BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to elucidate the relationship between the CD44s and CD44v6 expression level and the biological characteristics of a gastric carcinoma. METHODS: CD44s and CD44v6 expression was investigated in 56 gastric carcinomas, 18 dysplasias, and 22 normal mucosae by immunohischemical staining. RESULTS: The CD44s and CD44v6 expression rates in gastric carcinomas, dysplasia, and normal mucosae were 80.3% and 83.9%, 72.2% and 77.8%, and 13.6% and 4.5%, respectively. Statistical analysis showed significant difference after comparing a gastric carcinomas and dysplasia to the normal mucosae (p<0.001). The CD44s and CD44v6 expression rates in the cases with invasion to the muscle proper and serosa were 60.7% and 57.1%, and 82.4% and 88.2%, respectively. Both showed a significant statistical difference compared to the expression rates in the cases with invasion to the mucosae and submucosae. The CD44s and CD44v6 expression rates in gastric carcinomas with a lymph node metastasis showed a statistically significant difference compared to those without a lymph node metastasis (p<0.001 and p<0.01, respectively). CD44s and CD44v6 were also expressed in the normal basal cells around gastric carcinomas. CONCLUSIONS: The CD44s and CD44v6 expression showed a significant relationship with gastric carcinogenesis, toward an aggressive biologic behavior.
Carcinogenesis ; Lymph Nodes ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Population Characteristics ; Serous Membrane

PURPOSE: The characteristic expression of DNA damage response proteins in familial breast cancers with BRCA1, BRCA2, or non-BRCA1/2 mutations has not been analyzed in Chinese patients. Our study aimed to assess the differential expression of microcephalin 1 (BRIT1), ATM serine/threonine kinase (ATM), checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2), BRCA1, RAD51 recombinase (RAD51), and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) and establish the profile of Chinese familial breast cancers with different mutation status. METHODS: We constructed five tissue microarrays from 183 familial breast cancer patients (31 with BRCA1 mutations; 14 with BRCA2 mutations, and 138 with non-BRCA1/2 mutations). The DNA response and repair markers used for immunohistochemistry analysis included BRIT1, ATM, CHEK2, BRCA1, RAD51, and PARP-1. The expressions of these proteins were analyzed in BRCA1/2 mutated tumors. The association between pathologic characteristics with BRCA1/2 mutation status was also analyzed. RESULTS: In familial breast cancer patients, BRCA1 mutated tumors were more frequent with high nuclear grade, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative, low Ki-67, and positive CK5/6. BRCA1 mutated tumors had lower CHEK2 and higher cytoplasmic BRIT1 expression than BRCA2 and non-BRCA1/2 mutation tumors. BRCA2-associated tumors showed higher CHEK2 and cytoplasmic RAD51 expression than those in other groups. Nuclear PARP-1 expression in BRCA1/2-associated tumors was significantly higher than in non-BRCA1/2 mutation tumors. Moreover, we found quite a few of negative PARP-1 expression cases in BRCA1/2 mutated groups. CONCLUSION: The clinicopathologic findings of BRCA1-associated Chinese familial breast cancers were similar to the results of other studies. Chinese familial breast cancer patients with BRCA1/2 mutations might have distinctive expression of different DNA damage response proteins. The reduced expression of PARP-1 in Chinese BRCA1/2 mutated breast cancer patients could influence the therapeutic outcome of PARP-1 inhibitors.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Checkpoint Kinase 2 ; Cytoplasm ; DNA Damage* ; DNA Repair ; DNA* ; Estrogens ; Genes, BRCA1 ; Genes, BRCA2 ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Phosphotransferases ; Rad51 Recombinase ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

Pyronaridine and artesunate have been shown to be effective in falciparum malaria treatment. However, pyronaridine is rarely used in Hainan Island clinically, and artesunate is not widely used as a therapeutic agent. Instead, conventional antimalarial drugs, chloroquine and piperaquine, are used, explaining the emergence of chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. In this article, we investigated the sensitivity of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs used in Hainan Island for rational drug therapy. We performed in vivo (28 days) and in vitro tests to determine the sensitivity of P. falciparum to antimalarial drugs. Total 46 patients with falciparum malaria were treated with dihydroartemisinin/piperaquine phosphate (DUO-COTECXIN) and followed up for 28 day. The cure rate was 97.8%. The mean fever clearance time (22.5+/-10.6 hr) and the mean parasite clearance time (27.3+/-12.2 hr) showed no statistical significance with different genders, ages, temperatures, or parasite density (P>0.05). The resistance rates of chloroquine, piperaquine, pyronarididine, and artesunate detected in vitro were 71.9%, 40.6%, 12.5%, and 0%, respectively (P<0.0001). The resistance intensities decreased as follows: chloroquine>piperaquine>pyronarididine>artesunate. The inhibitory dose 50 (IC50) was 3.77x10(-6) mol/L, 2.09x10(-6) mol/L, 0.09x10(-6) mol/L, and 0.05x10(-6) mol/L, and the mean concentrations for complete inhibition (CIMC) of schizont formation were 5.60x10(-6) mol/L, 9.26x10(-6) mol/L, 0.55x10(-6) mol/L, and 0.07x10(-6) mol/L, respectively. Dihydroartemisinin showed a strong therapeutic effect against falciparum malaria with a low toxicity.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antimalarials/pharmacology ; Antimalarials/therapeutic use ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Malaria, Falciparum/drug therapy ; Malaria, Falciparum/parasitology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Parasitic Sensitivity Tests ; Plasmodium falciparum/drug effects ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult