Using the robust design framework and relative abundance to predict the population size of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River.

Several population viability models were constructed to aid recovery in endangered Scaphirhynchus albus, but these models are dependent upon accurate and precise input parameters that are not provided with standard catch per unit effort (CPUE) indices. Nine years of sampling efforts, under the robust design framework, provided 1223 unique captures with an 18·3% recapture rate. The annual population estimates varied from 4·0-7·3 fish rkm-1 for wild and 8·4-18·4 fish rkm-1 for hatchery-reared S. albus. The relationship between abundance (N) and annual trot-line CPUE indices (x = 70.726y + 2·533, R2 = 0·91, P < 0·001) was used to predict an abundance of 13 616 ± 7142 s.e. S. albus in the lower Missouri River. The use of small-scale intensive sampling to develop a relationship with relative abundance indices reported here, may provide a framework for other fisheries management applications where large-scale intensive sampling is not feasible, but catch data are available.

The relationship of VEGF polymorphisms with serum VEGF levels and progression-free survival in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability of tumors. In the present study we evaluated the relation of five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the VEGF gene with progression-free survival. Furthermore, we evaluated the functional significance of the SNPs as determined by the influence on serum VEGF levels in ovarian cancer. METHODS: Serum from 143 consecutive ovarian cancer patients referred for first line platinum/paclitaxel treatment were analyzed for serum VEGF levels using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). VEGF gene polymorphisms (-2578 C/A, -1154 G/A, -460 T/C, +405 G/C and +936C/T) were determined by real time PCR using genomic DNA extracted from whole blood samples. RESULTS: VEGF serum levels were significantly higher in carriers of the 2578C, 460T and 405C, alleles compared to non-carriers (p=0.003, p=0.003 and p=0.001, respectively). There was no significant correlation between VEGF SNP genotypes and progression-free survival. In haplotype analysis, the multivariate survival analysis showed that progression-free survival (PFS) for the patients with the AGCGC haplotype was significantly improved compared to patients with other haplotypes (HR 1.9, p=0.036). CONCLUSIONS: VEGF polymorphisms were found to be significantly related with serum VEGF levels. The AGCGC haplotype was found to be independently associated with improved PFS.

The predictive value of serum VEGF in multiresistant ovarian cancer patients treated with bevacizumab.

OBJECTIVE: Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), has shown antitumor activity, but so far no biomarkers have been identified to predict outcome. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of bevacizumab in patients with multiresistant ovarian cancer and, furthermore, to investigate the possible predictive value of serum VEGF, VEGFR1-2 and VEGF gene polymorphisms. METHODS: Patients received single-agent bevacizumab 10 mg/kg every 3 weeks. All patients were followed with CA 125 measurements and serum VEGF/VEGFR1-2 levels prior to each cycle. Endpoints were response rate (RR), progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were included. All patients were heavily pre-treated with a median of five prior regimens. The median number of bevacizumab treatments was 4. Overall response rate was 30% according to CA 125 (GCIG criteria). Median PFS was 5.9 months (95% CI, 3.5-9.4) and median OS was 8.6 months (95% CI, 6.6-12.8). The VEGF serum level decreased during treatment in all patients. A low pre-treatment VEGF level was predictive to response. The median value was 540 pg/ml and divided the patients into two groups with a response rate of 60% and 0%, respectively (p=0.0007). The difference translated to a significant difference in PFS (p=0.047) and OS (p=0.01). VEGF gene polymorphisms -2578, -1154, -460, +405, +936 did not reveal any association with response or survival and the same applied to serum VEGFR1-2. CONCLUSIONS: Single agent bevacizumab has activity in ovarian cancer patients. Pre-treatment serum VEGF seems to have predictive value.

Prediction of response to chemotherapy by ERCC1 immunohistochemistry and ERCC1 polymorphism in ovarian cancer.

