A humanised tissue‐engineered bone model allows species‐specific breast cancer‐related bone metastasis in vivo

Bone metastases frequently occur in the advanced stages of breast cancer. At this stage, the disease is deemed incurable. To date, the mechanisms of breast cancer‐related metastasis to bone are poorly understood. This may be attributed to the lack of appropriate animal models to investigate the complex cancer cell–bone interactions. In this study, two established tissue‐engineered bone constructs (TEBCs) were applied to a breast cancer‐related metastasis model. A cylindrical medical‐grade polycaprolactone‐tricalcium phosphate scaffold produced by fused deposition modelling (scaffold 1) was compared with a tubular calcium phosphate‐coated polycaprolactone scaffold fabricated by solution electrospinning (scaffold 2) for their potential to generate ectopic humanised bone in NOD/SCID mice. While scaffold 1 was found not suitable to generate a sufficient amount of ectopic bone tissue due to poor ectopic integration, scaffold 2 showed excellent integration into the host tissue, leading to bone formation. To mimic breast cancer cell colonisation to the bone, MDA‐MB‐231, SUM1315, and MDA‐MB‐231BO breast cancer cells were cultured in polyethylene glycol‐based hydrogels and implanted adjacent to the TEBCs. Histological analysis indicated that the breast cancer cells induced an osteoclastic reaction in the TEBCs, demonstrating analogies to breast cancer‐related bone metastasis seen in patients.     

Molecular characterization of a high A2 beta thalassemia by direct sequencing of single strand enriched amplified genomic DNA

Two families, one of Anglo-Saxon-Dutch descent, and the other, West Indian black, have an atypical beta thalassemia characterized by an unusually high level of Hb A2 in the heterozygous state. Restriction endonuclease mapping showed a deletion of about 1.35 kilobase (kb) in the 5' region of the beta globin gene. Direct sequencing of a specific region of genomic DNA amplified by a new modification of the polymerase chain reaction defined the deletion to be 1,393 base pairs (bp) and to be the same in both families. The deletion extends from 485 bp 5' to the mRNA CAP site to the middle of the second intervening sequence. This deletion, together with three others previously described that remove the 5' end of the beta gene but leave the delta gene intact, are all associated with unusually high levels of Hb A2 in the heterozygous state.     

Epidemiological researches on diabetes mellitus in Roumanian urban and rural population

Summary This paper presents the methodology and the results of screening forDiabetes mellitus in large population groups. The investigation consisted of two phases : the detection of glycosuria and blood sugar level 2 h after on oral glucose load; and afterwards, the performance of GTT on people with blood sugar levels above the limits defined as normal for each age group. — The screening of 1314 subjects from a rural population and 7113 from an urban population, between 25 and 65 years of age indicated a prevalence ofDiabetes mellitus of 1.44% and 3.7% respectively. This estimate includes diabetics already known to a special medical centre. –74.5% of the urban population and 88.7%, of the rural population were included in the screening. -Obesity was found in 51% and 69% of the newly found urban and rural diabetics, respectively. In 2.15% of the group, glycosuria was found with normal blood sugar levels during GTT, suggesting that this group should be specially recorded and subjected to periodical survey. — Screening forDiabetes mellitus solely by glycosuria testing is both inadequate and erroneous.

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Epidemiologische Studien über den Diabetes mellitus in der rumänischen Stadt- und Landbevölkerung

Zusammenfassung Es werden die Methoden und Resultate bei der Aufdeckung von Diabetikern in großen Bevölkerungsgruppen dargelegt. Die Untersuchungen erfolgten in zwei Teilen. Zunächst wurden der Harn- und Blutzucker zwei Stunden nach einer Glucosebelastung ermittelt. Später wurden bei den Personen mit im Vergleich zu den Normalwerten ihrer Altersgruppe erhöhten Blutzuckerwerten detailliertere Glucosetoleranzteste durchgeführt. -In einer Gruppe von 1314 Personen einer Landbevölkerung und in einer Gruppe von 7113 Personen einer Stadtbevölkerung zwischen 25 und 65 Jahren war die Häufigkeit des Diabetes 1.44% bzw. 3.7%. In der Endrechnung wurden schon bekannte Diabetiker, die in Diabeteszentren behandelt wurden, mit eingerechnet. An 74.5% der Stadtbevölkerung und 88.7% der Landbevölkerung wurden weitere Untersuchungen angeschlossen. Die Häufigkeit der Übergewichtigkeit unter den neu entdeckten Diabetikern lag bei 51% in der Stadtund bei 69% in der Landbevölkerung. Neben den Diabetikern ergaben die Massenuntersuchungen in 2.15% der Fälle eine Glykosurie bei normalen Blutzuckerwerten während des Glucosetoleranztestes. Diese Gruppe von Patienten benötigte eine ständige Überwachung. -Gleichzeitig wurde festgestellt, daß die Aufdeckung von Diabetikern allein mit dem Harnzuckernachweis unzureichend und fehlerhaft ist.

