Immunomodulation Properties of Solid-State Fermented Laetiporussulphureus Ethanol Extracts in Chicken Peripheral Blood Monocytes In Vitro

Laetiporus sp. is recognized as a fungal species traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This study investigated the in-vitro effects of solid-state fermented Laetiporussulphureus ethanol extracts (LSE) for their immunomodulatory potential. Bioactive levels detected in the LSE on different days throughout the fermentation period revealed that the 12th day was the most efficient, with 7.19 ± 0.66 GAE/g DM crude phenolic content, 2.71 ± 0.03 UAE/g DM crude triterpenoid content, 12.93 ± 0.88 GCE/g DM crude polysaccharides, and 96.44 ± 0.2 mg/g DM ergosterol content. In-vitroLSE tests on chPBMC showed no cytotoxicity within a range of 0.05-1 mg/mL, but LPS-inhibited cell viability was improved, as well as LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and mRNA levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NFB), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin (IL)-1were attenuated Furthermore, the direct application of LSE on chPBMC showed a small but not significant increase in NFB, TLR4, and iNOS mRNA expression compared with the control group. These results indicate the potential of LSE to modulate LPS-triggered inflammation processes involving TLR4 and NFB mediation. However, further experiments are required to determine the specific pathway.

Immunomodulation Properties of Solid-State Fermented Laetiporussulphureus Ethanol Extracts in Chicken Peripheral Blood Monocytes In Vitro

Laetiporus sp. is recognized as a fungal species traditionally used for medicinal purposes. This study investigated the in-vitro effects of solid-state fermented Laetiporussulphureus ethanol extracts (LSE) for their immunomodulatory potential. Bioactive levels detected in the LSE on different days throughout the fermentation period revealed that the 12th day was the most efficient, with 7.19 ± 0.66 GAE/g DM crude phenolic content, 2.71 ± 0.03 UAE/g DM crude triterpenoid content, 12.93 ± 0.88 GCE/g DM crude polysaccharides, and 96.44 ± 0.2 mg/g DM ergosterol content. In-vitroLSE tests on chPBMC showed no cytotoxicity within a range of 0.05-1 mg/mL, but LPS-inhibited cell viability was improved, as well as LPS-induced nitric oxide (NO) production and mRNA levels of nuclear factor kappa B (NFB), Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and interleukin (IL)-1were attenuated Furthermore, the direct application of LSE on chPBMC showed a small but not significant increase in NFB, TLR4, and iNOS mRNA expression compared with the control group. These results indicate the potential of LSE to modulate LPS-triggered inflammation processes involving TLR4 and NFB mediation. However, further experiments are required to determine the specific pathway.(AU)

Blockage of cisplatin-induced autophagy sensitizes cervical cancer cells to cisplatin.

Development of chemoresistance is a major obstacle that leads to the recurrence and progression of cervical cancer (CC). Autophagy, meaning, "eating of self", has shown paradoxical functions in tumors. In this study, we first investigated the process of autophagy induction by cisplatin in CC cells. Next, we investigated the role of autophagy in cisplatin-sensitivity of CC cells via blockage of cisplatin-induced autophagy. The results demonstrated that cisplatin induces autophagy in CC HeLa cells via upregulating the formation of autophagic vesicle, promoting the conversion of LC-I to LC-II, and increasing the expression of autophagy-related gene 7 (Atg-7). On the other hand, the autophagy inhibitor, 3MA, downregulated cisplatin-induced formation of autophagic vesicles, reduced the conversion of LC-I to LC-II, and decreased Atg-7 expression. Moreover, 3MA reversed the reduction in cellular viability and induction of apoptosis by cisplatin in HeLa cells. Our results imply that autophagy blockage may play a key role in the chemosensitivity of cervical cancers.

