Utility of a rapid assay for prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite as a biomarker in pediatric ulcerative colitis.

Prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) is a urinary biomarker reflecting ulcerative colitis (UC) activity. This prospective observational study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of PGE-MUM via rapid chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay in detecting endoscopic remission (ER) and histologic remission (HR) in pediatric UC (6-16 years) in comparison with fecal calprotectin (FCP). ER and HR were defined as Mayo endoscopic score (MES) of 0 and Matts' histological grades (Matts) of 1 or 2, respectively. A total of 104 UC and 39 functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) were analyzed. PGE-MUM levels were significantly higher in the UC group than in the FGID group (P < 0.001). FCP levels were significantly elevated in the group without ER and HR than in the group with ER and HR (P < 0.001 and P = 0.001), whereas PGE-MUM levels were significantly higher in the group without ER compared to the group with ER (P < 0.001). No significant differences were noted in the AUCs for PGE-MUM and FCP in detecting ER and HR. Although PGE-MUM was inferior to FCP for the detection of HR, it might have the potential for application as a biomarker of endoscopic activity in pediatric UC owing to its noninvasive and rapid method.

Prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite diagnoses mucosal healing in patients with ulcerative colitis in remission phase.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is usually detected by clinical symptoms, such as bleeding and diarrhea; however, it is rather difficult to assess during asymptomatic clinical remission (CR). Hence, there is a need for a biomarker that can reliably detect UC during remission. We previously reported on the utility of the prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) as a biomarker reflecting UC activity. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the PGE-MUM in the diagnosis of endoscopic, histological, and histo-endoscopic mucosal remission of UC, comparing with fecal tests. METHODS: This prospective study was conducted at the Jikei University Hospital between August 2017 and January 2021. Patients with UC in CR scheduled to undergo colonoscopy were included. The association between the PGE-MUM with endoscopic remission (ER), histological remission (HR), and complete mucosal healing (CMH, defined as histo-endoscopic remission) was analyzed. We also compared the area under the curve (AUC) for the receiver operating characteristic curves between PGE-MUM, fecal calprotectin (FC), and fecal immunochemical test (FIT). RESULTS: In total, 128 patients were analyzed. PGE-MUM differed significantly in ER versus non-ER (14.5 vs 16.7, P = 0.028), HR versus non-HR (14.2 vs 17.4, P = 0.004), and CMH versus non-CMH (14.3 vs 16.7, P = 0.021). There were no significant differences between the AUCs for PGE-MUM, FC, and FIT for ER, HR, or CMH. CONCLUSIONS: The PGE-MUM can determine CMH in UC even during CR, regardless of the disease phenotype, indicating its clinical benefit for non-invasive monitoring.

Cytopathic effects and local immune responses in repeated neoadjuvant HSV-tk + ganciclovir gene therapy for prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Cytopathic effects and local immune response were analyzed histologically in prostatic cancer (PCa) with in situ herpes simplex virus-thymidine kinase (HSV-tk)/ganciclovir (GCV) gene therapy (GT). METHODS: Four high-risk PCa patients who received HSV-tk/GCV GT were investigated. After two cycles of intraprostatic injection of HSV-tk and administration of GCV, radical prostatectomy was performed. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections were evaluated using immunohistochemistry. PCa with hormone therapy (HT, n=3) or without neoadjuvant therapy (NT, n=4) that were equivalent in terms of risk were also examined as reference. Immunoreactively-positive cells were counted in at least three areas in cancer tissue. Labeling indices (LI) were calculated as percentage values. RESULTS: ssDNA LI in GT increased, indicating apoptosis, as well as tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and CD68-positive macrophages, compared with their biopsies. GT cases showed significantly higher numbers of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) LI, CD4/CD8-positive T cells and CD68-positive macrophages including M1/M2 macrophages than HT or NT cases. However, there was no significant difference in CD20-positive B cells among the types of case. There were strong correlations between CD8+ T cells and CD68+ macrophages (ρ=0.656, p<0.0001) as well as CD4+ T cells and CD20+ B cells (ρ=0.644, p<0.0001) in PCa with GT. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced cytopathic effect and local immune response might be indicated in PCa patients with HSV-tk/GCV gene therapy.

Prognostic values of L-type amino acid transporter 1 and CD98hc expression in breast cancer.

AIMS: L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is a major Na+-independent neutral amino acid transporter, forming a complex with CD98hc. The aim of this study is to investigate the significance of LAT1 and CD98hc in invasive breast cancer. METHODS: LAT1 and CD98hc expression was immunohistochemically assessed in 280 invasive breast cancers and analysed for association with clinicopathological features. RESULTS: High levels of LAT1 and CD98hc were observed in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) possessing negative immunoreactivity with oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, compared with non-TNBCs (NTNBCs), and were associated with lymph-node metastasis and higher nuclear grade. The high-LAT1-expression group showed a poor prognosis in NTNBC and TNBC, however, high-CD98hc-expression group showed a poor prognosis only in NTNBC. LAT1 and CD98hc expression could be the prognostic factors in univariate analyses, but not in multivariate analyses. Further, we found that invasive tumour components showed higher LAT1 and CD98hc expression than non-invasive tumour components. CONCLUSIONS: LAT1 and CD98hc may possess prognostic values in invasive breast cancer. LAT1 may be linked with cancer cell activities and disease progression in breast cancer.

Expression of CA2 and CA9 carbonic anhydrases in ulcerative colitis and ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by chronic inflammation in the colonic mucosa and submucosa with repeating relapse and remission, but the pathogenesis is unknown. Patients with long-standing UC are at high risk of neoplasm development. The aim of the present study was to identify molecules whose expression is associated with UC and UC-associated colorectal cancer (UCCA). Biopsy specimens from UC and normal colonic mucosae were analyzed using a proteomics approach, in which carbonic anhydrase 2 (CA2) was identified as a molecule downregulated in UC mucosae. Immunohistochemically, CA2 expression was detected in normal and diverticulitis mucosal epithelia, and its expression decreased as UC activity increased. CA2 expression was almost undetectable in UCCA. We also analyzed the expression of another carbonic anhydrase, CA9, and its upstream molecule, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), both of which are induced under hypoxic conditions. It was revealed that CA9 expression was relatively low in normal, diverticulitis and UC mucosae, and was upregulated in UCCA. HIF-1α expression was consistently low in all tissue types examined. In conclusion, these results suggest that CA2 and CA9 may be possible indicators of UC activity and UCCA development, respectively.

Positive correlation of expression of L-type amino-acid transporter 1 with colorectal tumor progression and prognosis: Higher expression in sporadic colorectal tumors compared with ulcerative colitis-associated neoplasia.

The role of L-type amino-acid transporter 1 (LAT1), an oncofetal protein, in tumor progression is not well known, although it is important for the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. LAT1 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed and compared in sporadic (conventional) colorectal tumors and ulcerative colitis (UC)-associated neoplasia development and progression. LAT1 expression showed a significant stepwise increase in the order: conventional low-grade tubular adenoma, high-grade tubular adenoma, and invasive adenocarcinoma. Similarly, the same increasing trend in LAT1 expression was found in UC-associated low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, and adenocarcinoma, whereas expression was significantly lower compared with that in an adenoma-adenocarcinoma series. LAT1 expression was predominant in the upper half of mucosal lesions in low-grade adenoma. This localized difference in LAT1 expression between the upper and lower halves of mucosal lesions disappeared in conventional high-grade adenoma and adenocarcinoma. LAT1 expression in the colorectal mucosa was significantly increased in the order: nontumor mucosa, quiescent phase of UC, and active phase of UC. Considering the histological pattern of Ki-67 labeling, LAT1 expression appeared partly related to cell proliferation, but this was not significant. In relation to the prognosis of patients with sporadic phase IV colorectal adenocarcinoma, this was significantly poorer in the group with high LAT1 expression compared with that with low LAT1 expression. This suggests LAT1 expression may be used as a companion biomarker for anti-cancer therapy targeting the LAT1 molecule in colorectal cancers.

Peroxiredoxin 1 expression in active ulcerative colitis mucosa identified by proteome analysis and involvement of thioredoxin based on immunohistochemistry.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing, inflammatory bowel disease, and patients with long-standing UC are at high risk of developing colorectal cancer as a typical case of the organ-specific chronic inflammation-carcinoma sequence. Interactions between epithelial and stromal cells and alterations in a variety of stromal microenvironments have been demonstrated to have important roles in the carcinogenesis of UC-associated carcinoma. Therefore, the identification of proteins in the inflammatory microenvironment is important not only in the epithelium, however also in the stroma of UC inflammatory foci. To identify proteins associated with UC-associated carcinoma, the present study used proteomic analysis with two-dimensional electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Differentially expressed proteins were assessed between active and inactive UC biopsy specimens. Results were verified by immunohistochemistry. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) was among the proteins identified to have increased expression in active compared with inactive UC. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that the expression of both PRDX1 and thioredoxin (TRX) increased with increasing inflammation grade in epithelial cells in UC mucosal crypts. PRDX1-positive stromal cells in the lower half of the lamina propria increased along with colitis severity. Furthermore, the expression of both PRDX1 and TRX proteins was increased in UC-associated neoplastic lesions compared with normal mucosa. A stepwise increase in PRDX1 expression was clear with increasing tumor progression in UC-associated tumorigenesis. Since PRDX1 and TRX overexpression was a unique characteristic of UC activity and UC-associated neoplastic lesions, PRDX1 and TRX expression may reflect oxidative stress along with the severity of colitis activity and UC-associated tumorigenesis in patients with UC.

