Functional analysis of polymorphisms in the COX-2 gene and risk of lung cancer.

The enzyme cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) is known to be involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis in certain types of cancer. Nevertheless, the prognostic value of COX-2 overexpression and its polymorphisms in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have yet to be fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between the three most commonly studied COX-2 gene polymorphisms (-1195 G/A, -765 G/C and 8473 T/C) with COX-2 expression and lung cancer risk in a Brazilian cohort.

Amyloid-like fibrils are not detected in non-small cell lung cancer tissue samples.

Some proteins, canonically not associated with amyloid diseases, can aggregate into amyloid-like fibrils under special conditions. Our group hypothesized that stressful cancer microenvironment might induce the formation of insoluble deposits of p53 mutant protein. A cohort of 28 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients was used to test the aforementioned hypothesis.

Role of p53 in the induction of cyclooxygenase-2 by cisplatin or paclitaxel in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.

Non-small cell lung Cancer (NSCLC) is extremely resistant to chemotherapeutic agents, such as cisplatin. High expression of the inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has been shown to inhibit chemotherapy-induced apoptosis, but little is known about COX-2 regulation upon drug treatment. Recent data indicate the tumor suppressor protein p53 as an important regulator of COX-2.

Interferon-inducible guanylate binding protein (GBP)-2: a novel p53-regulated tumor marker in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

TP53 mutations are common in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). To identify biological markers of possible relevance in esophageal SCC, we (i) searched for genes expressed in a p53-dependent manner in TE-1, an esophageal SCC cell line expressing the temperature-sensitive TP53 mutant V272M, and (ii) investigated the expression of one of those genes, the interferon-inducible Guanylate Binding Protein 2 (GBP-2), in esophageal SCC tissues. Clontech Human Cancer 1.

Cross-talks between cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor suppressor protein p53: Balancing life and death during inflammatory stress and carcinogenesis.

Overexpression of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is observed in most tumor types. Increased COX-2 activity and synthesis of prostaglandins stimulates proliferation, angiogenesis, invasiveness and inhibits apoptosis. Many stress and proinflammatory signals induce COX-2 expression, including oxyradicals or DNA-damaging agents.

TP53 mutations as biomarkers for cancer epidemiology in Latin America: current knowledge and perspectives.

Due to particular social and economical development, and to the impact of globalization of lifestyles, Latin America shows a superposition of cancers that are frequent in low resource countries (gastric, oesophageal squamous cell and cervical cancers) and high resource countries (cancers of breast, colon and rectum, lung and prostate). Latin America thus offers opportunities for investigating the impact on changing lifestyle patterns on the occurrence of cancer. At the molecular level, mutations in the tumor suppressor gene TP53 are common in many cancers and their distribution can be informative of the nature of the mutagenic mechanisms, thus giving clues to cancer etiology and molecular pathogenesis.

Massive nasal bleeding and hemodynamic instability associated with clopidogrel.

A 58-year-old woman was brought to our emergency department with massive nasal bleeding and hemodynamic instability. The patient had been on clopidogrel treatment (75 mg/day) for 2 years, which was started after an episode of transitory ischemic attack. Blood pressure normalized following the administration of intravenous fluids, and the bleeding stopped after nasal tamponade and desmopressin therapy.

CYP2A6/2A7 and CYP2E1 expression in human oesophageal mucosa: regional and inter-individual variation in expression and relevance to nitrosamine metabolism.

Oesophageal cancer is one of the most common and lethal malignancies in the world. Despite many efforts, treatment is still ineffective for most cases; thus, the development of preventive strategies is crucial for decreasing the burden presented by this disease. Environmental factors, particularly nitrosamines, are thought to be involved in the genesis of oesophageal tumours, and knowledge about the expression of enzymes capable of activating pre-carcinogens in human oesophagus is very important for the development of preventive measures.