Effect of IL-1ß, IL-8, and IL-10 polymorphisms on the development of myocardial infarction.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is currently a leading cause of death worldwide, and is caused by various environmental and genetic factors. We therefore conducted a case-control study to investigate the association between polymorphisms in interleukins IL-1ß, IL-8, and IL-10 and MI risk. This study recruited 260 MI patients and 285 control subjects. Genotyping of IL-1ß +3954C/T, IL-8 -251T/A, IL-10 -1082A/G, and IL-10 -819C/T were assessed using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method. By comparing the risk factors of MI between the case and control groups, we discovered that MI patients were more likely to have smoking and drinking habits, have a history of hypertension and diabetes, have higher triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and a lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P < 0.05). Unconditional regression analyses showed that subjects carrying the GG genotype of the IL-10 -1082A/G polymorphism were associated with increased risk of MI, and the OR (95%CI) was 2.04 (1.15-3.65). Our study found that the IL-10 -1082A/G polymorphism plays an important role in influencing the development of MI.

Association of a miR-34b binding site single nucleotide polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene with susceptibility to male infertility.

This study aims to explore the possible associations between a genetic variation in the miR-34b binding site in the 3'-untranslated region (UTR) of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene (rs55763075) with male infertility in a Chinese population. Genotype distributions of the rs55763075 single nucleotide polymorphism were investigated by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing in a Chinese cohort that included 464 infertile men with idiopathic azoospermia or oligospermia and 458 controls with normal fertility. Overall, no significant differences in the distributions of the genotypes of the MTHFR rs55763075 polymorphism were detected between the infertility and control groups. A statistically significant increased risk of male infertility was found for carriers of the rs55763075 AA genotype when compared with homozygous carriers of the rs55763075 GG genotype in the azoospermia subgroup (OR = 1.721; 95% CI = 1.055-2.807; P = 0.031). Furthermore, we found that rs55763075 was associated with folate and homocysteine levels in patients with idiopathic azoospermia. Our results indicated that the MTHFR 3'-UTR rs55763075 polymorphism might modify the susceptibility to male infertility with idiopathic azoospermia.

Establishment of a prediction model for the miRNA-based heading date characteristics of rice in the booting stage.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important food crops in the world. In Taiwan, due to the warm climate, there are two harvests annually. However, the yield and quality of rice can vary between each crop season in any given year. Previous reports have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a crucial role in many developmental and physiological processes in plants. In this study, the heading date characteristics of 167 rice cultivars from the second crop season were recorded, and 27 rice cultivars were selected for preliminary microarray analysis. A total of 14 miRNAs from different heading date characteristics in 21 cultivars were selected based on significant differences in their expression profiles. Using a correlation analysis between the heading date and selected miRNA expression obtained from real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, we developed a heading date prediction model. The model includes nine miRNA genes with corresponding R2 values of 0.8. To confirm the model, a real-time PCR analysis was performed on an additional 27 rice cultivars and we found the model predicted the heading date with accuracy. Therefore, the developed prediction may be useful in further studies aimed at confirming the reliability of the use of miRNA in molecular breeding and to increase the selection efficiency of rice cultivars and breeding.

Wnt/ß-catenin aids in regulating the proliferation of hepG2 cells mediated by thy-1.

Cancer stem cells have been found to play important roles in carcinoma. Although thy-1 has been identified as a potential stem cell marker of liver cancer, whether the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating hepatocarcinoma proliferation and apoptosis mediated by thy-1 remains unknown. Our results showed that high thy-1 expression caused hepG2 cells transfected with a pReceiver-M29/thy-1 eukaryotic expression vector to exhibit obvious heteromorphism, featuring double or multiple nuclei and weaker apoptosis. A high expression of ß-catenin, as a critical signaling protein of Wnt/ß-catenin, and its downstream transcription factor, cyclinD1, were detected in transfected hepG2 cells. We also used aspirin as an inhibitor of the Wnt signaling pathway in the treatment of hepG2 cells transfected with the pReceiver-M29/thy-1 expression vector to make detailed observations of apoptosis in hepG2 cells as well as the differential expression of ß-catenin, cyclinD1, and thy-1. An increasing apoptosis rate was detected in the hepG2 cells and downregulated expression of the three proteins was detected. Hence, we suggest that thy-1 upregulation promotes the proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of hepG2 cells, and that these processes are regulated by the Wnt/ß- catenin signaling pathway.

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms associated with susceptibility to lumbar disc degeneration in a Chinese cohort.

