Detection of circulating tumour cells in patients with breast or ovarian cancer by molecular cytogenetics

Detection of micrometastases in patients with solid tumours may aid the establishment of prognosis and development of new therapeutic approaches. This study was designed to investigate the presence and frequency of tumour cells in the peripheral blood (PB) of patients with breast or ovarian cancer by using a combination of magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Separated tumour cell and PB-samples from 48 patients (35 breast cancers, 12 ovarian tumours, one uterine sarcoma) were analysed for the presence of numerical aberrations of chromosomes 7, 12, 17 and 17 q11.2-q12. Twenty-five patients had primary disease and 23 had relapsed. The technique allows the detection of one tumour cell in 106 normal cells. Circulating tumour cells were detected in 35/48 cases (17 patients had relapsed and 13 primary carcinoma with lymph node or solid metastases) by the expression of anti-cytokeratin and the presence of numerical chromosomal abnormalities. PB-tumour cells of patients with a primary carcinoma and without solid metastases had a significantly lower percentage of chromosomal aberrations, especially for chromosome 12 (P = 0.035; P = 0.038) compared to those with relapsed disease and solid metastases. Detection and quantification of minimal residual disease may monitor the response to cytotoxic or hormonal therapy and may identify women at risk of relapse.     

Schizencephaly: diagnosis and progression in utero

Schizencephaly is an unusual condition of obscure etiology. Most theories of pathogenesis postulate an in utero insult leading to maldevelopment rather than destruction of brain. The cause has most often been described as vascular or idiopathic dysgenesis. The authors report a case in which two in utero ultrasound (US) examinations performed at 31 and 36 menstrual weeks demonstrated progressive deterioration of the relatively narrow, symmetrical clefts connecting the lateral ventricles with the subarachnoid space into broad defects that corresponded to the entire distribution of the middle cerebral arteries. The findings in this case document progressive destruction of brain tissue in utero and are consistent with a vascular cause rather than a failure of formation of portions of the cerebral mantle.     

Genetic replacement of the adenovirus shaft fiber reduces liver tropism in ovarian cancer gene therapy

Approaches to alter the native tropism of adenoviruses (Ads) are beneficial to increase their efficacy and safety profile. Liver tropism is important with regard to potential clinical toxicity in humans. Ad5/3 chimeras in which the Ad5 knob is substituted by the Ad3 knob, such as Ad5/3luc1, have been recently shown to increase infectivity of ovarian cancer cell lines and primary tumor cells, which express low levels of the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor (CAR), without increasing infectivity of liver cells. A novel strategy to address the problem of liver uptake and improve the tumor/liver ratio is genetic replacement of the Ad fiber shaft. Ad5.Ad3.SH.luc1 is an Ad5-based vector that contains the fiber shaft from Ad serotype 3 but the fiber knob from Ad serotype 5. To compare tumor/liver of Ad5.Ad3.SH.luc1 and Ad5/3luc1 in vivo, we created three different tumor and treatment models of ovarian cancer in mice, simulating intraperitoneal and intravenous administration of tumors. Ad5.Ad3.SH.luc1 displayed the lowest liver tropism of all viruses in all models tested. Intravenous administration of all viruses resulted in higher tumor transduction rates compared to intraperitoneal administration. Genetic shortening of the Ad5 fiber shaft significantly increases relative tumor/liver gene transfer. This could improve the effective tumor dose and reduce side effects, thereby increasing the bioavailability of therapeutic agents.     

Entry screening to delay local transmission of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1)

Background  

After the WHO issued the global alert for 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), many national health agencies began to screen travelers on entry in airports, ports and border crossings to try to delay local transmission.     

Methods of early detection： would clinical breastexamination and breast ultrasonography be a good alternative to mammography？

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women[1].In the past 40 years,breast cancer incidence has doubled or even tripled in developed countries such as South Korea and Japan; whereas it is about 20% to 30% in China and India in the past decade[2-4]. An increasing incidence rate of 3%