Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a kidney neoplasm that accounts for 85% of cases and has complex genetic pathways that affect its development and progression. RCC metastasis can occur in 20%-50% of ...patients and usually affects distant organs. Gastric metastases (GM) from RCC are rare and present as polyp-like growths in the submucosal layer, accounting for 0.2%-0.7% of cases. This case report describes an 84-year-old female with Furhman grade II ccRCC who presented with an atherothrombotic ischemic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding nine years post-radical nephrectomy. Gastroscopy revealed a 12mm pseudopedicled gastric lesion with ulceration and bleeding, diagnosed as metastatic ccRCC. The discussion focuses on the rarity, diagnostic challenges, and prognostic elements of gastric metastasis from RCC. The median survival after detecting digestive metastasis varies widely, and the mechanisms include direct invasion and dissemination through lymphatic, transcelomic, or hematogenous routes. Prognostic markers encompass patient history, symptoms, time since RCC diagnosis, overall health, and genetic factors. Surgical removal of gastric lesions and targeted therapy are treatment options that can improve survival. This case report highlights the need for further research to enhance diagnostic and treatment strategies for this rare aspect of RCC pathophysiology.
Background
The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a collection of autoimmune diseases that have a substantial impact on the entire body and include conditions such as dermatomyositis (DM), ...polymyositis (PM), sporadic inclusion body myositis, and immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy. These disorders are characterized by symptoms such as muscular weakness, pain, and dermal rash. This systematic review is intended to explore the potential link between bladder cancer and DM/PM.
Methods
We performed a comprehensive systematic search on PubMed and Scopus until August 2022 to identify relevant research studies. The studies that met our inclusion criteria focused on patients with urinary bladder cancer and dermatomyositis, and/or polymyositis.
Results
The patients’ median age was 65.5 years (47–79), with the majority being male (15, 39.47%). Bladder cancer manifested before PM/DM in 5 (13.15%) patients, while in the majority of cases occurred after the cancer diagnosis. The stage of cancer at the time of the initial PM/DM diagnosis were mostly locally (11/20, 50%).During the first presentation, the patients had a median creatine kinase level of 2227 U/L, ranging between 44 and 10471. In one case, anti-TIF-1γ antibodies were found to be present. Among the cases with reported medical history (20/38), treatment immediately improved DM symptoms in 16 patients(53.8%) and in 3 patients(15%), symptoms of DM resurfaced during the period after the operation. Death was reported in 14 (36.8%) patients.
Conclusion
In conclusion, our study provides knowledge and understanding for identifying specific risk factors in patients with the coexistence of bladder cancer and DM/PM and their management. During the initial and follow-up screening, age, gender, and the clinicopathological subgroup of myositis should be considered to ensure proper management of the condition.
Despite a multimodal radical treatment, mortality of advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (AEOC) remains high. Host-related factors, such as systemic inflammatory response and its interplay with the ...immune system, remain underexplored. We hypothesized that the prognostic impact of this response could vary between patients undergoing primary debulking surgery (PDS) and those undergoing interval debulking surgery (IDS). Therefore, we evaluated the outcomes of two surgical groups of newly diagnosed AEOC patients according to the neutrophil, monocyte and platelet to lymphocyte ratios (NLR, MLR, PLR), taking median ratio values as cutoffs. In the PDS group (
= 61), low NLR and PLR subgroups showed significantly better overall survival (not reached (NR) vs. 72.7 months, 95% confidence interval CI: 40.9-95.2,
= 0.019; and NR vs. 56.1 months, 95% CI: 40.9-95.2,
= 0.004, respectively) than those with high values. Similar results were observed in progression free survival. NLR and PLR-high values resulted in negative prognostic factors, adjusting for residual disease,
status and stage (HR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.03-5.99,
= 0.043, and HR 2.91, 95% CI: 1.11-7.64,
= 0.03, respectively). In the IDS group (
= 85), ratios were not significant prognostic factors. We conclude that NLR and PLR may have prognostic value in the PDS setting, but none in IDS, suggesting that time of surgery can modulate the prognostic impact of baseline complete blood count (CBC).
