53 research outputs found
Promotion of proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by LncRNA00673 based on the targeted-regulation of notch signaling pathway
we read with great interest the paper by Dr. Chen et al1, recently published in European
Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences and titled ââPromotion of proliferation and
metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma by LncRNA00673 based on the targeted-regulation
of notch signaling pathwayââ. Authors concluded that lncRNA00673 is highly expressed and
may be a potential target for the treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC). Moreover,
according to authors, it can promote the proliferation and metastasis of HCC by the regulation
of Notch signaling pathway. We congratulate the authors for their interesting work
An eclipsing binary distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud accurate to 2 per cent
In the era of precision cosmology it is essential to determine the Hubble
Constant with an accuracy of 3% or better. Currently, its uncertainty is
dominated by the uncertainty in the distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud
(LMC) which as the second nearest galaxy serves as the best anchor point of the
cosmic distance scale. Observations of eclipsing binaries offer a unique
opportunity to precisely and accurately measure stellar parameters and
distances. The eclipsing binary method was previously applied to the LMC but
the accuracy of the distance results was hampered by the need to model the
bright, early-type systems used in these studies. Here, we present distance
determinations to eight long-period, late- type eclipsing systems in the LMC
composed of cool giant stars. For such systems we can accurately measure both
the linear and angular sizes of their components and avoid the most important
problems related to the hot early-type systems. Our LMC distance derived from
these systems is demonstrably accurate to 2.2 % (49.97 +/- 0.19 (statistical)
+/- 1.11 (systematic) kpc) providing a firm base for a 3 % determination of the
Hubble Constant, with prospects for improvement to 2 % in the future.Comment: 34 pages, 5 figures, 13 tables, published in the Nature, a part of
our data comes from new unpublished OGLE-IV photometric dat
A divergent role for estrogen receptor-beta in node-positive and node-negative breast cancer classified according to molecular subtypes: an observational prospective study
Introduction: Estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) and progesterone receptor (PgR) are consolidated predictors of response to hormonal therapy (HT). In contrast, little information regarding the role of estrogen receptor-beta (ER-beta) in various breast cancer risk groups treated with different therapeutic regimens is available. In particular, there are no data concerning ER-beta distribution within the novel molecular breast cancer subtypes luminal A (LA) and luminal B (LB), HER2 (HS), and triple-negative (TN). Methods: We conducted an observational prospective study using immunohistochemistry to evaluate ER-beta expression in 936 breast carcinomas. Associations with conventional biopathological factors and with molecular subtypes were analyzed by multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), while univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and classification and regression tree analysis were applied to determine the impact of ER-beta on disease-free survival in the 728 patients with complete follow-up data. Results: ER-beta evenly distributes (55.5%) across the four molecular breast cancer subtypes, confirming the lack of correlation between ER-beta and classical prognosticators. However, the relationships among the biopathological factors, analyzed by MCA, showed that ER-beta positivity is located in the quadrant containing more aggressive phenotypes such as HER2 and TN or ER-alpha/PgR/Bcl2- tumors. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analysis identified ER-beta as a significant discriminating factor for disease-free survival both in the node-negative LA (P = 0.02) subgroup, where it is predictive of response to HT, and in the node-positive LB (P = 0.04) group, where, in association with PgR negativity, it conveys a higher risk of relapse. Conclusion: Our data indicated that, in contrast to node-negative patients, in node-positive breast cancer patients, ER-beta positivity appears to be a biomarker related to a more aggressive clinical course. In this context, further investigations are necessary to better assess the role of the different ER-beta isoforms
The Distances of the Magellanic Clouds
The present status of our knowledge of the distances to the Magellanic Clouds
is evaluated from a post-Hipparcos perspective. After a brief summary of the
effects of structure, reddening, age and metallicity, the primary distance
indicators for the Large Magellanic Cloud are reviewed: The SN 1987A ring,
Cepheids, RR Lyraes, Mira variables, and Eclipsing Binaries. Distances derived
