Artificial neural network (ANN) velocity better identifies benign prostatic hyperplasia but not prostate cancer compared with PSA velocity

Background

To validate an artificial neural network (ANN) based on the combination of PSA velocity (PSAV) with a %free PSA-based ANN to enhance the discrimination between prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH).

Methods

The study comprised 199 patients with PCa (n = 49) or BPH (n = 150) with at least three PSA estimations and a minimum of three months intervals between the measurements. Patients were classified into three categories according to PSAV and ANN velocity (ANNV) calculated with the %free based ANN "ProstataClass". Group 1 includes the increasing PSA and ANN values, Group 2 the stable values, and Group 3 the decreasing values.

Results

71% of PCa patients typically have an increasing PSAV. In comparison, the ANNV only shows this in 45% of all PCa patients. However, BPH patients benefit from ANNV since the stable values are significantly more (83% vs. 65%) and increasing values are less frequently (11% vs. 21%) if the ANNV is used instead of the PSAV.

Conclusion

PSAV has only limited usefulness for the detection of PCa with only 71% increasing PSA values, while 29% of all PCa do not have the typical PSAV. The ANNV cannot improve the PCa detection rate but may save 11–17% of unnecessary prostate biopsies in known BPH patients.

Bioaccumulation of trace metals in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758) from the German Wadden Sea

The objective of the present study is to evaluate the suitability of the brown shrimp Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758) from the German Wadden Sea as a biomonitor for the trace metals Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn and to analyse whether the two-compartment model sensu OECD could be used as a predictive tool to assess environmental quality. The tested decapods accumulated Cd and Pb upon exposure and it was possible to estimate significant model parameters of two-compartment models, while they did not respond to waterborn Cu and Zn. Kinetic BCFs at theoretical equilibrium were 860 for Cd and 750 for Pb. A tentative estimation showed the following sensitivity of C. crangon to an increase of soluble metal exposure: 0.4 microg Cd l(-1) and 0.9 microg Pb l(-1). Available information can be used to quantify a measure of agreement or disagreement between bioaccumulation in various decapods. This can be regarded as an important step in the calibration of biomonitors, which is necessary to assess the potential for bioaccumulation on different temporal and geographical scales.

ADAM9 is highly expressed in renal cell cancer and is associated with tumour progression

BACKGROUND

A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease (ADAM) 9 has been implicated in tumour progression of various solid tumours, however, little is known about its role in renal cell carcinoma. We evaluated the expression of ADAM9 on protein and transcript level in a clinico-pathologically characterized renal cell cancer cohort.

METHODS

108 renal cancer cases were immunostained for ADAM9 on a tissue-micro-array. For 30 additional cases, ADAM9 mRNA of microdissected tumour and normal tissue was analyzed via quantitative RT-PCR. SPSS 14.0 was used to apply crosstables (Fisher's exact test and chi2-test), correlations and univariate as well as multivariate survival analyses.

RESULTS

ADAM9 was significantly up-regulated in renal cancer in comparison to the adjacent normal tissue on mRNA level. On protein level, ADAM9 was significantly associated with higher tumour grade, positive nodal status and distant metastasis. Furthermore, ADAM9 protein expression was significantly associated with shortened patient survival in the univariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

ADAM9 is strongly expressed in a large proportion of renal cell cancers, concordant with findings in other tumour entities. Additionally, ADAM9 expression is significantly associated with markers of unfavourable prognosis. Whether the demonstrated prognostic value of ADAM9 is independent from other tumour parameters will have to be verified in larger study cohorts.

Proteomic analysis of conditioned media from the PC3, LNCaP, and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cell lines: discovery and validation of candidate prostate cancer biomarkers

Early detection of prostate cancer is problematic due to the lack of a marker that has high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. The prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, in combination with digital rectal examination, is the gold standard for prostate cancer diagnosis. However, this modality suffers from low specificity. Therefore, specific markers for clinically relevant prostate cancer are needed. Our objective was to proteomically characterize the conditioned media from three human prostate cancer cell lines of differing origin [PC3 (bone metastasis), LNCaP (lymph node metastasis), and 22Rv1 (localized to prostate)] to identify secreted proteins that could serve as novel prostate cancer biomarkers. Each cell line was cultured in triplicate, followed by a bottom-up analysis of the peptides by two-dimensional chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry. Approximately, 12% (329) of the proteins identified were classified as extracellular and 18% (504) as membrane-bound among which were known prostate cancer biomarkers such as PSA and KLK2. To select the most promising candidates for further investigation, tissue specificity, biological function, disease association based on literature searches, and comparison of protein overlap with the proteome of seminal plasma and serum were examined. On the basis of this, four novel candidates, follistatin, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 16, pentraxin 3 and spondin 2, were validated in the serum of patients with and without prostate cancer. The proteins presented in this study represent a comprehensive sampling of the secreted and shed proteins expressed by prostate cancer cells, which may be useful as diagnostic, prognostic or predictive serological markers for prostate cancer.

