Effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on caspase-3 activity, as a key biomarker for apoptosis in ovarian tumor cell cultured as monolayer : a pilot study

We aimed to develop a cost-effective and robust method to predict drug resistance in individual patients. Representative tissue fragments were obtained from tumors removed from female patients, aged 24-74 years old. The tumor tissue was taken by a histopathology’s or a surgeon under sterile conditions. Cells obtained by enzymatic dissociation from tumor after surgery, were cultured as a monolayer for 6 days. Paclitaxel, doxorubicin, carboplatin and endoxan alone or in combination were added at the beginning of culture and after 6 days, Alamar blue test was used for showing action on cell proliferation why caspase- 3 activity assays for verifying action on apoptosis. Inhibitory action on cell proliferation was noted in 2 of 12 patients tumor treated with both single and combined drugs. Using caspase-3 assay we showed that 50% of tumor cells was resistant to single chemotherapeutic drugs and 40% for combined. In 2 of 12 tumors, which did not reacted on single drugs, positive synergistic action on cell proliferation was observed in combination of D + E and C + E. This pilot study suggests: 1) monolayer culture of tumor cells, derived from individual patients, before chemotherapy could provide a suitable model for studying resistance for drugs; 2) caspase-3 activity is cheap and useful methods; 3) Alamar blue test should be taken into consideration for measuring cell proliferation

Comparison of mutation profile between primary phyllodes tumors of the breast and their paired local recurrences

Phyllodes tumor of the breast (PTB) is a rare neoplasm and accounts for 0.2-2.0% of breast cancer in women. Histopathological diagnosis of the tumor is difficult, and histological features do not always predict the course of the disease and the risk of progression. Pathogenesis and molecular biological characteristics as well as PTB prognostic factors are unknown. In search for genetic factors affecting PTB progression, 10 patients were analyzed for whom material from the primary tumor and local recurrence was available. DNA isolated from paraffin blocks was sequenced using the next-generation sequencing method (NGS). In 4 pairs, consisting of primary tumor and local recurrence, probably pathogenic/pathogenic variants were detected, and in three pairs they were observed in the CDKN2A gene, while other variants were found in PTEN and TP53 genes. NGS results indicate that the above-mentioned variants are hereditary, which suggests that the CDKN2A gene might be involved in cancerogenesis of PTB. Additionally, the selected pathogenic variant of EGFR gene was exclusively detected in one recuurent tumor, which might suggest the involvement of this gene in the mechanism of progression. In order to determine if this variant is associated with progression, the frequency of this mutation should be examined in larger group of malignant and borderline tumors

Subsoil graining as a differentiating factor of plant communities occurring on carboniferous waste dumps

W pracy podjęto próbę ukazania różnorodności roślinności zwałowisk karbońskiej skały płonnej z dominującym udziałem traw i roślin zielnych, a także rozpoznanie preferencji uziarnienia podłoża wraz z biomasą powstającą w płatach roślinności zdominowanych przez różne gatunki traw i roślin zielnych. Skład florystyczny zbiorowisk opiera się głównie na dominacji jednego gatunku czy współdominacji gatunków rodzimych zielnych tj.: Chamaenerion palustre, Daucus carota, Centaurea stoebe, Lotus corniculatus, Tussilago farfara, Melilotus alba lub obcych: Erigeron annuus, Matricaria maritima subsp. inodora, Solidago gigantea oraz gatunków traw tj.: Calamagrostis epigejos, Solidago gigantea, Poa compressa, Festuca arundinacea, Festuca rubra, Phragmites australis. W poszczególnych zbiorowiskach odnotowano od 23 do 55 gatunków roślin. Do najbardziej różnorodnych gatunkowo należą zbiorowiska z wysokim pokryciem takich gatunków jak: Poa compressa (H’ – 1,89), Daucus carota (H’ – 1,82), Festua arundinacea (H’ – 1,45), Calamagrostis epigejos (H’ – 1,42), natomiast najmniejszą różnorodnością odznacza się zbiorowisko z udziałem Phragmites australis (H’ – 0,91). Analiza uziarnienia podłoża na zwałowiskach karbońskiej skały płonnej wykazała zależność między gatunkiem dominanta, a składem granulometrycznym oraz zawartością materii organicznej w podłożu

