Comparison of serum tumor markers combined with dual-source CT in the diagnosis of lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical value of serum tumor markers combined with dual-source CT scanning in the diagnosis of lung cancer. METHODS: 102 patients with lung cancer (malignant tumor group), 50 patients with benign lesions (benign control group) and 50 healthy patients (normal control group) were selected as the research objects. The levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cytokeratin 19 fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1) and gastrin releasing peptide precursor 31-98 (Pro-GRP31-98) were detected using the electrochemiluminescence and enzyme-linked immunoassay in three groups of people. Simultaneously, Siemens' second-generation dual-source CT is used to scan the lungs of patients with lung cancer and benign lesions. Retrospective statistical analysis is utilized to explore the clinical value of serum tumor markers combined with dualsource CT examination in the diagnosis of lung cancer. RESULTS: The levels of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1 and Pro-GRP31-98 in lung cancer patients were significantly higher than those in the benign control group and normal control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). There was no statistical difference between the benign control group and the normal control group (P>0.05). The levels of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, Pro-GRP31-98 had no significant correlation with the age, sex, and tumor site of lung cancer patients (P>0.05). However, the levels of serum CEA, CYFRA21-1, Pro-GRP31-98 have an obvious correlation with tumor size, clinical stage, histological type, combined pleural effusion, recurrence and metastasis after treatment (P<0.05). CT scans of 102 lung cancer patients showed 35 cases of central type, 67 cases of peripheral type, 71 cases with tumor diameter >5cm, 31 cases of ≤5cm and 67 cases of lymph node metastasis. The sensitivities of CEA, CYFRA21-1, Pro-GRP31-98, and dual-source CT in the diagnosis of lung cancer were 64.70%, 60.11%, 56.86% and 77.45%, and the accuracy was 75.00%, 72.37%, 69.74% and 82.89%, respectively. Compared with a single examination, the sensitivity and accuracy of combined examination for the diagnosis of lung cancer were significantly improved, which were 95.10% and 92.76%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Joint examinations can effectively improve the rate of lung cancer diagnosis.

Targeting Notch1 inhibits invasion and angiogenesis of human breast cancer cells via inhibition Nuclear Factor-κB signaling.

Notch-1, a type-1 transmembrane protein, plays critical roles in the pathogenesis and progression of human malignancies, including breast cancer; however, the precise mechanism by which Notch-1 causes tumor cell invasion and angiogenesis remain unclear. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), interleukin-8 (IL-8), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) are critically involved in the processes of tumor cell invasion and metastasis, we investigated whether targeting Notch-1 could be mechanistically associated with the down-regulation of NF-κB, IL-8, VEGF, and MMP-9, resulting in the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis of breast cancer cells. Our data showed that down-regulation of Notch-1 leads to the inactivation of NF-κB activity and inhibits the expression of its target genes, such as IL-8, VEGF and MMP-9. We also found that down-regulation of Notch-1 decreased cell invasion, and vice versa Consistent with these results, we also found that the down-regulation of Notch-1 not only decreased MMP-9 mRNA and its protein expression but also inhibited MMP-9 active form. Moreover, conditioned medium from Notch-1 siRNA-transfected breast cancer cells showed reduced levels of IL-8 and VEGF and, in turn, inhibited the tube formation of HUVECs, suggesting that down-regulation of Notch-1 leads to the inhibition of angiogenesis. Furthermore, conditioned medium from Notch-1 cDNA-transfected breast cancer cells showed increased levels of IL-8 and VEGF and, in turn, promoted the tube formation of HUVECs, suggesting that Notch-1 overexpression leads to the promotion of angiogenesis.We therefore concluded that down-regulation of Notch-1 leads to the inactivation NF-κB and its target genes (IL-8, MMP-9 and VEGF), resulting in the inhibition of invasion and angiogenesis.

[Effects of exogenous nitric oxide on active oxygen metabolism and photosynthetic characteristics of tomato seedlings under cadmium stress].

A hydroponic experiment was conducted to study the effects of exogenous sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, on the active oxygen metabolism and photosynthetic characteristics of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) seedlings under Cd stress. The results showed that under the stress, applying 100 micromol x L(-1) SNP promoted the activities of plant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) significantly, increased the leaf- and root calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe) contents and the leaf chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate (P(n)), transpiration rate (T(r)), and stomatal conductance (G(s)), and decreased the contents of H2O2 and MDA and the concentration of intercellular CO2 (C(i)). The addition of hemoglobin, a NO scavenger, eliminated the effects of SNP, while applying 100 micromol x L(-1) sodium nitrate or nitrite (the decomposition products of NO or its donor SNP) or 100 micromol x L(-1) sodium ferrocyanide (an analog of SNP) had no significant alleviation effects on Cd stress. This study suggested that exogenous NO could promote the scavenging of reactive oxygen, keep the mineral nutrition in balance, and alleviate the damage of Cd stress to the leaf photosynthetic apparatus, making the tomato seedlings preserve their photosynthetic efficiency.