German Patient Blood Management Network: effectiveness and safety analysis in 1.2 million patients.

Background: Patient Blood Management (PBM) is a patient-centred, systematic, evidence-based approach to improve patient outcomes by managing and preserving a patient's own blood whilst promoting patient safety and empowerment. The effectiveness and safety of PBM over a longer period have not yet been investigated.

Methods: We performed a prospectively designed, multicentre follow-up study with non-inferiority design.

Association of anaemia, co-morbidities and red blood cell transfusion according to age groups: multicentre sub-analysis of the German Patient Blood Management Network Registry.

Background: Blood transfusions are common medical procedures and every age group requires detailed insights and treatment bundles. The aim of this study was to examine the association of anaemia, co-morbidities, complications, in-hospital mortality, and transfusion according to age groups to identify patient groups who are particularly at risk when undergoing surgery.

Methods: Data from 21 Hospitals of the Patient Blood Management Network Registry were analysed.

Preoperative anaemia and red blood cell transfusion in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid and intracerebral haemorrhage - a multicentre subanalysis of the German PBM Network Registry.

Purpose: Anaemia is common in patients presenting with aneurysmal subarachnoid (aSAH) and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). In surgical patients, anaemia was identified as an idenpendent risk factor for postoperative mortality, prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) and increased risk of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. This multicentre cohort observation study describes the incidence and effects of preoperative anaemia in this critical patient collective for a 10-year period.

MicroRNA Expression in Laser Micro-dissected Breast Cancer Tissue Samples - a Pilot Study.

Breast cancer continues to represent a significant public health burden despite outstanding research advances regarding the molecular mechanisms of cancer biology, biomarkers for diagnostics and prognostic and therapeutic management of this disease. The studies of micro RNAs in breast cancer have underlined their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic targets; however most of these studies are still done on largely heterogeneous whole breast tissue samples. In this pilot study we have investigated the expression of four micro RNAs (miR-21, 145, 155, 92) known to be involved in breast cancer, in homogenous cell populations collected by laser capture microdissection from breast tissue section slides.

Molecular profiling of ADAM12 and ADAM17 genes in human malignant melanoma.

ADAM12 and ADAM17 proteins belong to a family of transmembrane disintegrin-containing metalloproteinases (ADAMs) involved in the proteins ectodomain shedding and cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. However, the specific biological functions of ADAMs are still unclear and, until now, these proteins were not investigated yet in melanoma. The aim of this study was to analyze the splicing variants of ADAM12 (L and S) and ADAM17 gene expression in melanoma at transcriptional and translational level in comparison with control (non-tumor) tissues.

Expression of CCL18 and interleukin-6 in the plasma of breast cancer patients as compared with benign tumor patients and healthy controls.

A growing body of laboratory research has shown that pro-inflammatory cytokines can facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. Our goal was to quantify the expression of CCL18 and IL-6 in patients with breast cancer compared with benign breast tumors patients and healthy women, in order to evaluate if these cytokines could serve for breast cancer diagnosis and evaluation. We also correlated the cytokines level of expression with some clinical and pathological characteristics known as prognostic markers for breast cancer.

Increased expression of ADAM12 and ADAM17 genes in laser-capture microdissected breast cancers and correlations with clinical and pathological characteristics.

ADAMs (a desintegrin and metalloprotease) are transmembrane glycoproteins involved in cell growth, differentiation, motility, and respectively, tumor growth and progression. Our aim was to evaluate ADAM12 spliced variants (ADAM12L - long membrane-bound and ADAM12S - secreted-short variant) and ADAM17 genes expression in breast cancers and to correlate their level of expression with clinical and pathological characteristics. Expression of ADAMs was analyzed using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction in laser-capture microdissected specimens of breast cancers and corresponding non-neoplastic breast tissues from 92 patients.

ADAM12 and ADAM17 gene expression in laser-capture microdissected and non-microdissected breast tumors.

ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease)12 and ADAM17 are multidomain transmembrane proteins involved in ectodomain shedding of cytokines, growth factors and adhesion molecules, with pivotal activities in the tumor microenvironment. The aim of this study was to confirm the up-regulation of ADAM17 and ADAM12 gene splicing variants in breast tumors and to delineate their expression between laser-capture microdissected (LCM) and non-microdissected breast tumors. The gene expression was analyzed by quantitative-reverse transcription-PCR in a total sample of 109 breast tumors paired with corresponding non-neoplastic breast tissues.

Molecular profiling of ADAM12 gene in breast cancers.

ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family have been associated with the process of proteolytic "shedding" of membrane-associated proteins ectodomain and hence the rapid modulation of key cell signaling pathways in tissues microenvironment. A variety of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors which are initially produced as transmembrane proforms are activated by these sheddase activities. ADAM12 is highly expressed in rapidly growing tissues such as placenta and malignant tumors and it was found as one of the Candidate Cancer Genes in a comprehensive mutational analysis of human breast cancers.

Estrogen receptor alpha polymorphisms and the risk of malignancies.

Estrogens represent risk factors for endocrine-related cancers and play also an important role in the development and progression of other malignancies. In order to analyze the associations between estrogen receptor gene alpha polymorphisms and cancers susceptibility, we genotyped six single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 163 Caucasian cancer patients--103 breast cancers and 60 other malignancies (colorectal, bladder, hepatocellular carcinoma and acute myeloid leukemia)--and 114 healthy controls using hybridization probes. We performed Armitage`s association trend-test to evaluate the risk.

Prostate-specific antigen may serve as a pathological predictor in breast cancer.

PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a serine protease with chymotrypsin-like activity is the most useful tumor marker for prostate cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring. The identification of PSA in normal and tumoral mammary gland was regarded as a curiosity, but the confirmation of PSA expression in the mammary gland by others teams of researchers and the identification of specific mRNA in tumors with PSA immunoexpression initiated new perspectives for studies. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of PSA in breast cancers and to evaluate the correlations between PSA expression and some clinicopathological markers.

Immunohistochemical expression of androgen receptor and prostate-specific antigen in breast cancer.

AR (androgen receptor) and PSA (prostate-specific antigen) are involved in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, but their role is not clearly defined. The purpose of this study was to analyze by immunohistochemistry the AR and PSA (prostate-specific antigen) expression in 156 female breast carcinomas and to correlate the results with some histopathological parameters, like ER (estrogen receptor), PR (progesterone receptor), HER2/neu, nodal and metastasis status, histological type and grade. ARs and PSA were expressed in 112/156 (72%) and respectively in 61/156 (39%) of cases and we found a positive correlation between AR and PSA expression in breast carcinomas (p<0.

Diagnostic significance of the immunoexpression of CD34 and smooth muscle cell actin in benign and malignant tumors of the breast.

Purpose: Our aim was to investigate the distribution of CD34 and smooth muscle cell actin positive myofibroblasts in the stroma of the normal mammary gland, benign and malignant tumors. The observations were especially focused on the diagnostic value of the cumulative results obtained with these immunoreactions.

Methods: Our study included 112 female patients with suspect breast masses obtained by surgery or biopsy.

Immunohistochemical localization of prostate-specific antigen in benign and malignant breast conditions.

We studied 24 selected breast tumors and 3 lymph nodes metastasis from patients with breast carcinoma. The biopsies were formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin. Additional sections from each case were immunostained for prostate specific antigen (PSA), using the EnVision technique.