KIF2A silencing inhibits the proliferation and migration of breast cancer cells and correlates with unfavorable prognosis in breast cancer

Background; Kinesin family member 2a (KIF2A), a type of motor protein found in eukaryotic cells, is associated with development and progression of various human cancers. The role of KIF2A during breast cancer tumorigenesis and progression was studied. Methods; Immunohistochemical staining, real time RT-PCR and western blot were used to examine the expression of KIF2A in cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues from breast cancer patients. Patients’ survival in relation to KIF2A expression was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier survival and multivariate analysis. Breast cancer cell line, MDA-MB-231 was used to study the proliferation, migration and invasion of cells following KIF2A-siRNA transfection. Results; The expression of KIF2A in cancer tissues was higher than that in normal adjacent tissues from the same patient (P < 0.05). KIF2A expression in cancer tissue with lymph node metastasis and HER2 positive cancer were higher than that in cancer tissue without (P < 0.05). A negative correlation was found between KIF2A expression levels in breast cancer and the survival time of breast cancer patients (P < 0.05). In addition, multivariate analysis indicated that KIF2A was an independent prognostic for outcome in breast cancer (OR: 16.55, 95% CI: 2.216-123.631, P = 0.006). The proliferation, migration and invasion of cancer cells in vitro were suppressed by KIF2A gene silencing (P < 0.05). Conclusions; KIF2A may play an important role in breast cancer progression and is potentially a novel predictive and prognostic marker for breast cancer

Grupo de familiares na prática de ensino de graduação em enfermagem

Atualmente, os Centros de Atenção Psicossocial (CAPS) são dispositivos estratégicos para assistência em saúde mental no Brasil. Os enfermeiros são profissionais exigidos na equipe mínima deste dispositivo, que valoriza as atividades grupais na abordagem dos usuários. Relato de experiência de alunos do Curso de Graduação em Enfermagem da UFMT, na realização de grupo de sala de espera com familiares de usuários de um CAPS de Cuiabá-MT. Justifica-se em virtude das poucas oportunidades que alunos de enfermagem têm para desenvolver habilidades de abordagem grupal na sua formação, voltada prioritariamente para o cuidado clínico individual. O objetivo da experiência foi proporcionar aprendizado teórico-prático de todas as etapas do trabalho com grupos: reconhecimento da necessidade e possibilidade da atividade, planejamento, coordenação e avaliação do grupo. Os resultados confirmam a necessidade e possibilidade da realização de experiências grupais na assistência em saúde mental e no ensino de enfermagem.Los Centros de Atención Psicosocial (CAPS) son dispositivos estratégicos para la asistencia a la salud mental en Brasil en la actualidad. Los enfermeros son profesionales exigidos en el mínimo equipo de este dispositivo que valoriza las actividades grupales en el abordaje de los usuarios. Relato de experiencia de alumnos del Curso de Graduación en Enfermería de la UFMT en la realización de grupo de sala de espera con familiares de usuarios de un CAPS de Cuiabá, MT, Brasil. Se justifica en virtud de las pocas oportunidades que tienen los estudiantes de enfermería en el desarrollo de competencias de abordaje grupal en su formación, focalizada principalmente para la atención clínica individual. El objetivo de la experiencia era proporcionar aprendizaje teórico-práctico de todas las etapas del trabajo con grupos: reconocimiento de la necesidad y posibilidad de la actividad, planificación, coordinación y evaluación del grupo. Los resultados confirman la necesidad y la viabilidad de la realización de experiencias de grupo en el cuidado de la salud mental y la educación de enfermería.The Centers of Psychosocial Care (CAPS, acronym in Portuguese) are strategic devices for mental health care currently available in Brazil. Nurses are professionals required to compose the minimum staff of this device, which values the group activities involving users. This study presents a r report of the experience of nursing undergraduates from Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso(UFMT) on their conducting waiting-room group sessions with relatives of users of a CAPS from Cuiabá, Mato Grosso state. This experience is justified by the fact that nursing students have few opportunities to develop group approach abilities during their graduation course, which focuses mainly on clinical individual care. The aim of the experience was to provide theoretical-practical learning of all the work stages of group work: recognizing the need and possibility of conducting the activity, planning, coordination and group evaluation. The results confirm the need and possibility of performing group experiences in mental health care and in nursing education

OT2-03-04: A Trial Model for the Future in the Search for Personalised Medicine – The UK POETIC and EPHOS-B Perioperative Trials Experience.

