Enhanced expression of Cyclin D1 and C-myc, a prognostic factor and possible mechanism for recurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

A direct association has been shown between Cyclin D1 and C-myc gene expressions and the proliferation of human thyroid tumor cells. Our previous study showed that increased ß catenin led to a reduction in disease-free probability in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. This study was designed to investigate Cyclin D1 and C-myc genes as targets for ß catenin function in PTC and to determine the association between genes expression and staging, recurrence, metastasis, and disease-free survival of PTC. This study was conducted via a thorough investigation of available data from medical records as well as paraffin blocks of 77 out of 400 patients over a 10-year period. Cyclin D1 and C-myc gene expression levels were measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate disease-free survival. Higher levels of Cyclin D1 and C-myc gene expressions were observed in patients with recurrence by 8.5 (P = 0.004) and 19.5 (p = 0.0001) folds, respectively. A significant positive correlation was found between Cyclin D1 expression and the cumulative dose of radioactive iodine received by patients (r = -0.2, p value = 0.03). The ten-year survival rate in the patients included in this study was 98.25% while disease-free survival was 48.1%. Higher Cyclin D1 and C-myc gene expression levels were observed in patients with recurrence/distant metastasis. Inversely, lower expression of Cyclin D1 and C-myc genes were associated with better survival of patients (SD, 0.142-0.052) (Mantel-Cox test, P = 0.002). The enhancement of Cyclin D1 and C-myc gene expression may be a potential mechanism for recurrence and aggressiveness of PTC.

The association between urinary lgM excretion and diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the most common causes of blindness among adults. Microvascular complications may have common origins. The objective of the present study is to analyze the correlation between urinary IgM excretion and diabetic retinopathy based on the type of diabetes. METHODS: The present study is cross-sectional analytic and was carried out on 140 type2 diabetic patients (of which 70 patients diagnosed with retinopathy) and 76 type1 diabetic patients (of which 37 patients diagnosed with retinopathy). For every patient in each of the test groups, fasting plasma glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, creatinin and HbA1c tests were done. The value of IgM, the albumin- to- creatinine ratio and the urine analysis test were also used to rule out the significant proteinuria of the patients. Then, IgM Index was measured using the following equation: Igm Index = Urine IgM/Urine Cr. RESULTS: The level of IgM index in the diabetic patients (type1 and type2) had no significant correlation with retinopathy. Cut point = 1.49, sensitivity = 0.703 and specificity = 0.308 in type1 diabetes were used for screen retinopathy. In type1 diabetic patients, the duration of diabetes had a significant correlation with urinary protein while in type 2 diabetic patients, the diabetes duration and HbA1c were significantly correlated with retinopathy. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that the level of urinary IgM in diabetic patients has no difference in those who have or lack retinopathy, but the urinary IgM level of more than 1.49 mg/dl can be considered as a cut point in type1 diabetic patients to screen retinopathy.