A New Serum Biomarker for Lung Cancer - Transthyretin

Background and objective Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide and very few specific biomarkers could be used in clinical diagnosis at present. The aim of this study is to find novel potential serum biomarkers for lung cancer using Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization (SELDI) technique. Methods Serumsample of 227 cases including 146 lung cancer, 13 pneumonia, 28 tuberculous pleurisy and 40 normal individuals were analyzed by CM10 chips. The candidate biomarkers were identified by ESI/MS-MS and database searching, and further confirmed by immunoprecipitation. The same sets of serum sample from all groups were re-measured by ELISA assay. Results Three protein peaks with the molecular weight 13.78 kDa, 13.90 kDa and 14.07 kDa were found significantlydecreased in lung cancer serum compared to the other groups and were all automatically selected as specific biomarkers by Biomarker Wizard software. The candidate biomarkers obtained from 1-D SDS gel bands by matching the molecular weight with peaks on CM10 chips were identified by Mass spectrometry as the native transthyretin (nativeTTR), cysTTR and glutTTR, and the identity was further validated by immunoprecipitation using commercial TTR antibodies. Downregulated of TTR was found in both ELISA and SELDI analysis. Conclusion TTRs acted as the potentially useful biomarkers for lung cancer by SELDI technique

Effects of Aging on Kidney Graft Function, Oxidative Stress and Gene Expression after Kidney Transplantation.

Conflicting results have been reported regarding the effects of donor age, recipient age and donor-recipient age difference on short- and long-term outcomes after kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of recipient age on graft function, oxidative stress, and gene expression after renal transplantation. Fifty male Fischer 344 rats [25 young (Y, 4 months), 25 senior (S, 16 months)] were randomized to 6 groups: 2 sham groups (Y and S, n = 5 in each group) and 4 renal transplant groups[young-to-young (Y-Y), young-to-senior (Y-S), senior-to-young (S-Y), senior-to-senior (S-S), (n = 10 in each group)]. The left kidneys were transplanted from donor to recipient. After 12 weeks, systematic blood pressure, graft weight, graft function, histology and oxidative stress were measured. Microarray analysis and quantitative real-time PCR confirmation were performed to study gene expression in the grafts. There were no differences in renal graft function between young and senior kidney cross-transplantation. Transplanted kidneys showed no significant differences in glomerulosclerosis index compared to non-transplanted kidneys but had significantly different tubulointerstitium scores compared to age-matched controls. Senior rats had lower SOD activity and higher MDA content than young rats. SOD activity was significantly lower and MDA content significantly higher in the Y-S group than in the Y-Y group. There were 548 transcript differences between senior and young kidneys with 36 upregulated and 512 downregulated transcripts. There were 492 transcript differences between Y-S and Y-Y groups with 127 upregulated and 365 downregulated transcripts. There were 1244 transcript differences between the S-Y and S-S groups with 680 upregulated and 574 downregulated transcripts. Oxidative stress and gene expression profile was significantly different in the Y-S compared to the S-Y group. The identified differences were mainly in the MAPK and insulin signal pathways, making these potential targets for therapeutic intervention

Selective Expression of Calcium-Binding Protein S100A7 in Lung Cancer

Background and objective S100A7 is a member of S100 family and its overexpression has been previously associated with carcinogenesis of certain cancers. The aim of this study is to explore the expression of calcium-binding protein S100A7 in lung cancer. Methods In the present study, RT-PCR, Western-blot and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the different expression of S100A7 in lung cancer tissues and paired noncancerous lung tissues. Results The specific expression of S100A7 was found in squamous cell carcinomas and large cell lung carcinomas, whereas it was not detected in adenocarcinomas, small cell carcinomas, other cell types of lung cancer and normal lung tissues as well as paired noncancerous lung tissues. Conclusion S100A7 was selectively expressed in squamous cell carcinomas and large cell lung carcinomas and may serve as a potential marker for lung cancer diagnosis

Seven microcystins from Microcystis waterbloom in Lake Dalai, China

Seven types of microcystins, isolated from Microcystis waterbloom in Lake Dalai, were characterized. The major toxins: MCYST-LR, MCYST-RR, (D-Asp-3) MCYST-LR and (Dha-7) MCYST-LR were identified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), as compared with the authentic microcystins. The minor toxins: MCYST FR, CL-Mser-7) MCYST-LR and an unknown MCYST which was most likely to be MCYST-(H-4) YR were identified with fritfast atom bombardment liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (Frit-FAB LC/MS) and amino acid analysis. The toxigenic diversity in blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) was discussed

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Pseudorabies virus infection in Tibetan pigs in Tibet

Abstract Background Pseudorabies (PR) is an important emerging infectious disease that is characterized by fever, extreme itching and encephalomyelitis. However, it is still unclear whether Tibetan pigs are exposed to Pseudorabies virus (PRV) or not. The present study was conducted to investigate the seroprevalence of PRV infection in Tibetan pigs in Nyingchi area of Tibet through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 368 serum samples from Tibetan pigs were collected during 2015. Results Results showed that 58 (15.76%) samples were found positive for PRV antibodies with further distribution of 18.23%, 13.42% and 6.25% from Nyingchi, Mainling and Gongbo’gyamda areas on the Tibetan plateau, respectively; along with 12.10%, 17.71% and 17.57% prevalence of PRV in juveniles, sub-adults and adults, respectively. The prevalence of PRV infection between male (14.61%) and female (16.84%) showed non-significant difference (P > 0.05). The risk factors of infection were found to be associated with feed type, age and altitude. Conclusions The present study depicts a serious concern with a new emerging infectious disease in Tibetan pigs in Tibet, China

Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining of kidney tissues (×100).

<p>Periodic acid Schiff (PAS) staining of kidney tissues (×100).</p

Genes selected and primer choices fo<i>r qRT–PCR.</i>

<p>Genes selected and primer choices fo<i>r qRT–PCR.</i></p

Gene up/down-regulation in the senior kidneys while transplanted into the senior recipient compared with the young recipient.

<p>Gene up/down-regulation in the senior kidneys while transplanted into the senior recipient compared with the young recipient.</p

Gene expression profile in the different pathways among groups.

<p>Gene expression profile in the different pathways among groups.</p

Gene up/down-regulation in the young kidneys transplanted into the senior recipient (YS vs YY) compared with the young recipient.

<p>Gene up/down-regulation in the young kidneys transplanted into the senior recipient (YS vs YY) compared with the young recipient.</p