via these methods are weighted and combined to produce final "best" estimates
for the Magellanic Clouds distance moduli.Comment: Invited review article to appear in ``Post Hipparcos Cosmic
Candles'', F. Caputo & A. Heck (Eds.), Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, in
pres
Rapid Selection and Proliferation of CD133(+) Cells from Cancer Cell Lines: Chemotherapeutic Implications
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are considered a subset of the bulk tumor responsible for initiating and maintaining the disease. Several surface cellular markers have been recently used to identify CSCs. Among those is CD133, which is expressed by hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as embryonic stem cells and various cancers. We have recently isolated and cultured CD133 positive [CD133(+)] cells from various cancer cell lines using a NASA developed Hydrodynamic Focusing Bioreactor (HFB) (Celdyne, Houston, TX). For comparison, another bioreactor, the rotary cell culture system (RCCS) manufactured by Synthecon (Houston, TX) was used. Both the HFB and the RCCS bioreactors simulate aspects of hypogravity. In our study, the HFB increased CD133(+) cell growth from various cell lines compared to the RCCS vessel and to normal gravity control. We observed a (+)15-fold proliferation of the CD133(+) cellular fraction with cancer cells that were cultured for 7-days at optimized conditions. The RCCS vessel instead yielded a (â)4.8-fold decrease in the CD133(+)cellular fraction respect to the HFB after 7-days of culture. Interestingly, we also found that the hypogravity environment of the HFB greatly sensitized the CD133(+) cancer cells, which are normally resistant to chemo treatment, to become susceptible to various chemotherapeutic agents, paving the way to less toxic and more effective chemotherapeutic treatment in patients. To be able to test the efficacy of cytotoxic agents in vitro prior to their use in clinical setting on cancer cells as well as on cancer stem cells may pave the way to more effective chemotherapeutic strategies in patients. This could be an important advancement in the therapeutic options of oncologic patients, allowing for more targeted and personalized chemotherapy regimens as well as for higher response rates
Stellar Structure and Evolution: Deductions from Hipparcos
During the last decade, the understanding of fine features of the structure
and evolution of stars has become possible as a result of enormous progress
made in the acquisition of high-quality observational and experimental data and
of new developments and refinements in the theoretical description of stellar
plasmas. The confrontation of high-quality observations with sophisticated
stellar models has allowed many aspects of the theory to be validated, and
several characteristics of stars relevant to Galactic evolution and cosmology
to be inferred. This paper is a review of the results of recent studies
undertaken in the context of the Hipparcos mission, taking benefit of the
high-quality astrometric data it has provided. Successes are discussed, as well
as the problems that have arisen and suggestions proposed to solve them. Future
observational and theoretical developments expected and required in the field
are also presented.Comment: 56 pages, including 9 figures, Ann. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. Vol. 38,
September 2000 (in press
Multimodal oncological approach in patients affected by recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) represents the fifth most common malignancy and the third cancer-related cause of death worldwide. Liver transplantation (LT) is an excellent treatment for patients with small HCC associated with cirrhosis. The purpose of this review is to investigate the possible strategies for the treatment of HCC recurrence after LT based on current clinical evidence
Multimodal oncological approach in patients affected by recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma after liver transplantation
Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) represents the fifth most common malignancy and the third cancer-related cause of death worldwide. Liver transplantation (LT) is an excellent treatment for patients with small HCC associated with cirrhosis. The purpose of this review is to investigate the possible strategies for the treatment of HCC recurrence after LT based on current clinical evidence
Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy for tumors of the head of the pancreas; 10 cases for a single center experience
We read with great interest the article by Caruso et al1 regarding their experience in a series of 10 patients undergoing laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) for a tumor in the head of the pancreas. The authors reported their single-center experience in this field so far, focusing on outcomes compared with open pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD)
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