Automated assessment of Ki-67 proliferation index in neuroendocrine tumors by deep learning.

The Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) is a prognostic factor in neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) and defines tumor grade. Analysis of Ki-67 PI requires calculation of Ki-67-positive and Ki-67-negative tumor cells, which is highly subjective. To overcome this, we developed a deep learning-based Ki-67 PI algorithm (KAI) that objectively calculates Ki-67 PI.

IDH1 Expression via the R132H Mutation-Specific Antibody in Adrenocortical Neoplasias-Prognostic Impact in Carcinomas.

Context: Mutations to isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) appear to play a prognostic or predictive role in several neoplasias. Immunohistochemical staining designed to detect a specific R132H mutation to IDH1 showed expression in the normal adrenal cortex, raising interest to study the potential role of IDH1 in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors.

Objective: The objective of this work is to study the role of IDH1 and its mutations in adrenocortical tumors.

Finnish model of peer-group mentoring: review of research.

This article reviews research on the Finnish model of peer-group mentoring (PGM). The theoretical foundation of the model is based on the constructivist theory of learning, the concept of autonomy in teaching profession, peer learning, and narrative identity work. The model has been disseminated nationwide in the educational sector to promote professional development of teachers and educational staff, mainly in primary and secondary education, but also in early childhood education and higher education.

Adrenocortical carcinoma: presentation and outcome of a contemporary patient series.

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare endocrine carcinoma with poor 5-year survival rates of < 40%. According to the literature, ACC is rarely an incidental imaging finding. However, presentation, treatment and outcome may differ in modern series.

Intranasal naloxone rapidly occupies brain mu-opioid receptors in human subjects.

Nasal spray formulations of naloxone, a mu-opioid receptor (MOR) antagonist, are currently used for the treatment of opioid overdose. They may have additional therapeutic utility also in the absence of opioid agonist drugs, but the onset and duration of action at brain MORs have been inadequately characterized to allow such projections. This study provides initial characterization of brain MOR availability at high temporal resolution following intranasal (IN) naloxone administration to healthy volunteers in the absence of a competing opioid agonist.

C-myc expression in adrenocortical tumours.

Aims: Widespread use of high-resolution imaging techniques and thus increased prevalence of adrenal lesions has made diagnostics of adrenocortical tumours an increasingly important clinical issue. In non-metastatic tumours, diagnosis is based on histology. New or enhanced information for clinicopathological diagnosis, revealing the malignant potential of the tumour, could emerge by means of biomarkers.

Decorin in Human Colon Cancer: Localization In Vivo and Effect on Cancer Cell Behavior In Vitro.

Decorin is generally recognized as a tumor suppressing molecule. Nevertheless, although decorin has been shown to be differentially expressed in malignant tissues, it has often remained unclear whether, in addition to non-malignant stromal cells, cancer cells also express it. Here, we first used two publicly available databases to analyze the current information about decorin expression and immunoreactivity in normal and malignant human colorectal tissue samples.

Helsinki score-a novel model for prediction of metastases in adrenocortical carcinomas.

Histopathologic diagnosis of adrenocortical tumors is based on adverse features that indicate malignant potential. Proliferation index has served as a supplemental tool in assessing the malignant potential of adrenocortical tumors. None of the current histologic classification systems can sufficiently accurately predict tumors' metastatic potential.

Smoking, nicotine dependence and nicotine intake by socio-economic status and marital status.

Introduction: Low socio-economic status (SES) is strongly related to smoking, but studies examining the association of SES with nicotine dependence (ND) are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of SES and marital status with smoking, multiple measures of ND, and cotinine as a nicotine intake biomarker.

Methods: The sample comprised 1746 ever smokers, sampled from the National FINRISK 2007 Study, who had completed a tobacco specific questionnaire in addition to the standard clinical examination.

Adrenocortical tumours: high CT attenuation value correlates with eosinophilia but does not discriminate lipid-poor adenomas from malignancy.

Background: Characterisation of adrenal tumours is an important clinical problem. Unenhanced CT is the primary imaging modality to assess the nature of these lesions.

Aims: To study the correlation between unenhanced CT attenuation value and the specific histopathology, as well as the proportion of lipid-poor eosinophilic cells in adrenocortical tumours.

Diurnal Evening Type is Associated with Current Smoking, Nicotine Dependence and Nicotine Intake in the Population Based National FINRISK 2007 Study.

AIMS: To examine whether smoking habits, nicotine dependence (ND) and plasma cotinine levels differ by diurnal type. DESIGN: Data originated from the national FINRISK 2007 survey. Regression analyses were calculated to examine the association between diurnal type and smoking status, ND, and nicotine intake.

The role of family factors and school achievement in the progression of adolescents to regular smoking.

This study examines whether parental smoking and single parenting were related to adolescents' school achievement and anti-smoking parental practices as well as how these factors predicted later smoking. The sample comprised 1163 Finnish students in Grades 7 through 9. Results show that at the beginning of the seventh grade, parental smoking and single parenting were related to adolescents' lower levels of school achievement.

Academic achievement and smoking: is self-efficacy an important factor in understanding social inequalities in Finnish adolescents?

Aims: Poor academic achievement is strongly related to smoking but studies that examine the mechanism between academic achievement and smoking are lacking. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine the smoking-related cognitions (i.e.

Longitudinal study of relations between school achievement and smoking behavior among secondary school students in Finland: results of the ESFA study.

