Mitochondria are subcellular organelles that produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP) through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). As suggested over 70 years ago by Otto Warburg and recently confirmed with molecular techniques, alterations in respiratory activity and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) appear to be common features of malignant cells. Somatic mtDNA mutations have been reported in many types of cancer cells, but very few reports document the prevalence of inherited mitochondrial DNA polymorphisms in cancer patients compared to healthy control populations. Here we report the abundance of the 10398G polymorphism in a Polish breast cancer population and its frequency in controls. Amongst individuals with breast cancer the G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is present in 23% of affected females compared to 3% of controls. This difference is highly statistically significant (P = 0.0008). It is therefore possible that the 10398G SNP constitutes an inherited predisposition factor for the development of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ionic liquids are regarded as future effective absorbents of CO 2 , however high viscosity of this medium limits its use in industry. To resolve the problem a mixture of alkanolamine, ionic liquids and water was proposed as a CO 2 absorbent and the influence of solution composition on the volume of CO 2 absorbed was determined. RESULTS:In most binary mixtures of ionic liquids and water tasted the presence of water does not affect the overall capacity of absorption mixture except for the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate where each mol of water added to the mixture reduces the volume of CO 2 that could be absorbed by more than one mole. The capture of CO 2 using three-component systems of water/ionic liquid/monoethanolamine (MEA) was systematically investigated with two selected ionic liquids: 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium octylsulfate. It was shown that the volume of CO 2 absorbed is linearly dependent on the mass fraction of components for 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium octylsulfate over the entire experimental domain whereas in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate the interaction between ionic liquid and water substantially decreases the volume of CO 2 absorbed. CONCLUSIONS: The best results for CO 2 absorption were obtained using the three component system 1-butyl-3methylimidazolium acetate/monoethanolamine/water. Optimization of the composition of an IL-MEA-water mixture allows tuning of the properties of the medium. The CO 2 absorption capacity of the mixture is mainly a function of MEA concentration and, to a lesser degree, of the concentration of IL possessing chemisorption abilities. The presence of water decreases the viscosity of the mixture and therefore facilitates the application of IL-based media in industrial applications.

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The aim of this study was to investigate the cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) concentrations in uterine cancer and uterine myoma. Tissue levels of six elements in 15 uterine cancers and 28 uterine myomas were measured by atomic absorption spectrometry. The samples were collected from women aged 32-79 (uterine myomas, uterine cancer and non-lesion uterine tissues from the same women). The results showed that the tissue Cd concentration was significantly lower in myoma than in non-lesion tissue. In uterine cancer, however, it was statistically significant, but only slightly lower than controls (the non-lesion uterine tissue). In the investigated tissues, the correlation between Cd concentration and age was found, but no effect of menopausal status or smoking habits on Cd level was detected. In uterine cancer tissue, a significant increase in Ca concentration and an insignificant increase in Mg level was observed when compared to normal uterine tissue. In uterine myoma, a significant increase of Mg and Mg/Ca ratio, as well as a decrease in Fe concentration were found. Statistical analysis showed no correlation between smoking habits, age, menopausal status and concentration of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mg and Ca trace metals in myoma or cancer tissue.

Thyroid nodules with ultrasound (US) cancer risk features and extra-thyroid lesions suggesting malignant lymph nodes, require prompt diagnosis, especially in children. The US pattern of intrathyroidal ectopic thymus (IET) can strongly suggest papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The extra-thyroid ectopic thymic tissue (EET) can mimic pathological lymph nodes in US. The aim of the study has been to demonstrate US features and diagnostic methods, allowing finally to confirm the presence of IET and EET in children. The US and elastographic features of 16 ectopic thymic tissue (ET) lesions were analyzed so as to describe the typical characteristics of ET and to define the best method to differentiate ET and malignant lesions. Among 16 analyzed lesions, 11 lesions were IET, and 5 were EET adjacent to the thyroid connective tissue capsule. Most of IET were located in the middle part of the right lobe and were fusiform or oval in shape. All the lesions were solid, hypoechoic, and heterogeneous with bright internal echoes. Among IET, 73% of lesions had well- or very well-defined margins. In strain elastography of IET lesions, the strain ratio was similar in all lesions, and its value ranged from 0.95 to 1.09. Despite the low prevalence of IET and cervical EET, clinicians and radiologists should be aware of US characteristics of such lesions. The confirmation of their benign character is absolutely required. Elastography is a useful tool to initially differentiate PTC and IET. However, due to high risk of malignancy in thyroid lesions in children, similarity of US features of PTC and IET, and due to the possibility of malignancy in ET, only cytological evaluation provides definitive diagnosis.

Hydrazone-based molecular switches serve as efficient ratiometric pH-sensitive agents that can be tracked with 19F NMR/MRI and 1H NMR. Structural changes induced between pH 3 and 4 lead to signal appearance and disappearance at 1H and 19F NMR spectra allowing ratiometric pH measurements. The most pronounced are resonances of the CF3 group shifted by 1.8 ppm with 19F NMR and a hydrazone proton shifted by 2 ppm with 1H NMR.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most powerful imaging tools today, capable of displaying superior soft‐tissue contrast. This review discusses developments in the field of 19F MRI multimodal probes in combination with optical fluorescence imaging (OFI), 1H MRI, chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI, ultrasonography (USG), X‐ray computed tomography (CT), single photon emission tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and photoacoustic imaging (PAI). In each case, multimodal 19F MRI probes compensate for the deficiency of individual techniques and offer improved sensitivity or accuracy of detection over unimodal counterparts. Strategies for designing 19F MRI multimodal probes are described with respect to their structure, physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and the quality of images.

Endometrial carcinoma is the most commonly diagnosed gynaecological cancer in developed countries. Although the molecular genetics of this disease has been in the focus of many research laboratories for the last 20 years, relevant prognostic and diagnostic markers are still missing. At the same time mitochondrial DNA mutations have been reported in many types of cancer during the last two decades. It is therefore very likely that the mitochondrial genotype is one of the cancer susceptibility factors. To investigate the presence of mtDNA somatic mutations and distribution of inherited polymorphisms in endometrial adenocarcinoma patients we analyzed the D-loop sequence of cancer samples and their corresponding normal tissues and moreover performed mitochondrial haplogroup analysis. We detected 2 somatic mutation and increased incidence of mtDNA polymorphisms, in particular 16223C (80% patients, p = 0.005), 16126C (23%, p = 0.025) and 207A (19%, p = 0.027). Subsequent statistical analysis revealed that endometrial carcinoma population haplogroup distribution differs from the Polish population and that haplogroup H (with its defining polymorphism -C7028T) is strongly underrepresented (p = 0.003), therefore might be a cancer-protective factor. Our report supports the notion that mtDNA polymorphisms establish a specific genetic background for endometrial adenocarcinoma development and that mtDNA analysis may result in the development of new molecular tool for cancer detection.