Acquired Symmastia: Classification, Causes, and Repair Strategy.

BACKGROUND: Acquired symmastia is a rare complication after breast augmentation that is difficult to fix. METHODS: The medical records of 18 female patients with symmastia treated by our team were reviewed. Data collected included preoperative medical history, implant size, and breast base width. Surgical techniques were systematically reviewed and analyzed based on postoperative follow-up results. RESULTS: Of the 18 patients, 15 patients had undergone implanted breast augmentation and 3 had injected breast augmentation. All 18 patients underwent comprehensive repair with various surgical techniques. Three patients showed recurrence after operation. Four patients were dissatisfied with postoperative breast size and underwent 2-stage replacement surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Symmastia is an intractable surgical complication. Surgical classification can help assess the difficulty of surgery in advance, and the surgical strategy plan can help the surgeon to control the quality of the repair surgery.

Multi-omics analysis of lung tissue metabolome and proteome reveals the therapeutic effect of Shegan Mahuang Decoction against asthma in rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Shegan Mahuang Decoction (SMD) is a classic traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula for asthma treatment, but the anti-asthma mechanism of SMD is still not fully studied. AIMS OF THE STUDY: In this study, we established an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma rat model and treated it with SMD to observe its anti-asthma effect and explore the related mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of SMD via testing the levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum and performing the hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining of lung tissue slices. We analyzed the variations of metabolites and proteins in the lung tissue of different groups using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based untargeted metabolomics and TMT-based proteomics approaches. The metabolic biomarkers and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were picked, and the related signal transduction pathways were also investigated. In addition, the key proteins on the signaling pathway were validated through western blotting (WB) experiment to reveal the anti-asthma mechanism of SMD. RESULTS: The results showed that the SMD could significantly reduce the serum levels of IgE, CRP, IL-4, and IL-6 and attenuate the OVA-induced pathological changes in lung tissue. A total of 34 metabolic biomarkers and 84 DEPs were screened from rat lung tissue, which were mainly associated with lipid metabolism, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activation, the excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and lysosome pathway. Besides, SMD could inhibit the myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)/inhibitor of kappa B kinase (IKK)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway to exhibit anti-inflammatory activities. CONCLUSIONS: SMD exhibited a therapeutic effect on asthma, which possibly be exerted by inhibiting the MyD88/IKK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Gas Sensing Properties of Pd-Decorated GeSe Monolayer toward Formaldehyde and Benzene Molecules: A First-Principles Study.

In this study, the gas sensing properties of formaldehyde (HCHO) and benzene (C6H6) adsorbed on two-dimensional (2D) pristine GeSe and Pd-decorated GeSe (Pd-GeSe) monolayers are studied by using first-principles calculations. The adsorption energies, electronic properties, optical properties, sensitivity, and recovery time of the gas adsorption systems have been thoroughly investigated. It is found that the adsorption of C6H6 on two substrate surfaces and the adsorption of HCHO on pristine GeSe are examples of physical adsorption. However, after HCHO adsorption on the Pd-GeSe monolayer, the adsorption system exhibits an increased adsorption energy of -1.21 eV, which is more favorable compared with the other adsorption systems studied. Moreover, the electron localization function and charge transfer from Pd-GeSe to HCHO are significantly enhanced, indicating distinct chemical adsorption behavior. Furthermore, it demonstrates a larger band gap change rate of 18.8% and a significant enhancement of optical absorption upon the adsorption of HCHO on the Pd-GeSe monolayer. Additionally, the appropriate sensitivity and moderate recovery time for the adsorption of HCHO on the Pd-GeSe surface indicate that the Pd-GeSe monolayer possesses an outstanding sensing capability for HCHO gas.

Exploring the in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris L. fruit by using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based cell metabolomics approach.

Our previous studies confirmed the efficacy of gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris L. fruit in treating cerebral ischemia. This study aimed to investigate the related mechanisms in vitro. The lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 cells model was constructed and treated with gross saponins at different concentrations to explore its anti-inflammatory activity. The cell metabolite changes were tracked by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based metabolomics, and the metabolic biomarkers and related metabolic pathways were analyzed. Molecular biochemistry analysis was further used to verify the relevant inflammatory pathways. The results showed that the saponins reduced nitric oxide release and the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1ß, and interleukin-6 from lipopolysaccharide-induced BV2 cells. Metabolic perturbations occurred in lipopolysaccharide-treated BV2 cells, which could be reversed by drug treatment via mainly regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, purine metabolism pathways, etc. The western blot analysis demonstrated that saponin could suppress the activation of the inflammatory-related signaling pathway. The present study explored the in vitro anti-inflammatory mechanism of gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris L. fruit using an LC-MS-based cell metabolomics approach, which confirms the great potential of LC-MS for drug efficacy evaluation and can be applied in other herbal medicine-related analyses.

