[Vulvar melanoma].

Objective: Malignant melanoma of the vulva is the second commonest vulval malignancy. This article will focus on three cases of vulvar melanoma which have been solved surgically with wide excision, sentinel lymph node biopsy and radical lymphadenectomy.

Design: Case report.

The Impact of Full-Length, Trimeric and Globular Adiponectin on Lipolysis in Subcutaneous and Visceral Adipocytes of Obese and Non-Obese Women.

Contribution of individual adiponectin isoforms to lipolysis regulation remains unknown. We investigated the impact of full-length, trimeric and globular adiponectin isoforms on spontaneous lipolysis in subcutaneous abdominal (SCAAT) and visceral adipose tissues (VAT) of obese and non-obese subjects. Furthermore, we explored the role of AMPK (5'-AMP-activated protein kinase) in adiponectin-dependent lipolysis regulation and expression of adiponectin receptors type 1 and 2 (AdipoR1 and AdipoR2) in SCAAT and VAT.

Macrophage gene expression is related to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in human subcutaneous fat as well as in visceral fat.

Aims/hypothesis: Our goal was to identify a set of human adipose tissue macrophage (ATM)-specific markers and investigate whether their gene expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) as well as in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is related to obesity and to the occurrence of the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: ATM-specific markers were identified by DNA microarray analysis of adipose tissue cell types isolated from SAT of lean and obese individuals. We then analysed gene expression of these markers by reverse transcription quantitative PCR in paired samples of SAT and VAT from 53 women stratified into four groups (lean, overweight, obese and obese with the metabolic syndrome).

Adiponectin inhibits spontaneous and catecholamine-induced lipolysis in human adipocytes of non-obese subjects through AMPK-dependent mechanisms.

Adiponectin is an adipokine increasing glucose and fatty acid metabolism and improving insulin sensitivity. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of adiponectin in the regulation of adipocyte lipolysis. Human adipocytes isolated from biopsies obtained during surgical operations from 16 non-obese and 17 obese subjects were incubated with 1) human adiponectin (20 microg/ml) or 2) 0.

[Malignant melanoma: standards and innovation in diagnostics and therapy].

Cutaneous malignant melanoma originates from neoplastic proliferation of melanocytes. Due to its early lymphogenic and haematogenic metastazing, melanoma belongs to the most malignant tumours. The disease occurs quite early; one quarter of patients with melanoma is younger than 40 years and the mean age of a melanoma patient is 54 years.