Evidence for increased immune mobilization in First Episode Psychosis compared with the prodromal stage in males

The aim of the study was to gauge both the immune and neuroendocrine function in Ultra High Risk for psychosis (UHR) subjects and compare them with a cohort presenting with First Episode Psychosis (FEP). We recruited two groups, the first group consisted of 12 UHR males and the second of 25 males with FEP. We measured serum cortisol levels at 08:00, 12:00, 18:00 with their Area Under Curve with respect to the ground (AUCg) and the increase (AUCi) and we measured serum cytokines levels, Interleukin-1a, IL-1a, IL-2, IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8, IL-10,IL-12, IL-17a, Tumor Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a), Interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was also performed. The results suggest higher levels of both pro-inflammatory (TNF-a, IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in the FEP group compared with the UHR counterparts. Regarding the HPA axis function, the prodromal subjects showed a trend for higher AUCg and AUCi change/decrease cortisol levels. On the contrary, the DST results did not differ between the groups. No significant associations were demonstrated within each group among cytokines, cortisol and psychopathology. The findings favor a hypothesis of a relatively increased mobilization of both the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine networks, in FEP compared with that of UHR subjects

Imaging of Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET) by Technetium-99m Tetrofosmin

Purpose. Tc-99m tetrofosmin launched for myocardial studies has recently also shown a good detectability for several tumors. Data on PNET imaging by Tc-99m tetrofosmin are not yet available

Foxp3 Expression in Liver Correlates with the Degree but Not the Cause of Inflammation

Patients with chronic viral hepatitis display increased expression of Foxp3 in liver, suggesting that Tregs expansion contributes to persistent infection. The purpose of this study was to elucidate whether the expression of Foxp3 relates not to the viral infection but to the resulting liver inflammation. Liver biopsies obtained from 69 individuals (26 chronic HBV hepatitis, 14 chronic HCV hepatitis, 11 nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, 8 autoimmune diseases, 2 methotrexate-related toxicity, and 8 controls) were examined, by qRT-PCR, for the mRNA expression of Foxp3, IL-10, TGF-β1, Fas, FasL, TRAIL, caspase-3, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and IL-1β. Significant increase of Foxp3 was observed in all disease groups compared to controls, which was positively correlated with the intensity of inflammation. The expression of the apoptosis mediators Fas, FasL, and TRAIL, but not of IL-10 and TGF-β1, was also significantly elevated. Our findings indicate that, independently of the initial inducer, liver inflammation is correlated with elevated expression of apoptosis mediators and is followed by local Treg accumulation. Further research towards the elucidation of the underlying casual relationships is required, in order to clarify whether our results signify the existence of a uniform Treg-mediated regulatory mechanism of apoptosis-induced inflammation

Evaluation of [18F]-FDG-Based Hybrid Imaging Combinations for Assessment of Bone Marrow Involvement in Lymphoma at Initial Staging.

The purpose of our study was to determine the value of different hybrid imaging combinations for the detection of focal and diffuse bone marrow infiltration in lymphoma. Patients with histologically proven lymphoma, who underwent both [18F]-FDG-PET/CT and whole-body MRI (including T1- and diffusion-weighted [DWI] sequences) within seven days, and a subsequent bone marrow biopsy, were retrospectively included. Three hybrid imaging combinations were evaluated: (1) [18F]-FDG-PET/CT; (2) [18F]-FDG-PET/T1; and (3) [18F]-FDG-PET/DWI. The presence of focal or diffuse bone marrow infiltration was assessed by two rater teams. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for the detection of overall, focal, and diffuse bone marrow involvement were compared between the three hybrid imaging combinations. Overall, lymphomatous bone marrow involvement was found in 16/60 patients (focal, 8; diffuse, 8). Overall sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 81.3%, 95.5%, and 91.7% for [18F]-FDG-PET/CT; 81.3%, 97.7%, and 93.3% for [18F]-FDG-PET/T1; and 81.3%, 95.5%, and 91.7% for [18F]-FDG-PET/DWI. No statistically significant differences between the three imaging combinations were observed, based on overall bone marrow involvement, focal involvement, or diffuse involvement. The sensitivity of all three imaging combinations for detecting diffuse bone marrow involvement was only moderate (62.5% for all three combinations). Although the combination of [18F]-FDG-PET and T1-weighted MRI generally showed the best diagnostic performance for the detection of bone marrow involvement in lymphoma, it was not significantly superior to the two other hybrid imaging combinations. Since the sensitivity of all imaging combinations for the detection of diffuse bone marrow involvement was only moderate, bone marrow biopsy cannot be replaced by imaging as yet

Μελέτη της προγνωστικής σημασίας του δείκτη κυτταρικού πολλαπλασιασμού Ki-67 και της συσχέτισής του με την έκφραση του αποπτωτικού δείκτη p53, με την ανίχνευση οιστρογονικών υποδοχέων καθώς και με τον φαινότυπο στον πορογενή καρκίνο του μαστού

