Thesis (Masters Diploma (Medical Technology) -- Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 1992 / Gastric cancer, a fatal malignancy, is endemic in the Coloured population of the Western Cape region of South
Africa. Diagnosis is based mainly on histologic
investigation with patients of either sex being mainly
between 40-60 years of age. The extent to which genetic and
environmental influences play a role in the aetiology of the
disease is unknown.
This study is an attempt to biochemically characterise
gastric mucins or mucus glycoproteins, (the main gel forming
components of crude mucus scrapings off the mucosal surface),
in carcinoma of the stomach (HCA), as compared to those in
ulcer disease (HGU), post mortem specimens (PM) and samples
obtained from organ transplant donor stomachs (HD). The aim
of this study is the development of a diagnostic marker
within mucus secretions for the detection of pre-malignant
disease amongst the high risk population of the Western Cape
region of South Africa.
Mucins were extracted from crude mucus gel scrapings
according to a carefully designed technique in which
proteolytic inhibitors were used to minimise the possibility
of endogenous proteolysis in the laboratory through possible
contamination. Two density gradient ultra-centrifugation
steps for 48 hours each at 105,000g in caesium chloride, a
well established standard isolation procedure for mucins,
gave a yield of pure mucins which fractionated at a density
of approximately 1.41gjml in all groups. These mucins, from
the HO, PH, HGU and HCA groups eluted mainly in the included
volume of a Sepharose 2B column as broad, polydisperse peaks,
suggesting that they were degraded and comprised mainly
lower molecular weight PAS positive material in relation to
large polymeric gel forming mucin.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:cput/oai:localhost:20.500.11838/1485 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | McLeod, Heather Alison |
| Publisher | Cape Technikon |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/za/ |
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