Relationship between lymph node metastases and histopathological parameters in carcinoma cervix: a multivariate analysis.

A retrospective review of 360 cases of carcinoma of the cervix with clinical stage IB and IIA who had undergone radical hysterectomy and pelvic node dissection between 2000 and 2005 was carried out. Lymph node metastasis was present in 79/360 patients (21.9%). LVSI positivity, full thickness stromal invasion, involvement of the uterine isthmus, positive parametrium, positive vaginal margins, involvement of uterine corpus was seen in: 25.3% and 9.2% (p < 0.001); 63% and 32% (p < 0.001); 32.9% and 13.8% (p < 0.001);15.2% and 5% (p < 0.004); 24% and 14.2% (p < 0.005); 17.7% and 13.8% (p = 0.11) of the patients, with and without lymph node metastasis, respectively. The tumour size was <4 cm in 50.6% and 58.3% and >4 cm in 49.3% and 41.6% of the patients, with and without lymph node metastasis, respectively (p = 0.22), which was statistically not significant. In the majority of patients, the histopathology type was squamous cell carcinoma in both the groups. In patients with lymph node metastases 79.7% had grade III tumour as compared with 69.5% in patients without lymph node metastases (p = 0.19). Multiple logistic regression indicated that only lymphovascular space involvement and full thickness stromal invasion were statistically significant (p < 0.001 and p < 0.002, respectively) for lymph node metastasis.

Acrosome membrane associated protein kinase activity in hamster spermatozoa.

Acrosomal membranes isolated from the caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa of hamster exhibited protein kinase activity and the endogenous protein substrates that were phosphorylated in the acrosomal membranes of caput and cauda spermatozoa were not all the same. The kinase activity was identified as a cAMP independent type and the use of specific stimulators and inhibitors indicated that the activity was not due to casein kinase, protein kinase A or protein kinase C but due to a tyrosine specific protein kinase that was not inhibited by Genistein. Phosphotyrosine was identified as the predominant phosphorylated residue in the proteins.

A maturation-related differential phosphorylation of the plasma membrane proteins of the epididymal spermatozoa of the hamster by endogenous protein kinases.

When the plasma membranes of caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa of hamster were evaluated for their ability to undergo phosphorylation, a differential phosphorylation of the membrane proteins was observed. In the plasma membranes of the caput epididymal spermatozoa (immature), twelve proteins were phosphorylated (100, 76, 67, 65, 55, 52, 47, 42, 38, 32, 30, and 20 kD), whereas in the plasma membranes of cauda epididymal spermatozoa (mature), a differential phosphorylation pattern was observed with respect to the 94, 67, 52, and 47 kD proteins. The 94 kD protein was found to be phosphorylated and the 67 kD protein was found to be not phosphorylated in cauda spermatozoal plasma membrane (Cd SPM) in contrast to this protein in caput spermatozoal plasma membrane (Cpt SPM). The 52 and 47 kD proteins were also more intensely phosphorylated in Cd SPM than Cpt SPM. The 100 kilodalton protein, although present in both Cpt and Cd sperm plasma membranes, was found to be phosphorylated at the tyrosine residues only in the Cd SPM, as indicated by the Western blot using antiphosphotyrosine antibody. Further, a differential phosphorylation of the substrate proteins present in the Cpt and Cd SPM was seen when Mg2+ in the assay buffer was replaced by other divalent cations. For instance, Zn2+ stimulated the phosphorylation of an 85 kD protein in cauda SPM and not in the caput SPM and Ca2+ stimulated the phosphorylation of a 76 kD protein only in the cauda SPM. The phosphoproteins in both the plasma membranes were found to be phosphorylated predominantly at the tyrosine residue. The differential phosphorylation at a 100 kD protein at tyrosine in the Cd SPM (Western blot), which is absent in the immature Cpt SPM, also indicated that certain proteins in the hamster spermatozoa are phosphorylated in a maturation-specific manner.

Plasma membrane-associated protein tyrosine phosphatase activity in hamster spermatozoa.

