Tumor Angiogenesis: Pericytes and Maturation Are Not to Be Ignored

Angiogenesis, an essential component of tumor growth and survival, is regulated by complex interactions between several cell types and soluble mediators. Heterogeneous tumor vasculature originates from the collective effect of the nature of carcinoma and the complexity of the angiogenic network. Although the application of angiogenesis inhibitors in some types of cancers has shown clinical benefits, predictive markers to assess treatment effects have yet to be established. In this review, we focus on tumor vessel maturity as a potential marker for evaluating treatment response

Personalized Therapy for Breast Cancer: How Long More to be There?

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Religious, Cultural, and Social Beliefs of Iranian Rural Women about Breast Cancer: A Qualitative Study

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine religious, cultural, and social beliefs of healthy women about breast cancer in rural settings in Iran. Methods: In the present study, 16 in-depth interviews with health care leaders, social and religious experts and 11 focus group discussions were conducted with 79 women in the rural areas near the capital city of Tehran, Iran. Grounded theory model was used to analyze the data. Results: Some women believed that religious customs and rituals, such as praying, taking a vow, or going on a pilgrimage to a holy place, might have healing effects if performed in addition to seeking medical care medical care. Many believed that God intervenes in the entire course of any illness, from occurrence to cure. Although few had fatalistic views toward cancer, the majority believed that patients could try to change their destiny. With respect to the relationship between moral behavior and disease,  4  types  of  opinions  were  identified; good  people  suffer,  evil  people  get punished,  evil  people  do  not  suffer,  and  everything has  a  scientific  explanation. Participants believed that self-perception, their husbands, deficiencies in the health care system, and financial concerns influence breast cancer outcome. Conclusions: Our study showed that many participants were not aware of any available support in the healthcare system. They generally believed in the healing effect of prayers, only when it is sought in parallel with medical care

Photoacoustic mammography capable of simultaneously acquiring photoacoustic and ultrasound images

We have constructed a prototype photoacoustic mammography system (PAM-02) capable of simultaneously acquiring photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound (US) images. Each PA, US, and fused PA/US image can be acquired over a wide area of the breast using the scanning module of a US transducer, a PA detector, and optical prisms. The resolution of the PA images exhibits improvement from 2 to 1 mm compared to images acquired using our previous prototype. The maximum scan area of PAM-02 is 90 mm along the horizontal axis and 150 mm along the vertical axis. In a phantom experiment, the available depth was at least 45 mm. A representative example of the application of the PAM-02 prototype in clinical research at Kyoto University is presented and shows S-factor images, which are considered an approximation parameter related to hemoglobin saturation of tumor-related blood vessels. We confirmed the applicability of the system for anatomical and biological research

Vue de Kouleli et de I'Hopital militaire sur la Cote d'Asia du Bosphore

Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya No: 66-Vaniköy(Kuleli)İstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı (TR10/14/YEN/0033) İstanbul Development Agency (TR10/14/YEN/0033

Vascular branching point counts using photoacoustic imaging in the superficial layer of the breast: A potential biomarker for breast cancer

This study aimed to identify the characteristics of the vascular network in the superficial subcutaneous layer of the breast and to analyze differences between breasts with cancer and contralateral unaffected breasts using vessel branching points (VBPs) detected by three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging with a hemispherical detector array. In 22 patients with unilateral breast cancer, the average VBP counts to a depth of 7 mm below the skin surface were significantly greater in breasts with cancer than in the contralateral unaffected breasts (p < 0.01). The ratio of the VBP count in the breasts with cancer to that in the contralateral breasts was significantly increased in patients with a high histologic grade (p = 0.03), those with estrogen receptor-negative disease (p < 0.01), and those with highly proliferative disease (p < 0.01). These preliminary findings indicate that a higher number of VBPs in the superficial subcutaneous layer of the breast might be a biomarker for primary breast cancer

Oxygen saturation level in different CAIX expression groups.

<p>CAIX-negative group (n = 21): 68.67% (41.5%-92.05%); CAIX-positive group (n = 8); 72.61% (35.01%-83.36%). Mann-Whitney <i>U</i>-test, p value = 0.77</p

Histological assessment of angiogenesis.

<p><b>(A)</b> A representative histological section with HE, CD31 and CAIX staining (scale bar = 5 mm). Magnified CD31-stained slide shows multiple microvessels (red arrowheads; 100x magnification; scale bar = 100 μm) <b>(B)</b> Map of total vessel perimeter of CD31-positive structures in each block (0.84 x 0.84 mm). Lesional TVP (μm) to lesional area (mm²) ratio was calculated by selecting the blocks that corresponded to the lesion area on the HE slide.</p