Effect of resveratrol on the metastasis of 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

We investigated the effects of resveratrol on metastasis in in vitro and in vivo systems. 4T1 cells were cultured in the presence of various concentrations (0-30 µmol/L) of resveratrol. For experimental metastasis, BALB/c mice were injected intravenously with 4T1 cells in the tail vein, and were orally administered various concentrations (0, 100, or 200 mg/kg Body weight) of resveratrol for 21 days. After resveratrol treatment, cell adhesion, wound migration, invasion, and MMP-9 activity were significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner in 4T1 cells (P < 0.05). The numbers of pulmonary nodules were significantly decreased in mice fed the resveratrol (P < 0.05). The plasma MMP-9 activity was decreased in response to treatment with resveratrol in mice (P < 0.05). We conclude that resveratrol inhibits cancer metastasis both in vitro and in vivo, and this inhibition is likely due to the decrease in MMP-9 activity caused by resveratrol.     

原发性肝癌伴发低血糖15例诊治分析

原发性肝癌病人出现低血糖反应者并不少见,但常被临床医生忽视。我院自2011年2月至2012年1月期间的共收治原发性肝癌伴发低血糖病人15例。现报告如下。1临床资料本组原发性肝癌伴发低血糖病人15例。男13例,女2例;年龄48～62岁,     

Vascular endothelial growth factor A,secreted in response to transforming growth factor-β1 under hypoxic conditions,induces autocrine effects on migration of prostate cancer cells

Hypoxia and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) increase vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) expression in a number of malignancies. This effect of hypoxia and TGF-β1 might be responsible for tumor progression and metastasis of advanced prostate cancer. In the present study, TGF-β1 was shown to induce VEGFA₁₆₅ secretion from both normal cell lines (HPV7 and RWPE1) and prostate cancer cell lines (DU145 and PC3). Conversely, hypoxia-stimulated VEGFA₁₆₅ secretion was observed only in prostate cancer cell lines. Hypoxia induced TGF-β1 expression in PC3 prostate cancer cells, and the TGF-β type I receptor (ALK5) kinase inhibitor partially blocked hypoxia-mediated VEGFA₁₆₅ secretion. This effect of hypoxia provides a novel mechanism to increase VEGFA expression in prostate cancer cells. Although autocrine signaling of VEGFA has been implicated in prostate cancer progression and metastasis, the associated mechanism is poorly characterized. VEGFA activity is mediated via VEGF receptor (VEGFR) 1 (Flt-1) and 2 (Flk-1/KDR). Whereas VEGFR-1 mRNA was detected in normal prostate epithelial cells, VEGFR-2 mRNA and VEGFR protein were expressed only in PC3 cells. VEGFA₁₆₅ treatment induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) in PC3 cells but not in HPV7 cells, suggesting that the autocrine function of VEGFA may be uniquely associated with prostate cancer. Activation of VEGFR-2 by VEGFA₁₆₅ was shown to enhance migration of PC3 cells. A similar effect was also observed with endogenous VEGFA induced by TGF-β1 and hypoxia. These findings illustrate that an autocrine loop of VEGFA via VEGFR-2 is critical for the tumorigenic effects of TGF-β1 and hypoxia on metastatic prostate cancers.     

Adaptation to Chronic Dialysis

While dialysis is a medical advance that enables people to live who would otherwise die, it is often experienced as an ordeal by those who must live with it. Patients and staff experience difficulties in their adaptation to chronic dialysis. A program that excepts all patients, regardless of motivation and stability, carries with it the responsibility of offering care in a way the patient can tolerate and of providing a regimen within the context of his personality structure and social adaptation.     

A simple decision analytic solution to the comparison of two binary diagnostic tests

One of the most basic biostatistical problems is the comparison of two binary diagnostic tests. Commonly, one test will have greater sensitivity, and the other greater specificity. In this case, the choice of the optimal test generally requires a qualitative judgment as to whether gains in sensitivity are offset by losses in specificity. Here, we propose a simple decision analytic solution in which sensitivity and specificity are weighted by an intuitive parameter, the threshold probability of disease at which a patient will opt for treatment. This gives a net benefit that can be used to determine which of two diagnostic tests will give better clinical results at a given threshold probability and whether either is superior to the strategy of assuming that all or no patients have disease. We derive a simple formula for the relative diagnostic value, which is the difference in sensitivities of two tests divided by the difference in the specificities. We show that multiplying relative diagnostic value by the odds at the prevalence gives the odds of the threshold probability below which the more sensitive test is preferable and above which the more specific test should be chosen. The methodology is easily extended to incorporate combinations of tests and the risk or side effects of a test. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Perspectives on Pap Test Follow-Up Care Among Rural Appalachian Women

Approximately one- to three-quarters of women notified of abnormal Pap test results do not receive appropriate follow-up care, dramatically elevating their risk for invasive cervical cancer. We explored barriers to and facilitators of follow-up care for women in two counties in Appalachian Kentucky, where invasive cervical cancer incidence and mortality are significantly higher than the national average. In-depth interviews were conducted among 27 Appalachian women and seven local health department personnel. Those who had been told of an atypical Pap test result tended to have one of three reactions: (1) not alarmed and generally did not obtain follow-up care; (2) alarmed and obtained follow-up care; or (3) alarmed, but did not obtain care. Each of these typologies appeared to be shaped by a differing set of three categories of influences: personal factors; procedure/provider/system factors; and ecological/community factors. Recommendations to increase appropriate follow-up care included pursuing research on explanations for these typologies and developing tailored interventions specific to women in each of the response types.     

IN RECOGINITION OF...Sara A. Cohen (1860-1934)

No abstract available for this article.     

Perceived Benefits of Online Support Groups for Women with Metastatic Breast Cancer

Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), a life-threatening illness, stand to benefit a great deal from online support groups, but none have been studied specifically within this population. The present mixed-method study was carried out to determine which therapeutic factors occurred in online MBC support groups, and to see how such factors might have acted to benefit participants. Participants were 20 women with MBC who participated in online peer support groups. Most reported benefiting in some way from their groups. Six therapeutic factors theorized to be helpful in online support groups and cancer support groups were present in the groups studied: group cohesiveness, information exchange, universality, instillation of hope, catharsis, and altruism. However, although participants reported being able to discuss many other concerns freely, they had difficulty discussing death and dying, which are critical issues for this category of women with BC.