026), transfusion requirement (p smaller than 0.001), and intensive care unit admission (27% vs. 7%, p smaller than 0.001),

and longer hospitalization (p smaller than 0.001). Median follow-up was 70 months (25th to 75th percentile, 24 to 101). Actuarial survival estimates at 1, 5 and 10 years were 93%, 74%, 49% for the OPEN group compared to 89%, 69%, 59% for the EVAR group (p = 0.465). A significant difference between groups was observed in younger patients ( smaller than 75 years) only (p smaller than 0.044). Late complication selleck chemicals and re-intervention rates were significantly higher in EVAR patients (p smaller than 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). Freedom from late complications at 1, 5 and 10 years was 96%, 92%, 86%, and 84%, 70%, 64% for OPEN and EVAR procedures, respectively. Conclusions: Our experience

confirms the excellent results of the EVAR procedures, offering excellent early and long-term results in terms of safety and reduction of mortality. Patients smaller than 75 years seem to benefit from EVAR not only in the immediate postoperative period but even in a long-term perspective.”
“Reactivation of resolved hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has been reported in allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients, but its epidemiology is not www.selleckchem.com/products/tariquidar.html well characterized. We performed a retrospective assessment of the timing and risk factors of HBV reactivation among patients with resolved HBV infection undergoing allogeneic HSCT between January 2000 and March 2008. HBV reactivation was defined as development of positive hepatitis B surface antigen after transplant. Among the 61 patients

with resolved HBV infection before transplant (hepatitis B core anti body-positive, hepatitis B surface antigen-negative), 12 (19.7%) developed HBV reactivation. The cumulative probability of HBV reactivation 1, 2, and 4 years after transplant was 9.0%, 21.7%, and 42.9%, respectively. In a time-dependent Cox model, the adjusted CCI-779 price hazard ratio (HR) of HBV reactivation for patients with pretransplant hepatitis B surface antibody levels < 10 milli-international units per milliliter (mIU/mL) was 4.56 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23-16.9) compared to those with levels >= 10 mIU/mL; the adjusted HR among patients who developed extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) was 7.21 (95% CI 1.25-41.5) compared to those who did not. HBV reactivation is a common late complication among allogeneic HSCT recipients with pretransplant resolved infection. Screening for HBV reactivation should be considered for at-risk HSCT recipients. In this cohort, HBV reactivation often developed in patients with cGVHD. Liver biopsy was useful in those patients with both to delineate the contribution of each to liver dysfunction.

Over 3-year-old cattle (n=589) from dairy herds were selected for blood collection and detection of anti-T. gondii antibodies by indirect immunofluorescence reaction (IFA) with initial titration of 1: 16; titers >= 64 were considered positive. Univariate analysis of risk factors showed that cats in contact with cattle, cats in contact with drinking water,

and number of cats were associated with T. gondii seroprevalence. Logistic regression Z-VAD-FMK mouse revealed a two-fold increased risk for infection of cattle (p=0.0138) through larger number of cats (> 3) compared with low numbers of cats (1-2) on the farm. In contrast, the presence of chickens was considered a protective factor (p=0.025).”
“A key aspect

of predoctoral dental education involves ethics/professionalism and interpersonal communications. Empathy is an integral aspect of both. This study at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Western Ontario, examined predoctoral students’ perspectives to determine the impact of new educational methodologies designed to integrate patients’ voices into a patient management lecture course. Videos of patients describing their dental experiences were added Dorsomorphin mw along with classroom discussion and students’ reflective journals on the topics raised. Early results indicate that students perceived this innovation enhanced the teaching of professionalism, raised their awareness of the importance of empathy, and was a well-received addition to the course.”
“The most important vein segment to thrombolyse after deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is the outflow tract meaning the iliofemoral vein. Iliofemoral DVT is defined as DVT in the iliac vein and the common femoral vein. Spontaneous recanalization is less than 50%, particularly on the left side. The compression from PD173074 concentration adjacent structures, predominantly

on the left side is known as the iliac vein compression syndrome. Therefore, it is essential that supplementary endovenous procedures have to be performed in case of persistent obstructive lesions following catheter-directed thrombolysis. Insertion of a stent in this position is the treatment of choice facilitating the venous flow into an unobstructed outflow tract either from the femoral vein or the deep femoral vein or both. The stent, made of stainless steel or nitinol, has to be self-expandable and flexible with radial force to overcome the challenges in this low-pressure system. The characteristics of the anatomy with external compression and often a curved vein segment with diameter difference make stent placement necessary. Ballooning alone has no place in this area. The proportion of inserted stents varies in the published materials with catheter-directed thrombolysis of iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis.