Background: Despite impressive progression-free survival (PFS) results from PARP inhibitors (PARPi) in ovarian cancer, concerns about their effect on post-progression treatment outcomes have recently ...arisen, particularly when administered in the relapsed setting. Overlapping mechanisms of resistance between PARPi and platinum have been described, and optimal therapies upon progression to PARPi are unknown. We communicate real-world data (RWD) on outcomes of subsequent chemotherapy upon progression to PARPi used as maintenance in ovarian cancer relapses, particularly focusing on platinum rechallenge, according to BRCA status. Methods: Data from high-grade serous or endometrioid ovarian cancer patients who received subsequent chemotherapy after progression to maintenance PARPi in the relapsed setting, in 16 Catalan hospitals between August 2016 and April 2021, and who were followed-up until July 2021, were included. Endpoints were overall response rate (ORR), and PFS and overall survival (OS) measured from the subsequent chemotherapy starting date. Results: 111 patients were included 46 (41.4%) presented pathological BRCA1/2 mutations, 8 (7.5%) in other homologous recombination-related genes. Sixty-four patients (57.7%) had received two prior chemotherapy lines, including the one immediately prior to PARPi. PARPi were niraparib (n = 60, 54.1%), olaparib (n = 49, 44.1%), and rucaparib (n = 2, 1.8%). A total of 81 patients remained platinum-sensitive (PS population) after progression to PARPi (when progression-free interval PFI was >6 months after the last cycle of prior platinum) median PFI 12.0 months (interquartile range, IQR, 8.8−17.1). Of those, 74 were treated with subsequent platinum regimens, with the following results: ORR of 41.9%, median PFS (mPFS) of 6.6 months (95% CI 6−9.2), and median OS (mOS) of 20.6 months (95% CI 13.6−28.9). Analysis of these 74 patients according to BRCA status showed that PFIs for BRCA mutant and non BRCA-mutant patients were 13.6 IQR11.2−22.2 and 10.3 IQR 7.4−14.9 months, respectively (p = 0.010); ORR were 40.0% versus 43.6%, respectively; Rates of progression (as best response) to subsequent platinum were 45.7% versus 17.9%, respectively (p = 0.004); mPFS and mOS were 3.5 (95% CI 2.5−8.6) versus 7.5 months (95% CI 6.5−10.1, p = 0.03), and 16.4 (95% CI 9.3−27.5) versus 24.2 months (95% CI 17.2−NR, p = 0.036), respectively. Conclusion: This is the largest series of real-world data on ovarian cancer patients retreated with platinum in the post-PARPi scenario, separately analyzing BRCA mutant and non-mutant patients, to our knowledge. In our platinum-sensitive population, rechallenge with platinum after progression upon PARPi in the 3rd or later lines for ovarian cancer relapses shows relevant ORR and similar PFS outcomes to historical series of the prePARPi era. However, BRCA mutant patients presented significantly higher rates of progression under subsequent platinum and worse survival outcomes associated with subsequent platinum than non-BRCA-mutant patients.
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a kidney neoplasm that accounts for 85% of cases and has complex genetic pathways that affect its development and progression. RCC metastasis can occur in 20%-50% of ...patients and usually affects distant organs. Gastric metastases (GM) from RCC are rare and present as polyp-like growths in the submucosal layer, accounting for 0.2%-0.7% of cases. This case report describes an 84-year-old female with Furhman grade II ccRCC who presented with an atherothrombotic ischemic stroke and gastrointestinal bleeding nine years post-radical nephrectomy. Gastroscopy revealed a 12mm pseudopedicled gastric lesion with ulceration and bleeding, diagnosed as metastatic ccRCC. The discussion focuses on the rarity, diagnostic challenges, and prognostic elements of gastric metastasis from RCC. The median survival after detecting digestive metastasis varies widely, and the mechanisms include direct invasion and dissemination through lymphatic, transcelomic, or hematogenous routes. Prognostic markers encompass patient history, symptoms, time since RCC diagnosis, overall health, and genetic factors. Surgical removal of gastric lesions and targeted therapy are treatment options that can improve survival. This case report highlights the need for further research to enhance diagnostic and treatment strategies for this rare aspect of RCC pathophysiology.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of both swimming and resistance training on tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10 expression, adipocyte area and lipid profiles in ...rats fed a high-fat diet.
The study was conducted over an eight-week period on Wistar adult rats, who were divided into six groups as follows (n = 10 per group): sedentary chow diet, sedentary high-fat diet, swimming plus chow diet, swimming plus high-fat diet, resistance training plus chow diet, and resistance training plus high-fat diet. Rats in the resistance training groups climbed a vertical ladder with weights on their tails once every three days. The swimming groups swam for 60 minutes/day, five days/week.
