The LH/hCG Axis in Endometrial Cancer: A New Target in the Treatment of Recurrent or Metastatic Disease

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a hormone-dependent cancer that currently represents the most frequent malignancy of the female reproductive tract. The involvement of steroid hormones in EC etiology and progression has been reported. More recently, gonadotropins, and, in particular LH/hCG, are emerging as novel regulators of tumor progression. In the present review, we discuss the role of the LH/hCG axis (i.e. LH/hCG and its receptors, LH/hCG-R) in both gonadal and nongonadal tissues, in physiological and neoplastic conditions. In cancer cells, LH/hCG mainly controls cell proliferation and apoptosis. In particular, in EC LH/hCG improves cell invasiveness, through a mechanism which involves the LH/hCG-R, which in turn activate protein kinase A and modulate integrin adhesion receptors. Indeed, the LH/hCG-R mRNA is expressed in primary ECs and this expression correlates with LH/hCG-induced cell invasiveness in vitro. These results lead to hypothesize that recurrent and metastatic ECs, which express LH/hCG-R, could benefit from therapies aimed at decreasing LH levels, through Gn-RH analogues. Hence, the LH/hCG axis could represent a prognostic factor and a new therapeutic target in EC

Lipid Oxidation and Sensory Characteristics of Grass-Fed Beef: Effect of Duration of Grazing Prior to Slaughter

Beef from cattle produced from grass has a higher concentration of fatty acids considered to be beneficial to human health than beef produced from more intensive production systems and this increase in fatty acid concentration is dependant on the duration at pasture prior to slaughter (Noci et al., 2003). Improvements in the fatty acid composition of beef must not impair other quality characteristics of beef. Little information is available on the pattern of change of quality characteristics in grazing animals. The objective of this study was to determine the shelf-life and eating quality of beef from cattle produced from a standard Irish grass silage/concentrates finishing system but allowed to graze grass for different periods prior to slaughter

Luteinizing Hormone/Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Receptor Immunohistochemical Score Associated with Poor Prognosis in Endometrial Cancer Patients.

The aim of this study was to develop a scoring system of the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCG-R) in endometrial cancer (EC) patients. Nonconsecutive hysterectomy specimens containing EC collected from April 2013 to October 2015 were selected. Hematoxylin-eosin stained sections from each case were reviewed and representative sections from each tumor were selected. IHC staining was performed for the detection of LHCG-R. The percentage of stained cells and the staining intensity were assessed in order to develop an immunohistochemical score. Moreover, we examined the correlation of the score with grading and lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI). There was a statistically significant positive correlation between grading and IHC scoring (p=0.01) and a statistically significant positive correlation between LVSI and IHC score (p<0.01). In conclusion, we suggest that the immunohistochemical score presented here could be used as a marker of bad prognosis of EC patients. Nevertheless, further studies are needed in order to validate it. The study was registered in the Careggi Hospital public trials registry with the following number: 2013/0011391

HERG potassium channels are more frequently expressed in human endometrial cancer as compared to non-cancerous endometrium

HERG K+channels, besides contributing to regulate cardiac and neuronal excitability, are preferentially expressed in tumour cell lines of different histogenesis, where their role in the development and maintenance of the neoplastic phenotype is under study. We show here that both herg gene and HERG protein are expressed with high frequency in primary human endometrial cancers, as compared to normal and hyperplastic endometrium. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, using specific anti-HERG antibodies developed in our laboratory, were applied to tissue specimens obtained from 18 endometrial cancers and 11 non-cancerous endometrial tissues. herg RNA and HERG protein are expressed in 67% and 82%, respectively, of cancerous, while in only 18% of non-cancerous tissues. In particular, no expression was found in endometrial hyperplasia. Moreover, electrophysiological experiments confirmed the presence of functioning HERG channels on the plasma membrane of tumour cells. On the whole, these data are the first demonstration of the presence of HERG channels in primary human neoplasias, and could candidate HERG as a potential tool capable of marking cancerous versus hyperplastic endometrial growth. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Spectroscopic survey of Kepler stars. I. HERMES/Mercator observations of A- and F-type stars

The Kepler space mission provided near-continuous and high-precision photometry of about 207 000 stars, which can be used for asteroseismology. However, for successful seismic modeling it is equally important to have accurate stellar physical parameters. Therefore, supplementary ground-based data are needed. We report the results of the analysis of high-resolution spectroscopic data of A- and F-type stars from the Kepler field, which were obtained with the HERMES spectrograph on the Mercator telescope. We determined spectral types, atmospheric parameters and chemical abundances for a sample of 117 stars. Hydrogen Balmer, Fe i, and Fe ii lines were used to derive effective temperatures, surface gravities, and microturbulent velocities. We determined chemical abundances and projected rotational velocities using a spectrum synthesis technique. The atmospheric parameters obtained were compared with those from the Kepler Input Catalogue (KIC), confirming that the KIC effective temperatures are underestimated for A stars. Effective temperatures calculated by spectral energy distribution fitting are in good agreement with those determined from the spectral line analysis. The analysed sample comprises stars with approximately solar chemical abundances, as well as chemically peculiar stars of the Am, Ap, and λ Boo types. The distribution of the projected rotational velocity, vsin i, is typical for A and F stars and ranges from 8 to about 280 km s−1, with a mean of 134 km s−1

Motivations Behind Sustainable Purchasing

Sustainability issues in purchasing are receiving greater attention. Literature is rapidly growing, with several research programs being initiated to investigate the topic. This study presents the results of a research project which aims to reveal and structure the motivating forces leading companies to make efforts in sustainability purchasing and the means used to attain achievements in some fields of sustainability. Results presented in the literature are scattered in terms of the fields of sustainability: most of the studies focus only on green or corporate social responsibility issues and there is a lack of exploratory models. Sustainability in purchasing is addressed in a comprehensive way including green, social responsibility and corporate growth issues. After presenting the results of a literature review, theoretical development was undertaken to create a framework in which it is possible to describe the means of sustainability applied and the motivating forces behind them. This framework serves as the basis for an empirical investigation among Hungarian companies. Empirical results confirm the usefulness of the theoretical framework: the number and the characteristics of sustainability activities were determined by the particular types of motivation – to avoid negative effects, to achieve compliance with expectations and to attain positive effects