To evaluate the significance of plasma free serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) and Ca15.3 for the early detection of breast cancer recurrence.
Free serotonin and Ca15.3 levels were measured by ...I-125-Serotonin RIA (DDV Diagnostica, Marburg, Germany) in plasma and an ELISA kit (Roche Diagnostic GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) in serum, respectively in women (N=29) who responded to primary treatment for breast cancer and who were followed-up for recurrence. For analysis, patients were sub-divided according to TNM staging into groups with localized (T1-2N0-M0) and advanced (T1-2N1-2M0-1) disease. The control group were healthy blood donors.
Patients with advanced disease had a significantly higher plasma serotonin level than those with localized disease or controls, whereas Ca15.3 levels remained in normal range in all groups. At the time of serotonin measurement, radiological findings were negative for all patients in the localized-disease group, but positive in nine patients in the advanced-disease group.
Plasma free serotonin may be used for the early detection of recurrent/metastatic breast cancer disease, but validation on a larger number of patients is needed.
Abstract Objective Validation of a flow cytometry-based method for the determination of major leucocyte subsets polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, monocytes, T cells and B cells in paraffin-stimulated ...whole human saliva. Design Salivary leucocyte subsets were determined by four-colour flow cytometry in eight healthy volunteers on three consecutive days. Comparison of leucocyte subsets between saliva and whole blood was also performed. Day-to-day variability and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were determined as indicators of assay reliability. Results It was observed that PMN cells were the predominant cells in the saliva. Percentages of mononuclear cells ranged from 0.3% to 7.2%, with monocytes composing the highest percentage, followed by T cells and B cells. Regardless of high intra-individual day-to-day variability, proportions of leucocyte subsets did not significantly change over three measurements, and high ICCs were calculated for T cells and monocytes. Conclusion Flow cytometry can be used as non-invasive and reproducible method for the analysis of leucocyte subsets in human saliva. Further investigation of pathological and other conditions that have the potential to influence salivary leucocyte subsets is warranted.
The aim of study was to compare salivary and serum concentrations of interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in patients with oral leukoplakia, oral ...cancer and healthy controls.
Eighty eight patients (28 with oral cancer, 29 leukoplakia, and 31 healthy controls) were included in this study. Cytokine concentrations were measured by commercial enzyme linked immunoassay.
Salivary IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly higher in oral cancer patients than in patients with leukoplakia and control group (p<0.05). No differences in concentrations of salivary TNF-α between either of the groups were observed. Serum concentrations of IL-1β were below level of detection in all but two participants. No significant differences between the groups were observed in serum concentrations of IL-6. Serum TNF-α was significantly higher in control subjects than in oral cancer patients.
Patients with oral cancer have elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines in their saliva. Whether this elevation can be used for monitoring the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia remains to be answered by further follow up studies.
The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic value of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of galectin-3 and CD44v6 as markers for preoperative diagnosis of ...malignancy in lesions of the thyroid. RT-PCR analysis of galectin-3 and CD44v6 expression was performed on RNA isolated from fine-needle aspirates of thyroid lesions from 428 patients. The results were evaluated against the postoperative histopathological diagnosis or definitive cytological diagnosis in cases of nodular goiter and Hashimoto thyroiditis. A total of 57 (13%) samples were inadequate for RT-PCR. Galectin-3 and CD44v6 were positive in 167 (45%) and 158 (43%) out of 371 adequate samples, respectively. Galectin-3 and CD44v6 were positive in 56 (86%) and 54 (83%) out of 65 papillary carcinomas, in 16 (29%) and 18 (32%) out of 56 Hashimoto's thyroiditis, in 61 (34%) and 52 (29%) out of 181 nodular goiters, in 23 (43%) and 23 (43%) out of 53 follicular adenomas, in 3 (100%) and 3 (100%) out of 3 follicular carcinomas, and in 8 (62%) and 8 (62%) out of 13 Hurthle cell adenomas, respectively. Specificity, sensitivity, and positive and negative predictive values in discriminating between malignant and benign thyroid nodules were 64, 87, and 35 and 96% for galectin-3; 67, 84, and 36 and 95% for CD44v6; and 79, 82, and 47 and 95% for the analysis of both markers (considered positive only if both galectin-3 and CD44v6 were positive), respectively. Owing to relatively low specificity, the clinical value of galectin-3 and CD44v6 analysis by RT-PCR as a marker for preoperative diagnosis of malignancy in thyroid lesions is limited.
Detection of circulating cancer cells by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been studied as a prognostic marker in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) but so far with ...conflicting results regarding specificity and prognostic value. In this study cytokeratin-20 (CK20) was evaluated by real-time RT-PCR as a marker for circulating CRC cell detection and the influence of surgical tumor resection on the presence of circulating CRC cells was analyzed.
RNA was isolated from the mononuclear cell fraction of blood samples taken from 95 CRC patients before and after tumor resection and from 23 healthy volunteers and assayed by real-time RT-PCR for CK20 expression.
Among 23 healthy volunteers one was positive for CK20. Among 95 CRC patients, 25 were positive for CK20 before and 23 after surgery. Sixteen patients positive before surgery became negative after surgery, while 14 patients negative before surgery became positive after surgery. An increase in the proportion of CK20-positive samples with increasing stage of disease was observed for preoperative but not postoperative blood samples.
Its association with clinical stage indicates that CK20 might have prognostic value as a marker for detection of circulating CRC cells. Surgical tumor resection can both reduce and induce the presence of circulating CRC cells.
