HODGKIN'S DISEASE,a Clinical-Pathological Review of 150 Cases

One hundred and fifty cases of Hodgkin''s disease were analyzed in an effort to detect significant clinical-pathological correlations and to elucidate any possible factors of prognostic or etiological importance.A relatively long survival for patients with Hodgkin''s paragranuloma was not noted in this series. Instead the survival rate among them was closely parallel to that of patients with classical granuloma. Hodgkin''s sarcoma is a more malignant disease with a patient survival rate not more than half that of patients with the granuloma variety. It is not necessarily a disease of older age groups. Great caution must be exercised to avoid including non-Hodgkin''s disease tumors under the heading of Hodgkin''s sarcoma or paragranuloma.The series reported corresponds with many other reported series of Hodgkin''s disease as regards greater incidence in males and longer survival in females. In this series the cases in patients under the age of 15 were all in males. The predominance of initial enlargement of the cervical nodes was again noted in this series, as was the high proportion of negative reaction to tuberculin tests. The incidence of tuberculous lesions in patients who died of Hodgkin''s disease was only slightly greater than in those who died of other lymphoma. Site of origin of the disease apparently affects survival time. There was statistical evidence that gonadal activity might influence the equilibrium of the disease.Lymph node bacteriological cultures were not remarkable. Brucella organisms were absent. Fertile egg passages for detecting possible viral agents revealed increased egg mortality and cutaneous sensitivity reactions to the harvested amniotic fluid.     

Proteasome Functioning in Breast Cancer: Connection with Clinical-Pathological Factors

Breast cancer is one of four oncology diseases that are most widespread in the world. Moreover, breast cancer is one of leading causes of cancer-related deaths in female population within economically developed regions of the world. So far, detection of new mechanisms of breast cancer development is very important for discovery of novel areas in which therapy approaches may be elaborated. The objective of the present study is to investigate involvement of proteasomes, which cleave up to 90% of cellular proteins and regulate numerous cellular processes, in mechanisms of breast cancer development. Proteasome characteristics in 106 patient breast carcinomas and adjacent tissues, as well as relationships of detected proteasome parameters with clinical-pathological factors, were investigated. Proteasome chymotrypsin-like activity was evaluated by hydrolysis of fluorogenic peptide Suc-LLVY-AMC. The expression of proteasome subunits was studied by Western-blotting and immunohistochemistry. The wide range of chymotrypsin-like activity in tumors was detected. Activity in tumors was higher if compared to adjacent tissues in 76 from 106 patients. Multiple analysis of generalized linear models discovered that in estrogen α-receptor absence, tumor growth was connected with the enhanced expression of proteasome immune subunit LMP2 and proteasome activator PA700 in tumor (at 95% confidence interval). Besides, by this analysis we detected some phenomena in adjacent tissue, which are important for tumor growth and progression of lymph node metastasis in estrogen α-receptor absence. These phenomena are related to the enhanced expression of activator PA700 and immune subunit LMP7. Thus, breast cancer development is connected with functioning of immune proteasome forms and activator PA700 in patients without estrogen α-receptors in tumor cells. These results could indicate a field for search of new therapy approaches for this category of patients, which has the worst prognosis of health recovery.     

Conference summary

From August 7-14, 2006, the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences （CAS）, and the Overseas Chinese Entomologists Association （OCEA）, convened a ＂Summer Training Workshop on Modern Entomology and New Technology＂ in Beijing, China. The workshop was held at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and attracted 130 attendees from 27 research institutes and universities in China. There were 36 talks presented by 21 entomologists. Among them were one prestigious CAS Albert Einstein Visiting Professorship, Prof. Randy Gaugler, 18 scientists from the USA, and three entomologists from the Institute of Zoology. Topics at the workshop covered diverse areas including insect molecular biology, chemical ecology, behavior, immunology, cell biology, toxicology and so on. The workshop was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.