Toward operative in vivo fluorescence imaging of the c-Met proto-oncogene for personalization of therapy in ovarian cancer.

Background: Standard biomarker testing of a single macroscopic disease site is unlikely to be sufficient because of tumor heterogeneity. A focus on examining global biomarker expression or activity, particularly in microscopic residual chemotherapy-resistant disease, is needed for the appropriate selection of targeted therapies. This study was aimed at establishing a technique for the assessment of biomarkers of ovarian cancer peritoneal spread.

A novel long-range enhancer regulates postnatal expression of Zeb2: implications for Mowat-Wilson syndrome phenotypes.

The zinc-finger, E-box-binding homeobox-2 (Zeb2) gene encodes a SMAD-interacting transcription factor that has diverse roles in development and disease. Mutations at the hZeb2 locus cause Mowat-Wilson syndrome (MWS), a genetic disorder that is associated with mental retardation and other, case- and sex-dependent clinical features. Recent studies have detailed microRNA-mediated control of Zeb2, but little is known about the genomic context of this gene or of enhancer sequences that may direct its diverse functions.

Urinary peptide profiling identifies a panel of putative biomarkers for diagnosing and staging endometriosis.

Objective: To identify a potential diagnostic endometriosis marker using matrix-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS)-based urinary proteomics.

Design: Prospective randomized pilot study.

Setting: University hospital, tertiary referral center for endometriosis.

Does adiposity status influence femoral cortical strength in rodent models of growth hormone deficiency?

Growth hormone (GH)-deficiency is usually associated with elevated adiposity, hyperleptinemia, and increased fracture risk. Since leptin is thought to enhance cortical bone formation, we have investigated the contribution of elevated adiposity and hyperleptinemia on femoral strength in rodent models of GH deficiency. Quantification of the transpubertal development of femoral strength in the moderately GH-deficient/hyperleptinemic Tgr rat and the profoundly GH-deficient/hypoleptinemic dw/dw rat revealed that the mechanical properties of cortical bone in these two models were similarly compromised, a 25-30% reduction in failure load being entirely due to impairment of geometric variables.

The pregnancy-induced increase in baseline circulating growth hormone in rats is not induced by ghrelin.

The elevation in baseline circulating growth hormone (GH) that occurs in pregnant rats is thought to arise from increased pituitary GH secretion, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Distribution, Fourier and algorithmic analyses confirmed that the pregnancy-induced increase in circulating GH in 3-week pregnant rats was due to a 13-fold increase in baseline circulating GH (P < 0.01), without any significant alteration in the parameters of episodic secretion.