The high-fat diet groups had higher body weights, a greater amount of adipose tissue, and higher tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression in the visceral adipose tissue. Furthermore, the high-fat diet promoted a negative change in the lipid profile. In the resistance training high-fat group, the tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression was lower than that in the swimming high-fat and sedentary high-fat groups. Moreover, smaller visceral and retroperitoneal adipocyte areas were found in the resistance training high-fat group than in the sedentary high-fat group. In the swimming high-fat group, the tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression was lower and the epididymal and retroperitoneal adipocyte areas were smaller compared with the sedentary high-fat group.
The results showed that both exercise modalities improved the lipid profile, adiposity and obesity-associated inflammation in rats, suggesting their use as an alternative to control the deleterious effects of a high-fat diet in humans.
BaqA is a raw starch degrading α-amylase produced by the marine bacterium Bacillus aquimaris MKSC 6.2, associated with soft corals. This α-amylase belongs to a new subfamily Glycoside Hydrolases (GH) ...13_45 which has several unique characteristics, namely, a pair of tryptophan residues Trp201 and Trp202, a distinct LPDIx signature in the Conserved Sequence Region-V (CSR-V), and an elongated C-terminus containing five aromatic residues. The research aims to investigate physicochemical, kinetics, and biochemical properties of BaqA. In this study, the full-length enzyme (BaqA) and a truncated form of BaqA (designated as BaqAΔC), lacking the C-terminal 34 amino acids were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli ArcticExpress (DE3). BaqA formed inclusion bodies, while BaqAΔC was produced as a soluble protein. Purified and refolded BaqA exhibited a catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of 53.1 ± 6.3 mL mg−1 s−1 at 40 °C and pH 7.5, whereas the purified BaqAΔC displayed kcat/Km of 11.4 ± 1.3 mL mg−1 s−1 under the optimum condition of 50 °C and pH 6.5. Moreover, BaqAΔC showed a slight reduction in the binding affinity towards sago granules. Interestingly, BaqAΔC displayed robust stability and halotolerant properties compared to BaqA. BaqAΔC maintained 50 % amylolytic activity for up to 6 h, whereas BaqA lost over 50 % of its activity within 90 min. Furthermore, BaqAΔC showed a remarkable increase in amylolytic activity upon the addition of NaCl, with an optimum concentration of 0.5 M. Even at a high salt concentration (1.5 M NaCl), BaqAΔC retained over 50 % of its residual activity. Taken together, its solubility, amylolytic activity, stability, ability to degrade raw starch, and moderate halotolerance make BaqAΔC a promising candidate for various starch processing industries.
•Full-length BaqA requires refolding to become active, while BaqA∆C is expressed as a soluble protein.•BaqA∆C has lower catalytic efficiency toward soluble starch and reduced binding affinity to starch granules compared to BaqA.•BaqA∆C demonstrates higher stability and halotolerance than BaqA.
This study aims to compare the effects of some chemical agents on the removal of calcareous encrustations, which are characterized by the presence of both calcium and silicon. The experimentation was ...conducted during the conservation treatments of Cerriglio’s nymphaeum (Massa Lubrense, Naples, Italy). Tests were carried out in the laboratory on specimens and in situ to define the most efficient choice between several chelant agents, in the recovery of calcium and silicon, using ICP/OES and spectrocolorimetric and microscopic analyses.
In lactobacilli, CcpA is known to modulate the expression of genes involved in sugar metabolism, stress response and aerobic adaptation. This study aimed to evaluate a
ccpA
mutant of
...Lacticaseibacillus casei
BL23 to increase lactic acid production using cheese whey. The
ccpA
derivative (BL71) showed better growth than the
L. casei
wild-type in the whey medium. In a stirred tank reactor, at 48 h, lactate production by BL71 was eightfold higher than that by BL23. In batch fermentations, the final values reached were 44.23 g L
−1
for BL71 and 27.58 g L
−1
for BL23. Due to a decrease in the delay of lactate production in the mutant, lactate productivity increased from 0.17 g (L.h)
−1
with BL23 to 0.80 g (L.h)
−1
with BL71. We found that CcpA would play additional roles in nitrogen metabolism by the regulation of the proteolytic system. BL71 displayed higher activity of the PepX, PepQ and PrtP enzymes than BL23. Analysis of
prtP
expression confirmed this deregulation in BL71. Promoter analysis of the
prtP
gene revealed CcpA binding sites with high identity to the
cre
consensus sequence and the interaction of CcpA with this promoter was confirmed in vitro. We postulate that deregulation of the proteolytic system in BL71 allows a better exploitation of nitrogen resources in cheese whey, resulting in enhanced fermentation capacity. Therefore, the
ccpA
gene could be a good target for future technological developments aimed at effective and inexpensive lactate production from dairy industrial wastes.
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