Association between leptin receptor polymorphisms and polycystic ovary syndrome risk: a meta-analysis based on 11 studies.

OBJECTIVE: Published evidence indicated that the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene polymorphisms are associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) risk. However, studies on the association between the polymorphisms of LEPR gene are inconsistent or even controversial. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted this meta-analysis to explore the more precise relationship between LEPR polymorphisms and PCOS risk. Relevant articles were searched with five online databases up to March 1 2023. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were selected to examine the statistical strength of each genetic model. Moreover, RNA secondary structure and variant effects of these loci were examined with in silico analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 11 publications were analyzed, and the pooled results did not present any significant association between rs1137101 A/G polymorphism and PCOS risk in general population and some subgroup analysis. But the significant association were observed in Asian population (AG vs. AA: OR = 0.51, 95%CI = 0.32-0.81, p = .01, I2=0%; AG + GG vs. AA: OR = 0.41, 95%CI = 0.26-0.65, p < .01, I2=25.9%). Moreover, similar positive associations were also observed in rs1805096 polymorphism with PCOS risk. CONCLUSION: In summary, our meta-analysis suggested that the LEPR gene polymorphisms might be associated with PCOS susceptibility. Owing to the limited studies and small sample size in our meta-analysis, more well-designed studies from different races were needed to be conducted to verify the current results.

[Effect of different fluence rates applied in curcumin-photodynamic therapy on Candida albicans biofilms].

PURPOSE: In this study, the inactivation effect of different fluence rates on Candida albicans biofilms during curcumin-photodynamic therapy was investigated in vitro. METHODS: The standard Candida albicans and clinical isolated Candida albicans were selected as model fungus and different fluence rates (12, 22, 42, 62, 82, 102 mW/cm2) during curcumin-photodynamic therapy were applied to inactivate Candida albicans biofilm. To evaluate the inactivation effect, XTT assay and Live/Dead kit were employed to quantify and visualize the activities of Candida albicans biofilms. The data were analyzed with SPSS 19.0 software package. RESULTS: When 40 µmol/L of curcumin was applied followed by 4 min illumination, both standard Candida albicans and clinical isolated Candida albicans biofilms were greatly inactivated along with the increase of fluence rates. When fluence rate increased to 102 mW/cm2, there was no significant difference between the experimental group and the previous experimental group(P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fluence rate plays an important role in inactivation of Candida albicans biofilms during curcumin-photodynamic therapy, with optimized value of fluence rate of 82 mW/cm2 in this study.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and glucose transporter 1 in the malignant transformation of oral lichen planus.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) are key factors in numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, studies on their involvement in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus (OLP) and its progression toward oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) are scarce. In this study, we examined the protein and gene expressions of both HIF-1α and GLUT1 in normal mucosa, nonatrophic OLP (OLPI), atrophic OLP (OLPII), and OSCC resulting from OLP. Tissues were obtained from 60 cases of OLP patients (n=36 for OLPI, n=24 for OLPII), 20 cases of OSCC patients and 30 healthy control individuals. In addition, in order to investigate if the pathological changes are due to hypoxia, we cultured keratinocytes under hypoxia conditions and measured the expression of HIF-1α and GLUT1. The results indicated that the expressions of HIF-1α and GLUT1 were gradually amplified from normal mucosa to OLPI, OLPII, and OSCC. The expression of both HIF-1α and GLUT1 in OLPII was significantly greater than OLPII. Likewise, the HIF-1α and GLUT1 expressions in OSCC were markedly higher compared to both OLPI and OLPII. Similar trends were obtained in real time PCR and Western blot analyses. A progressive increased micro-vessel density (MVD) was also recorded from normal mucosa to OLPI, OLPII, and OSCC. Moreover, the correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between HIF-1α and GLUT1 which were both correlated with MVD in the OLP and OSCC groups. Culture of keratinocytes isolated from OLP tissues under hypoxic and normoxic conditions showed a time-dependent inhibition of keratinocyte proliferation and increased expression of HIF-1α and GLUT1 under hypoxia conditions. In summary, we provided new evidence that hypoxia markers HIF-1α and GLUT1 are upregulated in OLP and are potentially involved in pathological changes leading to malignant transformation of OLP. Further characterization of these factors will provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of OLP.