The importance of angiogenesis in ovarian cancer

Advanced stage ovarian cancer has a high rate of recurrence even after surgery followed by chemotherapy combining carboplatin and a taxane. New strategies are currently under way to combat this situation and one of the most promising ones is based on the knowledge that angiogenesis, the mechanism of formation of new blood vessels coupled with the degradation of the extracellular matrix for metalloproteinases, could be crucial in the development of this tumor. The principal molecule implicated in angiogenesis process of ovarian cancer is the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Several studies are now in progress to clarify its role as a diagnostic tool or its therapeutic implication. Presently, there is no indication for the use of VEGF in a preliminary diagnosis seeing that an increase in levels can be seen in both benign and malignant ovarian conditions. VEGF is also responsible for an increase in vascular permeability and is directly related to symptoms such as ascites and pleural effusion, both of which are frequent in ovarian cancer. Several papers have analised the role of VEGF as a prognostic factor and some of them do confirm VEGF as an independent prognostic factor in ovarian cancer. VEGF and the metalloproteinase system coupled with angiogenesis are currently being evaluated as therapeutic targets but no positive results have yet to be seen in this field.      

Effect of oral CDP-choline on visual function in young amblyopic patients

Purpose The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect on visual function of orally administered CDP-choline in addition to patching for the treatment of amblyopia in children. Methods This was an open label parallel group study comparing patching plus oral CDP-choline with patching alone. Sixty-one participants (aged between 5 and 10 years) suffering from anisometropic or strabismic amblyopia were divided at random into two groups: Group A, 800 or 1,200 mg (according to the body weight) of orally administered CDP-choline and 2-h patching a day; Group B, 2-h patching a day. Both groups were treated for 30 consecutive days. A follow-up visit was set 60 days after the treatment was discontinued. The main outcome measure was the change in visual acuity of amblyopic eyes as measured by Snellen’s E charts. The secondary outcome measures were changes in the visual acuity of amblyopic eye as measured by isolated letters (Snellen’s E) and changes in the contrast sensitivity of amblyopic eyes. Results The addition of CDP-choline to patching therapy was not found to be more effective than patching alone after 30-day treatment. The present results showed that adding CDP-choline to patching stabilised the effects obtained during the treatment period. In fact, whereas the participants treated only with patching showed a decrease in visual acuity at 90 days, these receiving CDP-choline and patching combined appeared to maintain the results obtained (two-way ANOVA: P = 0.0042). Similar results were obtained when measuring visual acuity by isolated Snellen’s E letters. Conclusions In amblyopic patients, CDP-choline combined with patching contributes to obtaining more stable effects than patching alone. Fabio De Gregorio works as an advisor for Tubilux Pharma S.p.A. The authors have full control of all primary data and they agree to allow Graefe’s Archives for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology to review their data if requested.     

A Slight Adjustment of the Nutri-Score Nutrient Profiling System Could Help to Better Reflect the European Dietary Guidelines Regarding Nuts

The consumption of nuts remains low among European populations despite widespread inclusion as a recommended food group across European dietary guidelines. Front-of-Pack nutrition labelling systems are designed to support consumers make healthier choices and to stimulate product improvement, thus representing a pivotal opportunity to reduce the gap between intakes and recommendations. This study examined how the Nutri-Score algorithm treats nuts and nut-containing products and tested whether slight adjustments could better recognise and motivate nut inclusion in foods and diets. The nutritional score (ScN) and corresponding Nutri-Score letter of 68 nuts and nut-containing products were calculated, using the initial algorithm and slight adjustments, where nut weight was doubled (S1), saturated fats (S2) or energy (S3) from nuts were discounted, or saturated fats were replaced by the saturated fats/lipid ratio (S4). The correlation between the nuts’ content and the ScN was moderate for the initial algorithm (R² = 0.34) and S1 (R² = 0.36), but improved for S2, S3 and S4 (R² = 0.54, 0.55 and 0.52, respectively). Four plain nuts, initially labelled as “B” or “C” obtained a Nutri-Score “A” with S2, S3 and S4. Slight adjustments could better align the Nutri-Score with food-based dietary guidelines, reassure consumers on healthfulness of nuts and nut-containing products, whilst incentivising the inclusion of nuts in diverse foods.     

Assessment of Angiogenesis and Cell Survivability of an Inkjet Bioprinted Biological Implant in an Animal Model

The rapidly growing field of tissue engineering hopes to soon address the shortage of transplantable tissues, allowing for precise control and fabrication that could be made for each specific patient. The protocols currently in place to print large-scale tissues have yet to address the main challenge of nutritional deficiencies in the central areas of the engineered tissue, causing necrosis deep within and rendering it ineffective. Bioprinted microvasculature has been proposed to encourage angiogenesis and facilitate the mobility of oxygen and nutrients throughout the engineered tissue. An implant made via an inkjet printing process containing human microvascular endothelial cells was placed in both B17-SCID and NSG-SGM3 animal models to determine the rate of angiogenesis and degree of cell survival. The implantable tissues were made using a combination of alginate and gelatin type B; all implants were printed via previously published procedures using a modified HP inkjet printer. Histopathological results show a dramatic increase in the average microvasculature formation for mice that received the printed constructs within the implant area when compared to the manual and control implants, indicating inkjet bioprinting technology can be effectively used for vascularization of engineered tissues.     

A comparison of vaginal, laparoscopic-assisted vaginal, and minilaparotomy hysterectomies for enlarged myomatous uteri

Objective

To compare the operative data and early postoperative outcome of vaginal hysterectomy (VH), laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH), and minilaparotomy hysterectomy (MiniLPT).

Methods

A total of 150 women who required hysterectomy for enlarged myomatous uteri were randomly allocated into 3 treatment groups: VH (n = 50), LAVH (n = 50), and MiniLPT (n = 50). The primary outcome was hospital discharge time. The secondary outcomes were operative time, blood loss, paralytic ileus, postoperative pain, and intraoperative and early postoperative complications.

Results

Mean hospital discharge time was longest with MiniLPT, and shortest with VH (P < 0.01). VH was the fastest operating technique, was associated with less blood loss, and resulted in shortest duration of paralytic ileus (P < 0.01). No intraoperative complications occurred.

Conclusion

VH should be the preferred surgical approach in patients with enlarged myomatous uteri. When VH is not feasible, LAVH should be considered an alternative to MiniLPT. Further controlled prospective studies are required to confirm these results.     

Fetal facial profile in Pallister-Killian syndrome

Pallister-Killian syndrome (PKS) is a sporadic chromosomal anomaly, caused by a tissue-specific mosaic distribution of an additional isochromosome 12p. About 60 cases of prenatal diagnosis of PKS have been reported. Only 1 case of PKS is described on the basis of prenatal screening, presenting increased nuchal translucency. An abnormal fetal facial profile is described prenatally as sonographic evidence of PKS. We report a case of prenatal diagnosis in a fetus undergoing second-level scan due to positive triple screen with ultrasound features of PKS.     

Beitrag zum Studium der festen Tridermome des Eierstockes

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