Postmenopausal breast cancer and oestrogen associations with the IgA-coated and IgA-noncoated faecal microbiota.

BACKGROUND: The diversity and composition of the gut microbiota may affect breast cancer risk by modulating systemic levels of oestrogens and inflammation. The current investigation tested this hypothesis in postmenopausal women by identifying breast cancer associations with an inflammation marker, oestrogen levels, and faecal microbes that were or were not coated with mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA). METHODS: In this population-based study, we compared 48 postmenopausal breast cancer cases (75% stage 0-1, 88% oestrogen-receptor positive) to 48 contemporaneous, postmenopausal, normal-mammogram, age-matched controls. Microbiota metrics employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing from IgA-coated and -noncoated faecal microbes. High-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS) and radioimmunoassay were used to quantify urine prostaglandin E metabolite (PGE-M), a possible marker of inflammation; urine oestrogens and oestrogen metabolites were quantified by HPLC/MS-MS. RESULTS: Women with pre-treatment breast cancer had non-significantly elevated oestrogen levels; controls' (but not cases') oestrogens were directly correlated with their IgA-negative microbiota alpha diversity (P=0.012). Prostaglandin E metabolite levels were not associated with case status, oestrogen levels, or alpha diversity. Adjusted for oestrogens and other variables, cases had significantly reduced alpha diversity and altered composition of both their IgA-positive and IgA-negative faecal microbiota. Cases' faecal microbial IgA-positive imputed Immune System Diseases metabolic pathway genes were increased; also, cases' IgA-positive and IgA-negative imputed Genetic Information Processing pathway genes were decreased (P⩽0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to controls, breast cancer cases had significant oestrogen-independent associations with the IgA-positive and IgA-negative gut microbiota. These suggest that the gut microbiota may influence breast cancer risk by altered metabolism, oestrogen recycling, and immune pressure.

Increased levels of prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) in chronic fibrosing interstitial pneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulation of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) signaling pathway has been implicated in interstitial pneumonia (IP) pathogenesis. Due to the unstable nature of PGE2, available detection methods may not precisely reflect PGE2 levels. We explored the clinical usefulness of measuring stable prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) with respect to pathogenesis and extent of chronic fibrosing IP (CFIP), including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), as PGE-MUM is reflective of systemic PGE2 production. METHODS: PGE-MUM was measured by radioimmunoassay in controls (n = 124) and patients with lung diseases (bronchial asthma (BA): n = 78, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): n = 33, CFIP: n = 44). Extent of lung fibrosis was assessed by fibrosing score (FS) of computed tomography (CT) (FS1-4). Immunohistochemical evaluation of COX-2 was performed to find PGE2 producing cells in IPF. Human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) and lung fibroblasts (LFB) were used in in vitro experiments. RESULTS: Compared to control, PGE-MUM levels were significantly elevated in CFIP. PGE-MUM levels were positively correlated with FS, and inversely correlated with %DLCO in IP (FS 1-3). COX-2 was highly expressed in metaplastic epithelial cells in IPF, but lower expression of EP2 receptor was demonstrated in LFB derived from IPF. TGF-ß induced COX-2 expression in HBEC. CONCLUSIONS: PGE-MUM, elevated in CFIP, is a promising biomarker reflecting disease activity. Metaplastic epithelial cells can be a source of elevated PGE-MUM in IPF.

Prostaglandin E-major Urinary Metabolite as a Biomarker for Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity.

