Prevalence of high affinity naturally occurring IgG2 antibodies against human chorionic gonadotropin and its subunits in patients with ovarian cyst.

Naturally occurring antibodies to tumour antigens are gaining interest as clinically important cancer biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics. The glycoprotein αβ heterodimer hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its β subunit (hCGβ) are produced by various cancers, and their increased serum levels correlate with poor prognosis. We have previously reported that patients with benign ovarian cysts, but not the malignant tumours, were characterized by augmented serum levels of naturally-occurring IgG antibodies to hCG and hCGβ.

ELEVATED LEVELS OF NATURALLY OCCURRING AUTOANTIBODIES TO HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN Β CORE FRAGMENT IN A FEMALE PATIENT WITH THYROID FOLLICULAR ADENOMA: CASE REPORT.

We report a case of a woman, who had an elevated levels of naturally-occurring autoantibodies to human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) β core fragment ( hCGβcf) one year prior to the development of thyroid follicular lesion. The patient underwent surgery and the histology report demonstrated that the lesion was a follicular adenoma. Further investigations of the role of naturally-occurring autoantibodies (NAAbs) to anti-hCGβcf in the pathogenesis of various tumours of thyroid gland might be useful in the development of novel diagnostic methods, using anti-hCGβcf NAAbs as a marker for the detection of unsuspected thyroid tumour.

NATURALLY-OCCURRING AUTOANTIBODIES TO HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPIN AND ITS SUBUNITS IN OVARIAN CYST PATIENTS.

Growing evidence supports the existence of immune-surveillance mechanisms in ovarian tumour patients, including autoantibodies to tumour associated and tumour specific antigens, tumour growth factors. Glycoprotein hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and its hormone-specific hCGβ subunit have been associated with epithelial tumours such as bladder, lung, oral/facial, breast, cervical, ovarian, vaginal, prostate, renal and pancreatic carcinomas. It is believed that hCG plays a role of an autocrine growth factor for tumor cells.

Investigation of factors influencing the immunogenicity of hCG as a potential cancer vaccine.

Human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) and its β-subunit (hCGβ) are tumour autocrine growth factors whose presence in the serum of cancer patients has been linked to poorer prognosis. Previous studies have shown that vaccines which target these molecules and/or the 37 amino acid C-terminal hCGβ peptide (hCGβCTP) induce antibody responses in a majority of human recipients. Here we explored whether the immunogenicity of vaccines containing an hCGβ mutant (hCGβR68E, designed to eliminate cross-reactivity with luteinizing hormone) or hCGβCTP could be enhanced by coupling the immunogen to different carriers [keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) or heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)] using different cross-linkers [1-ethyl-3(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carboiimide (EDC) or glutaraldehyde (GAD)] and formulated with different adjuvants (RIBI or Montanide ISA720).

[Alpha-dephenzine concentration in peripheral blood of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia].

Over the past few decades the search for predisposed biological markers has become the course of most priority in scientific psychiatry. Research goal was to reveal the association of alpha-dephenzine concentration in peripheral blood with the disease existence and its progressing (acute and chronic forms) in patients with schizophrenia. In-patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have been investigated (av.