Effects of a 12-week exercise-based intervention on weight management in overweight or obese breast cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Breast cancer survivors face dual challenges: long-term sequelae of treatment and the risk of recurrent disease. Furthermore, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle can complicate both challenges. We aimed to assess the effect of a 12-week exercise-based weight-management program in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. METHODS: A two-arm, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial was conducted among 60 overweight/obese, stage 0-III breast cancer survivors. During the 12-week program, the intervention group received weekly information support, fortnightly exercise prescriptions, including aerobic and resistance exercises to perform at home, and one dietary instruction. The control group received information support about weight management and exercise. Weight, body composition, and physical fitness data were collected at baseline, postintervention, and the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significant improvements in body weight and all adiposity indices, including body mass index, waist circumference, and %body fat, in comparison with baseline (P < 0.001) and the control group (P < 0.05). Both groups showed no significant changes in fat-free mass during the 6-month period (P > 0.05). International Physical Activity Questionnaire scores and left grip strength increased significantly in the intervention group in comparison with the baseline (P < 0.01) and the control group (P < 0.05). Right grip strength, lower-body strength, and aerobic endurance showed no significant intergroup differences (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A combination of exercise prescription and weight-loss interventions yielded clinically meaningful weight loss in overweight/obese breast cancer survivors. These findings may facilitate the incorporation of home-based exercise and weight management into breast cancer treatment and survivorship care.

Deciphering the formation of granules by n-DAMO and Anammox microorganisms.

Nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) process is a promising wastewater treatment technology, but the slow microbial growth rate greatly hinders its practical application. Although high-level nitrogen removal and excellent biomass accumulation have been achieved in n-DAMO granule process, the formation mechanism of n-DAMO granules remains unresolved. To elucidate the role of functional microbes in granulation, this study attempted to cultivate granules dominated by n-DAMO microorganisms and granules coupling n-DAMO with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox). After long-term operation, dense granules were developed in the two systems where both n-DAMO archaea and n-DAMO bacteria were enriched, whereas granulation did not occur in the other system dominated by n-DAMO bacteria. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) measurement indicated the critical role of EPS production in the granulation of n-DAMO process. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed that n-DAMO archaea and Anammox bacteria were active in EPS biosynthesis, while n-DAMO bacteria were inactive. Consequently, more EPS were produced in the systems containing n-DAMO archaea and Anammox bacteria, leading to the successful development of n-DAMO granules. Furthermore, EPS biosynthesis in n-DAMO systems is potentially regulated by acyl-homoserine lactones and c-di-GMP. These findings not only provide new insights into the mechanism of granule formation in n-DAMO systems, but also hint at potential strategies for management of the granule-based n-DAMO process.

Optimizing the aldosterone-to-renin ratio cut-off for screening primary aldosteronism based on cardiovascular risk: a collaborative study.

OBJECTIVES: Aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) based screening is the first step in the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). However, the guideline-recommended ARR cutoff covers a wide range, from the equivalent of 1.3 to 4.9 ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1. We aimed to optimize the ARR cutoff for PA screening based on the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). METHODS: Longitudinally, we included hypertensive participants from the Framingham Offspring Study (FOS) who attended the sixth examination cycle and followed up until 2014. At baseline (1995-1998), we used circulating concentrations of aldosterone and renin to calculate ARR (unit: ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1) among 1,433 subjects who were free of CVD. We used spline regression to calculate the ARR threshold based on the incident CVD. We used cross-sectional data from the Chongqing Primary Aldosteronism Study (CONPASS) to explore whether the ARR cutoff selected from FOS is applicable to PA screening. RESULTS: In FOS, CVD risk increased with an increasing ARR until a peak of ARR 1.0, followed by a plateau in CVD risk (hazard ratio 1.49, 95%CI 1.19-1.86). In CONPASS, when compared to essential hypertension with ARR < 1.0, PA with ARR ≥ 1.0 carried a higher CVD risk (odds ratio 2.24, 95%CI 1.41-3.55), while essential hypertension with ARR ≥ 1.0 had an unchanged CVD risk (1.02, 0.62-1.68). Setting ARR cutoff at 2.4 ~ 4.9, 10% ~30% of PA subjects would be unrecognized although they carried a 2.45 ~ 2.58-fold higher CVD risk than essential hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: The CVD risk-based optimal ARR cutoff is 1.0 ng·dl-1/mIU∙l-1 for PA screening. The current guideline-recommended ARR cutoff may miss patients with PA and high CVD risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03224312).

