Effect of tibolone on breast cancer cell proliferation in postmenopausal ER+ patients: Results from STEM trial

Purpose: Tibolone is a selective tissue estrogenic activity regulator, approved for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women. We have done an exploratory, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial to investigate the tissue-specific effects of 2.5 mg tibolone on breast cancer in postmenopausal women, in particular on tissue proliferation (STEM, Study of Tibolone Effects on Mamma carcinoma tissue). Experimental Design: Postmenopausal women with initially stage I/II, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) primary breast cancer, were randomly assigned to 14 days of placebo or 2.5 mg/d tibolone. Core biopsies of the primary tumor were obtained before and after treatment. Ki-67 and apoptosis index were analyzed in baseline and corresponding posttreatment specimen. Results: Of 102 enrolled patients, 95 had evaluable data. Baseline characteristics were comparable between both treatment groups. Breast cancer cases are mainly invasive (99%), stage I or II (42% and 50% respectively), and ER+ (99%). Median intratumoral Ki-67 expression at baseline was 13.0%, in the tibolone group and 17.8% in the placebo group, and decreased to 12.0% after 14 days of tibolone while increasing to 19.0% in the placebo group. This change from baseline was not significantly different between tibolone and placebo (Wilcoxon test; P = 0.17). A significant difference was observed between the treatment groups when the median change from baseline apoptosis index was compared between the treatment groups (tibolone, 0.0%; placebo, +0.3%; Wilcoxon test; P = 0.031). The incidence of adverse effects was comparable. Conclusions: In ER+ breast tumors, 2.5 mg/d tibolone given for 14 days has no significant effect on tumor cell proliferation

Proses Sosialisasi Informasi Agama Islam melalui Media Komunitas sebagai Pembentuk Moralitas Remaja Muslim

Radio komunitas merupakan salah satu saluran dan media sosialisasi yang efektif terutama dalam komunitas yang terbatas serta bersifat lokal, termasuk dalam menjalankan fungsinya untuk penyebarluasan nilai dan norma tertentu. Demikian pula dengan media cetak yang disebarkan untuk kalangan tertentu atau hanya ditujukan pada satu komunitas tertentu, umumnya berisikan informasi yang memang diperlukan oleh para pembacanya. Oleh karena itu, penelitian ini dilakukan untuk mengkaji ”Bagaimana proses sosialisasi agama Islam yang disampaikan melalui media komunitas (elektronik dan cetak) sebagai pembentuk moralitas remaja muslim pembaca/pendengar?”. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode deskriptif dengan teknik wawancara mendalam dan angket. Dari hasil penelitian ternyata sebagian besar siswa SMUN 8 Bandung memandang Positif terhadap Proses Sosialisasi Informasi Agama Islam melalui media komunitas sebagai pembentuk moralitas remaja muslim baik dari segi intensitas penyebaran dan penerimaannya. Penonjolan materi dan temanya, teknik penyajian interaktifnya; tingkat partisipasi remaja pada penyajiannya, maupun nilai-nilai moralitas yang dapat diserap oleh remaja muslim, dari penyiaran agama Islam melalui media komunitas tersebut

Disorders of the Optic Nerve in Mitochondrial Cytopathies: New Ideas on Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Targets

Mitochondrial cytopathies are a heterogeneous group of human disorders triggered by disturbed mitochondrial function. This can be due to primary mitochondrial DNA mutations or nuclear defects affecting key components of the mitochondrial machinery. Optic neuropathy is a frequent disease manifestation and the degree of visual failure can be profound, with a severe impact on the patient’s quality of life. This review focuses on the major mitochondrial disorders exhibiting optic nerve involvement, either as the defining clinical feature or as an additional component of a more extensive phenotype. Over the past decade, significant progress has been achieved in our basic understanding of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy and autosomal-dominant optic atrophy—the two classical paradigms for these mitochondrial optic neuropathies. There are currently limited treatments for these blinding ocular disorders and, ultimately, the aim is to translate these major advances into tangible benefits for patients and their families