\n\nTherefore we studied the effects of the oximes obidoxime, HI 6 and MMB-4 on the rate of decarbamylation for physostigmine- and pyridostigmine-inhibited human erythrocyte AChE both in a dynamically working in vitro model and a static cuvette system.\n\nOur results show that HI 6 increased the rate of decarbamylation for both physostigmine and pyridostigmine-inhibited enzyme in both systems, the observed effect by HI 6 increasing

with higher doses. Obidoxime had a slightly accelerating effect on the pyridostigmine-inhibited enzyme. MMB-4 applied to pyridostigmine-inhibited AChE in the static system only showed no difference to the experiments made in absence of oxime. No oxime showed a tendency to retard the rate Selleckchem GSK461364 of decarbamylation. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights Cediranib in vitro reserved.”
“Laser welding has the potential to become an effective method for wound closure and healing without sutures. Closure of skin incisions by laser welding with a combination of two near-infrared lasers (980 and 1064 nm), was performed for the first time in this study. One centimeter long, full-thickness incisions were made on the Wistar rat’s dorsal skin. The efficiencies

of laser-welding with different parameters were investigated. Incision-healing, histology examination, and a tensile strength test of incisions were recorded. Laser welding with the irradiance level of 15.9 W/cm(2) for both 980 and 1064-nm lasers and exposure time of 5 s per spot in continuous wave mode yielded a more effective closure and healing

with minimal thermal damage, faster recovery, and stronger apposition in comparison with a suturing technique. The conclusion is that skin welding with a combination of two near-infrared diode lasers can be a good candidate for incision closure, and further investigations are in progress for clinical use. (C) 2011 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.3552648]“
“Persistent levels of IL-10 play a central role in progressive immune dysfunction associated with chronic viral infections such as HIV, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Because IL-10 affects the phenotypic and functional properties of DCs, which are responsible for initiating adaptive immune responses, we Selleck Cyclosporin A investigated whether IL-10 induces changes in DC phenotype and function in the context of HIV infection. Here, we show that IL-10 treatment of immature and mature human DCs in culture induced contrasting phenotypic changes in these populations: immature DCs exhibited aberrant resistance to NK cell-mediated elimination, whereas mature DCs exhibited increased susceptibility to NKG2D-dependent NK elimination. Treatment of immature and mature DCs with HIV resulted in potent IL-10 secretion and the same phenotypic and functional changes observed in the IL-10-treated cells.

clavata as a valuable tool

for bioindicators of habitat damage.”
“Objective: To review functional results and quality of life of the first patients implanted with a newly introduced bone conduction implant system. Study Design: Retrospective chart analysis of 6 patients (6 ears) implanted for conductive hearing loss (CHL) and mixed hearing loss (MHL) in 1 tertiary referral center between July 2012 and February 2013. Methods: Implantation of a new bone conduction hearing device. Pure tone audiometry (air conduction and bone conduction thresholds, pure tone average, air-bone gap, and functional gain), speech audiometry (Freiburg Monosyllabic Test), intraoperative and postoperative complication rate, and patient satisfaction (Glasgow benefit BI 2536 clinical trial inventory

