Effect of Indolic-Amide Melatonin on Blood Cell Population: A Biophysical Gaussian Statistical Analysis.

The problem of the correlation of indolic molecules with special regard to melatonin and immune processes has been widely investigated. However, there are only few studies focusing on circadian variation of peripheral blood leukocytes. The purpose of this study is thus to understand the influence of MLT on leukocyte populations and its correlation with leukocyte distribution. This is accomplished by administrating placebo and melatonin to different groups of individuals and by performing a biophysical Gaussian analysis on the number of leukocytes by means of a comparison of their p.m. vs. a.m. variations under the effect of placebo and of melatonin and via a comparison in the morning between leukocytes population of untreated group and MLT group. It is shown that: (a) melatonin has the effect of narrowing the normal distribution concentrating most of the individuals towards the mean value of the observed variation of leukocytes population and (b) the individuals who have not received either placebo or supplement have a leukocyte population that follows a normal distribution. These results confirm the crucial role played by melatonin, as the most representative of indolic amide in biological systems, in the circadian peripheral variations of leukocyte numbers because counts of white blood cells are essential in medical urgency and differential diagnosis situations. Hence, further studies are suggested to account for these physiological variations and for the evaluation of the full involvement of the action of MLT on leukocytes distribution.

Benign adenomyoepitelioma of the breast: Presentation of two rare cases and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast is a rare benign breast neoplasm with a particular behaviour. PRESENTATION OF CASES: We report two cases of adenomyoepithelioma of the breast in two old female patients, diagnosed over a period of 5 years. The clinical presentation, the radiological and the histopathologic findings are discussed. DISCUSSION: Adenomyoepithelioma of the breast is characterized by the proliferation of both epithelial and myoepithelial cells belonging to the breast lobules and ducts. The imaging features are not pathognomonic and FNAB is usually not diagnostic. The morphologic appearance of this tumor varies, and it has to be considered in the differential diagnosis with other breast tumors. Although benign, adenomyoepithelioma has a potential for local recurrence, and malignant transformation is possible; therefore, wide excision is recommended to lower the recurrence rate. CONCLUSION: The rarity of this histological type and the finding of two cases in a relatively short period makes this case report unique.

Breast tuberculosis cases rising in Sicily.

INTRODUCTION: Our work has been reported in line with the SCARE criteria [21]. Mammary tuberculosis (TM) is an extremely rare condition (Khanna et al., 2000 [1]). It has been estimated to be 0.1% of breast lesions examined histologically, but it reaches 3-4% in countries such as India and Africa where the disease shows a high incidence. This disease can present a diagnostic problem in radiological and microbiological investigations, and thus extreme caution is necessary. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 26 year-old Eritrean female with a personal history of HIV infection came to our Emergency Department showing generalized limphoadenopathy and weakness in addition to a huge right breast mass. Our examination revealed a tender mass measuring 12 × 10 cm that involved all right breast. Her skin was not erythematous and local temperature was normal. She was painless. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) showed a milky and greenish shaded fluid. CONCLUSIONS: Nowadays the differential diagnosis between breast cancer and breast tuberculosis is very important, mostly in Italy and in particular in Sicily, where the massive influx of immigrants has compelled physicians to reconsider the presence of !tuberculosis.

Contralateral lymph node metastasis in a woman with new primary breast cancer: Systemic desease or locoregional diffusion?

INTRODUCTION: Contralateral axillary lymph node metastases (CAMs) in patients with breast cancer are rare (Daoud et al., 1998); however, CAMs may be already detected at the time of primary breast cancer diagnosis (synchronous CAM) or after a previous treatment of breast cancer as a recurrence if not as an ipsilateral breast recurrence (IBR) (metasynchronous CAM) (Zhou and Richir, 2013). The involvement of the contralateral axilla could be caused by a systemic disease (stage IV), a regional metastasis from a new occult primary tumor (T0N1, stage II) or a breast cancer recurrence It may also arise from a locally advanced disease in a patient who has suffered from a primary breast cancer. PRESENTATION OF CASE: This report focuses on the case of a 50-year-old woman who has developed a new primary breast cancer, breast skin invasion and CAMs. DISCUSSION: We intend to show that an altered lymphatic drainage may result from CAMs; in fact, patients who have previously undergone axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) are more likely to develop contralateral lymph drainage (Maaskant-Braat et al., 2013). CONCLUSION: Along with that, we want to support the theory that CAMs should be treated with curative intent rather than as a stage IV disease, as we believe that CAMs are due to a locoregional extension of the disease.

Effects of physical activity on systemic oxidative/DNA status in breast cancer survivors.

