The change in serum laminin (LN) level and its clinical significance in epithelial ovarian tumor were investigated. The LN levels in serum and ascites samples from 69 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor and 42 cases as control group before and after operation were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that the serum LN levels in the patients with malignant tumors (157.85 +/- 14.37 ng/ml) were significantly higher than that in the control group (125.14 +/- 7.03 ng/ml) and in the patients with benign tumors (128.36 +/- 8.75 ng/ml) (both P < 0.01) before operation. The serum LN levels in the malignant group were decreased significantly after operation as compared with those before operation (P < 0.05). The serum LN levels in low-differentiated tumors was higher than those in moderate-differentiated tumors and high-differentiated tumors (P < 0.05). The LN levels in ascites (172.94 +/- 15.26 ng/ml) was significantly higher than in serum (161.34 +/- 6.59 ng/ml) (P < 0.05) in malignant tumors. The serum LN levels in the patients with lymph node metastasis (165.41 +/- 19.91 ng/ml) was obviously higher than those without lymph node metastasis (152.35 +/- 10.34 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). It was concluded that LN levels in serum and acistis were remarkably increased in malignant epithelial ovarian tumors, suggesting that LN might be one of important diameters reflecting tumor biological characteristics.
Ascitic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; metabolism ; Carcinoma ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Laminin ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; metabolism

Biomarkers ; blood ; Cell-Derived Microparticles ; metabolism ; Coronary Disease ; blood ; Humans ; Inflammation ; blood

Adult ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Silicosis ; blood

OBJECTIVETo screen tumor biomarkers in the plasma close related with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

METHODSPooled plasma from 6 patients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma and 6 healthy individuals were collected. After removal of high-abundance plasma proteins, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was performed to isolate the total proteins, and the protein spots with more than 2-fold differential expressions were detected by 2D analysis software followed by identification by MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometer. Western blotting was performed to validate the expression level of α2-HS-glycoprotein.

RESULTSA total of 11 differentially expressed protein spots were selected, including 5 upregulated proteins and 6 downregulated proteins. MALDI-TOF/TOF identified the upregulated proteins in hypopharyngeal carcinoma patients as alpha-2-HS-glycoprotein and haptoglobin and downregulated ones as Ig kappa chain C region and apolipoprotein A-I. Western blotting demonstrated that α-2-HS- glycoprotein expression level was consistent with that detected by 2-DE.

CONCLUSIONPatients with hypopharyngeal carcinoma show different plasma protein profiles from healthy individuals. These differentially expressed proteins may serve as potential specific tumor biomarkers for hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; Blood Proteins ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proteomics ; methods

The Cardiac Troponin T and I are highly cardiac specific biochemical markers of myocardial injury. They are very sensitive markers to detect all kinds of myocardial injury, and are able to distinguish myocardial injury and skeletal injury. Furthermore, They are independent predictor of future cardiac events. Such markers are now widely used in the clinic practice. It is prospective to use them in Forensic Medical Science.
Biomarkers ; Forensic Medicine ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction/blood* ; Myocardium/metabolism* ; Troponin I/blood* ; Troponin T/blood*

Urea clearance index (KT/Vurea) and creatinine clearance weekly (Ccr) are main indexes to evaluate dialysis adequacy. In order to discuss whether they are suitable to evaluate peritoneal dialysis adequacy, we applied trans-peritoneum transport kinetic model and explored the transport characteristics of fluid and various solutes. We found that: (1) There was no specific relationship among the removal of solutes with different molecular weights; (2) There was significant difference between urea removal and fluid and sodium removal. Our results suggest that urea and creatinine removal do not represent other solutes and fluid removal. KT/Vurea and Ccr may thus not suit to be used alone to evaluate peritoneal dialysis adequacy.
Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; metabolism ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Urea ; metabolism

OBJECTIVEAtherosclerosis is an inflammatory process that results in complex lesions or plaques that protrude into the arterial lumen. Carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture, with distal atheromatous debris embolization, causes cerebrovascular events. This review aimed to explore research progress on the risk factors and outcomes of human carotid atherosclerotic plaques, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms of human carotid atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability for therapeutic intervention.

DATA SOURCESWe searched the PubMed database for recently published research articles up to June 2016, with the key words of "risk factors", "outcomes", "blood components", "molecular mechanisms", "cellular mechanisms", and "human carotid atherosclerotic plaques".

STUDY SELECTIONThe articles, regarding the latest developments related to the risk factors and outcomes, atherosclerotic plaque composition, blood components, and consequences of human carotid atherosclerotic plaques, and the molecular and cellular mechanisms of human carotid atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability for therapeutic intervention, were selected.

RESULTSThis review described the latest researches regarding the interactive effects of both traditional and novel risk factors for human carotid atherosclerotic plaques, novel insights into human carotid atherosclerotic plaque composition and blood components, and consequences of human carotid atherosclerotic plaque.