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Recherches êpidêmiologiques concernant le diabète sucré dans la population urbaine et rurale de la Roumanie

Résumé Les auteurs exposent la méthodologie et les résultats obtenus dans le dépistage du diabète sucré parmi de larges groupes de population. — L'exploration a été effectuée en deux phases : la glycosurie et la glycémie prise deux heures après la charge en glucose et après l'exploration parle test du GTT chez des sujets ayant des taux de glycémie dépassant les limites définies comme normales pour chaque groupe d'âge. — Chez un groupe de 1314 personnes parmi la population rurale et 7113 parmi la population urbaine, âgées de 25 à 65 ans, l'incidence du diabète sucré a été respectivement de 1.44% etde3.7%.Dansle calcul final on a considéré aussi les diabétiques déjà en traitement dans un centre médical spécial. Des investigations plus approfondies ont été faites sur 74.5% des malades du milieu urbain dépistés et sur 88.7% des malades provenant du milieu rural. -L'incidence de l'obésité parmi les diabétiques dépistés a été de 51% dans la population urbaine et de 69% dans la population rurale. — A part les cas de diabète sucré, les recherches en masse ont montré une proportion de 2.15% de glycosurie pour une glycémie normale lors du GTT, ce qui suggère que cette catégorie de malades devrait être recensée dans un centre médical et soumise à un controle périodique. -En même temps on a démontré que la méthode de dépistage du diabète sucré seulement d'après la glycosurie est insuffisante et erronée.

     

Biochemical and Metabolical Pathways Associated with Microbiota-Derived Butyrate in Colorectal Cancer and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Implications: A Narrative Review

Knowledge regarding the influence of the microbial community in cancer promotion or protection has expanded even more through the study of bacterial metabolic products and how they can modulate cancer risk, which represents an extremely challenging approach for the relationship between intestinal microbiota and colorectal cancer (CRC). This review discusses research progress on the effect of bacterial dysbiosis from a metabolic point of view, particularly on the biochemical mechanisms of butyrate, one of the main short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) with anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor properties in CRC. Increased daily intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) significantly increases the density of bacteria that are known to produce butyrate. Omega-3 PUFAs have been proposed as a treatment to prevent gut microbiota dysregulation and lower the risk or progression of CRC.     

The Emotion Word Fluency Test (EWFT): Initial psychometric,validation, and physiological evidence in young adults

Introduction: The clinical assessment of affective functioning has been slow to incorporate findings from affective neuroscience. Of particular interest in the current study is the assessment of affective word production. Method: In a series of four studies, we examined test–retest and interrater reliability for the Emotion Word Fluency Test (EWFT), basic construct validity with existing verbal fluency measures, physiological responses across verbal fluency tasks, and a novel scoring method to examine qualitative aspects of participant response sets. Results: Results demonstrated interrater and test–retest reliability values that were comparable to those of other commonly used verbal fluency tests. Construct validity was demonstrated by relations between the EWFT and other verbal fluency tests as well as through physiological evidence that performance on the EWFT is related to greater sympathetic activity than traditional verbal fluency tasks. Lastly, some of the novel scoring metrics related to two self-report measures of emotional functioning. Conclusions: Taken together, our findings provide initial support for the use of the EWFT as a measure of emotion word generation ability in young adults. This measure may prove to be useful in the assessment of affective language production in patient populations.     

Dental occlusion and postural control in adults

We studied the influence of a dental occlusion perturbation on postural control. The tests were performed in three dental occlusion conditions: (Rest Position: no dental contact, Maximal Intercuspal Occlusion: maximal dental contact, and Thwarted Laterality Occlusion: simulation of a dental malocclusion) and four postural conditions: static (stable platform) and dynamic (unstable platform), with eyes open and eyes closed. A decay of postural control was noted between the Rest Position and Thwarted Laterality Occlusion conditions with regard to average speed and power indexes in dynamic conditions and with eyes closed. However, the head position and stabilization were not different from those in the other experimental conditions, which means that the same functional goal was reached with an increase in the total energetic cost. This work shows that dental occlusion differently affects postural control, depending on the static or dynamic conditions. Indeed, dental occlusion impaired postural control only in dynamic postural conditions and in absence of visual cues. The sensory information linked to the dental occlusion comes into effect only during difficult postural tasks and its importance grows as the other sensory cues become scarce.     

Further data on experimental Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease (spongiform encephalopathy) in the guinea pig

Intracerebral inoculation to guinea pigs of cerebrospinal fluid or brain suspensions from 6 patients with Creutzfeldt--Jakob disease was followed in 4 cases by the appearance, after a long incubation period, of a serially transmissible experimental disease. The disease was characterized by tremor, discrete ataxia and convulsions and led to a fatal outcome within several days. Microscopic lesions in the brain of guinea pigs with the experimental disease consisted in glial proliferation, spongiform change and vacuolation of neuron cytoplasm. Electron microscopy proved that the vacuoles were situated in the endoplasmic reticulum and in the cytoplasmic processes.