The aim of this prospective study is to assess the expression of the cell proliferation marker Ki-67, p53 and the antiapoptotic protein BCL-2 with the expression of Her-2-neu, hormone receptor status, clinical stage of the disease, local recurrence and 5-year survival .The study included 306 patients with primary ductal carcinoma of the breast. The clinical and pathologic parameters documented for each included sex, age, grade of differentiation, expression of hormone receptors and stage according to the TNM criteria.The mean age was 56 ± 14,5 years. 70.3 % showed positive staining for p53 protein and 72.6 % positive staining for bcl-2 protein. 54.8 % of patients expressed strong nuclear staining of the cell proliferation antigen Ki-67 in ≥ 20% of the cancerous cells. The expression of Ki-67 correlated significantly with tumors with malignant phenotype.The positive expression of bcl-2 was associated with neoplasias of good differentiation and earlier TNM stage and with benign phenotype.Πρόκειται για μια προοπτική μελέτη που περιλαμβάνει 306 συνεχόμενους ασθενείς, χειρουργημένους για Πορογενές Διηθητικό καρκίνο του μαστού.Μετρήσαμε τους ανοσοιστοχημικούς δείκτες Ki-67 (κυτταρικού πολλαπλασιασμού), p53 (αποπτωτικού), bcl-2 (αντιαποπτωτικού) και συγκρίναμε τα αποτελέσματα στατιστικά με τους δείκτες ER/PR, Her-2- neu, EGFR,στάδιο υποτροπή και επιβίωση.Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι στον υπό μελέτη πληθυσμό το Ki-67 είχε τιμή (έντονη πυρηνική χρώση) μεγαλύτερη από 20% (θετικότητα) στο 54,8%. Αντίστοιχα, το p53 στο 70,3% και το bcl-2 στο 72,6% (θετική χρώση).Ο δείκτης κυτταρικού πολλαπλασιασμού συσχετίζεται σημαντικά με φαινότυπο κακής βιολογικής συμπεριφοράς : Με όγκους που έχουν ER/PR(-), EGFR(-), χαμηλή διαφοροποίηση, θετικό Her-2-neu,τριπλά αρνητικούς όγκους, αλλά όχι με την επιβίωση ή την υποτροπή.Ο αποπτωτικός δείκτης p53 συσχετίστηκε σημαντικά μόνο με τους υψηλού βαθμού διαφοροποίησης όγκους (χαμηλό Grade).Ο αντιαποπτωτικός δείκτης bcl-2 συσχετίζεται σημαντικά με φαινότυπο καλής βιολογικής συμπεριφοράς: Με όγκους που έχουν ER/PR(+), EGFR(-), μικρότερο ποσοστό τριπλών αρνητικών όγκων, όγκους καλής διαφοροποίησης και πρωιμότερου σταδίου. Επιπλέον το bcl-2 συσχετίστηκε και με μικρότερη πιθανότητα υποτροπής, αλλά όχι με την συνολική επιβίωση.Το τελικό συμπέρασμα είναι ότι : Η έκφραση των δεικτών Ki-67 και bcl-2 είναι χρήσιμη για την διαστρωμάτωση των ασθενών σε κακοήθη και καλοήθη βιολογική συμπεριφορά καθώς και στον ενδοκρινικό χειρισμό των ασθενών

“Security dilemma”: active immunotherapy before versus after radiation therapy alone or chemo-radiotherapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma

Management of glioblastoma should be aggressive and personalised to increase the quality of life. Many new therapies, such as active immunotherapy, increase the overall survival, yet they result in complications which render the search for the optimal treatment stra-tegy challenging. In order to answer whether the available treatment options should be administered in a specific row, we performed a literature search and meta-analysis. The results show that overall survival among the different treatment groups was equal, while the rates of complications were unequal. After surgery, when active immunotherapy was administered before radiation, radiation and chemotherapy, complication rates were lower. For newly diagnosed glioblastoma in adults, applying active immunotherapy after total resection but before the other complementary treatment options is associated with lower complication rates

Evidence for hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune alterations at prodrome of psychosis in males

We aimed to investigate the inflammatory substrate in psychosis by evaluating both the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis function and immune state at prodrome. This involved the recruitment of Ultra High Risk (UHR) of Psychosis subjects, Healthy Controls (HC) and patients with established Schizophrenia (CHRON). Serum cortisol at 3 different times throughout the day was measured. The Dexamethasone Suppression Test was performed plus 12 circulating cytokines were measured. The UHR subjects presented increased IL-4 levels compared with both the HC and CHRON patients. In contrast the UHR differed only from the CHRON group regarding the endocrine parameters. In conclusion, IL-4 appears to play a key role at prodrome