Polygenic risk-stratified screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in high-risk endemic areas of China: a cost-effectiveness study.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) has an extremely high incidence rate in Southern China, resulting in a severe disease burden for the local population. Current EBV serologic screening is limited by false positives, and there is opportunity to integrate polygenic risk scores for personalized screening which may enhance cost-effectiveness and resource utilization. Methods: A Markov model was developed based on epidemiological and genetic data specific to endemic areas of China, and further compared polygenic risk-stratified screening [subjects with a 10-year absolute risk (AR) greater than a threshold risk underwent EBV serological screening] to age-based screening (EBV serological screening for all subjects). For each initial screening age (30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, and 65-69 years), a modeled cohort of 100,000 participants was screened until age 69, and then followed until age 79. Results: Among subjects aged 30 to 54 years, polygenic risk-stratified screening strategies were more cost-effective than age-based screening strategies, and almost comprised the cost-effectiveness efficiency frontier. For men, screening strategies with a 1-year frequency and a 10-year absolute risk (AR) threshold of 0.7% or higher were cost-effective, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) below the willingness to pay (¥203,810, twice the local per capita GDP). Specifically, the strategies with a 10-year AR threshold of 0.7% or 0.8% are the most cost-effective strategies, with an ICER ranging from ¥159,752 to ¥201,738 compared to lower-cost non-dominated strategies on the cost-effectiveness frontiers. The optimal strategies have a higher probability (29.4-35.8%) of being cost-effective compared to other strategies on the frontier. Additionally, they reduce the need for nasopharyngoscopies by 5.1-27.7% compared to optimal age-based strategies. Likewise, for women aged 30-54 years, the optimal strategy with a 0.3% threshold showed similar results. Among subjects aged 55 to 69 years, age-based screening strategies were more cost-effective for men, while no screening may be preferred for women. Conclusion: Our economic evaluation found that the polygenic risk-stratified screening could improve the cost-effectiveness among individuals aged 30-54, providing valuable guidance for NPC prevention and control policies in endemic areas of China.

Microbes translocation from oral cavity to nasopharyngeal carcinoma in patients.

The presence of oral microbes in extra-oral sites is linked to gastrointestinal cancers. However, their potential ectopically colonization in the nasopharynx and impact on local cancer development remains uncertain. Our study involving paired nasopharyngeal-oral microbial samples from nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients and controls unveils an aberrant oral-to-nasopharyngeal microbial translocation associated with increased NPC risk (OR = 4.51, P = 0.012). Thirteen species are classified as oral-translocated and enriched in NPC patients. Among these, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Prevotella intermedia are validated through culturomics and clonal strain identification. Nasopharyngeal biopsy meta-transcriptomes confirm these microbes within tumors, influencing local microenvironment and cytokine response. These microbes correlate significantly with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) loads in the nasopharynx, exhibiting an increased dose-response relationship. Collectively, our study identifies oral microbes migrating to the nasopharynx, infiltrating tumors, impacting microenvironments and linking with EBV infection. These results enhance our understanding of abnormal microbial communication and their roles in carcinogenesis.

Host genetic variants, Epstein-Barr virus subtypes, and the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: Assessment of interaction and mediation.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms are well-known risk factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the combined effects between HLA and EBV on the risk of NPC are unknown. We applied a causal inference framework to disentangle interaction and mediation effects between two host HLA SNPs, rs2860580 and rs2894207, and EBV variant 163364 with a population-based case-control study in NPC-endemic southern China. We discovered the strong interaction effects between the high-risk EBV subtype and both HLA SNPs on NPC risk (rs2860580, relative excess risk due to interaction [RERI] = 4.08, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.03-6.14; rs2894207, RERI = 3.37, 95% CI = 1.59-5.15), accounting for the majority of genetic risk effects. These results indicate that HLA genes and the high-risk EBV have joint effects on NPC risk. Prevention strategies targeting the high-risk EBV subtype would largely reduce NPC risk associated with EBV and host genetic susceptibility.

