[Clinical usefulness of circulating ECD/HER-2 measurement for breast cancer patients' management].

Background: About 15 to 20% of breast cancer cases overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2). This overexpression is associated with poor clinical prognosis but therapeutic success of trastuzumab or lapatinib. HER-2 extracellular domain (ECD) undergoes a proteolytic cleavage and is shed into biologic fluid as a circulating antigen called ECD/HER-2, which can be detected by immunochemical assays.

Sirtuins: the 'magnificent seven', function, metabolism and longevity.

The sirtuin family of histone deacetylases (HDACs) was named after their homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene silent information regulator 2 (Sir2). In the yeast, Sir2 has been shown to mediate the effects of calorie restriction on the extension of life span and high levels of Sir2 activity promote longevity. Like their yeast homologs, the mammalian sirtuins (SIRT1-7) are class III HDACs and require NAD(+) as a cofactor to deacetylate substrates ranging from histones to transcriptional regulators.

Adipose tissue-specific inactivation of the retinoblastoma protein protects against diabesity because of increased energy expenditure.

The role of the tumor suppressor retinoblastoma protein (pRb) has been firmly established in the control of cell cycle, apoptosis, and differentiation. Recently, it was demonstrated that lack of pRb promotes a switch from white to brown adipocyte differentiation in vitro. We used the Cre-Lox system to specifically inactivate pRb in adult adipose tissue.

Effect of i1 imidazoline receptor agonist, moxonidine, in nitric oxide-deficient hypertension in pregnant rats.

Decreased nitric oxide production has been reported in preeclampsia, which is also frequently associated with glucose intolerance. It was thus considered of interest to investigate the effects of moxonidine, a centrally acting antihypertensive drug that reduces insulin resistance, in a rat model of preeclampsia. Hypertension was induced in Wistar rats by dietary l-NNA (N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine, 0.