Rapid and simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens in the lower reproductive tract during pregnancy based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification-microfluidic chip.

BACKGROUND: Female reproductive tract infection (RTI) is the common source of varied diseases, especially as an important risk factor for pregnancy outcomes, therefore the rapid, accurate and simultaneous detection of multiple pathogens is in urgent need for assisting the diagnosis and treatment of RTI in pregnant women. Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae), Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), Gardnerella vaginalis (G. vaginalis), Candida albicans (C. albicans) and Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) are five main pathogens in lower genital tract with high risk, serious consequences and clinical demands. The combination of loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and microfluidic technology was used to develop the LAMP-microfluidic chip for rapid, simple, sensitive and simultaneous detection of the five target pathogens above. RESULTS: Standard strains and clinical isolates were used for the establishment of the novel LAMP method in tube and LAMP-microfluidic chip, followed by the chip detection on 103 clinical samples and PCR verification partially. The sensitivities of LAMP of S. agalactiae, E. faecalis, G. vaginalis, and C. albicans in tube were 22.0, 76.0, 13.2, 1.11 CFU/µL, respectively, and C. trachomatis was 41.3 copies/µL; on LAMP-microfluidic chip they were 260, 154, 3.9 and 7.53 CFU/µL, respectively, and C. trachomatis was 120 copies/µL. The positive coincidence rates of clinical stains in tube and on chip experiments were 100%. Compared with the classic culture method performed in hospitals, the positive coincidence rate of the 103 clinical samples detected by LAMP-microfluidic chip were 100%. For the six inconsistent ones, including four G. vaginalis and two C. albicans positive samples tested by LAMP-microfluidic chip and verified by PCR were negative by culturing method in hospitals, indicating the lack of efficient detection by the classic culturing method. CONCLUSION: Our study suggested that the LAMP-microfluidic chips could simultaneously, efficiently, and accurately detect multiple main pathogens, including S. agalactiae, E. faecalis, G. vaginalis, C. albicans and C. trachomatis, in clinical samples of female RTI to give a great clinical value. Accordingly, this novel method has the potential to provide a valuable reference for female RTI screening and early diagnosis during pregnancy.

First Report of Leaf Blight Caused by Alternaria tenuissima on Senna nomame in China.

Senna nomame (Makino) T. C. Chen is an annual plant in the Fabaceae. This plant can be used in a tonic, as a diuretic, and for the prevention of obesity due to the presence of anthraquinones, flavonoids, and lipase inhibitors isolated from the aerial parts and seeds (Hatano et al. 1997). In June to September 2019, a severe foliar blight was observed on the leaves of 1-year-old S. nomame landrace plants in Qinglong (40.41°N, 118.95°E) in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province, China. The incidence of leaf blight was as high as 67% in the fields (n≥3). Symptoms began with small, brown spots at the margins and tips of leaves, with gray or yellowish-brown spots in the center of leaves. The spots gradually expanded to irregular large yellowish-brown lesions, and the leaves gradually withered. The pathogen was isolated from 20 leaves with typical symptoms from 10 individual plants. Leaf pieces (2 to 4 mm2) were excised from the junction of diseased and healthy tissues, disinfected in 75% ethanol for 15 s, rinsed in sterile distilled water, and placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates. Colonies of 69% of the isolated fungi had round margins, and the olive-green fluffy aerial mycelia began to sporulate after 3 days at 28°C. On potato carrot agar (PCA), pure cultures formed yellowish brown mycelium with a light-colored, taupe-white center. Conidiophores were brown, simple or branched, and produced numerous conidia in short chains of three to six conidia. The conidia (n=50) were inverted pear-shaped or orbicular-ovate, light brown to brown, with a cylindrical short beak at the tip, and 19.9 to 30.4 µm (mean 25.4±3.6 µm) × 10.4 to 17.1 µm (mean 13.4±1.9 µm), with two to four transverse septa and zero to three longitudinal septa. The fungal isolates U-2, U-2-1, and U-2-2 were further characterized by sequencing of the rDNA ITS (MN712241, MZ781312, MZ781313), actin (ACT) (MN752246, MZ593671, MZ593672), calmodulin (CAL) (ON811636 to ON811638), ATPase (ON872785 to ON872787), and Alt a 1 (ON792172 to ON792174) genes using ITS1/ITS4, ACT-512F/ACT-738R, CALDF1/CALDR1, ATPDF1/ATPDR1, and Alt-for/Alt-rev primers for PCR amplification, respectively (Yang et al. 2009; Elfar et al. 2018). The sequences of the amplicons showed 99% to 100% identity with Alternaria tenuissima isolates: ITS (569/570 bp; MK560480 ), ACT (243/243 bp; MK593135), Alt a 1 (509/512 bp; MK593137), CAL (717/721 bp; MG925128), ATPase (1196/1197 bp; MG740623). Therefore, based on morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, the isolates were identified as A. tenuissima. For pathogenicity tests, leaves on 10 healthy 1-year-old potted S. nomame plants were inoculated by wounding with a sterile needle and sprayed with a conidial suspension (2×105 spores/mL). Sterile water was used as the control. Inoculated plants were incubated in a greenhouse at 28°C with a 12 h photoperiod (75% to 80% relative humidity). The pathogenicity test was repeated three times. Lesions were observed on inoculated plants seven to nine days after inoculation, but no lesions were observed on control plants. A. tenuissima was successfully re-isolated from the symptomatic leaves and identified by morphology and sequencing of PCR amplicons. A. tenuissima has caused brown leaf spot on kiwifruit (Li et al. 2019) in China and pigeonpea (Sharma et al. 2012) in India. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. tenuissima causing leaf blight on S. nomame in China. This new finding is essential in the diagnosis and management in field production.

