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Abstract Background Cell line models have proven to be effective tools to investigate a variety of ovarian cancer features. Due to the limited number of cell lines, particularly of the serous subtype, the heterogeneity of the disease, and the lack of cell lines that model disease progression, there is a need to further develop cell line resources available for research. This study describes nine cell lines derived from three ovarian cancer cases that were established at initial diagnosis and at subsequent relapse after chemotherapy. Methods The cell lines from three women diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (1369, 2295 and 3133) were derived from solid tumor (TOV) and ascites (OV), at specific time points at diagnosis and relapse (R). Primary treatment was a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin (1369, 3133), or cisplatin/topotecan (2295). Second line treatment included doxorubicin, gemcitabine and topotecan. In addition to molecular characterization (p53, HER2), the cell lines were characterized based on cell growth characteristics including spheroid growth, migration potential, and anchorage independence. The in vivo tumorigenicity potential of the cell lines was measured. Response to paclitaxel and carboplatin was assessed using a clonogenic assay. Results All cell lines had either a nonsense or missense TP53 mutations. The ability to form compact spheroids or aggregates was observed in six of nine cell lines. Limited ability for migration and anchorage independence was observed. The OV3133(R) cell line, formed tumors at subcutaneous sites in SCID mice. Based on IC50 values and dose response curves, there was clear evidence of acquired resistance to carboplatin for TOV2295(R) and OV2295(R2) cell lines. Conclusion The study identified nine new high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines, derived before and after chemotherapy that provides a unique resource for investigating the evolution of this common histopathological subtype of ovarian cancer.

Bootstrap systematic approach was utilized to effectively assess factors related to medical decision and patients' reaction to medical treatment. Bootstrap approach employs a computationally systematic method of sampling, in which a series of samples are drawn from available data. It is specifically of great importance in creating confidence intervals for cost-effectiveness or cost-utility study.

This study deals with the process of introducing total quality programmes in two metallurgical industry firms in which managers, unions representatives and workers actively participated through a network in which alliances were made by translating the interests of each party. The emergence of this network is put into context by considering workers' gains and losses. Based on the actor-network theory of innovation, the article describes the intentional creation and diffusion of innovation through cooperation and the resistance that took shape among certain groups of workers in each plant. The workers opposed to the network must have a high degree of autonomy in relation to the joint strategy of regulating the innovation process so that they can impose their conditions for integration into the network There is a strong association between the role of the trade union in the innovation process and the achievement of cooperation at the shopfloor level, but resistance gives way to another intermediary figure -- the work group -- which resists enrolling in the collective project. KEY WORDS actor-network theory * cooperation * innovation * process * resistance * total quality management * union-management joint committee

