Survivin蛋白及β-catenin蛋白在原发性肝癌组织中的表达及其临床意义

目的：研究肝癌组织中克隆细胞凋亡抑制蛋白（survivin蛋白）及β-连环素蛋白（β—catenin蛋白）的表达及其临床意义。方法：应用免疫组织化学染色法对47例原发性肝癌组织、10例肝硬化组织、4例正常肝组织中survivin蛋白及β-连环素蛋白（β—catenin蛋白）的表达情况进行检测，并结合原发性肝癌临床生物学特性进行分析。结果：在正常肝组织中survivin蛋白无表达、β-catenin蛋白无异常表达；在肝硬化组织中，survivin蛋白无表达、有2例（20％）β—catenin蛋白出现异常表达；在47例肝癌组织中有30例（63．8％）survivin蛋白表达阳性，31例（65．9％）β—catenin蛋白出现异常表达（P〈0．01）。Survivin蛋白、β—catenin蛋白表达与患者的年龄、性别、肿瘤大小无关。Survivin蛋白在原发性肝癌复发组的表达率为92．9％（26／28），无复发组的表达率为21．1％（4／19）；β—catenin蛋白在原发性肝癌复发组中的异常表达率为89．2％（25／28），在无复发组的表达率为31．6％（6／19）（P〈0．05）。在survivin蛋白表达阳性的30例原发性肝癌组织中有28例（93．3％）β-catenin蛋白出现异常表达，而在β—catenin蛋白出现异常表达的31例原发性肝癌组织中有28例（90．3％）survivin蛋白表达阳性，两种蛋白在原发性肝癌组织的表达具有一致性，且呈正相关（r=0．6324）。结论：Survivin蛋白与β-catenin蛋白与原发性肝细胞癌复发密切相关，它们可能成为预测肝癌术后有无复发的一项指标。Survivin蛋白与β-catenin蛋白的表达在原发性肝细胞性肝癌中具有密切的关系，且呈正相关。     

Long-term follow-up of Intacs from a single center

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term visual results in patients having Intacs placement for the correction of mild myopia. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Mount Sinai Hospital of Mount Sinai NYU Health, New York, New York, USA. METHODS: Patients with mild myopia (spherical equivalent between -0.75 and -4.50 diopters [D]) were enrolled to have Intacs placement between May 1995 and March 1999 under United States Food and Drug Administration Phase II and Phase III clinical trials for intrastromal corneal ring segments (ICRS). Six insert thicknesses were evaluated: 0.21, 0.25, 0.30, 0.35, 0.40, and 0.45 mm. The long-term results evaluated were uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), maintenance of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), predictability and stability of the refractive effect, induced manifest refraction cylinder, slitlamp findings, self-reported visual symptoms, and maintenance of mesopic contrast sensitivity. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen eyes of 73 patients were enrolled; 113 eyes of 72 patients received Intacs. There were no serious intraoperative or postoperative complications. The mean follow-up was 17.5 months +/- 8.9 (SD). At the end of this period (number of eyes evaluated = 100), the UCVA was 20/40 or better in 95 eyes (95.0%), 20/20 or better in 72 (72%), and 20/16 or better in 41 (41%). None of the 113 eyes lost 10 or more letters or 2 or more lines of preoperative BSCVA. The mean change in the cycloplegic refraction spherical equivalent for the 6 insert thicknesses was as follows: -0.75 +/- 0.00 D for 0.21 mm; -1.17 +/- 0.42 D for 0.25 mm; -2.00 +/- 0.54 D for 0.30 mm; -2.59 +/- 0.53 D for 0.35 mm; -3.09 +/- 0.54 D for 0.40 mm; and -3.82+/-0.80 D for 0.45 mm. The refractive correction was within +/-1.0 D of the predicted outcome in 103 eyes (92.0%) and within +/-0.5 D in 72 eyes (63.7%). Intacs were removed from 6 eyes (5.3%). All 4 eyes for which data were available 3 months after removal returned to within +/-0.5 D of their preoperative manifest refraction spherical equivalent. Intacs were exchanged because of undercorrection in 2 eyes (1.8%). These eyes gained 3 and 5 lines of UCVA 12 months and 18 months, respectively, after the exchange procedure. Overall, 85.7% (36/42) of the patients were satisfied with the results of the Intacs procedure. CONCLUSION: Intacs safely and effectively corrected mild myopia. Placement is a brief, easy outpatient procedure. The refractive effect was predictable and stable over long-term follow-up. Results from a limited number of removal and exchange procedures indicate that Intacs are removable and adjustable.     

The relationship between dietary habits and body-mass index using the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria as the sample

This was a cross sectional survey of selected sample of staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Lagos, conducted in July to August, 2000. Feeding patterns observed among the sampled population showed that most (74.4%) ate three meals while 11.2% ate more than three meals daily. However, lunch was the most common meal eaten away from home by most (59.0%) of the respondents. Most of the respondents were observed to substitute snacks for their lunch (84.3%). Their food consumption pattern revealed that 23.2% consumed cereals daily while only 5.6% of the respondents consumed fruits and only 10.9% affirmed to consuming vegetables daily. Consumption pattern of other foods revealed that 15.6% consumed dairy products daily, meat/fish was daily consumed by only 16.2% and only 10.0% consumed fats and oils daily in the meals. Gender was also observed to influence feeding patterns of the sampled population studied. Most of the men consumed more meals per day than females. Only 46.4% of all the respondents had BMI values within normal acceptable range. Most of the respondents that were underweight were men (91.4%). Blood pressure measurements revealed that most of them had normal systolic (78.3%) and diastolic blood pressure (81.8%). Though 3.9% had severely high systolic blood pressure and 0.7% had severely high diastolic blood pressure. Only 20.5% of the study population had acceptable blood cholesterol levels of which only 61.1% had BMI values within the normal acceptable range. Only 0.8% of the study population had very high blood cholesterol levels with majority of the population 72.7% on the borderline. It is recommended that health and nutrition education be mounted and that periodic anthropometric measurements be used to evaluate the risk of some non-communicable diseases.     