Phylogenetic analysis of swine influenza viruses recently isolated in Korea

Several influenza A viral subtypes were isolated from pigs during a severe outbreak of respiratory disease in Korea during 2005 and 2006. They included a classical swine H1N1 subtype, two swine-human-avian triple-recombinant H1N2 subtypes, and a swine-human-avian triple-recombinant H3N2 subtype. In the current study, genetic characterization to determine the probable origin of these recent isolates was carried out for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that all the recent Korean isolates of H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 influenza are closely related to viruses from the United States. Serologic and genetic analysis indicated that the Korean H1N2 viral subtypes were introduced directly from the United States, and did not arise from recombination between Korean H1N1 and H3N2. We suggest that the H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 viral subtypes that were isolated from the Korean swine population originated in North America, and that these viruses are currently circulating in the Korean swine population.

Interlocking transcriptomics, proteomics and toponomics technologies for brain tissue analysis in murine hippocampus

We have correlated transcriptomics, proteomics and toponomics analyses of hippocampus tissue of inbred C57BL/6 mice to analyse the interrelationship of expressed genes and proteins at different levels of organization. We find that transcriptome and proteome levels of function as well as the topological organization of synaptic protein clusters, detected by toponomics at physiological sites of hippocampus CA3 region, are all largely conserved between different mice. While the number of different synaptic states, characterized by distinct synaptic protein clusters, is enormous (>155,000), these states together form synaptic networks defining distinct and mutually exclusive territories in the hippocampus tissue. The findings provide insight in the systems biology of gene expression on transcriptome, proteome and toponome levels of function in the same brain subregion. The approach will lay the ground for designing studies of neurodegeneration in mouse models and human brains.

An artificial neural network for five different assay systems of prostate-specific antigen in prostate cancer diagnostics

OBJECTIVE

To compare separate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) assay-specific artificial neural networks (ANN) for discrimination between patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and no evidence of malignancy (NEM).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In 780 patients (455 with PCa, 325 with NEM) we measured total PSA (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) with five different assays: from Abbott (AxSYM), Beckman Coulter (Access), DPC (Immulite 2000), and Roche (Elecsys 2010) and with tPSA and complexed PSA (cPSA) assays from Bayer (ADVIA Centaur). ANN models were developed with five input factors: tPSA, percentage free/total PSA (%fPSA), age, prostate volume and digital rectal examination status for each assay separately to examine two tPSA ranges of 0-10 and 10-27 ng/mL.

RESULTS

Compared with the median tPSA concentrations (range from 4.9 [Bayer] to 6.11 ng/mL [DPC]) and especially the median %fPSA values (range from 11.2 [DPC] to 17.4%[Abbott], for tPSA 0-10 ng/mL), the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) for all calculated ANN models did not significantly differ from each other. The AUC were: 0.894 (Abbott), 0.89 (Bayer), 0.895 (Beckman), 0.882 (DPC) and 0.892 (Roche). At 95% sensitivity the specificities were without significant differences, whereas the individual absolute ANN outputs differed markedly.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite only slight differences, PSA assay-specific ANN models should be used to optimize the ANN outcome to reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies. We further developed the ANN named 'ProstataClass' to provide clinicians with an easy to use tool in making their decision about follow-up testing.