High-throughput identification of regulatory elements and functional assays to uncover susceptibility genes for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Large-scale genetic association studies have identified multiple susceptibility loci for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the underlying biological mechanisms remain to be explored. To gain insights into the genetic etiology of NPC, we conducted a follow-up study encompassing 6,907 cases and 10,472 controls and identified two additional NPC susceptibility loci, 9q22.33 (rs1867277; OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.68-0.81, p = 3.08 × 10-11) and 17q12 (rs226241; OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.26-1.60, p = 1.62 × 10-8). The two additional loci, together with two previously reported genome-wide significant loci, 5p15.33 and 9p21.3, were investigated by high-throughput sequencing for chromatin accessibility, histone modification, and promoter capture Hi-C (PCHi-C) profiling. Using luciferase reporter assays and CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) to validate the functional profiling, we identified PHF2 at locus 9q22.33 as a susceptibility gene. PHF2 encodes a histone demethylase and acts as a tumor suppressor. The risk alleles of the functional SNPs reduced the expression of the target gene PHF2 by inhibiting the enhancer activity of its long-range (4.3 Mb) cis-regulatory element, which promoted proliferation of NPC cells. In addition, we identified CDKN2B-AS1 as a susceptibility gene at locus 9p21.3, and the NPC risk allele of the functional SNP rs2069418 promoted the expression of CDKN2B-AS1 by increasing its enhancer activity. The overexpression of CDKN2B-AS1 facilitated proliferation of NPC cells. In summary, we identified functional SNPs and NPC susceptibility genes, which provides additional explanations for the genetic association signals and helps to uncover the underlying genetic etiology of NPC development.

A polygenic risk score for nasopharyngeal carcinoma shows potential for risk stratification and personalized screening.

Polygenic risk scores (PRS) have the potential to identify individuals at risk of diseases, optimizing treatment, and predicting survival outcomes. Here, we construct and validate a genome-wide association study (GWAS) derived PRS for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), using a multi-center study of six populations (6 059 NPC cases and 7 582 controls), and evaluate its utility in a nested case-control study. We show that the PRS enables effective identification of NPC high-risk individuals (AUC = 0.65) and improves the risk prediction with the PRS incremental deciles in each population (Ptrend ranging from 2.79 × 10-7 to 4.79 × 10-44). By incorporating the PRS into EBV-serology-based NPC screening, the test's positive predictive value (PPV) is increased from an average of 4.84% to 8.38% and 11.91% in the top 10% and 5% PRS, respectively. In summary, the GWAS-derived PRS, together with the EBV test, significantly improves NPC risk stratification and informs personalized screening.

Human leucocyte antigen alleles confer susceptibility and progression to Graves' ophthalmopathy in a Southern Chinese population.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the contributions of human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II genes in the development of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) in a Southern Chinese population. METHODS: Eight HLA loci were genotyped and analysed in 272 unrelated patients with Graves' disease (GD) or the proptosis and myogenic phenotypes of GO, and 411 ethnically matched control subjects. RESULTS: The allele frequencies of HLA-DRB1*16:02 and -DQB1*05:02 in the GD, proptosis and myogenic groups, HLA-B*38:02 and -DQA1*01:02 in the myogenic group were significantly higher than those in the control group, respectively (all corrected p values <0.05, OR >2.5). The haplotype frequencies of HLA-DRB1*16:02-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*05:02 and HLA-DRB1*16:02-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*05:02-DPA1*02:02-DPB1*05:01 in the proptosis and myogenic groups, and HLA-A*02:03-B*38:02-C*07:02 and HLA-A*02:03-B*38:02-C*07:02-DRB1*16:02-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*05:02-DPA1*02:02-DPB1*05:01 in the myogenic group were significantly higher than those in the control group respectively (all corrected p values <0.05, OR >2.5). The potential epitopes ('FLGIFNTGL' of TSHR, 'IRHSHALVS', 'ILYIRTNAS' and 'FVFARTMPA' of IGF-1R) were fitted exactly in the peptide-binding groove between HLA-DRA1-DRB1*16:02 heterodimer, and the epitopes ('ILEITDNPY' of THSR, 'NYALVIFEM' and 'NYSFYVLDN' of IGF-1R) were also fitted exactly in the peptide-binding groove between HLA-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*05:02 heterodimer. CONCLUSIONS: The HLA-DRB1*16:02 and -DQB1*01:02 alleles might be risk factors for GD including the proptosis and myogenic phenotypes of GO. The alleles HLA-B*38:02, -DQA1*01:02, the HLA haplotypes consisting of HLA-B*38:02, -DRB1*16:02, -DQA1*01:02 and -DQB1*05:02 might be susceptibility risk factors for GO. Simultaneously, some epitopes of TSHR and IGF-1R tightly binding to groove of HLA-DRA1-DRB1*16:02 or HLA-DQA1*01:02-DQB1*05:02 heterodimers might provide some hints on presenting the pathological antigen in GO.

