We underwent protein assay for Myc expression in 76 human gastric cancer tissues using immunohistochemistry. Expression of Myc protein was analyzed according to proliferative indices measured by flow cytometry. Levels of Myc protein expression was evaluated by correlating with biologic and clinical parameters. In 36 (47.4%) of 76 primary gastric cancers, overexpression of Myc was observed. We could observe expression of Myc protein in a significant portion of early gastric cancer (42.9%). Expression of Myc protein was demonstrated to be more frequent in poorly differentiated cancer cells (p=0.043). However, expression of Myc protein had little influence over progress or extent of the disease. Expression of Myc protein was significantly correlated with increased proliferative activity (p=0.032) and patients with high levels of Myc expression had poor disease-free survival. In a certain proportion of human gastric cancer, Myc protein may function as a regulator of cancer cell growth and expression of Myc may represent an aggressive phenotype of gastric cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Cell Division ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Human ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Age ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/analysis* ; Stomach/pathology ; Stomach/chemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology ; Stomach Neoplasms/mortality ; Stomach Neoplasms/chemistry* ; Survival Rate

Azure Stains ; chemistry ; DNA, Neoplasm ; analysis ; chemistry ; Humans ; Rosaniline Dyes ; chemistry ; Staining and Labeling ; economics ; methods ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology

Breast Neoplasms ; chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; methods ; standards ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; methods ; standards ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; analysis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemistry

To assess the value of DNA ploidy, flow cytometric analysis was performed on unfixed fresh materials obtained from 86 patients with gastric cancer who underwent stomach resection. We evaluated the DNA content of gastric carcinoma cells from four different sites and compared it with Ki-67 proliferating activity, and other pathologic parameters. The incidence of aneuploid and diploid was similar (48.8% vs. 51.1%). Early gastric carcinoma showed a higher rate of the diploid pattern (75%) compared to that of advanced gastric carcinoma 7.3%). DNA diploidy was noted increasingly in diffuse-type tumors according to uren, in signet ring cell type tumor according to WHO classification and in orly differentiated tumors (p<0.05). Well and moderately differentiated rcinomas revealed the aneuploid pattern more frequently than poorly fferentiated tumors. The aneuploidy was associated with high S phase fraction d high proliferative index. Aneuploidy was noted in the mucosa adjacent to the mor (26%), in the close normal-looking mucosa (7%) and in the remote rmal-looking mucosa (3%). This result suggest the possible role of field ncerization in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma/pathology* ; Adenocarcinoma/genetics* ; Adenocarcinoma/chemistry ; Aged ; Aneuploidy* ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Division ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Gastric Mucosa/pathology ; Human ; Ki-67 Antigen/analysis ; Male ; Middle Age ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Stomach Neoplasms/genetics* ; Stomach Neoplasms/chemistry

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The expression of CD40 in gastric cancer has not been studied. The aims of this study were to determine the expression of CD40 in gastric cancer and to investigate the effect of CD40 on the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. METHODS: We examined the expression of CD40 by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. CD40 mRNA in 5 gastric cancer cell lines was analyzed by RT-PCR. To assess the effect of CD40 on the viability of gastric cancer cells, we performed MTT assay. The effect of CD40 signaling on the apoptosis of gastric cancer cells was examined by annexin V affinity assay. RESULTS: Twelve of twenty human gastric cancer tissues demonstrated positive staining for CD40. Among 5 gastric cancer cell lines, AGS cell line expressed membrane-bound CD40 antigen and CD40 mRNA. In AGS cells, CD40 stimulation significantly reduced the cell viability. CD40 ligation significantly increased the apoptosis in AGS cells compared to the control. CONCLUSIONS: CD40 is expressed in human gastric cancer tissues and gastric cancer cell line, and induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells. These results suggest that CD40 expression in gastric cancer may play an important role in host defense mechanism against the gastric cancer.
Antigens, CD40/*analysis/physiology ; *Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms/*chemistry/pathology

With the help of computer image analysis system, we used the method of average positive stained area percentage APSAP to evaluate the slice immunohistochemistry result. Then we compared the evaluation result with the result of manual counting. Conformity between the two methods was verified. These data indicated that the method of was in accord with manual counting to a great extent. Moreover, the theory basis, advantages and disadvantages of the method were discussed in this paper.
Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Immunohistochemistry ; methods ; Staining and Labeling ; methods ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemistry ; pathology

BACKGROUNDPeroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a ligand-activated transcription factor. Activation of PPARgamma has recently been demonstrated to inhibit various tumor cells growth, progression and metastasis. E-cadherin-mediated cell adhesion system is now considered to be an "invasion suppressor system" in cancer tissues. Matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2) is a prerequisite for metastasizing tumor cells. However their correlation is still unknown in gastric carcinoma. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of PPARgamma, E-cadherin, MMP-2 and their correlation in gastric carcinoma and metastases.

