Defining the Molecular Basis of Tumor Metabolism: a Continuing Challenge Since Warburg's Discovery

Cancer cells are the product of genetic disorders that alter crucial intracellular signaling pathways associated with the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, differentiation and death mechanisms. the role of oncogene activation and tumor suppressor inhibition in the onset of cancer is well established. Traditional antitumor therapies target specific molecules, the action/expression of which is altered in cancer cells. However, since the physiology of normal cells involves the same signaling pathways that are disturbed in cancer cells, targeted therapies have to deal with side effects and multidrug resistance, the main causes of therapy failure. Since the pioneering work of Otto Warburg, over 80 years ago, the subversion of normal metabolism displayed by cancer cells has been highlighted by many studies. Recently, the study of tumor metabolism has received much attention because metabolic transformation is a crucial cancer hallmark and a direct consequence of disturbances in the activities of oncogenes and tumor suppressors. in this review we discuss tumor metabolism from the molecular perspective of oncogenes, tumor suppressors and protein signaling pathways relevant to metabolic transformation and tumorigenesis. We also identify the principal unanswered questions surrounding this issue and the attempts to relate these to their potential for future cancer treatment. As will be made clear, tumor metabolism is still only partly understood and the metabolic aspects of transformation constitute a major challenge for science. Nevertheless, cancer metabolism can be exploited to devise novel avenues for the rational treatment of this disease. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, BaselFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Fed ABC UFABC, CCNH, Santo Andre, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ciencias Biol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Carlos UFSCar, DFQM, Sorocaba, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Ciencias Biol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Bioquim, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 10/16050-9FAPESP: 10/11475-1FAPESP: 08/51116-0Web of Scienc

Using the posterior distribution of deviance to measure evidence of association for rare susceptibility variants

Aitkin recently proposed an integrated Bayesian/likelihood approach that he claims is general and simple. We have applied this method, which does not rely on informative prior probabilities or large-sample results, to investigate the evidence of association between disease and the 16 variants in the KDR gene provided by Genetic Analysis Workshop 17. Based on the likelihood of logistic regression models and considering noninformative uniform prior probabilities on the coefficients of the explanatory variables, we used a random walk Metropolis algorithm to simulate the distributions of deviance and deviance difference. The distribution of probability values and the distribution of the proportions of positive deviance differences showed different locations, but the direction of the shift depended on the genetic factor. For the variant with the highest minor allele frequency and for any rare variant, standard logistic regression showed a higher power than the novel approach. For the two variants with the strongest effects on Q1 under a type I error rate of 1%, the integrated approach showed a higher power than standard logistic regression. The advantages and limitations of the integrated Bayesian/likelihood approach should be investigated using additional regions and considering alternative regression models and collapsing methods

Infusion fluids contain harmful glucose degradation products

PURPOSE: Glucose degradation products (GDPs) are precursors of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that cause cellular damage and inflammation. We examined the content of GDPs in commercially available glucose-containing infusion fluids and investigated whether GDPs are found in patients' blood. METHODS: The content of GDPs was examined in infusion fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. To investigate whether GDPs also are found in patients, we included 11 patients who received glucose fluids (standard group) during and after their surgery and 11 control patients receiving buffered saline (control group). Blood samples were analyzed for GDP content and carboxymethyllysine (CML), as a measure of AGE formation. The influence of heat-sterilized fluids on cell viability and cell function upon infection was investigated. RESULTS: All investigated fluids contained high concentrations of GDPs, such as 3-deoxyglucosone (3-DG). Serum concentration of 3-DG increased rapidly by a factor of eight in patients receiving standard therapy. Serum CML levels increased significantly and showed linear correlation with the amount of infused 3-DG. There was no increase in serum 3-DG or CML concentrations in the control group. The concentration of GDPs in most of the tested fluids damaged neutrophils, reducing their cytokine secretion, and inhibited microbial killing. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that normal standard fluid therapy involves unwanted infusion of GDPs. Reduction of the content of GDPs in commonly used infusion fluids may improve cell function, and possibly also organ function, in intensive-care patients

The role of population movement in the epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis in Brazil: a preliminary typology of population movement

This paper examines recent developments in migration studies. It reviews literature related to the potential role of internal population movement in the occurrence of schistosomiasis in Brazil and modifies Prothero's typology of population movement for use in Brazil. This modified classification system may contribute to a better understanding of schistosome transmission as well as improved research and control programs. The results of this study indicate that population movement in Brazil primarily involves economically-motivated rural-urban and interregional movement. However, several movement patterns have become increasingly important in recent years as a result of changing socioeconomic and urbanisation dynamics. These patterns include urban-urban, intracity and urban-rural movement as well as the movement of environmental refugees and tourists. Little is known about the epidemiological significance of these patterns. This paper also highlights the role of social networks in the decision to migrate and to settle. Prothero's classic population movement typology categorises movement as either one-way migrations or circulations and examines them along spatial and temporal scales. However, the typology must be modified as epidemiological information about new patterns becomes available. This paper identifies areas that require further research and offers recommendations that can improve the measurement and spatial analysis of the relationship between population movement and schistosomiasis

Somatic and cognitive-affective depressive symptoms among patients with heart disease: differences by sex and age

OBJECTIVE: this study investigated the association of somatic and cognitive-affective symptoms with sex and age, among patients hospitalized with heart disease. METHOD: this study was a secondary analysis of two previous observational studies totaling 531 patients with heart disease, hospitalized from 2005 to 2011 in two public hospitals in Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Somatic and cognitive-affective symptoms were assessed using the subscales of the Beck Depression Inventory - I (BDI-I). RESULTS: of 531 participants, 62.7% were male, with a mean age 57.3 years (SD= 13.0) for males and 56.2 years (SD= 12.1) for females. Analyses of variance showed an effect of sex (p<0.001 for somatic and p=0.005 for cognitive-affective symptoms), but no effect of age. Women presented with higher mean values than men in both BDI-I subscales: 7.1 (4.5) vs. 5.4 (4.3) for somatic, and 8.3 (7.9) vs. 6.7 (7.2) for cognitive-affective symptoms. There were no differences by age for somatic (p=0.84) or cognitive-affective symptoms (p=0.84). CONCLUSION: women hospitalized with heart disease had more somatic and cognitive-affective symptoms than men. We found no association of somatic and cognitive-affective symptoms with age. Future research for these patients could reveal whether these differences according to sex continue throughout the rehabilitation process