Die prognostische Bedeutung von HER-2/neu - Amplifikation und Überexpression, sowie disseminierter Tumorzellen im Knochenmark bei Patientinnen mit Ovarialkarzinom

Die Ermittlung von molekularbiologischen Faktoren, die mit dem Ovarialkarzinom assoziiert sind, kann für die Beurteilung der Prognose und die Wahl der optimalen Therapie der Patientinnen sehr hilfreich sein. In dieser Arbeit wurde die prognostische Bedeutung der Disseminierung von Tumorzellen ins Knochenmark und der HER-2/neu (Human Epidermal Growth factor receptor-2) Proteinüberexpressions- und Genamplifikationsrate in Ovarialkarzinomzellen mittels Immunhistochemie und Fluoreszenz-in situ-Hybridisierung untersucht

Effect of peritoneal fluid from endometriosis patients on neuroblastoma cells in culture

AIM: Endometriosis is often associated with lower abdominal pain, dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and chronic pelvic pain. There is no correlation between the extent of endometriosis and the intensity of pain. The mechanism of pain in endometriosis is unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the influence of peritoneal fluid (PF) from endometriosis patients on cultured neural cells that are the morphological basis of nociception, and to determine whether there was a relationship between the rAFS staging and an elevation of TGF-beta1 production by these cells. METHODS: Different human neuroblastoma cell lines were grown to 3/4 confluence and then cultured in presence of PF pooled according to the presence of no, mild, or severe endometriosis. After 6 and 24 h of incubation, the morphological changes were assessed and the metabolic activity was determined. RESULTS: The different cell lines showed strongly varying proliferation and aggregation patterns. The metabolic activity was also varying between cell lines, but no consistently increased cell turnover in the PF when compared with the control medium nor associated to a particular, endometriosis-derived PF pool could be shown. In this experimental setting, we have observed that the cell proliferation in the presence of PF was inhibited, and not enhanced as it might have been expected. Measurement of TGF-beta1 showed higher production rates for this cytokine under exposure to PF than in controls for some but not all tested cell lines, but there was no association with the stage (rAFS) of the disease. CONCLUSION: The neuronal cell culture model may become a useful tool to investigate the endometriosis-derived pain, but different endpoints and cell lines may have to be introduced

Clinical scoring system for vulvar lichen sclerosus

Vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) is a chronic inflammatory and mutilating disease, which goes often undetected for years. Advanced disease severely affects quality of life like sexual disorders and is also associated with an increased risk of vulvar cancer