The aim of this study was to explore a longitudinal bi-directional relationship between school achievement and smoking behavior. The sample consists of 2,188 Finnish students in grades 7-9. Data were collected at three separate occasions between the years 1998 and 2000.

The effects of a three-year smoking prevention programme in secondary schools in Helsinki.

Background: This study evaluates the effects of a 3-year smoking prevention programme in secondary schools in Helsinki. The study is part of the European Smoking prevention Framework Approach (ESFA), in which Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the UK participated.

Methods: A total of 27 secondary schools in Finland participated in the programme (n = 1821).

Quality of life after contralateral prophylactic mastectomy in newly diagnosed high-risk breast cancer patients who underwent BRCA1/2 gene testing.

Purpose: Recent studies indicate that high-risk breast cancer patients (ie, women who carry mutations in BRCA1/2 genes) who opt for contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) have a substantially reduced risk of developing contralateral breast cancer. However, the immediate and long-term impact of this decision on women's quality of life and psychosocial functioning is largely unknown. In this study, we compared the impact of BRCA1/2 genetic test result and CPM on these outcomes among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who opted for CPM at the time of their definitive surgical treatment versus patients who did not.

Utilization of BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation testing in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

Background: Among newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who are at risk for carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, knowledge of mutation status can influence local breast cancer treatment decisions. Thus, genetic testing at the time of diagnosis is increasingly considered an option for such patients. In this study, we evaluated factors associated with the decision to undergo BRCA1/BRCA2 gene testing at the time of initial breast cancer diagnosis.

A pilot surrogate end point biomarker trial of perillyl alcohol in breast neoplasia.

Purpose: Efficient strategies to screen promising agents in early phase development are essential for rapid progress in breast cancer chemoprevention. We report our experience with the natural compound perillyl alcohol (POH) administered in a short-term surrogate end point biomarker (SEB) protocol, using the "window" between diagnostic and definitive surgery.

Experimental Design: Eligible patients included those with a diagnosis of atypical ductal hyperplasia, ductal carcinoma in situ, lobular carcinoma in situ, or invasive carcinoma (<3 cm in size) that required further surgery.

Impact of BRCA1/BRCA2 counseling and testing on newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.

Purpose: Approximately 5% to 10% of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Given these patients' high risk for contralateral breast cancer, bilateral mastectomy is increasingly considered a treatment option for newly diagnosed BRCA1/2 carriers. In the present study, we prospectively evaluated the impact on surgical decision-making of pretreatment genetic counseling and BRCA1/BRCA2 testing among breast cancer patients at high-risk for carrying a mutation.

Detection of LOH and mitochondrial DNA alterations in ductal lavage and nipple aspirate fluids from hngh-risk patients.

We describe a method for the isolation of free DNA from ductal lavage (DL) and nipple aspirate fluid (NAF), and its evaluation for the presence of LOH at the BRCA1 and FHIT genes and for mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations at the D310 marker, to improve early detection of breast cancer. We evaluated 26 DL and six NAF samples from 14 women of known BRCA1 status, who have no clinical evidence of breast tumors: nine mutation carriers and five non-carriers. LOH studies at the BRCA1 locus were possible in 19/26 DL samples, and at the FHIT locus in 16/26 samples.

Experience with reduction mammaplasty combined with breast conservation therapy in the treatment of breast cancer.

As the inclusion criteria for breast conservation therapy have continued to evolve to include lower quadrant tumors, very large breasts, and central tumors, the potential for significant disfigurement after breast conservation therapy has also increased. This has led some centers to develop coordinated oncology-plastic surgery approaches to ensure both adequate cancer resection and aesthetic appearance to the breasts. The authors applied this principle to a specific group of breast cancer patients--women with macromastia--who would benefit from reduction mammaplasty.

A prospective randomized pilot study to evaluate predictors of response in serial core biopsies to single agent neoadjuvant doxorubicin or paclitaxel for patients with locally advanced breast cancer.

Introduction: Response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer can be correlated with long-term outcomes. Surrogate end-point biomarkers may be used to assess response to the treatment. Most reported studies assessed the effects of combination chemotherapy.

Development and validation of a method for using breast core needle biopsies for gene expression microarray analyses.

Purpose: Gene expression microarray technologies have the potential to define molecular profiles that may identify specific phenotypes(diagnosis), establish a patient's expected clinical outcome (prognosis), and indicate the likelihood of a beneficial effect of a specific therapy (prediction). We wished to develop optimal tissue acquisition, processing, and analysis procedures for exploring the gene expression profiles of breast core needle biopsies representing cancer and noncancer tissues.

Experimental Design: Human breast cancer xenografts were used to evaluate several processing methods for prospectively collecting adequate amounts of high-quality RNA for gene expression microarray studies.

Proteomic patterns of nipple aspirate fluids obtained by SELDI-TOF: potential for new biomarkers to aid in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Nipple aspirate fluid (NAF) has been used for many years as a potential non-invasive method to identify markers for breast cancer risk or early detection. Because individual markers have not been optimal, we are exploring the use of surface enhanced laser desorption and ionization time of flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry to identify patterns of proteins that might define a proteomic signature for breast cancer. SELDI-TOF was used to analyze a study set of NAF samples that included 12 women with breast cancer and 15 healthy controls (the latter included three women with an abnormal mammogram but subsequent normal biopsy).