A morphometric study of nucleolar organiser regions in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

The study sought a correlation between the number of AgNOR granules and the degree of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Thirty-five sections (5 normal, 10 CIN1, 10 CIN2 and 10 CIN3) were subjected to retrospective analysis. The percentage of cells with 1, 2, 3, 4 and more AgNORs was calculated and the number of granules per 100 cells was counted. The number of cells containing single granules decreases. However, the number increases with CIN level when the cells contain 4 and more AgNORs. The number of granules per 100 cells also increases with the degree of CIN. It can be thus concluded that the number of cells with 4 and more AgNOR granules can serve as a CIN differentiation exponent

Surface TRAIL decoy receptor-4 expression is correlated with TRAIL resistance in MCF7 breast cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) selectively induces apoptosis in cancer cells but not in normal cells. Despite this promising feature, TRAIL resistance observed in cancer cells seriously challenged the use of TRAIL as a death ligand in gene therapy. The current dispute concerns whether or not TRAIL receptor expression pattern is the primary determinant of TRAIL sensitivity in cancer cells. This study investigates TRAIL receptor expression pattern and its connection to TRAIL resistance in breast cancer cells. In addition, a DcR2 siRNA approach and a complementary gene therapy modality involving IKK inhibition (AdIKKβKA) were also tested to verify if these approaches could sensitize MCF7 breast cancer cells to adenovirus delivery of TRAIL (Ad5hTRAIL). METHODS: TRAIL sensitivity assays were conducted using Molecular Probe's Live/Dead Cellular Viability/Cytotoxicity Kit following the infection of breast cancer cells with Ad5hTRAIL. The molecular mechanism of TRAIL induced cell death under the setting of IKK inhibition was revealed by Annexin V binding. Novel quantitative Real Time RT-PCR and flow cytometry analysis were performed to disclose TRAIL receptor composition in breast cancer cells. RESULTS: MCF7 but not MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells displayed strong resistance to adenovirus delivery of TRAIL. Only the combinatorial use of Ad5hTRAIL and AdIKKβKA infection sensitized MCF7 breast cancer cells to TRAIL induced cell death. Moreover, novel quantitative Real Time RT-PCR assays suggested that while the level of TRAIL Decoy Receptor-4 (TRAIL-R4) expression was the highest in MCF7 cells, it was the lowest TRAIL receptor expressed in MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, conventional flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that TRAIL resistant MCF7 cells exhibited substantial levels of TRAIL-R4 expression but not TRAIL decoy receptor-3 (TRAIL-R3) on surface. On the contrary, TRAIL sensitive MDA-MB-231 cells displayed very low levels of surface TRAIL-R4 expression. Furthermore, a DcR2 siRNA approach lowered TRAIL-R4 expression on surface and this sensitized MCF7 cells to TRAIL. CONCLUSION: The expression of TRAIL-R4 decoy receptor appeared to be well correlated with TRAIL resistance encountered in breast cancer cells. Both adenovirus mediated IKKβKA expression and a DcR2 siRNA approach sensitized MCF7 breast cancer cells to TRAIL

Epidemiology of upper limb peripheral nerve injuries in the material collected in the Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology Medical University of Bialystok

Introduction: Common etiologies of acute traumatic peripherial nerve injury include penetrating injury, crush, stretch, and ischemia. Purpose: This paper reports an epidemiological and clinical study of patients with peripheral nerve injuries who were treated for upper limb trauma, which included nerve injury, surgically treated in the Department of Orthopedics University Hospital in Bialystok, in the years 1997-2007.Materials and methods: A total of 202 patients with injury to the median, ulnar and radial nerves were involved in the study. Based on the medical history concerning day care and inpatient hospitalization, surgery books data and the analysis of medical histories, the data referring to the nerve trauma were analyzed. Results: The data allowed a reliable assessment of the population of patients with upper limb nerve injury and methods of treatment, as well as quantitative presentation of the methods of repair and reconstruction of the damaged nerve stem. Conclusions: In the Department of Orthopedics, Medical University of Bialystok, in the years 1997-2007 delayed nerve injuries were more frequently treated than the immediate ones. Surgical treatment of nerve injuries most frequently used primary suture and cable grafting reconstructions. Secondary epineural suture of the nerve was performed more rarely. Autogenic nerve graft segments were most frequently collected from the ulnar nerve of the lower extremity. The medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve grafting was much seldom performed

Women’s attitude towards prevention and rehabilitation of stress urinary incontinence

