Expression Levels of miR-127-3p and miR-144-3p in Gastric Cancer and their Relationships with Clinicopathological Parameters.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies demonstrated the critical role of miRNAs in carcinogenesis. Aberrant expression of miR-127-3p and miR-144-3p have been revealed in several types of cancers. METHODS: Expression levels of miR-127-3p and miR-144-3p were detected in the plasma of patients with gastric cancer (GC) using fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction to recognize potential non-invasive biomarkers for GC and evaluated the relationship between their expression and clinicopathological parameters of GC. RESULTS: The results showed miR-127-3p and miR-144-3p expression levels were significantly decreased in plasma of GC patients (p = 0.003 and p < 0.001, respectively) and the expression level of miR-144-3p was associated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging. In addition, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated the area of miR-127-3p and miR-144-3p under the ROC curve for GC diagnosis were 0.664 and 0.741, re-spectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression levels of miR-127-3p and -144-3p were downregulated in the plasma of GC patients that may participate in the pathological process of GC and act as potential tumor biomarkers.

Efficacy of direct-acting anti-viral therapy on chronic, naïve hepatitis C virus patients of Punjab, Pakistan: a cross-sectional study.

The success of interferon-free regimens using new direct-acting antiviral (DAA) is a revolution and major breakthrough in the development of new therapeutic options against hepatitis C virus (HCV). Accumulating evidence suggest sustained virological response (SVR) with DAA in 95% of patients. To date, however, there are very few data related to efficacy of DAA in the Pakistani population. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of sofosbuvir-based regimen among Pakistani population. A total of 1,913 patients who attained SVR24 after being treated with sofosbuvir and ribavirin from August 2015 to March 2017 were enrolled in this study. We analyzed the demographic, clinical and virological data and screened all patients for HCV in March 2017 to evaluate the response rate. We found an overall response rate of 92.8%. In addition, we also observed lower response rates among older patients. It can be inferred that a large proportion of patients achieved SVR after treatment with sofosbuvir-based regimen.

The Relationship of CXCR1, IκBα and HIF-1α Expression Levels with Clinicopathological Parameters in Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The role of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (CXCR1), inhibitor of kappa B (IκBα), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α) have been reported to promote tumorigenesis and progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). This study is to evaluate the expression of CXCR1, IκBα, and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α), in combination, in CRC tissues. It also aims to analyze the relationship of these three factors with clinico-pathological characteristics. METHODS: CRC and tumor-adjacent tissues were surgically collected from CRC patients. All patients were diagnosed by pathological examination, and none of the patients had received preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy. RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed, and the transcription of CXCR1, IκBα, HIF-1α, and ß-actin was quantified by RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The significant increase of CXCR1, HIF-1α, and decrease of IκBα mRNA expression level were observed in tumor samples of CRC patients (p < 0.05). In addition, CXCR1 expression level was correlated with lymph node metastasis (p = 0.013). Also, results demonstrated a relationship between HIF-1α expression and TNM stage and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.047 and p = 0.005, respectively). CXCR1 and HIF-1α simultaneous expression demonstrated the significant relationship with lymph node metastasis in CRC. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicated that CXCR1, HIF-1α, and IκBα can be used as potential prognostic factors indicating tumors in the advanced stage in patients with CRC.

Determination of gas recovery efficiency at two Danish landfills by performing downwind methane measurements and stable carbon isotopic analysis.

In this study, the total methane (CH4) generation rate and gas recovery efficiency at two Danish landfills were determined by field measurements. The landfills are located close to each other and are connected to the same gas collection system. The tracer gas dispersion method was used for quantification of CH4 emissions from the landfills, while the CH4 oxidation efficiency in the landfill cover layers was determined by stable carbon isotopic technique. The total CH4 generation rate was estimated by a first-order decay model (Afvalzorg) and was compared with the total CH4 generation rate determined by field measurements. CH4 emissions from the two landfills combined ranged from 29.1 to 49.6 kg CH4/h. The CH4 oxidation efficiency was 6-37%, with an average of 18% corresponding to an average CH4 oxidation rate of 8.1 kg CH4/h. The calculated gas recovery efficiency was 59-76%, indicating a high potential for optimization of the gas collection system. Higher gas recovery efficiencies (73-76%) were observed after the commencement of gas extraction from a new section of one of the landfills. A good agreement was observed between the average total CH4 generation rates determined by field measurements (147 kg CH4/h) and those estimated by the Afvalzorg model (154 kg CH4/h).