Thirteen-Year Disease-Free Survival after Surgery for Cystic Duct Carcinoma: A Case Report

Cystic duct carcinoma is known to have a better prognosis compared to its location in other biliary ducts. Only one case with a survival over ten years has been previously published. The authors report a case of survival over 13 years without recurrence or metastasis. Preoperative diagnosis of cystic duct tumor was carried in a 66-year-old male. Under the diagnosis of carcinoma of the cystic duct, the patient underwent en bloc resection of the gallbladder, cystic duct, hepaticocholedochus and lymph node dissection. A Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy was performed. Histological examination revealed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the cystic duct. Five months later the patient underwent second look surgery for benign obstruction of the hepaticojejunal anastomosis. The patient is still doing well 13 years later without any local recurrence or metastasis. To our knowledge, this is the longest disease-free survival ever published in the literature. This case sustains that better and longer survival is possible with a real chance of potential cure if radical surgery is performed

Electrochemical measurements of the kinetics of inhibition of two FeFe hydrogenases by O2 demonstrate that the reaction is partly reversible

International audienceThe mechanism of reaction of FeFe hydrogenases with oxygen has been debated. It is complex, apparently very dependent on the details of the protein structure, and difficult to study using conventional kinetic techniques. Here we build on our recent work on the anaerobic inactivation of the enzyme [Fourmond et al, Nat. Chem. 4 336 (2014)] to propose and apply a new method for studying this reaction. Using electrochemical measurements of the turnover rate of hydrogenase, we could resolve the first steps of the inhibition reaction and accurately determine their rates. We show that the two most studied FeFe hydrogenases, from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Clostridium acetobutylicum, react with O2 according to the same mechanism, despite the fact that the former is much more O2 sensitive than the latter. Unlike often assumed, both enzymes are reversibly inhibited by a short exposure to O2. This will have to be considered to elucidate the mechanism of inhibition, before any prediction can be made regarding which mutations will improve oxygen resistance. We hope that the approach described herein will prove useful in this respect

Correction to: HtrA1 expression and the prognosis of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: a cohort study using digital analysis

It has been highlighted that the original article [1] contained a typesetting mistake in the family name of Dominique Trudel

Impact of the representation of the freshwater river input in the Western Mediterranean Sea

International audienceThe Western Mediterranean Sea is often affected by heavy precipitation which frequently generates floods or even flash floods. These events generally produce brief but major freshwater inputs in the ocean. In order to evaluate the sensitivity to the representation of river freshwater input, three different runoff forcing dataset are used to drive the NEMO ocean model: a monthly climatology, an observational dataset with a daily or a hourly frequency. The sensitivity is investigated over the first Special Observation Period (SOP1) of the HyMeX program that took place in autumn 2012, in two configurations of NEMO: the first is WMED36 over the Western Mediterranean Sea at 1/36°-resolution and the second is a new configuration covering the NorthWestern Mediterranean Sea with a 1/72°-resolution named NWMED72. With NWMED72, the impact of the representation of the river freshwater flux, i.e. moving from a surface flux to a vertical distribution of the flux, is also evaluated. The results show that the ocean stratification is significantly modified locally in simulations where runoff observations are used compared to those using the climatology. The sea surface salinity is modified as well as the mixed layer which is thinner as bounded by a well marked halocline. The sea surface temperature is also impacted by the change in runoff frequency. Moreover, the current intensity in river plume during flood is increased. Vertical profiles of salinity and temperature and thus the mixed layer depth are changed when the runoff forcing is distributed over a depth. Those changes are limited and very local but the realism of the river runoff input is improved

HtrA1 expression and the prognosis of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma: a cohort study using digital analysis

Abstract Background The expression of high temperature requirement factor A1 (Htra1) has been reported to be decreased in ovarian carcinoma, but its prognostic effect remains undetermined. Methods We evaluated the impact of HtrA1 downregulation in tumoral tissues on cancer progression and death in women with serous ovarian carcinoma. HtrA1 staining was performed on tissue microarrays (TMA) comprised of tumor samples from a cohort of 106 women who were diagnosed with primary high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma and receiving standard treatment at the Québec University Hospital between 1993 and 2006. HtrA1 expression was assessed visually (percentage of positive nuclei) and by digital image analysis (percentage of positive area). Cox regression multivariate models included standard prognostic factors and were used to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) for progression or death in the cohort. Results By visual analysis, a low percentage of HtrA1-positive nuclei (< 10% vs ≥10%) tend to be associated with a lower risk of progression (aHR = 0.71; 95% Confidence interval (CI) = 0.46–1.09; P = 0.11) and mortality (aHR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.41–1.04; P = 0.07). Low nuclear HtrA1 expression assessed by digital image analysis (< median % vs ≥ median %) showed a significant association with lower risk of progression (aHR = 0.62; 95% CI = 0.40–0.95; p = 0.03) and death (aHR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.38–0.95; p = 0.03). Conclusion Altogether, our results demonstrate that nuclear downregulation of HtrA1 is associated with a better prognosis in women with high grade serous ovarian carcinoma

Un monde passionnant et incertain: Table ronde sur l’histoire des sciences humaines et sociales

International audienceTable ronde sur l'histoire des sciences humaines et sociales, à l'occasion des vingt ans de la Revue d'Histoire des Sciences Humaines

Association between local inflammation and breast tissue age-related lobular involution among premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer patients - Fig 2

<p><b>Fig 2A</b>. Representative hematoxylin-eosin staining of different categories of degree of lobular involution in normal breast tissue (magnification 5x): a) no involution (0%TDLUs involuted), b) partial involution (1–74% TDLUs involuted) and c) complete involution (≥75% TDLUs involuted). <b>Fig 2B</b>. Representative hematoxylin-eosin staining of different lobule types (magnification 10x): a) type 1 lobule (<12 acini), b) type 2 lobule (12–80 acini) and type 3 lobule (>80 acini).</p

A study of the association between UGT1A1*28 variant allele of UGT1A1 gene and colonic phenotype of sporadic colorectal cancer

International audienceINTRODUCTION: The transcriptional activity of the UGT1A1 gene is modulated by a variable number of repetitions of the dinucleotide (TA) within its promoter region. By comparison to the most common allele (TA)6 (UGT1A1*1), decreased activity is observed with increasing TA repetitions. The aim of this study was to determine whether the presence of the variant allele UGT1A1*28, harbouring seven TA repetitions, (TA)7, in the homozygous state, is associated with precancerous colonic lesions and/or with specific colorectal cancer characteristics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: All patients treated for colorectal cancer in a tertiary care centre, between January 2009 and December 2013, who had routine UGT1A1 genotyping for irinotecan dose-adjustment were included. Data were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: 292 patients were enrolled, including 23 UGT1A1*28/*28 homozygous (7.9%), 137 wild type homozygous (46.9%) and 132 heterozygous (45.2%). There were no significant differences in phenotypic colonic characteristics between homozygous and heterozygous patients carrying the UGT1A1*28 allele as compared to *1/*1 homozygous. Patients treated with aspirin were significantly more common in the UGT1A1*28/*28 homozygous group than in the other groups (7/23 (30.4%) compared to 22/269 (8.2%), p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Dinucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the UGT1A1 gene is not associated with a specific colonic phenotype in patients with sporadic colorectal cancer

Association between the protein levels of inflammatory markers in normal breast tissue and the predominant lobule type^a.

<p>Association between the protein levels of inflammatory markers in normal breast tissue and the predominant lobule type<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0183579#t003fn002" target="_blank">^a</a>.</p