Association of Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Polymorphisms and Growth Differentiation Factor-15 Serum Levels with Susceptibility to Multiple Myeloma in a Chinese Population.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship between growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) rs1058587, rs4808793, and rs1059369 polymorphisms, serum concentrations of GDF15, and International Staging System (ISS) staging or Durie-Salmon staging system (DS) staging in multiple myeloma patients and whether its polymorphism affects the expression of serum GDF15 in Chinese population. METHODS: A total of 120 patients with multiple myeloma and 119 healthy controls were included in the study. The SNaPshot technique was used to detect the GDF15 gene polymorphisms. Serum GDF15 levels were measured using an Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) kit. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in genotype distribution or allele frequency of three loci between multiple myeloma patients and healthy controls. However, the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of rs1059369 in ISS stage I were significantly different from those in ISS stage II (p = 0.008), and the distribution of rs1058587 genotype was different between ISS stage II and ISS stage III (p = 0.014). The overall serum concentration of GDF15 and the same genotype at the same locus (rs1058587: GC, GG; rs4808793: CC, GC; rs1059369: AA, AT, and TT) in patients with multiple myeloma was significantly higher than in the healthy control group (all p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of rs1059369 and rs1058587 of GDF15 gene have some association with ISS and DS stage. But the polymorphism of GDF15 did not affect the expression of serum GDF15 in patients with multiple myeloma.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE ENVIRONMENTAL ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR BISPHENOL A AND DYSLIPIDEMIA: A FIVE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE STUDY.

Objective: To investigate whether serum bisphenol A (BPA) concentration is related to the occurrence of dyslipidemia. Methods: A total of 574 adults were enrolled at baseline and followed up for 5 years. Concentrations of serum BPA, triglycerides (TGs), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were measured. Dyslipidemia was defined as the existence of one or more of the following conditions: high-LDL-cholesterolemia (LDL ≥140 mg/dL), hypertriglyceridemia (TGs ≥150 mg/dL), or low-HDL-cholesterolemia (HDL <40 mg/dL). Participants were stratified into tertiles according to low, median, and high baseline serum BPA levels. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models were used. Data from baseline and follow-up were used for cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, respectively. Results: In the cross-sectional analysis, compared to subjects in the low BPA tertile, those in the high BPA tertile showed a higher level of LDL cholesterol (108.1 ± 24.4 mg/dL versus 119.5 ± 26.9 mg/dL; P<.05) and a lower level of HDL cholesterol (46.2 ± 11.7 mg/dL versus 39.5 ± 7.5 mg/dL; P<.05). In multivariable linear regression models, Z-transformed BPA was positively associated with LDL cholesterol (ß= 0.13, P = .002) and negatively associated with HDL cholesterol (ß= -0.28; P<.001). After cross-sectionally adjusting for confounders, subjects in higher BPA exposure was associated with a higher prevalence of low-HDL-cholesterolemia. Longitudinally, in subjects without low-HDL-cholesterolemia at baseline, each SD increment in baseline BPA was associated with a higher incidence of low-HDL-cholesterolemia after adjustment for confounders (odds ratio [95% confidence interval; CI] 2.76, 95% CI 1.21, 6.29). Conclusion: Cross-sectionally, higher BPA exposure is associated with a higher prevalence of low-HDL-cholesterolemia. Longitudinally, baseline BPA is an independent predictor of the 5-year incidence of low-HDL-cholesterolemia. Abbreviations: BMI = body mass index; BPA = bisphenol A; CI = confidence interval; CVD = cardiovascular disease; EIMDS = environment, inflammation and metabolic diseases study; HDL = high density lipoprotein; LDL = low density lipoprotein; OR = odds ratio; PPAR = peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor; SBP = systolic blood pressure; TG = triglyceride; Z-BPA = Z-transformed bisphenol A.

