The Role of Glutathione Transferase Omega-Class Variant Alleles in Individual Susceptibility to Ovarian Cancer.

The tumor microenvironment is affected by reactive oxygen species and has been suggested to have an important role in ovarian cancer (OC) tumorigenesis. The role of glutathione transferases (GSTs) in the maintenance of redox balance is considered as an important contributing factor in cancer, including OC. Furthermore, GSTs are mostly encoded by highly polymorphic genes, which further highlights their potential role in OC, known to originate from accumulated genetic changes. Since the potential relevance of genetic variations in omega-class GSTs (GSTO1 and GSTO2), with somewhat different activities such as thioltransferase and dehydroascorbate reductase activity, has not been clarified as yet in terms of susceptibility to OC, we aimed to investigate whether the presence of different GSTO1 and GSTO2 genetic variants, individually or combined, might represent determinants of risk for OC development. Genotyping was performed in 110 OC patients and 129 matched controls using a PCR-based assay for genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms. The results of our study show that homozygous carriers of the GSTO2 variant G allele are at an increased risk of OC development in comparison to the carriers of the referent genotype (OR1 = 2.16, 95% CI: 0.88-5.26, p = 0.08; OR2 = 2.49, 95% CI: 0.93-6.61, p = 0.06). Furthermore, individuals with GST omega haplotype H2, meaning the concomitant presence of the GSTO1*A and GSTO2*G alleles, are more susceptible to OC development, while carriers of the H4 (*A*A) haplotype exhibited lower risk of OC when crude and adjusted haplotype analysis was performed (OR1 = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.12-0.70; p = 0.007 and OR2 = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.11-0.67; p = 0.0054). Overall, our results suggest that GSTO locus variants may confer OC risk.

Results of an interlaboratory comparison for characterization of Pt nanoparticles using single-particle ICP-TOFMS.

This study describes an interlaboratory comparison (ILC) among nine (9) laboratories to evaluate and validate the standard operation procedure (SOP) for single-particle (sp) ICP-TOFMS developed within the context of the Horizon 2020 project ACEnano. The ILC was based on the characterization of two different Pt nanoparticle (NP) suspensions in terms of particle mass, particle number concentration, and isotopic composition. The two Pt NP suspensions were measured using icpTOF instruments (TOFWERK AG, Switzerland). Two Pt NP samples were characterized and mass equivalent spherical sizes (MESSs) of 40.4 ± 7 nm and 58.8 ± 8 nm were obtained, respectively. MESSs showed <16% relative standard deviation (RSD) among all participating labs and <4% RSD after exclusion of the two outliers. A good agreement was achieved between the different participating laboratories regarding particle mass, but the particle number concentration results were more scattered, with <53% RSD among all laboratories, which is consistent with results from previous ILC studies conducted using ICP-MS instrumentation equipped with a sequential mass spectrometer. Additionally, the capabilities of sp-ICP-TOFMS to determine masses on a particle basis are discussed with respect to the potential for particle density determination. Finally, because quasi-simultaneous multi-isotope and multi-element determinations are a strength of ICP-TOFMS instrumentation, the precision and trueness of isotope ratio determinations were assessed. The average of 1000 measured particles yielded a precision of below ±1% for intensity ratios of the most abundant Pt isotopes, i.e.194Pt and 195Pt, while the accuracy of isotope ratios with the lower abundant isotopes was limited by counting statistics.

Correction: Peters et al. Benchmarking the ACEnano Toolbox for Characterisation of Nanoparticle Size and Concentration by Interlaboratory Comparison. Molecules 2021, 26, 5315.

Due to miscommunication a number of potential co-authors were not listed in the original publication [...].

Versailles project on advanced materials and standards (VAMAS) interlaboratory study on measuring the number concentration of colloidal gold nanoparticles.

