Abstract
Background
The important role that the immune system plays in malignant diseases is well known. The action of interleukin-7 (IL-7) as a cytokine has been observed in many cellular processes, ...both in normal cells of the immune system and in some cancer cells. The aim of this study has been to explore whether there is any elevation of interleukin-7 serum levels in early invasive breast cancer (EIBC) patients in comparison with healthy controls. In addition, the correlation between the IL-7 serum level and the histopathological characteristics of the tumor has been evaluated.
Methods
This cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study included 213 consecutive patients with EIBC (113 from Croatia and 100 from Kosovo) and 62 healthy participants as the control group (30 from Croatia and 32 from Kosovo). Blood samples have been taken from patients confirmed with breast cancer (BC) by biopsy, prior to surgical intervention and other oncological treatments, as well as from healthy participants. A serum IL-7 level has been measured, using the “Sandwich” ELISA Immunoenzyme test. In addition, after the surgical intervention, histopathological specimen examinations and immunohistochemistry have been performed and analyzed. The differences in the distribution of the numerical variables have been analyzed with the Mann–Whitney
U
test and Kruskal–Wallis ANOVA test. Correlations have been tested with Pearson coefficients. A
P
-value < 0.05 has been accepted as statistically significant.
Results
The serum level of IL-7 in EIBC patients was significantly higher than in control cases (
P
0.001). Patients with invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) seem to have a lower IL-7 serum level compared to other histological subtypes, and the difference has been significant (
P
= 0.043). There has been no correlation between IL-7 serum level and histopathological characteristics of the tumor, with neither age nor menopausal status of the patients.
Conclusions
Noting the significant increase in the IL-7 serum level in the EIBC patients as compared to the healthy control group, the use of IL-7 as a potential diagnostic indicator for BC, as well as in the follow-up of the patients after treatment, can be assumed. The lack of correlation with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and all other histopathological characteristics of the tumor questions its use as a prognostic indicator.
We present a case of malignant melanoma in the middle ear in a 63-year-old woman who presented with severe pain on the right side of her face and head, tinnitus, photophobia, and hemorrhagic ...discharge from the right ear, as well as right facial nerve paralysis. After more than two years of conservative treatment for otitis media and sclerotic mastoiditis, a pathologically enlarged lymph node on the right side of the neck appears. It is removed, and the histopathological examination reveals that it is metastatic malignant melanoma. Imaging examinations reveal a tumoral lesion in the middle ear with bone infiltration. The right middle ear is operated on, and the tissue sent for testing reveals melanoma. The patient was treated with Nivolumab after the operation and is now in sustainably good condition.
There is paucity of evidence in southeastern Europe and Kosovo regarding dairy products consumption and association with bone mineral density (BMD). Therefore, the objective of present study was to ...assess calcium intake and dairy products consumption and to investigate relationship with total hip BMD in a Kosovo women sample.
This cross-sectional study included a sample of 185 women divided into respective groups according to total hip BMD. All the study participants completed a food frequency questionnaire and underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to estimate BMD. Nonparametric tests were performed to compare characteristics of the groups.
The average dietary calcium intake was 818.41 mg/day. Only 16.75% of the subjects met calcium recommended dietary reference intakes (DRIs). There were no significant differences between low BMD group and normal BMD group regarding average dietary calcium intake, but it was significantly higher in BMDT3 subgroup than in BMDT2 and BMDT1 subgroups.
The results of this study demonstrate significant relationship of daily dietary calcium intake with upper BMD tertile. Further initiatives are warranted from this study to highlight the importance of nutrition education.
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