Personalized early detection and prevention of breast cancer: ENVISION consensus statement

Abstract: The European Collaborative on Personalized Early Detection and Prevention of Breast Cancer (ENVISION) brings together several international research consortia working on different aspects of the personalized early detection and prevention of breast cancer. In a consensus conference held in 2019, the members of this network identified research areas requiring development to enable evidence-based personalized interventions that might improve the benefits and reduce the harms of existing breast cancer screening and prevention programmes. The priority areas identified were: 1) breast cancer subtype-specific risk assessment tools applicable to women of all ancestries; 2) intermediate surrogate markers of response to preventive measures; 3) novel non-surgical preventive measures to reduce the incidence of breast cancer of poor prognosis; and 4) hybrid effectiveness–implementation research combined with modelling studies to evaluate the long-term population outcomes of risk-based early detection strategies. The implementation of such programmes would require health-care systems to be open to learning and adapting, the engagement of a diverse range of stakeholders and tailoring to societal norms and values, while also addressing the ethical and legal issues. In this Consensus Statement, we discuss the current state of breast cancer risk prediction, risk-stratified prevention and early detection strategies, and their implementation. Throughout, we highlight priorities for advancing each of these areas

Study on effect of different salinity on growth and morphological traits of nerium cultivars (Nerium oleander L.)

Six cultivars of Nerium (Single Pink, Single White, Single Red, Double Pink, Double White and Double Red) were evaluated to identify the salt tolerant cultivars on basis of growth and morphological parameters. This study was carried out in Department of Horticulture, Agricultural College and Research Institute, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Madurai. These cultivars were transplanted polybags with soils of four different salt levels includes control (S1 - 0.87 dS m-1), low saline (S2 - 3.94 dS m-1), medium saline (S3 - 5.78 dS m-1) and high saline (S4 - 7.85 dS m-1) along with 2 dS m-1 saline water (by dissolving NaCl, CaCl2 and MgCl2) was irrigated based on moisture availability. The parameter viz., plant height (84.53 cm), number of leaves per plant (1.09), leaf area (1773.32 cm2), stem thickness (3.12 cm), number of branches (1.09), root length (28.87 cm), root dry weight (25.59 g), internodal length (4.01 cm) and survival percentage (94.33%) was recorded. All parameters show significant decrease with increasing salinity. In cultivar Single Red plant height was high and low height was observed in Double Pink at high salinity. Double Red cultivar shows more tolerance to all salinity levels, but Double pink have more salinity symptoms and shows less tolerance

Spiruchostatin A Inhibits Proliferation and Differentiation of Fibroblasts from Patients with Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive scarring disorder characterized by the proliferation of interstitial fibroblasts and the deposition of extracellular matrix causing impaired gas exchange. Spiruchostatin A (SpA) is a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDI) with selectivity toward Class I enzymes, which distinguishes it from other nonspecific HDIs that are reported to inhibit (myo)fibroblast proliferation and differentiation. Because the selectivity of HDIs may be important clinically, we postulated that SpA inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of IPF fibroblasts. Primary fibroblasts were grown from lung biopsy explants obtained from patients with IPF or from normal control subjects, using two-dimensional or three-dimensional culture models. The effect of SpA on fibroproliferation in serum-containing medium ± transforming growth factor (TGF)–?1 was quantified by methylene blue binding. The acetylation of histone H3, the expression of the cell-cycle inhibitor p21waf1, and the myofibroblast markers ?–smooth muscle actin (?-SMA) and collagens I and III were determined by Western blotting, quantitative RT-PCR, immunofluorescent staining, or colorimetry. SpA inhibited the proliferation of IPF or normal fibroblasts in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner (concentration required to achieve 50% inhibition = 3.8 ± 0.4 nM versus 7.8 ± 0.2 nM, respectively; P < 0.05), with little cytotoxicity. Western blot analyses revealed that SpA caused a concentration-dependent increase in histone H3 acetylation, paralleling its antiproliferative effect. SpA also increased p21waf1 expression, suggesting that direct cell-cycle regulation was the mechanism of inhibiting proliferation. Although treatment with TGF-?1 induced myofibroblast differentiation associated with increased expression of ?-SMA, collagen I and collagen III and soluble collagen release, these responses were potently inhibited by SpA. These data support the concept that bicyclic tetrapeptide HDIs merit further investigation as potential treatments for IPF