Selected Articles by Category
Women's Health
General Biomarker Research
Cardiovascular Disease
Cancer
The insulin-like growth factor system in cancer prevention: potential of dietary intervention strategies
Author: Voskuil DW;Vrieling A;van't Veer LJ;Kampman E;Rookus MA;
The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system is related to proliferation and tumor growth, and high levels of circulating IGF-I are thought to be a risk factor for several types of cancer. This review summarizes the epidemiologic evidence for an association between circulating IGF-I and cancer risk as well as the experimental evidence for a causal relation between the endocrine IGF system and tumor growth. The potential for dietary intervention to alter the IGF system and thereby cancer risk is supported by several lines of evidence. Postulated mechanisms of action are as follows: (a) reduction of levels of circulating IGF-I, which will decrease activation of the IGF-I receptor and subsequent signaling pathways; (b) increasing local IGF binding proteins, which may have IGF-dependent effects through obstruction of IGF interaction with local IGF-I receptor as well as IGF-independent effects; and (c) interference with estrogens and estrogen receptor action, which may have direct (and possibly synergistic) effects on IGF signaling. An overview is given of the epidemiologic studies on dietary determinants of circulating IGF-I. Examples of dietary factors, such as dairy protein, lycopene, and phytoestrogens, are used to illustrate the potential mode of action of dietary interventions that may act on the IGF system. In conclusion, the IGF system has every potential to serve as an intermediate for cancer (chemo)prevention studies. On the short term, more research initiatives aimed at the effects of specific food components or dietary strategies on the IGF system both in animal models and in humans are warranted
Age- and BMD-related differences in biochemical markers of bone metabolism in rural and urban women from Lublin Region, Poland
Author: Filip RS;Zagorski J;
The utility of biochemical markers of bone metabolism has not been proven in the diagnosis of metabolic diseases of the bone tissue; however they are widely used as a tools for treatment monitoring. Their serum concentrations are influenced by a number of factors, like gender, health status, anthropometric and environmental factors. All the factors listed above should be taken into consideration during clinical use. The aim of the study was to determine the reference values and evaluate the influence of environmental and anthropometric variables on biochemical markers of bone turnover for women from Lublin Region (Poland). Subjects of the study were 188 normal women aged 30-79, all residents of Lublin Region. Analysed markers of bone turnover were: osteocalcin (OC) and C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX-I), both assessed using ELISA method. All blood samples were taken and analyzed at the Clinical Chem. Laboratory and Patho-morphology Department at the Institute of Agricultural Medicine in Lublin. The lumbar spine (L2-L4) of all subjects was examined in a-p position using the dual X-ray absorptiometry-DXA (DPX-A LUNAR Corp.) at the Department of Metabolic and Degenerative Diseases of Bone Tissue of Institute of Agricultural Medicine in Lublin. Data pertaining to factors affecting bone tissue were collected using a specially prepared questionnaire. Serum levels of OC and CTX-I in women in every age range were different, generally increasing with age. Serum levels of OC and CTX-I in the analysed population strongly depended of both menopausal status and bone mineral density. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that age and menopausal status variations need to be considered when interpreting laboratory measurements of biochemical markers of bone metabolism
The use of biochemical markers in osteoporosis
Author: Hammett-Stabler CA;
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease in which there is a loss of, or de-crease in, bone mass with a deterioration of the microarchitecture of bone tissue. The disease is progressive, taking place over a period of years, and involves derangements in the processes of bone turnover. These derangements can be classified as those in which osteoclast activity (resorption) is stimulated so that more bone is re-moved than formed or in which osteoblast activity (formation) is hindered such that refilling of the resorption cavity is incomplete.Regardless of the process, a key pathologic development is the net loss of bone mass. This article reviews the use of biochemical markers in osteoporosis