41 research outputs found
CDH11 Expression is Associated with Survival in Patients with Osteosarcoma
Previous studies have shown that cadherin-11 (CDH11) may be involved in the
metastatic process of osteosarcoma. The correlation of the expression levels of
CDH11 in osteosarcoma samples with the risk of disease progression and metastasis
was examined. Real time qRT-PCR was used to quantify CDH11 expression in a set of
newly established osteosarcoma cell lines, 11 primaries and five metastases,
compared to the levels in 12 normal osteoblast cell lines established from
healthy bone, and also in a set of 10 snap-frozen osteosarcoma samples. In all
cases long term clinical follow-up data was available. The CDH11 expression level
decreased gradually from the osteoblast to the primary cell lines (p=0.2184) and
further to those established from the tumor metastases (p=0.0275). Importantly,
the level of CDH11 expression correlated significantly (p=0.01) with patient
survival (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis) in both sample sets (p=0.0128 for the
cell lines, p=0.0492 for the biopsies). In conclusion, the results indicate that
CDH11 may be useful as a prognostic marker of disease progression and survival in
osteosarcoma
Spectroscopic measurements of dynamic fibrils in the Ca {\small{II}} 8662 {\AA} line
We present high spatial resolution spectroscopic measurements of dynamic
fibrils (DFs) in the Ca {\small{II}} 8662 {\AA} line. These data show clear
Doppler shifts in the identified DFs, which demonstrates that at least a subset
of DFs are actual mass motions in the chromosphere. A statistical analysis of
26 DFs reveals a strong and statistically significant correlation between the
maximal velocity and the deceleration. The range of the velocities and the
decelerations are substantially lower, about a factor two, in our spectroscopic
observations compared to the earlier results based on proper motion in narrow
band images. There are fundamental differences in the different observational
methods; when DFs are observed spectroscopically the measured Doppler shifts
are a result of the atmospheric velocity, weighted with the response function
to velocity over an extended height. When the proper motion of DFs is observed
in narrow band images, the movement of the top of the DF is observed. This
point is sharply defined because of the high contrast between the DF and the
surroundings. The observational differences between the two methods are
examined by several numerical experiments using both numerical simulations and
a time series of narrow band H images. With basis in the simulations we
conclude that the lower maximal velocity is explained by the low formation
height of the Ca IR line. We conclude that the present observations support the
earlier result that DFs are driven by magneto-acoustic shocks exited by
convective flows and p-modes.Comment: 7 pages 5 figures, Submitted to Ap
Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule in breast cancer: prognostic indicator
INTRODUCTION: Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) (CD166) is an immunoglobulin molecule that has been implicated in cell migration. The present study examined the expression of ALCAM in human breast cancer and assessed its prognostic value. METHODS: The immunohistochemical distribution and location of ALCAM was assessed in normal breast tissue and carcinoma. The levels of ALCAM transcripts in frozen tissue (normal breast, n = 32; breast cancer, n = 120) were determined using real-time quantitative PCR. The results were then analyzed in relation to clinical data including the tumor type, the grade, the nodal involvement, distant metastases, the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) stage, the Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI), and survival over a 6-year follow-up period. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical staining on tissue sections in ducts/acini in normal breast and in breast carcinoma was ALCAM-positive. Differences in the number of ALCAM transcripts were found in different types of breast cancer. The level of ALCAM transcripts was lower (P = 0.05) in tumors from patients who had metastases to regional lymph nodes compared with those patients without, in higher grade tumors compared with Grade 1 tumors (P < 0.01), and in TNM Stage 3 tumors compared with TNM Stage 1 tumors (P < 0.01). Tumors from patients with poor prognosis (with NPI > 5.4) had significantly lower levels (P = 0.014) of ALCAM transcripts compared with patients with good prognosis (with NPI < 3.4), and tumors from patients with local recurrence had significantly lower levels than those patients without local recurrence or metastases (P = 0.04). Notably, tumors from patients who died of breast cancer had significantly lower levels of ALCAM transcripts (P = 0.0041) than those with primary tumors but no metastatic disease or local recurrence. Patients with low levels of ALCAM transcripts had significantly (P = 0.009) more incidents (metastasis, recurrence, death) compared with patients with primary breast tumors with high levels of ALCAM transcripts. CONCLUSIONS: In the present panel of breast cancer specimens, decreased levels of ALCAM correlated with the nodal involvement, the grade, the TNM stage, the NPI, and the clinical outcome (local recurrence and death). The data suggest that decreased ALCAM expression is of clinical significance in breast cancer, and that reduced expression indicates a more aggressive phenotype and poor prognosis
