Adenoid cystic carcinoma intermingled with ductal carcinoma of the breast: a case report and review of the literature

ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Adenoid cystic cancer of the breast is a rare condition, and even rarer are the cases where it is histologically mixed with other variants of cancer within a single lesion. In this report, one of the few cases of mixed adenoid cystic breast cancer intermingled with the infiltrating ductal variant is presented. A subsequent review of the relevant literature presents the existing experience in treating mixed breast cancers with adenoid cystic components with regard to diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a case of mixed adenoid cystic cancer of the breast with infiltrating ductal carcinoma in a 67-year-old Caucasian woman who underwent mastectomy with sentinel node biopsy. CONCLUSION: Surgery remains the cornerstone of treatment of these patients, and radiotherapy is administered when breast-conserving treatment is undertaken or a large tumor with affected lymph nodes is present. Hormonal treatment does not have a role, as estrogen receptors are always absent from both tumor components. Chemotherapy is nearly always administered on the basis of estrogen receptor and progesterone negativity and the more aggressive potential of the non-adenoid cystic component. The de-differentiation of an indolent type of cancer to a more aggressive one may affect the prognosis.     

Guarana Provides Additional Stimulation over Caffeine Alone in the Planarian Model

The stimulant effect of energy drinks is primarily attributed to the caffeine they contain. Many energy drinks also contain other ingredients that might enhance the tonic effects of these caffeinated beverages. One of these additives is guarana. Guarana is a climbing plant native to the Amazon whose seeds contain approximately four times the amount of caffeine found in coffee beans. The mix of other natural chemicals contained in guarana seeds is thought to heighten the stimulant effects of guarana over caffeine alone. Yet, despite the growing use of guarana as an additive in energy drinks, and a burgeoning market for it as a nutritional supplement, the science examining guarana and how it affects other dietary ingredients is lacking. To appreciate the stimulant effects of guarana and other natural products, a straightforward model to investigate their physiological properties is needed. The planarian provides such a system. The locomotor activity and convulsive response of planarians with substance exposure has been shown to provide an excellent system to measure the effects of drug stimulation, addiction and withdrawal. To gauge the stimulant effects of guarana we studied how it altered the locomotor activity of the planarian species Dugesia tigrina. We report evidence that guarana seeds provide additional stimulation over caffeine alone, and document the changes to this stimulation in the context of both caffeine and glucose.     

Diet Modification and Metformin Have a Beneficial Effect in a Fly Model of Obesity and Mucormycosis

In an experimental model of obesity and hyperglycemia in Drosophila melanogaster we studied the effect of diet modification and administration of metformin on systemic infection with Rhizopus, a common cause of mucormycosis in diabetic patients. Female Wt-type Drosophila flies were fed regular (RF) or high-fat diet (HFD; 30% coconut oil) food with or without metformin for 48 h and then injected with R. oryzae. Survival rates, glucose and triglyceride levels were compared between 1) normal-weight flies (RF), 2) obese flies (HFD), 3) obese flies fed with RF, 4) flies continuously on HFD + metformin, 5) flies fed on HFD + metformin, then transferred to RF, and 6) obese flies administered metformin after infection. Glucose levels were compared across groups of non-infected flies and across groups of infected flies. Survival was significantly decreased (P = 0.003) in obese flies, while post-infection glucose levels were significantly increased (P = 0.0001), compared to normal-weight flies. Diet and administration of metformin led to weight loss, normalized glucose levels during infection, and were associated with decreased mortality and tissue fungal burden. In conclusion, diet and metformin help control infection-associated hyperglycemia and improve survival in Drosophila flies with mucormycosis. Fly models of obesity bear intriguing similarities to the pathophysiology of insulin resistance and diabetes in humans, and can provide new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of infections in obese and diabetic patients.     

Enhancement of cytochrome c catalytic behaviour by affecting the heme environment using functionalized carbon-based nanomaterials

The effect of carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as multi-wall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) nanomaterials functionalized with carboxyl, alkyl and amine groups, on the peroxidase-like activity and structure of cytochrome c (cyt c) was investigated. The catalytic efficiency of cyt c increases up to 78-fold in the presence of graphene oxide and up to 2.5-fold in the presence of other functionalized CBNs. Moreover, the use of functionalized CBNs enhances the thermal stability of the protein as well as its tolerance against hydrogen peroxide up to 2.5-fold. UV–vis and circular dichroism spectroscopy studies suggest that the increase in the peroxidase activity of cyt c in the presence of some functionalized GO nanomaterials, correlates to perturbations of the heme microenvironment, while the secondary structure of the enzyme remains intact. These results indicate that the beneficial effect the functionalized CBNs have on the activity and on the stability of cyt c depends on CBNs geometry and surface functionalization.     

