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Biomedical subjects

B E Johnson

Publications and source records attributed to B E Johnson.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

The phototumorigenic potential of broad-band (270-350 nm) and narrow-band (311-313 nm) phototherapy sources cannot be predicted by their edematogenic potential in hairless mouse skin.

The new Philips TL01 narrow-band (311-313 nm) and conventional broad-band (e.g., Philips TL12; 270-350 nm) sources are effective for psoriasis phototherapy, for which treatment regimens are based on a predetermined minimal erythema dose. TL01 phototherapy treatment times are approximately half those with TL12 for psoriasis, whereas the cumulative exposure doses at clearing are similar. We compared the phototumorigenic potential of TL01 and TL12 radiation in mouse skin. Groups of albino Skh-1 hairless mice were exposed for 5 d/week at three dose levels. At each dose level, TL12 and TL01 doses were equally edematogenic. At each dose level, TL01 radiation was significantly more effective at producing first tumors of 1 mm in diameter and multiple tumors. At the lower two dose levels, TL01 radiation produced a significantly greater proportion of squamous cell carcinomas. This study demonstrates that TL01 radiation is more phototumorigenic than TL12 radiation at equally edematogenically weighted doses. This is in contrast with previous reports that edema production by polychromatic sources is predictive of their phototumorigenic effect in Skh-1 mice. The absolute cumulative TL12 dose needed to induce tumors was much less than that for TL01 radiation. The possibility of increased tumor risk with TL01 phototherapy should be considered but must be balanced against the high phototherapeutic efficacy of this source, short treatment times, and the low cumulative doses necessary for clearing of psoriasis.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Risk of second aerodigestive cancers increases in patients who survive free of small-cell lung cancer for more than 2 years.

PURPOSE: Patients who survived small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) for more than 2 years were evaluated to determine the frequency and anatomic pattern of redevelopment of small-cell cancer and development of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and aerodigestive cancers with the passage of time. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From April 1973 through December 1991, 578 patients with previously untreated SCLC were entered onto prospective therapeutic trials at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Bethesda, MD. Sixty-two (11%) were cancer-free 2 years after initiation of therapy and were assessable for redevelopment of SCLC and development of NSCLC, and aerodigestive cancers. RESULTS: Twenty patients redeveloped SCLC 2.0 to 12.2 years after initiation of chemotherapy, of whom two patients were deemed to have a second primary small-cell cancer that involved the aerodigestive tract. Fifteen patients developed 16 cancers in the lung other than SCLC 3.4 to 14.9 years after initiation of therapy. Two developed other aerodigestive cancers that involved the larynx and lip. The risk of a NSCLC and aerodigestive cancer in these patients increased more than sixfold from 2% per patient per year during years 2 to 4 to 12.6% and 14.4%, respectively, after more than 10 years. The cumulative actuarial risk of a second primary NSCLC or aerodigestive cancer at 16 years is 69% and 72%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The increasing risk of second aerodigestive cancers with the passage of time is a mounting problem for patients cured of SCLC. Chemoprevention trials for these patients should be considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Biologic and molecular prognostic factors--impact on treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

A wide range of genetic and phenotypic abnormalities have been identified in lung cancer. However, only a few are known to have an impact on patient outcome and thus may influence choice of therapy. Biologic and molecular factors known in this regard include the epidermal growth factor family and its receptors, markers of neuroendocrine differentiation in non-small cell lung cancer, and mutations of the ras gene family. None of these factors, however, can be considered a standard for selection of patients for therapy until additional information is gleaned from ongoing prospective studies.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1995

Four-day paclitaxel infusion with cisplatin for patients with lung cancer.

Lung cancer cell lines are between seven and 1,000 times more sensitive to paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Princeton, NJ) when exposed for 120 hours (5 days) compared with 3-hour exposure. A phase I study of 4-day infusion of paclitaxel plus bolus cisplatin for patients with lung cancer has defined the recommended phase II dose. In this study, paclitaxel infused at 30 mg/m2/d for 4 days followed by a cisplatin bolus of 80 mg/m2 after infusion completion was associated with acceptable hematologic toxicity. Nine of the 16 patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with at least two cycles of this regimen attained an objective tumor response (one complete response and eight partial responses; overall response rate, 56%). The recommended phase II dose of a 4-day infusion of paclitaxel plus bolus cisplatin followed by the administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor has not yet been determined.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1994