Plasma matrix metalloproteinase-7 as a metastatic marker and survival predictor in patients with renal cell carcinomas

We evaluated the clinical usefulness of plasma matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). MMP-7 was quantified in plasma of 50 healthy subjects and 97 RCC patients using a Fluorokine MultiAnalyte Profiling assay. RCC patients were stratified into the following groups: without metastases (N0M0; n = 39), with lymph nodes (N1M0; n = 13), and with distant metastases (M1; n = 45). Diagnostic performance of MMP-7 was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the Cox regression model were used to estimate the impact of MMP-7 on the cancer-specific survival outcome of RCC patients. MMP-7 was significantly higher in both metastatic groups N1M0 and M1 (medians, 3.82 and 3.34 microg/L) compared to N0M0 group or controls (medians, 1.85 and 1.64 microg/L; all P < 0.001). In ROC analysis, the area under the ROC curve of MMP-7 was 0.80 in the detection of metastases in RCC (P < 0.0001). In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, patients with MMP-7 above the 95th percentile of controls showed less favorable survival rates compared to those with normal MMP-7 (log-rank test, 15.7; P < 0.0001). High MMP-7 was associated with cancer-related mortality estimated by univariate Cox regression (risk ratio, 4.34, 95% CI, 1.12-10.6; P = 0.032). The multivariate Cox regression model determined MMP-7 (risk ratio, 2.70, 95% CI, 1.39-5.24; P = 0.003) and metastases (risk ratio, 5.81, 95% CI, 2.77-12.2; P < 0.0001) as independent determinants of cancer-related survival outcomes. In conclusion, increased plasma MMP-7 could be related to metastatic disease and poor prognosis in patients with RCC.

Serum amyloid A as indicator of distant metastases but not as early tumor marker in patients with renal cell carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical significance of the concentration of serum amyloid A (SAA) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). SAA protein was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum samples of 55 healthy controls and 98 RCC patients subdivided into groups with localized tumor (N0M0, n=40), with lymph node metastases (N1M0, n=13), and distant metastases (M1, n=45). SAA concentrations in controls and N0M0 group of RCC were not different while SAA concentrations were significantly elevated in M1 patients compared to the N1M0 and N0M0 patients. In this respect, SAA provided an accurate detection of distant metastases with the area under the ROC curve of 0.86. SAA was identified as a significant independent factor of survival in RCC patients using the multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. SAA could be a useful analyte in predicting the survival outcome of RCC patients.

One-step multiplex RT-PCR for detection and subtyping of swine influenza H1, H3, N1, N2 viruses in clinical samples using a dual priming oligonucleotide (DPO) system

The swine influenza virus (SIV) H1N1, H1N2, and H3N2 subtypes circulate in Korean farm. A novel multiplex RT-PCR (m-RT-PCR) was developed to detect and subtype swine influenza viruses. This m-RT-PCR assay could identify H1, H3, N1 and N2 from clinical samples in single tube reaction using DPO system. Korean SIVs are closely related to the United States influenza viruses, and primers were developed for SIV from North American viruses and recently Korean isolates. The sensitivity of the m-RT-PCR was 10TCID(50)/ml for H1N1, H1N2 or H3N2. The lowest viral concentrations detected by single PCR were 1TCID(50)/ml for each subtype. Non-specific reactions were not observed when other viruses and bacteria were used to assess the m-RT-PCR. The results of m-RT-PCR were more effective than virus isolation or hemagglutination (HA) test. This assay using a DPO system provides a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective laboratory diagnosis for detecting and subtyping of SIV in pigs.

UV-generated free radicals (FR) in skin: their prevention by sunscreens and their induction by self-tanning agents

In the past few years, the cellular effects of ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induced in skin have become increasingly recognized. Indeed, it is now well known that UV irradiation induces structural and cellular changes in all the compartments of skin tissue. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is the first and immediate consequence of UV exposure and therefore the quantitative determination of free radical reactions in the skin during UV radiation is of primary importance for the understanding of dermatological photodamage. The RSF method (radical sun protection factor) herein presented, based on electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR), enables the measurement of free radical reactions in skin biopsies directly during UV radiation. The amount of free radicals varies with UV doses and can be standardized by varying UV irradiance or exposure time. The RSF method allows the determination of the protective effect of UV filters and sunscreens as well as the radical induction capacity of self-tanning agents as dihydroxyacetone (DHA). The reaction of the reducing sugars used in self-tanning products and amino acids in the skin layer (Maillard reaction) leads to the formation of Amadori products that generate free radicals during UV irradiation. Using the RSF method three different self-tanning agents were analyzed and it was found, that in DHA-treated skin more than 180% additional radicals were generated during sun exposure with respect to untreated skin. For this reason the exposure duration in the sun must be shortened when self-tanners are used and photoaging processes are accelerated.