RESUMO
Background: The incidence and mortality rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are increasing worldwide. Therefore, there is an urgent need to elucidate the molecular drivers of HCC for potential early diagnosis and individualized treatment. Whether c-Myc expression plays a role in the clinicopathology and prognosis of patients with HCC remains controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to survey the prognostic role of c-Myc in HCC. Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases for studies published through March 2020 that examined the association between c-Myc expression and clinicopathology or prognosis in HCC patients. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to investigate the prognostic significance of c-Myc expression. Odds ratios were calculated to evaluate the association between c-Myc expression and clinicopathologic features. We also tested for publication bias. Results: Our meta-analysis included nine studies with 981 patients with HCC published between 1999 and 2016. A meta-analysis of these studies demonstrated that high c-Myc expression indicated a poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 2.260, 95% CI: 1.660-3.080, and p < 0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 1.770, 95% CI: 1.430-2.450, and p < 0.001) in patients with HCC. However, high c-Myc expression was not associated with HBsAg, pathological type, TNM stage, or cirrhosis. We did not find any significant publication bias among the included studies, indicating that our estimates were robust and reliable. Conclusion: c-Myc overexpression could predict poor OS and DFS in HCC patients. c-Myc could be a useful prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for HCC.
RESUMO
The etiology and pathogenesis of preeclampsia remain unclear. Little is known about the possible impact of adiponectin gene polymorphisms on the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. In this study, we analyzed the association of two adiponectin single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with preeclampsia. One hundred eighty-eight Han Chinese pregnant women were enrolled (81 normal-term, 20 mild preeclampsia and 87 severe cases). Serum adiponectin level, and adiponectin exon 2 SNP +45T/G (rs2241766) genotype and intron 2 SNP +276G/T genotype (rs1501299) and their allele distributions were tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PCR-restriction-fragment length polymorphism, respectively. There were no significant differences among the three groups (P>0.05) in genotype distribution or allele frequencies of either SNP. Systolic pressure and 24-h urinary protein were lower in TT homozygotes than those in TG+GG patients at SNP +45T/G in the severe preeclamptic group (P<0.05). Furthermore, blood pressure, serum adiponectin level and 24-h urinary protein were lower in GG homozygotes than those in TG+TT patients at SNP +276G/T in the severe preeclamptic group (P<0.05). The risk of high blood pressure (≥160/110 mm Hg) and of high serum adiponectin in T-allele carriers at +276G/T in the severe preeclamptic group were 5.345 and 5.818 times higher, respectively, compared with GG patients. These data suggest that adiponectin +45T/G and +276G/T polymorphisms are associated with important clinical manifestations of preeclampsia and that polymorphism +276G/T is associated with serum adiponectin level. Taken together, these findings suggest that adiponectin gene polymorphism is involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.