BTN3A2/BT3.2 butyrophilin mRNA expression by tumoral cells was previously identified as a prognostic factor in a small cohort of high grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer (HG-EOC). Here, we evaluated the prognostic value of BT3.2 at the protein level in specimen from 199 HG-EOC patients. As the only known role of butyrophilin proteins is in immune regulation, we evaluated the association between BT3.2 expression and intratumoral infiltration of immune cells by immunohistochemistry with specific antibodies against BT3.2, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68 and CD206. Epithelial BT3.2 expression was significantly associated with longer overall survival and lower risk of disease progression (HR = 0.651, p = 0.006 and HR = 0.642, p = 0.002, respectively) and significantly associated with a higher density of infiltrating T cells, particularly CD4+ cells (0.272, p<0.001). We also observed a strong association between the relative density of CD206+ cells, as evaluated by the ratio of intratumoral CD206+/CD68+ expression, and risk of disease progression (HR = 1.355 p = 0.044, respectively). In conclusion, BT3.2 protein is a potential prognostic biomarker for the identification of HG-EOC patients with better outcome. In contrast, high CD206+/CD68+ expression is associated with high risk of disease progression. While the role of BT3.2 is still unknown, our result suggest that BT3.2 expression by epithelial cells may modulates the intratumoral infiltration of immune cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cell line models have proven to be effective tools to investigate a variety of ovarian cancer features. Due to the limited number of cell lines, particularly of the serous subtype, the heterogeneity of the disease, and the lack of cell lines that model disease progression, there is a need to further develop cell line resources available for research. This study describes nine cell lines derived from three ovarian cancer cases that were established at initial diagnosis and at subsequent relapse after chemotherapy. Methods: The cell lines from three women diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (1369, 2295 and 3133) were derived from solid tumor (TOV) and ascites (OV), at specific time points at diagnosis and relapse (R). Primary treatment was a combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin (1369, 3133), or cisplatin/topotecan (2295). Second line treatment included doxorubicin, gemcitabine and topotecan. In addition to molecular characterization (p53, HER2), the cell lines were characterized based on cell growth characteristics including spheroid growth, migration potential, and anchorage independence. The in vivo tumorigenicity potential of the cell lines was measured. Response to paclitaxel and carboplatin was assessed using a clonogenic assay. Results: All cell lines had either a nonsense or missense TP53 mutations. The ability to form compact spheroids or aggregates was observed in six of nine cell lines. Limited ability for migration and anchorage independence was observed. The OV3133(R) cell line, formed tumors at subcutaneous sites in SCID mice. Based on IC50 values and dose response curves, there was clear evidence of acquired resistance to carboplatin for TOV2295(R) and OV2295 (R2) cell lines. Conclusion: The study identified nine new high-grade serous ovarian cancer cell lines, derived before and after chemotherapy that provides a unique resource for investigating the evolution of this common histopathological subtype of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North American Soil Geochemical Landscape Project (NASGLP) was born out of the need for geochemical background data for health and environmental reasons and was initiated by the geological surveys of Canada, the USA, and Mexico. The New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Geological Surveys, together with Environment Canada Atlantic (ECA), proposed to make the Maritimes a showcase of the NASGLP with sampling to be started and completed in 2007. The Tri-National survey will be linked to the National Forest Inventory (a Natural Resources Canada initiative). The final database will be accessible via the National Land and Water Information Service which is presently managed by Agriculture and Agrifood Canada (AAFC). In an effort to ensure quality control and consistency in field methodologies, a field training session was organized in the Fredericton area in early June. Staff from AAFC, the United States Geological Survey, NBDNR, the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), and ECA participated; the first Maritime Soil Project (MSP) sites were sampled. In total, 116 sites were sampled in New Brunswick; at each site, 19 samples were collected for 7 different agencies (including Health Canada, Environment Canada, GSC, NRCanForestry, ECAtlantic, USDHS, and NBDNR's Geological Surveys Branch). Analytical results are pending and will be tied in to existing databases. To facilitate this, an additional (till) sample was collected at each site. The soil types in New Brunswick are mainly podsols (100 out of 116 sites) with a lesser amount of luvisols (4) and brunisols (6), and locally gleysols (6). Although most soils were developed in till, a few were formed in other parent materials such as (glacio-)fluvial, glacio-lacustrine, and colluvium. Health Canada's Radiation Protection Bureau requested that a soil Radon survey be included in the project and the GSC supported this request with a ground radiometric and soil permeability survey as well as on-the-job training. It was found that most areas of New Brunswick show moderate to high risk potential (by EPA and Health Canada standards) for radon. A local follow-up study in the Fredericton area showed that outdoor and indoor radon measurements do not correlate well. This study and a similar study in the Ottawa area indicate that indoor radon risk is more directly related to type and age of the dwelling. Also, composite samples were collected from all sites for analysis of eco-toxicological compounds at Environment Canada's Moncton laboratory. The resulting database will testify to some of the visionary work during the initial stages of the project. Further evaluation of field procedures, "add-on" modules that were relatively simple to incorporate in a Maritime context, and archived sample material for future use, form part of the heritage of the MSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are several studies documenting that organosulfur compounds show promise as anticancer agents. Although some mechanisms of the antiproliferative activity of naturally occurring organosulfur compounds have been elucidated, few studies have reported the differential response of human breast cells to these compounds., Materials and Methods: The effect of the synthetic sulfonate ester, p-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate on growth inhibitory activity depending upon the estrogen-receptor (ER), p53, bcl-2 and caspase-3 status of cells was investigated by comparing its effects on three distinct human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-453) and on one normal human mammary epithelial cell line (MCF-10A)., Results: This sulfonate ester selectively killed cancer cells at doses of 100 microM. Flow cytometry analysis showed that treatment with p-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate caused different cell cycle responses in the four cell lines but no clear association with p53 status was observed. Apoptosis was also induced in cells harboring different levels of Bcl-2 expression, but again independently of the p53 or ER status of the cells., Conclusion: These results suggest that p-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate acts on multiple signaling pathways leading to growth inhibition and activation of mechanisms of cell death selectively affecting survival of breast cancer cells. Thus, p-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate is the first member of a new class of tumor-specific chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer.

Background: It has been well documented that some organosulfur compounds (OACs) show promise as anticancer agents., Materials and Methods: The growth inhibitory effects of six novel different synthetic sulfonate esters was evaluated on cancerous (MCF-7) and non-cancerous (MCF-10A) human breast epithelial cells., Results: We found that the most active compounds against MCF-7 breast cancer cells had a common structure of p-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate with the methoxy substituent shifted from position 4 (22) to 2 (22o) or to 3 (22m). 3-Methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate (22m) showed the lowest IC50 value (89.83 microM) on breast cancer cells but was also very active on non-cancerous MCF-10A cells (IC50 value of 53.96 microM). We found that compound 22 caused a greater degree of cell cycle arrest and induced apoptosis in cancerous MCF-7 cells compared with normal breast epithelial MCF-10A cells. However, compound 22m, was less selective by significantly arresting normal cells at G2/M-phase followed by a weak induction of apoptosis., Conclusion: P-methoxyphenyl p-toluenesulfonate (22) appeared to be a more selective inhibitor of the growth of human breast cancer cells. Taken together, these results show that synthetic OSC compounds evaluated in this study can be effective antineoplastic agents and are worthy of further investigation.