Effects of technetium on marine micro-organisms

Eleven bacterial species have been isolated from the upper layer of intertidal sediments collected along the Belgian coast (Coxyde). Three of them (no. 1, 4 and 11) have been chosen for their halophilous character. One species has been identified as Flavobacterium halmephilum, the other two are being investigated. Effects of technetium (99Tc) have been studied on a mixed bacterial population isolated from sediments, as well as on the three halophilic species.At the concentrations utilized in this work (up to 100 microg ml-1), 99Tc has no evident effects on bacterial growth. Uptake of technetium (99Tc and/or 95mTc) has been investigated in the mixed bacterial population, in the three halophilic bacteria (including Flavobacterium halmephilum) and in the benthic ciliate Uronema marinum. It has been found that technetium is taken up by all these micro-organisms. However, the transfer factor (TF) in bacteria may vary considerably (from 0.5 to 200), but the cause of this variability is not known and deserves further study.The ciliate Uronema marinum, which feeds on living marine bacteria, was found to take up 95mTc added to the culture medium. However, the TF in this ciliate is rather low (from 1.4 to 5.5). Because it feeds on bacteria, Uronema marinum is supposed to take up technetium from water (direct contamination) as well as from contaminated bacteria (indirect contamination). Experiments with 95mTc-labeled bacterial cells might be useful, as they could indicate which form of contamination (direct or indirect) is prevailing

First- and second-line treatment strategies for hormone-receptor (HR)-positive HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer: A real-world study

Background: Endocrine therapy (ET) plus cyclin-dependent-kinases 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) represents the standard treatment for luminal-metastatic breast cancer (MBC). However, prospective head-to-head comparisons are still lacking for 1st line (L) options, and it is still crucial to define the best strategy between 1st and 2nd L. Materials and methods: 717 consecutive luminal-MBC pts treated between 2008 and 2020 were analyzed at the Oncology Department of Aviano and Udine, Italy. Differences about survival outcomes (OS, PFS and PPS) were tested by log-rank test. The attrition rate (AR) between 1st and 2ndL was calculated. Results: At 1stL, pts were treated with ET (49%), chemotherapy (CT) (31%) and ET-CDKi (20%) while, at 2ndL, 33% received ET, 33% CT and 8% ET-CDKi. Overall AR was 10%, 7% for CT, 8% for ET and 17% for ET-CDKi. By multivariate analysis, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i showed a better mPFS1 and OS. Moreover, 2ndL ET-CDK4/6i demonstrated better mPFS2 compared to ET and CT. Notably, 1stL ET-CDKi resulted in higher mPFS than 2ndL ET-CDKi. Intriguingly, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i was associated with worse mPPS compared to CT and ET. Secondarily, 1stL ET-CDK4/6i followed by CT had worse OS compared to 1stL ET-CDK4/6i followed by ET. Notably, none of baseline characteristics at 2ndL influenced 2ndL treatment choice (ET vs. CT) after ET-CDKi. Conclusion: Our real-world data demonstrated that ET-CDKi represents the best option for 1stL luminal-MBC compared to ET and CT. Also, the present study pointed out that 2ndL ET, potentially combined with other molecules, could be a feasible option after CDK4/6i failure, postponing CT on later lines

593pthe seneca study prognostic role of serum biomarkers in elderly metastatic colorectal cancer patients

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Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratios in breast cancer

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