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B Rigas

Publications and source records attributed to B Rigas.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1995

Selected eicosanoids increase the proliferation rate of human colon carcinoma cell lines and mouse colonocytes in vivo.

Eicosanoids have been implicated in colon carcinogenesis, but their role remains unclear. The levels of PGE2 are elevated in colon cancer tissues and in blood draining colon tumors. The effect of eicosanoids on the proliferation of colonic cells is unknown. We studied the effect of several prostaglandins (PGs) and leukotriene (LT)B4 on the proliferation rate of the human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines SW1116 and HT-29 and of 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 (dmPGE2) on the colon of BALB/c mice. PGs E2, F2 alpha, I2, the methyl ester of PGE2, dmPGE2, and LTB4 (10(-10), 10(-8), 10(-6) M), administered for up to 72 h, stimulated cell proliferation in SW1116 cells and all but PGF2 alpha and PGI2 stimulated proliferation in HT-29 cells. The proliferative effect was time- and concentration-dependent. However, in SW1116 cells the response to PGs was 'bell-shaped', being maximal at 10(-8) M, with the 10(-10) and 10(-6) M concentrations being less effective. In HT-29 cells, the addition of methyl groups to the PGE2 molecule increased the proliferative effect. None of these eicosanoids affected the distribution of these cells in the cell cycle or their rate of programmed cell death (apoptosis). dmPGE2 stimulated 3.6-fold the proliferation of colonocytes in normal BALB/c mice. This was determined by bivariate flow cytometric analysis of the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in virtually pure populations of mouse colonocytes. dmPGE2 did not alter the cell cycle distribution of these cells. We conclude that several PGs as well as LTB4 stimulate the proliferation of human colon carcinoma cells in vitro, while dmPGE2 has a similar effect on mouse colonocytes in vivo. These findings raise the possibility that eicosanoids may contribute to colonic carcinogenesis by stimulating the proliferation rate of tumor cells in the colon.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

RecA-assisted rapid enrichment of specific clones from model DNA libraries.

An approach to library screening is being developed, in which the desired clone is "fished" out of a mixture of all the recombinants in a library with a RecA-coated probe. In the current embodiment of this method, we used as a probe the (+) strand of an M13 phage containing a fragment of the human albumin gene and a (dA)49 stretch. We screened a library of two plasmids, one containing the same albumin fragment as the probe, and one heterologous to the probe in 50-100 fold molar excess. The plasmids were linearized. Probe and library were reacted in the presence of RecA, the mixture was loaded onto an oligo(dT) column, which retained the probe-target complex by base-pairing to the dAs of the probe, the uncaptured plasmids were washed, and the probe-target complex was released from the column, religated and propagated into E. coli. Recovery of the homologous target was 15-28%, and enrichment for the homologous plasmid was 200 to 400-fold. This approach may provide a general method for expedited DNA library screening.

Albumins↗
PubMed1995

Prostaglandin E2 down-regulates the expression of HLA-DR antigen in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines.

Prostaglandins (PG) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer and play an important role in immune regulation. Colon cancer is associated with elevated levels of PGE2, while aspirin, the prototypical inhibitor of PG synthesis, appears to reduce the incidence of colon cancer by 50%. We have observed that in human colon cancer the expression of HLA class I and II antigens is reduced or lost; loss of HLA antigens is suspected to be a mechanism by which the malignant cell escapes the immune surveillance. We investigated the effect of these eicosanoids on the expression of HLA antigens in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. PGE2 down-regulated the expression of the class II antigen HLA-DR in SW1116 cells (65% reduction at 2.8 x 10(-8) M). This effect was dose- and time-dependent, reversible, and specific (PGF2 alpha and LTB4 had no effect; the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen and class I genes were not affected). Aspirin induced the expression of HLA-DR in HT29 cells, a cell line not expressing constitutively HLA-DR. The reduction of HLA-DR by PGE2 was accompanied by reduced messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of HLA-DR alpha and reduced transcription of the corresponding gene. In contrast to HLA-DR, none of these three eicosanoids affected the expression of HLA class I genes, as assessed via determination of protein expression by fluorescence flow cytometric analysis and evaluation of the corresponding class I mRNA levels. We conclude that PGE2 specifically down-regulates the expression of HLA-DR, while it does not affect the expression of class I antigens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1995

Sulindac sulfide, an aspirin-like compound, inhibits proliferation, causes cell cycle quiescence, and induces apoptosis in HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.

Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), have cancer preventive and tumor regressive effects in the human colon. They lower the incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer and sulindac reduces the number and size of polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. We studied the effect of sulindac, and its metabolite sulindac sulfide, on the proliferation of HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. Both compounds reduced the proliferation rate of these cells, changed their morphology, and caused them to accumulate in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. These responses were time- and concentration-dependent and reversible. In addition, these compounds reduced the level and activity of several cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks), which regulate cell cycle progression. Sulindac and sulindac sulfide also induced apoptosis in these cells at concentrations that affected their proliferation, morphology, and cell cycle phase distribution. Sulindac sulfide was approximately sixfold more potent than sulindac in inducing these cellular responses. Our results indicate that inhibition of cell cycle progression and induction of apoptotic cell death contribute to the anti-proliferative effects of sulindac and sulindac sulfide in HT-29 cells. These findings may be relevant to the cancer preventive and tumor regressive effects of these compounds in humans.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

The effect of ethanol on the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines.

The loss of HLA antigens by neoplastic cells may allow tumors to escape immune surveillance. We observed reduced expression of HLA antigens during human colon carcinogenesis. Since ethanol, which is associated with human colonic carcinogenesis, modulates the expression of HLA genes, we examined whether it affects the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon adenocarcinoma cell lines. Ethanol (1.7 x 10(-10) M to 1.7 x 10(-1) M), had no effect on the expression of HLA class I antigens on these colonocytes, the corresponding mRNA levels, or the expression of HLA constructs. Our findings do not support the hypothesis that ethanol may modulate the expression of HLA class I genes in human colon cancer cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Lithocholic acid inhibits the expression of HLA class I genes in colon adenocarcinoma cells. Differential effect on HLA-A, -B and -C loci.

Loss of HLA antigen expression is considered to be one of the mechanisms whereby tumor cells escape immune surveillance. We recently observed reduced or lost expression of HLA antigens during human colon carcinogenesis. We studied the effect of bile acids (BAs), long implicated in the pathogenesis of colon cancer, on the expression of HLA class I antigens in human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Lithocholic acid (LCA) decreased by 42% the expression of HLA class I antigens on the surface of these cells. This dose-dependent reduction was specific for both the target genes and the chemical structure of LCA, and was not evident in cultured liver cells. None of the other BAs that were tested manifested this effect. LCA, and to a lesser extent deoxycholic acid (DCA), decreased steady-state HLA class I mRNA levels. LCA decreased the rate of transcription of HLA-B (64%) and HLA-C (87%) but not HLA-A; DCA had a similar but less pronounced effect. In transient gene expression (CAT assays) experiments, we evaluated the role of a 0.6-0.7 kb EcoRI/XbaI sequence from the 5' flanking region of HLA-A2, -B7 and -Cw7 genes in the regulation of class I gene expression by LCA. LCA down-regulated by 70% the expression of the reporter gene for all three genes. We interpret these results as indicating a differential regulation of the three HLA loci by LCA. Our findings, demonstrating a profound effect of LCA on HLA class I gene regulation, raise the possibility that such a mechanism may be operative in vivo.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1994

Fecal occult blood testing in hospitalized patients.

We have evaluated the diagnostic value of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) in hospitalized patients. We reviewed the medical records of patients who had a positive FOBT not associated with a large gastrointestinal bleed, and who had a subsequent complete evaluation of their gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Of the 50 subjects who met the study criteria, 21 had various GI symptoms and 13 reported weight loss. Patients taking medications that may influence the FOBT result were distributed as follows: 15 were taking nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, eight were taking iron supplementation, three were using steroid drugs, and three were taking anticoagulant drugs. Nonneoplastic lesions were found in 47 patients. Neoplastic lesions were discovered in 11 patients: seven had adenomatous polyps, two had colorectal cancer, one had gastric cancer, and one had duodenal cancer. Only two of seven patients with adenomatous polyps had lesions > 1 cm. In the study population, the positive predictive value of FOBT for finding colonic neoplasms was 18% and for any GI neoplasm it was 22%. Our data indicate that in hospitalized patients (a) the yield of colonic neoplasms from FOBT is approximately 50% less than that in healthy outpatients, and (b) a positive FOBT test is unlikely to lead to the detection of GI malignancy in the absence of suggestive clinical findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

The effect of bile acids and piroxicam on MHC antigen expression in rat colonocytes during colon cancer development.

