Circulating soluble Fas levels and risk of ovarian cancer

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of apoptosis, specifically overexpression of soluble Fas (sFas), has been proposed to play a role in the development of ovarian cancer. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate serum sFas as a potential biomarker of ovarian cancer risk. METHODS: The association between serum sFas levels and the risk of ovarian cancer was examined in a case-control study nested within three prospective cohorts in New York (USA), Umeå (Sweden), and Milan (Italy). Case subjects were 138 women with primary invasive epithelial ovarian cancer diagnosed between 2 months and 13.2 years after the initial blood donation. Control subjects were 263 women who were free of cancer, and matched the case on cohort, menopausal status, age, and enrollment date. Serum sFas levels were determined using a quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: Serum sFas levels were similar in women subsequently diagnosed with ovarian cancer (median, 6.5 ng/mL; range, 4.4 – 10.2) and in controls (median, 6.8 ng/mL; range, 4.5 – 10.1). Statistically significant trends of increasing serum sFas with age were observed among cases (r = 0.39, p < 0.0001) and controls (r = 0.42, p < 0.0001). Compared to women in the lowest third, women in the highest third of serum sFas were not at increased risk of ovarian cancer after adjustment for potential confounders (odd ratio (OR), 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.42 – 1.82). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that serum sFas may not be a suitable marker for identification of women at increased risk of ovarian cancer

Apoptosis induction in Jurkat cells and sCD95 levels in women's sera are related with the risk of developing cervical cancer

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Currently, there is clear evidence that apoptosis plays an important role in the development and progression of tumors. One of the best characterized apoptosis triggering systems is the CD95/Fas/APO-1 pathway; previous reports have demonstrated high levels of soluble CD95 (sCD95) in serum of patients with some types of cancer. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. As a first step in an attempt to design a minimally invasive test to predict the risk of developing cervical cancer in patients with precancerous lesions, we used a simple assay based on the capacity of human serum to induce apoptosis in Jurkat cells. We evaluated the relationship between sCD95 levels and the ability to induce apoptosis in Jurkat cells in cervical cancer patients and controls.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Jurkat cells were exposed to serum from 63 women (20 healthy volunteers, 21 with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade I [CIN 1] and 22 with cervical-uterine carcinoma). The apoptotic rate was measured by flow cytometry using Annexin-V-Fluos and Propidium Iodide as markers. Serum levels of sCD95 and soluble CD95 ligand (sCD95L) were measured by ELISA kits.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that serum from almost all healthy women induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells, while only fifty percent of the sera from women with CIN 1 induced cell death in Jurkat cells. Interestingly, only one serum sample from a patient with cervical-uterine cancer was able to induce apoptosis, the rest of the sera protected Jurkat cells from this killing. We were able to demonstrate that elimination of Jurkat cells was mediated by the CD95/Fas/Apo-1 apoptotic pathway. Furthermore, the serum levels of sCD95 measured by ELISA were significantly higher in women with cervical cancer.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between low levels of sCD95 in serum of normal women and higher apoptosis induction in Jurkat cells. We suggest that an analysis of the apoptotic rate induced by serum in Jurkat cells and the levels of sCD95 in serum could be helpful during the prognosis and treatment of women detected with precancerous lesions or cervical cancer.</p

Antoine Sohier (1885-1963). Un cas exemplaire de la magistrature coloniale ?

Par l’approche biographique du magistrat colonial belge Antoine Sohier, l'exposé revient sur les questions soulevées par le projet de recherche Belgafrican Magistrates Social Networks (2014-2018). D’abord, les contours du profil collectif des magistrats coloniaux belges, étudiés par le biais de trois revues juridiques coloniales, y seront dressés. Ce sera l’occasion d’évoquer les forces et les faiblesses des méthodes utilisées : la prosopographie, la Social Networks Analysis et les Periodical Studies. Ensuite, l’inscription d’A. Sohier au sein des réseaux coloniaux belges sera évoquée. Enfin, deux questions qui occupent actuellement Romain Landmeters seront approfondies. D’une part, que disent les sources étudiées du juge colonial et quelle est l’expérience d’Antoine Sohier dans cette fonction ? D’autre part, quel usage ont fait A. Sohier et ses collègues de l’ethnologie dans le développement du droit coutumier congolais

Prévenir la "radicalisation" des jeunes. Une politique de mise au travail des subjectivités ?

Le jeudi 7 mai 2020 de 12h à 13h c’est François Rinschbergh, doctorant FNRS (fond Fresh) au Centre de recherches et d'interventions sociologiques (CESIR) depuis janvier 2019, qui fera une intervention intitulée "Prévenir la « radicalisation » des jeunes. Une politique de mise au travail des subjectivités ?" Après sa participation à une recherche collective portant sur les politiques et acteurs culturels et créatifs de Bruxelles (projet Innoviris 2015-2018), il travaille depuis maintenant un an à une recherche doctorale centrée sur l'imaginaire et les effets des politiques de prévention de la radicalisation. Plus précisément, il enquête sur les animations de « prévention primaire » qui mobilisent des acteurs de première ligne issus du champ associatif, socioculturel, artistique... Des dispositifs de sensibilisation tels que des ateliers-théâtre, des espaces d’échanges et de débats ou encore, de témoignages et récits de vie sont ainsi mis en place dans le cadre de cette politique qui – travaillant à susciter l’expressivité de jeunes envisagés comme courant un risque potentiel de radicalisation – semblent opérer un « tournant subjectiviste » (Cantelli & Genard, 2007) inédit. C'est ce tournant qui sera questionné ici à travers la description d'un premier terrain d'observation mené aux mois de mai et juin derniers au sein des Institutions publiques de protection de la jeunesse (IPPJ)