Plasma membranes of caput and cauda epididymal spermatozoa of hamster exhibited protein phosphatase activity. This membrane-associated protein phosphatase was identified as a protein tyrosine phosphatase based on its ability to hydrolyse a substrate specific for PTPase, by inhibition of its activity with a specific inhibitor of PTPase (sodium orthovanadate) and by the inability to inhibit its activity with calyculin, okadaic acid, trifluoperazine, calcium, EGTA, and EDTA, which are specific inhibitors of other protein phosphatases, namely PP-1, PP-2A, PP-2B, and PP-2C respectively. The specific activity of the protein tyrosine phosphatase both in the caput and cauda epididymal sperm plasma membranes was similar, implying that the enzyme may not be solely responsible for the differential phosphorylation of membrane proteins observed during maturation (Uma Devi et al. 1997. Mol Reprod Dev 47:341-350). Thus the significance of the PTPase activity in epididymal maturation still remains to be determined. The membrane-associated PTPase may not be essential for acquisition of motility. However, it appears that the activity is essential for the sustenance of motility since sodium orthovanadate, which specifically inhibits PTPase activity, also inhibits motility of spermatozoa and decreases the overall velocity of the spermatozoa by decreasing the average path velocity, straight line velocity, curvilinear velocity, and amplitude of lateral head displacement of the treated spermatozoa.

A bi-compartmentl model system for lithium kinetics in mania.

Lithium T½ has been determined from Lp decay. It is clear that calculation of a single T½ from Lp decay is essentially incorrect as the decay is not exponential. The same data points have been analysed on a kinetic model yielding 3 different half lives too. The implication of the study is that the plasma and the erythrocyte systems undergo many local steady states instead of any global steady state. The rate of movement of Li (+) across plasma and erythrocyte undergoes fluctuations and may exhibit many more different half lives over a time period in either direction.

Extracellular protease from the antarctic yeast Candida humicola.

The psychrotrophic, dimorphic yeast Candida humicola, isolated from Antarctic soil, secretes an acidic protease into the medium. The secretion of this protease by C. humicola was found to be dependent on the composition of the medium. In YPD or yeast nitrogen base medium containing either amino acids or ammonium sulfate as the nitrogen source, the activity of the protease in the medium was low (basal level). However, when yeast nitrogen base medium was depleted of amino acids or ammonium sulfate and supplemented with proteins, the activity of the enzyme increased. The secretion of the enzyme was greater during exponential growth at low temperatures than during growth at higher temperatures. The purified protease had a molecular mass of 36,000 Da and was inhibited by pepstatin, iodoacetamide, and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Despite the prevalent cold temperatures in Antarctica, this extracellular protease of the psychrotrophic yeast C. humicola was active at temperatures ranging from 0 to 45 degrees C, with an optimum activity at 37 degrees C.

Biologic factors and response to radiotherapy in carcinoma of the cervix.

Ionizing radiation has been used to treat cancers for a century. However, radioresistance remains a major problem in the clinic. Recent advances in the understanding of the molecular events that occur following ionizing radiation leading to DNA damage and repair, apoptosis, and cell cycle arrests suggest new ways in which the radiation response might be manipulated. Seventy-eight cases of carcinoma of the cervix of the same stage (II A and B) were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were treated with radiotherapy (RT) with a dose varying from 35 Gy to 50 Gy with 200 cGy per fraction. Subsequent to the completion of radiotherapy, all patients underwent surgery 4-6 weeks later. On histological examination of the surgical specimens, 51% of the cases (40) showed a complete response to therapy with no viable tumor cells. 49% of cases (38) had residual tumors ranging from a small focus to lesions extending through more than half the thickness of the cervical wall. p53 (mutant), bcl-2, p21 and bax proteins were studied on the paraffin sections of the biopsies (pretreatment) of those patients who failed to respond to RT and compared to similar studies on biopsies of patients who had a complete response to RT. In addition, the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) 2 proliferative marker was also done on all cases. Expression of all proteins was done using immunohistochemsitry. In the radioresistant cases, 15% (six cases) showed positivity for bcl-2 and p21, respectively, and 34% (13 cases) showed mutant p53. None of the radiosensitive tumors were positive for the above proteins. 75% of the radiosensitive tumors (30 cases) were positive for the bax antibody, whereas 81% of the radioresistant tumors (31 cases) were negative for bax. The MCM2 proliferative marker was positive in > 80% of cells in 81.5% of radioresistant tumors (31 cases) as compared to < 40% of cells that were positive in 70% of radiosensitive tumors (28 cases). The P-value for the biological markers was calculated using the chi-squared test, and was highly significant (P < 0.01) for all the parameters tested. However, there was no statistical significance by univariate analysis when the dose of radiation was analyzed with respect to the markers and the histological response. There was also no correlation between the radiation response and timing of surgery. The above data strongly suggest that bax, along with proliferative markers, could play a role in determining which tumors are likely to respond to radiation therapy. The presence of bcl-2, p21 and p53 could also be related to radioresistance of the tumors.