Soluble Fas might serve as a diagnostic tool for gastric adenocarcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Fas (Apo-1/CD95) and its specific ligand (FasL) are key elements in apoptosis. They have been studied in different malignancies but there are few published studies about the soluble forms of these markers (i.e. sFas/sFasL) in gastric cancer. We have compared the serum levels of sFas/sFasL in gastric adenocarcinoma patients and cases with pre-neoplastic lesions as potential markers for early diagnosis, and investigated their relation with clinicopathological characteristics.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Fifty-nine newly-diagnosed cases of gastric adenocarcinoma who had undergone gastrectomy, along with 62 endoscopically- and histologically-confirmed non-cancer individuals were enrolled in this study. sFas/sFasL serum levels were detected by Enzyme Linked Immunosurbent Assay.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Mean serum sFas level was significantly higher in gastric cancer patients than in control group (305.97 ± 63.71 (pg/ml) vs. 92.98 ± 4.95 (pg/ml), P < 0.001); while the mean serum level of sFasL was lower in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (0.138 ± 0.04 (pg/ml) vs. 0.150 ± 0.02 (pg/ml), P < 0.001). Mean serum levels of sFas/sFasL were significantly different in both intestinal/diffuse and cardiac/non-cardiac subtypes when compared to the control group (P < 0.001). There was an increase in the serum level of sFas from the first steps of pre-neoplastic lesions to gastric adenocarcinoma (P < 0.001). Patients who had no lymph node involvement (<it>N₀</it>) showed significantly higher serum levels of sFas compared to others (P = 0.044).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Production of sFas may play a critical role in the carcinogenesis of intestinal-type gastric cancer. sFas serum level may serve as a non-invasive tool for early diagnosis of gastric cancer.</p

Helicobacter pylori Seropositivity in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in South-East of Iran

It has been also reported that that H. pylori infection may be responsible for some endocrine disorders, such as autoimmune thyroid diseases, diabetes mellitus and primary hyperparathyroidism. H. pylori which express cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA) may be more virulent than those that do not. The aim was to evaluate the seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori IgG and anti-CagA  antibodies in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (type 2 DM) and healthy individuals from Rafsanjan city (Iran). A total of 100 patients with type 2 diabetes and 100 age-matched healthy individuals were enrolled to study. A blood sample was collected from each participant. The type 2 DM established according to the fasting blood glucose level of 126 mg/dl. The sera were tested for the presence of anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies and antibody to CagA by use of enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of anti-H. pylori antibodies in diabetic  patients (76%) was similar to that observed in healthy subjects (75%). The mean titer of anti-H. pylori IgG in healthy control group (131.63±11.68 U/ml) was significantly higher than diabetic group (54.43±4.50 U/ml; P<0.0001). The prevalence of serum anti-CagA IgG antibodies was 78.9% in infected diabetic patients and 77.3% in healthy control group with mean titer of 75.02±4.54 U/ml and 84.34±5.85 U/ml, respectively. No significant differences were observed between diabetic and healthy control groups regarding the prevalence and the mean titer of anti-CagA IgG antibodies. In the diabetic group, the seropositive rate of anti-H. pylori IgG was higher in women as compared to men, but the difference was not statistically significant. These results show that H. pylori seropositivity rate was similar in type 2 DM patients and non-diabetics control group. No association was also found between CagA-positive strains of H. pylori and type 2 DM

Higher Serum Levels of Rheumatoid Factor and Anti-Nuclear Antibodies in Helicobacter Pylori-Infected Peptic Ulcer Patients

Objectives: H. pylori infection has been associated with some autoimmune disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum concentrations of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies in H. pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients, H. pylori-infected asymptomatic carriers and a healthy control group.Methods: A Total of 100 H. pylori-infected peptic ulcer patients, 65 asymptomatic carriers and 30 healthy H. pylori-negative subjects (as a control group) were enrolled into study. Serum samples of participants tested for the levels of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies by use of ELISA.Results: The mean serum levels of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies in peptic ulcer group was significantly higher in comparison to the control group (p<0.05). Although, the mean serum levels of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies in the asymptomatic carriers group was higher than those in the control group, the difference was not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed between peptic ulcer patients and asymptomatic carriers groups regarding the mean serum levels of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies. The mean serum levels of rheumatoid factor in men with peptic ulcer was significantly higher compared to the group of healthy men (p<0.05). Although in female of peptic ulcer patients or asymptomatic carriers groups, the mean serum levels of rheumatoid factor was higher than that in healthy women, but the differences were not statistically significant. Also, no significant differences were observed between men and women with peptic ulcer, asymptomatic carriers control groups based on the serum levels of anti-nuclear antibodies.Conclusion: The results showed higher serum levels of rheumatoid factor and anti-nuclear antibodies in H. pylori-infected patients with peptic ulcer disease which represent the H. pylori-related immune disturbance in these patients. Additional follow-up studies are necessary to clarify the clinical significance of these autoantibodies in patients with H. pylori infection

A Fibroblast Growth Factor Antagonist Peptide Inhibits Breast Cancer in BALB/c Mice

Given the role of basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF) in tumor growth, it has been considered as a potential target for tumor therapy. In this study, we investigate the effect of bFGF antagonistic peptide on the growth and angiogenesis of 4T1 mammary carcinoma tumor (MCT) in BALB/c mice

Staphylococcus aureus: resistance pattern and risk factors

Introduction: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has emerged as a nosocomial pathogen of major worldwide importance and is an increasingly frequent cause of community-acquired infections. In this study, different risk factors and MRSA resistance pattern were investigated. Methods: In a 24 months period, all of the patients who were confined to bed in the surgery ward were included in the study. Then they were assessed to find out as if they had MRSA infection when hospitalized and once when they were discharged. Almost 48 h after admission, when patients were discharged, social and medical histories were acquired. Acquired samples were examined. Results: During the present study of 475 patients, 108 patients (22.8%) had S. aureus. About frequency of antibiotic resistance among collected S. aureus colonies, erythromycin resistance, was the most frequent antibiotic resistance, also resistance to vancomycin was 0.4% that was the least. Only hospitalization duration had statistically significant correlation with antibiotic resistance, also resistance to erythromycin had statistically significant relation with history of surgery and alcohol consumption. Of all 34 MRSA species, 22 (64.7%) samples were resistant to erythromycin, 17 (50.0%) resistant to cefoxitin, 5 (14.7%) resistant to mupirocin, 1 (2.9%) resistant to vancomycin and 1 (2.9%) resistant to linezolid. Conclusion: The results of the current study show that among hospitalized patients, there is resistance against methicillin. Since based on results of the study there is resistance against oxacillin and erythromycin in most cases, administering appropriate antibiotics have an important role in minimizing the resistance burden among bacterial species