Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Amniotic Fluid, Umbilical Arterial Blood, Umbilical Venous Blood, and Maternal Blood at Delivery, and Their Reference Values for Full-Term, Singleton, Cesarean Deliveries.

Several cardiovascular biomarkers have regulatory functions in perinatal physiology. This study aimed to analyze the feto-maternal distribution pattern of biomarkers in samples of amniotic fluid, umbilical arterial blood, umbilical venous blood, and maternal blood samples, and to establish reference values. Each linked sample set consisted of the combined samples obtained in an individual pregnancy.

Detection of melanoma cells in the blood of melanoma patients by melanoma-inhibitory activity (MIA) reverse transcription-PCR.

The detection of tumor-specific mRNA transcripts in the blood of patients by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR has been used as a very sensitive technique for determining systemically disseminated tumor cells. On the basis of previous expression studies, we aimed to trace melanoma cells in the blood of melanoma patients by RT-PCR of melanoma-inhibitory activity (MIA) mRNA. To detect sensitively MIA transcripts in total RNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we established a sensitive PCR-ELISA system.

Assessment of microsatellite instability and loss of heterozygosity in sporadic keratoacanthomas.

Variations in the length of simple repetitive tandem repeats (microsatellite instability, MIN) between constitutive and tumour DNA, which is characteristic of tumours in patients affected with hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), have been found to be very important in the carcinogenesis of a variety of human neoplasms. Recently, MIN has been found in sebaceous and colorectal tumours as well as in keratoacanthomas of Muir-Torre syndrome. In order to elucidate the significance of both MIN and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in the pathogenesis of sporadic keratoacanthomas, the presence of MIN and LOH at five loci [chromosome 5q21 (D5S346, APC), 9p21 (D9S171, p16), 10pter (D10S89, Mfd28), 11p (D11S904) and 17p12 (D17S520, p53)] was evaluated.

Phacomatosis pigmentokeratotica: speckled-lentiginous nevus in association with nevus sebaceus.

We report a case of a congenital nevus sebaceus with numerous brown macules and papules in the left auricular region. In the same lesion, pigmented basal cell carcinomas developed later in life. Additionally, on the left side of the neck, both shoulders and the left arm, features of nevus spilus with melanocytic and blue nevi were present.

Naevi spili, Café-au-lait spots and melanocytic naevi aggregated alongside Blaschko's lines, with a review of segmental melanocytic lesions.

This is the first case in the literature describing naevi spili, café-au-lait spots and melanocytic naevi aggregated along-side Blaschko's lines. The pattern of melanocytic lesions in our patient is different from the congenital pigmentary syndromes and the segmental distribution of melanocytic naevi, the quadrant distribution of dysplastic naevi or the partial unilateral lentiginosis which here are shortly reviewed. The distribution may be a result of a somatic mutation occurring at an early stage of embryogenesis when neural structures had already been formed.