Serum angiopoietin-like 4 is over-expressed in COPD patients: association with pulmonary function and inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is both a pulmonary and systematic disease, which will cause abnormal expression of some circulating factors. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) has been reported to play important role in inflammatory responses and several diseases. However, whether it contributes to COPD is an open question. The aim of this study is to explore the potential relationship between ANGPTL4 and COPD. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, circulating levels of ANGPTL4, C-reactive protein (CRP), adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 in 73 COPD patients and 40 healthy volunteers were investigated using multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay Kits. Then, we analyzed the correlations between ANGPTL4 with other inflammatory mediators and pulmonary function. RESULTS: Serum ANGPTL4 levels were significantly elevated in COPD patients compared with healthy controls (122.86 ± 38.59 ng/mL versus 99.03 ± 31.84 ng/mL, p = 0.001). Besides, serum ANGTPL4 levels were much higher in ever-smokers with COPD than in never-smokers with COPD (131.71 ± 32.92 ng/mL versus 113.25 ± 42.34 ng/mL, p = 0.03). More importantly, the concentrations of circulating ANGPLT4 correlated inversely with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) % predicted, an index of lung function in COPD (r = -0.450, p < 0.001) and in all participants (r = -0.369, p < 0.001), while correlated positively with CRP (r = 0.312, p = 0.007 for COPD; r = 0.404, p < 0.001 for total subjects), adiponectin (r = 0.266, p = 0.004 for total subjects), and MMP-9 (r = 0.254, p = 0.03 for COPD). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that circulating ANGPTL4 levels are up-regulated in COPD patients, and have correlations with pulmonary function and systematic inflammation in COPD, which provides a novel idea to further dig the pathogenic mechanisms of COPD, and justifies more studies to determine how ANGPTL4 contributes to COPD.

Effect of IL-18 gene promoter polymorphisms on prostate cancer occurrence and prognosis in Han Chinese population.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) has been implicated in a wide variety of cellular functions that affect the biological response to tumors. However, there is insufficient evidence to prove that IL-18 gene variants are associated with risk of prostate cancer. We examined a possible association between two promoter polymorphisms, -137G/C (rs187238) and -607C/A (rs1946518), in the IL-18 gene and prostate cancer occurrence and prognosis in Han Chinese. We used a high-resolution melting method to genotype these two polymorphisms in 375 Chinese Han patients with prostate cancer and in 400 age-matched healthy controls. A hundred and eighty-one prostate cancer patients who had been receiving androgen deprivation therapy, including operational and medical castration, were enrolled to follow-up in this study. Carriers of the GG genotype of the -137G/ C polymorphism had a 2.165-times higher risk of prostate cancer progression than carriers of GC [95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.270-3.687]. Patients with the GG genotype at clinical stages III and IV also had significantly lower rates of progression-free survival (relative risk = 2.174, 95%CI = 1.211-3.906). However, we found no significant association of genotype or allele distributions of these two polymorphisms with occurrence of prostate cancer. We conclude that there is evidence that the IL-18 gene promoter polymorphism -137G/ C influences the prognosis of prostate cancer patients in androgen deprivation therapy, although neither of the two SNPs contributes to prostate cancer development.

Prevalence of hepatitis B virus genotypes and their relationship to clinical laboratory outcomes in Tibetan and Han Chinese.

This study was designed to investigate the prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) genotypes in Tibetan and Han nationalities in Sichuan Province, China, and their clinical significance. Sera from 376 patients (286 Han nationals, 90 Tibetan nationals) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction. Of the 286 Han nationals, 127 were HBV asymptomatic carriers, 90 were symptomatic patients and 69 had hepatocellular carcinoma. The distribution of HBV genotypes was related to geography as well as ethnicity. The HBV genotype frequencies were: B, 57.9%; C, 16.0%; and BC, 26.1%. Association studies between genotypes and clinical laboratory outcomes showed HBV genotype C to be more virulent. There was a higher prevalence of mixed genotype BC in Tibetan nationals compared with Han nationals. There was no synergistic effect in terms of virulence in patients coinfected with genotypes B and C.

Plasma ghrelin levels and weight loss in Chinese Uygur patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Ghrelin is an important orexigenic hormone that reduces fat oxidation and increases adiposity. This study investigated plasma ghrelin levels in Chinese Uygur patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Plasma ghrelin and anabolic and catabolic factors were measured in 38 patients and 24 control subjects. COPD patients were divided into two groups based on body mass index (BMI): underweight (BMI < 20 kg/m(2), n = 18) or normoweight (BMI > or = 20 kg/m(2), n = 20). Plasma ghrelin levels were found to be significantly higher in underweight than in normoweight patients or healthy controls. Circulating tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 concentrations were significantly higher in underweight than in normoweight patients, whereas insulin concentrations were significantly lower. Plasma ghrelin levels correlated negatively with forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1); r = 0.35), but did not significantly correlate with FEV(1)/forced vital capacity. Plasma ghrelin levels were elevated in underweight COPD patients and were associated with cachexia and abnormal pulmonary function.