Skeletal muscle proteome analysis provides insights on high altitude adaptation of yaks.

The differences in proteome profile of longissimus thoracis (LT) muscles of yak (Bos grunniens) and cattle (Bos taurus) were investigated employing isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) approach to identify differentially expressed proteins and to understand the cellular level adaptations of yaks to high altitudes. Fifty-two proteins were differentially expressed in the two species, among which 20 were up-regulated and 32 were down-regulated in yaks. Gene ontology (GO) annotation revealed that most of the differentially expressed proteins were involved in the molecular function of protein binding, catalytic activity, and structural activity. Protein-protein interaction analysis recognized 24 proteins (involved in structural integrity, calcium ion regulation, and energy metabolism), as key nodes in biological interaction networks. These findings indicated that mammals living at high altitudes could possibly generate energy by pronounced protein catabolism and glycolysis compared with those living in the plains. The key differentially expressed proteins included calsequestrin 1, prostaglandin reductase 1 and ATP synthase subunit O, which were possibly associated with the cellular and biochemical adaptation of yaks to high altitude. These key proteins may be exploited as candidate proteins for mammalian adaptation to high altitudes.

LncRNA NEAT1 Promotes Deterioration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on In Vitro Experiments, Data Mining, and RT-qPCR Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Accumulated evidence indicates that lncRNA NEAT1 has important roles in various malignant tumors. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis to explore the exact role of NEAT1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: The effects of NEAT1 on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were measured by in vitro experiments. The expression level and clinical value of NEAT1 in HCC was evaluated based on data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Oncomine, and in-house real-time quantitative (RT-qPCR). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were conducted to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms of NEAT1. RESULTS: NEAT1 siRNA not only inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells but also induced HCC cell apoptosis. A total of four records from TCGA, Oncomine, and RT-qPCR analysis were combined to assess the expression level of NEAT1 in HCC. The pooled standard mean deviation (SMD) indicated that NEAT1 was up-regulated in HCC (SMD = 0.54; 95% CI, 0.36-0.73; P < 0.0001). The area under the curve value of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.71. NEAT1 expression was also related to race (P = 0.025) and distant metastasis (P = 0.002). Additionally, the results of GO, KEGG pathway, and PPI network analyses suggest that NEAT1 may promote the progression of HCC by interacting with several tumor-related genes (SP1, MDM4, CREBBP, TRAF5, CASP8, TRAF1, KAT2A, and HIST4H4). CONCLUSIONS: NEAT1 contributes to the deterioration of HCC and provides a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy of HCC.

Association of IL-8-251A>T polymorphisms with oral cancer risk: evidences from a meta-analysis.

The findings of associations between interleukin-8 (IL-8) polymorphisms and risk of oral cancer are controversial. We conducted a meta-analysis on the basis of data from all published studies to provide evidence of the current understanding of the genetic association with oral cancer. Eligible studies were identified by means of an electronic search of PubMed, Elsevier, ScienceDirect, EMBASE, EBSCO, and CBM databases for studies published up to March 2013. In accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of six eligible studies were included in the pooled analyses. In the overall analysis, we did not observe any significant associations between the IL-8-251A>T polymorphism and oral cancer risk under any of the genetic models (all P > 0.05). In the stratified analysis by ethnicity, Caucasian individuals with genotype AA had a higher risk of oral cancer under the dominant model (OR = 1.35, 95 % CI 1.09-1.67, P = 0.006). This meta-analysis indicated that the IL-8-251A>T polymorphism was not associated with the susceptibility of oral cancer, while individuals in the Caucasian population with genotype AA had a higher risk of oral cancer under the dominant model.

XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Genetic polymorphism of X-ray repair crosscomplementing group 3 (XRCC3) Thr241Met has been implicated to alter the risk of ovarian cancer, but the results are controversial. In order to get a more precise result, a meta-analysis was performed. All eligible studies were identified through an extensive search in PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database before August 2013. The association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk was conducted by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Finally, a total of four publications including seven studies with 3,635 cases and 5,473 controls were included in our meta-analysis. Overall, there was no association between XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and risk of ovarian cancer under all five genetic models in overall population (T vs. C: OR = 0.99, 95 % CI = 0.960-1.03, P = 0.752; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.91-1.10, P = 0.943; TC vs. TT: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.92-1.04, P = 0.396, Fig. 1; TT vs. TC/CC: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.91-1.12, P = 0.874; TT/TC vs. CC: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.94-1.03, P = 0.486). In the subgroup analysis according to ethnicity, the results suggested that XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism was not associated with the risk of ovarian cancer in Caucasians population. No significant association was found between the XRCC3 Thr241 Met polymorphism and the risk of ovarian cancer. Given the limited sample size and ethnicities included in the meta-analysis, further large scaled and well-designed studies are needed to confirm our results.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms and breast cancer risk in Chinese population: a meta-analysis of 22 case-control studies.

The association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene polymorphisms and breast cancer risk in the Chinese population has been widely reported, but results were inconsistent. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. Eligible articles were identified through search of databases including Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, Chinese), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, Chinese), and Wangfang Database (Chinese). The association between the MTHFR polymorphism and breast cancer risk was conducted using odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs). Finally, a total of 22 studies with 6,103 cases and 7,913 controls were included in our meta-analysis: 13 studies with 3,273 cases and 4,419 controls for C677T polymorphism and 9 studies with 2,830 cases and 3,494 controls for A1298C polymorphism. With regard to C677T polymorphism, significant association was found with breast cancer risk under three models (T vs. C: OR = 1.12, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.23, P = 0.015; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.35, 95 % CI = 1.10-1.67, P = 0.005; TT vs. CC/CT: OR = 1.37, 95 % CI = 1.11-1.70, P = 0.004). There was no significant association found between A1298C polymorphism and breast cancer risk under all genetic models (C vs. A: OR = 0.96, 95 % CI = 0.89-1.03, P = 0.268; CC vs. AA: OR = 0.98, 95 % CI = 0.77-1.26, P = 0.899; AC vs. AA: OR = 0.95, 95 % CI = 0.88-1.02, P = 0.174; CC vs. AC/AA: OR = 1.00, 95 % CI = 0.78-1.28, P = 0.996, CC/AC vs. AA: OR = 0.96, 95 % CI = 0.89-1.02, P = 0.196). In summary, during this meta-analysis, we found that MTHFR C677T polymorphism was significantly associated with breast cancer risk in the Chinese population. Meanwhile, MTHFR A1298C polymorphism was not associated with breast cancer risk in the Chinese population.

Association of MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and leukemia risk: evidence from a meta-analysis.

In the light of the relationship between the MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and the risk of leukemia remains inclusive or controversial. For better understanding of the effect of MDR1 G2677T polymorphism on leukemia risk, we performed a meta-analysis. Eligible studies were identified through a search of electronic databases such as PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Cochrane Library, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). The association between the MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and leukemia risk was conducted by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). A total of seven publications including eight studies with 1,229 cases and 1,097 controls were included in the meta-analysis. There was no association between MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and leukemia risk in all of five models in overall populations (T vs. G: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.88-1.12, P = 0.914; TT vs. GG: OR = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.75-1.26, P = 0.812; TG vs. GG: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.92-1.08, P = 0.939; TT vs. TG/GG: OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.67-1.43, P = 0.906; TT/TG vs. GG: OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.95-1.06, P = 0.994). However, the significant association was found in others (Table 2) under the homozygote model (TT vs. GG: OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.48-0.94, P = 0.020) and recessive model (TT vs. TG/GG: OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43-0.92, P = 0.016). In the subgroup analysis, according to the type of leukemia, significant association was found between MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and myeloid leukemia but not lymphoblastic leukemia (TT vs. GG: OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.46-0.95, P = 0.026; TT vs. TG/GG: OR = 0.56, 95% CI = 0.38-0.84, P = 0.005). The results suggested that there was no association between MDR1 G2677T polymorphism and leukemia risk in overall populations, but significant association was found in others populations (Asians and Africans), and myeloid leukemia indicated that G2677T polymorphism might be a protective factor in the susceptibility of myeloid leukemia and in Asians and Africans.

