MicroRNA expression, survival, and response to interferon in liver cancer

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common and aggressive cancer that occurs mainly in men. We examined microRNA expression patterns, survival, and response to interferon alfa in both men and women with the disease. METHODS: We analyzed three independent cohorts that included a total of 455 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who had undergone radical tumor resection between 1999 and 2003. MicroRNA-expression profiling was performed in a cohort of 241 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma to identify tumor-related microRNAs and determine their association with survival in men and women. In addition, to validate our findings, we used quantitative reverse-transcriptase-polymerase- chain-reaction assays to measure microRNAs and assess their association with survival and response to therapy with interferon alfa in 214 patients from two independent, prospective, randomized, controlled trials of adjuvant interferon therapy. RESULTS: In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, the expression of miR-26a and miR-26b in nontumor liver tissue was higher in women than in men. Tumors had reduced levels of miR-26 expression, as compared with paired noncancerous tissues, which indicated that the level of miR-26 expression was also associated with hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, tumors with reduced miR-26 expression had a distinct transcriptomic pattern, and analyses of gene networks revealed that activation of signaling pathways between nuclear factor κB and interleukin-6 might play a role in tumor development. Patients whose tumors had low miR-26 expression had shorter overall survival but a better response to interferon therapy than did patients whose tumors had high expression of the microRNA. CONCLUSIONS: The expression patterns of microRNAs in liver tissue differ between men and women with hepatocellular carcinoma. The miR-26 expression status of such patients is associated with survival and response to adjuvant therapy with interferon alfa. Copyright © 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.published_or_final_versio

Somatostatin receptor in human hepatocellular carcinomas: Biological, patient and tumor characteristics

Background/Aim: The evidence on the efficacy of somatostatin analogues in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in humans is conflicting. A variety of human tumors demonstrate somatostatin receptors. All subtypes bind human somatostatin with high affinity, while somatostatin analogues bind with high affinity to somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (sst2). We investigated the sst2 expression in HCC and examined whether HCCs expressing sst2 are a distinct subgroup. Patients and Methods: Forty-five human HCCs were tested for sst2 expression and biological alterations. The proliferative capacity was determined with Ki67 immunostaining and the DNA ploidy status was measured by fluorescent in situ hybridization with a chromosome 1-specific repetitive DNA probe. Expression of tumor suppressor genes (p16, p53 and Rb1) was measured by immunohistochemistry. Results: sst2 expression was detected in 30 tumors (67%). No correlation existed between sst2 expression and the immunoprofiles of the tumor suppressor genes, aneuploidy, proliferation, age, gender, α-fetoprotein levels, tumor size, tumor grade and underlying liver disease. Conclusion: In 67% of the patients with HCC, sst2 could be detected in the tumor. No clinical, pathological or biological characteristics were specific for sst2-positive tumors. Copyrigh

The Epidemiology, Genetics and Future Management of Syndactyly

Syndactyly is a condition well documented in current literature due to it being the most common congenital hand defect, with a large aesthetic and functional significance

Long-term humoral immune response in persons with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection, Vietnam

Antibody response against nucleocapsid and spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 in 11 persons with mild or asymptomatic infection rapidly increased after infection. At weeks 18–30 after diagnosis, all remained seropositive but spike protein–targeting antibody titers declined. These data may be useful for vaccine development

Rathke's cleft cyst and partial feet adactyly: an unusual association Cisto de Rathke e adactilia parcial dos pés: uma associação rara

A 53 year-old woman presented a recurrent bifrontal headache of 2 years duration and bilateral progressive visual disturbance. The clinical and neurological examination showed a bilateral feet adactyly and bitemporal hemianopsia. The brain MRI demonstrated a Rathke's cleft cyst. The patient was operated by a transnasal endoscopic approach. It seems that this unusual association has never been described before.<br>Mulher de 53 anos com história recorrente de cefaléia com duração de 2 anos bilateral e progressiva, acompanhada de distúrbios visuais. O exame clinico e neurológico mostrou uma adactilia dos pés e hemianopsia bitemporal. A ressonância nuclear magnética cerebral mostrou um cisto de Rathke. A paciente foi operada por via transnasal endoscópica. Aparentemente esta é a primeira vez que esta associação é descrita na literatura

Effects of the electrical signals generated in passive sections of SG-DBR lasers

Como integrante de la Asamblea por la Vida de Chilecito (La Rioja) pretendo tomar algunas de-finiciones en relación con aquellas miradas que marcan las continuidades históricas del colonia-lismo y por ende las opresiones, sobretodo, de las mujeres. Es decir, desarrollar algunas ideas respecto al funcionamiento del triple sistema de dominaciones: colonialismo, patriarcado y capita-lismo en relación a los conflictos socioambientales actuales (Souza Santos, Lugones, Segato, Bidaseca)