Molecular analysis of the HuD gene encoding a paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis antigen in human lung cancer cell lines.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is known to express the HuD protein, the neuronal antigen homologous to Drosophila Elav and Sxl genes involved in neuronal and sex development. HuD is the target of an immune response including high titered antibodies causing paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis and sensory neuropathy. Because the p53 recessive oncogene is mutated and anti-p53 antibodies frequently occur in cancer patients, we wondered if the development of anti-HuD antibodies signaled the presence of HuD mutations in lung cancer. The HuD gene was mapped to chromosome region 1p using a human-mouse hybrid cell panel. We confirmed that 26 of 46 cancer (43 lung cancer and 3 mesothelioma) cell lines expressed HuD mRNA and that this expression, as well as protein expression by Western blot, correlated strongly with the SCLC neuroendocrine phenotype. Southern blot and single-strand conformation polymorphism analyses showed that HuD was not mutated in 78 lung cancers, including patients with the severe paraneoplastic syndrome. Northern blot analysis showed that lung cancer cell lines expressed two major mRNAs (4.3 and 4.0 kilobases) of HuD. We found the three previously described alternative spliced mRNA forms (HuDpro, HuD, and HuDmex). In addition, we also found HuD mRNA had an alternative splicing form in its 5'-coding region. This alternative splice introduced 87 base pairs of sequence and a termination codon resulting in a predicted small, truncated protein (11 amino acids) reminiscent of the male-specific truncated protein in the Sex-lethal (Sxl) gene of Drosophila. However, mRNAs encoding both full-length and truncated proteins were expressed in all SCLCs. These results show that the HuD gene is not mutated in lung cancer, including tumors from patients producing anti-HuD antibodies, but HuD expression is an independent marker or determinant of the neuroendocrine differentiation seen in SCLC.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗
PubMed1994

Small cell lung carcinoma cell lines express mRNA for calcitonin and alpha- and beta-calcitonin gene related peptides.

Calcitonin (CT) and calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) are derived from preprohormones encoded by three mRNAs (CT, alpha-CGRP and beta-CGRP) from two genes (CALC1 and CALC2) on chromosome 11. Among 16 small cell lung cancer cell lines examined by RNase protection assay, 9 (56%) had detectable CT mRNA, 8 (50%) had alpha-CGRP mRNA, and 13 (81%) had beta-CGRP mRNA. At least one CALC1 transcript (CT or alpha-CGRP) was found in 11 (69%) cell lines with three having only CT mRNA, two having only alpha-CGRP mRNA, and six having both. beta-CGRP mRNA was detected in all of these 11 cell lines expressing a CALC1 transcript. Immunoreactive CT was detected by radioimmunoassay in eight of nine SCLC cell lines expressing CT mRNA, and immunoreactive CGRP was detected in 12 of 13 cell lines expressing a CGRP mRNA. The variety of expression of these three peptides in different cell lines of the same cell type should provide a useful system for further study of the control of expression of these peptides.

Calcitonin↗
PubMed1994

A cell cycle regulator potentially involved in genesis of many tumor types.

A putative tumor suppressor locus on the short arm of human chromosome 9 has been localized to a region of less than 40 kilobases by means of homozygous deletions in melanoma cell lines. This region contained a gene, Multiple Tumor Suppressor 1 (MTS1), that encodes a previously identified inhibitor (p16) of cyclin-dependent kinase 4. MTS1 was homozygously deleted at high frequency in cell lines derived from tumors of lung, breast, brain, bone, skin, bladder, kidney, ovary, and lymphocyte. Melanoma cell lines that carried at least one copy of MTS1 frequently carried nonsense, missense, or frameshift mutations in the gene. These findings suggest that MTS1 mutations are involved in tumor formation in a wide range of tissues.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Integrated clinical and basic studies related to circumventing non-small cell lung cancer drug resistance.

Consideration of a range of clinical and basic studies conducted at the National Cancer Institute which explore the nature of the tumor biology of lung identify the limitations of using chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced lung cancer. No single mechanistic explanation for lung cancer's chemoresistance is apparent, although considerable information about the biology of lung cancer and some of its clinical consequences have been elucidated. In contrast to previous works from our group, this presentation will focus principally on studies of the nature of drug resistance with non-small cell cancer. An alternative combined modality strategy for lung cancer control is to focus on epithelial progression of lung cancer using local modalities while it is still confined to the bronchial epithelium. Particular high risk populations may be appropriate to determine if local tools such as photodynamic laser therapy can be effective in this application. To deal with the underlying biochemical perturbations resulting from critical exposure of the bronchial epithelium to carcinogens, rational biochemical intervention with 13 cis retinoic acid are being evaluated in several clinical trials. An evolution towards more effective lung cancer control may involve the combined modalities of laser ablation of accessible dysplastic epithelium and chronic administration of intervention agents, such as retinoids, to neutralize cancer promotion dynamics in the more remote areas of the lung epithelium.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1994

Concurrent approaches to combined chemotherapy and chest radiotherapy for the treatment of patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer.

The addition of chest radiotherapy to combination chemotherapy has been shown to prolong survival of patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer. Treatment of these patients with concurrent etoposide cisplatin and chest radiotherapy has resulted in a median survival of 18-27 months with a 2-year projected actuarial survival of 36-65%. The alternation of etoposide cisplatin (EP) with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) has been associated with prolonged survival in a single trial of patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer treated with combined modality therapy. Timing of the alternation of the two regimens (EP and VAC) in the first, second, or fourth cycle has not been shown to be an important determinant of survival for patients in single arm studies. Three studies evaluating early (within 1 month of starting chemotherapy) versus late (3-4 months after starting chemotherapy) chest radiotherapy in concurrent regimens, have shown early chest radiotherapy is associated with longer survival in one study while the other two show no difference in survival. Further clinical research will continue to define the appropriate ways to combine chemotherapeutic agents and chest radiotherapy to maximize the survival of patients with small cell lung cancer.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1994

Calcitonin elevation in small cell lung cancer without ectopic production.

To determine the relative contribution of ectopic calcitonin (CT) production versus nonectopic secretion of CT in patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), serum and urine immunoreactive CT (iCT) levels of 86 different subjects were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) using two polyclonal antisera (Ab3b and Ab4). The subjects included 49 previously untreated patients with SCLC, 17 smokers, and 20 nonsmokers. Serum and urine iCT values were highest in the patients with SCLC, intermediate in the smokers, and lowest in the nonsmokers (p < 0.0003). Sixteen of the 49 patients with SCLC had tumor cell lines available for determination of CT mRNA expression by RNase protection assay (RPA) and iCT production by RIA. CT mRNA was detected in nine of 16 subjects and iCT in eight of 16. The tumor cell lines of seven patients had undetectable CT by both RPA and RIA, and of these, five had elevated urine or serum iCT values compared with those of nonsmokers, and two had levels above all values in the smoker group. Immunohistochemical staining of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor samples detected iCT in two of four tumors from patients whose tumor cell lines had CT mRNA by RPA and iCT by RIA, but in none of six whose tumor cell lines had undetectable CT mRNA. Thus, increased iCT values in some patients with SCLC are likely due to sources other than CT production by tumor cells.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Biomonitoring of nitropolynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons via protein and DNA adducts.

Nitropolynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (nitro-PAHs) are widely distributed in the environment. For several chemicals in this class of compounds, mutagenic activity in bacterial and mammalian systems and tumorigenic activity in laboratory animals have been clearly documented. Procedures for assessing the risk to humans from exposure to nitro-PAHs have not been clearly defined, despite the wide-spread occurrence of such agents in the environment and their possible involvement in the etiology of some human cancers. Several methods are available for determining exposure, uptake, and metabolic activation of genotoxic carcinogens in humans. DNA adducts currently are regarded as the most direct markers of genotoxicity. However, several proteins are equally capable of forming adducts with electrophiles derived from xenobiotics. We focused on developing methods to detect and quantify adducts of 1-nitropyrene and 1,6-dinitropyrene with proteins and with DNA. 1-Nitropyrene is the most abundant nitro-PAH in emissions from combustion sources such as diesel engines. Although 1,6-dinitropyrene is far more mutagenic and more tumorigenic than 1-nitropyrene, it is present in the environment at lower levels. Seeking a highly sensitive method, we have utilized the 32P-postlabeling technique to establish the pattern of the DNA adducts formed in rat tissues, as well as in peripheral blood lymphocytes, following administration of both 1-nitropyrene and 1,6-dinitropyrene. We also present results on hemoglobin and albumin adducts formed after administration of these nitro-PAHs. [3H]1-Nitropyrene was given to male or female Fischer-344 or Sprague-Dawley rats by gavage at five dose levels ranging from 0.1 to 1,000 micrograms/kg of body weight. This led to stable hemoglobin adducts, which accounted for 0.08% +/- 0.05% of the dose. The radioactivity associated with hemoglobin following administration of [3H]1-nitropyrene was cleared with a half-life of 13.6 days. This is faster than the clearance of unmodified erythrocytes in the rat (half-life of 30 days). Treating the hemoglobin with 1% hydrochloric acid in acetone, to precipitate the globin, released the radioactivity so that none remained bound to the globin. Rather, the radioactivity remained bound to the heme moiety. To obtain structural information about the heme adducts, we incubated [3H]1-nitrosopyrene and [3H]4,5-epoxy-4,5-dihydro-1-nitropyrene with rat hemoglobin. In each case, [3H] was bound mainly to globin and, to a lesser extent, to the heme moiety.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acetylation↗
PubMed1994

RB protein status and clinical correlation from 171 cell lines representing lung cancer, extrapulmonary small cell carcinoma, and mesothelioma.