Mouth dryness (MD) is usually followed by inadequate mechanical cleaning of the mouth and decrease in the levels of salivary antimicrobial proteins (including secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA)). It ...is accompanied by difficulties during speaking and food swallowing, with an unpleasant taste, burning sensations in the mouth and higher susceptibility to oral diseases. Low-level laser treatment (LLLT) can intensify cell metabolism and its application on salivary glands could improve salivation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of LLLT on salivation of patients suffering from MD. The study included 17 patients with MD. Their major salivary glands were treated with low intensity laser BTL2000 on 10 occasions. The whole unstimulated and stimulated saliva quantities were measured just before the 1st, after the 10th and thirty days following the last (10th) treatment. In the samples of unstimulated saliva concentrations of sIgA were estimated by using ELISA method and its quantity in the time unit was calculated. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to assess burning and/or pain intensity at these three time points. Statistical tests revealed significant salivation improvement quantitatively and qualitatively, i.e. increase in the quantity of saliva and sIgA. VAS score was also significantly improved and no side effects were observed.
According to the results of this study, application of LLLT to xerostomic patients' major salivary glands stimulates them to produce more saliva with better antimicrobial characteristics and improves the difficulties that are associated with MD. This simple non-invasive method could be used in everyday clinical practice for the treatment of MD.
The aim of this study was to analyze microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) as a marker for the detection of circulating melanoma cells, determine its prognostic value in melanoma ...patients, and compare it with tyrosinase. Blood samples from 201 melanoma patients in all stages of the disease and 40 healthy volunteers were analyzed. RNA was isolated from mononuclear cell fraction of the blood and assayed by reverse transcription-PCR for the expression of MITF and tyrosinase. All samples from healthy volunteers were negative for both MITF and tyrosinase. Out of 201 blood samples from melanoma patients 32 were positive for MITF, 20 for tyrosinase, and four for both MITF and tyrosinase. Analysis of MITF as an additional marker to tyrosinase allowed for detection of circulating melanoma cells in a larger number of melanoma patients in comparison to tyrosinase analysis alone (48 vs. 20 positive). A positive value of MITF was associated with shorter progression-free (P=0.005) and overall survival (P=0.042). A positive value of tyrosinase was associated with shorter overall survival (P=0.012), whereas there was no significant association between the value of tyrosinase and progression-free survival. The value of MITF was selected with multivariate analysis as the independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival, whereas the only independent prognostic factor for overall survival was the stage of disease. This study has shown that MITF is a specific marker for detection of circulating melanoma cells that has a prognostic value in melanoma patients. Determination of MITF in addition to tyrosinase improved the detection of circulating melanoma cells in melanoma patients.
Three picolinamide complexes of nickel(II) (1), zinc(II) (2), and cadmium(II) (3) have been prepared and their solid state structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. ...Their structures in DMSO solutions as well as the structure of similar mercury(II) complex, Hg(NO
3
)(pia)
2
(NO
3
) (4), have been elucidated by
1
H and
13
C NMR spectra. The picolinamide is bound through the N,O-donors in all four complexes in solid state, but only in 4 it is in solution state. In nickel (1), zinc (2), and cadmium (3) complexes the pia-N coordination in solution is suggested. The X-ray analysis revealed that isomorphous nickel (1) and zinc (2) crystal structures comprise the centrosymmetrical trans-M(H
2
O)
2
(pia)
2
2+
(M = Ni, Zn; pia = picolinamide) and nitrate. The crystal lattices also contain two non-coordinated H
2
O molecules. In 3, each cadmium(II) is N,O-chelated by two cis-oriented pia ligands, while remaining coordination sites of the capped pentagonal bipyramid are occupied by three oxygen atoms from two nitrates. Crystal structures are dominated by O/N/C-H···O hydrogen bonds. The carboxamide moieties in 1 and 2 do not form any head-to-head or catemeric supramolecular synthons, but participate in the formation of
(12) motifs with solely the amide nitrogen atoms as double hydrogen bond donors. In 3, neighboring molecules are linked into head-to-head amide dimers. The biological effect of picolinamide and Zn(pia)
2
(H
2
O)
2
(NO
3
)
2
on ingestion and intracellular microbicidal capacities of human peripheral blood phagocytes was also assessed.
To determine the presence of circulating autoantibodies to desmoglein (Dsg) 1 and Dsg 3 in patients with oral lichen planus.
Serum concentrations of circulating autoantibodies to Dsg 1 and Dsg 3 were ...determined by ELISA in 32 patients with erosive form and 25 patients with reticular form of oral lichen planus, 13 patients with acute recurrent aphthous ulcerations and 50 healthy controls. Indirect immunofluorescence analysis was also performed.
Concentrations of circulating autoantibodies to both Dsg 1 and Dsg 3 detected in the sera of patients with erosive form of oral lichen planus were significantly increased in comparison with those in healthy controls, patients with recurrent aphthous ulceration, and those with reticular oral lichen planus (P<0.001 for both anti-Dsg autoantibodies). Indirect immunofluorescence also revealed significantly more positive findings in patients with erosive oral lichen planus (18 positive of 22 tested) than in healthy controls (1 positive of 20 tested; P<0.001), patients with recurrent aphthous ulceration (1 positive of 10 tested; P<0.001), and those with reticular oral lichen planus (3 positive of 15 tested; P<0.001).
Humoral autoimmunity seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus. The differences in the serum concentration of desmoglein autoantibodies suggested that pathological mechanisms in erosive and reticular forms of oral lichen planus might not be the same.
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