The Relationship Between Urotensin Ii And Its Receptor And The Clinicopathological Parameters Of Breast Cancer

Background: Urotensin II is a vasoactive polypeptide. It is known that some vasoactive polypeptides are produced and secreted by tumor cells, and act as a paracrine growth stimulant. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between urotensin II and its receptor's messenger RNA expression in breast cancer. Material/Methods: Fifty-nine women with breast cancer were included in this study. The median age was 48 years. The relationships between urotensin II and urotensin II receptor mRNA expressions, which were derived from fresh breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal breast tissues, and clinical and pathological parameters, were assessed. Results: We found expressions of urotensin II mRNA and its receptor in 55 of 59 breast cancer tissues and in 55 of 59 normal breast tissues. We found a positive significant correlation between urotensin II and its receptor (p = 0.001, r=0.632), and found a negative, but insignificant, correlation between urotensin II and age (p=0.038, r=-0.281). Urotensin II levels were higher in the premenopausal group compared to the postmenopausal group (p<0.05). The mean urotensin II receptor expression was higher in the premenopausal group (p<0.05) compared to the postmenopausal group, and its expression was also higher in the group without extra-nodal invasion compared to that of the group with extra-nodal invasion (p=0.001). Urotensin II levels were higher in the group without lymphatic invasion compared to the group with lymphatic invasion (p=0.048). Conclusions: This study is the first in the English medical literature to determine the urotensin II and its receptor mRNA expressions in breast cancer tissues. Consequently, urotensin II seems be associated with menopausal status, and extra-nodal and lymphatic invasion.Wo

Meme kanserli hastalarda PARP1 gen ekspresyonu

Poli (ADP riboz) polimeraz (PARP), DNA onarım mekanizmasında yer alan bir enzim ailesidir. Bu enzimlerden PARP1, baz kesip- çıkarma onarım (BER) mekanizmasına öncülük eden tek zincir DNA kırıklarının saptanmasında rol alır. BRCA1 ve BRCA2 genlerinden yoksun meme kanseri tümörleri, DNA çift zincir kırıklarının onarımında yetersizdirler. PARP enzimlerinin bu tümörlerdeki aktivitesi ilgi konusudur çünkü PARP aktivitesinin kaybı, tek zincir DNA kırıklarının birikimine, biriken tek zincir DNA kırıklarının çift zincir DNA kırıklarına dönüşmesine ve takiben tamir edilemeyen DNA hasarı ve hücre ölümüne yol açmaktadır. Bu yüzden PARP inhibisyonunun, kanser hücrelerini öldürmede etkili olabileceği düşünülmekte ve PARP inhibitörlerinin seçici olarak meme kanseri tümörlerini öldürmedeki etkinliği araştırılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, PARP inhibitörlerinin meme kanserine karşı kullanılma potansiyelinin değerlendirilmesi için bir grup meme kanserli hastada, PARP-1 gen ifade düzeyi ve kanser markırlarından östrojen reseptörü (ER), progesteron reseptörü (PR) ve insan epidermal büyüme faktör reseptörü 2 (HER2)’nin gen ifade düzeyleri belirlenmiştir. Hastalarda PARP-1 gen ifade düzeyinin meme kanseri oluşumu ile ilişkili olmadığı gösterilmiştir.Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family of enzymes is part of the DNA repair mechanism. One of these enzymes, PARP-1 is involved in detection of signal single-strand DNA breaks (SSBs) that leads to base excision repair (BER) mechanism. Breast cancer tumors that lack Breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) and Breast cancer susceptibility gene 2 (BRCA2) are ineffective in DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) repair. Activity of the poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) enzymes in these tumors is of interest as a lack of PARP activity leads to accumulation of SSBs that are converted to DSBs and accumulation of DSBs lead to irreparable DNA damage and cell death. Therefore inhibition of PARP in tumor cells might be effective in killing cancer tumors and activity of PARP inhibitors in selectively killing breast cancer tumors is currently being evaluated. In this study, expression of PARP-1 and cancer markers estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) were determined in a group of breast cancer patients to assess the potential for using PARP inhibitors against this form of cancer. Expression of PARP- 1 was found not to correlate with the onset of breast cancer in the patients