OBJECTIVES: Prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) is a useful biomarker for adult ulcerative colitis (UC) activity. In the present study, we evaluated whether PGE-MUM can also be a biomarker of pediatric UC activity and compared its efficacy in predicting UC activity with that of C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. METHODS: Twenty-nine pediatric patients with UC (8-18 years) and 29 healthy age- and sex-matched subjects were enrolled. UC activity was evaluated using the Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index, highest Mayo endoscopic scoring (Mayo), and Matts grading (Matts) for histologic scoring, and the sum of Mayo (total of 6 segments) and Matts in all patients with UC. PGE-MUM levels were measured using a radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: PGE-MUM levels were elevated in endoscopically and histologically active UC patients, but not in patients with endoscopic and histologic remission or controls. PGE-MUM levels positively and significantly correlated with UC activity. PGE-MUM levels were positively correlated with Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index (r = 0.594), highest Mayo (r = 0.462), the sum of Mayo (r = 0.694), and the sum of Matts (r = 0.613), but not with highest Matt (r = 0.352). The sum of Mayo and the sum of Matts, which reflect total colon inflammation, showed highest correlation with PGE-MUM. C-reactive protein levels did not correlate with any UC activity scores. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate exhibited correlation (r = 0.490) with the sum of Mayo only. CONCLUSIONS: PGE-MUM is a reliable biomarker that reflects both the endoscopic and histologic activity of the entire colon in pediatric UC.

Vitamin A Inhibits Development of Dextran Sulfate Sodium-Induced Colitis and Colon Cancer in a Mouse Model.

Vitamin A is essential to mucosal immunity and cell differentiation. The fact that lack of it might involve chronic inflammation and increased risk of cancer has been reported. Little is known about the mechanism of vitamin A deficiency in the development of colitis and its influence on development of colorectal cancer. To determine the influence of vitamin A deficiency on colitis and colorectal cancer development, an experimental study using a colitis mouse model was performed. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) colitis was induced in vitamin A-deficient and vitamin A-supplemented mice. Further, colorectal carcinoma was induced by a combination of azoxymethane preinjection and DSS colitis. Results were compared between the two groups mainly by immunohistochemical analysis. Colitis was more severe and recovery from colitis was slower in vitamin A-deficient mice than in vitamin A-supplemented mice. Compared with vitamin A-supplemented mice, vitamin A-deficient mice had decreases in colonic subepithelial myofibroblasts and the ratio of mucosal IgA(+)/IgG(+) cells, increases in CD11c(+) dendritic cells, and a higher rate of development of colorectal carcinoma with colitis following azoxymethane. Vitamin A lipid droplets in subepithelial myofibroblasts were decreased in vitamin A-deficient mice, suggesting alterations in colonic crypt niche function. Thus, vitamin A inhibited colitis and the development of colorectal cancer.

Prostaglandin E-Major Urinary Metabolite as a Biomarker for Inflammation in Ulcerative Colitis: Prostaglandins Revisited.

With the development of new therapeutic approaches, the ultimate goal of ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment is not only clinical remission but also mucosal healing. Successful mucosal healing has been associated with a dramatic risk reduction in UC recurrence and colitis-associated cancer development, which are the most critical complications of UC. However, invasive tests such as colonoscopy and biopsy are required to evaluate mucosal healing. Therefore, frequent examinations are unsuitable for UC patients. Mucosal inflammation of the colon and prostaglandin E2 production are assumed to be correlated; therefore, we considered that prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM; 7-hydroxy-5,11-diketotetranor-prosta-1,16-dioic acid) may be a surrogate biomarker of UC activity. In this review, we propose that PGE-MUM levels reflect the colonoscopic and histological appearance of UC, suggesting that it is a more sensitive biomarker than those previously utilized for UC-related mucosal inflammation. According to the 'organ-specific chronic inflammation-carcinoma sequence' theory, by measuring PGE-MUM periodically, it would be possible to control inflammation, with subsequent prevention of UC recurrence and colitis-associated cancer development. The measurement of urine samples for PGE-MUM - a simple, noninvasive method - can reduce the patient burden as well as medical costs, suggesting its potential for application in routine practice.

L-Type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) expression in lymph node metastasis of gastric carcinoma: Its correlation with size of metastatic lesion and Ki-67 labeling.

L-Type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is one of the major amino acid transporters. High levels of LAT1 expression have been reported in various tumors, which can act as a novel prognostic marker. Previously, we demonstrated that LAT1 is highly expressed in advanced gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastasis, and proposed that LAT1 is an independent prognostic factor in non-scirrhous gastric carcinoma. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between LAT1 expression and the size of lymph node metastatic lesions in gastric carcinoma. LAT1 and Ki-67 expression was immunohistochemically analyzed in 64 cases of advanced gastric carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. LAT1 expression in the metastatic lymph nodes was correlated with that in the primary lesions. The high LAT1 expression group showed a larger size of metastatic lesion and a higher Ki-67 labeling index than the low LAT1 expression group. LAT1 expression had a weak association with Ki-67 labeling index and tumor diameter of lymph nodes. These results suggest that LAT1 expression is associated with disease progression in gastric carcinoma. We proposed that LAT1 could be a potential therapeutic target for gastric carcinoma cases with large lymph node metastasis.

