Background: Sport performance is a multifactorial phenotype dependent on the interaction of multiple genetic and non-genetic factors. More than 200 polymorphisms have been associated with athletic performance. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs35767, located in the regulatory region of the IGF1 gene, influences its expression and has been associated with sports-related phenotypes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the management of early-stage breast cancer (BC), lymph nodes (LNs) are typically characterised using the One-Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) assay, a standard procedure for assessing subclinical metastasis in sentinel LNs (SLNs). The pivotal role of LNs in coordinating the immune response against BC is often overlooked. Our aim was to improve prognostic information provided by the OSNA assay and explore immune-related gene signatures in SLNs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-syndromic orofacial cleft (NSOC) is a complex phenotype, involving multiple genetic and environmental factors. Association studies exploring the genetic susceptibility to this prevalent oral malformation show variability of results in different populations. Using a candidate gene approach, we aimed to verify the role of four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the susceptibility to NSOC in Portuguese patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Multidisciplinary team from three universities based in the "Centro" Region of Portugal developed diverse approaches as parts of a project dedicated to enhancing and expanding Predictive, Preventive, and Personalized Medicine (3PM) in the Region. In a sense, outcomes acted as a proof-of-concept, in that they demonstrated the feasibility, but also the relevance of the approaches. The accomplishments comprise defining a new regional strategy for implementing 3PM within the Region, training of human resources in genomic sequencing, and generating good practices handbooks dedicated to diagnostic testing via next-generation sequencing, to legal and ethical concerns, and to knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship, aimed at increasing literacy on 3PM approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmallholder pig production in Timor-Leste is culturally and economically important for most households. However, regular and ongoing disease surveillance and pig husbandry training for farmers are limited. This article describes collaborative social and diagnostic research followed by a pilot community engagement program to improve farmer and technician knowledge, skills, and working relationships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) is being adopted worldwide for sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) staging in breast cancer (BC). As major disadvantage, OSNA precludes prognostic information based on structural evaluation of SLNs. Our aim is to identify biomarkers related to tumor-microenvironment interplay exploring gene expression data from the OSNA remaining lysate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Prediction of susceptibility to Orthodontically Induced External Apical Root Resorption (OIEARR) has been hampered by the complex architecture of this multifactorial phenotype. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of the interaction of multiple variables in the susceptibility to OIEARR.
Methods: The study evaluated 195 patients requiring orthodontic treatment.
Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an unpredictable and feared side effect of antituberculosis treatment (AT). The present study aimed to identify clinical and genetic variables associated with susceptibility to AT-associated hepatotoxicity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis treated with a standard protocol. Of 233 patients enrolled, 90% prospectively, 103 developed liver injury: 37 with mild and 66 with severe phenotype (DILI).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) assay is a molecular method used for detecting breast cancer (BC) metastasis in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs). However, this method has a major disadvantage, since it prevents tissue structure analysis, while only one molecular marker can be evaluated, namely cytokeratin 19 mRNA. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether an OSNA-discarded sample could be suitable for the gene expression analysis of the SLN microenvironment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur aim is to describe a family with a nonsyndromic form of hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) and discuss genetic characteristics of this rare disease by reviewing reported cases. A mother and three descendants were diagnosed with HGF. There was marked variable expressivity: from severe generalized gingival overgrowth in a 16-year-old boy (the proband) to minimal manifestations in the mother.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudies using cell lines should always characterize these cells to ensure that the results are not distorted by unexpected morphological or genetic changes possibly due to culture time or passage number. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe those MIA PaCa-2 and PANC-1 cell line phenotype and genotype characteristics that may play a crucial role in pancreatic cancer therapeutic assays, namely neuroendocrine chemotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. Epithelial, mesenchymal, endocrine and stem cell marker characterization was performed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, and genotyping by PCR, gene sequencing and capillary electrophoresis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The miR-34 family, under-expressed in-non small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), are effectors of p53 activation upon irradiation of cells. We evaluated whether the miR-34b overexpression modulates the NSCLCs response to radiation.
Materials And Methods: NSCLC cell lines A549 with V-KI-RAS2 Kirsten Rat Sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS) codon 12 mutation and with wild type p53, and H1299, not expressing p53, were irradiated after transfection with pre-miR-34b.
Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is known to impair cancer cell metastatic behaviour, but the mechanisms involved largely remain elusive. We aimed to analyse whether the antimetastatic effect of COX-2 inhibition in breast cancer cells could be explained by variations in the expression levels of chemokine receptor CXCR4, vascular endothelium growth factor (VEGF) and UPA/UPAR components of the urokinase plasminogen activator system (uPAR). Breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 was exposed to COX-2-specific inhibitor NS398.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of this study is to evaluate epidermal growth factor receptor variant III, EGFRvIII, a cancer specific mutant, as a possible marker for the diagnosis of breast cancer occult systemic disease. EGFRvIII mRNA was identified by an RT-nested PCR with a high sensitivity. In 102 women studied, the mutant was detected in the peripheral blood of 30% of 33 low risk, early stage patients, in 56% of 18 patients selected for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, in 63.
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