Quantitative analysis of the p65 gene expression in patients with coloroctal cancer.

P65 gene expression level was determined in colon cancer cases by means of real-time PCR. 51 cases of colorectal carcinomas showing positive RT-PCR signals for P65 gene expression selected from 109 frozen samples were further investigated by quantitative real-time PCR. P65 levels were higher in cancer with metastases to lymph nodes and distant metastases. Higher levels were observed in more advanced cases classified as III and IV according to pTNM classification. In two groups of patients with vessel invasion and absence of lymphocytes in tumour tissue, the presence of P65 expression correlated with shorter survival time. Quantitative results confirmed that P65 gene expression in colon cancer is engaged in the process of metastasis formation and could be correlated with worse prognosis for the patients.

Expression of the P65 gene in gastric cancer and in tissues with or without Helicobacter pylori infection.

A 65-kDa tumor-associated protein (P65) is a potential non- specific tumor marker expressed by many types of tumor cells. Our recent studies indicate that P65 gene expression is connected with poor prognosis for the patients with colorectal cancer. In the present study P65 gene expression was determined by means of RT-PCR in the group of 22 gastric cancer and adjacent normal gastric mucosa. Its presence was correlated with some parameters of clinical staging. P65 gene expression was also determined in 102 tissue antral gastric endoscopic biopsy specimens from the patients suspected of H. pylori infection. The presence of H. pylori infection was determined by urease test. We found that in the group of gastric cancers, similarly to colorectal cancer, P65 gene expression was connected with poor clinicopathological parameters as T3, lymph nodes and distant metastases. There was no dependence between P65 gene expression and H. pylori infection. However, more often P65 gene expression was detected in the group of infected men than women. There was also a statistically significant dependence between age and P65 gene expression in the group of people above 60 years old. It could be then postulated that P65 gene expression is connected with poor prognosis for the patients suffering from gastric cancer and that this expression does not depend on H. pylori infection.

Expression of the p65 gene in patients with colorectal cancer: comparison with some histological typing, grading and clinical staging.

AIMS: P65 protein/gene is a potential, non-specific tumour marker expressed by different types of neoplasms. In this study p65 gene expression was estimated in a group of colorectal cancers and compared with some histological features, grading and clinical staging of the neoplasms to assess its role as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer. METHODS: 109 pairs of frozen samples of colorectal carcinomas and adjacent normal colorectal mucosa and four samples of tissue from patients without neoplastic diseases were analysed by means of RT-PCR. RESULTS: Expression of p65 gene was found in 51 out of 109 cases of colorectal cancers. For 19 of them expression of examined gene was observed both in cancer and corresponding healthy mucosa. p65 Gene expression was associated with more advanced tumours (T3, T4; p=0.0003) with metastases to lymph nodes (N1, N2; p=0.0003) and distant metastases (p=0.0005). We did not find association between the age, gender, tumour localization, histological type and p65 gene expression. CONCLUSIONS: p65 Gene expression in primary tumour tissue is associated with poor prognosis for the patients with colorectal cancer in this series.

HMGI(Y) gene expression in colorectal cancer: comparison with some histological typing, grading, and clinical staging.

We investigated HMGI(Y) gene expression in 81 pairs of frozen samples obtained from colorectal carcinomas and adjacent normal colorectal mucosas and in four samples from colorectal mucosa from patients without neoplastic diseases. In this group, HMGI(Y)-positive/-negative expression was compared with some histological features, grading, and clinical staging of neoplasms investigated to assess its potential role as a prognostic marker for colorectal cancer. Expression of HMGI(Y) gene was found in 51 of 81 cases of colorectal cancers, while, in normal mucosa, expression of this gene was not observed. HMGI(Y) gene expression was associated with more advanced tumors (T3, T4) and metastases to lymph nodes (N1, N2). The most interesting finding was that expression of this gene correlated with distant metastases. HMGI(Y) gene expression was detected in all cases classified as M1 (n = 19, p = 0.0008). We did not find any association between age, gender, tumor localization, histological type and this gene expression.

The uterine capacity measured by the total twin birth weight and duration of twin pregnancy.

The objective of this study was to answer the question whether there is the relation between the uterine capacity, estimated by the total birth weight of fetuses, and the duration of twin gestation. The material for researches contains data received from the books of births and case records concerning the pregnant who gave births to twins in the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical University in Lódz between 1970-1998. The final analysis concerned only gestations lasting more than 29 weeks, without any complications (excluding prematurity and the growth-discordant twins), and when gestational age was exactly known. The selected group was finally composed of 188 pairs of twins. The analyses considered relations between total birth weight of twins, the sex of newborn babies, parity, and the duration of gestation. The duration of the analyzed twin pregnancies was 35.6 weeks, including primiparous with 35.8 weeks, and multiparous--35.1 weeks. In the group of male-male twin pairs the average duration of pregnancy was 35.7 weeks, in unlike-sexed pairs--35.6 weeks, and in female-female pairs--35.5. In the group of the primiparous having male-male twin pairs the average duration of pregnancy was 35.1 weeks, unlike-sexed pairs--36.4 weeks and female female pairs--36.6 weeks, while in the group of multiparous relatively: 36.4, 35.4, 35.0 weeks. The total birth weight of the specific pairs of twins was from 2270 g to 6900 g (average 4794 g), while in 92% < 5500 g. In the primiparous group it was 4908.1 g. and in the multiparous group--4663.1 g. Analyzing the total twins' weight according to the fetal gender and parity it was found that in primiparous with male-male twins--4715.3, unlike-sexed--5271.6 and female-female--4967.5, whereas in multiparous relatively: 4961.5, 4692.6, 4414.0. The shortening of twin pregnancies was caused by the following factors: total body mass achieved by fetuses was > 5500 g, presence of male sex in twin pregnancies (only in primiparous), and also the multiparity.