Gdańsk Medical University

About: Gdańsk Medical University is a education organization based out in Gdańsk, Poland. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Cancer. The organization has 4893 authors who have published 11216 publications receiving 260523 citations.

Elastography of the uterine cervix: implications for success of induction of labor

Abstract: Objectives To perform a preliminary investigation into the use of elastography for cervical assessment, in order to determine the effectiveness of this method for the evaluation of cervical consistency. Methods Elastography of the uterine cervix was performed in 29 patients before induction of labor, with tissue surrounding the internal os described using a numeric scale called the elastography index (EI). A color map from purple to red was produced with the hardest tissues displayed as purple and assigned a score of 0 points and progressively softer tissues displayed as blue (1 point), green (2 points), yellow (3 points) and red (4 points). The EI of tissue around the internal os, in the middle part of the cervical canal and around the external os were analyzed in relation to the success of induction of labor using the t-test. Results The mean EI of the internal os in the group of patients with successful induction of labor was 1.23, while in the group with failed induction of labor it was 0.39 (Student's t-test, P = 0.024). No difference was found for the EI of the middle part of the cervical canal or for the EI of the external os in relation to the success of induction of labor (P > 0.05). Conclusion Elastography of the uterine cervix may be an objective method for assessment of softening of tissue in the region of the internal os before induction of labor. Standardization of the cervical properties observed on elastography during pregnancy may help to guide the use of prostaglandins or oxytocin for induction of labor. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Creation of an Open-Access, Mutation-Defined Fibroblast Resource for Neurological Disease Research

Abstract: Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of many neurological disorders has been greatly enhanced by the discovery of mutations in genes linked to familial forms of these diseases. These have facilitated the generation of cell and animal models that can be used to understand the underlying molecular pathology. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in the use of patient-derived cells, due to the development of induced pluripotent stem cells and their subsequent differentiation into neurons and glia. Access to patient cell lines carrying the relevant mutations is a limiting factor for many centres wishing to pursue this research. We have therefore generated an open-access collection of fibroblast lines from patients carrying mutations linked to neurological disease. These cell lines have been deposited in the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Repository at the Coriell Institute for Medical Research and can be requested by any research group for use in in vitro disease modelling. There are currently 71 mutation-defined cell lines available for request from a wide range of neurological disorders and this collection will be continually expanded. This represents a significant resource that will advance the use of patient cells as disease models by the scientific community.

Molecular genetic characterization of the EWS/ATF1 fusion gene in clear cell sarcoma of tendons and aponeuroses

Abstract: Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor particularly associated with tendons and aponeuroses. The cytogenetic hallmark is the translocation t(12;22)(q13;q12) resulting in a chimeric EWS/ATF1 gene in which the 3'-terminal part of EWS at 22q is replaced by the 3'-terminal part of ATF1 at 12q. To date, only 13 cases of CCS have been analyzed for fusion genes at the transcription level, and there is no information about the breakpoints at the genomic level. In the present study, we describe the molecular genetic characteristics of CCS from 10 patients. Karyotypes were obtained from 10 cases, 7 of which showed the characteristic t(12;22). As an initial step in the characterization of the EWS/ATF1 and ATF1/EWS chimeras, we constructed an exon/intron map of the ATF1 gene. The entire ATF1 gene spanned >40 kb and was composed of 7 exons. Intron 3, in which most of the genomic breakpoints occurred, was to a large extent (83%) composed of repetitive elements. RT-PCR amplified EWS/ATF1 cDNA fragments in all patients and ATF1/EWS cDNA fragments in 6 of 10 patients. Four types of EWS/ATF1 chimeric transcript, designated types 1-4, were identified. The most frequent chimeric transcript (type 1) was an in-frame fusion of exon 8 of EWS with exon 4 of ATF1. This was the only chimeric transcript in 5 patients but found together with other variants in 3 tumors. The type 2 transcript of EWS/ATF1, an in-frame fusion of exon 7 of EWS with exon 5 of ATF1, was detected in 4 patients, as the only transcript in 1 case and together with other variants in 3 cases. An in-frame fusion of exon 10 of EWS with exon 5 of ATF1 (type 3) was found in 1 patient as the only transcript, and an out-of-frame fusion of EWS exon 7 with ATF1 exon 7 (type 4) was detected in 1 patient together with type 1 and type 2 transcripts. Sequencing of the amplified ATF1/EWS cDNA fragments showed in 5 patients that ATF1 exon 3 was fused with EWS exon 10, resulting in an out-of-frame chimeric transcript. In 1 case, nt 428 of ATF1 (exon 4) was fused with EWS exon 8; at the junction, there was an insertion of 4 nucleotides, also resulting in an out-of-frame transcript. Genomic extra long PCR and sequence analysis mapped the genomic breakpoints to introns 7, 8 and 9 of EWS and intron 3 and exon 4 of ATF1. While a simple end-to-end fusion was observed in 2 cases, additional nucleotides were found at the junctions in 2 other cases. In addition, topoisomerase I consensus sequences were found close to the junctions, suggesting that this enzyme may participate in the genesis of the EWS/ATF1 fusion.

The changing pattern of Kaposi sarcoma in patients with HIV, 1994-2003: The EuroSIDA study

Abstract: BACKGROUND The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has radically changed the clinical course of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The goals of the current study were to assess the change in the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma (KS) among European patients with HIV since the introduction of HAART and to identify the factors associated with the development of KS among patients receiving HAART. METHODS The incidence of KS and the factors associated with the development of this malignancy in patients receiving HAART were evaluated using Poisson regression. Patients examined in the current study were among the 9803 individuals with HIV who were enrolled in the EuroSIDA study, a pan-European multicenter investigation. RESULTS There was an estimated annual reduction of 39% (95% confidence interval [CI], 35–43%; P < 0.0001) in the incidence of KS between 1994 and 2003. The proportion of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) diagnoses made due to KS during prospective follow-up ranged from 4.1% to 7.5%, and there was no significant change over time in this figure (P = 0.97). Four thousand fourteen patients began receiving HAART during prospective follow-up; 41 of these 4014 were subsequently diagnosed with KS (1.0%). After adjustment in multivariate analyses, patients with higher current CD4 counts were found to have a decreased incidence of KS (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.60; 95% CI, 0.53–0.68; P < 0.0001), as were those for whom more time had elapsed since the initiation of HAART (IRR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60–0.98; P = 0.037). In contrast, homosexual men were found to have a significantly increased incidence of KS (IRR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.00–4.54; P = 0.050) CONCLUSIONS The current incidence of KS among patients with HIV is less than 10% of the incidence reported in 1994; the proportion of AIDS diagnoses made on the basis of KS diagnoses remains near 6%. Most individuals who developed KS while receiving HAART began treatment with low CD4 cell counts and developed KS within 6 months of the initiation of HAART. There continues to be an increased incidence of KS among homosexual men and a greatly reduced incidence of KS among patients with higher CD4 counts. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.