The role of lipids and fatty acid metabolism in the development of prostate cancer

The reprogramming of lipid metabolism and signaling pathways is the central aspect of cancer biology. It is hypothesized that tumor cells can alter the lipid spectrum in order to fulfill their metabolic requirements. Furthermore, they can alter potential tumors and suppressive mechanisms in which lipids' involvement is essential. Recently, more attentions have been given on the alteration of lipid metabolism during prostate cancer development, and investigations have shown unique regulation of "de novo" lipid synthesis in cancer cells. Cancer cells often use newer pathways and enzymes to simplify the synthesis of fatty acids, and the newly synthesized lipids affect cellular processes, which impacts cancer cell proliferation and survival outcomes. Herein, we aimed to study the influence of lipid profile alterations on the development of prostate cancer. We found that the total amounts of lipids and phospholipids were increased within tissues from men with the malignant prostate tumor as compared with the benign prostate tissue. Significant changes were also observed in the composition of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids within the malignant tumor tissues. Intensification of lipid peroxidation has also been observed in malignant prostate tumors compared to benign prostate tumors. Collectively, these findings further highlights the fact that lipid and fatty acids play unique regulatory roles in the cellular development of prostate malignant transformation

The Study of Some Possible Risk Factors for Arterial Thrombosis in the Example of Georgian Patients

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common cause of death worldwide. As arterial as venous thrombosis are major cause’s morbidity and mortality. There is an exponential increase in the risk of arterial and venous thrombotic events with age, gender, smoking habits, diet type etc. The association of arterial and venous thrombosis and ABO histo-blood group is well established. Our research aim was to find a possible relationship between age, gender, smoking habit, ABO, Rh, Kell, MN blood group and arterial thrombosis in the example of the Georgian population. The study material comprised the blood samples of 100 patients with arterial thrombosis. Also, control (donor) groups were studied. The Control group included individuals without cardiovascular disease during the 2019–2020 periods. They were asymptomatic, healthy persons. The immunoserological express method with universal monoclonal antibodies ware used. 77% of the studied patients were males. The majority of patients were over the 60 years old. 35% of our studied patients are non-smoker, 39% are ex-smoker, and 26% are active smokers. A similar distribution has the ABO and Rh phenotypes in patients and donors. M+ N+ (MN) the phenotype is relatively high in the patient group to comparing to donors. Kell antigen prevalence was relatively high in studied patients. Our study has shown maleness as a higher risk factor for arterial thrombosis. The smokers have a more predicted chance for arterial thrombosis. K+ phenotype and M+ N+ characteristics are a high prevalence in patients. There is no correlation between ABO and Rh blood groups with arterial thrombosis

Blood formed elements of the women with uterine tumors as one of the criterion for assessment of severity of the pathology

268-275The indicators for structural analysis of blood formed elements are prominent in the assessment of pathologies, diagnostics and the degree. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the ongoing alterations that reflect on the structural characteristics of blood formed elements based on the hormonal imbalance among menopausal women with uterine tumors. Blood samples from the women with benign (n=20), malignant (n=20) uterine tumors, and healthy menopausal women (control, n=20) were used. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were used for the quantitative determination of hormones. The blood formed elements ultrastructure observations were conducted using transmission electron microscope. Compared to control (33.8±0.7 pg/mL), estradiol level was higher in benign (45.7±0.9 pg/mL) and malignant (70.7±3.7 pg/mL) cases (P< 0.001). Similar pattern was noted in testosterone levels [control=0.38±0.03 ng/mL, benign=0.55±0.04 ng/mL (P< 0.01), malignant=1.56±0.14 ng/mL (P< 0.001)] was higher in malignant cases. In contrast, progesterone levels were decreased in the disease cases [control=0.93±0.05 ng/mL, benign=0.44±0.003 ng/mL, malignant=0.31±0.02 ng/ml (P< 0.001)]. Assessments of the morphologic structure of erythrocytes revealed pathological forms of erythrocytes (poikilocytosis) in case of benign, as well as in malignant tumors. particularly target cells (codocytes), hamlet cells, teardrop cells (dacrocytes), sickle cell (drepanocytes) erythrocytes. Using ELISA and transmission electron microscopy our results demonstrate that in case of malignant uterine tumor quantitative/structural changes occur in blood formed elements indicating ongoing alterations in hormonal imbalance. Assessing these changes in structural characteristics would be useful in examining uterine pathologies and subsequent treatment plans