[GBI]) were assessed. Results: Air-conduction pure tone average (PTA) was 58.8 +/- 8.2 dB HL. Unaided average air-bone gap (ABG) was 33.3 Cl-amidine in vitro +/- 6.2 dB. Aided air-conduction PTA in sound field was 25.2 +/- 5.1 dB HL. Aided average ABG was -0.3 +/- 7.3 dB. Average functional gain was 33.6 +/- 7.2 dB. Mean improvement of GBI was +36.1. No intraoperative complications occurred. During a follow-up period of 8.5 +/- 2.2 months, no device failure and no need for revision surgery occurred. Conclusion: Audiometric results of the new bone conduction hearing system are satisfying and comparable to the results of devices that have been applied previously for CHL and MHL. Intraoperatively and postoperatively, no complications were noted. Level of Evidence: 4 (Individual retrospective cohort selleck study) Level of Evidence: 4 (Individual retrospective cohort study)”
“The scarcity of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) prompts the search for alternative sources for cell-based bone defects repair. Human dermal fibroblasts (FBs) have been

shown to have a high proliferative potential and the capacity to differentiate into an osteogenic phenotype. The easy and repeated harvest in large quantities makes this cell source a potential candidate for bone tissue engineering. The aim of our study was to compare directly the immune phenotype, proliferative capacity and osteogenic differentiation potential of FBs with that of “gold standard” BMSCs or adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs), another alternative osteoprogenitor cell source. Flow cytometry demonstrated that FBs, ADSCs and BMSCs shared common cell surface marker protein expression profiles when using a panel of surface antigens. FBs had the highest proliferative potential, but lowest osteogenic differentiation potential in vitro, compared with ADSCs or BMSCs. More importantly, BMPR-IB(+)-sorted FBs subpopulation had a higher osteogenic differentiation potential than BMPR-IB(-)-sorted FBs subpopulation. Our results indicated that the heterogeneous FBs were not an appropriate cell source for bone tissue engineering.

tsugae.”
“Over the past few years, considerable interest has been paid to the way in which social expectations (hopes, hypes, fears) about new genomic technologies help shape, and in themselves are shaped by, emerging technologies, regulatory SRT1720 clinical trial regimes and social concerns. In comparison, little attention has been paid to the role of expectations in related, but non-scientific discourses, such as bioethics. Drawing on a review

of publications addressing the ethical issues associated with pharmacogenetics, this paper presents a detailed critique of bioethicists’ contribution to these debates. The review highlights how, almost a decade after bioethical debate around pharmacogenetics started, and in contrast to the profession’s self-perception as a form of regulator, bioethicists still largely restrict themselves to reviews of possible ethical issues raised by this technology, rather than critiquing others’ positions and arguing for specific points of view. In addition the paper argues that bioethicists tend to: accept unquestioningly scientists’ expectations about the development and ethical issues raised by pharmacogenetics; ignore contributions from bioethicists who do question these expectations; and engage in an ethical debate, the boundaries of which have been

laid down and defined by academic and industry scientists. The paper concludes by offering some possible explanations for why the bioethical discourse has taken this form.”
“We experimentally studied the effects of the intersite mixing disorder between the A-site and B-site

on the magnetic properties of buy LCL161 the highly frustrated spinel oxide CoAl2O4 by measuring DC and AC susceptibilities. We controlled the inversion parameter eta systematically Cilengitide supplier from 0.0467 to 0.153 for (Co1-eta Al-eta)(A-site)[Al2-eta Co eta]O-B-site(4) by changing the heat treatment condition of the sample preparation. For eta <= 0.0643, no magnetic transition is observed down to 2 K, indicating a spin liquid (SL) regime for eta <= 0.0643, whereas for eta >= 0.101, a spin glass (SG) transition emerges at about T-g = 4.5 K, which is almost independent of eta. In addition, the coefficient of the H-T-g relation is fairly large compared with that of a conventional SG. Our results suggest that some degrees of additional exchange randomness and local distortion by the quenched antisite disorder lead to degeneracy breaking in the SL state and induce SG order.”
“One etiology related directly to obstructive urinary bladder dysfunction is ischemia/reperfusion resulting in significant oxidative stress to the bladder. Grapes, a natural source of antioxidants, have been proven effective in preventing obstructive and ischemic bladder dysfunction. Many investigators believe that resveratrol is the primary active antioxidant ingredient in grapes.

