We postulate BNP is an important regulator of myometrial contractility during pregnancy, and its production is modulated by both stretch and progressive increase in EGF levels during pregnancy.”
“Objective: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells with CD44 and CK19 coexpression may represent a subset of ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs). This study was conducted to evaluate the correlation of the frequency of putative OCSCs (CD44 + CK19 + OCSCs) with the clinicopathologic features and the prognostic value in patients with recurrent

advanced stage EOC. Methods: A retrospective study was carried out on 33 patients with EOC and a uniformly treated tissue microarray was constructed. A multiplexed, immunofluorescence-based method of automated Selleckchem CX-6258 in situ quantitative measurement of protein analysis was used for evaluation of the frequency or density of CD44 + CK19 + OCSCs in EOC. Results: The mean follow-up time was 42.8 +/- 27.1 months. High frequency of EOC cells with CD44+ or CD44+/CK19+ was associated with chemoresistance (P = .033 and P = .02, respectively). Using K-M analysis with log-rank test, a high frequency of putative OCSCs was associated with short disease-free interval (7.9 months vs 20.9 months, P = .019). In univariable

analysis, the frequency of OCSCs, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and residual tumor volume were significant predictor variables and were entered into multivariable analysis (P = .019, .037, and .005, respectively). Although no independent significant predictor was found, the frequency of putative OCSCs was HDAC inhibitor the most promising predictor variable compared buy Z-DEVD-FMK with the other 2 variables (hazard ratio 2.344, P = .052). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high frequency of OCSCs (CD44+ and CK19+) in epithelial ovarian tumors correlates with short progression-free intervals.”
“Evidence

supports early use of non-biologic DMARDs to prevent irreversible damage in inflammatory arthritides, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and possibly ankylosing spondylitis (AS). However, there is a paucity of data exploring their effects on pain as a primary outcome in these conditions. This systematic literature review investigated the effect of non-biologic DMARDs on pain levels in IA and examined whether disease duration impacted efficacy. We searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, abstracts from the 2008 to 2010 American College of Rheumatology annual congresses, and citation lists of retrieved publications. Only randomized, double-blind controlled trials were analyzed. Quality was assessed with the Risk of Bias tool. Descriptive statistics were used in meta-analysis. 9,860 articles were identified, with 33 eligible for inclusion: 8 in AS, 6 in PsA, 9 in early RA (ERA), and 10 in established RA.