Matrix metalloproteinases-2 and -9 in cervical cancer: different roles in tumor progression

The incidence of uterine cervical cancer has increased slightly in Western countries, with an increase in relatively young women. Overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-2 and -9 has turned out as a prognostic factor in many cancers. We compared the expression of the proteins MMP-2 and MMP-9 in cervical primary tumors with clinical outcome and risk factors of cervical cancer. One hundred sixty-one patients with cervical cancer treated in Ume? University Hospital or Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden, between 1991 and 1995 were included in the study. Paraffin-embedded tissue samples obtained prior to treatment were examined immunohistochemically by specific antibodies for MMP-2 and MMP-9. Forty-two percent of the tumors were intensively positive for MMP-2 and 31% for MMP-9. Nineteen percent of the samples were intensively positive for both proteinases and 47% negative or weak for both. Overexpression of MMP-2 seemed to predict unfavorable survival under Kaplan-Meier analysis and in the multivariate analysis. Early sexual activity and low parity seemed to correlate to overexpression of MMP-2. MMP-9 was not associated with survival or sexual behavior. Intensive MMP-9 was noted in grade 1 tumors. We conclude that MMP-2 and MMP-9 have different roles in uterine cervical cancer. MMP-2 could be associated with aggressive behavior, but MMP-9 expression diminishes in high-grade tumors.     

Clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma that occur after sustained virological response to interferon for chronic hepatitis C

Background and Aim: This study investigated the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with sustained virological response to interferon for hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. Methods: A total of 7715 patients with HCV infection were treated with interferon and followed up for more than 1 year after withdrawal of interferon in 64 Japanese hospitals and clinics between July 1988 and August 2001. Sustained virological response was obtained in 2515 (32.6%) patients. Of these 2515 patients, clinical data were collected for 38 patients in whom hepatocellular carcinoma developed. Sustained virological response was defined as HCV RNA negativity more than 6 months after the termination of interferon. Results: All patients were HCV RNA negative at the time of diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. The median period until the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma was 4.7 years (range 1.4–9.0 years). There were significant improvements in hepatic function including serum albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, indocyanine green test, platelet count and histological activity grade in comparison with those before interferon therapy and at the onset of hepatocellular carcinoma. The maximum tumor size in patients without medical follow‐up for 1 year or more (median: 60 mm) was significantly larger than in patients who were periodically followed up for 6 months or less (median: 25 mm) (P = 0.002). Conclusions: The present findings emphasize the importance of regular medical follow up of patients with HCV infection, as even patients showing a sustained virological response to interferon and in whom hepatic function has improved have the potential to develop hepatocellular carcinoma.     

鸡抗内毒素卵黄抗体IgY的制备

目的：研究分别应用内毒素（LPS）、类脂A(LipidA)和大肠杆菌突变株15免疫鸡后其蛋黄中抗内毒素抗体IgY的产量、纯度、效价并筛选最佳免疫抗原。方法：分别应用内毒素（LPS）、类脂A(LipidA)和大肠杆菌J5突变株作为抗原免疫25周龄Leghom鸡，水溶法（WD）提取蛋黄中抗体IgY，双紫外光测定抗体含量，SDS-PSGE电泳检测抗体纯度，细胞酶联染色和ELISA检测抗体特异性、效价及筛选最佳免疫抗原。结果：3种抗内毒素IgY含量和效价分别为14.4mg/ml和1：12 800（J5）、10.61mg/ml和1：12 800（LPS）、9.26mg/ml和1：3200（LipidA），抗体纯度均为95％左右。结论：大肠杆菌突变株J5和内毒素（LPS）为最佳免疫抗原，免疫鸡后其蛋黄中抗内毒素抗体IgY的产量和效价最高。     

乳腺癌HSV—1,HSV—2与c—erbB—2关系的免疫组化研究

采用免疫组织化学Ｓ－Ｐ法检测５２例手术切除乳腺癌组织ｃ－ｅｒｂＢ－２蛋白和ＨＳＶ－１、ＨＳＶ－２表达情况。结果发现癌组织中ｃ－ｅｒｂＢ－２阳性３４例（６５．４％）；ＨＳＶ－１阳性３８例（７３．１％）；ＨＳＶ－２阳性１５例（２８．８％）。癌旁组织３２例，阳性分别为３例（９．４％）；１２例（３７．５％）；２例（６．３％）。乳腺癌中ｃ－ｅｒｂＢ－２阳性率明显高于癌旁组织。乳腺癌及癌旁的ＨＳＶ－１阳性率明     

Haemophilia A and haemophilia B: molecular insights

This review focuses on selected areas that should interest both the scientist and the clinician alike: polymorphisms within the factor VIII and factor IX genes, their linkage, and their ethnic variation; a general assessment of mutations within both genes and a detailed inspection of the molecular pathology of certain mutations to illustrate the diverse cause–effect relations that exist; a summary of current knowledge on molecular aspects of inhibitor production; and an introduction to the new areas of factor VIII and factor IX catabolism. An appendix defining various terms encountered in the molecular genetics of the haemophilias is included, together with an appendix providing accession numbers and locus identification links for accessing gene and sequence information in the international nucleic acid databases.     

石杉碱甲和乙促进小鼠的空间辨别学习和记忆

石杉碱甲和乙是从石杉科石杉属植物蛇足石杉[Huperzia scrrata(Thunb.)Trev.]中分得的二个新生物碱。“Y”迷宫实验表明,ip Hup-A 0.075～0.125 mg/kg或Hup-B 0.4～0.8mg/kg,均能明显促进小鼠的空间辨别学习,并能显著预防CO₂产生的短时识别障碍,促进记忆保持和记忆再现。ig Hup-A 0.1～0.3 mg/kg或Hup-B 0.8 mg/kg也有促进学习的作用。促进作用Hup-A>Phys>Hup-B。剂量与效应曲线呈倒U型。     

Active production of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM antibody in HTLV-I-associated myelopathy

We investigated the presence of anti-human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) IgM in sera and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM) by Western blot analysis. Analyses of 36 serum samples revealed that most patients (31/36; 86.1%) had anti-HTLV-I IgM, whereas only four of 23 (17.4%) HTLV-I carriers had it. In studies of cerebrospinal fluid, anti-HTLV-I IgM was detected in 24 of 36 (66.7%) HAM patients, whereas none was detected in nine HTLV-I carriers. The differences were statistically significant (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that persistent active replication of HTLV-I occurs in the central nervous system as well as in the peripheral blood of HAM patients, and may contribute to the development of HAM.     

Herpes simplex virus latency in the nervous system – a new model

Permissive herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection in tissue culture results in host cell destruction. Latent HSV infection in vivo occurs in neurons of peripheral sensory ganglia (PSG) and it therefore can not take place in neurons in which the virus has completed a lytic replication cycle similar to that present in vitro. Our hypothesis, based on experimental data and observations in humans, suggests that establishment of latent infection and reactivation of HSV-1 does not involve neuronal cell loss. Latency is established in neurons in which the virus does not replicate and is determined, in part, by the tissue levels of a herpes transactivating protein (Vmw65) that is a component of the viral tegument. We also suggest that reactivation of latent infection does not involve destruction of neurons and is due to replication of virus at the peripheral mucocutaneous tissues to where virus or viral DNA have been transported from the nervous tissue. Alternatively, reactivation is initiated in the PSG using a replication cycle which does not involve irreversible damage to neurons. This model explains the lack of damage to neurons which continue to serve as permanent reservoirs of latent virus for the entire life of the host.