Resection of pancreatic cancer normalizes the preoperative increase of tumor necrosis factor alpha gene expression.

Background: Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) appears to play a role in the cachexia and diabetes seen in patients with cancers. However, increased TNF-alpha is seen in some, but not all, of the cancer patients.

Methods: The mRNA transcripts of TNF-alpha and its receptors (TNF-RI and TNF-RII) were quantified in blood cells of pancreatic cancer patients, using competitive quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.

Increased adipose angiotensinogen gene expression in human obesity.

Objective: Adipose angiotensinogen has been suggested as a stimulator of adipose tissue growth and development. Therefore, the association of subcutaneous adipose angiotensinogen gene expression with human obesity was studied.

Research Methods And Procedures: The study group consisted of 17 men, undergoing either gastric banding for obesity or elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy (7 obese, 10 non-obese men; body mass index 22 to 51 kg/m2; age 26 to 68 years).

The association of human adipose angiotensinogen gene expression with abdominal fat distribution in obesity.

Objective: To investigate in obese subjects the relationship between angiotensinogen gene expression in the abdominal omental and subcutaneous adipose tissue on the one hand and body fat distribution as measured by waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) on the other hand and to compare angiotensinogen gene expression between the two adipose tissue regions.

Subjects: Twenty obese subjects undergoing weight reduction surgery with adjustable gastric banding (12 men, eight women; WHR 0.89-1.