ABSTRACT
Objective: To study the correlation between the percentages of HA-unbound sperm and DNA fragmented sperm by TUNEL assay. Methods: The semen residue from semen analysis was tested by HBA and TUNEL assay. Results: The mean age of patients included in the study was 34.8 years (± 3.7 years). The proportion of HA-unbound sperm ranged from 11.3% to 24.2%, with a mean of 17.08% (± 3.24%). The range of TUNEL positive in semen samples was 2% to 11.75%, with a mean of 5.78% (± 2.28%). Pearson’s correlation between two tests was 0.848 (p<0.01). Intraobserver variation of the results of HBA ranged from 3.3% to 7.6%, with a mean of 6.23% (± 1.11%). Intraobserver variation of the results of TUNEL assay ranged from 0% to 6.9%, with a mean of 1.54% (± 2.7%). Agreement measuring of each test was determined by using intraclass correlation. The intraclass correlation coefficient of HBA and TUNEL assay were 0.970 (P<0.001) and 0.997 (P<0.001) respectively. Conclusion: As several studies have found, the binding capacity of sperm to HA is correlated with several sperm parameters. In this study, the strong correlation between the percentages of HA-unbound sperm and TUNEL positive sperm implies, furthermore, that the HA-bound sperm percentage correlates with low levels of DNA fragmentation.
ABSTRACT
Mammaglobin (hMAM) is expressed exclusively in the mammary glands of adult woman and mammary tumour cell lines. Thus, we examined hMAM expression as a market for the detection of carcinoma cells in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer in Thailand. In addition, we studied the correlation between hMAM expression in circulation mammary carcinoma cells and clinicopathological prognostic factors of breast cancer. Blood sample obtained from two hundred breast cancer patients at various stages of their disease and from sixty females without breast cancer (thirty healty individuals and thirty patients with various malignancies other than breast cancer) were screened for hMAM mRNA by a nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. We found significant differences between patients with breast cancer and those with other malignancies or healthy controls. None of the samples from the peripheral blood of sixty females without breast cancer was positive, whereas sixty four (32%) of the two hundred sample from breast cancer patients tested positive for hMAM mRNA. While our hMAM nested RT-PCR approach has 100% specificity, its sensitivity is only 32%. The presence or absence of hMAM expression in these breast cancer patients was not associated with clinicopathological prognostic factors including stage, oestrogen and progesterone status, lymph node metastases, histological type, tumour size, differentiation, lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, menopausal status or age. We summarized that the hMAM nested RT-PCR assay may be an effective tool for the detection of circulating mammary carcinoma cells of breast cancer patients. Nevertheless, the clinical relevance hMAM RT-PCR based tumour cell detections should be further evaluated in prospective studies.
ABSTRACT
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma usually has a very poor outcome. The majority of patients present late with locally advanced or metastatic disease, and only 10-20% are candidates for resection. The tumor marker CA19-9 may be elevated but is not specific for pancreatic cancer. Dual-phase spiral computed tomography is the most important imaging modality for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Despite the continuing development of body imaging methods and serum determination of tumor markers, the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma often remains problematic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography is considered to be one of the most reliable diagnostic procedures for pancreaticobiliary diseases. Endoscopic ultrasonography has been developed as an intracorporeal imaging method that now provides precise ultrasonic images of the pancreas. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is the mainstay of surgical treatment which offers the only hope of cure for this disease. Biliary-enteric and gastrojejunal bypass used to be the standard operation for inoperable pancreatic cancer. Endoscopic stenting can produce good palliation of biliary obstruction. The median survival after resection is only 18-20 months and up to 50% of those who survive 5 years may die of recurrent cancer. The factors that predict recurrence and survival are the resection margin, the size of the tumor, lymph node involvement and histological appearance of the degree of differentiation of the cancer tissue. Pancreatic cancer is a consequence of stepwise accumulated genetic alterations which disturb the equilibrium of a cell by altering the relative balance between the roles of the cell cycle, differentiation and dedifferentiation, and programmed cell death (apoptosis). Multiple genetic alterations involving the activation of oncogenes (K-ras) and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes (p53, p16 and DPC4) and telomerase. The detection of early tumor, i.e., the establishment of a screening strategy, the development of adjuvant therapy and molecular approaches might provide more options and a better clinical outcome for pancreatic cancer.