The epidermal growth factor receptor and its ligands have been implicated as being involved in normal mammary development and breast cancer genesis. Northern blotting was used to assay the mRNA levels of the epidermal growth factor receptor and three of its ligands: the epidermal growth factor, the transforming growth factor alpha and the Amphiregulin in 16 primary carcinomas, 2 metastases and 5 fibroadenomas. In addition, the mRNA levels of the other members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family, erbB2 and erbB3 were also analysed. We found limited expression in the breast carcinomas while all the fibroadenomas showed expression at high levels. Therefore we suggest that the epidermal growth factor receptor plays an important role in the development of fibroadenomas. The erbB2 and erbB3 were more strongly expressed than the epidermal growth factor receptor in the primary carcinomas. This suggests that they could be of importance in breast carcinogenesis.

Base Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Dyslipidaemias in white normotensive subjects and in white patients treated for essential hypertension.

Serum lipid profiles were evaluated in 143 white patients treated for essential hypertension (HT:31 men, 112 women, mean age 58.4 +/- 0.9 years) and in 54 normotensives (NT: 15 men, 39 women, 56.7 +/- 1.8 years). Mean values of LDL-C, HDL-C, TG and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio in hypertensives and normotensives were respectively 4.19 +/- 0.08 vs 4.01 +/- 0.16 mmol/l; 1.14 +/- 0.03 vs 1.22 +/- 0.05 mmol/l, 1.80 +/- 0.10 vs 1.30 +/- 0.06 mmol/l, and 4.0 +/- 0.1 vs 3.5 +/- 0.2; TG and ratio values of both groups differed significantly. Normotensives and hypertensives showed the same prevalence of IIa dyslipidaemia phenotype (37%). Hypertriglyceridaemic phenotypes and associated low HDL-C were more frequent in hypertensives than in normotensives (respectively 20% vs 6% and 14% vs 7%). The IIa phenotype was more prevalent in normotensive women than in men (44% vs 20%). This gender difference was absent in hypertensives (men, 39% vs women, 37%). Isolated low HDL-C was more prevalent in men than in women: NT, 20% vs 8%; HT, 16% vs 4%. IIa prevalence was greater in the age group > 50 years than in the age group < or = 50 years: NT, 22% vs 44%; HT, 12% vs 46%. The prevalence of hypertriglyceridaemic dyslipidaemias was similar in both age groups, in hypertensives (18% vs 21%) and normotensives (6% vs 6%). IIa, IIb and IV dyslipidaemias were more frequent in obese hypertensives. Positive correlations between BMI vs LDL-C and TG values were found in normotensives. In conclusion, the prevalence of dyslipidaemias was similarly high in both NT and HT groups (54% vs 64%), with some qualitative differences concerning phenotypes.

Age Factors↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence of adult primary glomerular diseases: retrospective analysis of 206 kidney biopsies (1990-1993).

The prevalences of the various histopathologic forms of primary glomerular disease (PGD) were evaluated by the retrospective analysis of 206 kidney biopsies performed in a three-year period (september 1990-september 1993) in patients between 14 and 73 years of age (107 men and 99 women). Data were compared with those of a study conducted in 1985-1987, on patients of the same age group. In the present study, primary glomerular diseases showed the following prevalences: focal glomerulosclerosis, 43.2%; membranous GN, 20.4%; membranoproliferative GN, 14.1%; IgA nephropathy, 10.2%; minimal-change disease, 5.3%; mesangioproliferative GN, 2.9%; acute diffuse GN, 1.9%; rapidly progressive GN and proliferative focal segmental GN, 1% each one. Prevalences were similar in both sexes. Primary glomerular diseases were significantly more prevalent in patients with 35 years or less than in those up this age (64.6% vs 34.4%). Nonproliferative primary glomerular diseases were significantly more prevalent than the proliferative forms (68.9% vs 31.1%). The prevalences of the various histopathologic of PGD, with few exceptions, were about similar in the periods 1985-1987 and 1990-1993: the prevalences of focal glomerulosclerosis, membranous GN, IgA nephropathy and mesangioproliferative GN showed no significant differences; the prevalence of membranoproliferative GN increased (6.8% vs 14.1%), but that of type II remained very low (0.5%). Focal glomerulosclerosis was the most prevalent PGD. The prevalence of IgA nephropathy remained low, comparable with the smallest prevalences found in some of the Western countries.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Microalbuminuria in essential hypertensives in treatment for hypertension.

Urinary albumin excretion (UAE) was evaluated in 26 subjects with essential hypertension and no diabetes (5 men, 21 women; 19 whites and 7 blacks), with creatinine clearance (Ccreat) > or = 75 ml/min/1.73 m2, in individualized treatment with various antihypertensive drugs. Clinical and laboratorial data were the following: mean age, 53 +/- 2 years (SEM); duration of hypertension, 14.9 +/- 2.2 years; body mass index (BMI), 26.8 +/- 0.7; arterial blood pressure, 142 +/- 4/89 +/- 3 mmHg; serum creatinine, 0.8 +/- 0.03 mg/dL; Ccreat, 99.3 +/- 3.8 ml/min/1.73 m2 and UAE, 9.3 +/- 1.5 micrograms/min. No significant difference was found when data were evaluated for gender and race. Microalbuminuria, defined as UAE > 13.9 micrograms/min, was found in 19% of the hypertensives (range: 16.3 to 28.1 micrograms/min). UAE correlated positively and significantly with systolic (r = 0.6309; P = 0.0005), diastolic (r = 0.4146; P = 0.0352), and mean blood pressure (r = 0.5000; P = 0.0093). The correlation between UAE and systolic pressure was stronger than with diastolic pressure. There was a positive and significant correlation between BMI and UAE values (r = 0.5623; P = 0.0028), and between BMI values with those of systolic (r = 0.5271; P = 0.0057) and mean blood pressure (r = 0.3930; P = 0.470). No correlation was found between UAE and age, duration of hypertension or Ccreat. Systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures were significantly higher in microalbuminuric than in non microalbuminuric hypertensives. Obese hypertensives presented higher mean values of UAE, systolic, diastolic and mean pressures than non obese.

Albuminuria↗