Leptin, acylcarnitine metabolites and development of adiposity in the Rhea mother-child cohort in Crete, Greece.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate relations of serum leptin at age 4 with development of adiposity and linear growth during 3 years of follow-up among 75 Greek children and to identify serum metabolites associated with leptin at age 4 and to characterize their associations with adiposity gain and linear growth. METHODS: Linear regression models that accounted for maternal age, education and gestational weight gain and child's age and sex were used to examine associations of leptin and leptin-associated metabolites measured at age 4 with indicators of adiposity and linear growth at age 7. RESULTS: Each 1-unit increment in natural log-(ln)-transformed leptin corresponded with 0.33 (95% CI: 0.10, 0.55) units greater body mass index-for-age z-score gain during follow-up. Likewise, higher levels of the leptin-associated metabolites methylmalonyl-carnitine and glutaconyl-carnitine corresponded with 0.14 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.27) and 0.07 (95% CI: -0.01, 0.16) units higher body mass index-for-age z-score gain, respectively. These relationships did not differ by sex or baseline weight status and were independent of linear growth. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that leptin, methylmalonyl-carnitine and possibly glutaconyl-carnitine are associated with weight gain during early childhood. Future studies are warranted to confirm these findings in other populations

Intratumoral CRH modulates immuno-escape of ovarian cancer cells through FasL regulation

Although corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and Fas ligand (FasL) have been documented in ovarian carcinoma, a clear association with tumour progression and immuno-escape has not been established. FasL plays an important role in promoting tumour cells' ability to counterattack immune cells. Here, we examined immunohistochemically the expression of CRH, CRHR1, CRHR2 and FasL in 47 human ovarian cancer cases. The ovarian cancer cell lines OvCa3 and A2780 were further used to test the hypothesis that CRH might contribute to the immune privilege of ovarian tumours, by modulating FasL expression on the cancer cells. We found that CRH, CRHR1, CRHR2 and FasL were expressed in 68.1, 70.2, 63.8 and 63.8% of the cases respectively. Positivity for CRH or FasL expression was associated with higher tumour stage. Finally, CRH increased the expression of FasL in OvCa3 and A2780 cells through CRHR1 thereby potentiated their ability to induce apoptosis of activated peripheral blood lymphocytes. Corticotropin-releasing hormone produced by human ovarian cancer might favour survival and progression of the tumour by promoting its immune privilege. These findings support the hypothesis that CRHR1 antagonists could potentially be used against ovarian cancer

Questionnaires for teachers by Grigorenko, Sternberg, and Strauss: Psychometric properties of the hellenic version

The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Hellenic version of the Questionnaires for Teachers A and B (Grigorenko, Sternberg, & Strauss, 2006). The first is tapping teacher beliefs about their efficacy in the formation of social relations in the work environment and the second teacher beliefs about their effectiveness as regards various abilities. The sample comprised 279 high school teachers, 196 women and 85 men. The participants were asked to respond to the two Questionnaires for Teachers as well as to the questionnaires: Self-Efficacy in the Delivery of Instruction and Teachers' Affective Commitment in Teaching. Confirmatory factor analyses verified the uni-dimensionality of the two Questionnaires for Teachers. Their reliability and convergent validity were satisfactory

Fracture mechanical characterization of micro- and nano-filled polymers by a combined experimental and simulative procedure

With the development of micro- and nanotechnological products such as sensors, MEMS and NEMS and their broad application new reliability issues will arise. The authors present a combined experimental and simulative approach targeted on unsolved questions of size effects within newly developed nanomaterials and highly integrated systems. The experimental approach is based on in-situ SPM scans of the analyzed object carried out at different thermomechanical load states. With the application of digital image correlation techniques displacement fields with nanometer accuracy are derived. A simulative approaches is performed by homogenization which is the modeling of a representative volume of bulk material taking into account spatial distribution of filler particles. The results of the homogenization are input data for standard finite element codes

Increased rate of endometriosis and spontaneous abortion in an in vitro fertilization program: No correlation with epidemiological factors