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials comparing efficacy and safety outcomes of insulin glargine with NPH insulin, premixed insulin preparations or with insulin detemir in type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS: A variety of basal insulin preparations are used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We aimed to summarize scientific evidence on relative efficacy and safety of insulin glargine (IGlar) and other insulins in T2DM. METHODS: A systematic review was carried out in major medical databases up to December 2012. Relevant studies compared efficacy and safety of IGlar, added to oral drugs (OAD) or/and in combination with bolus insulin, with protamine insulin (NPH) or premixed insulin (MIX) in the same regimen, as well as with insulin detemir (IDet), in T2DM. Target HbA1c level without hypoglycemic events was considered the primary endpoint. RESULTS: Twenty eight RCTs involving 12,669 T2DM patients followed for 12–52 weeks were included in quantitative analysis. IGlar + OAD use was associated with higher probability of reaching target HbA1c level without hypoglycemia as compared to NPH + OAD (RR = 1.32 [1.09, 1.59]) or MIX without OAD (RR = 1.61 [1.22, 2.13]) and similar effect as IDet + OAD (RR = 1.07 [0.87, 1.33]) and MIX + OAD (RR = 1.09 [0.86, 1.38]). IGlar + OAD demonstrated significantly lower risk of symptomatic hypoglycemia as compared to NPH + OAD (RR = 0.89 [0.83, 0.96]), MIX + OAD (RR = 0.75 [0.68, 0.83]) and MIX without OAD(RR = 0.75 [0.68, 0.83]), but not with IDet + OAD (RR = 0.99 [0.90, 1.08]). In basal-bolus regimens, IGlar demonstrated similar proportion of T2DM patients achieving target HbA1c as compared to NPH (RR = 1.14 [0.91, 1.44]) but higher than MIX (RR = 1.26 [1.12, 1.42) or IDet (RR = 1.38 [1.11, 1.72]). The risk of severe hypoglycemia was lower in IGlar than in NPH (RR = 0.77 [0.63, 0.94]), with no differences in comparison with MIX (RR = 0.74 [0.46, 1.20]) and IDet (RR = 1.10 [0.54, 2.25]). IGlar + OAD has comparable safety profile to NPH, with less frequent adverse events leading to treatment discontinuation than MIX + OAD (RR = 0.41 [0.22, 0.76]) and IDet + OAD (RR = 0.40 [0.24, 0.69]). Also severe adverse reactions were less common for IGlar + OAD when compared to MIX + OAD (RR = 0.71 [0.52; 0.98]). CONCLUSION: For the majority of examined efficacy and safety outcomes, IGlar use in T2DM patients was superior or non-inferior to the alternative insulin treatment options. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00592-014-0698-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Rola fauny glebowej w zróżnicowaniu roślinności na zwałowisku karbońskiej skały płonnej

The work analyzes the relationship between the amount of soil fauna in the diversity of vegetation on post-mining dumps. Until now, researchers have devoted a lot of attention to the development and diversity of plant communi-ties in post-industrial areas, including heaps of gangue. The quantitative and qualitative participation of selected meso-fauna groups (Nematoda, Enchytraeidae) in the soil base of post-mining areas was much less known. Under-standing these relationships can be of great practical importance in planning and implementing surveying works to restore habitats in areas created in connection with the exploitation of mineral resources. Activity of soil organisms is one of the factors conditioning plant growth and their resistance to stress. A marginally significant relationship was found between the species diversity of the patches of vegetation, measured by the value of the Shannon-Wiener index, and the abundance of vase vessels (rs = 0.31, p = 0.05). The percentage coverage of the dominant species, its abundance, as well as the total percentage coverage of plants and bryophytes, dry matter volume and general coverage of herbaceous plants significantly affects the number of vassels

Virgo cluster and field dwarf ellipticals in 3D - III. Spatially and temporally resolved stellar populations

We present the stellar population analysis of a sample of 12 dwarf elliptical galaxies, observed with the SAURON integral field unit, using the full-spectrum fitting method. We show that star formation histories (SFHs) resolved into two populations can be recovered even within a limited wavelength range, provided that high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) data are used. We confirm that dEs have had complex SFHs, with star formation extending to (more) recent epochs: for the majority of our galaxies star formation activity was either still strong a few (≲5) Gyr ago or they experienced a secondary burst of star formation roughly at that time. This latter possibility is in agreement with the proposed dE formation scenario where tidal harassment drives the gas remaining in their progenitors inwards and induces a star formation episode. For one of our field galaxies, ID 0918, we find a correlation between its stellar population and kinematic properties, pointing to a possible merger origin of its kinematically decoupled core. One of our cluster objects, VCC 1431, appears to be composed exclusively of an old population (≳10-12 Gyr). Combining this with our earlier dynamical results, we conclude that the galaxy was either ram-pressure stripped early on in its evolution in a group environment and subsequently tidally heated, or that it evolved in situ in the cluster's central parts, compact enough to avoid tidal disruption. These are only two of the examples illustrating the SFH richness of these objects confirmed with our data