Circulating levels of inflammatory markers and cancer risk in the health aging and body composition cohort.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation is associated with processes that contribute to the onset or progression of cancer. This study examined the relationships between circulating levels of the inflammatory markers interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and total as well as site-specific cancer incidence. METHODS: Study subjects (n = 2,438) were older adults (ages 70-79 years) participating in the Health Aging and Body Composition study, who did not report a previous cancer diagnosis (except for nonmelanoma skin cancer) at baseline. Incident cancer events (n = 296) were ascertained during an average follow-up of 5.5 years. Inflammatory markers were measured in stored baseline fasting blood samples. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) for incident cancer associated with a 1-unit increase on the natural log-scale were 1.13 (0.94-1.37), 1.25 (1.09-1.43), and 1.28 (0.96-1.70) for IL-6, CRP, and TNF-alpha, respectively. Markers were more strongly associated with cancer death: hazard ratios were 1.63 (1.19-2.23) for IL-6, 1.64 (1.20-2.24) for CRP, and 1.82 (1.14-2.92) for TNF-alpha. Although precision was low for site-specific analyses, our results suggest that all three markers were associated with lung cancer, that IL-6 and CRP were associated with colorectal cancer, and that CRP was associated with breast cancer. Prostate cancer was not associated with any of these markers. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that (a) the associations between IL-6, CRP, and TNF-alpha and the risk of cancer may be site specific and (b) increased levels of inflammatory markers are more strongly associated with the risk of cancer death than cancer incidence.     

Salivary gland malignancy with divergent differentiation: is it a teratocarcinosarcoma?

Four poorly differentiated malignant lesions occurred in a 60-year-old Chinese male in the nasal cavity, submandibular gland, a lymph node in the neck, and the mandible. These malignant lesions developed within an 8-year period and each showed distinctive histological features. Among these malignant lesions, the neoplasm in the submandibular gland presented variegated histological and immunohistochemical (IHC) features and posed a diagnostic challenge in interpretation. Based on microscopic and IHC findings, we believe the diagnosis of teratocarcinosarcoma is justified for the submandibular neoplasm and the metastasis in the lymph node. The pathological features and diagnoses of these malignant lesions are discussed.     

Self-Concept and Satisfaction With Physical Appearance in Youth With and Without Oral Clefts

This study investigated relationships between child/parent dissatisfaction with child facial appearance and the self-concept/social competence of 8- to 15-year-old children with (N = 34) and without (N = 34) oral clefts. Children in both groups had normative psychosocial adjustment, but also reported moderate dissatisfaction with facial appearance. Cleft group parents were more likely to agree with their child's dissatisfaction. When cleft group parents were more dissatisfied with child facial appearance, their children reported better quality of life. Results suggest that parents of children with clefts reporting greater dissatisfaction may respond in positive ways that enhance quality of life.     

Resorption rate and biocompatibility characteristics of two polyester ventilation tubes in a guinea pig model

OBJECTIVES: Determine the resorption rate and biocompatibility characteristics of 2 polyester ventilation tubes, and to determine whether soap and water exposure accelerates polyester tube degradation. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: 50/50 poly (D, L-lactide-co-glycolide; PLGA-50) and poly (L-lactide; PLA) polymers were placed into the tympanic membranes of Hartley pigmented guinea pigs. Integrity of the tubes was determined by weekly otoscopic examination. Biocompatibility was assessed by comparing auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds and by examining tympanic membrane changes following tube resorption. Shah minigrommet ventilation tubes were used as controls. In the second portion of this study, implanted PLGA-50 and PLA tubes were exposed weekly to a mixture of soap and water (1:5) until complete resorption was observed. Biocompatibility was assessed by periodic ABR testing and tympanic membrane examination. RESULTS: The PLA tubes remained in the tympanic membrane for a longer period (63.2 +/- 19.3 days) than the PLGA-50 (18.8 +/- 8.1 days). The tympanic membrane and resorbable tube interface demonstrated equivalent findings for auditory thresholds and tissue histopathology at the implant site compared to nonresorbable controls. The resorption behavior was not altered by exposure to soap and water. Tympanic membranes of all animals following tube degradation and soap water exposure were intact with minimal scarring and no signs of persistent foreign body response. The histological analysis showed that implantation of resorbable tubes was not accompanied by secondary infection with otorrhea through the tube, did not result in a permanent perforation or dislocation of the tube into the middle ear cavity, and was not followed by excess tympanosclerosis or localized or diffuse membrane atrophy. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: Resorbable polyester pressure equalization tubes demonstrate predictable resorption behavior and similar biocompatibility characteristics when compared with nonresorbable Shah minigrommet ventilation tubes. Exposure to soap water does not accelerate polyester tube degradation nor change the host tissue response during the indwelling period or after complete resorption. The data suggests that resorbable ventilation tubes are substantially equivalent to other FDA-approved tympanostomy devices with regard to safety and biocompatibility in the guinea pig model examined and may provide improved clinical performance by combining this approach with sustained release technology. EBM RATING: B-2.     

