Biomedical subjects

M D Walsh

Publications and source records attributed to M D Walsh.

56 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Altered mucin expression in the gastrointestinal tract: a review.

Early studies of changes in mucin expression in disorders of the gastrointestinal tract focused on alterations in the carbohydrate chain. This review briefly considers the various mechanisms by which such alterations may come about: (a) normal variation, (b) sialic acid alterations, (c) defective assembly of carbohydrate side-chains, (d) changed expression of core proteins and (e) epithelial metaplasia. The availability of monoclonal antibodies to mucin core proteins adds a new dimension to mucin histochemistry. It is now possible to offer explanations for traditional mucin histochemical findings on the basis of lineage-specific patterns of mucin core protein expression. Changes in core protein expression are described in inflammatory, metaplastic and neoplastic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The possibility that mucin change could be important in the aetiology of some diseases such as ulcerative colitis and H. pylori gastritis is considered. It is more probable, however, that changes in mucin expression are secondary to reprogramming of cellular differentiation and altered cell turnover. As such they may serve as markers to explain pathogenesis and provide novel diagnostic and prognostic information.

Cell Differentiation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and cancer-associated serum antigen (CASA) in distinguishing benign and malignant prostate disease.

The Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) and the Cancer-Associated Serum Antigen (CASA) assay for the MUC1 mucin were compared in the serum of 303 patients with malignant or benign prostatic disease. Using cutpoints of 4, 10, and 20 micrograms/l, PSA was elevated in 93%, 81%, and 64% of patients with prostate cancer (n = 113), with corresponding specificities of 55%, 84%, and 96% in benign prostate disease (prostatic hyperplasia or prostatitis, n = 190). Using the recommended cutpoint of 4 Units/ml, CASA was elevated in 38% of patients with prostate cancer, with a specificity of 91% in benign disease. PSA and CASA showed a poor correlation in prostate cancer (r = 0.367) and benign disease (r = 0.158), and CASA was elevated in some PSA negative samples. Used together, PSA > or = 20 micrograms/l and CASA > or = 4 kU/l gave perfect specificity in benign disease, with a corresponding sensitivity of 29% (positive and negative predictive values of 100% and 70%, respectively). However, this combination gave no improvement over the use of PSA alone, with sensitivity 47% when the cutpoint was raised to give perfect specificity. These data suggest that CASA is of little use as an adjunct to PSA in the differentiation of benign and malignant prostate disease.

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