ABSTRACT
Aurora-A is a mitotic serine/threonine kinase that is evolutionally conserved and localized at the centrosome. Aurora-A activation is required for mitotic entry, centrosome maturation, and centrosome separation. Aurora-A is frequently amplified and/or over-expressed in breast, ovarian, esophageal, colon, lung, and bladder cancers. Aurora-A has recently become a new target of malignant tumors. The Aurora-A inhibitor can be combined with other chemotherapeutic drugs to provide a new way for cancer treatment. In this study, we review the function and inhibitor of Aurora-A kinase.
ABSTRACT
Heavy metal pollution in the sediment of the Yellow River draws wide attention in the recent years. The Yellow River wetland nature reserve of Zhengzhou is one of the major wetlands of the river and located at the beginning of the lower reach. In this article, we aimed to investigate the degree and the sources of the metal pollution in the reserve. Metals as Cu, Pb, Cr, Cd and Mn in the sediment were monitored using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The index of geo-accumulation [I[geo]] and the modified degree of contamination [mC[d]] were developed to evaluate individual metal pollution and overall enrichment impact of the elements. Compared with sediment quality guidelines, the effect of Cr and Pb are more serious than others. I [geo] values show Pb pollution are moderate at the Xinzhai, Langchenggang and Nansutan sites, and mC[d] analysis indicate the whole contamination at the Wantan, Langchenggang and Nansutan sites was low. Principal component analysis indicated that the first factor was Cu, Mn and Cd, mainly from soil erosion and the irrational use of phosphate fertilizers; the second Pb from fossil fuel burning; and the third Cr from weathering process. We conclude that Pb contamination is serious in the reserve, and the main sources of the metal are crude oil consumption and coal combustion of the brick kilns around. We also draw a conclusion that it is vital to evaluate contamination degree with both individual elements and overall average
Subject(s)
Metals, Heavy/analysis , Geologic Sediments/chemistry , RiversABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study Twist expression in thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC) by immunohistochemistry and to assess its usefulness as marker in the differential diagnosis of PTC, follicular adenomas (FA) and benign papillary lesions (BPL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty cases of PTC, 48 cases of FA and 47 cases of BPL were evaluated using manual tissue chip and SP immunohistochemical stain to detect the expression of Twist and HBME-1, and comparing the staining to that of cytokeratin 19 (CK19).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In PTC, positive rates of Twist, HBME-1 and CK19 were 100% (48/48), 94.0% (47/50) and 78.0% (39/ 50) respectively; in FA, positive rates were 0, 6.7% (3/45) and 0 respectively; in BPL, positive rates were 7.0% (3/34), 2.1% (1/47) and 0, respectively. The differences between PTC and FA and between PTC and BPL were both statistically significant (P = 0. 000). The sensitivity of Twist, HBME-1 and CK19 was 100%, 94.0% and 78.0%; the specifity was 96.4%, 95.7% and 100%; overall accurary was 97.7%, 95.1% and 91.9%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Positive rates of Twist is higher than the other markers in PTC. Immunohistochemical staining of Twist has important significance in the differential diagnosis of thyroid lesions. Twist immunohistochemistry maybe helpful in diagnosis and differential diagnosis of PTC.</p>