The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the effusions of patients with malignant and tuberculous diseases. Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay, VEGF concentration was measured in malignant (n=17) and tuberculous (n=11) pleural effusions. Pleural biopsy, cytology or microbiological methods were used to make final diagnoses. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels in tuberculous pleural effusions were significantly higher than those in malignant pleural effusions. The median level of VEGF in patients with malignant effusions (median, 2418 pg/mL; range, 97-62103 pg/mL) was significantly higher than tuberculous effusions (median, 994 pg/mL; range, 44-3552 pg/mL). There were no significant differences in pleural VEGF levels in patients with different histological types of lung cancer. The VEGF level was not correlated with ADA, lactate dehydrogenase and total protein levels of pleural fluid. In conclusion, pleural VEGF levels in patients with malignant effusions were significantly higher than tuberculous effusions, and the measurement of pleural VEGF is helpful in discriminating between malignant and tuberculous effusions. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical value of VEGF as a tumor marker and a prognostic factor.
Endothelial Growth Factors/metabolism* ; Female ; Human ; Lymphokines/metabolism* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Pleural Effusion/metabolism* ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant/metabolism* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural/metabolism*

The purpose of this study is to assess the usefulness of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the effusions of patients with malignant and tuberculous diseases. Using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay, VEGF concentration was measured in malignant (n=17) and tuberculous (n=11) pleural effusions. Pleural biopsy, cytology or microbiological methods were used to make final diagnoses. Adenosine deaminase (ADA) levels in tuberculous pleural effusions were significantly higher than those in malignant pleural effusions. The median level of VEGF in patients with malignant effusions (median, 2418 pg/mL; range, 97-62103 pg/mL) was significantly higher than tuberculous effusions (median, 994 pg/mL; range, 44-3552 pg/mL). There were no significant differences in pleural VEGF levels in patients with different histological types of lung cancer. The VEGF level was not correlated with ADA, lactate dehydrogenase and total protein levels of pleural fluid. In conclusion, pleural VEGF levels in patients with malignant effusions were significantly higher than tuberculous effusions, and the measurement of pleural VEGF is helpful in discriminating between malignant and tuberculous effusions. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical value of VEGF as a tumor marker and a prognostic factor.
Endothelial Growth Factors/metabolism* ; Female ; Human ; Lymphokines/metabolism* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Pleural Effusion/metabolism* ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant/metabolism* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural/metabolism*

Angiogenesis is a series of processes that include endothelial proliferation, migration and tube formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is regarded as a potent mediator of angiogenesis, vascular permeability and tumor cell growth in renal cell carcinoma. This study was designed to evaluate the expression of VEGF and the microvessel count (MVC) and to determine their prediction efficacies for prognosis in renal cell carcinoma. The relationship between the expression of VEGF and MVC were evaluated immunohistochemically in 50 patients with renal cell carcinoma who received a radical nephrectomy at Wonju Christian Hospital between 1989 and 1997. Microvessels were identified by immunostaining endothelial cells for CD-31 antigen. The mean follow-up was 96 months (3 - 133 months). Overall 5-year survival rate was 71.5%. VEGF was expressed in the tumor cell cytoplasm. Of the 50 tumors, 23 (46%) were weak to strongly positive for VEGF but 27 (54%) were unreactive. The respective 5-year survival rates for patients with positive and negative expressions of VEGF were 70% and 73% (p > 0.05). The overall mean MVC was 13.4 in a 400x field. Mean MVCs were significantly higher in VEGF-positive tumors (17.6 +/- 12.1) than in VEGF-negative tumors (9.9 +/- 5.4), and the MVCs of the high vascular density group and the low ascular density groups were significantly different. The 5-year survival rates of patients with high vascular density and low vascular density were 59% and 86%. The median survival period for patients with MVCs higher than or equal to 10 vessels/field was 85 months, whereas for those with MVCs lower than 10 vessels/field the median survival time was 102 months. These results suggest that MVC may be a better prognostic factor in renal cell carcinoma than the expression of VEGF.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/*blood supply/*metabolism ; Endothelial Growth Factors/*metabolism ; Female ; Human ; Kidney Neoplasms/*blood supply/*metabolism ; Lymphokines/*metabolism ; Male ; Middle Age ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/*pathology ; Prognosis

Animals ; Fatty Liver ; metabolism ; pathology ; Liver ; pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphokines ; metabolism ; Male ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

The nomenclature "embryonic lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cell" reflects the fundamental role of the cell in secondary lymphoid tissue organization. In addition, it is equally important in primary lymphoid tissue development as it regulates central tolerance to self-antigens in the thymus. An adult LTi cell constitutively expresses two sets of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) family members, whereas its embryonic counterpart expresses only one. The first set is lymphotoxin (LT)alpha, LTbeta, and TNFalpha, which are essential for the secondary lymphoid organogenesis during embryogenesis and for maintaining an organized secondary lymphoid structure during adulthood. The second set is OX40- and CD30-ligands, which are critical for memory T cell generation. Adult LTi cells regulate adaptive immune responses by providing LTbetaR signals to stromal cells to maintain secondary lymphoid tissue structure, and determine adaptive immune responses by providing OX40 and CD30 survival signals to activated T cells in memory T cell generation. Along with the consideration of the roles of embryonic LTi cells in primary and secondary lymphoid tissues, this review highlights the roles of adult LTi cells in secondary lymphoid tissue function.
Adult ; Animals ; Humans ; Lymphoid Tissue/cytology/embryology/*immunology ; Lymphokines/immunology/metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer/cytology/*immunology/metabolism ; Thymus Gland/cytology/embryology/*immunology

