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Editor's Choice : Obesity and Breast Cancer: Molecular and Epidemiological Evidence
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Abstract: Carcinoma of the breast is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women world-wide. Obesity is recognized as a well-established risk factor for epithelial tumors including the mammary epithelium. Adipose tissue is considered to be metabolically active organ with the ability to secrete a wide range of biologically active adipokines. Multiple studies have evaluated the potential mechanisms correlating obesity to increased risk of breast cancer. Altered circulating levels of adipokines or changed adipokine signaling pathways are now increasingly recognized to be associated with breast cancer development and progression. Leptin and adiponectin were the main adipokines that have been investigated in the context of breast cancer in both preclinical and epidemiological studies. Obesity is also believed to promote inflammatory response and induce activity of key enzymes like aromatase, leading to higher risk of breast cancer development. The goal of this review is to provide recent insights into the potential molecular mechanisms linking adipokines to the etiopathogenesis of breast cancer including recently identified adipokines and trying to correlate these molecular mechanisms to more established metabolic and hormonal dysregulations of obesity. A better understanding of the interplay between adipokines and other deregulated mechanisms in obesity is important for the development of preventive strategies with therapeutic potential against breast cancer in obese patients. Keywords: Adipokines, Obesity, Leptin, Adiponectin, Visfatin, Inflammation.Download Full Article |
Editor's Choice : Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Raspberry Extracts
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Abstract: The raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is an economical important berry crop that contains phytochemicals such as polyphenols and flavonoids with potential health benefits. This study addresses the antioxidant and anticancer effects of raspberry and its root extracts. Raspberry and raspberry root were extracted with ethanol, and separated into petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butyl alcohol and water fraction. Most extracts showed the powerful activities to scavenge DPPH radical, eliminate hydroxyl free radical ion, and inhibit the growth of human cancer cells, suggesting their promising application on health care. Keywords: Raspberry, antioxidant, anticancer. Download Full Article |
Editor's Choice : Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG) Testing in Specimens of Tumor and Myometrial Tissues During Surgical Treatment of Gestational Trophoblastic Tumors
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Abstract: Background: Gestational trophoblastic tumors originate from trophoblastic tissues and secrete human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). Surgical treatment may be a line of treatment of chemoresistant cases. Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of hCG dipsticks in detection of hCG in tissues of trophoblastic tumors and healthy myometrium during surgery of trophoblastic tumors. Methods: We included 19 samples of tumor and apparently healthy myometrial tissues during surgical treatment of 5 cases of gestational trophoblastic tumors. The hCG dipstick was immersed in a solution containing 1x1 cm of tumor or myometrial tissues. The results of the tests were compared to the histopathological results. Results: The mean age of patients were 38.8 years, the mean parity was 3.4. The mean serum B-hCG level was 101,745.6 mu/ml. Except for one specimen in case 5, all results of the hCG dipsticks were concordant with final histopathologic analysis of the specimens. Sensitivity of hCG test was 100% and specificity was 90%. Conclusion: Intraoperative detection of hCG in different tissues and suspicious masses can be considered as simple, rapid, inexpensive, and reliable test. It can be used to detect the trophoblastic nature of tissues if frozen section is not available as some low resource setting countries. We recommend further larger prospective studies to compare the accuracy and reliability of this novel technique and frozen section analysis. Keywords: Trophoblatic tumors, surgery, hCG test. Download Full Article |
Editor's Choice : The Role of Exosomes and its Cargos in Drug Resistance of Cancer
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Abstract: Chemotherapy is one of the main therapies in cancer and plays an important role in controlling tumor progression, which can offer a longer overall survival (OS) for patients. But as the accumulation of drugs used in vivo, cancer cells develop drug resistance, even multi-drug resistance (MDR), that can cause failure of the whole therapy. The similar phenomenon can be observed in vitro. There are several mechanisms of drug resistance such as drug efflux, mediated by extracellular vesicles. Exosomes, a subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs), can be secreted by many types of cells and transfer proteins, lipids, and miRNA/mRNA/DNAs between cells in vitro and in vivo. Particularly cancer cells secrete more exosomes than healthy cells and resistance cells secrete more exosomes than sensitive cells. Exosomes have function of intercellular communication and molecular transfer, both associated with tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, and drug resistance. In this paper, we will review the current knowledge regarding the emerging roles of exosomes and its cargo in drug resistance. Keywords: Exosomes, drug resistance, drug efflux, antibody, miRNAs, lncRNA, P-glycoprotein, EMT. Download Full Article |