We describe the outcome of a large international interlaboratory study of the measurement of particle number concentration of colloidal nanoparticles, project 10 of the technical working area 34, "Nanoparticle Populations" of the Versailles Project on Advanced Materials and Standards (VAMAS). A total of 50 laboratories delivered results for the number concentration of 30 nm gold colloidal nanoparticles measured using particle tracking analysis (PTA), single particle inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (spICP-MS), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) light spectroscopy, centrifugal liquid sedimentation (CLS) and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The study provides quantitative data to evaluate the repeatability of these methods and their reproducibility in the measurement of number concentration of model nanoparticle systems following a common measurement protocol. We find that the population-averaging methods of SAXS, CLS and UV-Vis have high measurement repeatability and reproducibility, with between-labs variability of 2.6%, 11% and 1.4% respectively. However, results may be significantly biased for reasons including inaccurate material properties whose values are used to compute the number concentration. Particle-counting method results are less reproducibile than population-averaging methods, with measured between-labs variability of 68% and 46% for PTA and spICP-MS respectively. This study provides the stakeholder community with important comparative data to underpin measurement reproducibility and method validation for number concentration of nanoparticles.

Benchmarking the ACEnano Toolbox for Characterisation of Nanoparticle Size and Concentration by Interlaboratory Comparisons.

ACEnano is an EU-funded project which aims at developing, optimising and validating methods for the detection and characterisation of nanomaterials (NMs) in increasingly complex matrices to improve confidence in the results and support their use in regulation. Within this project, several interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) for the determination of particle size and concentration have been organised to benchmark existing analytical methods. In this paper the results of a number of these ILCs for the characterisation of NMs are presented and discussed. The results of the analyses of pristine well-defined particles such as 60 nm Au NMs in a simple aqueous suspension showed that laboratories are well capable of determining the sizes of these particles. The analysis of particles in complex matrices or formulations such as consumer products resulted in larger variations in particle sizes within technologies and clear differences in capability between techniques. Sunscreen lotion sample analysis by laboratories using spICP-MS and TEM/SEM identified and confirmed the TiO2 particles as being nanoscale and compliant with the EU definition of an NM for regulatory purposes. In a toothpaste sample orthogonal results by PTA, spICP-MS and TEM/SEM agreed and stated the TiO2 particles as not fitting the EU definition of an NM. In general, from the results of these ILCs we conclude that laboratories are well capable of determining particle sizes of NM, even in fairly complex formulations.

Prognostic factors and outcomes of cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy in patients with advanced ovarian cancer - A single tertiary institution experience.

PURPOSE: Ovarian cancer (OC) ranks fifth in mortality among females cancer patients. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) have radically changed the treatment of OC. The aim of this study was to evaluate overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in our patient population after the application of combined CRS and HIPEC treatment. METHODS: The study included patients who met defined inclusion and exclusion criteria and had undergone CRS of peritoneal carcinomatosis from 2006 to 2011. Tumor extension was intraoperatively calculated using peritoneal cancer index (PCI). After CRS had been performed, selected patients underwent closed HIPEC. Assessment of successful surgery was estimated with the completeness of cytoreduction score. RESULTS: The study involved 31 patients. The median DFS was 19 months. The DFS for 1 and 2-year period were 69.2 and 35.2%, respectively. The mean OS was 51 months. The 1-, 2- and 5-year OS was 85.4, 63.3 and 56.3%, respectively. PCI ranged from 1 to 24 and the majority (77.4%) of the patients had PCI score below 13. The most frequent carcinomatosis was observed in the omentum (80.6%), followed by adnexae (61.3%), uterus (58.1%), colon (58.1%). spleen (25.8%), diaphragm (25.8%), small intestine (19.4%), bursa omentalis 19.4, liver (9.7%), and pancreas (3.2%). CONCLUSION: The results of the current study are in concordance with the literature which clearly favors combined the CRS and HIPEC treatment. The reported data suggest that this method could be successfully applied in our region and outline the necessity of future multicentric studies that will involve major regional hospitals.