01) with increasing yeast supplementation. Live yeast addition did not modify the total tract digestibility of nutrients, or the growth performance. Mortality rate between 42 and 56d of age was lower at the highest yeast level (C10: 4 dead on 40; P<0.05) compared to C0 and C1 groups (average 13/40),. The structure of the caecal bacterial community was not modified after 11d of yeast presence in the caecum, while the bacterial diversity tended to be higher (5.0 vs 5.4,

P=0.10, for C0 vs [C1+C10]). The redox Anlotinib inhibitor potential of the caecal content increased with yeast addition (-227 vs -251 my, P<0.05 for CO vs [C1+C10]), whereas the fermentation pattern and the caecal pH remain unaffected (meanly 5.88). (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Rare genetic variation is an important class of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk factors and can implicate biological networks for investigation. Altered serotonin (5-HT) signaling has been implicated in ASD, and we and others have discovered multiple, rare, ASD-associated variants in the 5-HT transporter (SERT) gene leading to elevated 5-HT re-uptake and perturbed regulation. We hypothesized that loci

encoding SERT regulators harbor variants that impact SERT function and/or regulation and therefore could contribute to ASD risk. The adenosine A3 receptor (A3AR) regulates SERT via protein kinase G (PKG) and other signaling pathways leading to enhanced SERT surface expression and catalytic activity.\n\nMethods:

To test GSK2245840 our hypothesis, we asked whether rare variants VX-680 cost in the A3AR gene (ADORA3) were increased in ASD cases vs. controls. Discovery sequencing in a case-control sample and subsequent analysis of comparison exome sequence data were conducted. We evaluated the functional impact of two variants from the discovery sample on A3AR signaling and SERT activity.\n\nResults: Sequencing discovery showed an increase of rare coding variants in cases vs. controls (P=0.013). While comparison exome sequence data did not show a significant enrichment (P=0.071), combined analysis strengthened evidence for association (P=0.0025). Two variants discovered in ASD cases (Leu90Val and Val171Ile) lie in or near the ligand-binding pocket, and Leu90Val was enriched individually in cases (P=0.040). In vitro analysis of cells expressing Val90-A3AR revealed elevated basal cGMP levels compared with the wildtype receptor. Additionally, a specific A3AR agonist increased cGMP levels across the full time course studied in Val90-A3AR cells, compared to wildtype receptor. In Val90-A3AR/SERT co-transfections, agonist stimulation elevated SERT activity over the wildtype receptor with delayed 5-HT uptake activity recovery. In contrast, Ile171-A3AR was unable to support agonist stimulation of SERT.

This property renders this peptide an attractive molecule for use in the development of new compounds for the

treatment of infectious diseases.”
“Two-cysteine peroxiredoxins are ubiquitous peroxidases that play various functions in cells. In Leishmania and related trypanosomatids, which lack catalase and selenium-glutathione peroxidases, the discovery of this family of enzymes provided the molecular basis for peroxide removal in these organisms. In this report the functional relevance of Selleckchem CA3 one of such enzymes, the mitochondrial 2-Cys peroxiredoxin (mTXNPx), was investigated along the Leishmania infantum life cycle. mTXNPx null mutants (mtxnpx(-)) produced by a gene replacement strategy, while indistinguishable from wild type promastigotes, were found unable to thrive in a murine model of infection. Unexpectedly, however, Tozasertib the avirulent phenotype of mtxnpx(-) was not due to lack of the peroxidase activity of mTXNPx as these behaved like controls when exposed to oxidants added exogenously or generated by macrophages during phagocytosis ex vivo. In line with this, mtxnpx(-) were also avirulent when inoculated into murine hosts unable to mount an effective oxidative phagocyte response

(B6.p47(phox-/-) and B6.RAG2(-/-) IFN-gamma(-/-) mice). Definitive conclusion that the peroxidase activity of mTXNPx is not required for parasite survival in mice was obtained by showing that a peroxidase-inactive version of this protein was competent in rescuing the non-infective phenotype of mtxnpx(-). A novel function is thus proposed for mTXNPx, that of a molecular chaperone, which may explain the impaired infectivity of the null mutants. This premise is based on

