Leptin levels in serum depending on Body Mass Index in patients with endometrial hyperplasia and cancer

Leptin levels in serum depending on Body Mass Index (BMI) in patients with endometrial hyperplasia and cancer. OBJECTIVES: Concentrations of leptin, a hormone secreted by white adipose tissue, correlate strongly with body mass. Leptin interacts with several other hormones, modifies the activities of some enzymes and proinflammatory cytokines, participates in hematopoiesis, thermogenesis, and angiogenesis, and is involved in the control of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. This study was undertaken to determine whether serum concentrations of leptin in obese patients with endometrial hyperplasia and cancer deviate from values in patients with normal endometrium. STUDY DESIGN: We enrolled 86 obese postmenopausal women, including 40 with endometrial cancer and hyperplasia and 46 with normal endometrium. Depending on BMI, three subgroups were formed: I<30; II = 30-40; III > 40. Leptin concentrations were measured with immunoenzymatic test kits from IBL. Statistical comparison was done with the chi square (chi(2)) test and Statistica software package. RESULTS: Mean serum concentration of leptin in endometrial cancer and hyperplasia was 16737.1 pg/ml as opposed to 9048.7 pg/ml in patients without endometrial pathology (p<0.0001). Significantly, higher concentrations of leptin were noted in every BMI subgroup of patients with endometrial pathology in comparison to controls (p<0.005). CONCLUSIONS: Leptin appears to participate in proliferative processes of the endometrium. Obesity is an important risk factor in endometrial cancer.     

Concentrations of follicle stimulating hormone are increased in ovarian tumor fluid: implications for the management of ovarian cancer

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION: Significant progress has been made in recent years in the understanding of the mechanisms postulated by the gonadotropin theory of ovarian carcinogenesis. In the present study we compare FSH concentrations between serum and fluid from cysts or the rectouterine pouch of patients with epithelial tumors and non-neoplastic lesions. METHODS: We enrolled 277 patients. They were divided into five groups: I (n = 44)--ovarian cancer patients, II (n = 16)--borderline tumors, III (n = 40)--benign epithelial cystadenomas, IV (n = 137)--non-neoplastic lesions and V (n = 22)--admitted for "second-look" laparoscopy. RESULTS: There were any significant differences between FSH concentrations in serum and tumor fluid in patients with ovarian cancer (36.46 vs 28.11 mIU/ml) and borderline epithelial tumors (31.5 vs 22.7 mIU/ml). For benign cystadenomas the respective concentrations were 28.96 mIU/ml in serum and 6.93 mIU/ml in tumor fluid in these groups p < 0.0000001. The same highly significant differences were found in non-neoplastic lesions (24.97 vs 4.77 mIU/ml), p < 0.0000001. Patients who underwent "second-look" laparoscopy demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05) as FSH concentration in serum and peritoneal fluid when neoplastic cells were not disclosed, but the difference was not significant (p = 0.752) when fluid from the rectouterine pouch was positive for carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study can reflect an ineffective tumor: blood barrier and easy diffusion of gonadotropins into the tumor tissue. Local reduction of FSH levels through administration of GnRH analogs may in some clinical situations produce clear therapeutic benefits for the management of ovarian malignancies.     

Corrosion Behavior of Al Modified with Zn in Chloride Solution

Aluminum-based alloys have been considered candidate materials for cathodic protection anodes. However, the Al-based alloys can form a layer of alumina, which is a drawback in a sacrificial anode. The anodes must exhibit uniform corrosion to achieve better performance. Aluminum can be alloyed with Zn to improve their performance. In this sense, in the present research, the electrochemical corrosion performance of Al-xZn alloys (x = 1.5, 3.5, and 5 at.% Zn) exposed to 3.5 wt.% NaCl for 24 h was evaluated. Polarization curves, linear polarization resistance (LPR), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to identify the electrochemical behavior. The microstructure of the samples before the corrosion assessment was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction analyses (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, microstructures of the corroded surfaces were characterized using X-ray mappings via SEM. Polarization curves indicated that Zn additions changed the pseudo-passivation behavior from what pure Al exhibited in a uniform dissolution regime. Furthermore, the addition of Zn shifted the corrosion potential to the active side and increased the corrosion rate. This behavior was consistent with the proportional decrease in polarization resistance (R_p) and charge transfer resistance (R_ct) in the EIS. The analysis of EIS was done using a mathematical model related to an adsorption electrochemical mechanism. The adsorption of chloride at the Al-Zn alloy surface formed aluminum chloride intermediates, which controlled the rate of the process. The rate constants of the reactions of a proposed chemical mechanism were evaluated.     