Physical activity offers a paradoxical hormetic effect and a health benefit to cancer survivors; however, the biochemical mechanisms have not been entirely elucidated. Despite the well-documented evidence implicating oxidative stress in breast cancer, the association between health benefits and redox status has not been investigated in survivors who participate in dragon boating. The present study investigated the plasmatic systemic oxidative status (SOS) in breast cancer survivors involved in two distinct physical training exercises. A total of 75 breast cancer survivors were allocated to one of three groups: Control (resting), dragon boat racing and walking group; the latter is a type of aerobic conditioning exercise often advised to cancer patients. Various biochemical oxidative stress markers were examined, including oxidant status (hydroperoxide levels, lipid oxidation) and antioxidant status (enzymatic activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione levels and antioxidant capability). In addition, the individual DNA fragmentation and DNA repair capability of nucleotide excision repair (NER) systems were examined by comet assays. According to the results, all patients exhibited high levels of oxidative stress. Physical activity maintained this oxidative stress condition but simultaneously had a positive influence on the antioxidant component of the SOS, particularly in the dragon boat racing group. DNA fragmentation, according to the levels of single- and double-strand breaks, were within the normal range in the two survivor groups that were involved in training activities. Radiation-induced damage was not completely recognised or repaired by NER systems in any of the patients, probably leading to radiosensitivity and/or susceptibility of patients to cancer. These findings suggest that physical activity, particularly dragon boat racing, that modulates SOS and DNA repair capability could represent a strategy for enhancing the quality of life and improving the long-term health benefits for breast cancer survivors.

[Stromal tumors of the small intestine: personal experience and review of the literature]. / I tumori stromali dell'intestino tenue. Esperienza personale e revisione della letteratura.

Malignant gastointestinal stromal tumors (M-GIST) are rare mesenchymal tumors that arise in the wall of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Small intestinal GIST account for approximately 35% of all GIST the diagnosis of these tumors is difficult to establish, because the symptoms are vague and non-specific and traditional endoscopy is commonly unsatisfactory. Because of the infrequent nature of malignant small bowel tumors, the natural history and factors affecting outcome remain poorly defined; stage at presentation and complete surgical resection seem to be the main prognostic factors. For these rare tumors, surgery remains the treatment of choice, with little efficacy reported for irradiation, chemiotherapy, or both. Two cases of GIST of the jejunum, complicated by intestinal bleeding and intestinal obstruction respectively, are presented and a review of the literature is made.

Genomic analysis: toward a new approach in breast cancer management.

Breast cancer is a clinically heterogeneous and complex disease that can affect differently individuals with seemingly identical clinicopathologic parameters. This heterogeneity is strictly linked to individuals and tumors genetic variability. Currently, the development of high-throughput technologies are proving novel tools to tackle this complexity. By DNA microarray technology, genomic analysis has been used successfully for breast carcinomas stratification into molecular subgroups with relevant implications for clinical outcomes, and detection of prognostic/treatment predictive signatures. Indeed, DNA microarray has rapidly improved becoming a powerful diagnostic tool. Information derived from these assays allows clinicians to estimate the risk for distant recurrence, and predict accurately which patients are likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy. This review will describe the state-of-the-art of genomic analysis in breast cancer and introduce the clinicians to a genomic approach to cancer management, illustrating how it can help in defying a better diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic treatment.

Nectin like-5 overexpression correlates with the malignant phenotype in cutaneous melanoma.

NECL-5 is involved in regulating cell-cell junctions, in cooperation with cadherins, integrins and platelet-derived growth factor receptor, that are essential for intercellular communication. Its role in malignant transformation was previously described. It has been reported that transformation of melanocytes is associated with altered expression of adhesion molecules suggesting the potential involment of NECL-5 in melanoma development and prognosis. To shed light on this issue, the expression and the role of NECL-5 in melanoma tissues was investigated by bioinformatic and molecular approaches. NECL-5 was up-regulated both at the mRNA and the protein levels in WM35, M14 and A375 cell lines compared with normal melanocytes. A subsequent analysis in primary and metastatic melanoma specimens confirmed "in vitro" findings. NECL-5 overexpression was observed in 53 of 59 (89.8%) and 12 of 12 (100%), primary melanoma and melanoma metastasis, respectively; while, low expression of NECL-5 was detected in 12 of 20 (60%) benign nevi. A significant correlation of NECL-5 overexpression was observed with most of known negative melanoma prognostic factors, including lymph-node involvement (P = 0.009) and thickness (P = 0.004). Intriguingly, by analyzing the large series of melanoma samples in the Xu dataset, we identified the transcription factor YY1 among genes positively correlated with NECL-5 (r = 0.5). The concordant computational and experimental data of the present study indicate that the extent of NECL-5 expression correlates with melanoma progression.