CONCLUSIONCarotid plaque biology and serologic biomarkers of vulnerability can be used to predict the risk of cerebrovascular events. Furthermore, plaque composition, rather than lesion burden, seems to most predict rupture and subsequent thrombosis.

Biomarkers ; blood ; Carotid Stenosis ; blood ; epidemiology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; blood ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUNDEarly detection and diagnosis is urgent for the sake of effective treatment strategy for lung cancer. However, a convenient, economical and relatively precise method is not available. We here report a prospective study to find the possible value of the combined use of four popular tumor markers in the early diagnosis of lung cancer among patients with suspicious nodules in the lung.

METHODSSix hundred and sixty inpatients with suspicious nodules in the lung were divided into a lung cancer group and a benign pulmonary tumor group according to post-operative histological examinations. Serum levels of four tumor markers including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Cyfra 21-1 and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were assayed for each patient. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed for each tumor marker. The power of lung cancer diagnosis of each tumor marker, as well as a combination of them were analyzed and compared.

RESULTSThe serum levels (median, range) of SCC, CEA, Cyfra 21-1 and NSE were 0.44 (0.01 - 35.70) ng/ml, 2.49 (0.30 - 26.78) ng/ml, 2.30 (0.82 - 73.33) ng/ml and 10.54 (0.10 - 56.41) ng/ml respectively in lung cancer group, and were 0.32 (0.01 - 0.90) ng/ml, 1.60 (0.20 - 8.93) ng/ml, 1.41 (0.72 - 4.82) ng/ml and 9.36 (6.56 - 24.24) ng/ml respectively in the benign pulmonary tumor group. The difference in each tumor marker between the two groups was significant (P < 0.05). The ROCs of SCC, CEA, Cyfra 21-1 and NSE were 0.702 (95%CI, 0.654 - 0.751), 0.611 (95%CI, 0.563 - 0.659), 0.650 (95%CI, 0.601 - 0.700) and 0.598 (95%CI, 0.542 - 0.654) respectively, indicating very low power of these four tumor markers. When a combination of SCC, CEA, Cyfra 21-1 and NSE were employed, the diagnosis power was strengthened.

CONCLUSIONSCC, CEA, Cyfra 21-1 and NSE are valuable in the early diagnosis of lung cancer among suspicious nodules in the lung, especially when they were assayed together for one patient.

Aged ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; blood ; metabolism ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; blood ; metabolism ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Keratin-19 ; blood ; metabolism ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; blood ; metabolism ; Serpins ; blood ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical significance of blood and fecal expression of tumor M2-pyruvate kinase (Tumor M2-PK) in patients with colorectal cancer.

METHODSWith 22 healthy subjects as controls, 44 patients with CRC were examined for tumor M2-PK in serum and fecal samples using a sandwich enzyme immunoassay.

RESULTSThe sensitivity of serum and fecal tumor M2-PK for detecting CRC was 59.1% and 63.6% with a specificity of 86.4% and 81.8%, respectively. The serum and fecal levels of tumor M2-PK showed a significant correlation in CRC patients.

CONCLUSIONTumor M2-PK has good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of CRC.

Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; blood ; metabolism ; Feces ; enzymology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pyruvate Kinase ; blood ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in the pathogenesis of early endometriosis-associated infertility.

METHODSThe volume of peritoneal fluids was recorded and the concentration of NO in peritoneal fluid and serum was measured with a fluorescence method using 4, 5-diaminofluorescein (DAF-2) as an indicator, in 60 patients with early endometriosis-associated infertility ( endometriosis group), 60 patients with tubal infertility (tubal infertility group) and 20 patients without infertility (control group). The IVF-ET outcomes between patients with endometriosis and tubal infertility were compared.

RESULTThe volume of peritoneal fluids from endometriosis group patients increased significantly compared with that in tubal infertility group patients and control groups. The concentration of NO in peritoneal fluid of the control group,the tubal infertility group and the endometriosis group was 9.98, 13.76 and 20.72, respectively (P<0.017). Furthermore the concentration of NO in serum of the patients of control group,tubal infertility group and endometriosis group was 12.25, 13.00, 13.60, respectively; there were no significant differences among these three groups. There were no significant differences in implantation rate, pregnancy rate and abortion rate of IVF-ET between endometriosis group patients and tubal infertility group patients. However, the fertilization rate was significantly lower in endometriosis group patients than that in tubal infertility group patients.

CONCLUSIONChanges of nitric oxide in peritoneal fluids may play an important role in the pathogenesis of early endometriosis-associated infertility and IVF-ET may serve as an alternative method for this type of infertility.

Adult ; Ascitic Fluid ; metabolism ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Embryo Transfer ; Endometriosis ; blood ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; blood ; etiology ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide ; blood ; metabolism