A Pilot Study Evaluating Organochlorine and Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure in Children and Adolescents of Mexican Descent Residing in Hidalgo County, Texas.

Children and adolescents of Mexican descent residing in Hidalgo County (TX) were evaluated for exposure to organochlorine (OC) and organophosphate (OP) pesticides. A convenience sample of 60 participants enrolled in our pilot study. The lipid-adjusted serum concentrations of nine OC metabolites and creatinine-adjusted urinary concentrations of six OP metabolites were measured and compared with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Fourth Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.

Associations between body size and serum estradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin levels in premenopausal African American women.

Context: African American (AA) women have the highest rates of premenopausal breast cancer; however, it is unclear whether body size contributes to the hormonal patterns potentially associated with increased breast cancer risk in these women.

Objective: To characterize the association between body size and serum levels of estradiol and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels in a sample of premenopausal AA women.

Design: A total of 164 premenopausal AA women who were not pregnant or breastfeeding were recruited for this study.

Effective killing of leukemia cells by the natural product OSW-1 through disruption of cellular calcium homeostasis.

3β,16β,17α-Trihydroxycholest-5-en-22-one 16-O-(2-O-4-methoxybenzoyl-β-D-xylopyranosyl)-(1→3)-2-O-acetyl-α-L-arabinopyranoside (OSW-1) is a natural product with potent antitumor activity against various types of cancer cells, but the exact mechanisms of action remain to be defined. In this study, we showed that OSW-1 effectively killed leukemia cells at subnanomolar concentrations through a unique mechanism by causing a time-dependent elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) prior to induction of apoptosis. A mechanistic study revealed that this compound inhibited the sodium-calcium exchanger 1 on the plasma membrane, leading to an increase in cytosolic Ca(2+) and a decrease in cytosolic Na(+).

High hepatitis B virus infection in B-cell lymphoma tissue and its potential clinical relevance.

Our previous studies found that patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) had a higher incidence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in serum than patients with T-cell NHL or other cancers. We sought to identify a possible role of HBV infection in B-cell NHL tumorigenesis and to understand its underlying clinical relevance. Fresh and paraffin-embedded primary tumor tissue from patients with NHL as well as from those with other lymphatic system diseases were investigated by PCR and immunohistochemistry.

Stromal control of cystine metabolism promotes cancer cell survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Tissue stromal cells interact with leukaemia cells and profoundly affect their viability and drug sensitivity. Here we show a biochemical mechanism by which bone marrow stromal cells modulate the redox status of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells and promote cellular survival and drug resistance. Primary CLL cells from patients exhibit a limited ability to transport cystine for glutathione (GSH) synthesis owing to a low expression level of Xc-transporter.

A randomized parallel-group dietary study for stages II-IV ovarian cancer survivors.

Objective: Few studies have examined the dietary habits of ovarian cancer survivors. Therefore, we conducted a study to assess the feasibility and impact of two dietary interventions for ovarian cancer survivors.

Methods: In this randomized, parallel-group study, 51 women (mean age, 53 years) diagnosed with stages II-IV ovarian cancer were recruited and randomly assigned to a low fat, high fiber (LFHF) diet or a modified National Cancer Institute diet supplemented with a soy-based beverage and encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice concentrates (FVJCs).

Metabolic alterations in cancer cells and therapeutic implications.

Cancer metabolism has emerged as an important area of research in recent years. Elucidation of the metabolic differences between cancer and normal cells and the underlying mechanisms will not only advance our understanding of fundamental cancer cell biology but also provide an important basis for the development of new therapeutic strategies and novel compounds to selectively eliminate cancer cells by targeting their unique metabolism. This article reviews several important metabolic alterations in cancer cells, with an emphasis on increased aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) and glutamine addiction, and discusses the mechanisms that may contribute to such metabolic changes.

The Warburg effect and its cancer therapeutic implications.

Increased aerobic glycolysis in cancer, a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect, has been observed in various tumor cells and represents a major biochemical alteration associated with malignant transformation. Although the exact molecular mechanisms underlying this metabolic change remain to be elucidated, the profound biochemical alteration in cancer cell energy metabolism provides exciting opportunities for the development of therapeutic strategies to preferentially kill cancer cells by targeting the glycolytic pathway. Several small molecules capable of inhibiting glycolysis in experimental systems have been shown to have promising anticancer activity in vitro and in vivo.

OSW-1: a natural compound with potent anticancer activity and a novel mechanism of action.

The naturally occurring compound 3beta,16beta,17alpha-trihydroxycholest-5-en-22-one 16-O-(2-O-4-methoxybenzoyl-beta-D-xylopyranosyl)-(1-->3)-(2-O-acetyl-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside) (OSW-1) is found in the bulbs of Ornithogalum saudersiae and is highly cytotoxic against tumor cell lines. Using various human cancer and nonmalignant cell lines, we investigated the anticancer activity and selectivity of OSW-1 and its underlying mechanisms of action. OSW-1 exhibited extremely potent cytotoxic activity against cancer cells in vitro.