Molecular portraits of human breast tumours
Human breast tumours are diverse in their natural history and in
their responsiveness to treatments1. Variation in transcriptional
programs accounts for much of the biological diversity of human
cells and tumours. In each cell, signal transduction and regulatory
systems transduce information from the cell's identity to its
environmental status, thereby controlling the level of expression
of every gene in the genome. Here we have characterized variation
in gene expression patterns in a set of 65 surgical specimens of
human breast tumours from 42 different individuals, using
complementary DNA microarrays representing 8,102 human
genes. These patterns provided a distinctive molecular portrait
of each tumour. Twenty of the tumours were sampled twice,
before and after a 16-week course of doxorubicin chemotherapy,
and two tumours were paired with a lymph node metastasis from
the same patient. Gene expression patterns in two tumour
samples from the same individual were almost always more
similar to each other than either was to any other sample. Sets
of co-expressed genes were identi®ed for which variation in
messenger RNA levels could be related to speci®c features of
physiological variation. The tumours could be classi®ed into
subtypes distinguished by pervasive differences in their gene
expression patterns
Climate-Relevant Ocean Transport Measurements in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
Ocean circulation redistributes heat, freshwater, carbon, and nutrients all around the globe. Because of their importance in regulating climate, weather, extreme events, sea level, fisheries, and ecosystems, large-scale ocean currents should be monitored continuously. The Atlantic is unique as the only ocean basin where heat is, on average, transported northward in both hemispheres as part of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The largely unrestricted connection with the Arctic and Southern Oceans allows ocean currents to exchange heat, freshwater, and other properties with polar latitudes
Determinants of tree seedling establishment in alpine tundra
Questions Changes in climate and herbivory pressure affect northern alpine ecosystems through woody plant encroachment, altering their composition, structure and functioning. The encroachment often occurs at unequal rates across heterogeneous landscapes, hinting at the importance of habitat-specific drivers that either hamper or facilitate woody plant establishment. Here, we assess: (1) the invasibility of three distinct alpine plant community types (heath, meadow andSalixshrubland) byPinus sylvestris(Scots pine); and (2) the relative importance of biotic (above-ground interactions with current vegetation, herbivory and shrub encroachment) and microclimate-related abiotic (soil temperature, moisture and light availability) drivers of pine seedling establishment success. Location Dovrefjell, Central Norway. Methods We conducted a pine seed sowing experiment, testing how factorial combinations of above-ground removal of co-occurring vegetation, herbivore exclusion and willow transplantation (simulated shrub encroachment) affect pine emergence, survival and performance (new stem growth, stem height and fraction of healthy needles) in three plant communities, characteristic of alpine tundra, over a period of five years. Results Pine seedling emergence and survival were similar across plant community types. Herbivore exclusion and vegetation removal generally increased pine seedling establishment and seedling performance. Within our study, microclimate had minimal effects on pine seedling establishment and performance. These results illustrate the importance of biotic resistance to seedling establishment. Conclusion Pine seedlings can easily establish in alpine tundra, and biotic factors (above-ground plant interactions and herbivory) are more important drivers of pine establishment in alpine tundra than abiotic, microclimate-related, factors. Studies aiming to predict future vegetation changes should thus consider local-scale biotic interactions in addition to abiotic factors.Peer reviewe