Circulatory miR-628-5p is downregulated in prostate cancer patients

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a major health concern for men in the USA. Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been associated with the pathogenesis of various cancers, including PCa. Circulatory forms of miRNAs have been detected in serum and hold promise as minimally invasive cancer biomarkers. This study aimed to identify potential circulatory miRNAs that can provide insights into new mechanisms for clinical diagnosis of PCa and can serve as potential biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets. Candidate serum miRNAs were detected by using PCR microarray in a learning set of six African American (AA) and six Caucasian American (CA) PCa patients. Discriminating performance of candidate miRNAs was validated by qRT-PCR in serum samples from 36 AA (24 PCa patients and 12 controls) and 36 CA (16 PCa patients and 20 controls). From the miRNA profiling experiments, three differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-25, miR-101, and miR-628-5p) were selected for future validation. In the validation set, there was an overall low expression of miR-25 (p?<?0.01), miR-101 (p?<?0.001), and miR-628-5p (p?<?0.0001) in serum of PCa patients as compared with normal individuals. Subdivision on the basis of ethnicity showed that serum expression levels of miR-628-5p were significantly downregulated in both AA and CA PCa patients when compared with their respective controls. Our results demonstrate that the three miRNAs, particularly miR-628-5p, may be further developed as a biomarker, which can serve as novel noninvasive biomarker for PCa diagnosis and prognosis.     

Pyoderma gangrenosum--case report

We report the case of a woman of 34 years who had ulcerative colitis and atypical pyoderma gangrenosum. The pyoderma gangrenosum responded to conservative treatment.     

Knowledge of and attitudes about blood-borne viruses and infection control in Brazilian dental practice

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there were any recent changes in hepatitis B immunisation of dental staff, infection control or understanding of viral infections in Brazilian dentists.
DESIGN: A randomised survey was conducted on 740 dentists attending the National Dental Congress in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1994.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The 740 dentists were questioned as to the presence of various viruses in saliva, the perceived risks of dental staff and long-term sequelae, the availability and uptake of vaccines, willingness to treat virus-infected persons, and means of infection control. Nearly 69% of respondents were female dentists, of mean age 30 years. Results were compared with a similar survey from 1990.
RESULTS: Most respondents knew that HIV and hepatitis viruses could appear in saliva and almost all knew of infective risks from hepatitis B (HBV), and the availability of the vaccine. Less than half knew of the association of HBV with liver cancer. There was a four-fold increase in those vaccinated against HBV since the low figure of 9% in 1990. Nearly two-thirds of respondents perceived an occupational risk to dental staff from HIV, and a similar proportion were also unwilling to treat virus-infected persons. A similar proportion also used chemical disinfection for some dental instruments.
CONCLUSIONS: The results show little improvement over a 4-year period except a much greater proportion of dentists were immunised against HBV. However, still only one third of dentists had been vaccinated, in a country with a high prevalence of infection in the general population.     

Pediatric reference intervals for aldosterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone and 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 using tandem mass spectrometry

Objectives

To determine age and sex-specific pediatric reference intervals for aldosterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D₃.

Background and design

Reference intervals were determined for neonates and children 0-18 years of age. The study was conducted at both Children's National Medical Center and Georgetown University using outpatient blood samples obtained between January 1, 2004 and June 30, 2008.

Methods

Serum samples were analyzed using isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) with deuterium-labeled internal standards at Children's National Medical Center and Georgetown University Medical Center Bioanalytical Core Laboratory.

Results and conclusions

This is the first study to provide pediatric reference intervals of steroid hormones for children from birth to 18 years of age using LC/MS/MS. Reference intervals were established for aldosterone, 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, and 25-hydroxy vitamin D₃. All the analytes exhibited at least some age dependence. Sex differences between early and late childhood and adolescence were found for 17α-hydroxyprogesterone and testosterone. Seasonal differences were apparent for 25-hydroxy vitamin D₃.