When pregnancy complications are predicted early, strategies to prevent these complications can be implemented. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between first trimester maternal serum soluble HLA-G1/G5 levels and high-risk pregnancies. A total of 232 pregnant women were followed prospectively. Maternal BTSA1 blood samples were collected for determination of soluble HLA-G1/G5 levels at 11-14 weeks, during which routine serum free beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta hCG) and pregnancy associated plasma protein-A
(PAPP-A) level determinations in addition to nuchal translucency (NT) measurements for Down’s syndrome screening were done during 20-22 weeks gestation. The subjects were classified into normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, oligohydramnios, IUGR, preterm birth and PROM groups. First trimester maternal
serum soluble HLA-G1/G5 levels were not significantly different between the groups. First trimester soluble HLA-G1/G5 did not predict high-risk pregnancies. Studies with larger number of cases are need to confirm our findings.”
“The lysosomal protease Cathepsin D (CD) has been implicated in the homeostasis of lymphatic tissues. We investigated whether the level of CD expression influences the progression and the clinical outcome https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ferrostatin-1-fer-1.html in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas (NHLs). The expression of CD was assessed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence
in biopsies of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphomas (DLBCL, 35 cases), Follicular Lymphomas (FL, 9 cases of grade I-II plus 14 cases of grade IIIB), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemias (CLL, 17 cases) and Peripheral T-cell Lymphomas (PTCL, 5 cases). CD staining showed a cytoplasmic punctate pattern compatible with its lysosomal localization. Based on the level of CD expression and the proportion of positive cells, lymphomas were classified as ‘low expressing’ (< 20% of tumor cells) or ‘highly expressing’ (>= 20% of tumor cells). Lymphomas highly expressing CD were associated with a worse stage (III-IV) Pevonedistat at diagnosis (31/34 cases; p = 0.002) and with a poor clinical outcome (i.e., partial remission and death; 28/34 cases; p = 0.03). In the subgroup of aggressive/high grade of malignancy lymphomas (i.e., DLBCL, FL IIIB and PTCL), the Kaplan-Meier curve revealed a very low cumulative overall survival probability (similar to 20% at 5 year) for patients bearing a NHL with > 40% CD-positive cells compared to that of patients bearing a NHL with < 20% CD-positive cells (similar to 70% at 5 year). This correlation was statistically significant (log-rank test, p = 0.01). In Cox multivariate analysis CD failed to be a prognosticator independent of pathologic stage, though the hazard ratio confirmed the association of low expression with a better survival probability.