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Background & Objective: Upward (local growth and invasion of the base of skull), downward (distant metastasis) and mixed progressing types of nasopharygeal carcinoma (NPC) have been observed when the disease progress to middle-late stage. The upward and downward progressing types are evidently different in clinical symptom, therapy strategy and prognosis. Identification of the molecular differences between them is very important for molecular classification, prognostic prediction and research on neoplasia and development of NPC. This study was to discover the genes differentially expressed in upward and downward progressing types of NPC., Methods: An oligo gene chip containing 21 300 genes was used to detect the genes differentially expressed between upward and downward progressing types of NPC. One of the differentially expressed genes detected was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)., Results: Seventeen genes were differentially expressed between upward and downward progressing types of NPC. The expression of SELB, Clorf29, GLE1L and FLJ20989 genes were up-regulated and the expression of 1D12A, ASPN, DCN, PRO2219, LRDD, DIO2, ULBP2, PRO3073, IGVH3, IGVH4, IGLJ3, PRO0943 and AK057247 genes were down-regulated in the upward progressing type as compared with those in the downward progressing type. The difference of gene expression was ranged from 2.30 to 4.23 folds. The high expression rate of DIO2 gene was significantly higher in downward progressing type than in upward progressing type (90.0% vs. 33.3%, P = 0.020)., Conclusions: The gene expression patterns are significantly different between upward and downward progressing types of NPC. The expression of DIO2 gene is higher in the downward progressing type than in upward progressing type, which may be closely related to the metastasis potential of NPC.

Background & Objective: Docetaxel extravasating into the surrounding tissues may lead to severe skin damage. No guideline for handling docetaxel extravasation has been proposed till now. This study was to explore the efficacy of chitosan and hyaluronidase on skin damage caused by docetaxel extravasation in a rat model., Methods: A docetaxel extravasation model was established in both lower extremities of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were divided into 6 groups and received chitosan embrocation, hyaluronidase injection, hyaluronidase injection plus chitosan embrocation, saline embrocation, or saline injection, or received no treatment as control. The occurrence rate and extent of skin damage, and the healing time were observed and compared., Results: The occurrence rate of skin damage was significantly lower in hyaluronidase group and hyaluronidase plus chitosan group than in chitosan group, saline embrocation group, saline injection group, and control group (30% and 20% vs. 90%, 100%, 90% and 100%, P<0.05). The healing time was significantly shorter in hyaluronidase group and hyaluronidase plus chitosan group than in chitosan group, saline embrocation group, saline injection group, and control group [(12.00+/-3.00) days and (9.50+/-2.12) days vs. (18.33+/-2.00) days, (23.70+/-2.41) days, (18.44+/-2.01) days and (25.70+/-2.26) days, P<0.01], and was significantly shorter in chitosan group than in saline embrocation group and control group (P<0.01)., Conclusions: Hyaluronidase alone or hyaluronidase plus chitosan could decrease the occurrence rate of skin damage caused by docetaxel extravasation in rats, and shorten the healing time. Chitosan embrocation can improve the damage healing, but cannot decrease the occurrence rate of skin damage.

Background & Objective: Pre-symptomatic screening of early-stage breast cancer may greatly reduce tumor-related mortality. Some tumor markers, such as CA15-3 and CA27-29, are recommended only for monitoring therapy of advanced or relapsed breast cancer. This study was to find new biomarkers that could be used individually or in combination with an existing modality for cost-effective screening of breast cancer by proteome analysis., Methods: Protein expression differences among 128 serum samples of 64 breast cancer patients (19 of stage I, 24 of stage II, and 21 of stage III), 52 patients with benign breast diseases, and 12 healthy women were analyzed with IMAC3 and WCX2 Ciphergen ProteinChip Arrays., Results: On WCX2 chip, a panel of 5 proteins (9 116, 8 905, 8 749, 9 470, and 9 692 Da) was selected based on their collective contribution to the optimal separation between breast cancer patients and both non-cancer patients and healthy women, and expression of another 2 proteins (9 405 and 6 424 Da) was different between patients with breast cancer of stage I and stage III. On IMAC3 chip, a panel of 9 proteins (5 236, 7 823, 7 464, 5 213, 5 334, 5 064, 5 374, 7 756, and 7 623 Da) was selected based on their collective contribution to the optimal separation between breast cancer patients and both non-cancer patients and healthy women, and expression of another 3 proteins (7 922, 4 641, and 5 910 Da) was different between patients with breast cancer of stage I and stage III., Conclusion: Protein expression in breast cancer patients is different from that in both non-cancer patients and healthy women, and those proteins with different expression may be used as new biomarkers in breast cancer.

Background & Objective: Previous studies have indicated that increased expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E are correlated with the oncogenesis and progress of cancer; however, their expression patterns in gastric precancerous lesions have been not clear yet. In addition, the association between expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E has not been reported. This study was designed to investigate the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E in chronic superficial gastritis (CSG), gastric precancerous lesions, and gastric carcinoma (GCA), and analyze the association of TGFalpha and cyclin E expression, and the relationship between their expression and different development stages of oncogenesis of GCA., Methods: The expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E in CSG, intestinal metaphases (IM), atypical hyperplasia (AH), and GCA were examined using immunohistochemical staining. The association of TGFalpha and cyclin E expression was also statistically analyzed., Results: The expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were 15.1%, 53.6%, 51.7%, 61.7%, and 7.5%, 28.6%, 37.9%, 42.6% in tissue samples of CSG, IM, AH and GCA, respectively. The positive expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were higher in IM, AH, GCA than in CSG; the difference was significant (each P< 0.05). In addition, the positive expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E were higher in low differential adenocarcinoma (TGFalpha 81.0%, cyclin E 57.1%) than in mediate to high differential one (TGFalpha 41.7%, cyclin E 16.7%) (P< 0.05,for both TGFalpha and cyclin E). It is also revealed that the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E were closely associated (P< 0.001 for the tissue of gastric chronic inflammation, and P=0.005 for gastric carcinoma, respectively)., Conclusion: In the tissues of CSG, IM, AH, and GCA, the expression rates of TGFalpha and cyclin E are increased gradually with the severity of the pathological lesions and the malignancy of GCA. In addition, the expression of TGFalpha and cyclin E were obviously associated.

Background & Objective: We cloned NP9 gene (GenBank, BF718797) in a previous study which was down-regulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). To clarify the function of NP9 gene, we cloned the coding sequence (CDS) of NP9 gene and investigated the influence of NP9 on cyclin D1 expression., Methods: A full-length cDNA sequence was obtained by Blast NP9 EST, then the complete CDS was cloned into an eukaryotic expressing vector pRc/CMV2. The plasmid was transfected into CNE1 cells (NPC cells) with lipofectamine and positive cell clones which stably expressed NP9 CDS were established by G418 screening. The luciferase report plasmid with cyclin D1 promoter or NF-kappaB-Luc report plasmid was transfected into positive clones and the luciferase activity was detected. At last, the NP9 CDS was subcloned into pEGFP-C1 and cellular localization of NP9 protein was observed through transfecting pEGFP-C1-NP9 into CNE1 cells., Results: The fusion GFP was located in cell nuclei. The positive cell clones screened by G418 expressed NP9 CDS at different levels. Compared with control, the luciferase activities in NP9 positive clones were decreased 46% and 63% after 48 hours of transfecting the luciferase report plasmid with cyclin D1 promoter or NF-kappaB-Luc plasmid., Conclusion: NP9 protein is a nuclear protein. NP9 gene can down-regulate the transcription activity of cyclin D1 and NF-kappaB.