Introduction: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a troublesome and embarrassing problem for many people. It is five times more common in women than in men. Although the ailment can be treated, prevention is of the highest importance. Dissemination of the knowledge of prevention and rehabilitation would contribute to the improvement of life quality among women at risk of SUI. Purpose: Assessment of women’s attitude towards prevention and rehabilitation of SUI. Materials and methods: The study was performed in a group of 280 women treated in the Department of Gynecology and Oncological Gynecology, University Hospital in Bialystok. A proprietary questionnaire was used for data collection. Conclusions: Women with SUI have poor knowledge of its preventive measures. Health-promoting actions in the field of prevention and rehabilitation of SUI should become intensified, which requires more substantial involvement of nursing staff

Quality of life and the level of knowledge and utilization of lymphedema prevention principles among mastectomized patients

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most prevalent female malignancy in Poland. Oncological treatment and its adverse effects diminish quality of life of breast cancer patients, which is determined by a number of somatic, psychological and social factors. Purpose: To assess the quality of life and the level of knowledge and utilization of lymphedema prevention principles among women after surgical treatment of breast cancer. Materials and methods: The study included 145 breast cancer patients after radical mastectomy. The respondents were examined with the validated EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaire and a custom-designed survey. Results: Examination with the QLQ-BR23 questionnaire revealed that mastectomized women scored low on the body image scale. The most frequently reported ailments were arm and breast symptoms. While the respondents showed high level of knowledge with regards to lymphedema prevention, they poorly adhered to the prophylactic guidelines. The participants were well aware of the risk factors of lymphedema, and most of them declared avoidance of their harmful effects. Conclusions: Quality of life assessment should constitute an integral component of rehabilitation in every breast cancer patient, as mastectomy exerts significant effect on the outcome of perioperative period. Apart from specialist physiotherapy, also education of patients with regards to principles of lymphedema prevention and autotherapy constitutes an important component of complex management of lymphatic insufficiency

Quality of life during the first year after breast cancer resection

Introduction: Quality of life can be determined by a number of factors, including subjective perception of various spheres of health and health-unrelated factors. Purpose: To compare the quality of life of women who had breast cancer one month and one year after mastectomy, and to verify the usefulness of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) scales in early identification of patients having problems in various functional spheres. Materials and methods: The study included the group of 110 mastectomized women. Quality of life of the participants was estimated with EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR23 questionnaires. Results: Global health status (QoL) determined with the aid of the EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire turned out to be significantly higher in women surveyed one year after mastectomy than in those examined one month after the surgery (74.23 vs. 58.33, p<0.001). Moreover, the two groups of patients differed significantly in terms of physical, cognitive, social and role functioning scores. Most of the symptoms assessed were resolved within a year after the breast cancer surgery. No significant intergroup differences were revealed with regard to emotional and socioeconomic functioning or future perspective scores. Conclusions: Quality of life of most mastectomized women improves considerably within one year after the surgery. The use of quality of life instruments can be useful in early postoperative identification of patients who score low on functional and symptom scales. Such patients require support and/or psycho-oncological treatment during the early postoperative period. Quality of life of breast cancer patients during the early postoperative period can be a predictor of this parameter in a longer-term perspective

Protective influence of hyaluronic acid on focal adhesion kinase activity in human skin fibroblasts exposed to ethanol

Magdalena Donejko,1 Edyta Rysiak,2 Elżbieta Galicka,1 Robert Terlikowski,3 Edyta Katarzyna Głażewska,1 Andrzej Przylipiak1 1Department of Esthetic Medicine, 2Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, 3Department of Health Restoration, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ethanol and hyaluronic acid (HA) on cell survival and apoptosis in cultured human skin fibroblasts. Regarding the mechanism of ethanol action on human skin fibroblasts, we investigated cell viability and apoptosis, expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and the influence of HA on those processes. Materials and methods: Studies were conducted in confluent human skin fibroblast cultures that were treated with 25&nbsp;mM, 50&nbsp;mM, and 100&nbsp;mM ethanol or with ethanol and 500&nbsp;&micro;g/mL HA. Cell viability was examined using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and NC-300 Nucleo-Counter. Imaging of the cells using a fluorescence microscope Pathway 855 was performed to measure FAK expression. Results: Depending on the dosage, ethanol decreased cell viability and activated the process of apoptosis in human skin fibroblasts. HA prevented the negative influence of ethanol on cell viability and prevented apoptosis. The analysis of fluorescence imaging using BD Pathway 855 High-Content Bioimager showed the inhibition of FAK migration to the cell nucleus, depending on the increasing concentration of ethanol. Conclusion: This study proves that downregulation of signaling pathway of FAK is involved in ethanol-induced apoptosis in human skin fibroblasts. The work also indicates a protective influence of HA on FAK activity in human skin fibroblasts exposed to ethanol. Keywords: apoptosis, skin fibroblast, focal adhesion kinase, hyaluronic acid, ethano