Publications by authors named "Maria Cecilia Mendonca-Torres"

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer in women is 3-4-fold higher than in men. To characterize sex-specific molecular alterations in thyroid cancer, we examined the expression of sex-biased genes in normal thyroids and thyroid tumors.

Methods: Ingenuity pathways analysis was used to define sex-biased gene networks using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

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The nuclear-encoded subunit 4 of cytochrome c oxidase (COX4) plays a role in regulation of oxidative phosphorylation and contributes to cancer progression. We sought to determine the role of COX4 in differentiated (DTC) and medullary (MTC) thyroid cancers. We examined the expression of COX4 in human thyroid tumors by immunostaining and used shRNA-mediated knockdown of COX4 to evaluate its functional contributions in thyroid cancer cell lines.

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The detection of rare mutational targets in plasma (liquid biopsy) has emerged as a promising tool for the assessment of patients with cancer. We determined the presence of cell-free DNA containing the mutations (cf) in plasma samples from 57 patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) with somatic mutation-positive primary tumors using microfluidic digital PCR, and co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature (COLD) PCR. Mutant cf alleles were detected in 24/57 (42.

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We examined the utility of microfluidic digital PCR (dPCR) for detection of and mutations in thyroid tumors. DNA extracted from 100 thyroid tumors (10 follicular adenomas, 10 follicular cancers, 5 medullary cancers, and 75 papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) were used for detection of and mutations. Digital PCRs were performed using rare mutation SNP genotyping assays on QuantStudio 3D platform.

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Neurotransmitter systems have recently been shown to be involved in multiple malignancies including breast, colon and prostate cancers. The role of neurotransmitters and neurotrophic factors has not yet been examined in thyroid cancer. To determine the possible involvement of neurotransmitter systems in thyroid carcinogenesis we characterized the patterns of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor expression in normal thyroid and thyroid tumors.

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