METHODSGastric carcinoma tissues and their corresponding lymph nodes with metastases and the adjacent non-tumor tissues were obtained from 54 patients with gastric cancer who underwent gastrectomy. Expression of PPARgamma, E-cadherin and MMP-2 was assessed by immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTSThe nuclear expression level of PPARgamma in neoplastic cells was significantly lower than that in the normal controls (P < 0.001), with the expression of PPARgamma being weaker in primary tumors compared with that in metastases. In all neoplastic cells, E-cadherin was expressed with abnormal patterns (cytoplasm pattern, cytoplasm and membrane pattern or absent), compared with normal cells where E-cadherin was expressed with a normal pattern (membrane pattern). Compared with the normal tissues, the expression level of E-cadherin decreased in primary tumors and further decreased in metastases (P < 0.001). Membrane staining of MMP-2 was detected in the foveolar epithelia of normal gastric mucosa, whereas predominant cytoplasm staining of MMP-2 was found in malignant tissues. The expression of MMP-2 was stronger in metastatic tissues than in primary tumors. In neoplastic foci the expression of PPARgamma was negatively correlated with MMP-2 expression (P < 0.05). However, there was no correlation between E-cadherin and PPARgamma or MMP-2 expression.

CONCLUSIONSDown-regulation of PPARgamma and E-cadherin and up-regulation of MMP-2 in neoplastic foci might be helpful to gastric carcinogenesis and metastases. An inverse relationship between PPARgamma and MMP-2 in human gastric carcinoma suggests that PPARgamma might modulate MMP-2 expression and affect gastric cancer metastases.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cadherins ; analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; analysis ; Middle Aged ; PPAR gamma ; analysis ; Stomach ; chemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemistry ; pathology

The high SNR (Signal-to-Noise) spectra from 20 cases of gastric carcinoma and normal mucosa were obtained by confocal Raman microspectroscopy. Consistent spectral features were observed at different sites of one tissue slice for both typical tissues. Raman spectra of normal gastric mucosa shows two peaks which are assigned to amide I vibration of proteins in 1640-1670(cm(-1)) spectral region. However, in gastric carcinoma, only one peak of amino I vibrational mode of proteins can be observed. The obviously different spectral characters of the two types of tissues are in accordance to clinicopathologic diagnosis. The result shows Raman spectroscopy might be a potential method in the diagnosis of gastric carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; chemistry ; diagnosis ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; chemistry ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spectrum Analysis, Raman ; Stomach Neoplasms ; chemistry ; diagnosis

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were prepared in low Ca/P ratio by a kind of electrodeposition-hydrothermal process. The suspension of nanoparticles was cultured with SGC-7901 cells; metabolically active cells were evaluated by MTT analysis. Cells grew well and the nanoparticles in the concentration range of 10-100 microg/ml had no adverse effect on the cell viability. The results show that the nanoparticles have excellent biocompatibility with cells. Agrose gel electrophoresis analysis demonstrated that the nanoparticles had the potential to adsorb EGFP-N1 at the pH ranging between 2 to 7. Nanoparticle-DNA complex could transfer EGFP-N1 into the SGC-7901 cells, and the confocal microscopy analysis revealed that the cells with green fluorescence showed the efficiency of nanoparticle uptake to be about 80% of the efficiency of the Lipofectmine TM 2 000 uptake. In vivo, nanoparticles and DNA-nanoparticle complex were injected into mice respectively via tail-vein, and the mice grew well in two weeks. The liver, kidney, and brain of the mice were sampled and detected with electron microscopy, and all of these exhibited biodistribution of nanoparticles. This study demonstrates that Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles could be used as gene carriers.
Animals ; Biocompatible Materials ; Calcium Phosphates ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Durapatite ; chemistry ; Genetic Therapy ; methods ; Mice ; Nanostructures ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; Transfection ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

AIMTo study the anti-tumor bioactive steroid saponins of Paris vietnamensis (Takht.).

METHODSThe constituents were isolated and purified by chromatography and their structures were identified by spectral analysis and physicochemical properties. The cytotoxic bioactivities of the constituents were determined by MTT.

RESULTSEleven compounds were obtained and identified as 3beta, 5alpha,6alpha-trihydroxy-7(8)-en-isospirostanol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl(1-->3) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (1), which was named as parisvietnaside A, 25 (R) diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2), 25(R) diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), 25 (R) diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl (1-->4) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (4), 25 (R) diosgenin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosyl (1-->3) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5), 25 (R) diosgenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->4)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->4) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (6), 25 (R) pennogenin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl(1-->4)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (7), 25 (R) pennogenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (8), 25 (R) pennogenin-3-O-alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl (1-->4) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (9), 25 (R) pennogenin-3-O-beta-D-glycopyranosyl (1-->3) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->2)-beta-D-glucopyranoside (10) and 25 (R) pennogenin-3-O-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1-->4)-alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1-->4) [alpha-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (11). Some constituents had cytotoxic bioactivities.

CONCLUSIONCompound 1 is a new spirostanol saponin, and compounds 2, 3, 6-11 were obtained from Paris vietnamensis (Takht.) for the first time. Compounds 3, 4, 6, 8 had cytotoxic bioactivities against tumor cells HepG2 and SGC-7901.

Adenocarcinoma ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Humans ; Liliaceae ; chemistry ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Molecular Conformation ; Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Saponins ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology