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Sadir J Alrawi

Publications and source records attributed to Sadir J Alrawi.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Prognostic significance of MCM2, Ki-67 and gelsolin in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled proliferation and increased motility are hallmarks of neoplastic cells, therefore markers of proliferation and motility may be valuable in assessing tumor progression and prognosis. MCM2 is a member of the minichromosome maintenance (MCM) protein family. It plays critical roles in the initiation of DNA replication and in replication fork movement, and is intimately related to cell proliferation. Ki-67 is a proliferation antigen that is expressed during all but G0 phases of the cell cycle. Gelsolin is an actin-binding protein that regulates the integrity of the actin cytoskeletal structure and facilitates cell motility. In this study, we assessed the prognostic significance of MCM2 and Ki-67, two markers of proliferation, and gelsolin, a marker of motility, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: 128 patients with pathologically confirmed, resectable NSCLC (stage I-IIIA) were included. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to measure the expressions of these markers in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues. Staining and scoring of MCM2, Ki-67 and gelsolin was independently performed. Analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic significance of single expression of each marker, as well as the prognostic significance of composite expressions of MCM2 and gelsolin. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Of the three markers, higher levels of gelsolin were significantly associated with an increased risk of death (adjusted RR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.17-3.05, p = 0.01), and higher levels of MCM2 were associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (adjusted RR = 1.36, 95% CI = 0.84-2.20, p = 0.22). Combined, adjusted analyses revealed a significantly poor prognostic effect for higher expression of MCM2 and gelsolin compared to low expression of both biomarkers (RR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.21-4.45, p = 0.01). Ki-67 did not display apparent prognostic effect in this study sample. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that higher tumor proliferation and motility may be important in the prognosis of NSCLC, and composite application of biomarkers might be of greater value than single marker application in assessing tumor prognosis.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Genomic instability of human aberrant crypt foci measured by inter-(simple sequence repeat) PCR and array-CGH.

Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are the earliest identifiable neoplastic lesions in the colon. Thirty-two ACFs were examined for genomic instability in forms detectable either by inter-(simple sequence repeat) PCR or by array comparative genomic hybridization [array-CGH]. One-fourth of ACFs revealed moderate instability by inter-(simple sequence repeat) PCR; none showed amplifications or deletions on array-CGH. The absence of genomic events detectible by BAC array-CGH indicates early events in colorectal tumor progression are typically smaller than the approximate 150 kb size of a BAC clone insert.

Aged, 80 and over↗
PubMed2004

Lipomatous hemangiopericytoma of the head and neck: immunohistochemical and DNA ploidy analyses.

BACKGROUND: Lipomatous hemangiopericytoma (LHPC) is a newly described rare soft tissue tumor with unpredictable biologic behavior and is difficult to diagnose by conventional histologic parameters. The molecular analyses of this entity to date are sparse. Only a few cases of LHPC have been reported. Although one case of LHPC in the sinonasal region was briefly reported, this is the first case in the head and neck region with detailed clinicopathologic features and molecular analysis of this entity. METHODS: We reported a case of LHPC in a 55-year-old woman with a slowly growing lesion in the occipital area that was diagnosed by CT and MRI and removed surgically. Immunohistochemical and DNA ploidy analyses were performed. RESULTS: A panel of 16 markers was included for immunohistochemical analysis. Diffuse immunopositivity of CD57 in our case provides supportive evidence that LHPC is linked with HPC because this marker is also present in approximately 50% of conventional HPCs. CD57 should be used in the immunohistochemical panel in any lesion suspected to be LHPC. Furthermore, CD57 along with CD34 and XIIIa is thought to stain for primitive mesenchymal stem cells, suggesting a bimodal/multimodal differentiation of LHPC. By flow cytometry, we found that tumor cells were 100% diploid with the S-phase fraction (SPF) being 3.21%. A significant positive correlation was detected between nuclear proliferating index and SPF (p < 0.001, by Spearman analysis). These findings provide molecular evidence indicating a benign nature of LHPC. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to the old belief that HPC has an aggressive nature, this variant of tumor looks less aggressive. The patient was followed for 1 year without any evidence of recurrence, supporting our pathologic hypothesis.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2002

Cardiac surgical procedures and glove reinforcements.