The MMP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to bladder cancer: a meta-analysis.

The relationship between matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk has become a hot topic and was studied extensively in recent years, but the results are still controversial. In order to estimate the relationship of MMP polymorphisms and the risk of bladder cancer, we performed this meta-analysis. We conducted a comprehensive search of databases; PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM, Chinese) and Wanfang Database (Chinese) were searched for all case-control studies which mainly study the relationship between MMP-1-1607 1G/2G, MMP-2-1306 C/T, and MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphisms and the susceptibility of bladder cancer. The association between the MMP polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk was conducted by odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). At last, totally five literatures with 1,141 cases and 1,069 controls were contained in the meta-analysis. Among these articles, four articles with 1,103 cases and 1,053 controls were about MMP-1-1607 1G/2G polymorphism and three studies with 839 cases and 775 controls for MMP-2-1306 C/T polymorphism and MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphism. With regard to MMP-1-1607 1G/2G polymorphism, significant association was found with bladder cancer susceptibility only under recessive model (2G2G vs. 1G2G/1G1G: OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.05-1.97, P = 0.022), and as to the MMP-2-1306 C/T polymorphism, significant association was found with bladder cancer susceptibility only under homozygote model (TT vs. CC: OR = 2.10, 95% CI = 1.38-3.10, P = 0), but no associations was found between MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphism and bladder cancer susceptibility. The results suggest that the MMP-2-1306 C/T and MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphisms are significantly associated with bladder cancer susceptibility, and no associations were found between MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphism and bladder cancer susceptibility.

DNA repair gene XRCC3 polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

The X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) in homologous recombination repair (HRR) pathway plays a vital role in DNA double-strand break repair (DSBR). Variants in the XRCC3 gene might result in altered protein structure or function which may influence DSBR efficiency and lead to cancer. Numerous epidemiological studies have been conducted to evaluate the association between XRCC3 polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk. However, the results of these previous studies have been inconsistent. To derive a more precise estimation of the association, we performed a meta-analysis of all available studies relating XRCC3 polymorphisms and bladder cancer. All studies published up to April 2013 on the association between XRCC3 polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk were identified by searching electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases. The association between the XRCC3 polymorphisms and bladder cancer risk was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) together with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). A total of 16 case-control studies met the inclusion criteria and were selected. With respect to C18067T polymorphism, significant increased bladder cancer risk was found when all eligible studies were pooled into the meta-analysis (TT vs. CC: OR = 1.174, 95%CI = 1.033-1.335, P = 0.014 and recessive model TT vs. TC + CC: OR = 1.147, 95%CI = 1.020-1.290, P = 0.022, respectively). The results were still significant after excluding the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium violation studies (TT vs. CC: OR = 1.178, 95%CI = 1.036-1.339, P = 0.013 and recessive model TT vs. TC + CC: OR = 1.144, 95%CI = 1.017-1.287, P = 0.025, respectively). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant elevated risk was found among Asians (dominant model TT + TC vs. CC: OR = 1.285, 95%CI = 1.012-1.631). In the subgroup analyses according to smoking status, no significant association was detected in all genetic comparison models. With respect to A17893G and A4541G polymorphisms, no significant association with bladder cancer risk was observed in the overall and subgroup analyses. This meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC3 C18067T polymorphism was associated with increased bladder cancer risk especially among Asians. However, the XRCC3 A17893G and A4541G polymorphisms may not play important roles in bladder carcinogenesis. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate our finds.

Susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese population--associations with interleukin-6 receptor polymorphism.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most deadly malignant diseases in the world. Genetic variations in cytokine genes may have an effect on the immune and inflammatory responses which are associated with HBV-HCC. The interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor is known to be mainly expressed by hepatocytes, neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, and some lymphocytes, which have been used as prognostic markers in a variety of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and Crohn's disease. To determine the association of IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) polymorphism with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in the Chinese population, a hospital based case-control study was designed consisting of 192 subjects with HCC and 192 healthy control subjects. Our results revealed no risk associations (p = 0.064) with rs6684439 CT genotypes. However, rs6684439 TT genotypes were associated with a significantly decreased risk of HBV-related HCC compared with the CC genotype (odds ratio (OR) = 0.469, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.228-0.967, p = 0.040). The data also revealed that subjects with the T allele appeared to have a lower susceptibility to HBV-related HCC than those with the C allele (OR = 0.657, 95 % CI 0.476-0.907, p = 0.011). The present study supports the view that variants in the rs6684439 SNP of IL-6R is associated with a lower risk of HBV-related HCC, and this could provide valuable clues to understanding the mechanisms underlying susceptibility to this malignant disease. Replication and further functional studies should be carried out in the future using larger samples.

