Survivin在食管癌中的表达及其与bcl-2表达关系的相关研究

目的探讨Survivin在食管癌组织中的表达及其与bcl-2蛋白表达的相关性。方法应用免疫组织化学SP法,检测Survivin、bcl-2蛋白在68例食管癌组织和20例正常食管组织中的表达。结果Survivin蛋白在正常食管组织中低表达或不表达,68例食管癌组织中,49例表达阳性,占72.1%。Survivin蛋白表达与分化程度、淋巴结转移密切相关(P<0.05)。食管癌组织bcl-2蛋白表达阳性、阴性组中,Survivin蛋白阳性表达率分别为94.7%(36/38)和43.3%(13/30),两者比较,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。Survivin蛋白表达与bcl-2蛋白表达密切相关。结论Survivin在食管癌组织中表达上调,通过抑制细胞凋亡,在食管癌的发生中起到重要作用;凋亡相关基因bcl-2的上调与Survivin的表达可能在食管癌变中起协同作用。     

PTEN及Bcl-2蛋白在膀胱移行细胞癌中的表达及其意义

目的：探讨PTEN及Bcl-2蛋白在膀胱移行细胞癌的表达规律及其临床意义。方法：应用免疫组织化学链亲和素-生物素-霉复合物（SP）方法检测43例膀胱移行细胞癌和7例正常黏膜组织中PTEN及Bcl-2蛋白的表达．分析二者的表达与膀胱癌病理参数的关系。结果：（1）G1、G2、G3肿瘤PTEN表达阳性率分别为85．7％、80．4％、73．3％，浸润性肿瘤和表浅性肿瘤表达阳性率分别为70．4％和93．8％，说明PTEN表达阳性率与肿瘤病理分级、临床分期有关。（2）G。、G2、G3肿瘤Bcl-2表达阳性率分别为14．2％、57．14％、66．67％，浸润性肿瘤和表浅性肿瘤表达阳性率分别为59．3％和43．8％，说明Bcl-2表达阳性率与肿瘤病理分级、临床分期有关。（3）随着肿瘤恶性程度的增高和临床分期进展，PTEN蛋白阳性率呈下降，Bcl-2表达呈增高趋势，二者表达呈负相关关系。结论：PTEN的抑癌作用可能与Bcl-2有关．二者的异常表达在膀胱移行细胞癌的发生、发展过程中起重要作用。二者同时检测有助于判断预后。     

Antiproliferative, cytotoxic and apoptogenic activity of Indian toad (Bufo melanostictus, Schneider) skin extract on U937 and K562 cells.

The antiproliferative, cytotoxic and apoptogenic activities of Bufo melanostictus (Indian common toad) skin extract (TSE) on U937 and K562 leukemic cell line has been investigated. TSE significantly (P<0.001) reduced the time-dependent cell proliferation and decreased MTT values in U937 and K562 cells. TSE (IC50 doses) suppressed the proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in both the cells. It was demonstrated that, TSE (IC50 doses) primarily arrested the U937 and K562 cells at G1 phase of the cell cycle. Confocal microscopy showed the altered fragmented nuclei and apoptotic bodies formation in TSE (IC50 doses) treated U937 and K562 cells. Membrane blebbing, cell surface shrinkage and perforation were observed through scanning electron microscope. TSE-induced DNA fragmentation in U937 and K562 cells was reflected in single-cell gel electrophoresis. TSE significantly (P<0.001) increase the length-width ratio of DNA mass as compared to control in comet assay. The flow cytometric analysis of annexin-V binding to the cancer cells further supported the apoptotogenic activity of TSE. The effect of TSE on normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells viability and cytotoxicity was studied in culture and found to be less cytotoxic than on the U937 and K562 cells. The findings from the present study suggested that TSE might possess potent antineoplastic agent having antiproliferative, cytotoxic and apoptogenic activity against U937 and K562 myeloid leukemic cells.     

Clinical significance of urinary white blood cell count and serum C-reactive protein level for detection of non-palpable prostate cancer

AIM: The clinical significance of the urinary white blood cell (U-WBC) count and serum C-reactive protein (CRP) level was evaluated in an effort to improve the efficiency of prostate biopsies. METHODS: We enrolled 228 consecutive patients with serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ranging from 3.0 to 20.0 ng/mL, normal digital rectal examination findings, and who underwent prostate biopsies between January 2001 and August 2004. Of these, 157 patients had histologically confirmed benign prostatic disease and the remaining 71 patients had prostate cancer. Patients with a pretreatment U-WBC count < or =3 or >3/high power field were defined as non-pyuria and pyuria, respectively. The patients were also separated into two groups based on the serum CRP level prior to biopsy. Several clinical factors were compared among these subgroups. RESULTS: Inflammation was histologically detected at rates of 58.1% and 34.1% in the pyuria and non-pyuria groups, respectively (P = 0.0014). The rates of cancer detection were significantly lower in the pyuria, than in the non-pyuria group (P = 0.0384). The cancer detection rates did not significantly differ according to serum CRP levels prior to biopsy. CONCLUSION: The U-WBC count appears to be a reliable indicator of minute prostatic inflammation. The serum PSA level was elevated in patients with asymptomatic prostatitis. Counting U-WBC is a simple, convenient and non-invasive method that should be valuable part of routine urological examinations.     

