A biologically active variant form of recombinant human secretin was produced using a gene fusion system designed to facilitate the purification of the protein. The fusion protein was recovered from the culture medium of Escherichia coli by IgG affinity chromatography, and recombinant secretin was released by cyanogen bromide treatment. A novel approach involving addition of a C-terminal Gly-Lys-Arg extension, was used to overcome the lack of amidation of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. The biological activity of the recombinant variant of secretin was at least 80% of the porcine secretin standard.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of the multidrug resistance protein (MRP1) in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The multidrug resistance protein (MRP1) is expressed in human breast carcinomas but its clinical significance remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to determine the clinical significance of MRP1 in breast cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRP1 expression of primary carcinomas from 100 breast cancer patients was immunohistochemically determined by means of the monoclonal antibodies QCRL-1/QCRL-3. RESULTS: MRP1 was negative in 20 (20%) and positive in 80 (80%) breast carcinomas. MRP1 expression was more frequent in both estrogen receptor-negative carcinomas and progesterone receptor-negative carcinomas (p = 0.1 in both cases), but was independent of tumor size and lymph node involvement. Patients with MRP1-negative carcinomas had prolongations of overall survival (p = 0.01 for death due to any cause, p = 0.04 for breast cancer-related death) and disease-free survival (p = 0.07) as compared to those with MRP1-positive carcinomas. Also in subsets of patients (negative lymph nodes; positive lymph nodes; positive estrogen receptor; T1/T2 tumors), overall survival was longer for patients with MRP1-negative carcinomas. In univariate Cox regression analyses, MRP1 positivity was associated with relative risks of 4.9 (95% CI 1.2-20.6; p = 0.03) for death due to any cause, 6.4 (95% CI 0.9-48.0; p = 0.07) for breast cancer-related death and 3.5 (95% CI 0.8-14.9; p = 0.09) for relapse. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, MRP1 positivity had relative risks of 5.1 (95% CI 1.2-21.7; p = 0.03) for death due to any cause, 6.5 (95% CI 0.8-50.1; p = 0.07) for breast cancer-related death and 3.4 (95% CI 0.8-15.1; p = 0.1) for relapse. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that MRP1 might be an important factor in breast cancer indicating excellent prognosis for patients with MRP1-negative carcinomas.

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Expression of the lung resistance protein (LRP) in primary breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: To determine the clinical significance of the lung resistance protein (LRP) in breast cancer, we have studied its expression in primary breast carcinomas (n = 99) and assessed the association of this expression with clinical parameters of the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: LRP expression was immunohistochemically determined by means of the monoclonal antibody LRP-56 on frozen tumor sections. RESULTS: LRP expression was negative in 12%, low in 20%, intermediate in 47% and high in 21% of the carcinomas. LRP expression was independent of age of the patients, histology, tumor grade, estrogen receptor as well as progesterone receptor status, tumor size and lymph node involvement. Kaplan-Meier analyses revealed that both overall survival and disease-free survival were independent of the degree of LRP expression. CONCLUSIONS: LRP is frequently expressed in breast carcinomas, but is neither associated with known prognostic factors, nor a prognostic factor by itself.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[The fetal condition during the mother's baths--studies using underwater cardiotocography in pregnancy and labor].

The effect of warm baths (34-38 degrees C) during pregnancy was studied in 41 patients between 30 and 35 weeks of gestation. The focus of our interest deals with the influence of bathing on the unborn child and physiologic changes in the mother. Continuous CTG monitoring was guaranteed by water-proofed and isolated transducers in connection with telemetry. During the bath, we found a significant increase of registered accelerations due to more frequent fetal body movements. There were no decelerations. A positive effect on the perfusion of the feto-placental unit can be assumed resulting from a significantly higher maternal blood pressure amplitude. Due to an increased diuresis, the average weight loss amounted to 300 g. Subaqua CTG monitoring was used as well in 122 patients who took a bath in the initial period of delivery, 30 of whom after rupture of the membranes. In very few cases (5% and 12% after rupture of the membranes, respectively), we found a slight worsening in the CTG which turned out to be reversible after the bath. There were no pathologic CTG patterns. After bathing, women with early rupture of the membranes showed a significantly lower rate of positive infection parameters than women in a control group who had no bath during the first stage of delivery (13% versus 40%). This fact may be correlated to the duration of delivery which decreased from 17h 10 min to 12th 50 min on average after bathing.

Baths↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Adsorption behavior of type A and type B influenza viruses on aluminium hydroxide gel].

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Aluminum Hydroxide↗