Alterations in physicochemical characteristics of blood plasma in men with prostate tumors

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men worldwide. Therefore, identification of specific biomarkers for early dignosis are crucial prerequisites for efficient treatment of patients. We investigated alterations in the physicochemical characteristics of blood plasma proteins from men with prostate tumors, and its diagnostic significance with the identified alterations. Blood plasma of patients with benign hyperplasia of the prostate (BHP), BHP with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) regions and Cancer of Prostate (CaP) were used. Spectroscopic and SDS-PAGE methodologies were utilized for examining alterations in the physicochemical characteristics of blood plasma proteins. Relationship between alterations of the first-peak fluorescence intensities and prostate tumor progression was observed. Also, increased intensity of the second-peak corresponding to nicotinamide co-enzymes (NADH and NADPH) was noted in BHP-with-HGPIN and CaP specimens. The main peak maximum (Td) was observed at 66-67°C in BHP plasma and at 63-64°C in BHP-with-HGPIN regions and CaP. In BHP and BHP-with-HGPIN regions, an arm was noted at 70-71°С. The portions of thermostable proteins (acute phase proteins) were increased and modified proteins were formed in plasmas during the malignant transformation. Recorded fluorescence spectra allowed to differentiate prostate tumors and determine the disease progression. Differential scanning calorimetry markedly differentiated benign BHP-with-HGPIN regions and CaP, which shows the diagnostic importance of the method

Breast Cancer Response to Therapy: Can microRNAs Lead the Way?

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of death among women with malignant diseases. The selection of adequate therapies for highly invasive and metastatic BCs still represents a major challenge. Novel combinatorial therapeutic approaches are urgently required to enhance the efficiency of BC treatment. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) emerged as key regulators of the complex mechanisms that govern BC therapeutic resistance and susceptibility. In the present review we aim to critically examine how miRNAs influence BC response to therapies, or how to use miRNAs as a basis for new therapeutic approaches. We summarized recent findings in this rapidly evolving field, emphasizing the challenges still ahead for the successful implementation of miRNAs into BC treatment while providing insights for future BC management. The goal of this review was to propose miRNAs, that might simultaneously improve the efficacy of all four therapies that are the backbone of current BC management (radio-, chemo-, targeted, and hormone therapy). Among the fifty-nine described miRNAs, miR-21 and miR-16 emerged as the most promising, closely followed by miR-205, miR-451, miR-182, and miRNAs from the let-7 family. miR-21 inhibition might be the best choice for future improvement of invasive BC treatment. New therapeutic strategies of miRNA-based agents alongside current standard treatment modalities could greatly benefit BC patients. This review represents a guideline on how to navigate this elaborate puzzle. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC part of Springer Nature

Study of the Electrical Conductivity of Ion-Exchange Resins and Membranes in Equilibrium Solutions of Inorganic Electrolytes

The study of the electrical conductivity of ion-exchange membranes in equilibrium electrolyte solutions is of great importance for the theory of membrane processes, in particular for practical electrodialysis. The purpose of the work is to determine the electrical conductivity of industrial ion-exchange membranes MK-40 and MA-40, as well as their basis—granules of a bulk layer of industrial ion exchangers KU-2-8 and EDE-10p, by differential and modified contact methods in electrolyte solutions and the development of a new methodology that will give the values that are closest to the true ones; determination of the dependence of electrical membrane conductivity depending on the type of counterion and concentration equilibrium solution and granules of a bulk layer of ion exchangers on the volume fraction of a dry ion exchanger with different degrees of compaction. It is shown that the dependence of the electrical conductivity of diaphragms on the electrolyte concentration, according to theoretical ideas, disappears under compression. It has been experimentally established that the difference method gives lower values of electrical conductivity in the region of low concentrations. The data obtained by the contact method are in good agreement with the results obtained for compressed diaphragms. The membrane conductivity decreases with increasing ion size

Neutralization of Industrial Water by Electrodialysis

The process of non-reagent adjustment of the pH of a NaCl solution (0.5 g/L) of different acidity was investigated by the method of bipolar electrodialysis on a device operating according to the K-system (concentration). The experiments were carried out in the range pH = 2.0–12.0 with monopolar cation-exchange MK-40 (for alkaline solutions) or anion-exchange MA-40 (for acidic solutions) and bipolar MB-2 membranes. The regularities of the change in the pH of the solution on the current density, process productivity and energy consumption for the neutralization process have been investigated. Revealed: with different productivity of the apparatus (Q = 0.5–1.5 m3/h), in the range of pH 3.0–11.0, with an increase in the current density, a neutral pH value is achieved. It has been shown that at pH above 11.0 and below 3.0, even at high current densities (i &gt; 20 A/m2), its value cannot be changed. This is due to the neutralization of the H+ or OH− ions generated by the bipolar membrane by water ions, which are formed as a result of the dissociation of water molecules at the border of the monopolar membrane and the solution under conditions when the value of current exceeds the limiting value