1,25(OH)2Vitamin D3 induces elevated expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p18 in a squamous cell carcinoma cell line of the head and neck

BACKGROUND: 1Alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) [1,25(OH)(2) Vitamin D(3)] induces growth inhibition in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines of the head and neck by arresting the cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, probably due to an enhanced expression of p21, which could be demonstrated in other cell lines (JPPA, SCC9) before. In SCC25, a SCC cell line isolated from tongue, growth inhibition but no overexpression of p21 was detected. The retinoblastoma gene, as a direct target of G1 cyclin-CDK complexes, showed an obvious shift from the hyperphosphorylated to the hypophosphorylated form under 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3), which indicates that the growth inhibition takes place in the G0/G1 phase. To explore the possible pathway of growth inhibition in SCC25 we investigated other cell cycle inhibitors (p18, p19, p27). METHODS: Synchronized cells were treated with 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3) over 96 h. The cell cycle status and expression of cell cycle-regulating proteins was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and Western blotting. An overexpression of p18 in 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3) vs. ethanol-treated cells was determined until 30 h in SCC25. No influence was detectable on the expression of p27 and p19. CONCLUSION: One mechanism by which 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3) controls cell growth might be the upregulation of p21. As p21 was unsusceptible to 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3) in SCC25, other inhibiting proteins were necessary to be tested. The proven upregulation of p18 seems to be the responsible step for growth inhibition of 1,25(OH)(2)Vitamin D(3) in SCC25.     

Fetal neural grafts for Huntington's disease: a prospective view.

Intrastriatal transplantation of striatal neuroblasts from human fetuses is a promising approach for treatment of Huntington's disease, on the basis of many experimental animal studies and, most recently, pilot clinical trials. Technically, several issues remain to be resolved (e.g., the precise site of dissection of the fetal tissue; the number and location of the fetal striatal implants; or the use of immunosuppressive therapy), and await larger-scale trials and purposely designed protocols. Further clinical data must also be obtained, and preliminary promising results must be replicated in a patient group large enough to provide conclusive results. It is important to establish (1) the amount of clinical benefit provided to the patient by the grafted cells; (2) the anticipated duration of clinical benefits; and (3) the secondary rate of decline after the benefit of the graft has been overbalanced. Evaluation of these parameters will require very long-term follow-up of the patients involved, over several years after grafting, before the technique can eventually be proposed widely to patients.     

β-胡萝卜素立体异构体对环磷酰胺处理小鼠免疫功能的比较研究

就β-胡萝卜素立体异构体对环磷酰胺处理小鼠的免疫功能影响进行了比较研究。结果显示β-胡萝卜素立体异构体对外磷酰胺造成的免疫功能低下具有不同程度的改善作用，提高胸腺和脾脏指数，增强脾脏细胞对刀豆素A（ConA）的反应性和NK活性，血清溶菌酶含量也有所增加。综合各项指标，9-顺式和全反式混合物的作用最明显，提示一定浓度的9-顺式对于提高β-胡萝卜素对机体的总体作用是有一定意义的。     

表皮生长因子对牛眼小梁细胞c—fos基因表达的诱导

目的研究表皮生长因子（ｅｐｉｄｅｒｍａｌｇｒｏｗｔｈｆａｃｔｏｒ，ＥＧＦ）对小梁细胞的作用。方法应用分子杂交技术研究ＥＧＦ对体外培养的牛眼小梁细胞ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因表达的诱导和３Ｈ胸腺核苷酸（３Ｈ－ｔｈｙｍｉｄｉｎｅｉｎｃｏｒｐａｒａｔｉｏｎ，３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ）掺入法观察细胞ＤＮＡ的合成。结果小梁细胞的３Ｈ－ＴｄＲ掺入率随着ＥＧＦ浓度不同而变化，浓度为２０～１５０ｎｇ／ｍｌ时，细胞掺入率随浓度增加升高（Ｐ＜０．０１）。与对照组相比，ＥＧＦ刺激停止生长的小梁细胞０．５小时后，ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因开始表达，１小时后达高峰，至２小时后消失。不同浓度ＥＧＦ刺激小梁细胞１小时后，ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因表达呈浓度依赖性。结论实验结果表明ＥＧＦ刺激小梁细胞增殖或进入生长状态，可能与ｃ－ｆｏｓ基因产物的信号传递作用有关。     

Phase II trial of piroxantrone in patients with recurrent and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Summary Twenty-two patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with piroxantrone 150 mg/m² intravenously every 21 days. There were no objective responses. The 95% upper confidence bound for response is 15%. Primary toxicity was hematologic.     

Erythropoietin production in healthy volunteers subjected to controlled hypobaric hypoxia: further evidence against a role for adenosine

Aims Objective of this study was to investigate whether adenosine modulates renal erythropoietin production.
Methods In the present study erythropoietin production was stimulated by hypobaric hypoxia by subjecting healthy volunteers to a simulated altitude of 4000  m in a low pressure chamber for 5.5  h. During exposure to hypoxia the subjects received i.v. in a randomized, single-blind, cross-over fashion the non-specific adenosine antagonist theophylline, the adenosine reuptake inhibitor dipyridamole and placebo.
Results Contrary to the working hypothesis, theophylline did not decrease and dipyridamole did not further boost erythropoietin concentrations.
Conclusions The results are in agreement with our earlier study using haemorrhage as a controlled physiological stimulus of erythropoietin production, and would question a major role for adenosine as a mediator of renal erythropoietin production.