MDMA produces stimulant-like conditioned locomotor activity

Daily administration of a drug in a distinctive environment establishes contingencies that support Pavlovian conditioning. Environmental cues that are paired with the drug injection and that predict the onset of drug action can become conditioned stimuli. Ultimately, the conditioned stimuli come to predict the availability of drug and develop the potential to engender conditioned drug responses. Various psychostimulant drugs can produce conditioned locotnotion when tested in the presence of environmental cues that were repeatedly associated with the drug experience. The ability of amphetamine and cocaine to produce conditioned locomotion was demonstrated in the present study. Stimulant-like properties of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) have been reported in locomotor paradigms, drug discrimination procedures, and human subjective questionnaires. MDMA (5 mg/kg), paired for 5 days to a distinct environment signalled by the presence of a distinct odor, produced enhanced locomotion during a test probe with the odor alone indicating that MDMA can also produce conditioned locomotion. The observation that the stimulus properties of MDMA can also become associated with environmental cues supports the hypothesis that some of the behavioral effects of MDMA resemble those of other classical psychostimulants such as amphetamine and cocaine.This is publication number 5732BCR from the Research Institute of Scripps Clinic     

The effects of X monosomy on brain development: Monozygotic twins discorcant for Turner's syndrome

Monosomy for the X chromosome is the most frequent cause of Turner's syndrome, a common clinical syndrome associated with particular physical and neurobehavioral features. The results from comprehensive assessment of prepubertal monozygotic female twins discordant for X monosomy are presented. Zygosity was established with DNA Fingerprinting and no evidence of chromosomal mosaicism was seen in either child. Physical features in the affected twin were relatively mild with respect to the full spectrum of physical malformations and disabilities associated with Turner's syndrome. The neurobehavioral phenotypes of the twins were compared. Although both sisters scored in the superior range of intelligence, the affected twin's Performance IQ was 18 points less than her sister, whereas Verbal IQ showed only a 3-point difference between the sisters. Other relative differences were noted within the executive, visuospatial, and visuomotor domains of function. Behavioral evaluation indicated greater problems with attention, hyperactivity, and anxiety in the affected twin. Quantitative analysis of brain anatomy revealed evidence of both general and regional effects of X monosomy on neurodevelopment. Cerebrospinal fluid volume was increased by 25% in the affected twin compared with her sister with a corresponding decrease in gray matter volume. The right frontal, right parietal–occipital, and left parietal-perisylvian regions showed the greatest discrepancy between the sisters with respect to increased cerebrospinal fluid and decreased gray matter volumes in the twin with X monosomy. Differences in the posterior fossa were also noted with a 50% relative increase in the volumes of the fourth ventricle and cisterna magna and a 10 to 15% relative reduction in size of the cerebellar vermis, pons, and medulla in the affected twin. The association between the neurobehavioral and neuroanatomical findings in the affected twin is discussed. The unique nature of the naturally occurring genetic phenomenon seen in this twin pair provides an opportunity to more fully elucidate the neurobehavioral phenotype associated with X monosomy and Turner's syndrome.