Phospho-TCTP as a therapeutic target of Dihydroartemisinin for aggressive breast cancer cells

Upregulation of Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein (TCTP) is associated with poorly differentiated aggressive tumors, including breast cancer, but the underlying mechanism(s) are still debated. Here, we show that in breast cancer cell lines TCTP is primarily localized in the nucleus, mostly in the phosphorylated form.The effects of Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), an anti-malaria agent that binds TCTP, were tested on breast cancer cells. DHA decreases cell proliferation and induces apoptotic cell death by targeting the phosphorylated form of TCTP. Remarkably, DHA enhances the anti-tumor effects of Doxorubicin in triple negative breast cancer cells resulting in an increased level of apoptosis. DHA also synergizes with Trastuzumab, used to treat HER2/neu positive breast cancers, to induce apoptosis of tumor cells.Finally, we present new clinical data that nuclear phospho-TCTP overexpression in primary breast cancer tissue is associated with high histological grade, increase expression of Ki-67 and with ER-negative breast cancer subtypes. Notably, phospho-TCTP expression levels increase in trastuzumab-resistant breast tumors, suggesting a possible role of phospho-TCTP as a new prognostic marker.In conclusion, the anti-tumor effect of DHA in vitro with conventional chemotherapeutics suggests a novel therapeutic strategy and identifies phospho-TCTP as a new promising target for advanced breast cancer

CDCP1 is a novel marker of the most aggressive human triple-negative breast cancers

CDCP1, a transmembrane noncatalytic receptor, the expression of which has been associated with a poor prognosis in certain epithelial cancers, was found to be expressed in highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell models, in which it promoted aggressive activities-ie, migration, invasion, anchorage-independent tumor growth, and the formation of vascular-like structures in vitro. By immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of 100 human TNBC specimens, CDCP1 was overexpressed in 57% of samples, 38% of which exhibited a gain in CDCP1 copy number by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). CDCP1 positivity was significantly associated between FISH and IHC. CDCP1 expression and gains in CDCP1 copy number synergized with nodal (N) status in determining disease-free and distant disease-free survival. The hazard ratios (HRs) of the synergies between CDCP1 positivity by IHC and FISH and lymph node positivity in predicting relapse did not differ significantly, indicating that CDCP1 overexpression in human primary TNBCs, regardless of being driven by gains in CDCP1, is for a critical factor in the progression of N-positive TNBCs. Thus, CDCP1 is a novel marker of the most aggressive N-positive TNBCs and a potential therapeutic target

Pitfalls in thyroid tumour pathology

This review provides an itemized listing of major diagnostic pitfalls in the field of thyroid tumour pathology, emphasizing the features that the authors have found most useful in their recognition and avoidance

Effect of age and sex on plasmatic levels of cortisol and some haematic parameters in sheep subjected to shearing.

Many breeding techniques produces stress in the animal and sharing is surely one of these. Result obteined indicate that the reaction to shearing stress is affected both by age and sex of the animals

The effect of shearing procedures on blood levels of growth hormone, cortisol and other stress haematochemical parameters in Sarda sheep

The aim of this research was to investigate how growth hormone (GH) cortisol and some haematochemical parameters could be modified by the stress caused by the stages of shearing in Sarda breed sheep. Five groups of 10 sheep each were formed. Group A, only separated from the flock; Group B, only tied; Group C, both tied and shorn (animals in these three groups were ewe lambs shorn for the first time); Group D, adult females both tied and shorn; and Group E, adult entire males both tied and shorn (animals in these two groups had been shorn previously). Five blood samples were taken from each animal: the day before treatment (first sample); at the start of the treatment (second sample); in the middle of shearing for Groups C, D and E, 10 min after separation in Group A and 10 min after tying in Group B (third sample); at the end of treatment (fourth sample); and on the day after treatment (fifth sample). Plasma GH levels showed a decrease (P < 0.01) in Groups A, B, C and D during treatment (third and fourth samples), while Group E only at the end of shearing (fourth sample). In the third sample, the highest GH levels were recorded for Group E (P < 0.05), while it was recorded in the fourth sample for Groups A and E (P < 0.05). Cortisol levels showed a clear increase (P < 0.01) in all groups during treatment, but Group A showed a decrease in the fourth sample in comparison to the third sample. Males in the second, third and fourth sample and Group A only in the fourth sample showed lower cortisol levels when compared with the other groups (P < 0.05). Plasma glucose levels showed an increase (P < 0.01) in all groups during treatment but Groups B, C and E showed the highest values (P < 0.05). Magnesium (Mg) showed an increase in all groups in the third and fourth sample, while sodium (Na), in the same samples, only in Groups B, C and D. Potassium (K) values showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) only in Groups C and D at the end of shearing. These results show that GH secretion is influenced by all the stress procedure: separation, tying and shearing. Shearing, even if necessary for animals, causes a significant change of the blood parameters involved in the stress response

Acoustic Tomography for Non Destructive Testing of Stone Masonry

Acoustic methods seem to be very suitable for evaluating a building condition because they give information with immediacy, rapidity and relatively low cost. They are based on measurements of the velocity of acoustic waves propagating through the material. Those methods are often carried out applying the Through Transmission Technique, in which the wave is transmitted by a transducer through the test object and received by a second transducer on the opposite side. In this paper, the sonic tomography imaging based on this technique has been used for non destructive testing of a stone masonry. The tomography implies that a ill-posed linear equations system has to be solved, in order to determine the velocities distribution inside the tested structure, thus highlighting the presence of anomalies. Different inversion algorithms, chosen between the most commonly used, have been implemented for determining the distribution of waves velocity in selected sections of the tested masonry