Detection of hyaluronidase RNA and activity in urine of schistosomal and non-schistosomal bladder cancer.

Diagnosis of bladder cancer is done by cystoscopy and cytology. In the last decade, many urine-based tests for bladder cancer have been developed and tested in different populations. Hence, it was relevant to assess the diagnostic significance of urinary hyaluronidase RNA and its enzyme activity in bladder cancer.

Aberrant methylation of RARbeta2 and APC genes in voided urine as molecular markers for early detection of bilharzial and nonbilharzial bladder cancer.

Background: Bladder cancer cells illustrate major disruptions in their DNA methylation patterns as compared with normal ones. Authors aimed to identify epigenetic molecular markers in urine for early detection of bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the methylation status of RARβ(2) and APC genes in urine samples from 210 bladder cancer patients, 61 patients with benign urological diseases, and 49 healthy volunteers by using methylation-specific PCR.

Expression of HYAL1 and survivin RNA as diagnostic molecular markers for bladder cancer.

Purpose: Urinary tumor markers that help in the early detection of bladder cancer promise a significant improvement in sensitivity, specificity and convenience over conventional, invasive diagnostic tests. We assessed the diagnostic efficacy of hyaluronidase (HYAL1) and survivin for early bladder cancer detection.

Materials And Methods: The study included 166 patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma, 112 with benign bladder lesions and 100 healthy volunteers who served as controls.

Detection of bladder carcinoma by combined testing of urine for hyaluronidase and cytokeratin 20 RNAs.

Background: A new, sensitive, noninvasive method for the detection of urothelial carcinomas of the urinary bladder would open new possibilities in both the diagnosis and followup of patients.

Methods: This study included 228 patients diagnosed with bladder carcinoma, 68 patients with benign bladder lesions, and 44 healthy persons served as the control group. All were subjected to: serologic schistosomiasis antibody assay in serum, urine cytology, estimation of urine hyaluronic acid (HA) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and detection of CK-20 and hyaluronidase (HAase) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in urothelial cells from voided urine.

Cell cycle regulators in bladder cancer: relationship to schistosomiasis.

Dysregulation of cell cycle control may lead to genomic instability, neoplastic transformation and tumor progression. In terms of the particular roles in regulation of the cell-cycle, p21(WAF1) causes growth arrest through inhibition of cyclin-dependant kinases required for G1/S transition. P16 (INK4A) and p15 (INK4B) are thought to act as tumor suppressors, since their inactivation and/or deletion are observable in various types of malignancies.

Comparison of cytokeratin 20 RNA and angiogenin in voided urine samples as diagnostic tools for bladder carcinoma.

Background: We evaluated the diagnostic efficacy of urinary angiogenin (ANG) and cytokeratin 20 (CK-20) mRNA in comparison with voided urine cytology in the detection of bladder cancer patients.

Objectives And Methods: A total of 97 Egyptian patients provided a single voided urine sample for ANG, CK-20 and cytology before cystoscopy. Of the 97 cases, 63 were histologically diagnosed as bladder cancer; 33 with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and 30 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), whereas the remaining 34 had benign urological disorders.

Diagnostic value of urinary molecular markers in bladder cancer.

Objectives: In an attempt to find a more sensitive and specific non-invasive diagnostic assay for the detection of bladder cancer cells, the authors assayed the exfoliated cells from patient's voided urine and bladder washing fluids for the presence of telomerase, an enzyme that maintains a cell's chromosomal length, metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which has been associated with tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Their results were compared with both voided urine cytology (VUC) and bladder wash cytology (BWC) for the detection of bladder cancer cells.

Materials And Methods: The authors used preoperative voided morning urine samples from 110 subjects for telomerase, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and cytology.

Comparison of telomerase activity and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in voided urine and bladder wash samples as a useful diagnostic tool for bladder cancer.

Objectives: This study was undertaken to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of telomerase in urine, and bladder wash and also the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in urine, compared with voided urine cytology (VUC) and bladder wash cytology (BWC) for the detection of bladder cancer cells.

