Correlation between liver cirrhosis and risk of death from oral cancer: Taiwan cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A nationwide population-based cohort was used to examine the severity of liver cirrhosis and risk of mortality from oral cancer. METHODS: The cohort consisted of 3583 patients with oral cancer treated by surgery between 2008 and 2011 in Taiwan. They were grouped on the basis of normal liver function (n = 3471), cirrhosis without decompensation (n = 72) and cirrhosis with decompensation (n = 40). The primary endpoint was mortality. Hazard ratios of death were also determined. RESULTS: The mortality rates in the respective groups were 14.8 per cent, 20.8 per cent and 37.5 per cent at one year (p < 0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of death at one year for each group compared to the normal group were 2.01 (p = 0.021) for cirrhotic patients without decompensation, 4.84 (p < 0.001) for those with decompensation and 2.65 (p < 0.001) for those receiving chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: Liver cirrhosis can be used to predict one-year mortality in oral cancer patients. Chemotherapy should be used with caution and underlying co-morbidities should be managed in cirrhotic patients to reduce mortality risk.

Angiotensin II type 1 receptor gene A1166C polymorphism and breast cancer susceptibility.

Numerous studies have evaluated the association between the angiotensin II type-1 receptor (AGTR1) gene A1166C polymorphism and breast cancer risk. However, the specific association is controversial. The aim of the present study was to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship. A comprehensive research was conducted of the PubMed and the Google Scholar databases through February 2015. Data were assessed using STATA version 12.0. Pooled odds ratios with 95%CIs were derived from the fixed-effect or random-effect models. A total of 911 patients with breast cancer and 1284 controls from 5 case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results showed no significant association between the AGTR1 gene A1166C polymorphism and breast cancer risk. Similarly, in the subgroup analysis regarding ethnicity, no associations were observed. Heterogeneity and publication bias were not observed in this meta-analysis. The A1166C polymorphism in the AGTR1 gene may not be a risk factor for breast cancer. Further, large, and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

[Estrogen and progesterone cytosol receptor concentrations in patients with endometriosis and their changes after gossypol therapy].

UNLABELLED: Estrogen and progesterone cytosol receptor (ERc, PRc) concentrations of endometrium biopsied during different phases of menstrual cycle were measured by dextran-coated charcoal method in 27 normal fertile women and 24 patients with endometriosis. 15 out of 24 endometriotic patients were put on gossypol for 2 months thereafter. After discontinuation of the drug, ERc, PRc contents of endometrium were reexamined during the same cycle day. Serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) levels were also compared before and after gossypol treatment. In addition, endometriotic tissue and intrauterine endometrium were immediately obtained from the same patient after surgery in 16 cases with endometriosis, and their ERc, PRc concentrations were also compared. RESULTS: endometrium ERc, PRc concentrations of normal controls fluctuated during the menstrual cycle, with the peak at late follicular phase. In endometriosis group, the ERc, PRc contents and cyclic changes of endometrium in situ were not significantly different from the normal controls. However, the ERc, PRc contents of endometriotic tissue were significantly lower than those of endometrium in situ (P = 0.0036 and < 0.0001 respectively) without cyclic changes during menstrual cycle. After 2 months of gossypol therapy, serum E2 and P levels tended to decrease but the differences were not significant. Glandular secretion of endometrium decreased in only 4 out of 15 cases under pathological examination. In contrast, the ERc, PRc concentrations of endometrium in situ differed significantly from the pretreatment values (P = 0.0217 and 0.01 respectively). These data indicated: (1) The response of endometriotic tissue to estrogen and progestin was lower than that of endometrium in situ.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Luteal function in patients with endometriosis.

Nineteen patients with endometriosis were selected for investigation of luteal function as determined by serum progesterone (P) concentrations at different stages of the luteal phase, and by observation of basal body temperature (BBT) profiles and endometrial histological appearances. Sixteen cases were accompanied with infertility. All data were synchronized to the day of midcycle serum luteinizing hormone (LH) peak (D0) and analyzed accordingly. In the endometriosis group, mean serum P concentrations of early, mid luteal phases and the integrated P concentration of the whole luteal phase were significantly lower than in the control group. Five cases (26.3%) had low peak P values during mid-luteal phase and/or low integrated P levels. Delayed endometrial maturation was revealed in 10 of 16 cases (62.5%). Short luteal phase, as defined by BBT, was observed in 3 of 14 cases (21.4%). A total of 12 cases were screened for all three parameters, among them, ten (83.3%) had at least one abnormality and seven (58.3%) showed two aberrant results. In summary, the incidence of luteal phase defect was higher in the endometriosis group than in controls. The pathogenic mechanism of luteal phase defect and its role in infertility are discussed.

Electron microscopic observations of the effects of gossypol on the human endometrium.

Gossypol treatment of endometriosis and uterine myomas in 15 cases was started with a daily dose of 20 mg of gossypol-acetic acid twice a day for 20 days as a loading dose, followed by 40 mg (20 mg twice weekly). A maintenance dose of 20 mg was given weekly. The total course of treatment lasted about 6 months. Light and electron microscopic examination of the endometrium was carried out before treatment and 2, 3, 4, and 6 months after gossypol treatment. After gossypol treatment three different characteristics of the endometrium were noted: (1) irregular secretory activity, (2) proliferative activity, and (3) atrophy. On electron microscopic examination it was shown that there were important changes of the organelles, indicating suppressed secretory activity. Based on the above results, the nature and significance of the ultrastructural changes of the endometrium induced by gossypol were analyzed and the possibility of developing a new field of research in female contraception with gossypol was considered.