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Levels of the enzyme autotaxin (ATX) are elevated in synovial fluid and plasma of osteoarthritic patients, correlating positively with radiographic and symptomatic severity of the disease. Therefore, ATX is studied as potential marker for the progression of osteoarthritis (OA), whereas the chondrocyte-secreted glycoprotein Lubricin has chondroprotective properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of ATX and Lubricin in healthy and mild OA rat articular cartilage of femur, tibia and patella, and to analyse the effect of a protocol of moderate physical activity on their expressions. Mild OA resulted from anterior cruciate ligament transection and rats exercised on a treadmill for 12 weeks. Computerized staining intensity of immunostaining was used to evaluate ATX and Lubricin expressions. Higher expressions of ATX were found in femur and tibia of OA rats, suggesting that this molecule could participate in the progression of the disease, although not involved in the patella. In the femur, physical activity performed by OA rats was able to lower ATX expression, encouraging the evidence that joint movement is beneficial for the cartilage, although no significant differences in Lubricin expression were detected in femur, tibia and patella. This evidence might shade some light about the role of ATX, Lubricin and physical exercise in OA progression.

Contains fulltext : 237685.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access), Despite early detection and regular surveillance of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), recurrence and progression rates remain exceedingly high for this highly prevalent malignancy. Limited visualization of malignant lesions with standard cystoscopy and associated false-negative biopsy rates have been the driving force for investigating alternative and adjunctive technologies for improved cystoscopy. The aim of our systematic review and meta-analysis was to compare the sensitivity, specificity, and oncologic outcomes of photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) fluorescence, narrow band imaging (NBI), and conventional white light cystoscopy (WLC) in detecting NMIBC. Out of 1,087 studies reviewed, 17 prospective non-randomized and randomized controlled trials met inclusion criteria for the study. We demonstrated that tumor resection with either PDD and NBI exhibited lower recurrence rates and greater diagnostic sensitivity compared to WLC alone. NBI demonstrated superior disease sensitivity and specificity as compared to WLC and an overall greater hierarchical summary receiver operative characteristic. Our findings are consistent with emerging guidelines and underscore the value of integrating these enhanced technologies as a part of the standard care for patients with suspected or confirmed NMIBC.

Background: In the present study, we evaluated the prognostic value of TILs as well their relation with clinicopathological factors in patients affected by HER-2 positive breast cancer. Methods: We evaluated 47 patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma showing an immunohistochemically confirmed (score 3+) amplification of the c-erbB-2 gene for the presence of TILs and categorized in three predefined groups of low (0-10% immune cells in stromal tissue within the tumor), intermediate (11-40%), and high TILs (>40%). Results: Low, intermediate and high TILs were found in 17/47 (36%), 23/47 (49%) and 7/47(15%) cases, respectively. It was found that 6/47 cases treated with adjuvant chemotherapy plus trastuzumab underwent progression of the disease; none of these cases exhibited high TILs. It was found that 12/47 patients with a prognostically unfavorable stage of III and IV showed low and intermediate levels of TILs, while high TILs were never observed. A significant association between intermediate/high-levels of TILs, elevated KI 67 index and hormone receptors nuclear staining was observed. High concordance in TILs distribution was observed between preoperative breast biopsies and surgical samples. Conclusions: We observed a positive correlation between the TILs and the response to both adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatments in HER-2 positive BC. High TILs were also related to increased KI-67 index and to the expression of hormone receptors.