The NOD2 gene has been associated with susceptibility to Crohn's disease, and more recently with carcinoma of the colon as well. NOD2 is involved in the inflammatory response and the activation of the NFkB pathway. The range of cancer types associated with NOD2 has not been well studied. The 3020insC allele results in a truncated NOD2 protein and is present in approximately 7% of the population. We studied a possible association between the 3020insC allele of the NOD2 gene and breast cancer using 462 cases and 1910 controls from Poland. Patients were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at are of two Szczecin regional hospitals between 2002 and 2004. Pathology specimens were reviewed for histological subtype and for the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Overall there was no association between breast cancer and NOD2 (OR = 1.1; p = 0.76), but significant associations were observed between the presence of the allele and early-onset breast cancer (OR = 1.9; p = 0.01) and between the allele and ductal breast cancer with an in situ component (OR = 2.2; p = 0.006).
We present a case report of delayed delivery of a quintuplet pregnancy. The pregnancy resulted from intrauterine insemination following hormonal treatment. This case may represent the first report of quintuplets delivered using the technique of delayed interval delivery. Three separate spontaneous labours and one Caesarean section for two fetuses took place between the 24th and 32nd weeks of pregnancy. The delay between the first and the last delivery was 61 days. Only a boy, born fourth, survived.
Summary
Amniotic fluid levels of total oestrogens, pregnanediol and creatinine were studied in samples obtained between 35 and 43 weeks of pregnancy. Amniotic fluid total oestrogen levels increased in the last weeks of pregnancy and dropped in patients who were overdue and gave birth to infants showing signs of postmaturity. Amniotic fluid pregnanediol levels were steady in the last weeks of pregnancy, but increased sharply when pregnancy lasted more than 40 weeks. Creatinine levels increased steadily throughout pregnancy. It was felt that high amniotic fluid levels of pregnanediol were in some way associated with a failure of processes responsible for the onset of uterine contractions at term.
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