We investigated a possible association between interleukin (IL)-10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and susceptibility to and severity of lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) in a Chinese cohort of 320 patients with LDD and 269 gender- and age-matched controls. The degree of disc degeneration was determined by magnetic resonance imaging using Schneiderman's classification. Genetic analysis of IL-10 promoter polymorphisms (at -1082 A/G, -819 T/C, and -592 A/C) was carried out by PCR-RFLP. A total of 134 herniated lumbar intervertebral discs were collected during surgery for IL-10 mRNA detection. For SNPs at -592, the A allele and AA genotype frequencies were significantly higher in LDD patients than in controls. Similarly, the AA genotype and A allele frequencies at -1082 were significantly higher in cases than in controls. Among the LDD subjects, carriers of AA at -592 and GG at -1082 had significantly lower mean IL-10 mRNA expression than the other two genotypes. The SNPs at each locus were not significantly associated with severity grade in the LDD patients. Logistic regression analyses showed that the AA at -1082, AA at -592, and IL-10 mRNA expression level were independent risk factors for LDD. We conclude that the IL-10 SNPs at -1082 A/G and -592 A/C as well as IL-10 mRNA in the herniated lumbar intervertebral discs are associated with susceptibility to LDD in this Chinese cohort, but not with disease severity.

The effect of isolation on the life-history traits of Pseudosuccinea columella (Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae).

A population of Pseudosuccinea columella was raised under laboratory conditions and its life tables were determined in isolated and paired snails. Isolated snails were significantly larger in shell size than paired snails from five weeks of age onward. Also, statistically significant differences were found for the number of eggs per mass per individual from week 5 to 9, isolated snails exhibiting the highest values. The intrinsic and finite rates of increase were greater in isolated than in paired snails. Either an inhibition of the reproductive output between individuals or the advantage of selfing may be the cause of the differences in this species, acting as a possible mechanism that increase the fitness of isolated snails.

Life-history traits of Fossaria cubensis (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) under experimental exposure to Fasciola hepatica (Trematoda: Digenea).

The effect of exposing the lymnaeid snail Fossaria cubensis to the trematode Fasciola hepatica on the snail population's life-history traits was studied under laboratory conditions. Exposed individuals showed a lower survival rate than control snails, although from week 7 onward a slower decrease of this parameter in relation to the control group was observed. There were higher values of fecundity rate for the controls compared to the exposed group except during weeks 9, 10, 11 and 12, which was the time that followed the period when almost all of the infected snails died. Both the intrinsic and finite rates of natural increase were significantly higher for the control group, but exposed snails still attained a lower mean generation time. Age-specific trade-offs were found, mainly for the weekly increase in size versus the number of eggs per mass, the weekly increase in size versus the number of viable eggs per mass, the number of masses versus the hatching probability and the number of eggs versus the hatching probability. All these negative associations were significant for juveniles of both control and exposed snails and not for adults; however, exposed young individuals exhibited much higher values of the correlation coefficient than control animals.

A vibrational study of di-i-propoxyphosphoryl benzylisothiourea.

The Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra of di-i-propoxyphosphoryl benzylisothiourea (DPB) (1) in the solid state and in solutions of CCl4, CHCl3, CHBr3, CH2Cl2, C2H4Cl2, C2H4Br2 and THF were studied. In the IR spectra, the effects of different concentrations were also investigated. The behavior of the nu(NH), delta(NH), delta(HNH), nu(C=N) and nu(P=O) normal modes suggests the existence of a tautomerism between the phosphorylamine (I) and N-phosphorylimine (II) structures: [structures: see text] The data show the presence of different delta(NH) and delta(HNH) bendings and nu(C=N) normal modes in the solid state as a result of inter and intramolecular hydrogen bonding. The experimental approximate frequencies assignments were done for this compound, and were confirmed by a normal coordinate analysis carried out for several fragments of phosphorylamine and N-phosphorylimine structures.

Temporal selectivity for complex signals by single neurons in the torus semicircularis of Pleurodema thaul (Amphibia:Leptodactylidae).

