Diseases Commons^™

Kallikrein-Related Peptidases Are Dysregulated In Pleomorphic Adenoma, Matthew D. Morrison

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Objectives: Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most common benign salivary gland tumor. Kallikrein-related peptidases (KLKs) have been identified as biomarkers in many human tumors and may influence tumor behavior. We investigated KLK1-15 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and proteins in PA specimens to determine a KLK expression profile for this tumor.

Methods: Fresh frozen PA tissue specimens (n = 26) and matched controls were subjected to RT-qPCR to detect KLK1-15 mRNA. Expression of KLK1, KLK12, KLK13 and KLK8 proteins were then evaluated via immunostaining techniques. Statistical analyses were performed with the level of significance set at P < .05.

Results: We observed downregulation …

Prostate Cancer Microparticles As A Next Generation Screening Tool For Prostate Cancer, Khurram M. Siddiqui

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently available screening tests for prostate cancer (PCa) are neither very sensitive nor specific. Microparticles (MP) are submicron tumor cell fragments released by PCa cells into the circulation and offer a possible means of sampling the tumor. We evaluated the utility of a MP blood test using nanoscale flow cytometry to distinguish patients with PCa from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). We used monoclonal antibodies against prostate specific membrane antigen, gastrin releasing peptide receptor and ghrelin peptide ligand.

We found higher but statistically insignificant, PSMA and Ghrelin dual +ve MP counts in the BPH group. Our results show that …