Deviations from the normal of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations in fetal serum, amniotic fluid, maternal serum and adult human serum can be explained by understanding the normal physiology and the pathophysiology of AFP synthesis and metabolism. AFP is the prototype of oncofetal markers. Emphasis is given to the usefulness of elevated serum AFP levels on the diagnosis and management of pri...

INTRODUCTION AFP surveillance was adopted globally as a key strategy for monitoring the progress of the polio eradication initiative. Gokwe North district with an estimated 119 655 children <15 years detected 2 cases, 4 cases and 1 case of AFP in 2012, 2013 and 2014 respectively against a target of 5 cases per year. We therefore set out to evaluate the system and find out why it was failing to ...

BACKGROUND Circulating alpha fetoprotein messenger RNA (AFP mRNA) has been proposed as a marker of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells disseminated into the circulation. The specificity of this molecular marker and its correlation with the main HCC clinico-pathological parameters remains controversial. AIM This case control pilot study has been undertaken to detect the expression of human AF...

Sex differences in gonadal function are driven by either cyclical (females) or tonic (males) hypothalamic GnRH1 release and, subsequently, gonadotrophin (LH and FSH) secretion from the pituitary. This sex difference seems to depend on the perinatal actions of gonadal hormones on the hypothalamus. We used alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) knockout mice (Afp(-/-)) to study the mechanisms by which estrogens...

In 1987, Jacobson et al. (1) suggested that mothers of twins might be protected against subsequent breast cancer. This prediction was based on laboratory studies of the effects of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) on the growth of human breast cancer implanted in animals, combined with the well-known approximate doubling of the levels of maternal serum AFP during twin versus singleton pregnancies. This t...

The -fetoprotein (AFP) gene is an important model of developmental gene silencing and neoplastic gene reactivation. Nkx2.8 is a divergent homeodomain factor originally cloned through its binding to the promotercoupling element (PCE), a regulatory region upstream of the AFP promoter that mediates stimulation by distant enhancers. Nkx2.8 is the only developmentally regulated factor that has been ...

We performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analyses of developmentally staged solid tissues isolated from wild-type and p53-null mice to determine specific histone N-terminal modifications, histone-modifying proteins, and transcription factor interactions at the developmental repressor region (-850) and core promoter of the hepatic tumor marker alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene. Both repressi...

Some previous reports have already shown the characterizations of immunomagnetic reduction (IMR). The assay technology involves the utilities of biofunctionalized magnetic nanoparticles to label target biomolecules. However, the detection threshold and interference tests for IMR have not been investigated in detail. In this study, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) was used as a target biomolecule. The si...

The expression of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a tumor-associated antigen, is silenced in normal adult hepatocyte but reactivated in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). To investigate the roles of AFP in the regulation of cell growth, we silenced AFP expression in the HCC cell line Huh7 by transfection of specific Stealth RNAi. After the transfection for 48 h, the expression of AFP gene was almos...

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is a rare occurrence. Elevation of serum AFP is commonly associated with hepatocellular carcinoma and yolk sac tumors, but rarely with esophageal carcinoma. Here, we report a rare case of AFP-producing EAC. A 51-year-old man presented with two weeks of acid reflux and a 35-lb weight loss. Laboratory data were notable for transami...