MUC1 expression in primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer cells for in vitro treatment by (213)Bi-C595 radioimmunoconjugate

Control of micrometastatic pancreatic cancer remains a major objective in pancreatic cancer treatment. The overexpression of MUC1 mucin plays an important role in cancer metastasis. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of MUC1 in human primary tumour tissues and three pancreatic cancer cell lines (CAPAN-1, CFPAC-1 and PANC-1), and target MUC1-positive cancer cells in vitro using ²¹³Bi-C595 alpha-immunoconjugate (AIC). The expression of MUC1 on pancreatic tumour tissues and cancer cell lines was performed by immunohistochemistry and further confirmed by confocal microscope and flow cytometry analysis on the cell surface. Cytotoxicity of ²¹³Bi-C595 was tested by MTS assay. Apoptosis was documented using TUNEL assay. Overexpression of MUC1 was found in ∼90% of tested tumour samples and the three pancreatic cancer cell lines. ²¹³Bi-C595 is specifically cytotoxic to pancreatic cancer cells in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results suggest that overexpression of MUC1 in pancreatic cancer is a useful target, and that the novel ²¹³Bi-C595 AIC selectively targets pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. ²¹³Bi-C595 may be a useful agent for the treatment of micrometastases or minimal residual disease (MRD) in pancreatic cancer patients with overexpression of MUC1 antigen.

Body composition of Aboriginal Australian women: comparison with age-matched Caucasians

Although Aboriginal Australians (AA) exhibit an android fat deposition profile and suffer from a high incidence of type 2 diabetes, a comprehensive body composition assessment of AA has not yet been reported. The body composition of 16 non-diabetic AA women and 16 healthy age- and weight-matched Caucasian women (C) showed no significant ethnic differences in height, total body bone mineral density, total and appendicular skeletal muscle mass, and % fat. The abdominal fat-to-lean soft tissue ratio correlated more highly with age in AA ( r=0.79, p<0.001) than in C ( r=0.59, p<0.05) and with % fat in AA ( r=0.67, p<0.01) than in C ( r=0.54, p<0.05). However, analysis of variance showed that the difference between the two ethnic groups was not significant. Key findings are that dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry can accurately assess adiposity, and that hip girth should emerge as a valid predictor of central adiposity, in AA women.

Effects of 20-mg oestradiol implant therapy on bone mineral density, fat distribution and muscle mass in postmenopausal women

This 64-week prospective cohort trial evaluated the effects of 20-mg oestradiol implants, replaced every 4 months, in healthy postmenopausal women aged 45-65 years. Of 20 implant and 14 control subjects who remained in the trial at 32 weeks, 13 implant and seven controls continued to 64 weeks, with no baseline differences between completing and dropout subjects. At 64 weeks, implant subjects displayed increases of 5.4-7.6% in spine and hip bone mineral density ( p<0.05 versus controls). The abdominal fat-to-lean soft tissue ratio decreased by 18% in implant subjects ( p<0.001), but did not change in controls ( p<0.05 implants versus controls). Neither group displayed significant changes in weight, %fat or appendicular skeletal muscle mass. The 32-week data were consistent with these results. Hence, oestradiol implant therapy can reduce abdominal adiposity and could lower the risk of obesity-related metabolic disorders.

Total body protein in chronic diseases and in aging

Substantial losses of total body protein (TBP) can occur in chronic diseases and in aging. Such losses impact negatively on immunity and quality of life, and on growth rates in children. Direct measurements of total body nitrogen (TBN) monitor the integrated changes in TBP over time and allow comparison with normal subjects. TBN assessment via neutron capture analysis is therefore the gold-standard method of TBP estimation, so that risk factors for protein deficit can be identified and patient management optimized. The nitrogen index (NI) can be used to predict prognostic outcome: an NI < 0.9 is associated with substantial wasting in HIV disease, an NI < 0.8 predicts significant pathophysiology in chronic renal failure, and a low NI is predictive of neutropenia in breast-cancer patients. These findings emphasize the central importance of adequate protein stores in recovery from disease or in maintaining quality of life. Aging appears to involve a gradual loss of TBP throughout adulthood. Cross-sectional data suggest that TBP declines curvilinearly with age, such that there is an accelerated decline after 65 years of age. However, longitudinal data are scarce, and little is known about the relative loss of visceral protein, as opposed to skeletal muscle protein. More clearly-defined data are essential if the effects of aging per se are to be separated from the effects of chronic disease. A further complication is the knowledge that physical activity also declines with age. Thus sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass, could primarily result from disuse rather than aging. The economic impact of unsuccessful aging places a pressing need for multicompartment data in longitudinal study designs.

