FPG and hs-CRP in the first trimester are correlated with later development of GDM in the pregnancy. In our study, FPG provided a better sensitivity while hs-CRP exhibited a better specificity for prediction of GDM.

No abstract

The objective of this study was to examine E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression at the junctions between adjacent Sertoli cells in testicular specimens from patients with varicocele in order to determine the presence of a possible link between blood-testis barrier and pathophysiology of varicocele. A total of 51 testicular biopsies were obtained from 28 infertile men with unilateral or bilateral varicocele. Twenty-three patients had bilateral and 5 had unilateral varicocele, Grade I varicocele was detected in 30 (59%), grade II in 15 (29%) and grade III in 6 (12%) patients. Abnormal expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin at the junctions between adjacent Sertoli cells was demonstrated in 100% and 90% of the patients with varicocele, respectively. In those with grade I-III varicocele, the mean E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression were 7.6 +/- 11.4 and 39 +/- 36; 7.6 +/- 0.0 and 49 +/- 30; 8.3 +/- 9.3 and 58 +/- 33, respectively, but the difference was not significant. Reduced E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression at the junctions between adjacent Sertoli cells may be associated with disruption of blood-testis barrier in varicocele.

Our aim was to evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of three methods commonly used for GDM screening: fasting plasma glucose (FPG), two-step 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT), and 75 g glucose tolerance test (GTT) in a randomized study design to predict GDM in the first trimester and determine the best approach in predicting GDM. In a non-blind, parallel-group prospective randomized controlled study; 736 singleton pregnant women underwent FPG testing in the first trimester and randomly assigned to two groups; two-step 50 g GCT and 75 g GTT. GDM diagnosis was made according to Carpenter-Coustan or ADA (American Diabetes Association) criteria in two-step 50 g GCT and 75 g GTT groups, respectively. Subsequent testing was performed by two-step 50 g GCT at 24-28 weeks for screen negatives. After excluding the women who were lost to follow-up or withdrawn as a result of pregnancy loss, 486 pregnant women were recruited in the study. The FPG, two-step GCT, and one-step GTT methods identified GDM in 25/486 (5.1 %), 15/248 (6.0 %), and 27/238 (11.3 %) women, respectively. Area under ROC curves were 0.623, 0.708, and 0.792, respectively. Sensitivities were 47.17, 68.18, and 87.1 %, respectively. Specificities were 77.37, 100, and 100 %, respectively. Positive predictive values were 20.33, 100, and 100 %, respectively. Negative predictive values were 92.29, 97, and 98.1 %, respectively. Until superior screening alternatives become available, the 75 g GTT may be preferred for GDM screening in the first trimester.

In various human cancers, dysfunction of the E-cadherin-catenin complex is associated with a decrease in cellular and tissue differentiation, and with higher invasive and metastatic potentials. The objective of this study was to investigate E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression in superficial noninvasive papillary TCC and invasive TCC, and correlate these results with pathological and clinical parameters. We have used immunohistochemistry to localize Ecadherin and alpha-catenin in 56 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 41 patients with superficial bladder cancer and 15 with invasive bladder cancer. The 46 male and 10 female patients had a mean age of 67 years, with range of 40 to 82 years. The mean follow-up time was 33.4 (range 5-120) months. Tumor grade 1:2:3 ratios were 5:32:19. In superficial bladder tumor, abnormal expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin was demonstrated in 37 and 71% of the tumors, respectively. In advanced bladder tumor, abnormal expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin was demonstrated in 80 and 100% of the tumors, respectively. Differences in expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin could be discerned between superficial and advanced bladder tumors (p=0.004, p=0.024, respectively). However, the association between E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression and tumor grade was not statistically significant (p>0.05). In addition, the expression of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin did not correlate with tumor number and size (p>0.05). We have demonstrated that abnormal expression of E-cadherin and/or alpha-catenin occurs in more than 85% of bladder carcinomas and correlates significantly only with advanced stage. Nevertheless, these observations need to be confirmed in larger prospective clinical studies.