We have studied RB protein expression in 171 cell lines derived from patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pulmonary carcinoid, mesothelioma, and extrapulmonary small cell cancer (EPSC) and have correlated this data with clinical outcome. We detected absent or aberrant RB protein expression in 66/75 SCLC, 12/80 NSCLC, 1/6 carcinoid, 0/5 mesothelioma, and 4/5 EPSC samples. In addition, we observed integration of human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA in the single EPSC cell line that retained wildtype RB protein. We did not detect integration of HPV, SV40 or adenoviral DNA in other tumor samples with wildtype RB status. We also noted a stable, hypophosphorylated mutant RB in 12 SCLC and 3 NSCLC samples which might have been falsely interpreted as wildtype by current immunohistochemical techniques. Analysis of the matched clinical data showed no associations between RB status and age, sex, extent of disease, performance status, smoking history, and previous treatment. In addition, retrospective analyses showed no consistent correlation of RB protein expression with either best clinical response, overall survival, or in vitro chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity. The stable expression of RB after gene transfection into RB(-) SCLC cells, however, resulted in a trend toward increased in vitro resistance to etoposide, cisplatin and doxorubicin.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Genetic mechanisms of solid tumor oncogenesis.

The study of the genetic alterations of tumor suppressor genes and protooncogenes in solid tumors has greatly increased our understanding of cancer biology. These findings have extended epidemiologic associations of carcinogens with certain tumors. Further analysis of patterns of genetic changes may implicate carcinogenic substances in cases where epidemiology has not been able to do so. Identification of germline mutations in p53, APC, and NF1 has provided improved diagnosis and presymptomatic screening in cancer kindreds. The identification of additional alterations in tumor suppressor genes may further improve the ability to predict inherent cancer risk. Screening strategies based on detection of genetic abnormalities of preinvasive cancerous lesions, such as mutant ras in colonic polyps, may improve early diagnosis. Finally, strategies to replace lost tumor suppressor function may provide a future therapeutic modality.

Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic↗
PubMed1994

Distal movement of the maxillary molar using an active removable appliance and extraoral force: a case report.

This paper reports on the bilateral distal movement of maxillary molars in the treatment of a dental Class II malocclusion with an appliance system that combines an active removable appliance with fixed molar bands and a cervical headgear. This combination of forces provides distal molar bodily movement where the molars have erupted or migrated mesially with a resultant loss of arch perimeter. The appliance system presented is a conservative, reliable technique that can be used to increase the maxillary arch length in growing as well as nongrowing patients.

Activator Appliances↗
PubMed1993

Antibodies against autologous tumor cell proteins in patients with small-cell lung cancer: association with improved survival.

BACKGROUND: The frequency and clinical relevance of human antitumor immune responses is not well known, and few target antigens have been identified. PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the frequency of antibodies reactive against extracts of autologous tumor cell lines and to correlate these data with survival. METHODS: Serum samples were obtained from 40 lung cancer patients treated on National Cancer Institute protocols. These sera were used as probes in immunoblots against protein extracts from tumor cell lines derived from each of these patients. RESULTS: We detected serum antibodies against autologous tumor cell proteins in 21 (58%) of the 36 patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) and three (75%) of the four with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Two patients' sera detected the p53 tumor suppressor gene product and two detected the product of the HuD gene (associated with paraneoplastic neurological syndromes) in their autologous tumor cell lysates. SCLC patients with antibodies against autologous tumor cell proteins had improved survivals compared with those in the antibody-negative group (P = .059). All patients who lived longer than 36 weeks were antitumor antibody positive. Sera from six (86%) of seven patients with limited disease were positive for antibodies that reacted against autologous tumor cells, compared with 15 of 29 (52%) of sera from patients with extensive disease. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the sera from patients with SCLC frequently contain antibodies against tumor cell proteins and that these antibodies are associated with improved survival. IMPLICATIONS: These data suggest that an antitumor immune response may affect tumor growth, and that the anonymous proteins detected by antitumor antibodies in lung cancer patient sera may represent proteins involved in the development of lung cancer or in its clinical manifestations.

Antibodies, Neoplasm↗