Evaluation of variation in the phosphoinositide-3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha oncogene and breast cancer risk

Background: Somatic mutations in phosphoinositide-3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) are frequent in breast tumours and have been associated with oestrogen receptor (ER) expression, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 overexpression, lymph node metastasis and poor survival. The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between inherited variation in this oncogene and risk of breast cancer. Methods: A single-nucleotide polymorphism from the PIK3CA locus that was associated with breast cancer in a study of Caucasian breast cancer cases and controls from the Mayo Clinic (MCBCS) was genotyped in 5436 cases and 5280 controls from the Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) study and in 30 949 cases and 29 788 controls from the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). Results: Rs1607237 was significantly associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer in MCBCS, CGEMS and all studies of white Europeans combined (odds ratio (OR)=0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95–0.99, P=4.6 × $10^{−3}$), but did not reach significance in the BCAC replication study alone (OR=0.98, 95% CI 0.96–1.01, P=0.139). Conclusion: Common germline variation in PIK3CA does not have a strong influence on the risk of breast cancer

ПОЛУЧЕНИЕ РЕКОМБИНАНТНОГО ЛАКТОФЕРРИНА ЧЕЛОВЕКА ИЗ МОЛОКА КОЗ-ПРОДУЦЕНТОВ И ЕГО ФИЗИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ ЭФФЕКТЫ

Primary male-goats Lac-1 (human lactoferrin gene construction hLF5) and Lac-2 (human lactoferrin gene construction hLF3) with a genome containing a human lactoferrin gene were bred and the sperm bank of primary male-goats was created within the framework of Belarus-Russia Union State programs. The herd of goats that produced recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) in their milk was obtained. Human lactoferrin (rhLF) from the milk of transgenic goats, natural human lactoferrin (nhLf) from the woman milk, and natural goat lactoferrin (gLf) from the milk of non-transgenic goats were purified using cation-exchange chromatography. Physicochemical characteristics of rhLF were similar to those of nhLf as revealed by different analytical methods including mass spectrometry and peptide mapping. g. Oral supplementation with rhLF activated lipid metabolism and steroidogenesis, promoted favorable changes in the gut microflor composition as well as the enhancement of the functional activity and the fine structure of the rat liver and gut.В рамках белорусско-российских программ Союзного государства получены трансгенные по гену лактоферрина человека первичные козлы Лак-1 (генная конструкция hLF5) и Лак-2 (генная конструкция hLF3), создано стадо животных-продуцентов и банк спермы. Используя катионообменную хроматографию, выделены электрофоретически гомогенные препараты рекомбинантного лактоферрина человека (rhLF) из молока трансгенных коз и природного лактоферрина человека (nhLf) из женского молока. Различными аналитическими методами, включая масс-спектрометрию и пептидное картирование, показана аналогия физико-химических характеристик между rhLF и nhLf. При системном употреблении крысами  rhLF оказывал благоприятное действие на кишечную микрофлору, ультраструктуру печени и кишечника, активировал липидный метаболизм и стероидогенез

Therapeutic Radionuclides: Making the Right Choice

Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in nuclear medicine therapeutic procedures. Using unsealed sources for therapy is not a new concept; it has been around since the beginnings of nuclear medicine. Treatment of thyroid disorders with radioiodine is a classic example. The availability of radionuclides with suitable therapeutic properties for specific applications, as well as methods for their selective targeting to diseased tissue have, however, remained the main obstacles for therapy to assume a more widespread role in nuclear medicine. Nonetheless, a number of new techniques that have recently emerged, (e.g., tumor therapy with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies, treatment of metastatic bone pain, etc.) appear to have provided a substantial impetus to research on production of new therapeutic radionuclides. Although there are a number of new therapeutic approaches requiring specific radionuclides, only selected broad areas will be used as examples in this article

Advances in tenascin-C biology

Tenascin-C is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein that is specifically and transiently expressed upon tissue injury. Upon tissue damage, tenascin-C plays a multitude of different roles that mediate both inflammatory and fibrotic processes to enable effective tissue repair. In the last decade, emerging evidence has demonstrated a vital role for tenascin-C in cardiac and arterial injury, tumor angiogenesis and metastasis, as well as in modulating stem cell behavior. Here we highlight the molecular mechanisms by which tenascin-C mediates these effects and discuss the implications of mis-regulated tenascin-C expression in driving disease pathology

Comparison of 6q25 Breast Cancer Hits from Asian and European Genome Wide Association Studies in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC)

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