L-amino acid transporter 1 may be a prognostic marker for local progression of prostatic cancer under expectant management.

BACKGROUND: Oncocytic L-amino acid transporter (LAT) 1 could be a target of new molecular therapy against malignancies. OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation between overexpression of LAT1 and local progression (LP) in prostatic carcinoma (PC) patients under expectant management (EM). METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed 109 patients with PC who received EM from 1991 to 2006. The expression of LAT1, LAT2, and CD98, as well as Ki-67 labeling indices (LI), was analyzed immunohistochemically in first biopsy or TUR samples diagnosed as adenocarcinomas. RESULTS: Of the 109 patients, 44 (40%) showed LP on clinical examinations, whereas 65 showed stable disease (SD). LAT1 score and intensity were significantly higher in the LP than in the SD group, as well as among Gleason score (GS)-low (GS < 7) patients who were associated with low-risk. When the LP group was subdivided by D'Amico risk category (low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups), each showed higher LAT1 expression than the SD group. LAT1 expression did not correlate with GS or Ki-67 LI. CONCLUSIONS: Independently of GS, aberrant overexpression of LAT1 in prostatic adenocarcinoma could predict LP under EM. Although prostate biopsy samples are small, LAT1 may be a novel prognostic biomarker of LP.

High expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 as a prognostic marker in bile duct adenocarcinomas.

Oncocytic L-type amino acid transporter (LAT) 1 may be a prognostic indicator and target of new molecular therapeutic agents against malignancies. To investigate whether LAT1 expression influence the outcomes of patients with bile duct cancer, the expression of LAT1, LAT2, CD98, and Ki-67 was investigated immunohistochemically in 134 surgically resected bile duct adenocarcinomas, including 84 distal extrahepatic bile duct adenocarcinomas, 21 hilar cholangiocarcinomas, 15 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, and 14 ampullary adenocarcinomas. LAT1 expression was weakly correlated with CD98 expression and Ki-67 labeling index (LI). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a significant difference in prognosis between patients with bile duct adenocarcinomas having LAT1-high and -low scores, whereas LAT2 and CD98 expression and Ki-67 LI were not predictive of poor prognosis. Prognosis tended to be worse in patients having tumors with LAT1-high/LAT2-low than LAT1-low/LAT2-high scores (P = 0.0686). Multivariable analyses revealed that LAT1 expression, surgical margin, pT stage were independent prognostic factors. In conclusion, aberrant overexpression of LAT1 in bile duct adenocarcinoma predicts poor prognosis, suggesting that LAT1 may be a potential target of anticancer therapy.

Prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite as a reliable surrogate marker for mucosal inflammation in ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) is used as a biomarker of ulcerative colitis (UC) activity, but CRP levels are sometimes insufficient to reflect UC activity. Therefore, a simple noninvasive biomarker assay with sufficient sensitivity and specificity to accurately reflect UC activity is desired. Since prostaglandin E2 production and colonic inflammation are associated, we evaluated whether prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM) can be used as such a biomarker. METHODS: Patients with UC (n = 99) were enrolled from March 2011 to February 2012. UC activity was evaluated using the simple clinical colitis activity index in 99 patients, Mayo endoscopic scoring (Mayo) in 79 patients, and Matts' grading (Matts) in 64 patients. PGE-MUM levels were measured by radioimmunoassay kit and compared against CRP levels as a control. RESULTS: Both PGE-MUM and CRP levels correlated with UC activity (P < 0.01). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves of simple clinical colitis activity index, Mayo, and Matts for PEG-MUM were each higher than for CRP (0.93 > 0.73, 0.90 > 0.77, and 0.89 > 0.75, respectively). In multivariate logistic regression models, PGE-MUM was a significant independent predictor of histologic remission (sensitivity/specificity, 0.82/0.82) when the cutoff value was set to 17.0 µg/g creatinine, but CRP was not (0.69/0.69) (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CRP level, PGE-MUM level demonstrated better sensitivity for reflecting UC activity, especially in cases of histologic inflammation, and thus seems to be a better evaluator of mucosal healing. Because this method is simple, quick, and noninvasive, PGE-MUM seems to be a useful biomarker of UC.

