Serum CA15-3 measurement in breast cancer patients before and after mastectomy

Background: Much research is being carried out to find a tumor marker for early diagnosis of breast cancer when the lesion is still small. CA15-3, a glycoprotein, is one candidate with probable use as tumor marker in breast cancer. Objective: We conducted this study to analyze the relationship between serum levels of CA15-3 and several variables including age, clinical stage, and the number of lymph nodes involved in breast cancer patients. Methods: One hundred and thirty-six females including 39 normal controls, 54 patients with benign lesions, and 43 with malignant lesions entered this study. A second and third sample was obtained from patients who were diagnosed as having breast cancer, one week and one month postmastectomy, respectively. CA15-3 was measured by ELISA. Results: The number of patients in the malignant group (6 out of 43) with elevated CA15-3 levels was higher than that in the normal controls (3 out of 39) and patients with benign lesions (1 out of 54). Forty percent of patients in stages II and III had a higher frequency of abnormal CA15-3 values, whereas 13 of those in stage I disease did so. One week after mastectomy, the mean ± SD serum CA15-3 was 18.3 ± 14.6 U/mL. However, a month later, the mean ± SD was 21.7±19.7 U/mL, which was approximately the same as the preoperative values (mean ± SD: 22.1 ± 25.6 U/mL). There was an abnormal elevation in CA15-3 values when �4 lymph nodes were involved. The correlation between the elevated CA15-3 values and the number of involved lymph nodes was significant (P < 0.001). Analysis of the CA15-3 values showed a sensitivity of 14.0 and a specificity of 92.3. The positive and negative predictive values were 66.7 and 49.3, respectively. The relative efficiency was 1.8. Conclusion: In this study, CA15-3 was found to have no value in the screening for early diagnosis of breast cancer. We observed a strong correlation between elevated CA15-3 levels and the progression of breast cancer

Spermidine Promotes Human Hair Growth and Is a Novel Modulator of Human Epithelial Stem Cell Functions

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Clock genes and their genomic distributions in three species of salmonid fishes: Associations with genes regulating sexual maturation and cell cycling

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clock family genes encode transcription factors that regulate clock-controlled genes and thus regulate many physiological mechanisms/processes in a circadian fashion. Clock1 duplicates and copies of Clock3 and NPAS2-like genes were partially characterized (genomic sequencing) and mapped using family-based indels/SNPs in rainbow trout (RT)(<it>Oncorhynchus mykiss</it>), Arctic charr (AC)(<it>Salvelinus alpinus</it>), and Atlantic salmon (AS)(<it>Salmo salar</it>) mapping panels.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Clock1 duplicates mapped to linkage groups RT-8/-24, AC-16/-13 and AS-2/-18. Clock3/NPAS2-like genes mapped to RT-9/-20, AC-20/-43, and AS-5. Most of these linkage group regions containing the Clock gene duplicates were derived from the most recent 4R whole genome duplication event specific to the salmonids. These linkage groups contain quantitative trait loci (QTL) for life history and growth traits (i.e., reproduction and cell cycling). Comparative synteny analyses with other model teleost species reveal a high degree of conservation for genes in these chromosomal regions suggesting that functionally related or co-regulated genes are clustered in syntenic blocks. For example, anti-müllerian hormone (amh), regulating sexual maturation, and ornithine decarboxylase antizymes (oaz1 and oaz2), regulating cell cycling, are contained within these syntenic blocks.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Synteny analyses indicate that regions homologous to major life-history QTL regions in salmonids contain many candidate genes that are likely to influence reproduction and cell cycling. The order of these genes is highly conserved across the vertebrate species examined, and as such, these genes may make up a functional cluster of genes that are likely co-regulated. CLOCK, as a transcription factor, is found within this block and therefore has the potential to cis-regulate the processes influenced by these genes. Additionally, clock-controlled genes (CCGs) are located in other life-history QTL regions within salmonids suggesting that at least in part, trans-regulation of these QTL regions may also occur via Clock expression.</p