Toward a More General Consent for the Use of Patients' Biological Material and Health Information for Medical Research-The Patient Perspective.

Biological material and health information from patients are valuable for medical research. Under a "broad" consent model, hospital patients in Norway can consent to their biological material and health information being stored in research biobanks and used for "specific, broadly defined research purposes" within a specified medical research area but not for medical research in general. Patients are asked to provide new consent each time researchers wish to use their material in a different medical research area.

Oral health problems are associated with malnutrition in hospitalised adult patients.

Background & Aims: Hospitalised patients are especially vulnerable to malnutrition, which is associated with an increased risk of complications, leading to longer hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and with a potentially negative effect on the prognosis. Poor oral health may make food intake difficult and contribute to poor nutritional status. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to assess the occurrence of poor oral health and malnutrition in adult hospitalised patients, and further to investigate associations between oral health problems and malnutrition.

The population genomic legacy of the second plague pandemic.

Human populations have been shaped by catastrophes that may have left long-lasting signatures in their genomes. One notable example is the second plague pandemic that entered Europe in ca. 1,347 CE and repeatedly returned for over 300 years, with typical village and town mortality estimated at 10%-40%.

RNA-Integrity and 8-Isoprostane Levels Are Stable in Prostate Tissue Samples Upon Long-Term Storage at -80°C.

Sampling of prostate tissue ( = 97) was performed in conjunction with planned radical prostatectomies, in collaboration with Biobank1. The tissue used in this study was collected during the period 2003-2016, quickly frozen, and kept at -80°C until assayed in 2018. RNA extraction was performed with two different protocols (miRNeasy and Vana™), and RNA quality was determined by measuring the RNA Integrity Number (RIN).

Increased levels of serum miR-148a-3p are associated with prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common types of cancer and the fifth leading cause of death among men worldwide. The tools for diagnosing PCa have limited value, and to improve correct diagnosis there is a need for markers that can contribute to a more precise diagnosis, which would lead to proper treatment of only those patients who need it. Micro RNA (miRNA) plays a key role in the development of cancer and is therefore a potential marker for PCa.

Anthropomorphic liver phantom with flow for multimodal image-guided liver therapy research and training.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to develop a multimodal, permanent liver phantom displaying functional vasculature and common pathologies, for teaching, training and equipment development in laparoscopic ultrasound and navigation.

Methods: Molten wax was injected simultaneously into the portal and hepatic veins of a human liver. Upon solidification of the wax, the surrounding liver tissue was dissolved, leaving a cast of the vessels.

A standardized method for measuring intercellular spaces in esophageal biopsies in patients with suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease (the intercellular space ratio).

Objective: Dilated intercellular space (DIS) in esophageal biopsies is regarded as a possible early sign of mucosal injury in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study presents a standardized approach of intercellular space measurement.

Material And Methods: Distal and proximal esophageal biopsies were taken from 19 patients with suspected GERD, and examined with TEM.

Metabolic changes in psoriatic skin under topical corticosteroid treatment.

Background: MR spectroscopy of intact biopsies can provide a metabolic snapshot of the investigated tissue. The aim of the present study was to explore the metabolic pattern of uninvolved skin, psoriatic skin and corticosteroid treated psoriatic skin.

Methods: The three types of skin biopsy samples were excised from patients with psoriasis (N = 10).

Gene expressional changes in prostate fibroblasts from cancerous tissue.

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. It is assumed that the tumor microenvironment of the prostate contributes to invasion and metastasis. Stroma-epithelial crosstalk has shown to change with progression of prostate cancer, and thereby the stromal compartment might be an attractive target in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to prostate cancer.

Efficacy and safety of transgastric closure in natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery using the OTSC system and T-bar sutures: a survival study in a porcine model.

Background: In natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), procedures are performed with an endoscope passed through a natural orifice. One of the most important factors that will determine the future of transgastric NOTES is obtaining a reliable closure of the access site. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and safety of transgastric closure using the over-the-scope clip (OTSC) system or T-bar sutures.

Changes in gene transcription underlying the aberrant citrate and choline metabolism in human prostate cancer samples.

Purpose: Low concentrations of citrate and high concentrations of choline-containing compounds (ChoCC) are metabolic characteristics observed by magnetic resonance spectroscopy of prostate cancer tissue. The objective was to investigate the gene expression changes underlying these metabolic aberrations to find regulatory genes with potential for targeted therapies.

Experimental Design: Fresh frozen samples (n = 133) from 41 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy were included.

