Powerful Marker (powerful + marker)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Endoglin: An accessory component of the TGF-,-binding receptor-complex with diagnostic, prognostic, and bioimmunotherapeutic potential in human malignancies

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2001
Ester Fonsatti
Endoglin (CD105) is a cell membrane glycoprotein over-expressed on highly proliferating endothelial cells in culture, and on endothelial cells of angiogenetic blood vessels within benign and malignant tissues. CD105 binds several factors of the Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-, superfamily, and its over-expression modulates cellular responses to TGF-,1. The complex of experimental findings accumulated in the last few years strongly indicate that CD105 is a powerful marker of angiogenesis, and that it might play a critical role in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases and in tumor progression. In this paper, we will review the structural, biological and functional features of CD105, as well as its distribution within normal and neoplastic tissues, emphasizing its foreseeable role as a molecular target for new diagnostic and bioimmunotherapeutic approaches in human malignancies. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Hyperresistinemia , a Novel Feature in Systemic Infection During Human Pregnancy

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 5 2010
Shali Mazaki-Tovi
Citation Mazaki-Tovi S, Vaisbuch E, Romero R, Kusanovic JP, Chaiworapongsa T, Kim SK, Ogge G, Yoon BH, Dong Z, Gonzalez JM, Gervasi MT, Hassan SS. Hyperresistinemia , a novel feature in systemic infection during human pregnancy. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010 Problem, Resistin, originally described as an adipokine, has emerged as a potent pro-inflammatory protein associated with both acute and chronic inflammation. Moreover, resistin has been proposed as a powerful marker of sepsis severity, as well as a predictor of survival of critically ill non-pregnant patients. The aim of this study was to determine whether pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with changes in maternal plasma resistin concentrations. Methods of study, This cross-sectional study included the following groups: (i) normal pregnant women (n = 85) and (ii) pregnant women with pyelonephritis (n = 40). Maternal plasma resistin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics was used for analyses. Results, (i) The median maternal plasma resistin concentration was higher in patients with pyelonephritis than in those with a normal pregnancy (P < 0.001); (ii) among patients with pyelonephritis, the median maternal resistin concentration did not differ significantly between those with and without a positive blood culture (P = 0.3); (iii) among patients with pyelonephritis who were diagnosed with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), those who fulfilled ,3 criteria for SIRS had a significantly higher median maternal plasma resistin concentration than those who met only two criteria; and (iv) maternal WBC count positively correlated with circulating resistin concentration (r = 0.47, P = 0.02). Conclusion, Hyperresistinemia is a feature of acute pyelonephritis during pregnancy. The results of this study support the role of resistin as an acute-phase protein in the presence of bacterial infection during pregnancy. [source]


Visceral adiposity is closely correlated with neck circumference and represents a significant indicator of insulin resistance in WHO grade III obesity

CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 2 2010
L. Yang
Summary Objective, Although associations between visceral adiposity (intra-abdominal fat mass) and insulin resistance are well established, previous data include few subjects with WHO grade III obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 40 kg/m2]. We have investigated the relationship between visceral adiposity and insulin resistance using computed tomography (CT)-quantified fat mass and the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in patients with severe obesity. Patients and methods, Eighteen nondiabetic subjects with BMI > 40 kg/m2 were recruited. BMI, and waist, hip and neck circumferences were measured. Fasting plasma insulin and glucose were measured to calculate HOMA-IR. A single slice CT scan was taken at L4 and visceral and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT and ASAT, respectively) quantified using ,SliceOmatic' image analysis software. Results, A close correlation was demonstrated between VAT and HOMA-IR (r2 = 0·46, P = 0·002), whereas ASAT showed no relationship. Neck circumference correlated with both VAT (r2 = 0·67, P < 0·0001) and HOMA-IR (r2 = 0·35, P = 0·01). Waist circumference only correlated significantly with VAT (r2 = 0·25, P = 0·03). Conclusions, Visceral adiposity remains a strongly significant indicator of insulin resistance in WHO grade III obesity. Neck circumference surpasses other anthropometric measurements as a powerful marker of both VAT and insulin resistance. [source]


Climate warming and the evolution of morphotypes in a reptile

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 2 2009
VIRGINIE LEPETZ
Abstract Climate warming is known to have effects on population dynamics through variations in survival, fecundity and density. However, the impacts of climate change on population composition are still poorly documented. Morphotypes are powerful markers to track changes in population composition. In the common lizard, Lacerta vivipara, individuals display two types of dorsal patterns: reticulated (R individuals) and linear (L individuals). We examined how local warming affected intrapopulation frequencies of these morphotypes across 11 years. We observed changes in morph frequency of dorsal patterns across years, paralleling the rise of spring temperatures. The proportion of R individuals increased with June temperatures in juveniles, yearlings, and adult males and females. Three mechanisms could explain these changes: phenotypic plasticity, microevolution and/or dispersal between populations. We investigated the ontogenetic determinism, fitness and recruitment rates associated with dorsal morphotypes. Dorsal pattern ontogeny showed temperature dependence but this relationship was not associated with the warming trend during this study. We found variation by morphotype in survival and clutch size, but these factors did not explain R frequency increases. Among all the parameters considered in this study, only a decrease of immigration, which was more pronounced in the L morphotype, could explain the change in population composition. To our knowledge, this provides the first evidence of the impact of climate warming on population composition due to its effects on immigration. [source]


Prognostic value of the expression of Ki-67, CD44 and vascular endothelial growth factor, and microvessel invasion, in renal cell carcinoma

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2004
E. Yildiz
OBJECTIVE To determine if use of cell proliferation, cell adhesion, level of angiogenesis-related factors and presence of microscopic vascular invasion (MVI) could better predict the biological behaviour of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which has a widely variable clinical outcome despite the use of conventional prognostic factors (staging and grading). MATERIALS AND METHODS The expression of Ki-67, CD44H and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assessed immunohistochemically in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 48 RCCs, using a Ki-67 labelling index (LI), CD44 LI and level of VEGF expression, respectively. In addition all the pathological slides were reviewed retrospectively for the presence and absence of MVI. The prognostic value of all the variables assessed was then evaluated, and correlated with the usual prognostic variables and cancer-specific survival. RESULTS Univariate analysis of cancer-specific survival showed that tumour stage (P < 0.001), tumour size (P = 0.005), metastasis, MVI, Ki-67 LI, CD44H LI and VEGF expression (all P < 0.001) were predictors of tumour-related death. There was a statistical correlation between CD44H LI and each of Ki-67 LI (r = 0.61), expression level of VEGF (r = 0.72) and presence of MVI (r = 0.71). Independent predictors of cancer-specific survival in a multivariate analysis were: in all patients with RCC, the MVI (P = 0.003) and VEGF expression (P = 0.01); in those with no metastases, MVI (P = 0.01); in patients with no MVI, VEGF (P = 0.04); and in patients with MVI, Ki-67 LI (P = 0.003). No independent predictor was identified in patient with metastases. CONCLUSION This study suggests that cell proliferation, cell adhesion, the level of VEGF expression and the presence of MVI represent a complex tumour-host interaction that may favour the progression of RCC. Cell proliferation, CD44H and VEGF expression appear to be powerful markers for identifying patients with an adverse prognosis. [source]