The purpose of this prospective study is to determine the frequency and site of glove perforation during cardiac surgical procedures. Over a period of six months, gloves from 206 surgical team members were collected at the conclusion of surgery. All cases of known perforations were eliminated from the study. The percentage of glove perforation was 14%. The distribution of perforation across locations of the hand was significantly unequal (P = 0.001). We found that 73% of the punctures occurred in one of four contiguous locations on the glove: the radial side of the index finger (28%), the radial side of the thumb (21%), the palmar side of the index (14%), and the palmar side of the thumb (10%). Therefore, we recommend glove reinforcement on these locations that would provide better protection against transmission of infectious agents. Discomfort from restricted dexterity and impaired sense of touch with double gloving renders glove reinforcement a suitable alternative for universal precautions, especially in cardiac surgery while high level of perfection and dexterity were needed in lengthy, critical operations.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗
PubMed2002

Correlation of blood volume values and pulmonary artery catheter measurements.

OBJECTIVE: To correlate the values generated by direct total blood volume measurement with pulmonary artery catheter parameters and commonly used laboratory values in the management of critically ill patients. METHODS: This study was carried out at the Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America, during the period 1998-1999. We prospectively correlated the total blood volume (TBV) values generated by the blood volume analyzer (BVA)-100 using I131-tagged albumin, with the values obtained from pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) of central venous pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac output, and with laboratory values of hematocrit, lactate, arterial blood gas and mixed venous blood, in critically ill patients. Twenty-four intensive care unit (ICU) patients were studied. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Admission to the intensive care, pulmonary artery catheter insertion and (APACHE) II Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation score of 8-30 (mean=17.875). EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Pediatric patients, hemodynamically normal or stable patients, pregnancy, and critically ill patients that were managed in an ICU setting without PAC catheter. Height and weight were recorded. After the collection of an initial blood sample (5 cc), one cc of I131-tagged albumin (15-25 microcuries) was injected using a patented syringe. Five venous samples were collected after the isotope injection. RESULTS: The collection times were entered into the BVA-100. Hematocrit measurements were performed in duplicate. Blood samples were centrifuged and one ml from the plasma of each sample was pipetted (in duplicate) into the sample tube then placed into the BVA-100. The results showed that the TBV did not correlate with either pulmonary capillary wedge pressure or central venous pressure, and except for the cardiac output, there is no correlation between pulmonary capillary wedge pressure readings or TBV results and the other parameters considered in this study. CONCLUSION: This method can be released from the research fields and can be safely incorporated into the clinical arena. It provides an accurate assessment of the volume status in intensive care unit patients.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Tissue eosinophilic infiltration: a useful marker for assessing stromal invasion, survival and locoregional recurrence in head and neck squamous neoplasia.

UNLABELLED: The assessment of stromal invasion in aerodigestive neoplastic squamous proliferation often poses diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Eosinophilic infiltration is thought to be an adjunctive histologic criterion in determining tumor aggressiveness and invasion. We investigated whether an eosinophilic infiltration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma measured in biopsies would aid in predicting tumor invasion, response to treatment, locoregional recurrence, and survival. METHODS: Eighty-seven patients with in situ and invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region were evaluated and treated according to their staging. The number of eosinophils per high-power field (eosinophil/HPF), and per 10 high-power fields (eosinophil/10 HPF) at the tumor interface and in tumor tissue, was counted and classified as focally or diffusely present. Each sample was assigned an eosinophilic index of 1-4 based on the number of eosinophils/HPF or 10 HPF. Of 87 patients, 20 patients were followed up after appropriate treatment for locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis, and disease-free survival. RESULTS: Eosinophilic counts were elevated focally and/or diffusely more frequently in invasive squamous cell carcinoma than in noninvasive tumors. The increased eosinophilic counts, specifically > 10/HPF and > 20/10 HPF, were both significantly associated with stromal invasion. Greater than 10 eosinophils/HPF and/or > 20 eosinophils/10 HPF had the highest predictive power for invasion, with sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values of 66%, 94%, 96% and 61%, 100%, and 100%, respectively. Eosinophilic counts greater than 20 eosinophils/10 HPF and eosinophilic indices > 2 were virtually diagnostic for tumor invasion. Patients' biopsies with eosinophilic indices < 2 had a better survival (P = 0.0156). Using Cox regression analysis, we found that most patients' biopsies that had eosinophilic indices > 2 recurred locally or regionally. CONCLUSIONS: The elevated eosinophilic counts in biopsies and eosinophilic indices in specimens of squamous cell carcinoma of the aerodigestive tract are a histopathologic marker associated with tumor invasion and a clinical predictor for aggressive tumor biology. Similarly, the presence of eosinophils meeting these thresholds in an excisional specimen should indicate the need for additional therapeutic measures and close surveillance to detect earlier locoregional recurrence and possible distant metastasis.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Primary thoracoscopic evaluation of pleural effusion with local anesthesia: an alternative approach.

