No abstract available.
Biopsy ; Blood Glucose/metabolism ; C-Peptide/blood ; Calcium Gluconate/administration & dosage/*diagnostic use ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Injections, Intra-Arterial ; Insulin/blood ; Insulinoma/blood/*blood supply/pathology/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/blood/*blood supply/pathology/surgery ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Splenic Artery/*radiography ; *Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Markers, Biological/blood

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of epidermal growth factor-like domain 7 (EGFL7) in epithelial ovarian cancer, and to assess its relevance to clinicopathological characteristics and patients' survival. METHODS: A total of 177 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer were enrolled in the current study. For each patient, a retrospective review of medical records was conducted. Immunohistochemical staining for EGFL7 was performed using tissue microarrays made with paraffin-embedded tissue block. EGFL7 expression levels were graded on a grade of 0 to 3 based on the percentage of positive cancer cells. We analyzed the correlations between the expression of EGFL7 and various clinical parameters, and also analyzed the survival outcome according to the EGFL7 expression. RESULTS: The expression of EGFL7 in ovarian cancer tissues was observed in 98 patients (55.4%). High expression of EGFL7 (grade 2 or 3) was significantly correlated with pathologic type, differentiation, stage, residual tumor after debulking surgery, lymphovascular space involvement, lymph node metastasis, high cancer antigen 125, peritoneal cytology, and ascites. Among these clinicopathologic factors, differentiation was significantly correlated with EGFL7 expression in multivariate analysis (p<0.05). Survival analysis showed that the patients with high EGFL7 expression had a poorer disease free survival than those with low EGFL7 expression (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that EGFL7 expression is a novel predictive factor for the clinical progression of epithelial ovarian cancer, and may constitute a therapeutic target for antiangiogenesis therapy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
Adult ; CA-125 Antigen/blood ; Cell Differentiation/physiology ; Endothelial Growth Factors/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Ovarian Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*metabolism

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Oxidative stress increases the risk of cardiovascular complications of metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study was conducted to examine the difference in antioxidant capacity according to the presence of MetS, and to characterize the association between antioxidant capacity and MetS-related factors. METHODS: We used the biological antioxidant potential (BAP) test to estimate antioxidant capacity. The BAP test has recently been used as an indicator of antioxidant capacity. We measured BAP levels in 45 patients with MetS (mean age, 44.6 +/- 1.1 years) and 47 age- and sex-matched controls (mean age, 42.7 +/- 1.1 years). To evaluate the association between antioxidant capacity and MetS, adiponectin, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), linear regression and logistic analyses were performed. RESULTS: The mean BAP of the MetS group (1,937.3 +/- 36.5 micromol/L) was significantly lower than that of the non-MetS group (2,101.7 +/- 29.5 micromol/L). Also, the mean BAP was low in persons having low high density lipoprotein and high triglyceride. Reduced antioxidant capacity was significantly associated with adiponectin, HOMA-IR and hs-CRP after adjusting for age and sex. The odds ratios for MetS with BAP, log adiponectin, log HOMA-IR, and log hs-CRP were 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49 to 0.82), 0.22 (0.10 to 0.51), 14.24 (4.35 to 46.58), and 1.93 (1.36 to 2.75), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with MetS showed reduced antioxidant capacity. We identified relationships between antioxidant capacity measured by BAP test and MetS, as well as MetS-related factors, such as insulin resistance, hs-CRP, and adiponectin.
Adipokines/blood ; Adult ; Antioxidants/*metabolism ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/metabolism ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-6/blood ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood

PURPOSE: Our aim was to determine the effects of infliximab on bone mineral metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and analyze the relationship between inflammatory markers of acute phase thought to play a major role in bone remodeling. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 36 patients with established RA were investigated. All patients underwent physical examination and blood and urinary analysis at baseline, 2 weeks, 14 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after the initiation of treatment. The serum levels of: tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor 1 (TNFR1), TNFR2, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-17, IL-23 and markers of bone remodeling such as osteocalcin (BGP), deoxypyridynoline (Dpd), and N-telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx) were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The results showed significant decrease of all the above cytokines levels in RA patients in comparison with those after 2 weeks of treatment. After 6 months, the markers of bone formation and resorption decreased compared to baseline values. We found positive correlation between the levels of NTx and the levels of IL-6, IL-17 and TNFR1, and between the levels of Dpd and IL-6 and Dpd and TNFR2, whereas negative correlation between BGP and IL-23. After 12 months the positive association was found at the BGP level and IL-6 as well as Dpd and the level of IL-6. We also observed a positive relation between Dpd and TNF-alpha and negative between BGP and TNFR1. CONCLUSION: We suggest that infliximab treatment may limit the risk of osteoporosis in RA patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*therapeutic use ; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/complications/*drug therapy ; Biological Markers/metabolism ; Bone Remodeling/*drug effects ; Bone Resorption ; Cytokines/*metabolism ; Female ; *Gene Expression Regulation ; Humans ; Interleukin-17/metabolism ; Interleukin-6/metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/complications/prevention & control ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I/metabolism

