Environmental Principles. From Political Slogans to Legal Rules (2020) – recenzja monografii Nicolasa de Sadeleer

The subject of this article is a review of the second edition of the monograph by N. de Sadeleer entitled Environmental Principles. From Political Slogans to Legal Rules, devoted to the principles of environmental protection, in which the Author explains the place and role of the three principles of his choice - the "polluter pays" principle, the precautionary principle and the precautionary principle - in environmental law at all levels (i.e. international, EU and national), taking into account the ongoing evolution of functions and legal status of these principles in the transition between modern and postmodern legal models, taking into account the changing models of thinking about the environment. The aforementioned monograph has the value of a comprehensive and extremely interesting study of the issues of three principles crucial to environmental law, in theoretical and practical dimensions.Przedmiotem niniejszego artykułu jest recenzja drugiego wydania monografii N. de Sadeleer pt. Environmental Principles. From Political Slogans to Legal Rules, poświęconej zasadom ochrony środowiska, w której Autor wyjaśnia miejsce i rolę trzech wybranych przez siebie pryncypiów – zasady „zanieczyszczający płaci”, zasady prewencji i zasady przezorności – w prawie ochrony środowiska na wszystkich szczeblach (to jest na poziomie prawa międzynarodowego, unijnego i krajowego), biorąc pod uwagę zachodzącą ewolucję funkcji i statusu prawnego tych zasad w przejściu między nowoczesnym a ponowoczesnym modelu prawa, z uwzględnieniem zmieniających się modeli myślenia o środowisku. Wspomniana monografia ma walor kompleksowego i arcyciekawego opracowania problematyki trzech kluczowych dla prawa ochrony środowiska zasad na płaszczyźnie teoretycznej i praktycznej

A Systematic Study of Gene Mutations in Urothelial Carcinoma; Inactivating Mutations in TSC2 and PIK3R1

Abstract BACKGROUND: Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is characterized by frequent gene mutations of which activating mutations in FGFR3 are the most frequent. Several downstream targets of FGFR3 are also mutated in UC, e.g., PIK3CA, AKT1, and RAS. Most mutation studies of UCs have been focused on single or a few genes at the time or been performed on small sample series. This has limited the possibility to investigate co-occurrence of mutations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed mutation analyses of 16 genes, FGFR3, PIK3CA, PIK3R1 PTEN, AKT1, KRAS, HRAS, NRAS, BRAF, ARAF, RAF1, TSC1, TSC2, APC, CTNNB1, and TP53, in 145 cases of UC. We show that FGFR3 and PIK3CA mutations are positively associated. In addition, we identified PIK3R1 as a target for mutations. We demonstrate a negative association at borderline significance between FGFR3 and RAS mutations, and show that these mutations are not strictly mutually exclusive. We show that mutations in BRAF, ARAF, RAF1 rarely occurs in UC. Our data emphasize the possible importance of APC signaling as 6% of the investigated tumors either showed inactivating APC or activating CTNNB1 mutations. TSC1, as well as TSC2, that constitute the mTOR regulatory tuberous sclerosis complex were found to be mutated at a combined frequency of 15%. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data demonstrate a significant association between FGFR3 and PIK3CA mutations in UC. Moreover, the identification of mutations in PIK3R1 further emphasizes the importance of the PI3-kinase pathway in UC. The presence of TSC2 mutations, in addition to TSC1 mutations, underlines the involvement of mTOR signaling in UC

A Novel Classification of Lung Cancer into Molecular Subtypes

The remarkably heterogeneous nature of lung cancer has become more apparent over the last decade. In general, advanced lung cancer is an aggressive malignancy with a poor prognosis. The discovery of multiple molecular mechanisms underlying the development, progression, and prognosis of lung cancer, however, has created new opportunities for targeted therapy and improved outcome. In this paper, we define “molecular subtypes” of lung cancer based on specific actionable genetic aberrations. Each subtype is associated with molecular tests that define the subtype and drugs that may potentially treat it. We hope this paper will be a useful guide to clinicians and researchers alike by assisting in therapy decision making and acting as a platform for further study. In this new era of cancer treatment, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ paradigm is being forcibly pushed aside—allowing for more effective, personalized oncologic care to emerge