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes of VEGF in skin after blunt injury. METHODS: The rats of injury groups were subjected to skin blunt injury by free-falling iron hammer. The samples taken at 1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d, 9 d after injury were studied by immunohistochemistry and MIAS image analysis system. RESULTS: In the skin of normal control group the expression level of VEGF was low. The increase of VEGF could be observed at 1 day after injury, reached peak at 7 days and declined at 9 days. CONCLUSION Blunt injury in the skin could induce the expression of the VEGF. Moreover, the change pattern of VEGF level was quite regular with time and could be used to estimate the time after skin injury.
Animals ; Endothelial Growth Factors/metabolism* ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/metabolism* ; Lymphokines/metabolism* ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/metabolism* ; Time Factors ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating/metabolism*

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate the relationship of vascular endothelial growth factor expression with estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes in fresh human breast cancer samples, and study the potential effect of ER subtypes on tumor angiogenesis.

METHODSWestern blot was used to detect the VEGF and ERbeta protein expression in 86 fresh samples of human breast cancer. ERalpha was analyzed by immunohistochemistry routinely.

RESULTSAmong 86 samples, 42 (48.8%) showed low expressed VEGF and 44 (51.2%) high expressed VEGF. The level of VEGF protein was correlated with ERbeta. In high expressed VEGF group, ERbeta was also highly expressed (chi(2) = 7.36, P < 0.01). But there was no significant difference between VEGF protein level and ERalpha (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn human breast cancer samples, VEGF may be related to ERbeta protein expression.

Adult ; Aged ; Blotting, Western ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Endothelial Growth Factors ; metabolism ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphokines ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Estrogen ; classification ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

Neovascularization is an important factor in the prognosis of brain tumor and many angiogenetic factors have been evaluated for prognostic significance. Among them, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are known as potent angiogentic factors and mitogens. We evaluated seven cases of grade II brain astrocytoma. Four, group A, was diagnosed as anaplastic progression at their second operation, and three, group B, did not. Using monoclonal antibodies to bFGF and VEGF in paraffin embedded tissue from first operation, their immunoreactivity and differences between two groups were examined. The growth fractions of these tumor were also measured by Ki-67 monoclonal antibodies (MIB1). Immunostaining for bFGF in tumor cells were observed in both nuclei and cytoplasm, and for VEGF, mainly observed in the cytoplasm. Mean cell count number +/- standard deviation per high power field in each were as follows: 1) for bFGF, 20.08 +/- 6.38 in group A and 0.87 +/- 0.90 in group B (p< 0.01), 2) for VEGF, 43.75 +/- 17.09 in group A, and 0.8 +/- 1.06 in group B (p< 0.05) and 3) for the proliferation index with Ki-67 antibodies, 3.20 +/- 0.81 in group A and 0.77 +/- 1.03 in group B (p< 0.05). This data supports the assertion that angiogenetic factor such as bFGF and VEGF may contribute to progressive change of astrocytoma by tumor angiogenesis.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Astrocytoma/*pathology ; Brain/*blood supply ; Brain Neoplasms/*pathology ; Endothelial Growth Factors/*metabolism ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/*metabolism ; Human ; Lymphokines/*metabolism ; Male ; Middle Age ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/*genetics ; Prognosis ; Tumor Markers, Biological

To investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on beta1 integrin (VLA-4 and VLA-5) activation ability in K562 cells transfected with antisense VEGF121 cDNA, K562 cells were transfected with antisense (As), sense (S) and vector (V, pcDNA(3)). Flow cytometry was used to evaluate the expression rate of VLA-4 (CD49d/CD29) and VLA-5 (CD49e/CD29) and beta1 integrin activation ability in the transfected K562 cells. The results showed that the expression rates of VLA-4 and VLA-5 were more than 92% in the transfected K562 cells and there was no difference among the K562/V, K562/S and K562/As cells. However, beta1 integrin activated 9EG7 expression rate in K562/As cells was higher than that in K562/V cells [(75.6 +/- 10.5)% vs (41.2 +/- 2.1)%, P < 0.01)] after activation with beta1 integrin activator 8A2. It is concluded that function of beta1 integrin to be activated is restored in K562 cells transfected with antisense VEGF121 cDNA.
DNA ; genetics ; DNA, Antisense ; genetics ; Endothelial Growth Factors ; genetics ; metabolism ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Integrin alpha4beta1 ; biosynthesis ; Integrin alpha5beta1 ; biosynthesis ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; K562 Cells ; Lymphokines ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors

OBJECTIVETo screen for the inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) 165 from random peptide library.

METHODSPositive phage clones were rescued after two rounds of panning and competitive elution. Its affinity activity to KDR was monitored through ELISA, immunohistochemical method, Chicken CAM assay and MTT.

RESULTSFive specific binding positive target molecule phage clones were obtained which were able to bind to cells whose surface had high KDR, among which, clone 3 and 13 could effectively block the vascularization of the chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryo, but they were not inhibitive on the proliferation of high KDR expression cells.

CONCLUSIONThe peptides, being the inhibitors of VEGF, may be useful in the treatment of cancers.

Animals ; Binding Sites ; Endothelial Growth Factors ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; metabolism ; Lymphokines ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Peptide Library ; Peptides ; pharmacology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors