MicroRNA-34, microRNA-130, microRNA-148, microRNA-181, microRNA-194 and microRNA-605 expression in colon cancer tissue

Purpose of the study. Determination of the expression of microRNA‑34, microRNA‑130, microRNA‑148, microRNA‑181, microRNA‑194 and microRNA‑605 in colon tumor tissue depending on the clinical and morphological features of the tumor and the effectiveness of treatment.Materials and methods. The study included 56 patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer aged 43 to 75 years with the average age of 54 years. Taking into account the local prevalence of the process patients received surgical or combined treatment, including neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in the clinics of the Cancer Research Institute, Tomsk NRMC. MicroRNA expression was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in real time.Results. The obtained information revealed the relation of microRNA‑130 to the tumor size. The development of regional metastases was associated with changes in microRNA‑130, microRNA‑194 and microRNA‑605. The level of histological organization of the tumor was associated with microRNA‑34, microRNA‑130, microRNA‑148, and the response to therapy – with microRNA‑130, microRNA‑148 and microRNA‑605. In addition, according to the study, the significance of microRNA‑130 was revealed, which is associated with tumor spread, histological differentiation and response to antitumor therapy.Conclusion. The features of expression of microRNA‑34, microRNA‑130, microRNA‑148, microRNA‑181, microRNA‑194 and microRNA‑605 associated with clinical and morphological features of colon tumors were revealed. Correlations between the studied indicators are noted, which probably determine the outcome and prognosis of the disease

Multimodal therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer: a case of complete clinical and radiological response of liver metastases

Background. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Population-based studies have shown that 25–30 % of patients with colorectal cancer have synchronous liver metastases at the time of diagnosis. despite modern advances in oncology and surgery, only 25 % of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are suitable for liver resection, which is the only curative treatment option for these patients. In recent years, the indications for curative treatment of mCRC have expanded. due to the introduction of new targeted drugs into clinical practice, the tumor response rate to preoperative therapy has increased, thus increasing surgical resection rate. Some patients experience a complete clinical response, which is defined as the complete disappearance of liver metastases. However, 30–70 % of patients develop recurrent metastases in the liver within the first year of follow-up, and currently, even in the presence of complete regression of metastases, it is recommended to perform resection of the initially affected hepatic segments. Case presentation. We describe a case of complete clinical and radiological response of liver metastases after chemotherapy in a patient with sigmoid colon cancer. Molecular genetic analysis revealed the wild type of the Kras, Nras and Braf genes. The patient received 3 courses of preoperative chemotherapy according to the FOLFOxIRI + Cetuximab regimen. Laparoscopic sigmoid colon resection with d3 lymph node dissection was followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and 5-fluorouracil (12 cycles). After 16 months of follow-up, no evidence of colon cancer recurrence and liver metastasis was found. Conclusion. Current targeted therapy has demonstrated efficacy in treating mCRC with synchronous liver metastases and makes it possible, in selected cases, to avoid the liver resection provided that a complete clinical and radiological response of the metastases is achieved

Successful surgical treatment of metachronous carcinoma of the appulla of Vater and ductal carcinoma of the distal parts of the pancreas: A case report

Background. Currently, there is a steady trend towards an increase in the incidence of both synchronous and metachronous multiple primary malignant tumors (MPMT). However, metachronous polyneoplasia of the pancreatobiliary tract is relatively rare, and there have been very few reports on successful treatment of this malignancy. Case presentation. In September 2014, the patient K. was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the ampulla of Vater (T2N0M0, stage Ib) and underwent gastropancreatoduodenal resection with the creation of pancreatic-gastric anastomosis at the Abdominal Department of Cancer Research Institute of Tomsk National Research Medical Center. There were no complications in the postoperative period. At a 6.5-year followup, no evidence of disease progression was found. In April 2021, a follow-up examination conducted at the Cancer Research Institute revealed a large lesion on the distal part of the pancreatic stump with no clinically significant manifestations. Diagnosis of MPMT was confirmed by transgastric endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsy. Histological and immunohistochemical examinations revealed undifferentiated ductal carcinoma of the pancreas. Considering the metachronous tumor localization, pancreatic stump extirpation with resection of the posterior wall of the stomach and splenectomy was performed. No complications occurred in the postoperative period. The patient received replacement therapy for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and individual correction of carbohydrate metabolism. At a 15-month follow-up, liver metastases were detected, and palliative chemotherapy was administered. The patient died 6 months later due to disease progression. The survival time was 99 months after the first surgery and 21 months after the second surgery. Conclusion. We report a rare case of metachronous cancers of the ampulla of Vater and pancreatic stump developed with an interval of 6.5 years. The patient underwent successful curative resections consecutively. The overall survival time from the date of diagnosis was 99 months

Concept of scale in marine ecology: linking the words or the worlds?

The concept of scale (in sensu lato) is considered to be very promising as the integrative basis for modern ecology. Nowadays it is not a full-blown theory but rather a flexible and progressively developing methodology to outline future unifying theories. It provides a powerful conceptual framework for generating testable hypotheses and studying a wide range of ecological phenomena related with such themes as heterogeneity, hierarchy and size. Spatio-temporal heterogeneity, organizational hierarchies and body size are the main scaling factors for ecological patterns and processes. Broad comparison of patterns for these three different but interrelated dimensions can reveal some new regularities ("scaling laws") of ecological systems. It also allows us to look at the worlds of different organisms "through their own eyes". Some examples of applying the cross-scaling approach in marine ecology are considered: — Patterns and scales of spatial heterogeneity; — Species-area curves and body size; — Co-occurrence of congeners as scale-dependent phenomenon; — Spatio-temporal ranges of ecological hierarchies

Body size determines the strength of the latitudinal diversity gradient

In most groups of organisms, the species richness decreases from the tropics to the poles. The mechanisms causing this latitudinal diversity gradient are still controversial. We present data from a comprehensive weighted meta-analysis on the strength of the latitudinal gradient in relation to body size. We sampled literature data on the correlation between species richness and latitude for a variety of organisms, ranging from trees to protozoa. In addition, own data on the presence of large-scale diversity patterns for diatoms were included, both for local and regional species richness. The strength of the latitudinal gradient was positively correlated to the size of the organisms. Strongest decreases of species richness to the poles was found for large organisms like trees and vertebrates, whereas meiofauna, protozoa and diatoms showed weak or no correlations between species richness and latitude. These results imply that latitudinal gradients are shaped by non-equilibrium (regional) processes and are persistent under conditions of dispersal limitation

Environmental Stability and Long-term Variability of Harpacticoid Copepod Assemblages

Abstract Harpacticoid copepods of the Chernaya Bay (White Sea) intertidal zone were collected in 45 surveys carried out from spring to autumn over a 25-year period (1996-2020) at three sites that differed in sediment properties. There were no significant long-term trends or seasonal cycles in total abundance. Regarding the species composition, the differences between sites were the most important source of variability over the whole period while the fine-scale (within-habitat) variability was low. Epibenthic species prevailed in fine silty sand, both burrowing and epibenthic species prevailed in medium sand, and interstitial and burrowing species prevailed in coarse sand. A comparison of the data on harpacticoid assemblages from a number of geographically remote loci corroborated the generality of this pattern. In the temporal dimension, the structure of each community was stable until the early 2000s, when the proportion of epibenthic, burrowing and interstitial species changed following changes in sediment properties (increasing siltation at sandy sites and decreasing siltation at the silty site). At each site, there was an increasing long-term trend in diversity (both in total richness and in expected species number). This increase was particularly apparent at sandy sites because of the appearance of epibenthic species. We suggest that sediment composition is the key factor determining the composition of harpacticoid assemblages in space and time. The “ecomorphological profile”, i.e., the proportion of species with different lifestyle and morphological traits, is a useful and informative indicator for describing and typifying these assemblages.</jats:p