L-type amino acid transporter 1 expression increases in well-differentiated but decreases in poorly differentiated endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma and shows an inverse correlation with p53 expression.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to determine whether the altered L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) expression is related to clinicopathologic factors, expressions of Ki-67, p53, estrogen receptor, and progesterone receptor and clarify the significance of LAT1 as a prognostic factor and the novel possibility of using it to treat endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The LAT1 expression was analyzed immunohistochemically in atrophic (6 cases), secretory phase (6 cases), proliferative phase endometria (6 cases), atypical hyperplasia (6 cases), and endometrioid adenocarcinoma (26 well-differentiated [G1], 17 moderately differentiated, and 11 poorly differentiated [G3] adenocarcinoma patients). RESULTS: The LAT1 expression was observed in the cell membrane. Its expression increased in the atrophic, secretory, and proliferative phases of the endometrium in that order. There was no difference between the proliferative phase endometrium, atypical hyperplasia, and G1 adenocarcinoma. The LAT1 expression in G1 adenocarcinoma was significantly higher than that in G3 adenocarcinoma. The LAT1 expression was inversely correlated with p53 expression but not with those of Ki-67, estrogen receptor, or progesterone receptor. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that the significance of LAT1 as a prognostic factor is low because LAT expression was low in G3 adenocarcinoma, not correlated with the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage and proliferative activity and inversely correlated with p53. The LAT1 inhibitors can be used as anticancer drugs for G1 and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma that express high LAT1.

Significant increase of prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite in male smokers: a screening study of age and gender differences using a simple radioimmunoassay.

BACKGROUND: For the assessment of inflammatory status, we have developed a simple, reliable radioimmunoassay (RIA) of prostaglandin E-major urinary metabolite (PGE-MUM), which remains stable in urine after it is metabolized. Using this method, we conducted a screening study to compare standard values of PGE-MUM to serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in health check volunteers. METHODS: PGE-MUM (micrograms per gram creatinine) was measured in normal urine samples obtained from 797 samples in volunteers for health check, using a newly developed RIA, and analyzed in relation to age, gender, smoking, and drinking habits. Results were compared to serum CRP. RESULTS: PGE-MUM was significantly higher in males than in females. It was significantly higher in smoking males, compared to males who had never smoked (nonsmokers), particularly in those above 40 years of age. In nonsmokers, PGE-MUM declined in males with advancing age, while it rose in females. Although PGE-MUM reflected current smoking status, independent of smoking index (SI), serum CRP indicated both current and former smoking condition, rather dependent upon SI. CONCLUSIONS: PGE-MUM increases in smokers, as suggested by possible inflammatory injury of pulmonary tissue. This RIA method for PGE-MUM may be thus a sensitive and reliable biomarker for current inflammation, different from serum CRP.

Unique and selective expression of L-amino acid transporter 1 in human tissue as well as being an aspect of oncofetal protein.

Dysregulated expression of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), which transports large neutral amino acids, is a characteristic of various human cancers and possibly offers a molecular target for chemotherapy. LAT2, in contrast, shows lower expression in neoplasms. LAT1 is presumed to be a biomarker of many cancers, suggesting a kind of oncoprotein. However, no precise analysis of LAT1 and LAT2 expression has been performed in systemic normal tissues. To see characteristics of LAT1 and LAT2, immunohistochemical expression of LAT1 and LAT2 was assessed and compared in normal human systemic organs and tissues from 3 adults, 3 children and 3 fetuses in the present study. Cardiac muscles, hepatocytes, thymic epithelial cells and primitive neuroectodermal cells in fetus were positive with LAT1, whereas no expression was found in the respective adult tissues, indicating an aspect of oncofetal protein. In adult tissues, LAT1 was found to be expressed proximal to proliferative zones in gastrointestinal mucosa by double immunostaining of LAT1 and Ki-67. Testicular Sertoli cells, ovarian follicular cells, and pancreatic islet cells showed strong expression. Although the systemic capillary endothelium did not express LAT1, but did express LAT2, capillaries corresponding to the blood-brain, blood-follicle, and blood-retinal barriers demonstrated strong LAT1 immunoreactions. In conclusion, LAT1 was expressed in gonad tissues and several kinds of cells having special functions, as well as being discovered to be an aspect of oncofetal protein. In addition, ubiquitous LAT2 expression was confirmed immunohistochemically in systemic tissues, indicating constitutional function.