OBJECTIVE: The development of a thoracoscopically assisted technique to be performed with the patient under local anesthesia for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes when treating pleural effusions and empyemas in high-risk surgical patients. METHODS: Twenty patients with pleural effusion or empyema who were also determined to be at high risk for complications following a thoracotomy, pleural biopsy, general anesthesia, or all of these, underwent placement of a thoracoscope while under local anesthesia followed by thoracic fluid drainage, pleural biopsy, and pleurodesis as required. Patients were retrospectively evaluated for a variety of factors including personal history, pre-existing medical conditions, and pre- and postoperative course. RESULTS: The average age of the patients was 59 years (18 to 89) with a 55% male/45% female sex distribution. Patients had this procedure as a consequence of malignancy (50%), empyema (30%), spontaneous pneumothorax (10%), bronchiectasis (50%), or heart failure (5%). The average duration of the procedure was 62 minutes (20 to 190), with an average of 861 mL of fluid drainage, and 114 mL of estimated blood loss. The tube thoracostomy was usually removed on the sixth (0 to 13) postprocedure day. This procedure was well tolerated by the patients with the majority of pain management being achieved with patient controlled analgesia (58%). The direct complication rate was 10%, with 2 patients requiring endotracheal intubation. CONCLUSION: This novel thoracoscopic procedure represents an acceptable alternative to the traditional treatment of pleural effusions and empyema with comparable outcome parameters and morbidity. This technique may eventually become the standard of care for the treatment of pleural effusions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Aberrant crypt foci.

Colon cancer evolves through epithelial cell deregulation and inappropriate proliferation. These histopathological characteristics are exemplified in the biochemical, immunohistochemical, genetic and epigenetic elements detected within colonic mucosa. Early detection is paramount for the prevention of colon cancer deaths. Aberrant crypt foci (ACF) are thought to be the earliest identifiable neoplastic lesions in the colon carcinogenetic model. The progression of ACF to polyp and, subsequently, to cancer parallels the accumulation of several biochemical alterations and mutations whereby a small fraction of ACF evolve to colon cancer. Recent data indicate that, not uncommonly, some ACF bypass the polyp stage in their carcinogenesis thus reinforcing the importance of their early detection and our understanding of their pathogenesis. Since ACF were first detected in carcinogen-treated mice, research efforts have focused on these microscopically visible lesions both in animal and human models. ACF show variable histological features, characterized by Kudo (20) and, therefore, can be grouped into differing categories by in vivo examination with high-magnification-chromoscopic-colonoscopy (HMCC). As expected, ACF are more frequently detected in distal animal and human colons coinciding with the geographic distribution of colorectal cancer (CRC). Various proteomic (Prot) markers may be altered within ACF suggesting possible prospective pathological changes. These markers include Calreticulin, Transgelin, Serotransferrin, Triphosphate isomerase and Carbonic anhydrase II. Other markers of importance include carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), B-catenin, placental cadherin (P-cadherin), epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX-2) and P16INK4a. Genetic mutations of K-ras, B-Raf APC and p53 have been demonstrated in ACF as well as the epigenetic alterations of CpG island methylation. Genomic instabilities (GI), illustrated by a higher GI Index (GII), microsatellite instability (MSI), loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and defects in mismatch repair (MMR) systems, are also expressed. These transformations may lead to the identification of the earliest pathological features initiating colon tumorigenesis. In this review, the advances in ACF research as precursors of CRCs are highlighted.

Animals↗