Expression of chemokine receptors by cancer cells

Chemokine receptors are involved in the trafficking of leucocytes. It has been shown recently that chemokine receptors (CXCR4, CCR7...) are expressed by breast cancer cells and could be involved in the metastasis phenomenon. Since this discovery, new data have been generated in this topic. These data confirm that chemokine receptors are involved in the occurrence of metastases, suggest that their expression is regulated by genes involved in the carcinogenesis and/or angiogenesis (VHL...) and that inhibitors could be of interest in the treatment of breast cancer. In this paper, we will review all these data and will discuss the perspectives that opens this new concept.     

Histological detection of intramyocardial abscesses in Candida sepsis mimicking left ventricular non-compaction/hypertrabeculation on echocardiography

Left ventricular non-compaction/hypertrabeculation (LVHT) is a rare cardiac abnormality characterized by more than three trabeculations protruding from the left ventricular wall, apically to the papillary muscles, visible in one echocardiographic image plane and intertrabecular spaces, perfused from the ventricular cavity. LVHT is frequently associated with neuromuscular disorders. Differential diagnoses of LVHT are intraventricular thrombi, false tendons, aberrant bands, intramyocardial hematoma, cardiac metastases and the apical type of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Intramyocardial abscesses have not been reported as a differential diagnosis of left ventricular non-compaction. In the presented case, cardiac microabscesses as a result of Candida sepsis mimicked left ventricular non-compaction in a 55-year-old man with hypopharyngeal carcinoma who died 20 days after chemotherapy. These microabscesses were not visible on echocardiography but were detected only at histologic examination of the myocardium. This case shows that intramyocardial abscesses as a result of Candida sepsis are a rare differential diagnosis of LVHT.     

Laboratory diagnosis of influenza--virology or serology?

Although classical influenza is a clinically typical illness ("unchanging disease due to a changing agent"), laboratory investigations are essential at the beginning of each influenza epidemic. They should confirm suspected influenza cases and exclude "flu-like illnesses" which may be caused by numerous other viral and bacterial agents. Different virological as well as serological methods are available. For early diagnosis of acute influenza virus infections, virus detection using rapid procedures for virus isolation or antigen staining and molecular biological techniques have been developed. The determination of specific antibodies (IgG, IgM) has traditionally been widely used diagnostically. Conventional serological diagnosis is possible by means of the complement fixation and hemagglutination inhibition tests and allows the detection of type- and subtype-specific antibodies, respectively. As part of an automated serology, immunofluorescence test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay are the mostly widely available methods. In comparison, virus detection is clearly superior to antibody determination for diagnosis of influenza virus infections. However, antibody testing may be useful as a complementary tool to confirm the diagnosis retrospectively.     

Position paper of the ESICM Working Group on Nutrition and Metabolism. Metabolic basis of nutrition in intensive care unit patients: ten critical questions

The metabolic changes associated with critical illness involve several pathways acting at different steps of the utilization of nutritive substrates. The understanding of the role of these pathways and of their complex regulation has led to the development of new strategies for the metabolic and nutritional management of critically ill patients, including the development of new products for nutritional support. The rationale for changing the profile of nutritional support solutions by adding novel substrates is also discussed. This review focuses on the metabolic specificities of critically ill patients and also includes an analysis of the adequacy of tools to monitor the metabolic status and the adequacy of the nutritional support.     

Insulin and estrogen receptor ligand influence the FGF-2 activities in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

From the MCF-7 cell line we have developed, a human mammary cancer cell subline with the same karyotype as the mother strain and named MCF-7(SF), able to grow in serum-free chemically defined medium. This cell subline was firstly used to analyze the effect of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) in estrogen-receptor-positive human breast cancer cells. FGF-2 like estradiol is able to increase cell proliferation and pS2 expression but was also found to inhibit progesterone receptor (PR) expression. The anti-estrogen tamoxifen partly counteracts the effects of FGF-2 and to discriminate between its two main mediators (estrogen receptor vs. anti-estrogen binding site, AEBS) we compare the efficacies of pure anti-estrogen (ICI 182,780) and AEBS ligand (PBPE). It appears that pure anti-estrogen counteracts cell growth and pS2 effects of FGF-2 since AEBS ligand inhibits the cell growth but has no activity on pS2 expression. Secondly, adding insulin (10(-6)M) in the culture medium induces a strong increase in cell proliferation, which then elicits an inhibitory effect of FGF-2 and addition of anti-estrogens, are less efficient to further decrease growth, since the effects of FGF-2 and anti-estrogens on pS2 expression are conserved.