while I, the celebrated swordsman, merely wounded two. My excuse for such a sorry and unheroic showing is that I was the target and the bravos had not at first registered Bruno as anything but a bystander. He survived only because they did not have time to react to his unorthodox and fearless assault. Had the fight lasted a moment longer, they would have made a sieve of him. 

This cytotoxic effect of transduced cells on nontrans-duced cells is termed the bystander effect. Because only a small number of cells will be transduced with the cytotoxic gene, when these cells die, they release toxic products that in turn kill the surrounding (or bystander) cells. The TK-ganciclovir approach is currently used in several clinical trials for a variety of malignancies, including gliomas. 

Studies with radioactive isotopes have been performed to facilitate a therapeutic effect - a strategy called radioimmunotherapy [124]. Radiolabels include -emitters such as Sc, and [125] (see Part V, Chap-ters 4 and 5). When compared to immuno-scintigraphy, the applied doses are higher in order to establish a cytotoxic effect. Even cells within the tumor that are inaccessible to the antibody can be killed without prior internalization (the bystander effecf). 

Another egregious case of the inunotality of drug prohibition involves the infamous Operation Just Cause. In the name of police activity and drug-law enforcement, the sovereign nation of Panama was invaded by a large American military force hundreds of innocent bystanders were killed, hundreds of millions... 

Don t harm innocent bystanders The primary goal of antimicrobial therapy is to kill bacteria without harming tissues of the host (Fig. 7.1). Drugs like penicillin, which are effective against certain bacteria, but cause few side effects, have high selective toxicity (i.e., good therapeutic index). In contrast, drugs like amphotericin, which are toxic to human cells at therapeutic doses, have poor selective toxicity. 

This is derived from the value that individuals place on their own lives only it excludes the monetary benefit from not having other passengers killed, innocent bystanders, etc. 

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