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Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is a malignant neoplasm with a high metastatic rate that shows poor response to systemic treatments in patients with advanced stages. Recently, studies have highlighted the antineoplastic potential of natural compounds, such as polyphenols, in the adjuvant therapy context to treat CM. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of curcumin (0.1–100 µM) on the metastatic CM cell line SK‐MEL‐28. The cells were treated for 6 and 24 h with different concentrations of curcumin. Cell viability was assessed by 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2thiazolyl)‐2,5‐diphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and fluorescence microscopy. The apoptotic‐inducing potential was detected by annexin V flow cytometry. The wound healing assay was used to verify cell migration after the curcumin exposition. The redox profile was evaluated by levels of the pro‐oxidant markers reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Nitric oxide (NOx) and antioxidants of total thiols (PSH) and nonprotein thiols. The gene expression and enzymatic activity of caspase 3 were evaluated by reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction and a sensitive fluorescence assay, respectively. Curcumin significantly decreased the cell viability of SK‐MEL‐28 cells at both exposure times. It also induced apoptosis at the highest concentration tested (p <.0001). SK‐MEL‐28 cell migration was inhibited by curcumin after treatment with 10 µM (p <.0001) and 100 µM (p <.0001) for 6 and 24 h (p =.0006 and p <.0001, respectively). Furthermore, curcumin significantly increased levels of ROS and NOx. Finally, curcumin was capable of increasing the gene expression at 10 µM (p =.0344) and 100 µM (p =.0067) and enzymatic activity at 10 µM (p =.0086) and 100 µM (p <.0001) of caspase 3 after 24 h. For the first time, we elucidated in our study that curcumin increases ROS levels, promoting oxidative stress that activates the caspase pathway and culminates in SK‐MEL‐28 metastatic CM cell death. Significance statement: Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is an aggressive and lethal type of cancer. Many individuals do not respond completely to available treatments, increasing metastasis and death rates. In SK‐MEL‐28 CM metastatic cells, curcumin caused caspase 3‐associated apoptosis after treatment with different concentrations. Therefore, in this study, we found that curcumin showed promising results, proving an option for adjuvant therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triple‐negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the neoplasia most associated with BRCA1 germline pathogenic variants (PV) and is more likely to develop metastases than the other breast cancer (BC) subtypes, mainly in the lungs and the central nervous system (CNS). Recently, BRCA2 carriers were shown to have a higher risk for developing CNS metastases. However, the patterns of recurrence and metastases of BRCA2 carriers with TNBC are unknown. Methods: TNBC patient data attending the A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, from 1998 through 2020, were verified either by medical records or by BRCA1/2 genetic testing carried out. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to the data to assess the independent factors for bone and CNS metastases. Adjustment was done using all independent variables with p < 0.2 in the univariable Cox model to describe the relationship between the independent variables until time of death. Results: A total of 388 TNBC patients were evaluated. We identified PV in BRCA1/2 genes in 21% (82/388), being 17.7% (69/388) in BRCA1 and only 3.3% (13/388) in BRCA2. A total of 120 patients (31%) developed distant metastases. Bone or CNS metastases were observed in 40% and 60% of BRCA2 PV carriers (p = 0.155), respectively. The BRCA2 carriers tended to have a higher likelihood of developing bone metastases (OR, 4.06; 95% CI, 0.82–20.01; p = 0.085), when compared to BRCA1 carriers (OR, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.12–2.87; p = 0.528). BRCA2 carriers had an OR of 1.75 (95% CI, 0.33–9.14; p = 0.503) for CNS metastasis development, while BRCA1 carriers had an OR of 0.72 (95% CI, 0.23–2.23; p = 0.574). Conclusions: Patients with TNBC and PV in the BRCA2 gene had higher frequencies of secondary bone involvement and CNS in the course of the disease. However, the BRCA2 PV did not represent an independent outcome predictor of metastases and overall survival. Efforts to increase the number of BRCA2 carriers among TNBC patients are crucial for determining their risk of developing bone and CNS metastases compared to BRCA2 noncarriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The specification of quality of service (QoS) requirements in most of the existing networks is still challenging. In part, traditional network environments are limited by their high administrative cost, although software‐defined networks (SDNs), a newer network paradigm, simplify the management of the whole network infrastructure. In fact, SDN provides a simple way to effectively develop QoS provisioning mechanisms. In this sense, we explore the SDN model and its flexibility to develop a QoS provisioning architecture. Through the use of our new architecture, network operators are able to specify QoS levels in a simple way. Each individual data flow can be addressed, and the architecture we propose also negotiates the QoS requirements between the network controller and applications. On the other hand, the network controller continuously monitors the network environment. Then, it allocates network elements resources and prioritizes traffic, adjusting the network performance. We evaluate the feasibility of our QoS provisioning mechanism by presenting three experimental setups under realistic scenarios. For example, for a given scenario where we evaluate file transfers, our results indicate that the additional SDN modules present negligible overhead. Moreover, for a given setup, we observe a reduction of up to 82% in the file transfer times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is responsible for 75% of deaths from malignant skin cancer. The incidence of CM in the southern region of Brazil, particularly in the western region of Santa Catarina, is possibly higher than estimated. In this study, the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with CM treated in the western region of Santa Catarina was examined. A cross-sectional study was performed with patients diagnosed with CM from January 2002 to December 2009, from 78 counties of the western region of the state of Santa Catarina. Data were collected using a protocol adapted from the Brazilian Melanoma Group and 503 patients were evaluated. The incidence and prevalence of CM found in this region are much higher than those found elsewhere in the country. This fact is most likely due to the phenotypic characteristics of the population and the high incidence of UV radiation in this region due to its location in southern Brazil, as is the case in the countries of Oceania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]