Neutralization of Industrial Water by Electrodialysis

The process of non-reagent adjustment of the pH of a NaCl solution (0.5 g/L) of different acidity was investigated by the method of bipolar electrodialysis on a device operating according to the K-system (concentration). The experiments were carried out in the range pH = 2.0–12.0 with monopolar cation-exchange MK-40 (for alkaline solutions) or anion-exchange MA-40 (for acidic solutions) and bipolar MB-2 membranes. The regularities of the change in the pH of the solution on the current density, process productivity and energy consumption for the neutralization process have been investigated. Revealed: with different productivity of the apparatus (Q = 0.5–1.5 m3/h), in the range of pH 3.0–11.0, with an increase in the current density, a neutral pH value is achieved. It has been shown that at pH above 11.0 and below 3.0, even at high current densities (i > 20 A/m2), its value cannot be changed. This is due to the neutralization of the H+ or OH− ions generated by the bipolar membrane by water ions, which are formed as a result of the dissociation of water molecules at the border of the monopolar membrane and the solution under conditions when the value of current exceeds the limiting value

TIMP-3 mRNA expression levels positively correlates with levels of miR-21 in in situ BC and negatively in PR positive invasive BC

Background: Breast carcinomas (BC) belong to a heterogeneous group of malignant diseases. Correct categorization of BC based on molecular biomarkers has a very important role in deciding the proper course of therapy for each patient. It has been already shown that the decrease of TIMP metalloproteinase inhibitor 3 (TIMP-3) together with overexpression of microRNA-21 (miR-21) might be involved in the process of BC invasion. This is the first study that examined relationship among miR-21, TIMP-3 mRNA and TIPM-3 protein levels in BC groups formed according to invasiveness. Methods: In this study, we used 46 breast cancer samples. Estrogen and progesterone receptor (ER, PR) protein levels were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) method. TIMP-3 mRNA expression was examined by two-step real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR). Western blot analysis was performed for 16 samples. Results: Statistically significant differences in TIMP-3 expression levels between invasive groups were discovered in ER positive (ER+) (p = 0.015), Her-2 negative (p = 0.026) subgroups, and patients without lymph-node metastasis (p = 0.039). Interestingly, significant positive correlation was detected between miR-21 and TIMP-3 mRNA levels (P LT 0.001, p = 0.949) in the group of in situ tumors. TIMP-3 mRNA expression levels highly negatively correlated with levels of miR-21 in PR + invasive BCs (p = 0.007, p = -0.641). TIMP-3 protein levels negatively correlated with miR-21 levels in pure invasive BCs. Conclusion: These data suggest that signaling pathways involved in formation and progression of BCs in groups formed according to invasiveness might be different. Our findings propose that TIMP-3 mRNA expression levels could be significant prognostic parameter, but within specific BC subtypes

Hormonal status and distribution of the ABO system phenotypic groups in menopausal and postmenopausal women with breast tumors

93-100Breast cancer is one of the most frequent neoplastic diseases within the female population worldwide. Hormonal imbalance and the ABO system group antigens are among the numerous risk-factors which provoke the development of breast benign and malignant tumors. Here, we have investigated the following sex-steroid hormones: estradiol (E2), progesterone (P), testosterone (T)), non-sex hormones (thyroxin (fT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and prolactin (PRL), and the distribution of the ABO system phenotypic groups in the menopausal and postmenopausal women with breast tumors (benign, malignant). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for quantitative determination of hormones. The immune-serological methods were used for investigation of the ABO system phenotypic groups. Our present investigations in menopausal and postmenopausal women with breast tumors have revealed significantly higher expression of sex-steroid hormone estradiol, but decreased progesterone, and also significantly increased testosterone levels. Thyroid gland revealed hypofunction, which confirms the decrease of thyroxin, and increase of prolactin and TSH in the blood. According to our findings, carriers of A(II) phenotypic groups showed high risk for breast tumors development in women during both stages, menopausal and postmenopausal