the observation that the enzyme is able to suppress the thermal aggregation of citrate synthase in vitro. Also, mtxnpx- were more sensitive than controls to a temperature shift from 25 degrees C to 37 degrees C, a phenotype reminiscent of organisms lacking specific chaperone genes. Collectively, the findings reported here change the paradigm which regards all trypanosomatid 2-Cys peroxiredoxins as peroxide-eliminating devices. Moreover, they demonstrate, for the first time, that these 2-Cys peroxiredoxins can be determinant for pathogenicity independently of their peroxidase activity.”
“While several studies have been conducted AZD8055 solubility dmso on the antioxidant properties of the beta-amino acid taurine, these studies all used concentrations lower than what is found physiologically. This study investigates the scavenging and antioxidant properties of physiological taurine concentrations against different reactive species. No reactivity between taurine and hydrogen peroxide was found; however, taurine exhibited significant scavenging potential against peroxyl radical, nitric oxide, and superoxide donors. This study also evaluated if taurine was able to minimize the in vitro CuZn-superoxide dismutase damage (SOD) induced by peroxynitrite.

The inhibition was modestly enhanced by hydrophobic substituents on the catechol. The 1:1 vanadate complexes are considerably better inhibitors of the P99 beta-lactamase than 1:1 complexes of catechol with boric acid and are likely to contain penta- or hexacoordinated vanadium rather than tetracooordinated.

Molecular modeling showed that a pentacoordinated 1: 1 vanadate-catechol complex readily fits into the class C beta-lactamase active site with coordination to the nucleophilic serine hydroxyl oxygen. Such complexes may resemble the pentacoordinated transition states of phosphyl transfer, a reaction also catalyzed by beta-lactamases.”
“In this study, we used red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) activity to screen for G6PD-deficient

individuals in 373 unrelated asymptomatic adult men who DMXAA price were working with insecticides ( organophosphorus and carbamate) in dengue prevention programs in 27 cities in Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Twenty-one unrelated male children suspected of having erythroenzymopathy who were attended at hospitals in Sao Paulo city were also studied. Fifteen of the 373 adults and 12 of the 21 children were G6PD deficient. G6PD gene mutations were investigated in these G6PD-deficient individuals by using PCR-RFLP, PCR-SSCP analysis and DNA sequencing. Twelve G6PD A-202A/376G and two G6PD Seattle844C, as well as a new variant identified as G6PD Sao Paulo, were detected among adults, and 11 G6PD A-202A/376G and one G6PD Seattle844C were found among selleck inhibitor children. The novel mutation c.660C > G caused the replacement of isoleucine by methionine (I220M) in a region near the dimer interface of the molecule. The conservative nature of this mutation ( substitution of a nonpolar aliphatic amino acid for another one) could explain why there was no corresponding

change in the loss of G6PD activity (64.5% of normal activity in both cases).”
“Background: The aim of this study was to GS-7977 DNA Damage inhibitor identify predictors of repeated admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) of patients who underwent cardiac surgery procedures.\n\nMaterial/Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 169 patients who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) between January 2009 and December 2010. The case group contained 54 patients who were readmitted to the ICU during the same hospitalization and the control group comprised 115 randomly selected patients.\n\nResults: Logistic regression analysis revealed that independent predictors for readmission to the ICU after CABG were: older age of patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.04; CI 1.004-1.08); body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m(2) (OR 2.55; CI 1.31-4.97); EuroSCORE II >3.9% (OR 3.56; CI 1.59-7.98); non-elective surgery (OR 2.85; CI 1.37-5.95); duration of operation >4 h (OR 3.44; CI 1.54-7.69); bypass time >103 min (OR 2.5; CI 1.37-4.57); mechanical ventilation >530 min (OR 3.98; CI 1.82-8.

