Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients

Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement

Ep-CAM expression in squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus: a potential therapeutic target and prognostic marker

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the expression and test the clinical significance of the epithelial cellular adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) to check the suitability of esophageal SCC patients for Ep-CAM directed targeted therapies. METHODS: The Ep-CAM expression was immunohistochemically investigated in 70 primary esophageal SCCs using the monoclonal antibody Ber-EP4. For the interpretation of the staining results, we used a standardized scoring system ranging from 0 to 3+. The survival analysis was calculated from 53 patients without distant metastasis, with R0 resection and at least 2 months of clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Ep-CAM neo-expression was observed in 79% of the tumors with three expression levels, 1+ (26%), 2+ (11%) and 3+ (41%). Heterogeneous expression was observed at all expression levels. Interestingly, tumors with 3+ Ep-CAM expression conferred a significantly decreased median relapse-free survival period (log rank, p = 0.0001) and median overall survival (log rank, p = 0.0003). Multivariate survival analysis disclosed Ep-CAM 3+ expression as independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest Ep-CAM as an attractive molecule for targeted therapy in esophageal SCC. Considering the discontenting results of the current adjuvant concepts for esophageal SCC patients, Ep-CAM might provide a promising target for an adjuvant immunotherapeutic intervention

Advanced glycoxidation and lipoxidation end products (AGEs and ALEs): an overview of their mechanisms of formation

Advanced lipoxidation end products (ALEs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have a pathogenetic role in the development and progression of different oxidative-based diseases including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and neurological disorders. AGEs and ALEs represent a quite complex class of compounds that are formed by different mechanisms, by heterogeneous precursors and that can be formed either exogenously or endogenously. There is a wide interest in AGEs and ALEs involving different aspects of research which are essentially focused on set-up and application of analytical strategies (1) to identify, characterize, and quantify AGEs and ALEs in different pathophysiological conditions ; (2) to elucidate the molecular basis of their biological effects ; and (3) to discover compounds able to inhibit AGEs/ALEs damaging effects not only as biological tools aimed at validating AGEs/ALEs as drug target, but also as promising drugs. All the above-mentioned research stages require a clear picture of the chemical formation of AGEs/ALEs but this is not simple, due to the complex and heterogeneous pathways, involving different precursors and mechanisms. In view of this intricate scenario, the aim of the present review is to group the main AGEs and ALEs and to describe, for each of them, the precursors and mechanisms of formation

Total and gleason grade 4/5 cancer volumes are major contributors of human kallikrein 2, whereas free prostate specific antigen is largely contributed by benign gland volume in serum from patients with prostate cancer or benign prostatic biopsies

Purpose: We measured concentrations of human glandular kallikrein 2 (hK2), total prostate specific antigen (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA) and percent fPSA to evaluate their relationship to total prostate gland volume, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) volume, total prostate cancer (PCa) volume (CaVol) and the volume of Gleason grades 4/5 cancer (CaVolGl4) in the serum of 256 patients with PCa undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy and 185 with negative systematic sextant biopsies. Materials and Methods: Free and total PSA was measured using the Delfia Prostatus (Perkin-Elmer, Turku, Finland) total/free PSA assay and hK2 was measured using a research immunofluorometric assay. Transrectal ultrasound was used to determine total prostate and BPH volume. Total CaVol and CaVolGl4/5 were calculated using a volumetric program in specimens from 158 men with pT2a/b and 98 with pT3a or greater PCa. The Pearson correlation was performed after logarithmic conversion of PSA and hK2 levels. Benign gland, and pT2a/b and pT3a or greater PCa cases were subdivided into small vs large prostate gland volumes (42 cc or less vs greater than 42 cc). Results: Total prostate and BPH volumes correlated closely with free PSA (r = 0.64 to 0.65, p <0.0001) in 143 patients with negative biopsy and a prostate of greater than 42 cc. Correlations of hK2 and tPSA with total prostate and BPH volumes were weaker (r = 0.35 to 0.36 and 0.45 to 0.46, respectively). In pT2a/ b and pT3a or greater PCa cases hK2 most closely correlated with CaVol (range 0.31 to 0.62, p = 0.0072 and <0.0001) and with CaVolGl4/5 (range 0.26 to 0.56, p = 0.021 and <0.0001, respectively). The tPSA level correlated significantly with CaVol and CaVolGl4/5 except in glands 42 cc or greater harboring pT2a/b PCa (p = 0.08). Free PSA correlated significantly with CaVolGl4/5 only in pT3a or greater PCa (p <0.05), and with CaVol in pT3a or greater PCa and in small prostates harboring pT2a/b PCa. Conclusions: Large benign prostate gland volume affects fPSA more than tPSA in serum. In PCa hK2 more closely correlates with total cancer volume and high grade PCa volume compared with tPSA or fPSA

Prediction of tumor heterogeneity in localized prostate cancer.

Clinical T1 and T2 prostatic carcinoma is a heterogeneous tumor with respect to pathologic stage and outcome. In the authors' experience, 60% of patients have a pT2 prostatic carcinoma, and 2% to 4% have tumors less than 0.5 cm3 in volume. The latter group cannot be predicted by the use of preoperative parameters with a sufficient sensitivity and specificity. Quantitative analysis of six systematic biopsies, that is, reporting the number of biopsies with any Gleason grade 4 or 5 cancer or the number of biopsies with more than 50% Gleason grade 4 and 5 cancer, together with preoperative PSA levels can be used to predict the different pathologic stages and risk groups of patients with T1 or T2 prostatic carcinoma. CART analysis that using these preoperative parameters can predict the lymph node stage and the capsular penetration on each side of the prostate with a sufficient positive and negative predictive value and a sufficient specificity to avoid routine lymphadenectomy in approximately 80% of the patients classified as a low-risk group for having lymph nodes positive for disease. CART analysis also allows a solid identification of patients in whom the unilateral or bilateral nerve may be spared during surgery. These algorithms may be improved further by determining the HK-2 level in the blood or by including other molecular biologic markers in the analysis of the biopsies. Clinical T1 or T2 prostatic carcinoma is a heterogeneous but fairly predictable tumor