Evaluation of the Concentration of Selected Elements in Patients with Cancer of the Reproductive Organs with Respect to Treatment Stage—Preliminary Study

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to assess the concentrations of selected elements in female patients with cancer of the reproductive organs, taking into account the stage of treatment. (2) Methods: The study sample consisted of 51 patients with advanced endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer, undergoing chemotherapy. The median age of the studied patients with endometrial cancer was 66.0 years (IQR: from 60.75 to 70.25), and with ovarian cancer―60.0 years (IQR: from 49.0 to 64.0). Each of the qualified women, after consent to participate in the study, had her blood drawn several times (before surgery, the first course of chemotherapy, the third course of chemotherapy, and the sixth course of chemotherapy) in order to determine serum levels of macro- and micronutrients (Na, Mg, Ca, Zn, P, Cu, Fe, Cd, Ni, and Sr). (3) Results: In the study group of patients with cancer of the reproductive tract, the concentrations of iron (<0.001), magnesium (0.038), sodium (0.014), and nickel (0.037) varied significantly over the course of the study. The analysis showed that the interaction between the stage of chemotherapy and the type of cancer had an effect on the concentrations of magnesium and cadmium (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: In the studied group of patients with ovarian and endometrial cancer, the applied chemotherapy significantly changed the concentrations of Fe, Na, and Ni, regardless of the type of tumor. Changes in Mg and Cd concentrations resulted from the interaction between the stage of chemotherapy and the type of cancer. The results of serum concentrations of selected elements in women with cancer of the reproductive organs may help understand the physiological changes resulting from the applied chemotherapy.     

Nuevos modelos predictivos de bacteriemia en el servicio de urgencias: un paso adelante

La atención de pacientes con sospecha de un proceso infeccioso en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios(SUH) se ha incrementado en la última década hasta suponer alrededor del 15-20% de todas las atenciones diarias. En la valoración inicial de estos enfermos se toman muestras para los distintos estudios microbiológicos en un 45% de los casos, donde predomina la obtención de hemocultivos (HC), en el 14,6% de todos ellos. La rentabilidad diagnóstica de estos HC es muy variable (2-20%). Los focos o procesos infecciosos más frecuentes sospechados o confirmados de las bacteriemias verdaderas(BV) en los SUH son la infección del tracto urinario (45%) y la infección respiratoria (25%). Por todo ello, la sospecha y confirmación de la BV tiene un relevante significado diagnóstico, pronóstico y obliga a cambiar algunas de las decisiones más importantes a tomar en el SUH. Entre otras, indicar el alta o ingreso, extraer HC y administrar el antimicrobiano adecuado y precoz. La intención de esta revisión es poner de manifiesto las evidencias científicas publicadas en los últimos cinco años, aclarar las controversias existentes actuales y comparar la capacidad para predecir bacteriemia de los últimos modelos predictivos publicados desde el año 2017 con los ya existentes en esa fecha, año en el que se publicó una revisión que dejaba abierta la propuesta de seguir buscando un modelo con un rendimiento adecuado para los SUH. Y así, a partir de ella, generar distintas recomendaciones que ayuden a definir el papel que pueden tener estos modelos o escalas en la mejora de la indicación de obtención de los HC, así como en la toma inmediata de otras decisiones diagnóstico-terapéuticas (administración precoz y adecuada del tratamiento antibiótico, solicitud de estudios complementarios y otras muestras microbiológicas, intensidad del soporte hemodinámico, necesidad de ingreso, etc.)