Correlation between tissue levels of carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen and clinicopathological characteristics in human colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Type 1 collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and a major constituent of the interstitial connective tissue. However, little is known about carboxy-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PICP) expression in human colorectal tumor tissues. We therefore evaluated the concentrations of PICP in colorectal tumor tissue as well as surrounding normal tissues and examined the relationship between its level and clinicopathological variables. METHODOLOGY: Tumor and normal tissues from 40 patients with colorectal carcinoma who had been operated on were stored at -80 degrees C until assays. PICP was assayed by sandwich immunoassay. RESULTS: It was found that the PICP level was significantly higher in the tumor extracts than in the normal tissue extracts (P < 0.0001). The ANOVA test showed that the level of PICP in tumor tissue was higher in the patients with advanced colorectal tumor than those with early stage disease (P < 0.0001). There were statistically significant differences with regard to the depth of tumor invasion, presence of lymph node metastasis, and hepatic metastasis (P < 0.05). There were also quantitative differences with respect to the PICP levels between obstructing tumors and non-obstructing carcinoma (P < 0.05), but the elevated PICP levels in tumor tissues were not associated with the type of histologic differentiation (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although these findings suggest that PICP value in tumor tissue is most likely related to the some histomorphological architecture of the tumor, the authors believe that the prognostic significance of PICP expression in primary colorectal tumor and normal tissues requires further evaluation.

Long-term effects of cigarette-smoke exposure on plasma testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels in male rats.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of long-term cigarette smoking on the levels of plasma testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in male adult rats and to examine morphological and histological changes in the testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cigarette smoke was generated by a smoking-machine and 12 rats were exposed to cigarette smoke diluted with 90% air for 60 days (2 h/day). Twelve rats were exposed to room air only under similar conditions as controls. The concentrations of plasma testosterone, LH and FSH were measured before and after exposure using a radio-immunoassay and the testes were examined histologically. RESULTS: In rats exposed to smoke, the mean plasma testosterone level decreased significantly but there were no significant changes in testosterone in the control rats. The mean plasma LH and FSH levels of the two groups did not change significantly after exposure. In rats exposed to smoke, histological examination of the testes showed fewer Leydig cells and degeneration of the remaining cells. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the decrease in plasma testosterone levels induced by exposure to smoke was not associated with changes in plasma gonadotrophin levels. The decrease in testosterone levels may be related to the toxic effects of smoke on Leydig cells.

Anastomosis of the freshly divided uterine horns of rats with the CO2 laser vs. microsurgery.

We used the CO2 laser (group 1) and conventional microsurgery (group 2) for anastomosis of the freshly divided uterine horns of rats and compared the two methods. Each group was then compared with a control group in whom only exploration was carried out at laparotomy. Comparison was done regarding the clinical and histologic results. In addition, serum levels and tissue concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured, and the three groups were compared. No significant difference was found between the mean adhesion scores of groups 1 and 2; however, when the control group was compared with the other groups, the differences were statistically significant. The tubal patency rates in groups 1 and 2 and the control group were 83.3%, 79.2% and 100%, respectively, and the pregnancy rates in those groups were 54.5% (6/11), 45.5% (5/11) and 100% (10/10). The differences in tubal patency and pregnancy rates between groups 1 and 2 were not significant, but when each was compared with the control group, the differences were significant. The mean scores for mucosal regeneration and disruption of the muscularis layer in group 1 were significantly lower than those in group 2. Serum levels and tissue concentrations of ALP and LDH in the control group were lower than in groups 1 and 2, and the differences between the control group and each of the other groups were significant; however, no significant difference was found between groups 1 and 2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Vitamin E reduces bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice: biochemical and morphological studies.

Bleomycin is a widely used antineoplastic drug which produces dose- and time-dependent interstitial pulmonary fibrosis in humans. The mechanism of bleomycin-induced lung injury is not well understood. However, current data show that bleomycin can generate reactive oxygen species such as superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The antioxidant role of vitamin E in biological systems is well known. We investigated the effect of vitamin E on bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice biochemically and histologically. Animals were divided into four groups: control, saline + vitamin E (S/Vit E), bleomycin + saline (Bleo/S) and bleomycin + vitamin E (Bleo/Vit E). Bleomycin was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 10 mg/kg in Bleo/S and Bleo/Vit E groups, and vitamin E was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 15 mg/animal in S/Vit E and Bleo/Vit E groups twice weekly for 4 weeks. The control group received saline. As a marker of collagen amount or fibrosis in lung tissue, hydroxyproline and soluble protein content were measured and hydroxyproline/soluble protein ratio per gram wet lung tissue was calculated. For hydroxyproline and protein determinations, and histologic examination of lung tissue, 6 mice from the control and S/Vit E groups and 7 mice from the Bleo/S and Bleo/Vit E groups were killed at at 4, 6 and 8 weeks after administration of bleomycin. The mean hydroxyproline/soluble protein ratio of the Bleo/Vit E group was significantly lower than that of the Bleo/S group and significantly higher than those of the control and S/Vit E groups at 6 and 8 weeks (p < 0.05). Parallel with the biochemical findings, the grade of the histological lesions in the Bleo/Vit E group was lower than that in the Bleo/S group, but higher than those of the S/Vit E and control groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that a high dose of vitamin E considerably reduces the fibrotic effect of bleomycin on lung tissue in mice.