0%, 91.8%, and 84.0%, respectively. Their specificities for RIF resistance detection were all 100%. ConclusionThree molecular assays for the detection of RIF resistance have various performances. Xpert MTB/RIF assay shows the highest sensitivity among the three molecular assays and can be an effective choice in clinical laboratories.”
“PURPOSE. We evaluated the relationship between cone photoreceptor packing density

and outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness within the central 15 degrees.\n\nMETHODS. Individual differences for healthy subjects in cone packing density and ONL thickness were examined in 8 younger and 8 older subjects, mean age 27.2 versus 56.2 years. Cone packing density was obtained using an adaptive Nutlin-3 cost optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). The ONL thickness measurements included the ONL and the Henle fiber layer (ONL + HFL), and were obtained using spectral domain optical coherence tomography

(SDOCT) and custom segmentation software.\n\nRESULTS. There were sizeable individual differences in cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness. Older subjects had on average lower cone packing densities, GM6001 but thicker ONL + HFL measurements. Cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness decreased with increasing retinal eccentricity. The ratio of the cone packing density-to-ONL2 was larger for the younger subjects group, and decreased with retinal eccentricity.\n\nCONCLUSIONS. The individual differences in cone packing density and ONL + HFL thickness are consistent with aging changes, indicating that normative aging data are necessary for fine comparisons in the early stages of disease or response to treatment. Our finding of ONL + HFL thickness increasing with aging is inconsistent with the hypothesis that ONL measurements with SDOCT depend only on the number of functioning cones, since in our older group cones were fewer, but thickness

was greater. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012; 53:3545-3553) DOI:10.1167/iovs.11-8694″
“Background: During the administration of advanced cardiac life support for resuscitation from cardiac arrest, a combination of vasopressin and epinephrine may be more effective QNZ datasheet than epinephrine or vasopressin alone, but evidence is insufficient to make clinical recommendations.\n\nMethods: In a multicenter study, we randomly assigned adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to receive successive injections of either 1 mg of epinephrine and 40 IU of vasopressin or 1 mg of epinephrine and saline placebo, followed by administration of the same combination of study drugs if spontaneous circulation was not restored and subsequently by additional epinephrine if needed. The primary end point was survival to hospital admission; the secondary end points were return of spontaneous circulation, survival to hospital discharge, good neurologic recovery, and 1-year survival.

“
“Purpose: To perform a systematic EGFR phosphorylation review of the complications of strabismus surgery, focusing on incidence and risk factors. Material and Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using the Medline and Cochrane databases. Results: Local complications, such as conjunctival injection and mild scarring, are almost universal but only rarely have long-term clinical significance. There are several important complications that are uncommon but associated with significant long-term sequelae, including slipped muscles, lost

muscles, stretched scars, incarcerated muscles, pulled-in-two syndrome, periocular infections, orbital cellulitis, scleral perforations, retinal detachments, endophthalmitis, anterior segment ischemia, and surgical errors. Discussion: Strabismus surgery is associated with a number of common and serious complications, and it is important for both surgeons and patients to be aware of the risks.”
“Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass determines a serious imbalance of the hemostatic system. The clinical pattern ismultifactorial, involving patient-related, BEZ235 clinical trial drug-related, and surgery-related factors. As a result, the patient is prone to both hemorrhagic and thrombotic complications. To address the clinical

management of a bleeding patient after cardiac surgery, avoiding empirical administration of drugs and blood derivates, it is mandatory to correctly identify the factor(s) responsible for bleeding. Bleeding after cardiac operations can be ascribed to seven basic mechanisms: residual heparin effect; reduced

thrombin generation; fibrinogen deficiency; thrombocytopenia; platelet dysfunction; hyperfibrinolysis; and surgical sources. These factors may interact together, creating a complex coagulopathy. Point-of-care coagulation tests are useful to orienteer the clinician in this complex scenario. Viscoelastic coagulation tests find their greater usefulness in the diagnosis of the bleeding mechanism(s), whereas platelet function tests appear more useful for the preoperative selleck inhibitor assessment of patients under the effects of antiplatelet agents. Thromboembolic complications are the other side of the coin, and their prevention is still a matter of debate. Consumption of natural anticoagulants and endothelial disturbance are important mechanisms underlying this condition. Strategies to limit antithrombin (AT) consumption or to correct low postoperative levels of AT are still a matter of discussion.”
“Overactivation of both Polo-like kinase-1 (Plk1) and Aurora-A is linked to cancer development, and small-molecule inhibitors that target these kinases are currently tested as anticancer drugs. Here, we discuss recent advances in the understanding of the functional crosstalk between Plk1 and Aurora-A before and during mitosis.