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) measurement for monitoring tumor progression during palliative chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight patients with initially unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (n=26, 54.2%) or recurrent unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (n=22, 45.8%) received FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy for palliation. Serum CEA levels and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 levels were measured and computed tomography (CT) studies were performed prior to chemotherapy and after 3 cycles of chemotherapy. From the CT images, tumor responses were evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria and categorized as complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progressive disease. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy of tumor marker assessments for determining tumor response were calculated. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of CEA assessment for prediction of disease progression were 50%, 77% and 69%, respectively. When the patients were dichotomized according to baseline CEA level, the initially elevated CEA group showed higher sensitivity and higher diagnostic accuracy compared to the initially normal CEA group (sensitivity=67% vs. 20%; diagnostic accuracy=71% vs. 62%). CONCLUSION: CEA assessment could be useful for monitoring tumor progression during palliative chemotherapy in only patients with initially elevated CEA level.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use ; CA-19-9 Antigen/metabolism ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/*blood ; Colorectal Neoplasms/drug therapy/*metabolism ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin/therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organoplatinum Compounds/therapeutic use ; Palliative Care ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Recurrence ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tumor Markers, Biological/blood

BACKGROUND/AIMS: An impaired oxidative/antioxidative status plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, including cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of the novel marker ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and albumin-adjusted IMA (Adj-IMA) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and look for the associations of these with the total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS), and oxidative stress index (OSI). METHODS: Forty patients with CRC (19 females and 21 males; mean age, 56.5+/-2.1 years) and 39 age- and sex-matched healthy people (22 females and 17 males; mean age, 56.0+/-1.7 years) were included in this study. Serum levels of IMA, TAS, and TOS were analyzed, and the OSI was calculated. RESULTS: Serum IMA, TOS, and OSI levels were significantly higher in patients with CRC than in controls (p<0.0001), whereas TAS levels were significantly lower in CRC patients (p=0.03). There was no significant difference in serum Adj-IMA levels between groups (p=0.32). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the oxidative/antioxidant status was impaired in favor of oxidative stress in CRC patients. This observation was not confirmed by IMA measurement. Further studies are needed to establish the relationship between IMA and oxidative stress parameters in CRC and other cancers.
Antioxidants/metabolism ; Biological Markers/blood ; Case-Control Studies ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxidants/blood ; Oxidative Stress ; Prospective Studies ; Serum Albumin/metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*blood

The interactions between the tumor microenvironment and tumor cells determine the behavior of the primary tumors. Whether cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) have a tumor progressive or a protective role likely depends on the type of tumor cells and the CAF subpopulation. In the present study, we analyzed the prognostic significance of CAF subpopulations in colorectal cancer (CRC). CAF phenotypes were analyzed in 302 CRC patients by using antibodies against podoplanin (PDPN), alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and S100A4. The relationship between the CAF phenotypes and 11 clinicopathological parameters were evaluated and their prognostic significance was analyzed from the disease-free and overall survival times. We observed that at the tumor invasive front, PDPN CAFs were present in 40% of the cases, and S100A4 or alpha-SMA CAFs were detected in all the cases. PDPN/S100A4 and alpha-SMA/S100A4 dual-stained CAFs were observed in 10% and 40% of the cases, respectively. The PDPN+ CAFs were associated with 6 favorable clinicopathological parameters and prolonged disease-free survival time. The PDPN-/alpha-SMA(high) CAFs were associated with 6 aggressive clinicopathological parameters and tended to exhibit shorter disease-free survival time. On the other hand, the PDPN-/S100A4(high) CAFs were associated with 2 tumor progression parameters, but not with disease prognosis. The PDPN+ CAF phenotype is distinct from the alpha-SMA or S100A4 CAFs in that it is associated with less aggressive tumors and a favorable prognosis, whereas the PDPN-/alpha-SMA(high) or PDPN-/S100A4(high) CAFs are associated with tumor progression in CRC. These findings suggest that CAFs can be a useful prognostic biomarker or potential targets of anti-cancer therapy in CRC.
Actins/immunology/*metabolism ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antibodies/immunology ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood ; Colorectal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/mortality/pathology ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Fibroblasts/cytology/metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Membrane Glycoproteins/immunology/*metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Phenotype ; Prognosis ; S100 Proteins/immunology/*metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether quantitative perfusion parameters of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) correlate with immunohistochemical markers of angiogenesis in rectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Preoperative DCE-MRI was performed in 63 patients with rectal adenocarcinoma. Transendothelial volume transfer (Ktrans) and fractional volume of the extravascular-extracellular space (Ve) were measured by Interactive Data Language software in rectal cancer. After surgery, microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression scores were determined using immunohistochemical staining of rectal cancer specimens. Perfusion parameters (Ktrans, Ve) of DCE-MRI in rectal cancer were found to be correlated with MVD and VEGF expression scores by Spearman's rank coefficient analysis. T stage and N stage (negative or positive) were correlated with perfusion parameters and MVD. RESULTS: Significant correlation was not found between any DCE-MRI perfusion parameters and MVD (rs = -0.056 and p = 0.662 for Ktrans; rs = -0.103 and p = 0.416 for Ve), or between any DCE-MRI perfusion parameters and the VEGF expression score (rs = -0.042, p = 0.741 for Ktrans ; r = 0.086, p = 0.497 for Ve) in rectal cancer. TN stage showed no significant correlation with perfusion parameters or MVD (p > 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION: DCE-MRI perfusion parameters, Ktrans and Ve, correlated poorly with MVD and VEGF expression scores in rectal cancer, suggesting that these parameters do not simply denote static histological vascular properties.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Contrast Media/*diagnostic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/diagnosis/metabolism ; Rectal Neoplasms/blood supply/*diagnosis/metabolism ; Retrospective Studies ; Tumor Markers, Biological/biosynthesis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/*biosynthesis

PURPOSE: Tumor marker concentrations in a given specimen measured by different analyzers vary according to assay methods, epitopes for antibodies used, and reagent specificities. Although great effort in quality assessment has been instituted, discrepancies among results from different analyzers are still present. We evaluated the assay performance of the UniCel(TM) DxI 800 automated analyzer in measuring the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125, CA 15-3 and CA 19-9 tumor markers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The linearity and precision performance of the five tumor marker assays were evaluated, and concentrations of the respective markers as measured by DxI were compared to those measured by other conventional analyzers (ADVIA Centaur(TM) and Vitros(TM) ECi) using 200 specimens collected from 100 healthy persons and 100 patients with respective cancers. RESULTS: The linear fits for all five tumor markers were statistically acceptable (F=4648 for AFP, F=15846 for CEA, F=6445 for CA 125, F=2285 for CA 15-3, F=7459 for CA 19-9; p<0.0001 for all). The imprecision of each tumor marker assay was less than 5% coefficient of variation, except for low and high concentrations of AFP. The results from UniCel(TM) DxI 800 were highly correlated with those from other analyzers. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that UniCel(TM) DxI 800 has good linearity and precision performance for the tumor markers assayed in this study. However, there were discrepancies between assaying methods. Efforts to standardize tumor marker assays should be undertaken, and the redetermination of cut-off levels is necessary when developing methods of analyzing tumor markers.
CA-125 Antigen/blood ; CA-19-9 Antigen/blood ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood ; Humans ; Immunoassay/*instrumentation/*methods ; Tumor Markers, Biological/*blood ; alpha-Fetoproteins/metabolism

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of death in women. Early detection of ovarian cancer is essential to decrease mortality. However, the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer is difficult due to a lack of clinical symptoms and suitable molecular diagnostic markers. Thus, identification of meaningful tumor biomarkers with potential clinical application is clearly needed. To search for a biomarker for the early detection of ovarian cancer, we identified human anterior gradient 2 (AGR2) from our systematic analysis of paired normal and ovarian tumor tissue cDNA microarray. We noted a marked overexpression of AGR2 mRNA and protein in early stage mucinous ovarian tumors compared to normal ovarian tissues and serous type ovarian tumors by Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry. To further elucidate the role of AGR2 in ovarian tumorigenesis, stable 2774 human ovarian cancer cell lines overexpressing AGR2 were established. Forced expression of AGR2 in 2774 cells enhanced the growth and migration of ovarian cancer cells. AGR2 protein was detected in the serum of mucinous ovarian cancer patients by Western blot and ELISA analysis. Thus, AGR2 is a potential biomarker for the diagnosis of mucinous ovarian cancer and an ELISA assay may facilitate the early detection of mucinous ovarian cancer using patient serum.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement/physiology ; Cell Proliferation ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics/*metabolism/pathology ; Proteins/genetics/*metabolism ; Tumor Markers, Biological/blood/*metabolism