Abstract Background Perioperative therapy offers the opportunity to measure biological response to treatment in the primary tumor in early breast cancer (EBC), enhancing prospects for personalised medicine. Perioperative trials form an expanding component of the UK national breast cancer trials portfolio. Unlike traditional neoadjuvant studies, activity dovetails around timelines for standard treatment with no planned delay to primary surgery. Tissue samples collected prior to randomisation (baseline) &amp; again at surgery address key biological endpoints &amp; are essential for perioperative studies. Methods: As the UK's largest perioperative trial, POETIC (ER+ve postmenopausal EBC, +/− aromatase inhibitor therapy, biomarker &amp; disease outcome) aims to recruit 4000 patients from 100+ centres. EPHOS-B (HER2+ve EBC, +/− lapatinib or trastuzumab) focuses on biomarker endpoints &amp; aims to recruit 250 patients. Barriers to recruitment included 1) integration of research protocols into busy breast surgical clinics, extending a clinical trials culture across a multidisciplinary breast diagnostic team, &amp; ensuring appropriate GCP training, 2) satisfying requirements for storing research tissue, 3) complying with government cancer wait times, 4) obtaining biomarker results within required timelines 5) ensuring completeness &amp; quality of tissue samples. Additional challenges for EPHOS-B include managing requirements for scheduling of oncological therapy (e.g. trastuzumab) in pre-operative setting, delivery of such therapy outside the randomising hospital &amp; rapid access to cardiac screening before randomisation. Results: The following strategies were developed to overcome barriers 1) increasing collaborative working at sites &amp; adopting a pragmatic approach to type of tissue required. Centres choose to provide both FFPE tissue &amp; tissue in RNA-later, or FFPE tissue only; 2) working with national regulators to agree interpretation of current legislation in designation of when tissue is “in transit” (enabling it to reside outside a tissue bank) &amp; “research” tissue (where transfer to a tissue bank is required); 3) agreement with government that procedures integral to perioperative trials comply with cancer wait times; 4) promoting reorganisation of site processes for obtaining essential biomarker results; 5) pilot lab work to inform site guidance on tissue collection procedures to ensure quality of samples received. A tracking database allows completeness of tissue samples to be monitored. Work to improve timelines for HER2 testing in EPHOS-B is ongoing, &amp; challenges of delivering anti-HER2 therapy in this setting have been addressed. Conclusions: Assessment of biological response to therapy in the primary tumor in EBC within national trials is feasible. Many barriers faced by POETIC have been overcome, &amp; with recruitment now 100+ patients per month, newer centres benefit from earlier experience. Lessons learnt in POETIC apply to EPHOS-B, allowing investigators to focus on resolving more challenging issues specific to that trial. In many centres both trials have been important drivers in improving timeliness of molecular testing &amp; therefore benefited the patient pathway in general as well as securing high quality trial data. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr OT2-03-04.</jats:p

Association between apolipoprotein E genotype, serum lipids, and colorectal cancer in Brazilian individuals

We evaluated genetic variants of apolipoprotein E (APOE HhaI) and their association with serum lipids in colorectal cancer (CRC), together with eating habits and personal history. Eight-seven adults with CRC and 73 controls were studied. APOE*2 (rs7412) and APOE*4 (rs429358) were identified by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. APOE gene polymorphisms were similar in both groups, but the &#949;4/&#949;4 genotype (6%) was present only in controls. The patients had reduced levels (mean ± SD) of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction (180.4 ± 49.5 and 116.1 ± 43.1 mg/dL, respectively) compared to controls (204.2 ± 55.6, P = 0.135 and 134.7 ± 50.8 mg/dL; P = 0.330, respectively) indicating that they were not statistically significant after the Bonferroni correction. The APOE*4 allele was associated with lower levels of total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction and increased levels of very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol fraction and triglycerides only among patients (P = 0.014). There was a positive correlation between the altered lipid profile and increased body mass indexes in both groups (P < 0.010). Moreover, a higher rate of hypertension and overweight was observed in controls (P < 0.002). In conclusion, the presence of the &#949;4/&#949;4 genotype only in controls may be due to a protective effect against CRC. Lower lipid profile values among patients, even those on lipid-rich diets associated with the APOE*4 allele, suggest alterations in the lipid synthesis and metabolism pathways in CRC

Prazer e sofrimento no processo de trabalho do enfermeiro docente Placer y sufrimiento en el trabajo del enfermero docente Pleasure and suffering in the work process of the faculty nursing

Trata-se de um estudo exploratório e descritivo com abordagem qualitativa, que compreende sentimentos que perpassam o processo de trabalho do enfermeiro em três universidades privadas do Município de São Paulo, revelando-se experiências enriquecedoras de significados do saber-fazer na prática docente. Assim, a presente investigação tem como objetivo identificar os aspectos geradores de prazer e de sofrimento no processo de trabalho do enfermeiro docente, analisados segundo o referencial teórico de Christophe Dejours, pontuando-se a importância de fatores psicossociais em relação ao objeto estudado. Os resultados da investigação apontam para as relações ambíguas presentes no processo de trabalho dos docentes, expressando sentimentos de prazer e sofrimento decorrentes dessa prática e evidenciando as condições e a organização do trabalho como elementos que podem potencializar tais sentimentos no cotidiano do trabalho do enfermeiro naquelas instituições.<br>Se trata de un estudio exploratorio y descriptivo, que comprende los sentimientos que pasan por el proceso de trabajo del enfermero en tres universidades privadas de la ciudad de São Paulo, mostrando experiencias ricas de significados del saber hacer de la práctica docente. Así, el presente estudio tiene como objetivo identificar los aspectos generadores de placer y de sufrimiento en el proceso de trabajo del enfermero docente, analizados según el referencial teórico de Christophe Dejours, señalando la importancia de factores psicosociales en relación con el objeto de estudio. Los resultados de la investigación apuntan para las relaciones ambiguas presentes en el proceso de trabajo de los docentes, expresando sentimientos de placer y sufrimiento derivados de esa práctica y evidenciando las condiciones y la organización del trabajo como elementos que pueden potenciar estos sentimientos en el cotidiano del trabajo enfermero en estas instituciones.<br>This is an exploratory and descriptive qualitative approach, which includes feelings that go through the work process of nurses in three private universities in the city of São Paulo, revealing rich experiences of know-how meanings in the teaching practice. Thus, this research aims to identify the causes of pleasure and suffering in the work of the faculty nursing, and analyze then according to Christophe Dejours' theory, pointing the importance of psychosocial factors in relation to the studied object. The results of the research point to the ambiguous relationships present in the work process of facultys, expressing pleasure and suffering resulting from the practice and showing the conditions and organization of work as elements that enhance these feelings in the daily work of nurses in these institutions