Material And Methods: A total of 110 subjects provided a single preoperative voided morning urine sample for telomerase, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and cytology. Bladder wash samples were obtained for telomerase and cytology.

Detection of bladder tumours: role of cytology, morphology-based assays, biochemical and molecular markers.

Purpose Of Review: Cystoscopy is currently considered the gold standard for the detection of bladder tumours. The role of urine cytology in the initial detection and follow-up of patients is under discussion. Many efforts have been made to increase the detection rates and to predict the outcome of bladder cancer.

Multivariate analysis of bcl-2, apoptosis, P53 and HER-2/neu in breast cancer: a short-term follow-up.

Background: Several molecular genetic alterations in breast cancer, including aneuploidy, altered apoptosis, aberrant expression of p53, HER-2/neu and Bcl-2, have been associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. To determine the importance of molecular-genetic factors relative to more traditional surgical-pathological prognostic factors, multivariate analysis was performed.

Patients And Methods: Ninety-four fresh tissue samples of primary breast carcinoma were studied with flow cytometry for DNA ploidy.

The clinical value of CYFRA21-1 in bladder cancer patients: Egyptian experience.

There are a wide variety of tumor markers now available that proved to be of value in the management of cancer patients. Of these markers, tissue polypeptide antigen (TPA) and tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) are well known in the field of bladder cancer. TPA was found to be a mixture of cytokeratins 8, 18 and 19 and recent investigations proved that TPS is keratin 18.

Biochemical effect of antioxidants on lipids and liver function in experimentally-induced liver damage.

Recent studies demonstrated the role of antioxidants in preventing organ damage caused by free radicals. The present study was conducted to find out the modulatory effect of some antioxidants on lipid patterns in experimentally-induced liver damage. Rats chronically intoxicated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) were used as a model of liver injury terminating with fibrosis or cirrhosis.

The priming effects of some human interleukins on the production of leukotrienes by calcium ionophore stimulated leukocytes.

This study demonstrates the changing levels of leukotrieneB4 (LTB4) and leukotrieneC4 (LTC4) generated by human white blood cells primed with different human interleukins IL-3, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and with human hematopoietic growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Preincubation of white blood cells at 37 degrees C for 30 min with different human interleukins significantly increased leukotriene production in white blood cells preincubated with diluent control while IL-3 was without priming effects. Addition of exogenous arachidonic acid to non primed white blood cells increased the production of leukotrienes in response to the calcium ionophore (A23187).

Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor and interleukin-6 enhanced white blood cell synthesis of leukotrienes in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

The effect of Granulocyte-Macrophage, Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) on leukotriene production by CML white blood cells induced by calcium ionophore (A23187) was investigated and the leukotrienes formed were identified and quantified using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The in vivo levels of IL-6 and LTB4 were determined by enzyme immunoassay reagents, while GM-CSF was measured by enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay. Although GM-CSF or IL-6 alone did not stimulate the synthesis of 5-lipoxygenase product, preincubation of the white blood cells of CML with GM-CSF or IL-6 for 30 minutes at 37 degrees C enhanced the ionophore A23187 induced leukotrienes synthesis, thus the CML white blood cell suspension primed with GM-CSF or IL-6 produced 26.

Epidermal growth factor receptors: status and effect on breast cancer patients.

The predictive potential of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is still a matter of debate. EGFR was quantified biochemically using an enzyme immunoassays malignant and normal tissues from the same breast (n = 94) as well as benign mastopathies (n = 40). The mean level of EGFR in malignant tissues showed a significant decrease from the control and benign ones with a weak positive correlation existing between EGFR level in malignant and control tissue of the same breast.

Tissue and serum c-erbB-2 and tissue EGFR in breast carcinoma: three years follow-up.

Amplification of erbB-1 and c-erbB-2 genes has been shown in human breast cancer. Expression of these protooncogenes results in production of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and c-erbB-2. Both are transmembrane receptors with tyrosine kinase activity.