Calculated globulin is clinically useful as a screening test for antibody deficiency in Turkish adult patients

Introduction: Heterogeneous clinical features of antibody deficiency (AD) may cause diagnostic delays. Calculated globulin (CG) (total protein minus albumin) has been proposed as a screening test to prevent morbidity due to diagnostic delays in AD. Our aim was to validate CG as a screening test for AD in Turkish adult patients by comparing its role with gamma globulin analysis in protein electrophoresis. Methods: Fifty serum samples were randomly collected for each level of CG from 15 to 25 g/L and tested for serum IgG, IgA, IgM levels and protein electrophoresis. Cut-off values predicting low IgG levels were calculated for electrophoretically determined gamma globulin and CG. Additionally, the data of 47 patients followed up in our clinic with a diagnosis of primary antibody deficiency (PAD) were retrospectively analyzed. Results: A total of 550 adult patients were included in the study. The CG value predicting patients with IgG <6 g/L as a screening test was determined as <20 g/L with 83.8% sensitivity and 74.9% specificity. The gamma globulin value which predicted patients with the same IgG value of 89.0% sensitivity and 89.4% specificity was determined as <7 g/L. In the retrospective analysis, 37 of 47 patients (78.7%) with PAD had a CG value of <20 g/L at the time of the diagnosis and all 13 patients (100%) whose gamma globulin values were measured at the time of the diagnosis had a gamma globulin value of <7 g/L. Conclusion: The determined CG cut-off value of <20 g/L can be used as a screening test in Turkish adult patients

Digitally enabled health service for the integrated management of hypertension : A participatory user-centred design process

This article describes a user-centred approach taken by a group of five procurers to set specifications for the procurement of value-based research and development services for IT-sup-ported integrated hypertension management. The approach considered the unmet needs of patients and health systems of the involved regions. The procurers established a framework for requirements and a solution design consisting of nine building blocks, divided into three domains: service delivery, devices and integration, and health care organisation. The approach included the development of questionnaires, capturing patients’ and professionals’ views on possible system functionalities, and a template collecting information about the organisation of healthcare, professionals involved and existing IT systems at the procurers’ premises. A total of 28 patients diagnosed with hypertension and 26 professionals were interviewed. The interviewees identified 98 functional requirements, grouped in the nine building blocks. A total of nine use cases and their corresponding process models were defined by the procurers’ working group. As result, a digitally enabled integrated approach to hypertension has been designed to allow citizens to learn how to prevent the development of hypertension and lead a healthy lifestyle, and to receive comprehensive, individualised treatment in close collaboration with healthcare professionals

Clinical and molecular evaluation of MEFV gene variants in the Turkish population: a study by the National Genetics Consortium

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a monogenic autoinflammatory disorder with recurrent fever, abdominal pain, serositis, articular manifestations, erysipelas-like erythema, and renal complications as its main features. Caused by the mutations in the MEditerranean FeVer (MEFV) gene, it mainly affects people of Mediterranean descent with a higher incidence in the Turkish, Jewish, Arabic, and Armenian populations. As our understanding of FMF improves, it becomes clearer that we are facing with a more complex picture of FMF with respect to its pathogenesis, penetrance, variant type (gain-of-function vs. loss-of-function), and inheritance. In this study, MEFV gene analysis results and clinical findings of 27,504 patients from 35 universities and institutions in Turkey and Northern Cyprus are combined in an effort to provide a better insight into the genotype-phenotype correlation and how a specific variant contributes to certain clinical findings in FMF patients. Our results may help better understand this complex disease and how the genotype may sometimes contribute to phenotype. Unlike many studies in the literature, our study investigated a broader symptomatic spectrum and the relationship between the genotype and phenotype data. In this sense, we aimed to guide all clinicians and academicians who work in this field to better establish a comprehensive data set for the patients. One of the biggest messages of our study is that lack of uniformity in some clinical and demographic data of participants may become an obstacle in approaching FMF patients and understanding this complex disease