Search

Background: The leptin receptor is involved in modulating leptin activity, acting as a carrier protein. A link between leptin or leptin receptor and cancer development has been proposed and here, the hypothesis that leptin and its receptor might be implicated in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and invasion was investigated., Patients and Methods: A total of 71 consecutive patients with CRC were enrolled in the study. Serum leptin and leptin receptor levels were evaluated by commercial ELISA kits., Results: The multinomial logistic regression model showed a positive association of leptin and leptin receptor with advanced tumor stages, which was significant for the leptin receptor in stage IV of disease., Conclusion: High circulating levels of leptin receptor occur in patients with advanced stage of colon cancer, suggesting a role for leptin in cancer progression and aggressiveness.

Aim: To investigate Glyoxalase I and fructosamine-3-kinase (FN3K) activity in red blood cells from patients with colorectal adenomas and cancer., Methods: Thirty three consecutive subjects with one or more histologically confirmed colorectal adenomatous polyps, 16 colorectal cancer patients and a group of 11 control subjects with normal colonoscopy were included in the study. Glyoxalase I and FN3K activities were measured in red blood cells using a spectrophotometric and radiometric assay, respectively., Results: A significant reduction in both Glyoxalase I and FN3K activity was detected in patients with tumors compared to patients with adenomas and the controls. Erythrocyte Glyoxalase I activity in colorectal cancer was approximately 6 times lower than that detected in patients with adenoma (0.022 ± 0.01 mmol/min per milliliter vs 0.128 ± 0.19 mmol/min per milliliter of red blood cells, P = 0.003, Tukey's test). FN3K activity in red blood cells from patients with colon cancer was approximately 2 times lower than that detected in adenoma patients (19.55 ± 6.4 pmol/min per milliliter vs 38.6 ± 31.7 pmol/min per milliliter of red blood cells, P = 0.04, Tukey's test)., Conclusion: These findings suggest that deglycating enzymes may be involved in the malignant transformation of colon mucosa.

This study examined the relation between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and suicidal ideation among U.S. military veterans deployed during Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom. Specific aims included investigation of (1) whether PTSD was associated with suicidal ideation after controlling for combat exposure and history of suicide attempt(s), (2) whether PTSD was associated with suicidal ideation absent a co-occurring depressive disorder (MDD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD), (3) whether co-occurring MDD or AUD increased risk of suicidal ideation among those with PTSD and (4) whether PTSD/MDD symptom clusters were differentially associated with suicidal ideation. Results pointed to unique effects associated with prior suicide attempt(s), PTSD and MDD. PTSD-diagnosed participants with co-occurring MDD or AUD were not significantly more likely to endorse suicidal ideation than PTSD-diagnosed participants without such comorbidity. The 'emotional numbing' cluster of PTSD symptoms and the 'cognitive-affective' cluster of MDD symptoms were uniquely associated with suicidal ideation., (Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background/aim: The crucial role of KRAS status in new colorectal cancer target therapy raises the issue regarding which testing method to use. This study analysed 112 formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) metastatic tissue samples using three different commercially available kits., Patients and Methods: A group of 40 KRAS wild-type (wt), 40 codon 12-mutated and 32 codon-13 mutated samples, previously evaluated by real-time PCR (TheraScreen kit), used as reference method, were analysed by Ampli-set-K-RAS and K-RAS StripAssay kit (herein called kit A and B, respectively) based on two different technologies., Results: The sensitivity of both kits was 92.5% for wt samples, 100% and 95.0% for kit A and B, respectively for samples mutated in codon 12. The specificity was 100% for both kits for all groups of samples. After a minor modification of the kit A method, its specificity reached 100%., Conclusion: of low cost and easy to use, kit A may be suitable for use in a routine diagnostic setting.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder that is often undetected among primary care patients. The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented the Primary Care-PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD) to screen for PTSD; however, minimal research has examined its utility. This study was designed to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the PC-PTSD among veterans who had served since 9/11/2001, including operations in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Signal detection analyses were used to evaluate the performance of the PC-PTSD and two other screens, the Davidson Trauma Scale (DTS) and the SPAN, in a sample of 220 veterans with military service since 9/11/2001. The reference standard for PTSD was Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis based upon structured clinical interview. The impact of demographic variables on test performance was examined. A cutting score of 3 on the PC-PTSD maximized efficiency (85%; sensitivity=0.83; and specificity=0.85). Although analyses supported the utility of the PC-PTSD (area under the curve (AUC)=0.875), the measure was outperformed by both the DTS (AUC=0.944) and the SPAN (AUC=0.931). Results suggest that the PC-PTSD is an acceptable screen for PTSD among veterans. Within primary care settings, the PC-PTSD may be most advantageously employed in the context of staged screening, given the measure's relative susceptibility to false positives., (Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Background: We evaluated the HMGCoA reductase activity and LDL receptor levels in human colon cancer as well as the effects of simvastatin on in vitro cell growth and apoptosis of DLD-1 and Caco2 cell lines., Materials and Methods: HMGCoA reductase activity and LDL receptor were measured by radiochemical assay and ELISA method, respectively. Cell growth and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT-test and DNA fragmentation analysis, respectively., Results: Higher HMGCoA reductase activity and LDL receptor levels were detected in cancer than in normal mucosa. An up-regulation of HMGCoA reductase activity was detected in left-sided tumors. Simvastatin treatment produced marked anti-proliferative and pro-aptotic effects in DLD-1. Cell growth inhibition, but no apoptosis, was also evident in Caco2 cells., Conclusion: The cholesterol pathway is involved in colon malignant transformation. Therapeutic strategies using HMGCoA reductase inhibitors as anti-cancer compounds should also take into consideration the biological and clinical differences detected inside colon tracts.

