Vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] receptor expression correlates with histologic grade and stage of colorectal cancer

Colorectal carcinoma [CRC] is the seventh-most common malignancy and is the main cause of death in Iraq. The incidence of this cancer has increased sharply after the invasion of Iraq in 2003. To estimate immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] in CRC in relation to other parameters, such as grade and stage of tumour. Formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded blocks from 52 patients [27 male and 25 female] with CRC were included in this study. A group of 22 patients with non-cancerous colonic tissues were included as a control group. Avidin-biotin complex method was employed for immunohistochemical detection of VEGF. VEGF immuno-expression was positive in 51.9% of CRC, while it was 18.2% in the normal colonic tissue [p<0.05]. VEGF immunostaining was positively correlated with grade of colonic malignancy [p<0.05]. These findings provide further evidence for the role of VEGF in the carcinogenesis of CRC. However, VEGF could not be well correlated with stage of tumour and hence may be a poor prognostic parameter of state of malignancy of colonic carcinoma

Over expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in correlation to Ki-67, grade, and stage of breast cancer

To assess the significance of vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] protein over expression in human breast cancer, and its possible correlation with cell proliferation marker [Ki-67], grade and stage of breast cancer. We carried out this study at the Department of Pathology, Kufa University, between November 2006 and September 2007. A retrospective study was employed on paraffin-embedded blocks from 52 female patients with breast cancer. A group of 21 patients with benign breast lesions was included for comparison and 14 cases of normal breast tissue as a control group. This investigation designed to employ immunohistochemistry using Avidin-Biotin Complex [ABC] method for detection of both VEGF and Ki-67. A total of 87 samples was included. Vascular endothelial growth factor immunoexpression was considered as positive in 61.5% of malignant and in 19% of benign breast lesions. No over expression sign has been noticed in normal breast tissue [p<0.005]. No significant difference in VEGF over expression among different histological types of breast cancer [p>0.05]. Vascular endothelial growth factor immunostaining was positively correlated with Ki-67, grade, stage, lymph node metastasis, and recurrence of breast cancer [p<0.05]. No such correlation has been seen when the age of the patients has been considered. Vascular endothelial growth factor Vascular endothelial growth factor plays an important role in pathogenesis of breast cancer evolution, and supports the evidence of its role in angiogenesis and cell survival. This study recommended that the blocking of VEGF may be a target for blocking angiogenesis and hence improving the efficacy of anti-cancer therapy

role of chromosome C-band size polymorphism in male infertility with a reference to their effect on the total length of the chromosome

To assess the contribution of chromosome on sperm production. During a 2 year period from October 1999 to December 2001 a total of 200 male patients were included in the present study. The study was carried out at Kufa Medical College, Kufa, Iraq. Blood culture, chromosomal harvesting, Giemsa stain, C-band technique and C-band size calculation have been conducted according to the standard methods. No statistical differences have been recorded in the C-band size distribution level among the infertile groups compared to normal control. The functional relationship between C-band, euchromatin and the total length of the Y chromosome showed a strong correlation coefficient among the infertile groups [oligospermia, azoospermia] as well as the normal control. In our qualitative study the C-band size of the Y chromosome has no effect on spermatogenesis. The decrease in the size of Y chromosome is due to the decrease in both the heterochromatin and euchromatin regions

Cytogenetics in severely mentally retarded patients

To study the frequency of chromosomal abnormalities in severely mentally retarded Iraqi patients. Secondly, to determine the types of chromosomal abnormalities that play a major role in the causation of mental retardation and to compare our results with those reported elsewhere. Twenty one patients with severe mental retardation were subject to chromosomal analysis. The lymphocyte culture was carried out according to standard methods. Fourteen of the subjected mentally retarded patients had chromosomal abnormalities, 13 autosomal abnormalities, and only one had sex chromosomal abnormalities. However, structural autosomes were found to be the most prominent abnormalities and only 2 patients were demonstrated to have diagnosable syndrome. Chromosomal abnormalities are an important cause of mental retardation and its frequency increased with the severity of mental retardation. We concluded that chromosomal studies in mentally retarded patients help in accurate diagnosis and proper prognosis followed by genetic counseling and management rehabilitation

Frequency of satellite association in infertile patients

Investigations were carried out on general pattern and frequency of acrocentric association in a group of patients suffering from infertility [azoospermia and oligospermia]. Two types of parameter, absolute association frequency and relative association frequency, were used. A significantly higher frequency of satellite association was found in the fourty eight hour cultured lymphocytes of oligospermic patients for either type of association parameter in comparison with that of both azoospcrmics and healthy persons. Apart from only one azoospermic patient, no significant difference was found between azoospermics and healthy persons for both absolute and relative association frequency. It is proposed that satellite association may predispose the D-group chromosome to translocate with each other and suggest that this may be a primary cause of oligospermia

Indirect correlation between gene dosage and increased mRNA level in multidrugresistance cancer cells

The human lymphoblasts CCRF-CEM cells selected in Vinblastine, Actinomycin-D, Adriamycin and Vincristine is associated with amplification of mdrl gene. This amplification is accompanied by increase levels of mdrl mRNA and gene dosage. The level of mdrl mRNA appears to correlate proportionally with the levels of drug resistance. No each observation was found with regard to the genomic DNA. It seems that once gene amplification occures in a given drug Concentration, it remains at the same level of amplification even higher concentration despite of the parallel correlation between the drug concentration and the level of mdrl mRNA

Ocytogenetic analysts of two multidrugs resistant cancer cells

A detailed cytogenetic investigation was carried out on two sensitive and resistant cell lines, the human chronic myelogenous Ieukemia [k562] and the human burkitt lymphoma [DAUDI]. These cell lines have shown numerous clonal karyotypic alterations. However, numerical alteration was the more common [most notably chromosome gain]. The resistant sublines-R have shown chromosomal rearrangement unique to the resistant sublines. The k562-R subline was characterized by the presence of homogenous staining region [HSR] located at the long arm of chromosome no. 7 while the DAUD1-R was characterized by the presence of double minute chromosomes [DMs]