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Biomedical subjects

D Beech

Publications and source records attributed to D Beech.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Molecular identification and localization of Trp homologues, putative calcium channels, in pregnant human uterus.

The mechanisms underlying the switch from uterine quiescence to contractile activity in labour are not clearly understood. Increasing evidence suggests that pathways of myometrial calcium homeostasis, including store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), may play an important role. The molecular basis of the membrane-associated calcium channels contributing to SOCE in pregnant human myometrium is not known, but they are likely to be hetero- or homo-oligomeric assemblies of transient receptor potential channel (TrpC) proteins, encoded by the mammalian homologues of Drosophila Trp genes. This study has therefore determined Trp gene expression and also TrpC protein expression and localization in term pregnant human myometrial tissue and primary cultured human myometrial smooth muscle (HMSM) cells. RT-PCR amplified fragments of Trp1, Trp3, Trp4, Trp6 and Trp7. PCR products were 100% homologous to published human sequences. Western blot analysis detected TrpC1, TrpC3, TrpC4 and TrpC6 proteins, which were of expected size. Immunolocalization revealed TrpC1, TrpC3, TrpC4 and TrpC6 protein expression in myometrial tissue and HMSM cells. TrpC protein immunostaining in HMSM cells was distributed in a distinct reticular fashion. TrpC proteins may be candidate proteins forming SOCE channels in term pregnant human myometrium.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed2001

Familial adenomatous polyposis: a case report and review of the literature.

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by diffuse intestinal polyposis, specific gene mutation, and predisposition for developing colon cancer. Left untreated, patients with FAP will develop colorectal carcinoma during early adulthood. Hence, early detection and surgical intervention are of the utmost importance. Colectomy is required and may include an ileal pouch with ileoanal anastomosis, which eliminates the colon and rectal disease while preserving fecal continence and avoidance of a permanent ileostomy. Advances in the treatment of FAP with associated reduction in mortality from colorectal carcinoma make extracolonic manifestations of the disease more common and life-long surveillance is mandatory. The most life-threatening extracolonic manifestations of FAP are periampullary carcinoma and desmoid tumors. The upper gastrointestinal tract should be monitored endoscopically at the time of diagnosis and assessed regularly thereafter. Duodenal adenomas should be resected so as to avoid the devastating effects of invasive periampullary carcinoma. Additionally, the development of desmoid tumors needs to be monitored (by CT or MRI), so as to avoid the severe complications of local invasion. Further research is indicated in the development of effective screening and treatment for this condition.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli↗
PubMed1998

Epidermal growth factor receptor and insulin-like growth factor-I receptor expression and function in human soft-tissue sarcoma cells.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors are implicated in the development and progression of several malignancies including osteogenic and soft tissue sarcomas (STS). To determine a role for ligand-mediated receptor activation in sarcoma progression, the relative expression and function of EGF-R, IGF-I-R, and several other molecular determinants implicated in the progression of mesenchymal neoplasms were evaluated in human sarcoma cells established from surgical specimens of primary and metastatic tumors. mRNA blot analyses demonstrated the expression of c-Met, p53, and MDM2-specific transcripts. Western blot analyses confirmed the production of high levels of p53 protein; however, minimal levels of MDM2 and c-Met proteins were detected. Analysis of STS cells #23, #26, and #50 originating from an unclassified sarcoma lung metastasis, a malignant fibrous histiocytoma lung metastasis, and a dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, respectively demonstrated high steady-state levels of EGF-R and IGF-I-R mRNA transcripts and protein correlating with receptor-specific tyrosine kinase activity and autophosphorylation in response to ligand. Treatment of these STS cells with EGF resulted in a >5 fold increase in DNA synthesis and mitogenesis compared with untreated controls. In contrast, treatment with IGF-I showed a variable STS growth response correlating with the origin of the tumor. These data support the involvement of EGF-R and IGF-I-R in the growth and metastasis of human soft tissue sarcoma and may offer new targets for therapeutic intervention in the management of this disease.

Blotting, Western↗
PubMed1998

Breast leiomyoma.

Smooth muscle neoplasms exist as a spectrum of pathologic processes ranging from benign leiomyoma to anaplastic leiomyosarcoma. Although these tumors typically occur in regions where there is an abundance of smooth muscle, they may also be derived from the muscularis of the gastrointestinal tract or the media of blood vessels. The majority of breast leiomyomas are contiguous with the muscular components of the nipple areolar complex. Strong, in 1913, is credited with the early descriptions of leiomyoma of the mammary gland. There have been relatively few reports of this entity since Strong's initial description. Smooth muscle neoplasms of the breast present unique clinical challenges for which therapeutic decisions are based on criteria extrapolated from the management of similar tumors at other sites. This report high-lights key clinical and pathologic findings in a postmenopausal woman with a discrete breast mass of benign smooth muscle histology.

Breast Neoplasms↗