Small molecule inhibitor of TLR4 inhibits ovarian cancer cell proliferation: new insight into the anticancer effect of TAK-242 (Resatorvid)

Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology - Despite all advances in the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC), it remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy worldwide. There are growing amounts of...     

Autocrine human growth hormone expression leads to resistance of MCF-7 cells to tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is the most common antiestrogen used in the treatment of estrogen-positive breast cancer but its adverse effects and also resistance to this drug are serious challenges in the treatment of breast cancer. Characterization of mechanisms responsible for these adverse effects can lead to design of more efficient therapeutic strategies for the treatment of breast cancer. Here, we used a cellular model to evaluate the effects of autocrine expression of human growth hormone on responses of cells to tamoxifen. Our results imply for the first time that autocrine expression of growth hormone in human breast adenocarcinoma cell line, MCF-7, results in increase in cell proliferative capacity of cells even in the presence of tamoxifen. This effect may be due to up-regulation of G-coupled estrogen receptor, GPR30, which is activated by tamoxifen.     

Evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert MTB/RIF assay for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in respiratory specimens

A total of 217 specimens submitted for routine smear and culture from three different sites within the western United States were used to evaluate the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay (for research use only) (Cepheid, Sunnyvale, CA). Overall agreement compared to culture was 89% (98% for smear positives and 72% for smear negatives) for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.