Melatonin as a tumour marker in a patient with pineal tumour.

Barber, S G; Smith, John A.; Hughes, R. Colin

doi:10.1136/bmj.2.6133.328

Cited by 37 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Some of the previous studies have detected HIOMT activity in pineal tumors [Wurtman et al, 1964;Barber et al, 1978;Korf et al, 1989]. Our results from the in situ hybridization and northern blot analyses are in agreement with those of the previous bioassay studies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Wurtman et al [1964] demonstrated the presence of HIOMT enzymatic activity in a single specimen of PPT using a bioassay method. Barber et al [1978] and Korf et al [1989] also detected HIOMT activity separately in a single biopsied pineocytoma specimen using the method of Wurtman et al [1964]. Quay et al [1977] detected HIOMT activity in experimentally induced hamster pineocytomas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Demonstration of hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT) mRNA expression in pineal parenchymal tumors: Histochemical in situ hybridization

Tsumanuma¹,

Tanaka²,

Ichikawa

et al. 2000

Journal of Pineal Research

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The expression of hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT), an enzyme catalyzing the final step of melatonin biosynthesis, was examined in three pineoblastomas and five pineocytomas by in situ hybridization analysis. Distinct hybridization signals for HIOMT mRNA, though weaker than in normal pineal gland pinealocytes, were detected in two of the three pineoblastoma and three of the five pineocytoma cases. Of the pineoblastomas, hybridization signals were observed in most tumor cells of one case, while in another, signals were detected in occasional cells clustered or scattered throughout the neoplastic field. Of the pineocytomas, signals were detected in most tumor cells of two cases, while in one case, signals were detected only in occasional cells. Among these specimens, one pineoblastoma and one pineocytoma were also analyzed using northern blot and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analyses. In the northern blot analysis, an apparently single band corresponding to the size of HIOMT mRNA was detected in both pineoblastoma and pineocytoma RNA blots. In the RT-PCR analysis, three species of HIOMT mRNA generated via alternative splicing were detected in both tumors. These results suggest that the neoplastic cells of pineoblastomas and pineocytomas often retain the ability to express HIOMT mRNA, as in normal pinealocytes, and that HIOMT is a useful tumor marker for the diagnosis of pineal parenchymal tumors.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Demonstration of hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT) mRNA expression in pineal parenchymal tumors: Histochemical in situ hybridization

Tsumanuma¹,

Tanaka²,

Ichikawa

et al. 2000

Journal of Pineal Research

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“…There are few reports describing changes in the serum melatonin levels in patients with various disorders (7)(8)(9)(10), and no reports on changes in the serum melatonin levels in patients with liver dysfunction. We examined changes in serum melatonin levels in patients with liver cirrhosis and found an elevation in the daytime levels compared to those in healthy subjects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Melatonin Serum Levels and Metabolic Clearance Rate in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Iguchi

Kato

Itoh

1982

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism

139

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To evaluate the influence of changes in liver function on serum levels of melatonin, we measured serum levels and MCR of the hormone in patients with liver cirrhosis and in healthy control subjects. Daytime (0900-1100 h) serum levels of melatonin in patients with liver cirrhosis were significantly elevated compared to those in healthy subjects. Significant positive correlations of the daytime serum levels of melatonin with the serum retention rate of indocyanine green dye and serum levels of total bilirubin were noted. The clearance of melatonin from blood showed a biphasic first-order kinetic pattern. The half-life of each phase was significantly prolonged in patients with cirrhosis compared to healthy subjects. Our data indicate that the elevated daytime serum levels of melatonin in patients with liver cirrhosis are due to decreased clearance, probably related to decreased liver blood flow, lowered activity of 6 beta-hydroxylase, and competition with bilirubin in the intrahepatic transport system.

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“…The elevated diurnal melatonin levels reported in some initial studies [54, 56] were not verified in later descriptions of relatively larger series of pineal region neoplasms [58]. For example, in two series of tumors that included four [59] and five pineal parenchymal neoplasms [57] only one of the patients displayed high diurnal levels of melatonin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of melatonin in body fluids: Standards, protocols and procedures

et al. 2010

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Background and PurposeThe circadian rhythm of melatonin in saliva or plasma, or of the melatonin metabolite 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (a6MTs) in urine, is a defining feature of suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) function, the body’s endogenous oscillatory pacemaker. The primary objective of this review is to ascertain the clinical benefits and limitations of current methodologies employed for detection and quantification of melatonin in biological fluids and tissues.Data IdentificationA search of the English-language literature (Medline) and a systematic review of published articles were carried out.Study SelectionArticles that specified both the methodology for quantifying melatonin and indicated the clinical purpose were chosen for inclusion in the review.Data ExtractionThe authors critically evaluated the methodological issues associated with various tools and techniques (e.g. standards, protocols, and procedures).Results of Data SynthesisMelatonin measurements are useful for evaluating problems related to the onset or offset of sleep and for assessing phase delays or advances of rhythms in entrained individuals. They have also become an important tool for psychiatric diagnosis, their use being recommended for phase typing in patients suffering from sleep and mood disorders. Additionally, there has been a continuous interest in the use of melatonin as a marker for neoplasms of the pineal region. Melatonin decreases such as found with aging are or post pinealectomy can cause alterations in the sleep/wake cycle. The development of sensitive and selective methods for the precise detection of melatonin in tissues and fluids has increasingly been shown to have direct relevance for clinical decision making.ConclusionsDue to melatonin’s low concentration, as well as the coexistence of numerous other compounds in the blood, the routine determination of melatonin has been an analytical challenge. The available evidence indicates however that these challenges can be overcome and consequently that evaluation of melatonin's presence and activity can be an accessible and useful tool for clinical diagnosis.

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Melatonin as a tumour marker in a patient with pineal tumour.

Cited by 37 publications

References 3 publications

Demonstration of hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT) mRNA expression in pineal parenchymal tumors: Histochemical in situ hybridization

Demonstration of hydroxyindole‐O‐methyltransferase (HIOMT) mRNA expression in pineal parenchymal tumors: Histochemical in situ hybridization

Melatonin Serum Levels and Metabolic Clearance Rate in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Measurement of melatonin in body fluids: Standards, protocols and procedures

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