Proangiogenic Factor PlGF Programs CD11b+ Myelomonocytes in Breast Cancer during Differentiation of Their Hematopoietic Progenitors.

Tumor-mobilized bone marrow-derived CD11b(+) myeloid cells promote tumor angiogenesis, but how and when these cells acquire proangiogenic properties is not fully elucidated. Here, we show that CD11b(+) myelomonocytic cells develop proangiogenic properties during their differentiation from CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitors and that placenta growth factor (PlGF) is critical in promoting this education. Cultures of human CD34(+) progenitors supplemented with conditioned medium from breast cancer cell lines or PlGF, but not from nontumorigenic breast epithelial lines, generate CD11b(+) cells capable of inducing endothelial cell sprouting in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo. An anti-Flt-1 mAb or soluble Flt-1 abolished the generation of proangiogenic activity during differentiation from progenitor cells. Moreover, inhibition of metalloproteinase activity, but not VEGF, during the endothelial sprouting assay blocked sprouting induced by these proangiogenic CD11b(+) myelomonocytes. In a mouse model of breast cancer, circulating CD11b(+) cells were proangiogenic in the sprouting assays. Silencing of PlGF in tumor cells prevented the generation of proangiogenic activity in circulating CD11b(+) cells, inhibited tumor blood flow, and slowed tumor growth. Peripheral blood of breast cancer patients at diagnosis, but not of healthy individuals, contained elevated levels of PlGF and circulating proangiogenic CD11b(+) myelomonocytes. Taken together, our results show that cancer cells can program proangiogenic activity in CD11b(+) myelomonocytes during differentiation of their progenitor cells in a PlGF-dependent manner. These findings impact breast cancer biology, detection, and treatment. Cancer Res; 71(11); 3781-91. ©2011 AACR.

The Annual Condition of Education Report, 2002

Statistics about public edcuation in the state of Iowa including graduation rates, No Child Left Behind Act,

Iowa Department of Education - Iowa Public Television, Agency Performance Plan

Annual Report, Agency Performance Plan

Social Determinants of Child Health in Colombia: Can Community Education Moderate the Effect of Family Characteristics?

Contextual effects on child health have been investigated extensively in previous research. However, few studies have considered the interplay between community characteristics and individual-level variables. This study examines the influence of community education and family socioeconomic characteristics on child health (as measured by height and weight-for-age Z-scores), as well as their interactions. We adapted the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) framework to the context of child health. Using data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), weighted multilevel models are fitted since the data are not self-weighting. The results show a positive impact of the level of education of other women in the community on child health, even after controlling for individual and family socioeconomic characteristics. Different pathways through which community education can substitute for the effect of family characteristics on child nutrition are found. The interaction terms highlight the importance of community education as a moderator of the impact of the mother’s own education and autonomy, on child health. In addition, the results reveal differences between height and weight-for-age indicators in their responsiveness to individual and contextual factors. Our findings suggest that community intervention programmes may have differential effects on child health. Therefore, their identification can contribute to a better targeting of child care policies.