Combining label-free and label-based accurate quantifications with SWATH-MS: Comparison with SRM and PRM for the evaluation of bovine muscle type effects

Mass spectrometry has proven to be a valuable tool for the accurate quantification of proteins. In this study, the performances of three targeted approaches, namely selected reaction monitoring (SRM), parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) and sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion mass spectra (SWATH-MS), to accurately quantify ten potential biomarkers of beef meat tenderness or marbling in a cohort of 64 muscle samples were evaluated. So as to get the most benefit out of the complete MS2 maps that are acquired in SWATH-MS, an original label-free quantification method to estimate protein amounts using an I-spline regression model was developed. Overall, SWATH-MS outperformed SRM in terms of sensitivity and dynamic range, while PRM still performed the best, and all three strategies showed similar quantification accuracies and precisions for the absolute quantification of targets of interest. This targeted picture was extended by 585 additional proteins for which amounts were estimated using the label-free approach on SWATH-MS; thus, offering a more global profiling of muscle proteomes and further insights into muscle type effect on candidate biomarkers of beef meat qualities as well as muscle metabolism.

Optimization of troglitazone derivatives as potent anti-proliferative agents: towards more active and less toxic compounds

Δ2-Troglitazone derivatives were shown to exhibit anti-proliferative activity in a PPARγ-independent manner. We prepared various compounds in order to increase their potency and decrease their toxicity towards non-malignant primary cultured hepatocytes. Many compounds induced viabilities less than 20% at 10 μM on various cancer cell lines. Furthermore, five of them showed hepatocyte viability of 80% or more at 200 μM. In addition, compounds 17 and 18 exhibited promising maximum tolerated doses on a murine model, enabling future investigations.

Relation of childhood height and later risk of breast cancer

The authors sought to examine the hypothesis that girls who were relatively tall during the prepubescent period (indicative of an affluent diet and good general health) were at increased risk of subsequent breast cancer. They conducted a case-control study of 214 long-term members who were diagnosed with breast cancer during 1973-1995 and who were age 12 years or younger when they first joined Kaiser Permanente and of 214 appropriately matched controls. Information was obtained from the medical records. While the authors observed the expected association of adult height with risk of breast cancer (height at age 15-18 years, tall-for-age vs. short-for-age: odds ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval: 1.1, 4.3), the association was no stronger earlier in life (height at age 9-11 years: odds ratio = 1.0, 95% confidence interval: 0.5, 1.8). The study does not support a relation between pubertal skeletal growth and adult risk of breast cancer. However, it is limited by the inclusion of few postmenopausal women.

How accurately does the medical record capture maternal history of cancer?

We sought to assess the reliability of information regarding the maternal history of cancer by comparing the medical records of 214 women with breast cancer, ages 26-59 years and diagnosed in 1974-1995, and of their controls with the medical records of their mothers. Subjects were members of Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, selected for a study of early-life predictors of breast cancer. For any type of cancer identified in the mother's medical record, the proportion noted in the daughter's medical record at least 6 months before the daughter's diagnosis or reference date was 56% among cases and 32% among controls. The odds ratio for the association of maternal cancer history with breast cancer risk was 2.1 using the maternal record and 3.5 using the subject's record. For a maternal history of breast cancer, the proportion noted in the subject's record was 79% among cases and 57% among controls, and the odds ratios were 4.0 and 6.5, respectively. We believe that the case-control difference in missing information was attributable to higher utilization of breast cancer screening among cases. This study illustrates the need to assess the impact of screening differences on the ascertainment of information from the medical records.

Habitual physical activity and menopausal symptoms: a case-control study

A case-control study design was used to examine whether habitual physical activity prior to the final menstrual period (FMP) was associated with reduced risk of vasomotor and other symptoms during the perimenopausal period. Both cases and controls were identified through a screening interview with randomly selected women members, ages 48-52, of a large health maintenance organization. Cases (n = 82) were defined as women 3-12 months past their FMP who reported regularly having hot flashes or night sweats at least once a day or night during the 3 months following their FMP. Controls (n = 89) were of the same biologic age with respect to the FMP but reported vasomotor symptoms less than once a week during the reference time period. Neither cases nor controls had a history of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), hysterectomy, or bilateral oophorectomy. Case-control status, habitual physical activity (including recreational, housework, child care, and occupational activity), and psychological and somatic symptoms were assessed by self-report. Participation in vigorous recreational activity during the year prior to the FMP was not associated with reduced risk of frequent vasomotor symptoms after the FMP (odds ratio [OR] = 1.03 for a 50-unit increase in activity score, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.97-1.1). This lack of relationship was observed in all domains of activity. Factors that were associated with decreased risk included higher body mass index (BMI) (weight in kg/(height in meters)2) (OR = 0.95 per 1 unit increase in BMI, 95% CI = 0.90-1.00) and higher education (having a college degree relative to less education) (OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.40-0.80). Physical activity was also unassociated with reduced risk of psychologic distress, depressive feelings, or somatic symptoms, but, relative to controls, having vasomotor symptoms (being a case) was strongly associated with increased risk of experiencing those symptoms (OR ranging from 1.83 for psychologic distress to 2.84 for depressive feelings). These findings suggest that regular physical activity before the FMP may not reduce the likelihood of experiencing symptoms during the perimenopause, although the small sample size may limit the inferences that can be drawn.

Familial supravalvular aortic stenosis. Report of a large family and review of the literature

Familial supravalvular aortic stenosis has been recognized as a distinct syndrome. A large family with five proven cases and a review of the literature on familial supravalvular aortic stenosis are presented. The diagnosis was substantiated in all 63 cases by cardiac catheterization, surgery, or postmortem examination.