The clinical value of cathepsin-D and TNF-alpha in bladder cancer patients.

This study included 34 normal healthy controls, 35 patients with urinary tract bilharziasis and 93 bladder cancer patients (62 were operable cases and 31 non-operable). Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) was determined using the enzyme immunoassay reagents supplied by Medgenix Diagnostics, Belgium. Cytosol Cathepsin-D was estimated using the immunoradiometric assay supplied by CIS BIO International, France.

Clinical value of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-A) in Egyptian gynecologic cancer patients.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen levels were measured by immunoparticle assay (IMx) in the sera of 32 patients with gynecologic malignancies, 15 with benign diseases of the genital system and 14 normal healthy controls. At a cut-off value of 4.8 ng/ml (100% specificity), the rate of SCC antigen elevation was 100% in vulvar and vaginal cancer (n = 5), 90% in ovarian cancer (n = 10), 60.

Sonolysis promotes indirect Co-C bond cleavage of alkylcob(III)alamin bioconjugates.

Sonolysis of aqueous solutions produces H. and HO. that lead to Co-C bond cleavage in methylcob-(III)alamin (CH3-CblIII) and 2-[4-[4'-[bis(2-chloroethyl)amino]phenyl]butyroxy]ethylcob (III)alamin (Chl-HE-CblIII).

Elevated concentrations of interleukins and leukotriene in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

There is significant research in the role of interleukins in lung disease, as the cytokines are important mediators in the host response to mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Plasma from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and healthy controls were investigated for their content of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). LTB4 and IL-6 were measured by enzyme immunoassay after lipid extraction in the case of LTB4 while GM-CSF was measured by enzyme amplified sensitive immunoassay.

Comparative study between sonography, pathology and UGP in women with perimenopausal bleeding.

Adenocarcinoma is the commonest primary malignancy encountered in the endometrium. Adenomatous hyperplasia represents an important precancerous endometrial lesion. In this study, different techniques have been applied in a trial to early detect endometrial carcinoma and to distinguish between hyperplasia with minimal and high risk of progression to endometrial adenocarcinoma.

UGP in urogenital disorders: Egyptian experience.

UGP (Urinary gonadotropin peptide) also know as urinary gonadotropin fragment (UGF) or the beta-core of hCG (c beta hCG), was identified as a peptide with a molecular weight of 10.5 kD, having the same amino acid sequence as the core section of the beta-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin. UGP has been found in normal pregnancy urine as well as in the urine of patients with gestational trophoblastic and non-trophoblastic malignancies.

Urinary gonadotropin peptide (UGP) in Egyptian patients with benign and advanced malignant urological disease.

Urinary gonadotropin peptide (UGP) levels were determined in urine samples from 450 Egyptian subjects to determine its relative level of expression in benign and malignant urological disease, and normal individuals. The mean UGP level in patients with bladder cancer was 44-fold higher than in patients with benign disease, and 81-fold higher than in normal individuals. At specificities of 95% and 100%, overall sensitivities of 73% and 60%, respectively, were observed for the detection of malignant disease.

Cathepsin-D and TNF-alpha in bladder cancer.

In a study of 34 normal healthy controls, 35 patients with urinary tract bilharziasis and 93 bladder cancer patients (62 of them are operable cases and 31 are non-operable ones), serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and cytosolic Cathepsin-D were estimated. Though both potential markers were elevated in bladder cancer patients, neither Cathepsin-D nor TNF-alpha showed associations of prognostic value since there were no positive correlations with tumor stages, grades or association of tumors with bilharzial ova or lymph node involvement.

Serum copper, zinc, and iron in patients with malignant and benign pulmonary diseases.

Some environmental factors and diseases have been demonstrated to affect trace-element homeostasis. Ninety individuals were included in the present study (30 with bronchogenic carcinoma, 30 with some nonmalignant lung diseases, and 30 normal healthy controls). Serum copper, zinc, and iron levels were determined by the atomic absorption spectrophotometry.