[RNA tumor marker levels in blood of patients with malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract].

In order to develop a diagnostic panel, mRNA levels of tumor marker genes have been evaluated in capillary blood of patients with various malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) by means of the method of reverse transcription combined with real-time PCR with detection of reaction products using TaqMan probes. Use of small volumes of capillary blood did not decrease sensitivity of this method. RNA expression of telomerase (mhTERT), alpha-fetoprotein (mAFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (mCEA) and cytokeratin-20 (mCK-20) was higher in most patients with tumors. Blood of donors or non-oncological patients contained much lower (trace) amounts of the RNA markers. The RNA markers are characterized by reasonably high specificity and sensitivity acceptable for diagnostic application. The mhTERT marker was the most universal one and exhibited the highest specificity and sensitivity. Combined determination of several RNA markers increased sensitivity of this method. It is concluded that determination of RNA markers in small volumes of capillary blood may be used for screening, primary diagnostics, and postoperative monitoring.

[Study of gene expression of cytokines and apoptotic factors in blood and tissues from patients with surgery infection by the method of real-time polymerase chain reaction].

The expression of cytokines and markers of apoptosis was studied in the whole blood of 10 volunteers by means of reverse transcription method combined with real-time PCR. These factors were also measured in the whole blood, in inflammation nodus tissues and in amputation level nodal tissues taken from 17 patients with local surgical infection. No expression of examined factors in whole blood of volunteers has been observed. However, genes of cytokines and apoptotic markers were expressed in different levels in lymphocytes of whole blood for the case of patients with local surgery infection. This expression was lower in tissues from amputation level and was almost absent in tissues from inflammation nodus, except of the gene, encoding caspase-8. These results suggest that number of pro- and antiinflammating cytokines and apoptotic factors are expressed in peripheral blood and tissue lymphocytes at the formation of System Inflammation Response Syndrom.