Analytical "bake-off" of whole genome sequencing quality for the Genome Russia project using a small cohort for autoimmune hepatitis.

A comparative analysis of whole genome sequencing (WGS) and genotype calling was initiated for ten human genome samples sequenced by St. Petersburg State University Peterhof Sequencing Center and by three commercial sequencing centers outside of Russia. The sequence quality, efficiency of DNA variant and genotype calling were compared with each other and with DNA microarrays for each of ten study subjects. We assessed calling of SNPs, indels, copy number variation, and the speed of WGS throughput promised. Twenty separate QC analyses showed high similarities among the sequence quality and called genotypes. The ten genomes tested by the centers included eight American patients afflicted with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), plus one case's unaffected parents, in a prelude to discovering genetic influences in this rare disease of unknown etiology. The detailed internal replication and parallel analyses allowed the observation of two of eight AIH cases carrying a rare allele genotype for a previously described AIH-associated gene (FTCD), plus multiple occurrences of known HLA-DRB1 alleles associated with AIH (HLA-DRB1-03:01:01, 13:01:01 and 7:01:01). We also list putative SNVs in other genes as suggestive in AIH influence.

Prognostic Significance of Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio, Lymphocyte to Monocyte Ratio, and Platelet to Lymphocyte Ratio in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

The peripheral blood neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been reported to correlate with the prognosis of many malignancies. This study evaluated the prognostic value of pretreatment NLR, LMR, and PLR in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A retrospective analysis of clinical and pathological data of 140 NPC patients without distant metastasis during initial treatment was conducted to identify correlations between NLR, LMR, and PLR and clinicopathological features, overall survival, and progression-free survival. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to reveal the independent factors affecting the prognosis of NPC patients. NLR was associated with T staging, N staging, and overall clinical stage grouping of the NPC patients (P < 0.05). NLR ≥ 2.28, LMR < 2.26, and PLR ≥ 174 were significantly associated with a relatively short overall survival (P < 0.05). In addition, NLR ≥ 2.28 was significantly associated with a relatively short progression-free survival (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that NLR was an independent prognostic factor in NPC. Pretreatment NLR, LMR, and PLR might be a useful complement to TNM staging in the prognostic assessment of NPC patients.

Signal localization: a new approach in signal discovery.

A new approach for statistical association signal identification is developed in this paper. We consider a strategy for nonprecise signal identification by extending the well-known signal detection and signal identification methods applicable to the multiple testing problem. Collection of statistical instruments under the presented approach is much broader than under the traditional signal identification methods, allowing more efficient signal discovery. Further assessments of maximal value and average statistics in signal discovery are improved. While our method does not attempt to detect individual predictors, it instead detects sets of predictors that are jointly associated with the outcome. Therefore, an important application would be in genome wide association study (GWAS), where it can be used to detect genes which influence the phenotype but do not contain any individually significant single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). We compare power of the signal identification method based on extremes of single p-values with the signal localization method based on average statistics for logarithms of p-values. A simulation analysis informs the application of signal localization using the average statistics for wide signals discovery in Gaussian white noise process. We apply average statistics and the localization method to GWAS to discover better gene influences of regulating loci in a Chinese cohort developed for risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Expression and Prognostic Significance of Macrophage Inflammatory Protein-3 Alpha and Cystatin A in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

This study aims to investigate the expression of macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3α) and cystatin A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and their association with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Primary tumor specimens from 114 NPC patients and associated clinical follow-up data were collected, and the expression of MIP-3α and cystatin A proteins was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of MIP-3α was significantly associated with TNM stage in patients with NPC (P < 0.05). NPC patients with positive expression of MIP-3α exhibited shorter median overall survival (OS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), compared with patients with negative expression (OS: 50.5 months versus 59.0 months, P = 0.013; DMFS: 50.1 months versus 60.2 months, P = 0.003). NPC patients with positive expression of cystatin A exhibited shorter median OS, local recurrence-free survival (LRFS), and DMFS, compared with patients with negative expression (OS: 51.1 months versus 60.0 months, P = 0.004; LRFS: 54.5 months versus 59.5 months, P = 0.036; DMFS: 52.3 months versus 58.8 months, P = 0.036). Both MIP-3α and cystatin A overexpressions in NPC tumor tissues were strong independent factors of poor prognosis in NPC patients. MIP-3α and cystatin A expressions may be valuable prognostic markers in NPC patients.

Infection and integration of high-risk human papillomavirus in HPV-associated cancer cells.

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) have been associated with many human cancers in clinical studies. Integration of HPV into the human genome is a suspected etiological factor in the induction of some HPV-associated cancers. The characteristics of HPV integration in certain HPV-integrated cancer cells remain unclear. In this study, ten HPV-associated carcinoma cell lines were evaluated for the presence, genotype, and integration status of HPV by nested polymerase chain reaction. The HPV genome did not insert in the genome of a mammary cancer cell line (MCF7), adrenal neuroblastoma cell line (NH-6), or three esophageal carcinoma cell lines (KYSE150, KYSE450 and KYSE140). HPV type 18 DNA did infect cell lines of tongue cancer (Tca83), hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep G2), and lung carcinoma (A549), but the HPV type 18 genes were not transcribed into mRNA. However, HPV type 18 integrated into the genomes of the esophageal carcinoma cell lines EC9706 and EC109, and the integration sites for both cell lines were in loci 8q24, which is a gene desert area adjacent to fragile sites. We speculate that HPV transcripts are more likely to integrate near highly susceptible fragile sites. This study suggests that HPV integration is still a significant issue that needs to be fully examined and can possibly be used as individualized biomarkers for the early diagnosis of HPV-related cancers.

Increased serum levels of macrophage inflammatory protein-3α and cystatin a predict a poor prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

This study was aimed to investigate the roles of serum macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α) and cystatin A in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) prognosis.The serum levels of MIP-3α and cystatin A in 140 primary NPC patients without distant metastasis were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay before and after treatment. The results were compared with those in 100 healthy controls. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves of the 2 groups. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors used Cox proportional hazards regression model.Serum levels of MIP-3α and cystatin A in pretreatment patients with NPC were higher than those in healthy controls. Concentrations of these 2 factors in the majority of patients after the therapy decreased to control level. Patients with high serum level of MIP-3α and cystatin A before treatment had poorer overall survival (OS), local recurrence-free survival, and distant metastasis-free survival than the ones with low level. In addition, serum pretreatment MIP-3α and cystatin A levels were independent prognostic factors for OS and distant metastasis-free survival of NPC patients; serum posttreatment MIP-3α and cystatin A levels were independent prognostic factors of local recurrence-free survival.Our results revealed that serum MIP-3α and cystatin A may be promising candidate prognostic factors for NPC, and higher serum levels of MIP-3α and cystatin A correlate with shorter probability of OS, local recurrence, and distant metastasis.

Evaluation and integration of genetic signature for prediction risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Southern China.

UNLABELLED: Genetic factors, as well as environmental factors, play a role in development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). A number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported to be associated with NPC. To confirm these genetic associations with NPC, two independent case-control studies from Southern China comprising 1166 NPC cases and 2340 controls were conducted. Seven SNPs in ITGA9 at 3p21.3 and 9 SNPs within the 6p21.3 HLA region were genotyped. To explore the potential clinical application of these genetic markers in NPC, we further evaluate the predictive/diagnostic role of significant SNPs by calculating the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: The reported associations between ITGA9 variants and NPC were not replicated. Multiple loci of GABBR1, HLA-F, HLA-A, and HCG9 were statistically significant in both cohorts (P(combined) range from 5.96 × 10(-17) to 0.02). We show for the first time that these factors influence NPC development independent of environmental risk factors. This study also indicated that the SNP alone cannot serve as a predictive/diagnostic marker for NPC. Integrating the most significant SNP with IgA antibodies status to EBV, which is presently used as screening/diagnostic marker for NPC in Chinese populations, did not improve the AUC estimate for diagnosis of NPC.

[Research progress on hereditary fibrinogen abnormalities].

As the most abundant component of coagulation system, fibrinogen not only takes part in clotting, but also works as one of acute phase proteins, which participates in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Studies of fibrinogen abnormalities contribute to understand the molecular basis of disorders of fibrinogen protein function and metabolism, caused mainly by gene mutation, commonly associated with bleeding, thrombophilia, or both. Diseases affecting fibrinogen could be classified to the acquired or inherited disease. In this review, the research progress on the molecular basis, possible action mechanism of the hereditary fibrinogen abnormalities and its clinical research are summarized.

