Microgram

Abstract: Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted, integrin-binding phosphoprotein that has been implicated in both normal and pathological processes; qualitative increases in OPN blood levels have been reported in a small number of patients with metastatic tumors of various kinds. We measured plasma OPN levels in 70 women with known metastatic breast carcinoma, 44 patient controls who were on follow-up after completion of adjuvant treatment for early breast cancer, and 35 normal volunteers. The median plasma OPN of patients with metastatic disease was 142 microgram/liter (range, 38-1312 microgram/liter) and was significantly different (P < 0.0001, Mann Whitney U test) from both control groups (medians, 60 and 47 microgram/liter; ranges, 15-117 and 22-122 microgram/liter). Furthermore, we found that increasing plasma OPN is associated with shorter survival (P < 0.001) when patients were grouped in terciles for plasma OPN. This was also demonstrated when using a Cox proportional hazards model. Median plasma OPN levels were significantly increased for three or more sites of involvement (median, 232 microgram/liter; n = 13) versus 1 or 2 metastatic sites (medians, 129 and 130 microgram/liter; n = 29 and 28, respectively). Plasma OPN levels were correlated with other biochemical markers related to the extent of disease, such as serum alkaline phosphatase, aspartate succinate aminotransaminase, and albumin (r = 0.81, 0.62, and -0.56, respectively; all P < 0.001). This study demonstrates a statistically significant elevation in plasma OPN in the majority ( approximately 70%) of a large series of patients with metastatic breast cancer when compared (95th percentile) to healthy women or patients who had completed adjuvant treatment for early-stage breast cancer. Furthermore, this is the first study to demonstrate that higher OPN levels in patients with metastatic breast cancer may be associated with an increased number of involved sites and decreased survival.

Abstract: A total of 2,445 gram-negative bacteria belonging to fecal coliform, Pseudomonas, Moraxella, Acinetobacter, and Flavobacterium-Cytophaga groups were isolated from the rivers and bay of Tillamook, Oregon, and their resistances to chloramphenicol (25 microgram/ml), streptomycin (10 microgram/ml), ampicillin (10 microgram/ml), tetracycline (25 microgram/ml), chlortetracycline (25 microgram/ml), oxytetracycline (25 microgram/ml), neomycin (50 microgram/ml), nitrofurazone (12.5 microgram/ml), nalidixic acid (25 microgram/ml), kanamycin (25 microgram/ml), and penicillin G (10 IU/ml) were determined. Among fecal coliforms the bay isolates showed greater resistance to antibiotics than those from tributaries or surface runoff. No such well-defined difference was found among other bacterial groups. The antibiotic resistance patterns of gram-negative bacteria from different sources correlated well, perhaps indicating their common origin. The antibiotic resistance patterns of gram-negative bacteria of different general also correlated well, perhaps indicating that bacteria which share a common environment also share a common mode for developing antibiotic resistance.

Abstract: Immunization with a peptide fraction from ovarian cancer urine resulted in an antiserum that reacts with a 6,000 dalton (6K) peptide. In urine from some patients with advanced gynaecological cancer, the concentration of 6K peptide was high enough to be detected by immunodiffusion. By radioimmunoassay the levels in normal serum could be determined. The concentrations in serum was 5-20 microgram/l and that in urine 5-50 microgram/l. Elevated levels were observed in urine from 5 out of 8 patients with ovarian cancer, 10 out of 14 patients with cervical cancer and 9 out of 14 patients with endometrial cancer. The highest level observed was 12,000 microgram/l. High concentrations of the 6K peptide (100-300 microgram/l) were observed in amniotic fluid from 14-16 weeks of pregnancy. Some tumor extracts also had a high concentration of the 6K peptide. No immunological relationship was observed between the peptide and known tumor-associated antigens or serum proteins. These results suggest that the peptide is a new oncodevelopmental peptide which may have significance as a tumor marker.