Bone mineral density in young active females: The case of dancers

The aim of the study was to evaluate the combined effect of several environmental factors on bone mineral density (BMD) in a group of highly active young women. Body composition, total body and regional (arms, legs and trunk) BMD, dietary intake, menstrual status, training habits, and eating attitudes were assessed in 37 professional dance students, aged 18 to 26 years. Dancers had higher BMD values compared to age- and weight-matched reference population (mean total body BMD: 1.185 g/cm2, 9% higher than reference values). No differences were detected between currently eumenorrheic and noneumenorrheic dancers; subjects who encountered menstrual problems during adolescence had significantly lower BMD values compared to counterparts who did not. Regarding dietary intake, dancers in the highest quartile of calcium intake (1323 ± 113 mg/d) exhibited significantly higher total BMD values than subjects in the other 3 quartiles (p = .04). A moderate inverse relationship was found between protein intake and total BMD, after controlling for energy and calcium intake (r = 0.37). Fat-free soft mass was the only significant predictor of total BMD, explaining 20% of the variance. High levels of calcium intake were associated with high total BMD values. These results confirm the beneficial role of long-term and intensive physical activity on BMD and further suggest that dancers are not at a greater risk compared to the general population for developing osteoporosis, despite their menstrual and eating problems

Lymphatic and blood vessel morphometry in invasive breast carcinomas: relation with proliferation and VEGF-C and -D proteins expression.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of both lymphatics and blood microvessels in invasive breast carcinomas and the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of their density and size related parameters as well as their correlation with the proliferative potential of the tumor and VEGF-C and -D expression. METHODS: Both single and double immunohistochemistry were applied on a series of 146 paraffin-embedded breast tissue specimens to detect VEGF-C and -D as well as lymphatics and blood microvessels, respectively. Computer-assisted morphometry was performed to evaluate the blood and lymphatic vessel density (BVD and LVD respectively) as well as various vascular size related parameters. RESULTS: Lymphatics were detected within the stroma at the tumor border, while blood vessels were located in both the interior of the tumor mass and peritumor stroma. BV major axis, minor axis and perimeter inversely correlated with ER (p=0.011, p=0.023 and p=0.008 respectively), while LV major axis, minor axis and the perimeter inversely correlated with tumor nuclear grade (p=0.045, p=0.037 and p=0.032 respectively) and topoisomerase IIalpha (p=0.015, p=0.024 and p=0.045 respectively). The same LV parameters were found to positively correlate with cancerous VEGF-C (p<0.0001, p=0.092 and p=0.012 respectively) and VEGF-D in the stromal fibroblasts surrounding neoplastic cells (p=0.011, p=0.041 and p=0.026 respectively). High BVD exerted an unfavorable impact on both disease-free (p=0.021) and overall survival (p=0.031) of the patients. High LVD correlated with poor disease-free and overall survival only in the subgroup of patients with ER-negative tumors (p=0.056 and p=0.0312 respectively). CONCLUSION: These findings, for the first time, correlate lymphatic size with tumors of limited proliferative potential and higher nuclear differentiation. Moreover, they suggest that VEGF-C and -D expression influence lymphatic size rather than being involved in the increase of lymphatic vessel number

Lymphatic and blood vessel morphometry in invasive breast carcinomas: Relation with proliferation and VEGF-C and -D proteins expression

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of both lymphatics and blood microvessels in invasive breast carcinomas and the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of their density and size related parameters as well as their correlation with the proliferative potential of the tumor and VEGF-C and -D expression. Methods: Both single and double immunohistochemistry were applied on a series of 146 paraffin-embedded breast tissue specimens to detect VEGF-C and -D as well as lymphatics and blood microvessels, respectively. Computer-assisted morphometry was performed to evaluate the blood and lymphatic vessel density (BVD and LVD respectively) as well as various vascular size related parameters. Results: Lymphatics were detected within the stroma at the tumor border, while blood vessels were located in both the interior of the tumor mass and peritumor stroma. BV major axis, minor axis and perimeter inversely correlated with ER (p=0.011, p=0.023 and p=0.008 respectively), while LV major axis, minor axis and the perimeter inversely correlated with tumor nuclear grade (p=0.045, p=0.037 and p=0.032 respectively) and topoisomerase IIa (p=0.015, p=0.024 and p=0.045 respectively). The same LV parameters were found to positively correlate with cancerous VEGF-C (p<0.0001, p=0.092 and p=0.012 respectively) and VEGF-D in the stromal fibroblasts surrounding neoplastic cells (p=0.011, p=0.041 and p=0.026 respectively). High BVD exerted an unfavorable impact on both disease-free (p=0.021) and overall survival (p=0.031) of the patients. High LVD correlated with poor disease-free and overall survival only in the subgroup of patients with ER-negative tumors (p=0.056 and p=0.0312 respectively). Conclusion: These findings, for the first time, correlate lymphatic size with tumors of limited proliferative potential and higher nuclear differentiation. Moreover, they suggest that VEGF-C and -D expression influence lymphatic size rather than being involved in the increase of lymphatic vessel number

Expression patterns of beta-catenin in in situ and invasive breast cancer

Background: beta -Catenin plays a central role in the E-cadherin/catenin cell-cell adhesion complex and is possibly involved in cellular signalling pathways. In this study, we evaluated the expression patterns of this molecule in in situ and invasive breast cancer. Methods: The expression of beta -catenin was evaluated in 121 breast cancer specimens by immunohistochemistry. Its relationship to clinicopathological features was also investigated. Results: Altered beta -catenin expression was found in 68% of tumours. Lobular carcinomas showed abnormal beta -catenin expression more frequently (77%) than ductal carcinomas (64%) with 46% of lobular cases showing complete absence of beta -catenin immunoreactivity. Cytoplasmic beta -catenin localization was seen only in ductal carcinomas. Aberrant beta -catenin expression was observed in 54% of ductal carcinomas in situ with highly concordant. beta -catenin expression patterns in the nearby in situ and invasive components. Conclusions: Quantitative and qualitative changes in beta -catenin expression occur in a considerable proportion of in situ and invasive ductal carcinomas and are more prominent in invasive lobular carcinomas. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd

PPAR gamma expression in breast cancer: clinical value and correlation with ER beta

Aims: To examine the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) in invasive breast carcinoma in relation to known clinicopathological features, ERbeta, and relapse-free and overall patient survival. PPARgamma is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor that regulates the transcription of various target genes and has been implicated in human breast cancer. Methods and results: We performed immunohistochemistry to detect PPARgamma, ERalpha, PR and ERbeta in 170 infiltrative breast carcinomas. The results were subjected to statistical analysis. PPARgamma was detected in the cytoplasm of 58% of breast carcinoma samples. PPARgamma did not differ with regard to any of the clinicopathological parameters except for histological grade, to which it was found to be inversely correlated (P = 0.019), and ERbeta, to which it was positively related (P = 0.016). As regards relapse-free survival, in univariate statistical analysis PPARgamma was found to exert a marginally favourable impact on all the patients (P = 0.076), but a strong one on patients with ductal carcinoma (P = 0.027), whereas Cox’s regression analysis depicted PPARgamma to be an independent prognosticator for patients with ductal carcinoma (P = 0.039). No association was found between PPARgamma expression and overall survival. Conclusion: These results indicate the favourable impact of PPARgamma expression on disease-free survival of patients with ductal breast carcinoma and its possible cooperation with ERbeta in exerting that favourable effect