Correlation of HER2/neu over expression, p53 protein accumulation and steroid receptor status with tumor characteristics: an Iranian study of breast cancer patients

Molecular biomarkers are valuable in evaluation the course of malignancies. In this study, the relationship between HER2/neu, p53, steroid receptors and clinicopathological features of patients with breast cancer has been assessed. Three hundred thirty nine women with a primary diagnosis of breast cancer from 2001 to 2006 were included. They were evaluated for tumor features. The content of the steroid hormone receptors and expression of HER2/neu and p53 was also examined by immunohistochemistry assay. From patients arrived at this study, 52%, 36%, 46.5% and 44% were positive for HER2/neu, p53, ER and PR respectively. No association was found between most of pairs. HER2/neu expression significantly related with grade [P= 0.016]. P53 had considerable reverse relation with axillary lymph node involvement and primary distant metastasis [P= 0.010 and P= 0.023, respectively]. A significant association was found between PR and lymph node involvement [P= 0.038]. This study present the pattern of prognostic biomarkers in breast cancer for the first time in northeast of Iran and suggests to conduct larger studies regarding other effective variables include demographic ones

[Evaluation of chromogenic media compared to traditional culture methods for presumptive identification of entrococci from urine specimen]

Entrococci is a clinically important pathogenic bacterium in UTIs. CHROMagar orientation is a recently method for rapid, easy and economic isolation and identification of entrococci. This study compares the chromogenic media with traditional methods for presumptive identification of entrococci from urine specimen. We evaluated 240 gram positive cocci from urine specimens. These isolated microorganisms were inoculated on CHROMagar orientation and were presumptively identified according to manufacturer instruction. The identity of all isolated microorganisms was then confirmed by conventional identification tests and compared with the results obtained from CHROMagar orientation. In this study, the sensitivity and specificity of CHROMagar orientation to identify entrococci, solely, were 100% and 40.8%, respectively. Although CHROMagar orientation was rapid and sensitive method for identification of entrococci in urine culture, CHROMagar orientation alone appeared not to be very specific for entrococci and needed to be combined with other tests for greater exclusivity. So, CHROMagar orientation media is not recommended for routine usages in medical laboratories in Iran