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New Diagnostic (new + diagnostic)
Terms modified by New Diagnostic Selected AbstractsCURRENT TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES FOR SAFE AND CONVENIENT ENDOSCOPIC SUBMUCOSAL DISSECTION (ESD) AND KOREAN EXPERIENCE OF ESDDIGESTIVE ENDOSCOPY, Issue 3 2008Sang-Yong Seol Conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) technique has limitations in its capacity of achieving en bloc resection and, for lesions greater than 20 mm, removal in a piecemeal resection is often required. This leads to uncertainty as to whether or not the lesion has been completely removed and to an increase in local recurrence. To overcome this limitation, a new technique using specifically designed cutting devices, termed endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) has been developed. The present article discuss the current indication, new diagnostic, cutting and hemostatic devices and long-term outcomes of EMR and ESD in early gastric cancer in Korea. [source] Caspase activation correlates with the degree of inflammatory liver injury in chronic hepatitis C virus infectionHEPATOLOGY, Issue 4 2001Heike Bantel Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major cause of liver disease characterized by inflammation, cell damage, and fibrotic reactions of hepatocytes. Apoptosis has been implicated in the pathogenesis, although it is unclear whether proteases of the caspase family as the central executioners of apoptosis are involved and how caspase activation contributes to liver injury. In the present study, we measured the activation of effector caspases in liver biopsy specimens of patients with chronic HCV infection. The activation of caspase-3, caspase-7, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP), a specific caspase substrate, were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis by using antibodies that selectively detect the active truncated, but not the inactive precursor forms of the caspases and PARP. We found that caspase activation was considerably elevated in liver lobules of HCV patients in comparison to normal controls. Interestingly, the immunoreactive cells did yet not reveal an overt apoptotic morphology. The extent of caspase activation correlated significantly with the disease grade, i.e., necroinflammatory activity. In contrast, no correlation was observed with other surrogate markers such as serum transaminases and viral load. In biopsy specimens with low activity (grade 0) 7.7% of the hepatocytes revealed caspase-3 activation, whereas 20.9% of the cells stained positively in grade 3. Thus, our results suggest that caspase activation is involved in HCV-associated liver injury. Moreover, measurement of caspase activity may represent a reliable marker for the early detection of liver damage, which may open up new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in HCV infection. [source] Endoglin: An accessory component of the TGF-,-binding receptor-complex with diagnostic, prognostic, and bioimmunotherapeutic potential in human malignanciesJOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1 2001Ester 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] A new efficient method for determining the number of components in PARAFAC modelsJOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 5 2003Rasmus Bro Abstract A new diagnostic called the core consistency diagnostic (CORCONDIA) is suggested for determining the proper number of components for multiway models. It applies especially to the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) model, but also to other models that can be considered as restricted Tucker3 models. It is based on scrutinizing the ,appropriateness' of the structural model based on the data and the estimated parameters of gradually augmented models. A PARAFAC model (employing dimension-wise combinations of components for all modes) is called appropriate if adding other combinations of the same components does not improve the fit considerably. It is proposed to choose the largest model that is still sufficiently appropriate. Using examples from a range of different types of data, it is shown that the core consistency diagnostic is an effective tool for determining the appropriate number of components in e.g. PARAFAC models. However, it is also shown, using simulated data, that the theoretical understanding of CORCONDIA is not yet complete. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Flow cytometric method for quantifying viable Mycoplasma agassizii, an agent of upper respiratory tract disease in the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2010H.A. Mohammadpour Abstract Aims:,Mycoplasma agassizii can cause upper respiratory tract disease in the threatened desert tortoise of the Southwestern United States. Two technical challenges have impeded critical microbiological studies of this microorganism: (i) its small size limits the use of light microscopy for cell counting and (ii) its extremely slow growth in broth and agar cultures impedes colony counting. Our aim was to develop a rapid and sensitive flow cytometric method using a vital fluorescent dye to enumerate viable M. agassizii cells. Methods and Results:, Here, we demonstrate that the nonfluorescent molecule 5-carboxyfluorescein (5-CF) diacetate acetoxymethyl ester penetrates M. agassizii cell membranes and it is converted in the cytoplasm to the fluorescent molecule 5-CF by the action of intracellular esterases. Labelled mycoplasma cells can be easily detected by flow cytometry, and cultures with as few as 100 viable mycoplasma cells ml,1 can be labelled and counted in less than 1 h. Experiments