ERCC1 expression levels predict the outcome of platinum-based chemotherapies in advanced bladder cancer: a meta-analysis.

The objective of this study was to provide a precise evaluation of whether expression levels of excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) are associated with objective response, overall survival (OS), and median survival in patients with advanced bladder cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Systematic computerized searches of the electronic databases PubMed, EMBASE, Ovid, ASCO, and CNKI were performed and a meta-analysis was carried out to evaluate the correlation between ERCC1 expression levels and objective response rate, OS, or progression-free survival in patients with advanced bladder cancer receiving platinum-based chemotherapy. References within the articles identified were also searched manually. STATA package version 11.0 was used for the comprehensive quantitative analyses. A total of six studies involving 356 patients, of which ERCC1 expression was high/positive in 138 (38.8%) and low/negative in 218 (61.2%), were included in the meta-analysis. The median age of the patients was 63.7 years. The objective response rate favored patients with ERCC1 low/negative expression after platinum-based chemotherapy, but showed no significant difference [odds ratio 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-2.06, P=0.734]. The median OS time and the median progression-free survival time were significantly prolonged when ERCC1 low/negative expression was compared with ERCC1 high/positive expression (hazard ratio 0.69, 95% CI 0.54-0.89, P=0.004, and hazard ratio 0.76, 95% CI 0.66-0.89, P=0.000, respectively). In conclusion, low/negative expression of ERCC1 was associated with higher objective response, median progression-free survival, and median OS in patients with advanced bladder cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. ERCC1 may be a suitable marker of prognosis and sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced bladder cancer. Larger studies and further clinical trials are warranted to confirm these findings.

Determination of reference intervals for serum complement C3 and C4 levels in Chinese Han ethnic males.

BACKGROUND: Clinical laboratory reference intervals (RIs) for serum complement C3 and C4 levels have been established in many countries but there is a lack of published data regarding normal RIs in Chinese population. We attempted to establish RIs for serum complement C3 and C4 levels in Chinese Han ethnic males. METHODS: A total of 1,234 healthy male subjects, aged 20 - 69 years, were collected from the Fangchenggang Area Male Health and Examination Survey (FAMHES). Serum complement C3 and C4 levels were measured by immunoturbidimetry. The two-sided 95-percentile RIs were calculated using parametric statistical methods. RESULTS: Serum C3 values showed normal distribution and C4 were log-normal distributed. The two-sided 95% RIs (mean +/- 2 SD) for serum C3 and C4 were 0.656 - 1.52 g/L and 0.181 - 0.561 g/L, respectively. Body Mass Index (BMI) had a significant positive association with C3 (r = 0.342) and C4 (r = 0.258), and age had a significant positive association with C4 (r = 0.117). No significant difference was found either between smoking groups or drinking groups. A significant increase with BMI was found both for C3 (p < 0.001) and C4 (p < 0.001). BMI-specific RIs were also calculated. CONCLUSIONS: The RIs for serum C3 and C4 show a slight deviation compared to previously reported reference levels. BMI-specific reference values should be implemented in clinical laboratories.

Sepsis and multi-organ failure due to genital herpes in a healthy person.

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is highly prevalent in several regions of the world and is the main pathogen causing genital herpes, which is transmitted almost exclusively through sexual contact. Systemically disseminated infections caused by HSV-2 are rare and most often seen in newborns, pregnant women, or immunocompromised populations. The virus can invade multiple organs and cause damage. In this paper, we present an extremely rare case of an immunocompetent 36-year-old male who came to our hospital with a high fever with abdominal pain and died of sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome within a short period. After the exclusion of common pathogens such as bacterial and fungal infections during hospitalization, metagenomic next generation sequencing of the patient's peripheral blood and ascites gave us the answer, and very high nucleic acid sequence counts of HSV-2 were detected in both his peripheral blood and ascites, confirming HSV-2 as the causative virus. In addition, this paper provides a brief review of the relevant literature.