Responses of auditory neurons in the torus semicircularis (TS) of Pleurodema thaul, a leptodactylid from Chile, to synthetic stimuli having diverse temporal patterns and to digitized advertisement calls of P. thaul and three sympatric species, were recorded to investigate their temporal response selectivities. The advertisement call of this species consists of a long sequence of sound pulses (a pulse-amplitude-modulated, or PAM, signal) having a dominant frequency of about 2000 Hz. Each of the sound pulses contains intra-pulse sinusoidal-amplitude-modulations (SAMs). Synthetic stimuli consisted of six series in which the following acoustic parameters were systematically modified, one at a time: PAM rate, pulse duration, number of pulses, and intra-pulse SAM rate. The carrier frequency of these stimuli was set at the characteristic frequency (CF) of the isolated units (n = 47). Response patterns of TS units to synthetic call variants reveal different degrees of selectivities for each of the temporal variables, with populations of neurons responding maximally to specific values found in the advertisement call of this species. These selectivities are mainly shaped by neuronal responsiveness to the overall sound energy of the stimulus and by the inability of neurons to discharge to short inter-pulse gaps.

The role of Hispanic race/ethnicity and poverty in breast cancer survival.

The association of Hispanic race/ethnicity and poverty with general survival time and breast cancer survival time was examined for a total of 14,896 breast cancer patients (14,035 White and 861 Hispanic) included in the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (NCI SEER) program in New Mexico and San Francisco between 1975 and 1984. Variables examined included: age, marital status, stage at diagnosis, tumor histology, delay, treatment, period of diagnosis (1975-79 vs. 1980-84), and poverty. Univariate analysis of 14,896 patients indicated that a greater proportion of Hispanics (vs. Whites) with breast cancer were: younger than age 50, married, diagnosed at a later stage, diagnosed in New Mexico, lived in greater poverty, were diagnosed between 1980-84, and died from breast cancer. Univariate Cox Proportion Hazards analysis indicated that poverty was a significant predictor for reduced general survival time. Being diagnosed in the 1980-84 period was a predictor for improved general survival time. Poverty and Hispanic race/ethnicity were significant predictors of reduced breast cancer survival time. Multivariate Cox Proportional Hazards models indicated that Hispanic race/ethnicity was a significant risk factor for breast cancer survival time for women aged 50 and older. For White women: state, marital status, poverty, surgery, radiation/hormonal treatments, and histology were significant risk factors for breast cancer survival time. For Hispanic women: stage, surgery, hormonal treatment and period of diagnosis were significant risk factors for breast cancer survival time. For White breast cancer patients, period of diagnosis was not a significant risk factor for reduced breast cancer survival time; but for Hispanics, it was a significant risk factor. In the age and race/ethnicity-stratified models of breast cancer survival time, similar risk factors emerged for both Whites and Hispanics. For both younger and older Hispanics, being diagnosed in the early 1980's (vs. the late 1970's) was associated with reduced breast cancer survival time--vs. Whites, who experienced no significant change in breast cancer survival time in the same time period. Poverty was not a predictor for Hispanic survival time in any of the models; however, it was a predictor for younger Whites for breast cancer survival time. These results fueled discussion in three areas targeting breast cancer in underserved women: the development of racial/ethnic-specific cancer control guidelines, the development of a breast cancer integrated delivery system, and population management.

Production by human squamous cell carcinoma of a factor inducing activation and proliferation of immune cells.

OBJECTIVE: To examine supernatants (SNs) of human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cell lines for soluble tumor-derived factors capable of inducing activation and proliferation of human immune cells. DESIGN: The SN of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cell line PCI-50 was cultured in serum-free medium and tested for the ability to induce expression of activation antigens, proliferation, cytotoxicity against tumor cell targets and cytokine production by purified human natural killer (NK) and CD4+ T cells. RESULTS: Supernatant of PCI-50 promoted expression of the following activation markers on NK and T cells: CD25 (interleukin-2R-alpha), HLA-DR (major histocompatibility complex class II), CD54 (ICAM-1), CD71 (transferrin receptor), and CD69 (activation-inducing molecule). In addition, SN induced and significantly sustained (P < .01) proliferation of human unseparated peripheral blood lymphocytes and NK or T cells in culture. Purified human NK or T cells cultured in the presence of the SN and IL-2 (120 IU/mL) had significantly higher antitumor cytotoxicity than that mediated by NK or T cells cultured in AIM-V medium and IL-2. The SN induced cytokine (interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6) production in purified NK or T cells. When the SN was fractionated by molecular weight-based filtration into fractions greater and less than 30 kd, the growth- and cytotoxicity-promoting activities were consistently detectable in the greater than 30-kd fraction. CONCLUSIONS: Culture SN of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck cell lines contain a soluble factor(s) capable of activating NK and CD4+ T cells and of promoting growth and antitumor cytotoxicity of these lymphocyte subsets in vitro.

