Biomedical subjects

Lori A. Erickson

Publications and source records attributed to Lori A. Erickson.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2000

p27(kip1) and Other Cell-Cycle Protein Expression in Normal and Neoplastic Endocrine Tissues.

Endocrine tumors are often diagnostic challenges. Recent studies have suggested that proteins that regulate cell cycle may have diagnostic and prognostic utility in endocrine tumors. p27(kip1) (p27) is a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that regulates the transition from the G1 to the S phase of the cell cycle. p27 and other cell-cycle proteins are becoming increasingly important in assessing the biologic behavior of endocrine neoplasms, classifying hyperplastic and neoplastic endocrine tissues, and in the progression of endocrine tumors. p27 appears to separate normal from neoplastic endocrine tissues and, in some cases, benign from malignant endocrine tumors. However, there is overlap in p27 expression among individual cases of benign and malignant tumors, and p27 has only limited prognostic utility in endocrine tumors compared to some epithelial tumors such as breast and prostate neoplasms. Thus, more effective molecular and cellular markers that can be used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes in endocrine pathology are needed.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Neoplasms Causing Nonhyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia.

Non-islet cell tumor hypoglycemia (NICTH) is uncommon. Many of the tumors associated with NICTH are mesenchymal tumors, although carcinomas are also involved in some cases. High serum levels of insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) have been associated with NICTH. Analysis of 4 pituitary tumors, 2 adrenocortical tumors, 42 solitary fibrous tumors, and 23 other mesenchymal tumors for IGF-II protein and mRNA showed that most mesenchymal tumors expressed IGF-II protein and mRNA, although only 4 of 48 patients had associated hypoglycemia. Tumor size was related to IGF-II production. Tumors less than 5 cm were usually negative for IGF-II mRNA, whereas 92.3% of tumors greater than 9 cm were positive for IGF-II mRNA. These results show that IGF-II mRNA and protein can be readily detected in many tumors, even when the tumors are not associated with clinical hypoglycemia. The expression and production of this growth factor cannot accurately predict patients with clinical evidence of hypoglycemia.

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PubMed1998

Analysis of TGF-B and TGF-B-RII in Thyroid Neoplasms from the United States, Japan, and China.

Transforming growth factor B (TGF-B) has an inhibitory effect on cell proliferation in various cells and tumors, so loss of TG-B-receptor (TGF-B-R) may lead to increase proliferative activity in these tumors. We compared the expression of TGF-B and TGF-B-Rll in a group of thyroid neoplasms from the United States, Japan, and China to determine if there were differences in the expression of this growth factor or its receptors in various tumor types from different countries. A total 108 neoplastic thyroids from the United States, 42 from Japan, and 46 from China were analyzed for TGF-B1, TGF-B3, and TGF-B-Rll by in situ hybridization with riboprobes. TGF-jB-RII expression was also examined by immunohistochemistry. TGF-B1 mRNA was expressed in all neoplastic thyroids from all three countries except for one anaplasti carcinoma (ACA). TGF-B3 expression was lowest in follicular carcinomas (FCA) from all three countries (30/42; 71%). TGF-B-RII was much lower in FCA from Japan (112; 50%) and China (6/11; 55%) compared to cases from the United States (26/29; 90%). TGF-B-RII expression in papillary carcinoma (PCA) was also lower in carcinomas from Japan (21/28; 75%) and China (23/30; 77%) compared to the United States (24/25; 96%). Most ACA from the United States (25/30; 83%) and from China (3/3; 100%) were positive for TGF-B-Rll. Immunohistochemical analysis for TGF-B-RII protein expression showed the highest levels in follicular adenomas (FA) (38/38; 100%) with decreased immunoreactivity in FCA (36142; 86%). PCA (66/83; 80%), and ACA (14/33; 42%). These findings suggest that loss of TGF-B--RII may be important in thyroid tumor progression and that environmental/geographic factors may play a role in the variable expression of TGF-B--RII in thyroid malignancy.

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