Serum copper and zinc levels and the risk of oral cancer: A new insight based on large-scale case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: Limited evidence exists on the roles of serum copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) in oral cancer risk. We aimed to preliminarily explore the association between serum Cu and Zn levels and oral cancer risk with relatively large-scale samples. METHODS: Serum Cu and Zn levels of 344 oral cancer patients and 1,122 matched healthy controls in this case-control study were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). RESULTS: Restricted cubic spline revealed the U-shaped relationship between serum Cu or Zn levels and the risk of oral cancer. Serum deficient or elevated levels of Cu were significantly associated with the risk of oral cancer: The ORs were 1.38 (95% CI: 1.01-1.89) and 2.82 (95% CI: 1.60-4.98), respectively. The positive association of serum low or high levels of Zn with oral cancer risk was also observed: The ORs were 2.72 (95% CI: 1.60-4.62) and 12.41 (95% CI: 9.09-16.93), respectively. Additionally, there were multiplicative interactions between the aforementioned trace elements and smoking. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that both serum excess and deficient levels of Cu or Zn were significant correlation with oral cancer risk, which may provide a new insight on the roles of serum Cu and Zn in oral cancer.

Influence of rendering methods on yield and quality of chicken fat recovered from broiler skin.

OBJECTIVE: In order to utilize fat from broiler byproducts efficiently, it is necessary to develop an appropriate rendering procedure and establish quality information for the rendered fat. A study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the influence of rendering methods on the amounts and general properties of the fat recovered from broiler skin. METHODS: The yield and quality of the broiler skin fat rendered through high and lower energy microwave rendering (3.6 W/g for 10 min and 2.4 W/g for 10 min for high power microwave rendering (HPMR) and high power microwave rendering (LPMR), respectively), oven baking (OB, at 180°C for 40 min), and water cooking (WC, boiling for 40 min) were compared. RESULTS: Microwave-rendered skin exhibited the highest yields and fat recovery rates, followed by OB, and WC fats (p<0.05). HPMR fat had the highest L*, a*, and b* values, whereas WC fat had the highest moisture content, acid values, and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the acid value, peroxide value, and TBA values between HPMR and LPMR fats. CONCLUSION: Microwave rendering at a power level of 3.6 W/g for 10 min is suggested base on the yield and quality of chicken fat.

Upregulated long noncoding RNA ENST00000470447.1 inhibits cell migration and invasion and predicts better disease-free survival of oral cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to assess the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) expression profile of oral cancer and clarify the biological functions and clinical value of a novel lncRNA ENST00000470447.1. METHOD: Microarray assay was used to explore lncRNA expression profiles in three paired oral cancer and adjacent normal tissue samples. The expression of targeted lncRNA (ENST00000545372.1, ENST00000470447.1, and ENST00000412353.1) was validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Then we evaluated the biological and clinical roles of ENST00000470447.1 in oral cancer by in vitro assays and multivariable Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: LncRNAs were aberrantly expressed in oral cancer tissues. The expression levels of ENST00000470447.1 and ENST00000412353.1 in oral cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in matched adjacent noncancerous tissues (P < .001). in vitro assays indicated that overexpression of ENST00000470447.1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion ability of Tca-8113 cells, whereas promoted the apoptosis of Tca-8113 cells. Furthermore, ENST00000470447.1 expression was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation (P = .030). Cox regression analyses demonstrated that high ENST00000470447.1 expression was associated with better disease-free survival for patients with oral cancer (hazard ratio: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.06-0.95; P = .041). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that ENST00000470447.1 can be served as a potential novel marker for recurrence and metastasis prediction of patients with oral cancer, which may provide a potential therapeutic target for oral cancer.

Three prognostic indexes as predictors of response to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma after radical surgery: A large-scale prospective study.

BACKGROUND: To develop and validate practical prognostic indexes (PIs) for predicting the prognosis and response to postoperative adjuvant therapy in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: A large cohort of 1071 OSCC patients were randomized to either training set (N = 708) or validation set (N = 363). Three types of PIs were developed according to the nomogram scores, ß coefficients and excess hazard ratios, respectively. Restricted cubic spline was used to demonstrate the relationship between PIs and the risks of death. RESULTS: First, a nomogram was developed incorporating age at diagnosis, smoking status, clinical stage, tumor differentiation, lymph node status, comorbidity, and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio levels. Then, three PIs were established with high survival predictive ability, and were superior to AJCC staging system (all P < .05). The risks of death were escalated continuously with the increasing number of PIs. Interestingly, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was positively associated with poor overall survival in patients with low PIs, but exerted a beneficial effect on patients with high PIs. CONCLUSION: Combined nomogram with further established PIs not only predicts the survival probability of OSCC patients, but also continuously quantifies the risk of death. High PIs could predict a beneficial response to adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, whereas low PIs indicate an unfavorable response.

Nomograms and risk scores for predicting the risk of oral cancer in different sexes: a large-scale case-control study.

Background: Although previous studies have explored the associations of modifiable lifestyle factors with oral cancer risk, few studies integrated these factors and established predictive tools for oral cancer risk in different sexes. Methods: Using a case-control study design, a total of 978 oral cancer cases and 2646 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Nomograms were constructed according to significant factors in multivariable logistic regression. Risk scores were calculated based on the nomograms and quantified the risk of oral cancer using restricted cubic spline. Results: Multivariate analyses demonstrated that smoking, alcohol drinking, tea, intake of fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, teeth loss, regular dental visits and repetitive dental ulcer were independent factors for male oral cancer. Passive smoking, age at first intercourse, cooking oil fumes exposure, tea, intake of beans, vegetables, fruits, teeth loss, regular dental visits and repetitive dental ulcer were associated with female oral cancer. Then, two nomograms were developed for predicting the probability of oral cancer in men and women with the C-index of 0.768 (95% CI: 0.723-0.813) and 0.700 (95% CI: 0.635-0.765), respectively. Restricted cubic splines graphically revealed the risk of oral cancer in individuals with different risk scores. Moreover, the risk escalated continuously with the increasing number of the risk scores among both sexes. Conclusions: Combining nomograms with risk scores developed in this study could precisely predict oral cancer occurrence and provide an accurate risk assessment.