The effect of bile acids and piroxicam on the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens in colonocytes was evaluated in rats treated with the colonic carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM). Male Fischer-344 rats were fed a basal diet (AIN-76) supplemented with 0.4% cholic acid, 0.4% ursodeoxycholic acid, 0.2% ursodeoxycholic acid plus 0.2% cholic acid, or 75 p.p.m. piroxicam. Rats were injected subcutaneously once a week for 2 weeks with AOM (15 mg/kg body weight/week) or vehicle, after being fed their respective diets for two weeks. The rats were killed at 16 weeks, while parallel identical groups of rats were killed at 28 weeks, and colon tumours were counted. None of the rats treated with AOM-vehicle developed tumours at 28 weeks, while in the AOM-treated rats the frequency of colonic tumours was as follows: AOM alone 50%, cholic acid 74%, ursodeoxycholic acid 17%, piroxicam 28%, ursodeoxycholic plus cholic acid 46%. The expression of RT1A, RT1B and RT1D was determined in isolated colonocytes by immune fluocytometry. Normal rat colonocytes express all three MHC antigens strongly. Neither the bile acids nor piroxicam affected MHC antigen expression in AOM-vehicle-treated rats. AOM did not effect MHC antigen expression compared to normal controls. Cholic acid had no significant effect on the expression of MHC antigens in AOM-treated rats. Ursodeoxycholic acid alone or in combination with cholic acid increased the expression of RT1A compared to normal controls, of RT1B compared to AOM-treated rats, and of RT1D compared to controls or AOM-treated rats. Piroxicam increased the expression of all three antigens compared to either control or AOM-treated rats. These findings indicate that (1) ursodeoxycholic acid and piroxicam up-regulate colonic MHC antigen expression in the AOM model of colonic carcinogenesis; (2) the colon of rats exposed to AOM responds differently than the normal colon with respect to MHC regulation; and (3) the protective effect of ursodeoxycholic acid and piroxicam on colon tumour formation seems to be paralleled by an increase in MHC antigen expression.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Expression of HLA class I antigens in sporadic adenomas and histologically normal mucosa of the colon.

The loss of HLA antigens by neoplastic cells is considered important for tumor growth and metastasis, inasmuch as it may allow tumors to escape immune surveillance. We have observed reduced expression of HLA antigens in sporadic colon cancer and adenomas from familial adenomatous polyposis patients. We now studied the expression of HLA class I antigens in patients with sporadic adenomas, which are precursors of colorectal cancer. Expression of HLA class I antigens was studied by immunohistochemistry in (a) sporadic colon adenomas, (b) histologically normal mucosa distant from the adenomas, (c) histologically normal colonic mucosa from patients with history of sporadic colon adenomas, and (d) colonic mucosa from normal subjects. HLA class I antigen expression was moderately reduced in 56% and severely reduced in 44% of the adenomas; this reduction was significant when compared to controls (P < 0.0001). The reduction of HLA class I expression in adenomas was related to the grade of dysplasia of the adenomas. HLA class I expression of normal appearing mucosa was decreased in 76% of patients with adenoma (P < 0.0001) and in 54% of patients with history of adenoma (P < 0.005) compared to normal controls. These changes were antigen specific, inasmuch as the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen, a surface antigen, was not affected. Our findings suggest that reduced HLA class I expression is an early event in the cell transformation process from normal to neoplastic state, preceding in many cases the onset of histological changes. HLA class I could be potentially used as a premalignant marker in the colon.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1993

Distinct infrared spectroscopic patterns of human basal cell carcinoma of the skin.

Infrared spectroscopy combined with high pressure (pressure-tuning infrared spectroscopy) was applied to the study of paired sections of basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and normal skin from ten patients. Atmospheric pressure IR spectra from BCC were dramatically different from those from the corresponding normal skin. Compared to their normal controls, BCCs displayed increased hydrogen bonding of the phosphodiester group of nucleic acids, decreased hydrogen bonding of the C--OH groups of proteins, increased intensity of the band at 972 cm-1, a decreased intensity ratio between the CH3 stretching and CH2 stretching bands, and accumulation of unidentified carbohydrates. Some of these changes are shared by all human epithelial malignancies studied to date, while some others appear as yet unique to basal cell carcinoma. The diagnostic value of infrared spectroscopy in BCC remains to be determined.

