Clinical impact of copy number variation changes in bladder cancer samples

The aim of the present study was to detect copy number variations (CNVs) related to tumour progression and metastasis of urothelial carcinoma through whole-genome scanning. A total of 30 bladder cancer samples staged from pTa to pT4 were included in the study. DNA was extracted from freshly frozen tissue via standard phenol-chloroform extraction and CNV analysis was performed on two alternative platforms (CytoChip Oligo aCGH, 4x44K and Infinium OncoArray-500K BeadChip; Illumina, Inc.). Data were analysed with BlueFuse Multi software and Karyostudio, respectively. The results highlight the role of genomic imbalances in regions containing genes with metastatic and proliferative potential for tumour invasion. A high level of genomic instability in uroepithelial tumours was observed and a total of 524 aberrations, including 175 losses and 349 gains, were identified. The most prevalent genetic imbalances affected the following regions: 1p, 1q, 2q, 4p, 4q, 5p, 5q, 6p, 6q, 7q, 8q, 9p, 9q, 10p, 10q, 11q, 13q and 17q. High-grade tumours more frequently harboured genomic imbalances (n=227) than low-grade tumours (n=103). A total of 36 CNVs in high-grade bladder tumours were detected in chromosomes 1-5, 8-11, 14, 17, 19 and 20. Furthermore, five loss of heterozygosity variants containing 176 genes were observed in high-grade bladder cancer and may be used as potential targets for precision therapy. Revealing specific chromosomal regions related to the metastatic potential of uroepithelial tumours may lay a foundation for implementing molecular CNV profiling of bladder tumours as part of a routine progression risk estimation strategy, thus expanding the personalized therapeutic approach.

Obesity in Pregnancy – Implications on Pregnancy Events

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are serious health problems in most developed countries. The percentage of young women with excessive weight who get pregnant continues to grow every year. This raises a concern about the risks of the mother and the baby during pregnancy and after birth. AIM: This study aims to determine health risk for overweight mothers and especially the risk for preterm birth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective and retrospective study taking place in the outpatient clinic of the University Hospital “Maichin Dom”. Our study included 105 pregnant women with BMI ≥25 kg/m2 as a case group and 91 pregnant women with BMI within normal limits as a control group. RESULTS: Mean BMI in the case group was 34.79 ± 3.71 kg/m2 and 20.20 ± 2.24 kg/m2 in the control group. Among 105 women in the case group, we registered 24.8% (n = 26) who gave birth before term. Preterm births among 91 women in the control group were registered in 17.6% (n = 16) patients. We found a significant correlation between increased BMI and the risk of increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Moreover, we found comorbidities in 43.8% of cases and 24.2% of controls. CONCLUSION: Maternal overweight and obesity during pregnancy are associated with increased risks of preterm delivery and complications of pregnancy. Extra efforts should be made to help women lose weight before this important period of life.