Background. There are conflicting data concerning endometriosis and spontaneous abortion (SAB). The aim of the present study was to evaluate if there was any association between endometriosis and SAB. Moreover, we investigated risk factors in women with endometriosis and SAB. Methods. The medical files of 457 married women with endometriosis and 200 infertile women without endometriosis were studied retrospectively. All cases were diagnosed by laparoscopy. Data concerning demographic variables and menstrual characteristics were recorded from 226 women with endometriosis, which were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 126 cases with endometriosis and SAB, and Group 2 comprised 100 parous women with endometriosis and without SAB. Statistical comparisons between groups were made using the χ2 test and odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results. The proportion of SAB was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in infertile women without endometriosis (126/457 (27.6%) vs. 36/200 (18.0%); OR=1.7, 95% CI 1.1=2.6; p=0.01). The frequency of nulligravid women was significantly higher in women with endometriosis than in the control group (OR=1.9, 95% CI 1.4-2.81; p=0.001). Mean age, age at onset of endometriosis, race, height, weight, body mass index, medical history of allergies, and family histories of endometriosis and cancer were similar in women with endometriosis and SAB and in parous women with endometriosis but without SAB. Moreover, the two groups were similar in age at menarche, length of cycle, duration and amount of flow, and the severity of disease. The incidence of infertility was significantly higher in women with SAB (p<0.001). Conclusion. These data suggest but do not prove that the risk of SAB is increased in women with endometriosis. The epidemiological risk factors of endometriosis are not associated with an increase in the abortion rate. © 2008 Informa UK Ltd

A randomized study of maternal serum cytokine levels following cesarean section under general or neuraxial anesthesia

Background: Cytokines are significant mediators of the immune response to surgery and also play a role in parturition. The aim of the Study was to investigate the impact of the anesthetic technique for cesarean section on plasma levels of cytokines IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Methods: Thirty-five parturients scheduled for elective cesarean section were randomly assigned to general (n = 18) or neuraxial (n = 17) anesthesia. The general anesthesia group received thiopental 4 mg/kg, succinylcholine 1 1.5 mg/kg and 1% end-tidal concentration of sevoflurane in nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen. The neuraxial anesthesia group received intrathecal 0.5% levobupivacaine 1.8 2.2 mL and epidural fentanyl 1 mu g/kg. Blood samples were taken for IL-6 and TNF-alpha immediately after positioning the parturient on the operating table, after uterine incision and before the umbilical cord clamping and 24 h after Surgery (T-1, T-2 and T-3 respectively). Results: The two groups did not differ in IL-6 (P = 0.15) or TNF-alpha (P = 0.73) serum concentrations at any time point. In the general and neuraxial anesthesia groups, IL-6 serum concentrations were significantly higher in the third blood sample, T-3 (12.2 +/- 5.0 and 15.2 +/- 4.3 pg/mL), than in T-1 (0.41 +/- 0.38 and 0.29 +/- 0.10 pg/mL) and T-2 (0.37 +/- 0.47 and 0.24 +/- 0.05) respectively (P < 0.001). Within each group, serum TNF-alpha concentrations did not differ significantly over time (P = 0.44). Conclusions: Under the present study design anesthetic technique did not affect IL-6 or TNF-alpha concentrations in parturients undergoing elective cesarean section. Serum IL-6 levels increased 24 h postoperatively independently of anesthetic technique. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Endometriosis related to family history of malignancies in the Yale series

Objective: Recent studies reported that endometriosis could behave as a neoplasmatic process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the family risk of ovarian, colon and prostate cancer in women with endometriosis. Study design: A search of medical records at the Yale New Haven Hospital from 1996 to 2002 identified 348 women with endometriosis and 179 women without endometriosis. All the cases were diagnosed by laparoscopy. Demographic characteristics were evaluated in women with positive or negative family history of cancers in women with endometriosis. Results: The overall risk of patients with endometriosis and positive family history of cancers was 7.7 (95% confidence interval 3.8-15.7) (χ2 = 39.8, P < 0.001). Significant excess was observed for ovarian cancer in first- and second-degree relatives (OR = 10.5, 95% CI (2.5-44.2), χ2 = 14.3, P < 0.001), colon cancer (OR = 7.5, 95% CI (2.7-21.1), χ2 = 18.2, P < 0.001) and prostate cancer (OR = 4.5, 95% CI (14-15.3), χ2 = 6.1, P < 0.001). We found similar results in first- and second-degree relatives with ovarian and colon cancer. Moreover, we found similar results regarding the demographic characteristics in women with positive family history of cancers and in women with negative history. Conclusions: These data suggest a familial association of endometriosis with ovarian, colon and prostate cancers. This evidence could support the genetics and molecular similarities between endometriosis and cancer. Future studies will be important to determine a clear genetic link between endometriosis and cancer. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Endometriosis related to family history of malignancies in the Yale series

Recent studies reported that endometriosis could behave as a neoplasmatic process. The purpose of this study is to investigate the family risk of ovarian, colon and prostate cancer in women with endometriosis