Determination of skeletal muscle and fat-free mass by nuclear and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry methods in men and women aged 51-84 y (1-3)

BACKGROUND

Skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and fat-free mass (FFM) are important variables in nutritional studies. Accurate techniques for measuring these variables have not been thoroughly validated in elderly subjects.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to 1) compare SMM values derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) with those calculated by a nuclear method from total body potassium (TBK) and total body nitrogen (TBN) measurement (both: KN) in older subjects, and 2) assess the accuracy of FFM measurement by DXA in these subjects.

DESIGN

TBK, TBN, DXA (model XR36; Norland, Fort Atkinson, WI), bioimpedance, and anthropometric measurements were performed on healthy women (n = 50) and men (n = 25) aged 51-84 y.

RESULTS

Mean SMM by KN was not significantly different from SMM by DXA in either sex. SMM by KN predicted SMM by DXA with an SEE of 2.1 kg (r = 0.95, P < 0.0001 for women and men together). In the men, FFM by DXA agreed well with FFM estimated by TBK, skinfold thicknesses, bioimpedance analysis, and a multicompartment model. In women, FFM by DXA was 4-5 kg less than that by the other methods (P < 0.01). Truncal fat was related to intermethod FFM differences (r = 0.58, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that 1) either the nuclear or the DXA method can be applied to estimate SMM in healthy older subjects, and 2) the Norland DXA instrument significantly underestimates FFM in older women, in part, because of the influence of truncal adiposity.

Internal calibration for a total body counter

Whole body counting is used to monitor the ingestion of radioactivity by radiation workers when unsealed sources are used in biomedical or industrial applications. The whole body counter at Lucas Heights Research Laboratories has been running for four decades, and radiation workers are frequently monitored for radioactive contamination. In a retrospective study of total body potassium (TBK) values in radiation workers, it was found that the results varied markedly with time. In that TBK is a slowly varying quantity in healthy individuals, variation in TBK is therefore indicative of instability in the counting system. We conclude that TBK can be used as an internal calibration for the whole body counter. The activity of radioisotope contaminants can therefore be expressed relative to the value of the potassium activity in a given subject.

Use of girth measurements for estimating body volume and body density in Indian girls aged 10-19 years

Mean values and standard deviations of total body volume, body density, height, weight, and a battery of 20 girth measurements of 200 Punjabi girls aged 10-19 years are presented. Selective stepwise multiple regression equations for predicting total body volume and body density from girth measurements are also given for different age groups. Hip girth was the most commonly selected measurement at the first step in most age groups and the values of 'r' between hip girth and total body volume ranged between 0.86-0.96 in different age groups. The values of multiple 'R' between total body volume and a combination of first four selected girth measurements varied from 0.96-0.99 in different age groups. The values of multiple 'R' between body density and a combination of four girth measurements selected up to fourth step ranged between 0.73-0.92 in different age groups.

Estimation of body fat and lean body mass from anthropometric dimensions in adult Indian women

Mean values and standard deviations of body fat and lean body mass of 65 young Indian women aged 20-25 years were 9.00 kg, SD 6.14 and 36.02 kg, SD 3.99 respectively. Body fat per cent was 18.72 SD 10.48. On selective stepwise multiple linear regression analysis, the measurements selected for predicting body fat % were maximum thigh girth, chest diameter, height up to gluteal furrow and shoulder diameter, all four together giving a multiple correlation coefficient of 0.88. For predicting lean body mass, the measurements selected were stature, upper arm length, lower thigh girth and chest diameter, all four together giving a multiple correlation coefficient of 0.84.

Anthropometric determination of body volume, body density and segmental volume in adult Indian women

Body density, total body volume, leg volume and arm volume of 65 young Indian women 20-25 years were measured experimentally. In addition, a series of 61 anthropometric measurements were also taken on each subject. Correlations of leg volume with total body volume and body density were 0.91 and -0.73 respectively and of arm volume with total body volume and body density were 0.84 and -0.66 respectively. Hip girth alone showed a very high positive correlation (r = 0.94) with body volume and on selective stepwise multiple regression analysis, a combination of even four anthropometric measurements, namely, hip girth, lower thigh girth, ankle girth and shoulder diameter gave an extremely high positive multiple correlation coefficient (R = 0.98) with body volume. Selective stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was conducted also to estimate leg volume, arm volume and body density and stepwise regression equations up to 4th step for estimating each parameter are given.