Patients with only 1 positive hormone receptor have increased locoregional recurrence compared with patients with estrogen receptor-positive progesterone receptor-positive disease in very early stage breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

Estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) are important prognostic and predictive biomarkers in breast cancer. Patients with tumors positive for either receptor are generally considered hormone receptor‐positive for treatment decisions. However, some data suggest that patients with ER⁺/PR^? or ER^?/PR⁺ tumors may have worse outcomes than those with ER⁺/PR⁺ tumors. Few data correlate these biomarkers with locoregional (LR) recurrence.

METHODS:

The authors retrospectively reviewed records of 635 patients with T1a,bN0 disease who received definitive treatment at their institution between 1997 and 2002 and had archival tissue blocks for prospective assessment of ER/PR expression. They compared clinical outcomes of the 479 patients with ER⁺/PR⁺ disease to the 156 patients with ER⁺/PR^? or ER^?/PR⁺disease.

RESULTS:

LR recurrence rates were higher in patients with 1 receptor positive compared with ER⁺/PR⁺ (7‐year rate: 8.8% vs 2.5%, P = .024). There was no difference between the 2 groups in the rates of distant metastasis (DM) (P = .531) or overall survival (P = .491). One positive receptor predicted for LR recurrence in patients who did not receive hormonal therapy (P = .046), but not in patients who received hormonal therapy (P = .296). On multivariate analysis, 1 positive receptor predicted for LR recurrence in the overall group (hazard ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval, 1.06‐7.48; P = .038).

CONCLUSIONS:

Patients with T1a,bN0 breast cancer with only 1 positive hormone receptor have increased rates of LR recurrence compared with patients with ER⁺/PR⁺ disease, although this difference may be reduced or eliminated with systemic treatment. In contrast, the authors found no evidence of an increased rate of DM in these patients with favorable disease stage. Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage with a good prognosis

We report a 10-year-old girl with an isolated traumatic intraventricular hemorrhage following a traffic accident, who had a good prognosis. Her neurological examination upon arrival was normal and she had no complaint other than headache and vomiting. Computed tomography on admission showed a hemorrhage in the lateral and fourth ventricles. She had a Glasgow Coma Score of 15, and she was thus given only antiepileptic drugs for prophylaxis and followed. Computed tomography that was repeated 5 days after admission showed no blood and all ventricles were of normal size. There was no vascular pathology on magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance angiography. The patient remains well 5 months after her accident. Intraventricular hemorrhage does not always have a poor prognosis.     

Serum and saliva sialic acid in periodontitis patients with and without cardiovascular disease

Serum total sialic acid (sTSA) has recently been shown to be a cardiovascular risk factor. However, there is little information about the role of sTSA and TSA in saliva in periodontitis, a chronic and inflammatory disease known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We aimed to investigate the changes in sTSA and TSA levels in saliva in patients having both periodontitis and CVD versus periodontitis patients without diagnosed CVD. The study group consisted of 26 patients with proven periodontitis and 26 controls with no diagnosed systemic disease but periodontitis. sTSA and saliva TSA levels were determined by the thiobarbituric acid method, and C-reactive protein (CRP) was evaluated by the nephelometric method. The severity of periodontitis has been determined by the community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN). TSA in blood and saliva and CRP levels in blood were significantly increased in CVD patients compared with the control group. CPITN ranged from 2 to 4 in both groups. Significant and positive correlations were found between sTSA and saliva SA levels in patients and controls and between tooth loss and TSA both in blood and saliva. Therefore, TSA in saliva may be a useful marker similar to sTSA in CVD patients.     

Assessment of DNA damage in postmenopausal women under osteoporosis therapy

OBJECTIVE: The following study was designed to examine possible DNA damage levels in peripheral blood leukocytes, using the alkaline Comet assay, isolated from postmenopausal women undergoing osteoporosis treatment. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-two postmenopausal women were randomized into two groups of 16. A dosage of 2.5 mg/day of tibolone (Livial) and 10mg/day of alendronate sodium (Fosamax) were administered to Group 1 over a 12-month period while Group 2 took 10 mg/day of alendronate alone over the same period. The control group consisted of 16 postmenopausal women who did not receive any treatment. Genotoxicity was assessed by the standard method of alkaline Comet assay. RESULTS: When the results of the study groups were compared with those of the control group, significant differences in terms of DNA damage levels were found (p<0.05). However, no difference was detected between Groups 1 and 2 (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Although, no statistical difference in terms of DNA damage levels between tibolone plus alendronate as opposed to alendronate alone was found, an increase in DNA damage levels was observed in Groups 1 and 2 compared with the control group. Consequently, it can be asserted that the frequency of DNA damage in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis increases under alendronate treatment with or without tibolone.     

Cutis laxa-like pseudoxanthoma elasticum with ossification

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is a heritable disorder of elastic fibers characterized by yellowish, coalescing papules on the flexural area, which is loose and wrinkled. A 35-year-old woman presented cutis laxa-like marked wrinkling and yellowish papules, and a skin biopsy revealed ossification and fragmentation of elastic fibers in the dermis. Ophthalmologic examination revealed a peau d'orange appearance of the retina. She was also found to have a mitral stenosis and hypertension. This is an unusual case of concurrent ossification and cutis laxa-like PXE.     

Comparing beneficial effects of inhaled nitric oxide to l-arginine in necrotizing enterocolitis model in neonatal rats

Objective

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a common and devastating gastrointestinal condition of neonatal infants. The pathophysiology of NEC remains poorly understood. We tried to evaluate the effectiveness of inhaled NO compared to l-arginine usage in necrotizing enterocolitis model in rats.

Material-methods

46 newborn pups from 4 time-mated Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats were divided equally into 4 groups as follows: NEC (subjected to NEC), NEC?+?l-arginine, NEC?+?inhaled NO and control.

Results

SOD, GSH-Px and NOx levels were significantly higher and MDA levels were significantly lower in NEC?+?inhaled NO group compared to NEC?+?l-arginine group. There was significantly lower intestinal injury and apoptosis index scoring in NEC?+?inhaled NO group compared to NEC?+?l-arginine group.

Conclusion

We think that inhaled NO can be used as a novel therapeutic agent like l-arginine in NEC, like using in pulmonary hypertention in newborns but much more studies are needed.