Rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of trace aconitum phytotoxin by SERS.

The dual functions of phytotoxin, such as aconitine, with biological activity and toxicity ignited the related food poisoning intentionally or accidentally from time to time. The fast and accurate qualitative analysis is a prerequisite for tracking the source of poisoning and taking correct treatments. Taking the single molecule level sensitivity and molecular fingerprinting of Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), we developed a highly sensitive and accurate strategy for the trace detection of three structurally similar aconitines (ATs) (aconitine, mesaconitine and hypoaconitine) by employing the 100 nm Ag NPs colloid as the SERS substrate. It was figured out that the lowest detectable concentration is in the level of 5.0 µg/L for these three ATs with the linear range of 5.0-100.0 µg/L. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of trace ATs spiked in various food samples was realized in 3 mins, which demonstrated the SERS based strategy is very promising towards the fast and on-site detection of ATs in the field of food safety or criminal identification.

Epidermal growth factor receptor protein overexpression and gene amplification are associated with aggressive biological behaviors of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Alterations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), including overexpression or gene mutations, contribute to the malignant transformation of human epithelial cells. The aim of this study was to assess EGFR overexpression or gene amplification in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissue samples and investigate their correlations with biological behaviors. Tissue specimens from 56 patients with surgically resected ESCC were obtained for immunohistochemical analysis of EGFR expression and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of EGFR amplification. The data were statistically analyzed to determine the associations with patient clinicopathological and survival data. EGFR was overexpressed in 30 of the 56 (53.6%) ESCC samples and was associated with poor tumor differentiation (P=0.047). EGFR amplification was detected in 13 cases (23.2%) and was associated with advanced pathological stage (P=0.042) and tumor lymph node metastasis (P=0.002). The univariate analysis identified no association between EGFR overexpression and the overall survival (OS) of the patients. By contrast, EGFR amplification predicted ESCC prognosis (P=0.031), while the multivariate analysis revealed a marginal statistical significance for the association between EGFR amplification and OS (P=0.056). EGFR overexpression and increased EGFR copy number were common events in ESCC and contributed to malignant biological behaviors, including tumor dedifferentiation and lymph node metastasis. EGFR amplification may therefore be useful in predicting OS in patients with ESCC.

Clinical significance of gefitinib antitumor activity in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Non-small cell lung cancer is a subtype of adenocarcinoma, which has previously shown positive responses to gefitinib. The aim of the current study was to determine a clinical profile of gefitinib-induced disease controls for patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Retrospective evaluation of the clinical characteristics of 52 lung adenocarcinoma patients, enrolled at the Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (Hangzhou, China) between October 2004 and August 2008, was undertaken. All patients received gefitinib (250 mg/day orally) until disease progression or until an unacceptable toxicity was observed. Of the 52 patients, complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) rates were 23.1% (12/52) and 57.7% (30/52), respectively. An additional 19.2% (10/52) of patients demonstrated stable disease (SD) after three months of treatment with gefitinib. Disease control was observed in the primary lesion, and tumor metastasis to the lungs, brain, adrenal glands, pleura, peritoneum, pericardium, bone and lymph nodes was identified. The one-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 74.8 and 78.0%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that female patients were associated with significantly longer survival times when compared with males (hazard ratio, 0.077; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.007-0.083; P=0.035). One-year PFS and OS rates in CR, PR and SD patients were 77.8, 73.9 and 33.3%, and 89.2, 79.8 and 33.7%, respectively, although neither difference was identified to be statistically significant. In addition, the median OS of SD patients was 12 months (95% CI, 7.2-16.8 months). Brain metastasis was the major site of disease progression (23.1%). Gefitinib treatment for patients with lung adenocarcinoma showed a marked long-term survival benefit, even in SD patients. However, further studies are required to analyze the efficacy of gefitinib in penetrating the blood-brain barrier in order to prolong PFS in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.