Antitumor activities of subsets of human IL-2-activated natural killer cells in solid tissues.

Human NK cells can be separated into two functionally distinct subpopulations based on the ability to rapidly respond to IL-2 by adherence to solid surfaces. To determine functions of the NK cell subsets in solid tumor tissues, adherent (A) and nonadherent (NA) NK cells were evaluated for their ability to infiltrate multicellular tumor spheroids in vitro, to kill carcinoma (CA) cell targets in these spheroids, and to mediate antitumor activity in vivo. A-NK cells were less cytolytic than NA-NK cells against CA targets in single cell suspensions or in monolayers. However, A-NK cells showed a significantly better ability than NA-NK cells to infiltrate tumor tissues and kill tumor cells in spheroids of human squamous cell CA of the head and neck or breast CA. Perilesional delivery of human A-NK cells and IL-2 resulted in regression of established human squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck tumors growing subcutaneously in immunosuppressed nude mice. Similarly, in a xenograft model of human gastric CA metastatic to liver of nude mice, a single intrasplenic injection of A-NK cells in combination with i.p. infusions of IL-2 significantly reduced the number of established hepatic metastases (p < 0.007) and prolonged survival of the mice (p < 0.003). In contrast, NA-NK cells were ineffective in either of the in vivo xenograft tumor models. These findings demonstrate that A-NK cells represent a biologically unique and important subset of NK cells that, in contrast to the rest of NK cells, function as effector cells in solid tumor tissues and, consequently, have a great antitumor therapeutic potential.

Proliferation of hematopoietic cell lines induced by a soluble factor derived from human squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck.

The supernatant of a cell line of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), PCI-50, was previously shown to induce activation, promote proliferation and increase antitumor cytotoxicity of freshly purified human natural killer (NK) cells and CD4+ T lymphocytes [Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg (1994) in press]. This supernatant was found also to promote the growth of a variety of hematopoietic cell lines, including Jurkat, THP-1, K562, NK-92 or Epstein-Barr-virus-transformed B cell lines. The Jurkat cell line was selected as a reporter cell in an 18-h proliferation assay established to measure the growth-promoting activity of PCI-50 supernatant. The presence of soluble tumor-derived factors able to induce proliferation of Jurkat cells was demonstrated in the supernatant produced by several other SCCHN cell lines but not in that produced by a gastric cancer cell line (HR) or renal cell carcinoma line (5117G8). The growth-promoting PCI-50 supernatant was shown to contain 28 +/- 0.5 pg/ml interleukin-6 (IL-6) in vitro but was negative for interferon gamma, IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, tumor necrosis factor alpha, granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor and IL-12. The addition of any of these recombinant cytokines to Jurkat cell cultures did not significantly promote growth, while PCI-50 supernatant was consistently growth-stimulatory. This supernatant neither enhanced intracellular Ca2+ concentration in Jurkat cells nor induced up-regulation of activation antigens on the cell surface, although it supported growth of Jurkat cells in the absence of IL-2. The growth-promoting activity in the PCI-50 supernatant was acid-labile at pH 2 for 4 h, heat-resistant at 96 degrees C for 1 h and sensitive to treatments with trypsin and pepsin. Preincubation of the PCI-50 producer cells with tunicamycin or cyclohexamide reduced the level of growth-promoting activity in the supernatant. A partial purification of this activity was achieved using Amicon filtration, chromatography on concanavalin-A-Sepharose and then a hydroxyapatite column and high-pressure liquid chromatography gel filtration. The partially purified glycoprotein had a molecular mass of 50-70 kDa, as determined by gel filtration.

Signaling via CD7 molecules on human NK cells. Induction of tyrosine phosphorylation and beta 1 integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin.

