Elevated serum levels of sialyl Lewis X (sLe) and inflammatory mediators in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: The carbohydrate sialyl Lewis (sLe) mediates cell adhesion, is critical in the normal function of immune cells, and is frequently over-expressed on cancer cells. We assessed the association, differential levels, and prognostic value of sLe and inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in breast cancer sera.

Methods: We retrospectively measured sLe and a panel of cytokines/chemokines in the sera of 26 non-invasive ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), 154 invasive non-metastatic breast cancer (non-MBC), 63 metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients, and 43 healthy controls.

Fetal Bone Formation Is Decreased from Middle Pregnancy to Birth.

Fetal bone development is a complex process that is regulated and maintained by minerals, hormones, and growth factors delivered from the mother via the placenta. Various biochemical markers of fetal bone development have been identified. However, many aspects of this process remain unclear.

Serum anti-Ku86 is a potential biomarker for early detection of hepatitis C virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of primary liver cancer, is one of the most common cancers worldwide and the third most common cause of cancer-related death. Imaging studies including ultrasound and computed tomography are recommended for early detection of HCC, but they are operator dependent, costly and involve radiation. Therefore, there is a need for simple and sensitive serum markers for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Adsorption of urinary proteins on the conventionally used urine collection tubes: possible effects on urinary proteome analysis and prevention of the adsorption by polymer coating.

One possible factor determining recovery of trace amount of protein biomarker candidates during proteome analyses could be adsorption on urine tubes. This issue, however, has not been well addressed so far. Recently, a new technical device of surface coating by poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC)-co-n-butyl methacrylate (BMA)) (poly(MPC-co-BMA)) has been developed mainly to prevent the adsorption of plasma proteins.

Development of a sandwich ELISA for the 5.9-kDa fibrinogen alpha C chain fragment detected by serum proteome analysis.

Purpose: We previously identified novel biomarker candidates in heavy consumers of alcohol using serum proteome analysis. Among several candidates, a 5.9 kDa peptide identified as a fragment of the fibrinogen alpha C chain (FIC5.

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5a and 5b contain distinct sugar moieties.

Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) consists of 2 structurally related isoforms, 5a and 5b, and the latter has been characterized as containing a sugar moiety devoid of sialic acid(s). We provide evidence of a greater difference between the sugar moieties of the two isoforms than the presence of sialic acid(s) in TRAP 5a. TRAP 5a and 5b were highly purified from human blood and femur extracts, respectively, and after purifying the TRAPs by successive chromatography on a series of lectin affinity columns, we used the chromatographs obtained to estimate the composition of their sugar chain structure and found that both TRAP 5a and 5b had contained the heterogenous sugar chains.

Generation of a monoclonal antibody specific for tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase and its use in a clinical diagnostic study.

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) in serum comprises liver alkaline phosphatase (liver-ALP) and bone alkaline phosphatase (bone-ALP). Liver-ALP is a marker of liver disease; thus a specific method for its measurement would be useful. Measurement of ALP by electrophoresis is difficult, although all of the isozymes can be assessed simultaneously.

Development of an ELISA method for detecting immune complexes between tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase and immunoglobulin G.

A convenient method for measuring immune complexes between tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNSALP) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) (i.e., TNSALP-IgG) would be highly useful for routine analyses.

[The mechanism of TRACP 5b maturation].

Serum tartrate resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b) is an isozyme of osteoclast origin. Indeed, measurement of TRACP 5b activity is used as an index of osteoclast activity. However, the precise mechanism of TRACP 5b maturation is unclear.

Development and characterization of novel monoclonal antibodies against tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5.

Serum band 5 tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP 5; EC 3.1.3.

Development of a novel fragments absorbed immunocapture enzyme assay system for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b.

Background: Osteoclastic activity is mainly assessed by measuring urinary markers. To correct for differences in renal clearance, the levels of urinary markers are usually corrected by the urine creatinine concentration. Therefore, alternative serum markers to evaluate osteoclastic activity are required.