High expression of CASK correlates with progression and poor prognosis of colorectal cancer.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK), which localizes at cell-cell adhesion sites and binds to the heparan sulfate proteoglycan syndecan-2, is involved in cell proliferation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and cell migration. To demonstrate the role of CASK in colorectal cancer (CRC) carcinogenesis, we examined the expression of CASK and its binding protein syndecan-2 in human CRC tissues. The expression of CASK was measured in CRC specimens and the controls from adenomas and normal mucosae by immunohistochemical staining and Western blot analysis. Syndecan-2 protein level was tested in CRC samples and the controls by Western blot analysis. The correlations between CASK expression and clinicopathological variables, including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), were analyzed. Compared to the controls, both CASK and syndecan-2 expression were enhanced in CRC tissues. Furthermore, high expression of CASK and syndecan-2 was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, lymphatic invasion, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion, liver metastasis, and unresectable metastatic CRC. Survival analysis showed that patients with low CASK staining had a significantly better survival compared to patients with high CASK staining. In multivariate analysis, CASK overexpression, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, vasvular invasion, and liver metastasis were independent prognostic factors of poor DFS and OS. Our present study indicates that CASK overexpression is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. CASK is an independent prognostic factor for CRC, which suggests that it is a novel and crucial predictor for CRC metastasis.

Fine needle biopsy is superior to fine needle aspiration in endoscopic ultrasound guided sampling of pancreatic masses: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: The comparison between endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) and EUS guided fine needle biopsy (FNB) in sampling pancreatic masses is still controversial. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and Web of Science to identify all relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for dichotomous outcomes of interest (specimen adequacy, diagnostic accuracy, complications, and technical success), while mean difference (MD) and 95% CI were pooled for continuous variables (number of needle passes required for diagnosis). RESULTS: Eleven RCTs were identified with a total of 694 EUS-FNA cases and 688 EUS-FNB cases. Compared with EUS-FNA, EUS-FNB had a better specimen adequacy (OR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.27-2.64), higher diagnostic accuracy (OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.17-2.26), and fewer number of needle passes (MD: 0.69, 95% CI: 1.18 to 0.20). No significant difference was found in complications (OR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.27-3.78) and technical success (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.02-1.07). CONCLUSION: EUS-FNB is superior to EUS-FNA in sampling pancreatic masses.

[Relationship between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and cervical carcinoma in Uigur and Han women in Xinjiang].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and cervical carcinomas HPV-associated cervical carcinoma in Uigur and Han women. METHODS: The distribution and frequencies of p53 Arg72Pro genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP in 152 cases of cervical carcinoma in ethnic Uigur women with 110 cases of normal control and 120 cases of cervical carcinoma in Han women with 122 cases of normal control. RESULTS: The omni-constituent ratio of p53 genotype was statistically different between cervical carcinoma and normal control groups in the Uigur (chi(2) = 7.196, P < 0.05) group. The proportion of Arg/Arg was higher in cervical carcinomas than that in control. The omni-constituent ratio of p53 genotype was statistically different between cervical carcinoma and normal control groups in Han (chi(2) = 8.231, P < 0.025). The proportion of Pro/Pro was higher in cervical carcinoma than that in normal control. The omni-constituent ratio was statistically different between HPV 16 positive and negative groups of cervical carcinoma in the Uigur group (chi(2) = 7.177, P < 0.05). The proportion of Arg/Arg was higher in HPV 16 positive group than that in HPV 16 negative group. CONCLUSIONS: p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may be associated with the development of cervical carcinoma in Uigur and Han women in Xinjiang. p53 Arg/Arg genotype may be a genetically susceptible factor to HPV-associated cervical carcinoma in Uigur. p53 Pro/Pro genotype may be a genetically susceptible factor to cervical carcinoma in Han. There may be different susceptibilities to cervical cancer between Uigur and Han women in Xinjiang.

Decreased expression of sestrin 2 predicts unfavorable outcome in colorectal cancer.

Sestrin 2 is a conserved antioxidant protein that is involved in p53­dependent antioxidant defenses and protects cells against oxidative stresses. The present study was conducted to examine the expression of sestrin 2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and investigate a possible relationship between sestrin 2 expression and prognosis in CRC. The expression of sestrin 2 in human CRC tissues and cell lines was evaluated by immunohistochemical or immunofluorescent staining and western blot analysis. The correlations between sestrin 2 expression in human CRC tissues and clinicopathological variables, including overall survival (OS) and disease­free survival (DFS), were analyzed. Both human CRC tissues and cell lines showed a decreased expression of sestrin 2. Furthermore, a low expression of sestrin 2 was significantly correlated with advanced tumor stage, lymphatic invasion, lymph node metastasis, vascular invasion and liver metastasis. Survival analysis showed that patients with low sestrin 2 staining had a significantly worse DFS and OS. Additionally, early or advanced stage CRC patients with a low expression of sestrin 2 had a shorter survival. In univariate analysis, the patients with low sestrin 2 expression, advanced tumor stage, lymphatic invasion, lymphatic node metastasis, vascular invasion, liver metastasis and peritoneal metastasis had shorter OS and DFS. In multivariate analysis, only low sestrin 2 expression, advanced tumor stage, lymphatic node metastasis, vascular invasion and liver metastasis remained as independent prognostic factors of poor OS and DFS. The findings suggested that a decreased expression of sestrin 2 is associated with an unfavorable prognosis, which suggests that it is a novel and crucial predictor for CRC metastasis.

Ethnicity determines association of p53Arg72Pro alleles with cervical cancer in China.

Minority Uigur women residing in Xinjiang, in the northwest of China, have a high incidence of cervical carcinoma (CC; 527/100 000) and are often diagnosed young. We favor the hypothesis that Uigur women may carry different genetic factor(s) making them more susceptible to CC than majority Han (Chinese) women living in the same region. Using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, we investigated associations of a p53Arg72Pro polymorphism with CC in Uigur women compared with those in Han women. The study included 152 Uigur patients with CC and 110 controls, and 120 Han patients with CC and 122 controls. In Uigur women, CC was associated with p5372Arg/Arg homozygosity (chi=7.196, P<0.05) and with human papillomavirus-16 (chi=7.177, P<0.05). In Han women, however, CC was associated with p5372Pro/Pro homozygosity (chi=8.231, P<0.05). These observations suggest that individuals with different genetic backgrounds carry different susceptibilities to CC, at least in the Uigur and Han ethnic women studied in China.