title: Expression and significance of cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA in benign and malignant ascites.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mRNA expression of cyclooxygensae-2 (COX-2) in benign and malignant ascites, and to explore the difference in COX-2 mRNA expression among different diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 36 samples were collected from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University and divided into two experimental groups: benign ascites (n = 21) and malignant ascites (n = 15). Benign ascites included cirrhotic ascites (n = 10) and tuberculous ascites (n = 5). Malignant ascites included oophoroma (n = 7), cancer of colon (n = 5), cancer of the liver (n = 6), gastric cancer (n = 2), and bladder carcinoma (n = 1). The mRNA expression of COX-2 in ascites was examined with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology, and the positive rate of COX-2 mRNA was compared between different diseases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The positive rate of COX-2 mRNA in malignant ascites was 42.9% (9/21), which was significantly higher than in benign ascites, 6.7% (1/15), difference being significant between these two groups (χ(2) = 4.051, P = 0.044). The proportion of the positive rate in the malignant ascites was as follows: ovarian cancers 57.1% (4/7), colon cancer 40.0% (2/5), liver cancer 33.3% (2/6), gastric cancer 50.0% (1/2), and bladder cancer 0.00% (0/1). However, there was no significant difference in COX-2 mRNA expression among various tumors with malignant ascites (χ(2) = 1.614, P = 0.806). Among the benign ascites, COX-2 mRNA levels were different between the tuberculous ascites (0/5) and cirrhotic ascites (1/10), but there was no significant difference (P = 1.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  COX-2 mRNA, detected by RT-PCR, is useful in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant ascites, which also has potential value in the clinical diagnosis of tumors.
authors.affiliation: Jing Lu, Xiao-Feng Li, Li-Xia Kong, Su-Huan Liao, Department of Gastroenterology, the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai 519000, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Su-Huan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Chang-You
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001201:Ascites / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D001706:Biopsy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human
keywords: Ascites; Cyclooxygensae-2 mRNA; Malignant tumor; Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction