Endoglin (CD105) and vascular endothelial growth factor as prognostic markers in prostatic adenocarcinoma

We studied endoglin and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression as prognostic markers in prostatic adenocarcinoma in 50 radical prostatectomy specimens. Cases were further categorized by Gleason score as follows: 8 to 10, 9 cases; 7(4 + 3), 9 cases; 7 (3 + 4), 14 cases; 6, 13 cases; and 4 or 5, 5 cases. All cases were immunostained for endoglin, CD31, and VEGF. Positively stained microvessels were counted in densely vascular foci in a x 400 field. VEGF staining intensity was scored on a 2-tiered scale. Results were correlated with survival and other parameters. Endoglin demonstrated significantly more microvessels than did CD31 (mean +/- SD, 37 +/- 15 vs 22 +/- 17; P < .001). VEGF expression was low in 21 cases (42%) and high in 29 (58%). Endoglin correlated positively with Gleason score, lymph node metastases, tumor stage, and preoperative prostate-specific antigen level (P < .05) but not with CD31. VEGF correlated significantly with angiolymphatic invasion and Gleason score (P < .05). A high endoglin microvessel count and VEGF expression correlated with shorter survival. Endoglin is a more specific and sensitive marker for tumor angiogenesis than CD31 and may serve as a prognostic marker for prostatic adenocarcinoma.     

Human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor stabilizes intestinal mucosa against noxious agents

Pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) is a serine protease inhibitor, expressed in gut mucosa, whose function is unclear. We, therefore, examined the effects of PSTI on gut stability and repair. Transgenic mice overexpressing human PSTI within the jejunum (FABPi(-1178 to +28) hPSTI construct) showed no change in baseline morphology or morphometry but reduced indomethacin-induced injury in overexpressing hPSTI region by 42% (P < 0.01). Systemic recombinant hPSTI did not affect baseline morphology or morphometry but truncated injurious effects in prevention and recovery rat models of dextran-sodium-sulfate-induced colitis. In vitro studies showed PSTI stimulated cell migration but not proliferation of human colonic carcinoma HT29 or immortalized mouse colonic YAMC cells. PSTI also induced changes in vectorial ion transport (short-circuit current) when added to basolateral but not apical surfaces of polarized monolayers of Colony-29 cells. Restitution and vectorial ion transport effects of PSTI were dependent on the presence of a functioning epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor because cells with a disrupted (EGFR(-/-) immortalized cells) or neutralized (EGFR blocking antibodies or tyrosine kinase inhibitor) receptor prevented these effects. PSTI also reduced the cytokine release of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated dendritic cells. We conclude that administration of PSTI may provide a novel method of stabilizing intestinal mucosa against noxious agents and stimulating repair after injury.     

Ex vivo enrichment of malignant carcinoma cells in primary culture

AIMS: Establishing and maintaining human tumours in primary culture can be challenging. In this application, a short-term primary culture process is desired to ensure cells maintained in culture are representative of the in vivo tumour for the purpose of chemoresponse testing. To ensure the appropriate cells are being grown, the cultures must be evaluated for malignancy. The clinical gold standard determination of malignancy is cytological evaluation by a cytopathologist. METHODS: Fifty human tumour specimens (breast, colon, lung, ovary) were established and maintained in primary culture. Cytospins were prepared upon initiation of culture and again at completion of the culture process. Cytospins were stained (Diff-Quik, Papanicolaou) and evaluated by a cytopathologist for the percentage of malignant cells at both times. RESULTS: An increase in the percentage of malignant cells was noted in 86% (43/50) of the cultures evaluated; 8% (4/50) of the cultures maintained the same percentage of malignant cells throughout the culture period, and 6% (3/50) displayed a decrease in malignant cells. On average, the percentage of malignant cells increased by 37% and was not associated with the length of culture (range 5-28 days). CONCLUSIONS: The described primary culture process enriches for malignant cells, which is desirable for further evaluation such as chemoresponse testing.     

Visual and auditory emotion recognition problems as familial cross-disorder phenomenon in ASD and ADHD

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are frequently comorbid disorders. Emotion recognition problems are considered an important familial deficit in ASD, but this is unknown in ADHD. Very few studies have directly compared emotion recognition performance of youth with ASD and/or ADHD and of their unaffected siblings across age to quantify the contribution of emotion recognition problems to the ADHD phenotype. We therefore devised a study of 64 ASD+ADHD participants, 89 ASD-only participants, 111 ADHD-only participants, 122 unaffected ASD(+ADHD) siblings, 69 unaffected ADHD-only siblings and 220 controls aged 7–18 years, who had completed two tasks assessing auditory and visual emotion recognition. Factor analysis was used to detect underlying dimensions of emotion recognition capacity. Linear mixed models were used to compare performance across groups and to assess age effects. The factor-analysis revealed four factors separating speed and accuracy regarding visual and auditory emotion recognition. ASD+ADHD, ASD-only, and ADHD-only participants all performed worse than controls. ASD+ADHD, ASD-only, and ADHD-only participants did not differ in the severity of their emotion recognition problems. Both unaffected sibling groups performed intermediate between patients and controls. For ASD+ADHD and ADHD-only participants, group differences were more marked in adolescence than childhood, whereas in ASD participants this was not observed. We conclude that emotion recognition problems are a familial deficit in ADHD to a similar extent as in ASD. Emotion recognition problems specifically - and social cognition problems more generally - should be assessed in clinical practice for ADHD.     

Hearing Loss: Why Does It Matter for Nursing Homes?

Over the past decade, hearing loss has emerged as a key issue for aging and health. We describe why hearing loss may be especially disabling in nursing home settings and provide an estimate of prevalence using the Minimum Data Set (MDS v.3.0). We outline steps to mitigate hearing loss. Many solutions are inexpensive and low-tech, but require significant awareness and institutional commitment.