We have previously reported that CD7 expressed on resting human NK cells is a signal-transducing molecule, which upon ligation with mAb induces a rapid increase in cytoplasmic free calcium, secretion of IFN-gamma, and augmented NK activity against K562 targets. We now demonstrate that Ab-mediated clustering of CD7 molecules on NK cells results in enhanced phosphorylation on tyrosine residues of intracellular proteins of 60, 70, 80, 97, and 120 kDa. In the presence of genistein, a specific inhibitor of protein tyrosine kinase, the enhanced level of tyrosine phosphorylation was blocked, indicating that CD7 may induce signaling via activation of tyrosine kinases. Cross-linking of CD7 or CD16 molecules with primary and secondary Abs, as well as stimulation of NK cells with phorbol ester (PMA) or with calcium ionophore A23187 also induced beta 1 integrin-mediated adhesion of these cells to fibronectin (FN)-coated plastic surfaces. In contrast, cross-linking of CD2 expressed on the surface of NK cells had no significant effect on NK cell adhesion to FN. This adhesion was not associated with up-regulation of expression of alpha 4 beta 1 or alpha 5 beta 1 FN receptors on NK cells, but it required an intact cytoskeleton. The CD7-induced adhesion to FN was mediated by alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrins, as it was partially blocked by FN connective segment-1 peptide (EILDVPST), the alpha 4 beta 1-binding domain, as well as by RGD-containing peptides, the alpha 5 beta 1-binding domain, but not by EILEVPST or RGE control peptides. NK cell binding to FN was also partially inhibited by mAb to alpha 4, alpha 5, and beta 1 integrins. The mechanism by which cross-linking of CD7 or CD16 on NK cells induced adhesion to FN appeared to involve both protein tyrosine kinase and protein kinase C, because this adhesion was blocked in the presence of either genistein or a protein kinase C inhibitor, staurosporin. Our data demonstrate that signals transduced via triggering of either CD7 or CD16 molecules are involved in the regulation of the functional activity of beta 1 integrins on NK cells.

Transfer of interleukin 2 receptor genes into squamous cell carcinoma. Modification of tumor cell growth.

OBJECTIVE: Human squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN) have been shown to express interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R), and binding of the ligand, IL-2, to the receptor results in tumor growth inhibition in vitro or in vivo in an SCCHN xenograft model in nude mice. To optimize growth inhibitory effects of IL-2, expression of the alpha or gamma chains of IL-2R in SCCHN was experimentally modified by transfection of tumor cells with the respective IL-2R genes or the lacZ gene as control. DESIGN: Using plasmid vectors containing the IL-2R alpha chain gene under the control of a cytomegalovirus promoter or the IL-2R gamma chain gene under the control of a Rous sarcoma virus promoter, the IL-2R genes were transferred by lipofection into SCCHN cell lines. Stable transfectants were selected, cloned by limiting dilution, and clones were compared with the parental cell lines for their sensitivity to the growth-inhibitory effect of IL-2. RESULTS: Transfer of the IL-2R alpha chain gene into SCCHN cells resulted in significant upregulation of expression of the IL-2R alpha chain on tumor cell surface but not in increased tumor growth inhibition by IL-2. In contrast, SCCHN IL-2R gamma transfectants, which expressed IL-2R gamma chain transcripts as confirmed in RNase protection assays, were significantly inhibited in growth and were sensitive to lower concentrations of IL-2 than the parental cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic modification of IL-2R expression on IL-2R-positive tumor cells in culture significantly alters their proliferative response to IL-2. These observations open a way for developing new strategies for therapy of SCCHN based on direct interactions of IL-2 with its receptor on tumor cells.

[Clinical applications of CA 125 carcinoma of the ovary]. / Aplicações clínicas do CA 125 no carcinoma de ovário.

Cancer of the ovary is one of the most common causes of death among gynecologic neoplasms. As it is relatively "protected" by the peritoneal cavity, there is great need of methods to improve early diagnosis and to assist with the management of patients with this disease. An important advance was observed with the application of monoclonal antibodies. After 1983, most papers have mentioned CA 125 as a biochemical marker of ovarian non-mucinous cancer. The purpose of the authors is to discuss the controversial aspects of this important marker and its role in the diagnosis and follow-up of ovarian carcinoma. All being considered, clinical applications, post-treatment follow-up, and flaws can be established.