Objective To determine whether the amniotic fluid index (AFI) or the single deepest vertical pocket (SDP) technique for estimating amniotic fluid volume is superior for predicting adverse pregnancy outcome. Methods

Abstract. Loss of proliferative control and failure to undergo cellular differentiation are key events during carcinogenesis. We recently identified a new potential tumor suppressor gene named MTUS1 (mitochondrial tumor suppressor 1), downregulated in undifferentiated tumor cell lines, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation after recombinant over-expression. The aim of this study was to investigate whether MTUS1 is also down-regulated in human tumor tissues, and whether reduced expression of MTUS1 enhances cellular proliferation. Expression of MTUS1 in human colon cancer tissues was compared with corresponding normal colon tissues using Western blot analysis and RT-PCR. Investigation of the DNA sequence and methylation pattern was performed using bisulfite reaction and DNA sequencing. Promotor activity was measured by promoter assays. Silencing of MTUS1 was carried out by siRNA transfection. Proliferation was measured by cell count. MTUS1 expression is significantly down-regulated in colon cancer tissues, compared to the corresponding normal tissues, on protein and mRNA level. No mutations of MTUS1 were detected in the coding sequence or the predicted promoter region in cancer tissues. No difference of CpG methylation, but an altered CpNpG methylation was found in the predicted promoter region. Functional significance of the predicted promoter region was demonstrated by promoter assays. Down-regulation of the MTUS1 expression by siRNA transfection significantly increased cellular proliferation. This study demonstrates a significant down-regulation of the MTUS1 expression in human colon cancer tissues. Since reduced expression of MTUS1 results in increased cellular proliferation, these data suggest that MTUS1 could be involved in the loss of proliferative control in human colon cancer. IntrodutionThe multistage process of carcinogenesis includes the progressive acquisition of genetic alterations, resulting in activation of proto-oncogenes and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. Consequential critical events in the evolution of tumors include the loss of proliferative control and the failure to undergo cellular differentiation. Genes located at chromosome 8p21.3-22 near marker D8S254 participate in tumor progression in colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, prostate cancer, urinary bladder carcinoma and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (1-15). We previously identified a new gene named MTSG1, only <0.9 Mb apart from the D8S254 marker locus, regulating tumor cell proliferation (16). In accordance with the Guidelines for Human Gene Nomenclature it was recommended to change the gene name to MTUS1 (mitochondrial tumor suppressor 1), as it meanwhile appears in most databases. MTUS1 was discovered by investigating the molecular regulation during cellular transition from proliferation to senescence and differentiation in a three-dimensional collagen type I cell culture model. We thereby observed a transient up-regulation of MTUS1 during the init...

As breast cancer (BC) screening identifies many BCs with a good prognosis, which might be overdiagnosed and therefore overtreated, the identification of subgroups with a high risk for aggressive subtypes might be helpful. The aim of this case-case analysis was to investigate the association between epidemiological risk factors and molecular subtypes in a cohort of BC patients. Epidemiological risk factors for 2587 BC patients were obtained using a structured questionnaire and from the patients' charts. The histopathological information (estrogen and progesterone receptor, HER2 and Ki-67) used in the analysis was retrieved from the original pathology reports. Analyses using conditional inference regression trees were carried out on these data. The strongest influence factor on the distribution of the molecular subtypes was age at first diagnosis of BC. An influence of BMI was also identified in patients aged either more than 42 years or 49.6 years or less. Older patients aged more than 49.6 years and perimenopausal women with a BMI of 32.4 kg/m or less were most likely to develop luminal A-like BC. Young patients aged 42 years or less and perimenopausal patients with a BMI more than 32.4 kg/m more often developed triple-negative BC. The study confirmed that age at diagnosis is an important factor influencing the distribution of molecular subtypes. In the perimenopausal group, it may be postulated that BMI plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of BC, defining a subgroup that is more likely to develop triple-negative BC or luminal B-like disease and another group in which there is a more postmenopausal distribution pattern.

(Abstracted from Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2016;47:674–679) One of the important aspects of fetal well-being assessment is amniotic fluid volume, lack of which leads to oligohydramnios and consequently adverse perinatal outcomes. Amniotic fluid estimation by ultrasound can be performed by assessment of the amniotic fluid index (AFI) or the single deepest vertical pocket (SDP) technique.

Prediction of the prognosis for metastatic breast cancer patients depends on molecular subtypes similar to those found in patients with primary breast cancer. Several studies have shown that estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status determine the course of the disease and the prognosis. As Ki-67 helps to differentiate molecular subtypes in patients with primary breast cancer, the aim of this study was to assess the prognostic relevance of Ki-67 in the primary tumor in relation to its prognostic relevance for patients with metastatic breast cancer. A total of 467 patients with invasive breast cancer were identified in the database of a single breast cancer center, in whom Ki-67 had been assessed in tumor material from the breast at the time of the primary diagnosis and who had developed a metastasis at any time during the subsequent course. For these patients, tumor and patient characteristics were used to determine prognostic factors relative to overall survival after the diagnosis of distant metastases. Ki-67 was added to this model to investigate whether this might improve the prediction of overall survival. In the multivariate Cox model, age at diagnosis, body mass index, nodal status, tumor size, ER and PR status, and time from diagnosis to metastasis were identified as relevant prognostic factors. Adding Ki-67 to the model improved the prediction of overall survival. There was also a significant and relevant interaction with the PR status. In patients with a low-proliferation primary tumor, a high level of PR expression would indicate an extraordinarily good prognosis (HR 0.39; 95 % CI, 0.23-0.66). In patients with higher-proliferation primary tumors, PR status was not capable of differentiating prognostic groups. Ki-67 is useful in addition to known prognostic factors for breast cancer. It is able to indicate a group of women with a poorer prognosis, specifically in the group of patients with PR-positive breast cancer.