using temperature-induced cell death demonstrated that only viable M. agassizii cells are labelled with this procedure. Conclusions:, A rapid and sensitive flow cytometric technique has been developed for enumerating viable M. agassizii cells. Significance and Impact of the Study:, This technique should facilitate basic immunological, biochemical and pharmacological studies of this important pathogen which may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic methods. [source] Important research questions in allergy and related diseases: 3-chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis , a GA2LEN studyALLERGY, Issue 4 2009C. Bachert Chronic rhinosinusitis is one of the most common health care challenges, with significant direct medical costs and severe impact on lower airway disease and general health outcomes. The diagnosis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) currently is based on clinical signs, nasal endoscopy and CT scanning, and therapeutic recommendations are focussing on 2 classes of drugs, corticosteroids and antibiotics. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and the factors amplifying mucosal inflammation therefore seems to be crucial for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools. In an effort to extend knowledge in this area, the WP 2.7.2 of the GA2LEN network of excellence currently collects data and samples of 1000 CRS patients and 250 control subjects. The main objective of this project is to characterize patients with upper airway disease on the basis of clinical parameters, infectious agents, inflammatory mechanisms and remodeling processes. This collaborative research will result in better knowledge on patient phenotypes, pathomechanisms, and subtypes in chronic rhinosinusitis. This review summarizes the state of the art on chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyposis in different aspects of the disease. It defines potential gaps in the current research, and points to future research perspectives and targets. [source] The cytoskeleton and diseaseTHE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 4 2004Frans CS Ramaekers Abstract Cytoskeletal research in recent years has revolutionized cell biology and biomedicine. The cytoskeleton spans the cytoplasm and interconnects the cell nucleus with the extracellular matrix, thereby forming a structural link between molecules involved in cell communication on the one hand, and gene expression on the other. Since the cytoskeleton is involved in virtually all cellular processes, abnormalities in this essential cellular component frequently result in disease. In this introduction, the basic structure of the cytoskeleton is briefly outlined. Furthermore, the disease processes in which the cytoskeleton plays a decisive role, and which are reviewed in detail in the papers in this issue, are briefly introduced. The advances in our understanding of the cytoskeleton and its function in disease will lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the foreseeable future. Copyright © 2004 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Overexpression of synuclein-, in pancreatic adenocarcinomaCANCER, Issue 1 2004Zhongkui Li Ph.D. Abstract BACKGROUND Currently, pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Despite the advances in pancreatic carcinoma research, patients with this devastating disease have a very poor prognosis. To identify the gene expression profile of pancreatic carcinoma, an important step in the process of developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, the authors investigated the alteration of gene expression in this disease. METHODS The authors analyzed a public serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) database and examined in greater detail the expression of synuclein-, mRNA in several pancreatic carcinoma cell lines and tumor tissue samples by reverse transcriptase,polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis and Northern blot analysis. The expression of synuclein-, protein was investigated further by immunohistochemical and Western blot analyses using tumor cell lines, tumor tissue, and serum samples. RESULTS Synuclein-, mRNA was overexpressed in 11 of 12 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines, including AsPc-1, MDAPanc28, Capan-1, Capan-2, PANC-1, HS766T, MDAPanc3, MDAPanc48, Colo357FG, MiaPaCa2, CFPac1, and BxPc3. The expression of synuclein-, protein was detectable in 8 of 12 pancreatic carcinoma cell lines (67%) and in 22 of 32 pancreatic tumor tissue samples (69%) by Western blot analysis. On immunohistochemical staining, synuclein-, protein was present in 61% of the tumor tissue samples examined from patients with Stage I and II pancreatic carcinoma. The overexpression of synuclein-, is correlated with perineural and lymph node invasion. Synuclein-, protein also was detectable by Western blot in serum samples from 21 of 56 patients (38%) with pancreatic carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS Synuclein-,, which initially was described as a breast carcinoma,specific gene involved in invasion, metastasis, and chemotherapy resistance, was frequently overexpressed in pancreatic carcinoma. Overexpression of synuclein-, may play a role in pancreatic carcinoma invasion. Further studies will be necessary to determine the role of synuclein-, in pancreatic carcinoma. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society. [source] Wireless contact lens sensor for intraocular pressure monitoring: assessment on enucleated pig eyesACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 4 2009Matteo Leonardi Abstract. Purpose:, Assessment on enucleated pig eyes of a novel and minimally invasive method for the continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure (IOP), based on a novel wireless contact lens sensor (CLS). Methods:, The wireless CLS is a disposable silicone soft contact lens with a sensor embedded in it, allowing the wireless measurement of changes in corneal curvature induced by IOP variations. A CLS was adapted and tested on enucleated pig eyes. To demonstrate the measurement principle of the device, the enucleated pig eye was cannulated, allowing precise control of IOP. The CLS signal was then compared to the imposed IOP. Results:, First, the IOP of enucleated pig eyes was changed between 11 and 14 mmHg, simulating ocular pulsation. Then, IOP was changed with static steps of 1 mmHg between 20 and 30 mmHg to assess the reproducibility and linearity of the CLS. In both cases, measurements from the CLS and IOP showed very good correlation. A calibration graph shows that the CLS is capable of monitoring the IOP of each individual eye with a reproducibility of ± 0.2 mmHg (95% confidence interval). Conclusion:, The wireless CLS shows a good functionality to monitor the IOP on enucleated pig eyes. The device is placed in the same way as a soft disposable contact lens. This device would allow a minimally invasive and continuous monitoring of IOP over prolonged periods of up to 24 hr, regardless of patient activity, thus opening up new diagnostic and therapeutic methods to manage glaucoma. [source] Uveal melanoma and macular degeneration: molecular biology and potential therapeutic applicationsACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 8 2008Mario-Alexander Economou Abstract. Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults with 30% to 50% of patients that ultimately succumb to metastatic disease, mainly to the liver. (Shields et al. 1991) Although new diagnostic and therapeutic tools have been developed during the most recent years, only the eye conservation rate has been achieved, while the survival rate remains poor. The reason for this liver-homing is largely unknown, but it is conceivable that hepatic environmental factors may be implicated in the growth, dissemination, and progression of this malignancy. The insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) that binds to the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) is mainly produced in the liver. It has been shown to be crucial for tumor transformation, maintenance of malignant phenotype, promotion of cell growth, and prevention of apoptosis. (Baserga 1995) The hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) is another growth factor produced in the liver and exerts its biological effects through binding to the plasma membrane receptor c-Met. The activation of this receptor by HGF/SF ligand can induce proliferation, motility, adhesion, and invasion of tumor cells. (Cruz et al. 2003) Metastasis is a process involving many components, including tumor cell adhesion, migration, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteolysis, and invasion. The tumor cells undergo intravasation, disperse via the vascular and the lymphatic systems, and finally extravasate to invade the secondary sites. In all these steps, proteolytic enzyme systems are involved, including the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) system and the plasminogen activation system. The migration of a malignant cell through the ECM and the basement membrane requires proteolytic activities. (Stetler-Stevenson et al. 1993). Efforts to target the IGF-I system has been made with different types of cancer but not with uveal melanoma. [source] Immunohistochemical localization of somatostatin receptor subtypes in benign and malignant adrenal tumoursCLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 6 2008Nicole Unger Summary Background, Somatostatin mediates its action through five receptor subtypes (sst1,5) that are widely distributed in various endocrine tissues and tumours. Because of the inhibitory effects of somatostatin, long-acting analogues have been synthesized. In contrast to their well-established use in neuroendocrine and pituitary tumours, little is known about their potential use in adrenal tumours. Objective, We examined somatostatin receptor protein expression in adrenal tumours of various aetiologies. Immunostaining was performed with specific polyclonal antibodies for sst1,5. Design, Seven benign and eight malignant pheochromocytomas (PHEOs), eight aldosterone-secreting adenomas (APAs), nine cortisol-secreting adenomas (CPAs), seven nonfunctioning adrenal tumours (NFAs) and 25 adrenal carcinomas (CAs) as well as eight normal adrenal glands were investigated. Measurements, Staining pattern, distribution and subcellular localization of the somatostatin receptor subtypes were evaluated. Results, In the majority of normal cortices the expression of sst1,5 was limited to the reticular zone. The medulla was predominantly positive for sst3. Most cortical adenomas were positive for all five subtypes. However, in the majority of these tumours, less than 30% of cells were positively stained. A high expression of sst4 was found in CPAs but only very few cortical carcinomas exhibited sst immunostaining. All benign PHEOs were positive for sst3. The majority presented with more than 60% of tumour cells stained. By contrast, only six out of eight malignant PHEOs were positive for sst3. Conclusions, Somatostatin receptor subtypes are expressed in PHEOs as well as in tumours of the adrenal cortex with tumour-specific distribution patterns. This may offer new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities. [source] | |||||||||||||