Diagnostic significance of combined detection of Epstein-Barr virus antibodies, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic significance of EBV antibody combined detection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in a high incidence region of southern China. Two hundred and eleven untreated NPC patients, 203 non-NPC ENT patients, and 210 healthy controls were recruited for the study. The titers of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA were assessed by immunoenzyme assay, and the levels of Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, Rta/IgG and EBNA1/ IgA demonstrated no association with gender or age (p>0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve were used to evaluate the diagnostic value. The sensitivity of VCA/IgA (98.1%) and the specificity of EA/IgA (98.5%) were the highest. When a logistic regression model was used to combine the results from multiple antibodies to increase the accuracy, the combination of VCA/IgA+Rta/IgG, whose area under the curve was 0.99, had the highest diagnostic efficiency, and its sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were 94.8%, 98.0% and 0.93 respectively. The data suggest that the combination of VCA/IgA+Rta/IgG may be most suitable for NPC serodiagnosis.

[Prognostic significance of serum anti-Epstein-Barr virus antibodies in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to investigate the association between serum against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antibodies levels and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients' prognosis. METHODS: Blood samples from 140 primary NPC patients without metastasis were collected before and after treatment. The titers of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA were detected by immunoenzyme assay, and the levels of NA1/IgA and Rta/IgG were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). All patients received consequent follow-up and long-term efficacy and survival assessment. RESULTS: Post-treatment serum levels of VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, NA1/IgA and Rta/IgG in NPC patients significantly decreased than those before treatment, while had significantly higher than those in control individuals (P < 0.05). Patients in remission had significantly lower pre-treatment serum levels of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA than patients with progression (P < 0.05). None of serum levels of VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, NA1/IgA and Rta/IgG was associated with the 3-year overall survival (P > 0.05). The progression-free survivals were significantly lower in patients with higher pre-treatment VCA/IgA (> or = 1 : 320) and EA/IgA (> or = 1:80) levels than in those with lower VCA/IgA ( < 1 : 320) and EA/IgA (< 1 : 80) levels, respectively (61.8% vs. 86.5% , 61.3% vs. 86.5%, P < 0.001). Cox regression model analysis demonstrated that pre-treatment serum VCA/IgA level was an independent risk factor for progression-free survival (HR = 3.80, P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anti-EBV VCA/IgA and EA/IgA might provide information regarding the prognosis of NPC patients.

[Relationship between HLA-A, B alleles and red blood cell parameters of patients with --(SEA/αα) subtype of α(0)-thalassemia of Han ethnic population of Wuzhou city].

This study was purposed to investigate the relationship between HLA-A, B allele polymorphisms and red blood cell parameters of patients with --(SEA/αα) subtype of α(0)-thalassemia in Han ethnic population of Wuzhou city. The HLA genetic polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) in 57 patients with --(SEA/αα) subtype of α(0)-thalassemia of Han ethnic population in Wuzhou city, Guangxi province, China. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were detected by automatic blood analyzer system. HbA2 were detected by electrophoretic method. The statistical analysis was performed by ordinal polytomous logistic regression. The results showed that Hb and HbA2 levels were significantly lower in patients positive for HLA-A*33:03, B*15:01 or B*55:02, and were significantly higher in patients positive for B*15:02 (P < 0.05). It is concluded that several HLA alleles may be associated with Hb level of --(SEA/αα) subtype of α(0)-thalassemia of Han ethnic population in Wuzhou city. This result has the value for understanding phenotype-genotype relationships in thalassemia.

[Association between human leukocyte antigen and nasopharyngeal-carcinoma].

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by its distinct racial and geographical distribution with a multifactorial etiology. It has been well accepted that NPC is related to Epstein-Barr(EB) virus infection but environmental and genetics factors also play critical roles. Among host genetic markers associated with NPC, the highly variable class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes on chromosome 6 (6p21.3) have shown a strong and consistent association with NPC risk. As the consequence of new generation DNA sequencing technologies used in HLA genotyping, the number of the reported HLA new alleles is dramaticllyincreasing, and more full length sequences of HLA alleles have been reported. The significant association between HLA genes and NPC has been identifiedin a series of studies, including HLA association study, linkage disequilibrium study for microsatellite markers, and genome wide association study. In this review, we summarize association studies between HLA and NPC to evaluate the role of genetic polymorphisms in NPC development and illustrate the new clues of HLA association for deepexploration.