Quantitative Assessment of Expression of Lactate Dehydrogenase and its Isoforms 3 and 4 may Serve as Useful Indicators of Progression of Gallbladder Cancer: A Pilot Study

Malonyl CoA Decarboxylase Inhibition Improves Cardiac Function Post-Myocardial Infarction

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MCD inhibition decreases fatty acid oxidation via increasing malonyl coenzyme A levels to prevent fatty acid uptake into mitochondria in the failing hearts induced by coronary artery ligation.

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Downregulating fatty acid oxidation by MCD inhibition occurrs in conjuction with a decrease in glycolysis and in proton production while an increase in triacylglycerol biosynthesis.

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MCD inhibition enhances antioxidative capacity through increasing mitochondrial superoxide dismutase activity via reducing its acetylation.

Alterations in cardiac energy metabolism after a myocardial infarction contribute to the severity of heart failure (HF). Although fatty acid oxidation can be impaired in HF, it is unclear if stimulating fatty acid oxidation is a desirable approach to treat HF. Both immediate and chronic malonyl coenzyme A decarboxylase inhibition, which decreases fatty acid oxidation, improved cardiac function through enhancing cardiac efficiency in a post–myocardial infarction rat that underwent permanent left anterior descending coronary artery ligation. The beneficial effects of MCD inhibition were attributed to a decrease in proton production due to an improved coupling between glycolysis and glucose oxidation.

Prognostic Value of Lactate Dehydrogenase in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Previous studies have shown the prognostic value of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but the results are not persuasive. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to quantitatively explore the prognostic value of LDH in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods

We searched the Web of Science, Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library for literature published before October 2018 on the prognostic value of LDH in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. The combined hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were utilized to assess the prognostic value of LDH in overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) of HCC. Subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and metaregression were used to explore the source of heterogeneity. Funnel plots with Begg's test and Egger's test were used to detect potential publication biases. Furthermore, combined odds ratios (ORs) were utilized to assess the correlation between LDH and clinicopathological features.

Results

A total of 10 nonrandomized controlled studies were included in this meta-analysis. The combined effects of LDH on HCC patients' OS, RFS/DFS, and PFS were HR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.63-2.62, P < 0.001; HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.37-1.90, P < 0.001; and HR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.14-3.36, P = 0.014, respectively. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis showed that the outcome was stable, and the results of the metaregression also identified statistical models as an important source of heterogeneity. Potential publication bias was detected in the OS studies, so the trim-and-fill method was used to explore publication bias, and the results showed stability. Furthermore, the combined OR suggests that LDH was significantly correlated with gender, Child-Pugh grade, alpha-fetoprotein, vascular invasion, and tumor size.

Conclusions

Preoperative LDH elevation is significantly associated with poor prognosis in patients with HCC, which may be a promising factor in assessing the prognosis of patients with HCC.

Risk assessment, disease prevention and personalised treatments in breast cancer: is clinically qualified integrative approach in the horizon?

Breast cancer is a multifactorial disease. A spectrum of internal and external factors contributes to the disease promotion such as a genetic predisposition, chronic inflammatory processes, exposure to toxic compounds, abundant stress factors, a shift-worker job, etc. The cumulative effects lead to high incidence of breast cancer in populations worldwide. Breast cancer in the USA is currently registered with the highest incidence rates amongst all cancer related patient cohorts. Currently applied diagnostic approaches are frequently unable to recognise early stages in tumour development that impairs individual outcomes. Early diagnosis has been demonstrated to be highly beneficial for significantly enhanced therapy efficacy and possibly full recovery. Actual paper shows that the elaboration of an integrative diagnostic approach combining several levels of examinations creates a robust platform for the reliable risk assessment, targeted preventive measures and more effective treatments tailored to the person in the overall task of breast cancer management. The levels of examinations are proposed, and innovative technological approaches are described in the paper. The absolute necessity to create individual patient profiles and extended medical records is justified for the utilising by routine medical services. Expert recommendations are provided to promote further developments in the field.