Targeting a Newly Established Spontaneous Feline Fibrosarcoma Cell Line by Gene Transfer

Fibrosarcoma is a deadly disease in cats and is significantly more often located at classical vaccine injections sites. More rare forms of spontaneous non-vaccination site (NSV) fibrosarcomas have been described and have been found associated to genetic alterations. Purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of adenoviral gene transfer in NVS fibrosarcoma. We isolated and characterized a NVS fibrosarcoma cell line (Cocca-6A) from a spontaneous fibrosarcoma that occurred in a domestic calico cat. The feline cells were karyotyped and their chromosome number was counted using a Giemsa staining. Adenoviral gene transfer was verified by western blot analysis. Flow cytometry assay and Annexin-V were used to study cell-cycle changes and cell death of transduced cells. Cocca-6A fibrosarcoma cells were morphologically and cytogenetically characterized. Giemsa block staining of metaphase spreads of the Cocca-6A cells showed deletion of one of the E1 chromosomes, where feline p53 maps. Semi-quantitative PCR demonstrated reduction of p53 genomic DNA in the Cocca-6A cells. Adenoviral gene transfer determined a remarkable effect on the viability and growth of the Cocca-6A cells following single transduction with adenoviruses carrying Mda-7/IL-24 or IFN-γ or various combination of RB/p105, Ras-DN, IFN-γ, and Mda-7 gene transfer. Therapy for feline fibrosarcomas is often insufficient for long lasting tumor eradication. More gene transfer studies should be conducted in order to understand if these viral vectors could be applicable regardless the origin (spontaneous vs. vaccine induced) of feline fibrosarcomas

The differential associations of depression and diabetes distress with quality of life domains in type 2 diabetes

The present investigation aimed to understand quality of life domains relevant to adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and the relative associations of depression and diabetes distress with these domains. Participants were 146 individuals with T2DM who were recruited for entry into a randomized controlled trial of cognitive behavioral therapy for adherence and depression. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis on the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) to establish domains of quality of life relevant to this patient population. Hierarchical multiple regression models were evaluated for each domain that emerged to determine independent associations of depression severity and diabetes distress with quality of life independent of demographic and illness factors. Results suggested four quality of life domains: achievement, psychosocial growth, interpersonal relationships, and environment, accounting for 60.1 % of variance in total QOLI scores. Depression severity was associated with poorer quality of life on the achievement, psychosocial growth, and environment domains (p’s < 0.01), while diabetes distress was associated with poorer quality of life on the achievement (p < 0.001) domain and marginally associated with quality of life on the psychosocial growth (p < 0.10) domain. Interventions designed to address both depression and diabetes distress may lead to better quality of life outcomes than a generalized depression intervention or an intervention for diabetes alone