The response of tumor cells to platinum-based chemotherapy involves DNA repair mechanisms. Excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ercc1) is one of the leading genes involved in DNA repair, and several studies have linked ercc1 to platinum resistance in cell lines and in human cancers. A common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of ercc1 at codon 118 has been proposed to impair ercc1 translation and reduce ERCC1 protein expression and consequently influence the response to platinum-based chemotherapy. The primary aim of the present study was to evaluate ERCC1 expression and ercc1 codon 118 polymorphism in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and their possible predictive value in patients treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 159 patients with advanced EOC were used for immunohistochemistry. Ercc1 codon 118 SNP genotyping was performed by real-time polymerase chain reaction. ERCC1 protein overexpression was found in 37.7% of the tumors. The CA-125 response rate was 94.5% (52/55) in patients with ERCC1-negative tumors compared to 80% (36/45) in patients with ERCC1-positive tumors (P = 0.026, chi(2)). The T/T genotype (44%) signalized a better response to chemotherapy than C/C (15%) + C/T (41%) variants (P = 0.045, trend test). Patients with ERCC1-negative tumors appear to have significantly better response to platinum-based chemotherapy compared to patients with ERCC1-positive tumors, but the differences in response rates did not translate into differences in survival. In addition, the TT genotype seems to be favorable toward better response to platinum-based chemotherapy.

Clopidogrel-Paclitaxel Drug-Drug Interaction: A Pharmacoepidemiologic Study.

Paclitaxel is mainly eliminated by CYP2C8 in the liver. CYP2C8 is strongly inhibited by the clopidogrel metabolite acyl-ß-D-glucuronide. To determine if this interaction has clinical relevance, we identified 48 patients treated with clopidogrel and paclitaxel using databases and a prescription register. Peripheral sensory neuropathy was retrospectively evaluated from medical charts and compared to that of 88 age- and sex-matched controls treated with paclitaxel and low-dose aspirin. By a cumulative dose of 1,500 mg paclitaxel, 35% of the patients had developed severe neuropathy. The overall hazard ratio between clopidogrel use and severe paclitaxel neuropathy was 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 0.9-3.0). Among those receiving a high-dose paclitaxel regimen, the hazard ratio was 2.3 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-4.5). Our study indicates that clopidogrel is associated with a clinically relevant increased risk of neuropathy in patients treated with high-dose paclitaxel.

Cancers take their Toll--the function and regulation of Toll-like receptors in cancer cells.

Cancer could be deemed as an abnormal and uncontrolled tissue repair process. Therefore, it would not be surprising that factors that function in the tissue repair process, such as cytokines, chemokines, growth factors and Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands, as well as growth signals for compensatory proliferation, would also be key factors in regulating and enhancing cancer progression. The TLR pathways, which play a critical role in tissue repair, are also key regulators in cancer progression as well as chemoresistance. TLRs serve as cell surface sensors that can initiate pathways leading to proliferation and chemoresistance; as well as mediators that are able to regulate the infiltrating immune cells to provide further support for cancer progression.

The prognostic importance of cyclooxygenase 2 and HER2 expression in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Both cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2, also called c-erbB-2) overexpression have been related to a worse prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), but the data are conflicting and the percentage of tumors with overexpression varies widely in different studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential prognostic value of COX2 and HER2 expression in EOC. A further purpose was to investigate a possible coexpression of the two markers, and finally, to elucidate the agreement between fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) for evaluation of the HER2 status in EOC. Immunostaining was performed for COX2/HER2 together with FISH analysis for HER2 gene amplification in 160 patients with EOC, FIGO stages IIB-IV. Follow-up was more than 10 years. COX2 overexpression was found in 20.0% of the tumors. With HER2 staining, 64.4% were scored as 0, 24.4% as 1+, 6.9% as 2+, and 4.4% as 3+. Median survival time for COX2-negative tumors was 21.6 versus 36 months for COX2-positive tumors. The longer survival for COX2 positive was significant by both univariate analysis (P= 0.015) and multivariate analysis (P= 0.025). Positive immunostaining for HER2 was associated with poor overall survival (P= 0.03). Agreement between IHC and FISH was seen in all cases (P < 0.0000001). With long-term observation, patients with negative COX2 expression had significantly shorter survival compared to patients with COX2-positive tumors. Positive HER2 expression also notified a grave prognosis, but the low rate of overexpression reduces its potential clinical application.