Carbon↗
PubMed1993

Breast-feeding and maternal smoking in the etiology of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis in childhood.

Medical records concerning pediatric or adolescent patients first diagnosed with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in two New York hospitals during a 5-year period (1986 to 1990) were abstracted, and information concerning sex, age, race, birthplace, sibship size, birth order, maternal age at birth, month of birth, duration of breast-feeding, and maternal smoking was recorded. Medical records of patients presenting at the respective pediatric gastroenterology departments immediately before or after the patients with inflammatory bowel disease were seen were also abstracted in order to generate a control series. Data concerning 68 patients with Crohn's disease, 39 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 202 control patients were analyzed through multiple logistic regression. Breast-feeding was negatively associated with Crohn's disease (P approximately 0.04) and ulcerative colitis (P approximately 0.07), with relative risk point estimates around 0.5 and with evidence of duration-dependent trends in both instances. There was no evidence of association of either disease with maternal age at birth, birth order, maternal smoking, or season of birth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Molecular gastroenterology--implications for medical practice.

Molecular biology has revolutionized our understanding of the life of the cell. The development of concepts has been accompanied by the development of new technologies, many of which have clinical applicability. This new armamentarium includes methods for detection and amplification of minuscule amounts of DNA, automated methods for DNA and RNA sequencing, the ability to express a gene in cultured cells and harvest its product, approaches to identify genes whose product is unknown, methods for a detailed understanding of the regulation of gene expression, and innovative methods for gene therapy. These developments have already had an impact on gastroenterology, exemplified by the identification of hepatitis viruses and the agent causing Whipple's disease, development of a recombinant vaccine for hepatitis B, and isolation of the cystic fibrosis gene, which will lead to the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. This editorial outlines these recent changes in the conceptual and practical framework of gastroenterology.

Gastroenterology↗
PubMed1993

Altered eicosanoid levels in human colon cancer.

Eicosanoids may participate in colon carcinogenesis, as evidenced from work in animal tumor models showing prevention of colon cancer by inhibitors of their synthesis and epidemiologic studies demonstrating reduced risk of colon cancer in long-term users of aspirin and other nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), PGF2 alpha, PGI2, thromboxane A2 (TXA2), and leukotriene B4 (LTB4), which represent the cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase pathways, were determined in 21 pairs of surgically excised human colon cancer and histologically normal mucosa samples 5 to 10 cm away from the tumor. The levels of PGE2 were elevated in colon cancer samples as compared with histologically normal mucosa samples distant from the cancer (p < 0.01), whereas levels of prostacyclin (PGI2) were decreased (p < 0.05). The differences in the levels of PGF2 alpha, TXA2, and LTB4 between normal and malignant tissue were not statistically significant. No statistically significant association was found between the level of each of the eicosanoids assayed and Dukes' stage of colon cancer. These findings, confirming and extending earlier work from tumors and cell culture, suggest that the protective effect of aspirin and other NSAIDs in the development of human colon cancer may be mediated, at least in part, through their inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolism by cyclooxygenase.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Loss of colonic HLA antigens in familial adenomatous polyposis.

The loss of HLA antigens by neoplastic cells is considered important for tumor growth and metastasis, since it may allow tumors to escape immune surveillance. We studied the expression of HLA class I and II antigens in the colons of 10 patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a condition which leads inevitably to colorectal cancer. Expression of HLA class antigens was studied by immunohistochemistry in (a) adenomas from patients with FAP, (b) histologically normal mucosa distant from the adenomas, and (c) histologically normal colonic mucosa from normal subjects. The expression of HLA class I and II antigens was decreased in histologically normal mucosa from FAP patients compared to normal controls. Adenomas showed a similar but quantitatively more pronounced reduction (or loss) of HLA antigen expression. The reduction of HLA expression in adenomas was comparable to that observed in sporadic colon carcinomas. This generalized suppression of HLA gene expression in the colon of FAP patients, which precedes the onset of overt histological manifestations of neoplasia, may be an important early event in colon carcinogenesis.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