Comparative haematological screening of urban and rural pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Lagos and its environs

A total of 200 rural and urban pregnant women attending the clinics for routine antenatal care were involved. The data collection began in June 1990 and ended in August 1990. The data gathering instrument was first pilot tested in the antenatal clinics of Lagos University Teaching Hospital. These findings enumerated from the study: About 6.8% of the rural women had moderate Anaemias 9.0-9.9gm% as compared to 1.4% of the urban women.

The MCHC fell progressively with the gestation age. The study showed 71.6% of the rural women had MCHC less than 33 compared to 60.8% urban women. The mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) is also reported to fall progressively with gestation (Belsey & Royston, 1987). Their hypothesis was supported by this study. The correlation coefficient was -0.02 and (p 0.01).

The PCV was also significantly correlated with gestation age r = 0.24 (p 0.01).     

An epidemiological comparison of parasitic infection among preschool children in four areas in Lagos, Nigeria

This study was carried out using four contrasted areas in Lagos, Agege, Mafoluku, Adeniyi-Jones Village and Allen Avenue by incidental sampling method. No other statistical sampling method was viable due to limitation posed by the parents of the subjects.

An estimated 39.3#pc of parasites infection was identified from the low socio economic pre-school children. Out of 20 pre-school children from highly socio economic status,” Allen Avenue” was tested negative of any parasite. The most common parasites were Ascaris lumbricoides followed by Trichuria Trichurias. 32 children from Adeniyi-Jones Village were infected. 27 children within the age of 0-24 months surveyed from Agege and Mafoluku were infected of the same similar parasites.

Socio economic status played a significant role in this study. Children from Allen Avenue with higher environmental sanitation compared with other three areas carried no parasites. A total of 18 #op12.0#pc#cp females were infected while 27.3#pc of the males were infected. A higher percentage rate occured among females than males though no association was made between the sexes.     

Nutritional status of nursery school children: a comparison between Lagos State (Southern Nigeria) and Jos, Plateau State (Northern Nigeria)

This comparative study was carried out to assess the nutritional status of preschool children in the Southern part of Nigeria (Lagos) and Jos, Plateau State in the Northern part of Nigeria. A total of 393 nursery school children aged 24-77 months in 5 schools (3 in Jos, 2 in Lagos) were randomly selected by multistage sampling. Anthropometric data (height, weight and age) were taken from the subjects and dietary information, weaning and breastfeeding history and general socio economic data were obtained from the parents by administering questionnaires. Weight/Height Z-score (WHZ) differed significantly between Jos (3.0%) and Lagos (11.6%), while weight/age (WAZ) was found to have the same prevalence rate in both locations (2.5%) each. This WAZ score is the normal expected prevalence in a standard population of children. Height/Age Z-scores (HAZ) were not statistically different in both South and North, 2.5% HAZ < -2.0 SD in Jos and 0.0% HAZ < -2.0 SD in Lagos. The intestinal parasitosis rates in this study were as follows: in Jos, a 13.5% infection rate was found, and in Lagos, the infection rate was 8.8%.     

A study of prevalence of protein energy malnutrition among 0-5 years in rural Benue State, Nigeria

Three hundred and seventy pre-school children (181 males and 189 females) were studied in order to document the prevalence of protein energy malnutrition and factors that militate it. The prevalence of protein energy malnutrition among the children was revealed to be 41.6% (154). One hundred and fiftyone (40.8%) of them were found to have weight-for-height below -2SD indicating level of stunting among the children. Most malnourished children belonged to mothers who were illiterate 97 (54.8%) when viewed from the mothers' educational perspective. This study also showed the following factors that were statistically significant with PEM: educational status of mothers (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05) of mothers, occupational status of mothers (p=0.000), parental income per annum (p=0.000), length of breastfeeding (p=0.000), water supply and regularity, type of housing and toilet facilities. Intensification of health education aimed at encouraging beneficial childhood feeding practices in the community is needed together with further study on the subject, which will be directed at actual analysis of the nutritive values of available local foodstuffs as a prerequisite for an effective intervention programme.     

MET as a target for treatment of chest tumors

The receptor tyrosine kinase MET has been studied of a large variety of human cancers, including lung and mesothelioma. The MET receptor and its ligand HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) play important roles in cell growth, survival and migration, and dysregulation of the HGF-MET pathway leads to oncogenic changes including tumor proliferation, angiogenesis and metastasis. In small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), MET is dysregulated via overexpression, constitutive activation, gene amplification, ligand-dependent activation, mutation or epigenetic mechanisms. New drugs targeted against MET and HGF are currently being investigated in vitro and in vivo, with promising results. These drugs function at a variety of steps within the HGF-MET pathway, including MET expression at the RNA or protein level, the ligand-receptor interaction, and tyrosine kinase function. This paper will review the structure, function, mechanisms of tumorigenesis, and potential for therapeutic inhibition of the MET receptor in lung cancer and mesothelioma.