Smaller stomata require less severe leaf drying to close: A case study in Rosa hydrida

Stomata formed at high relative air humidity (RH) close less as leaf dries; an effect that varies depending on the genotype. We here quantified the contribution of each stomatal response characteristic to the higher water loss of high RH-grown plants, and assessed the relationship between response characteristics and intraspecific variation in stomatal size. Stomatal size (length multiplied by width), density and responsiveness to desiccation, as well as pore dimensions were analyzed in ten rose cultivars grown at moderate (60%) or high (85%) RH. Leaf morphological components and transpiration at growth conditions were also assessed. High growth RH resulted in thinner (11%) leaves with larger area. A strong positive genetic correlation of daytime and nighttime transpiration at either RH was observed. Stomatal size determined pore area (r = 0.7) and varied by a factor of two, as a result of proportional changes in length and width. Size and density of stomata were not related. Following desiccation, high RH resulted in a significantly lower (6–19%) decline of transpiration in three cultivars, whereas the relative water content (RWC) of high RH-expanded leaflets was lower (29–297%) in seven cultivars. The lower RWC of these leaflets was caused by (a) higher (33–72%) stable transpiration and/or (b) lower (12–143%) RWC at which this stable transpiration occurred, depending on the cultivar. Stomatal size was significantly correlated with both characteristics (r = 0.5 and -0.7, respectively). These results indicate that stomatal size explains much of the intraspecific variation in the regulation of transpiration upon water deprivation on rose.     

Association of NADPH oxidase p22phox gene C242T, A640G and −930A/G polymorphisms with primary knee osteoarthritis in the Greek population

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis with still unknown pathogenic etiology and considerable contribution of genetic factors. Recently, a new emerging role of oxidative stress in the pathology of OA has been reported, lacking however elucidation of the underlying mechanism. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase being a complex enzyme produced by chondrocytes, presents the major source of reactive oxygen species and main contributor of increased oxidative stress. The present study aims to evaluate the association of NADPH oxidase p22phox gene C242T, A640G and ?A930G polymorphisms with primary knee OA in the Greek population. One hundred fifty five patients with primary symptomatic knee OA participated in the study along with 139 matched controls. Genotypes were determined using polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Allelic and genotypic frequencies were compared between both study groups. NADPH p22phox ?A930G polymorphism was significantly associated with knee OA in the crude analysis (P = 0.018). No significant difference was detected for C242T and A640G polymorphisms (P > 0.05). The association between ?A930G polymorphism and knee OA disappeared when the results were adjusted for obesity (P = 0.078, odds ratio 0.54, 95 % CI 0.272–1.071). The interaction between all three polymorphisms was not significant. The present study shows that NADPH oxidase p22phox gene C242T, A640G and ?A930G polymorphisms are not risk factors for knee OA susceptibility in the Greek population. Further studies are needed to give a global view of the importance of this polymorphism in the pathogenesis of OA.     

Radiochemical and radiobiological assessment of a pyridyl-S-cysteine functionalized bombesin derivative labeled with the 99mTc(CO)3+ core

Bombesin is a neuropeptide widely studied due to its ability to target various types of cancers. Technetium-99m on the other hand is ideal for diagnostic tumor targeting. The aim of the present study is the investigation of the coupling of the ligand (S)-(2-(2′-pyridyl)ethyl)-d,l-cysteine with the BN-peptide Gln-Arg-Leu-Gly-Asn-Gln-Trp-Ala-Val-Gly-His-Leu-Met(CONH₂) through the spacer aminohexanoic acidand the labeling of the resulting derivative MBN with the synthon [M(CO)₃(H₂O)₃]⁺ (M = ^99mTc, Re). The peptide was synthesized according to the SPPS method, purified and characterized by ESI-MS. The new ^99mTc-labeled biomolecule was stable in vitro, showed high affinity for the human GRP receptor expressed in PC3 cells and the rate of internalization was found to be time-dependent tissue distribution of the radiopeptide was evaluated in normal mice and in prostate cancer experimental models and significant radioactivity uptake was observed in the pancreas of normal mice as well as in PC3 tumors. Dynamic studies of the radiopeptide showed satisfactory tumor images.