This study investigated whether the perception of self as socially rejected might contribute to increased physical aggression among elementary-school children. It was hypothesized that physically aggressive children would become more physically aggressive over time if they perceived that they were rejected and tended to blame peers for social failure experiences. Third-grade boys and girls (n = 941) were assessed in the Fall and Spring of the school year. Peer-report data on physical aggression and social preference were collected, along with self-report data on perceived rejection and attributions for social failure experiences. Results for boys were consistent with hypotheses, whereas the results for girls revealed a different pattern of relations. These results constitute prospective evidence that children's self-perceptions of social rejection can uniquely influence externalizing behavior. Results are discussed in terms of mechanisms that might mediate the relation between perceived rejection and physical aggression.

The relationship of glucose in the blood with colorectal adenoma or cancer is not clear. Fructosamine, equivalent to total serum glycated proteins, is a marker of blood glucose levels in the previous 3 weeks. We evaluated in a case-control study the association between fructosamine and colorectal adenoma, a precursor of colorectal cancer. Cases were subjects with the first occurrence of one or more histologically confirmed colorectal adenomatous polyps removed after a complete colonoscopy (153 cases), and controls were subjects with normal colonoscopy performed in the same endoscopy units during the same period (84 controls). Serum fructosamine was measured by a colorimetric method. Unconditional multiple logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. We found that in non-diabetic subjects the risk of colorectal adenoma increased with the level of fructosamine, and the odds ratio of colorectal adenoma in subjects with fructosamine levels higher than the median (270 microg/100 ml), in comparison with subjects with fructosamine lower than the median, was 2.3 (95% CI: 1.1-4.8). The risk of colorectal adenoma increased also with increasing levels of serum triglycerides and cholesterol, and decreased with increasing levels of fasting serum insulin. The results of this study show that the risk of colorectal adenoma increases with the level of fructosamine, an indicator of the level of glucose in the blood more sensitive to foods with a high glycemic index.

Background: Polyamines are aliphatic cations that play critical roles in cell proliferation and differentiation and in cancer development. Abnormally high polyamine levels have been demonstrated in various types of cancer, but few studies have investigated the prognostic significance of tissue polyamine levels. In this study we evaluated the disease-free survival of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma according to the polyamine levels in neoplastic tissue and uninvolved surrounding mucosa., Patients and Methods: A total of 111 patients with colorectal carcinoma were included in this study. Tissue polyamine levels were evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)., Results: Significantly higher single and total polyamine levels were found in colorectal carcinoma compared to those from normal surrounding mucosa. Further, tumor spermine levels were a significant prognostic factor for disease recurrence., Conclusion: Differences in tumor spermine levels may affect the biological properties of the tumor and such differences could have a significant role in determining the outcome of colorectal cancer patients.