A new method to provide a fresh frozen prostate slice suitable for gene expression study and MR spectroscopy.

Background: Fresh frozen tissue from radical prostatectomy specimens is highly valuable material for research on gene expression and cellular metabolites. The purpose of this study was to develop a standardized method to provide a representative high quality research sample from radical prostatectomy specimens without interfering with the routine histopathological procedure.

Methods: A complete transversal slice is collected and snap-frozen before formalin fixation and routine processing of the remaining gland.

Quantification of metabolites in breast cancer patients with different clinical prognosis using HR MAS MR spectroscopy.

Absolute quantitative measures of breast cancer tissue metabolites can increase our understanding of biological processes. Electronic REference To access In vivo Concentrations (ERETIC) was applied to high resolution magic angle spinning MR spectroscopy (HR MAS MRS) to quantify metabolites in intact breast cancer samples. The ERETIC signal was calibrated using solutions of creatine and TSP.

RNA quality in fresh frozen prostate tissue from patients operated with radical prostatectomy.

Background: High-throughput technologies such as microarray have enhanced the discovery of new biomarkers in prostate cancer. However, the reliability of transcriptome analyses is limited by the RNA quality.

Objective: Identification of variables influencing the RNA quality in radical prostatectomy specimens.

[Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and prostate cancer].

Background: Prostate cancer is highly prevalent and is a frequent cause of death in men. As for most other cancers the prognosis is largely determined by the occurrence of metastases. Future treatment of prostate cancer should focus on inhibition of the cancer cells' ability to invade surrounding tissues--and to metastasise.

Principal component analysis for the comparison of metabolic profiles from human rectal cancer biopsies and colorectal xenografts using high-resolution magic angle spinning 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Background: This study was conducted in order to elucidate metabolic differences between human rectal cancer biopsies and colorectal HT29, HCT116 and SW620 xenografts by using high-resolution magnetic angle spinning (MAS) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and for determination of the most appropriate human rectal xenograft model for preclinical MR spectroscopy studies. A further aim was to investigate metabolic changes following irradiation of HT29 xenografts.

Methods: HR MAS MRS of tissue samples from xenografts and rectal biopsies were obtained with a Bruker Avance DRX600 spectrometer and analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regression analysis.

MR-determined metabolic phenotype of breast cancer in prediction of lymphatic spread, grade, and hormone status.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of metabolic phenotype, described by high-resolution magic angle spinning magnetic resonance spectroscopy (HR MAS MRS), as a tool for prediction of histological grade, hormone status, and axillary lymphatic spread in breast cancer patients. Biopsies from breast cancer (n = 91) and adjacent non-involved tissue (n = 48) were excised from patients (n = 77) during surgery. HR MAS MR spectra of intact samples were acquired.

Transcription levels of invasion-related genes in prostate cancer cells are modified by inhibitors of tyrosine kinase.

Previous reports have shown that genistein and tyrphostin AG-1478, two tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), exert multiple cellular effects in prostate carcinoma cells, e.g. a reduction in the production of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor uPAR, and a decrease in the cells' ability to invade an artificial basement membrane.

Urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) expression is reduced by tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Previously we reported that tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) produced a reduction in uPA expression in prostatic cancer cells, and that TKI-treated cells were less invasive compared to untreated cells. Nevertheless, no change in cell migration was observed when TKI-treated cells were supplied with external uPA, thus indicating more complex mechanisms leading to decreased cell invasion. uPAR expression was measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in PC-3 and DU-145 prostate carcinoma cells treated with the two TKI genistein and AG-1478.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors alter adhesivity of prostatic cancer cells to extracellular matrix components.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are thought to have potential as a new generation of anti-cancer drugs. Since invasiveness, the main characteristic of malignant behaviour, is believed to depend on altered cell-matrix interactions, we investigated the effect of two potent TKIs, genistein and tyrphostin AG-1478, on the interaction of prostate cancer cells with extracellular matrix components. PC-3 and DU-145 cells were treated with various concentrations of genistein and tyrphostin AG-1478.

The invasive behaviour of prostatic cancer cells is suppressed by inhibitors of tyrosine kinase.

Proteolytic enzymes, and especially urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), play an important role in tumour invasion and metastasis. Previously we demonstrated that the production of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) was decreased by several tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in two prostatic carcinoma cell lines. The effect of the two TKI genistein and tyrphostin AG-1478 was investigated in the prostate carcinoma cell lines PC-3 and DU-145.