Zinc supplementation induces apoptosis and enhances antitumor efficacy of docetaxel in non-small-cell lung cancer

Hilal Kocdor,1,2 Halil Ates,1 Suleyman Aydin,3 Ruksan Cehreli,1 Firat Soyarat,2 Pinar Kemanli,2 Duygu Harmanci,2 Hakan Cengiz,2 Mehmet Ali Kocdor4 1Institute of Oncology, Dokuz Eylul University, 2Department of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir Turkey; 3Department of Biochemistry, Firat University School of Medicine, Elazig, 4Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey Background: Exposure to exogenous zinc results in increased apoptosis, growth inhibition, and altered oxidative stress in cancer cells. Previous studies also suggested that zinc sensitizes some cancer cells to cytotoxic agents depending on the p53 status. Therefore, zinc supplementation may show anticancer efficacy solely and may increase docetaxel-induced cytotoxicity in non-small-cell lung cancer cells.Methods: Here, we report the effects of several concentrations of zinc combined with docetaxel on p53-wild-type (A549) and p53-null (H1299) cells. We evaluated cellular viability, apoptosis, and cell cycle progression as well as oxidative stress parameters, including superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde levels.Results: Zinc reduced the viability of A549 cells and increased the apoptotic response in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. Zinc also amplified the docetaxel effects and reduced its inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) values. The superoxide dismutase levels increased in all treatment groups; however, glutathione peroxidase was slightly increased in the combination treatments. Zinc also caused malondialdehyde elevations at 50 µM and 100 µM.Conclusion: Zinc has anticancer efficacy against non-small-cell lung cancer cells in the presence of functionally active p53 and enhances docetaxel efficacy in both p53-wild-type and p53-deficient cancer cells. Keywords: lung cancer, zinc, docetaxel, A549, H129

Tc-99m sestamibi scintimammography - Screening mammographic non-palpable suspicious breast lesions: preliminary results

Aim: Investigation of the diagnostic role of technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (Tc-99m sestamibi) scintimammography in non-palpable, suspicious breast lesions described as microcalcification, moss and increased density using mammography. Patients, method: 35 women with non-palpable breast lesions were enrolled in the study. Anterior, left and right lateral, ipsilateral posterior oblique images were obtained 15 min after the injection of 740 MBq of Tc-99m sestamibi. All scintigraphic images were evaluated visually and focal increased Tc-99m sestamibi uptake was accepted as malignant lesion. Breast lesions were classified as microcalcification (13 women), mammographic mass (16 women) and increased density (6 women). Excisional biopsy was performed in all of them irrespective of the scintigraphic results. Results: The focally increased Tc-99m sestamibi uptake was seen in 11 breast lesions with malignant lesions and in 4 breast lesions with benign lesions. The diffuse uptake of Tc-99m sestamibi was seen in 18 breast lesions with benign lesions and 2 breast lesions with malignant lesions. There was no false positive result of Tc-99m sestamibi in microcalcification group and there was no false negative result of the mammographic mass and increased density groups. Conclusion: Scintimammography might be a complementary method in decision making for the non-palpable, suspicious breast lesions that were evaluated as microcalcification, mass and increased density mammograpically

Comparison of irisin hormone expression between thyroid cancer tissues and oncocytic variant cells

Kader Ugur,1 Suleyman Aydin,2 Tuncay Kuloglu,3 Gokhan Artas,4 Mehmet Ali Kocdor,5 İbrahim Sahin,2,6 Meltem Yardim,2 İbrahim Hanefi Ozercan41Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism Disease, School of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey; 2Department of Medical Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry (Firat Hormones Research group), Firat University Hospital, Elazig, Turkey; 3Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey; 4Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Firat University, Elazig, Turkey; 5Department of General Surgery, School of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, İzmir, Turkey; 6Department of Medical Biology, School of Medicine, Erzincan Binali Yildirim University, Erzincan, TurkeyObjective: The incidence of thyroid cancer has been continuously increasing. The main objective of this study was to investigate irisin expression in various thyroid pathologies and to compare these expression patterns with irisin expression in healthy thyroid tissues.Methods: The study groups consisted of 20 cases each of control thyroid tissue, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, thyroid papillary carcinoma, oncocytic papillary carcinoma, follicular thyroid carcinoma, oncocytic follicular thyroid carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Irisin expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry. Irisin levels in thyroid tissue supernatants were measured using ELISA.Results: Patients with HT showed increased irisin expression compared with controls (p<0.05). In addition, mild immunoreactivity was observed in the thyroid tissues of patients with papillary carcinoma while significantly increased irisin immunoreactivity was observed tissues of patients with oncocytic papillary carcinoma (p<0.05). There was no difference in irisin immunoreactivity in thyroid tissues between patients with follicular carcinoma and controls. However, irisin immunoreactivity was higher in tissues of patients with oncocytic follicular carcinoma than in tissues of patients with follicular carcinoma (p<0.05). No irisin immunoreactivity was observed in tissues of patients with medullary carcinoma, a malignant tumor the thyroid; however, irisin expression was significantly increased in tissues of patients with anaplastic carcinoma compared with that in tissues of controls (p<0.05). Furthermore, in all thyroid tissues with irisin expression, irisin immunoreactivity was observed in follicular cells, indicating that irisin is produced by these cells.Conclusion: Irisin is a novel potential immunohistochemical marker for differentiating oncocytic variants of papillary and FTCs from papillary and follicular thyroid cancers.Keywords: thyroid cancer, irisin, immunohistochemistry, diagnostic biomarke

Primary non-hodgkin lymphoma of breast in a patient with rectal carcinoma and magnetic resonance spectroscopic examination

A 62-year-old woman being treated for stage IIIC rectal. adenocarcinoma was diagnosed with primary non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the breast after a 4-year follow-up. This case illustrates the importance of close and Long-term follow-up as well as of differential diagnostic procedures for second primary malignancies after the initial diagnosis and treatment of a solid tumor. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved