Antiangiogenic therapy in ovarian cancer – for whom and when?

Tumor angiogenesis appears to be an important process in epithelial ovarian cancer development. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that can neutralize vascular endothelial growth factor, a promoter of the initiation phase of angiogenesis. First-line chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab followed by maintenance bevacizumab demonstrated efficacy over chemotherapy alone in two phase III trials (Gynecologic Oncology Group, GOG 218 and ICON7); however, absolute progression-free survival benefit remains modest, with no demonstrated impact on overall survival. The addition of molecularly targeted agents to the treatment of women with recurrent and platinum-sensitive disease has been recently reported in the OCEANS study, which evaluated the benefit of adding bevacizumab to carboplatin and gemcitabine in women with platinum-sensitive recurrent disease. Bevacizumab-based therapy also extended progressionfree survival from 8 to 12 months. However, overall survival was not different between the two arms. In the Gynecologic Oncology Group 213 (GOG 213) trial, women with platinum-sensitive recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer were randomly assigned to medical treatment (carboplatin plus paclitaxel with or without bevacizumab). A significant improvement in progression-free survival (14 versus 10 months, respectively) was observed. A trend towards a significant improvement in overall survival, which was not statistically significant, was reported. In November 14, 2014, based on AURELIA findings, the Food and Drug Administration approved bevacizumab in combination with paclitaxel, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin, or topotecan, for the treatment of patients with platinum-resistant recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is a primary cancer against which these new agents are being tested. This review will describe the role of angiogenesis inhibitors in epithelial ovarian cancer

The Genetic Basis of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Literature Review Including Discussion of PPAR-γ

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder of the women of reproductive age. Familial clustering of PCOS has been consistently reported suggesting that genetic factors play a role in the development of the syndrome although PCOS cases do not exhibit a clear pattern of Mendelian inheritance. It is now well established that PCOS represents a complex trait similar to type-2 diabetes and obesity, and that both inherited and environmental factors contribute to the PCOS pathogenesis. A large number of functional candidate genes have been tested for association or linkage with PCOS phenotypes with more negative than positive findings. Lack of universally accepted diagnostic criteria, difficulties in the assignment of male phenotype, obscurity in the mode of inheritance, and particularly small sample size of the study populations appear to be major limitations for the genetic studies of PCOS. In the near future, utilizing the genome-wide scan approach and the HapMap project will provide a stronger potential for the genetic analysis of the syndrome

Generalized Lymphadenopathy: Unusual Presentation of Prostate Adenocarcinoma

Generalized lymphadenopathy is a rare manifestation of metastatic prostate cancer. Here, we report the case of a 59-year-old male patient with supraclavicular, mediastinal, hilar, and retroperitoneal and inguinal lymphadenopathy, which suggested the diagnosis of lymphoma. There were no urinary symptoms. A biopsy of the inguinal lymph node was compatible with adenocarcinoma, whose prostatic origin was shown by immunohistochemical staining with PSA. The origin of the primary tumor was confirmed by directed prostate biopsy. We emphasize that a suspicion of prostate cancer in men with adenocarcinoma of undetermined origin is important for an adequate diagnostic and therapeutic approach

The determination of short circuits and grounding faults in electric power systems using time-frequency analysis

In order to ensure that electrical energy reaches consumers uninterrupted, researchers constantly try to improve power transmission lines. To realize this improvement, probable faults should be analysed through every known method, and new methods should also be implemented. In this study, firstly, the Keban power transmission line located in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey was modelled. After that, probable short circuit scenarios were applied on the model, and the short circuit faults in the scenarios were analysed by using the Fourier analysis. The Fourier analysis is a mathematical method that is used as an effective way to determine the sudden changes in the frequency and time band. The study was successful in determining phase and grounding faults through the analyses of the scenarios using Fourier analysis. The fact that the mathematical method was applied on the probable scenarios on a physical model increases the importance of the study

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Associated with Brucellosis in Two Patients with Fever and Pancytopenia

Brucellosis is a disease involving the lymphoproliferative system, which may lead to changes in the hematological parameters; however, pancytopenia is a rare finding. However, malignant diseases in association with brucellosis are rarely the cause of pancytopenia. Herein, two cases with fever and pancytopenia, diagnosed as simultaneous acute lymphoblastic leukemia and brucellosis are presented. Anti-leukemic therapy and brucellosis treatment were administered simultaneously, and normal blood parameters obtained. The first patient is in complete remission; the other recovered from the brucellosis, but later died due to a leukemic relapse

Coming from behind to win - A Qualitative research about psychological conditions of adolescents who have undergone open-heart surgery for single ventricle between the ages 0-5

Early recognition of congenital cardiac pathologies and their treatment by means of palliative or corrective surgery at birth or infancy has vital importance. Successful repair of congenital cardiac defects by surgical methods has gained importance especially during the last twenty years. As the scope of the surveillance increased so did the interest in the outcomes of these treatments when the patients had reached puberty and adulthood. The purpose of our research was to study the psychological framework of the adolescents who had experienced these surgeries by listening both the children and the parents talk about their feelings and experiences. Our data was accumulated through interviews with 17 adolescents and their families, using qualitative methods. The main theme at the end of the analysis was "to be strong and resistive". We reached the conclusion that this condition was not a pathological build up but an attitude of coping, as it did not cause loss of functionality. The defensive psychological mechanisms used by these adolescents consisted of repression, compensation and reaction formation. We believe that this information is important to understand the real meaning of the manners displayed when these adolescents and their families pursue their daily lives, communicate and make relationships with their environment and especially professionals in the health services

Rescue of deficits by Brwd1 copy number restoration in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome

With an incidence of ~1 in 800 births, Down syndrome (DS) is the most com- mon chromosomal condition linked to intellectual disability worldwide. While the genetic basis of DS has been identified as a triplication of chromosome 21 (HSA21), the genes encoded from HSA 21 that directly contribute to cognitive de fi cits remain incompletely understood. Here, we found that the HSA21- encoded chromatin effector, BRWD1, was upregulated in neurons derived from iPS cells from an individual with Down syndrome and brain of trisomic mice. We showed that selective copy number restoration of Brwd1 in trisomic animals rescued de fi cits in hippocampal LTP, cognition and gene expression. We demonstrated that Brwd1 tightly binds the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and that increased Brwd1 expression promotes BAF genomic mistargeting. Importantly, Brwd1 renormalization rescued aberrant BAF localization, along with associated changes in chromatin accessibility and gene expression. These findings establish BRWD1 as a key epigenomic mediator of normal neurodevelopment and an important contributor to DS-related phenotypes

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

HER2/neu as target in gastric adenocarcinoma.

WOS: 000387679500005PubMed: 28138626[No abstract available