Correlation between the intestinal microflora and peripheral blood Th1/Th2 balance in hypothyroidism during the first half of pregnancy.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intestinal microflora characteristics and the peripheral blood T helper cell (Th)1/Th2 balance in patients with hypothyroidism during the first half of pregnancy. Methods: The Th1/Th2 ratios in the peripheral blood of pregnant women in the hypothyroidism and control groups were determined using flow cytometry. The cytometric bead array assay was used to determine the serum levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interferon (IFN)-γ. Moreover, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was used to determine the intestinal microbial composition in the two groups. Finally, the relationships between intestinal microflora, Th1/Th2 cells, cytokines, and clinical indicators were analyzed. Results: C-reactive protein levels were higher in the hypothyroidism group than in the control group. In contrast to the control group, the hypothyroidism group showed an increase in Th1 cells and the Th1/Th2 ratio, and a decrease in Th2 cells. The hypothyroidism group had higher serum IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels, and lower IL-10 levels, than the control group. The richness of the intestinal microflora in the hypothyroidism group increased whereas the diversity decreased. The linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that the hypothyroidism group had a higher abundance of Prevotella and Faecalibacterium, but a lower abundance of Bacteroides, compared to the control group. Prevotella was positively correlated with Th1 cells, the Th1/2 ratio, and TNF-α. Bacteroides was positively correlated with Th2 cells and IL-10, but negatively correlated with Th1 cells, the Th1/2 ratio, TNF-α, and IFN-γ. The thyroid peroxidase antibody level was directly proportional to TNF-α. Conclusion: A Th1/Th2 imbalance occurs in patients with hypothyroidism during the first half of pregnancy. Disorders of the intestinal microflora may lead to hypothyroidism during pregnancy by affecting the Th1/Th2 balance.

Efficacy evaluation of probiotics combined with prebiotics in patients with clinical hypothyroidism complicated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth during the second trimester of pregnancy.

Objective: To explore the effect of probiotics combined with prebiotics on clinical hypothyroidism during pregnancy combined with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Methods: (1) In total, 441 pregnant women were included in this study. A total of 231 patients with clinical hypothyroidism during the second trimester of pregnancy and 210 normal pregnant women were enrolled in the lactulose methane-hydrogen breath test. The positive rate of intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), gastrointestinal symptoms, thyroid function and inflammatory factors were compared between the two groups by chi-square test and two independent sample t-test. (2) SIBO-positive patients in the clinical hypothyroidism group during pregnancy (n=112) were treated with probiotics combined with prebiotics based on conventional levothyroxine sodium tablets treatment. The changes in the methane-hydrogen breath test, gastrointestinal symptoms, thyroid function and inflammatory factors were compared before treatment (G0) and 21 days after treatment (G21) by chi-square test and paired sample t test. Results: (1) The positive rates of SIBO in pregnant women in the clinical hypothyroidism group and control group were 48.5% and 24.8%, respectively. (2) The incidence of abdominal distention and constipation in the clinical hypothyroidism group was significantly higher than that in the control group, and the risk of abdominal distention and constipation in SIBO-positive pregnant women was higher than that in SIBO-negative pregnant women. (3) The serum levels of hypersensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP), IL-10, IL-6, TNF-α, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acids (FFAs) and apolipoprotein B (ApoB) in the hypothyroidism group during pregnancy were higher than those in the control group. (4) After 21 days of probiotics combined with prebiotics, the incidence of pure methane positivity in the methane-hydrogen breath test in the G21 group was significantly reduced, and the average abundance of hydrogen and methane at each time point in the G21 group was lower than that in the G0 group. (5) The incidence of constipation in the G21 group was significantly lower than before treatment. (6) The levels of serum TSH, hsCRP, IL-6, TNF-α, TC and LDL in pregnant women after probiotics combined with prebiotics were lower than those before treatment. Conclusion: Probiotics combined with prebiotics are effective in the treatment of pregnant patients with clinical hypothyroidism complicated with SIBO, providing a new idea to treat pregnant patients with clinical hypothyroidism complicated with SIBO.

Differential lipids in pregnant women with subclinical hypothyroidism and their correlation to the pregnancy outcomes.

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) has become a prevalent complication in pregnancy. Recent research links SCH to disturbed thyroid lipid profile; however, it is unclear how lipid metabolism disorders contribute to the pathogenesis of SCH during pregnancy. Thus, we used nontargeted lipidomics to identify and compare the lipids and metabolites expressed by pregnant women with SCH and healthy pregnant women. Multivariate analysis revealed 143 lipid molecules differentially expressed between the SCH group and the control group. Based on fold change, 30 differentially expressed lipid metabolites are potential biomarkers. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed metabolites participate in several pathways, including response to pathogenic Escherichia coli infection, regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, metabolic pathways, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and fat digestion and absorption pathways. Correlation analyses revealed sphingomyelin (SM) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) positively correlate to tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), while phosphatidylglycerol (PG), and phosphatidylinositol (PI) negatively correlate with them. In addition, PG positively correlates to birth weight. Thus, the lipid profile of pregnant women with SCH is significantly different from that of healthy pregnant women. Lipid molecules associated with the differential lipid metabolism, such as SM, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and PI, should be further investigated for their roles in the pathogenesis of SCH in pregnancy, as they might be targets for reducing the incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

The LINC00922 aggravates ovarian cancer progression via sponging miR-361-3p.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) LINC00922 has been reported to promote tumorigenesis of lung and breast cancer. However, the functions and mechanisms of LINC00922 in ovarian cancer (OC) remain unclarified. The current study aims to clarify the detailed functions and underlying mechanisms of LINC00922 in the progression of OC. METHODS: LINC00922 expression in OC tissues and cells was identified by a comprehensive strategy of data miming, computational biology and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) experiment. In vitro CCK-8, wound healing, transwell invasion, western blotting and in vivo tumorigenesis assays LINC00922 were conducted to evaluate the functions of LINC00992. Subsequently, bioinformatics technology and dual luciferase reporter assay were performed to confirm the between miR-361-3p and LINC00922 or CLDN1. Finally, rescue experiments were performed to confirm whether LINC00922 effect functions of OC cells through regulation of miR-361-3p. RESULTS: LINC00922 was significantly upregulated in OC tissues and cell lines, which is significantly positively corelated with the poor prognosis of patients with OC. LINC00922 knockdown inhibited proliferation and tumorigenesis of OC cells in vitro and vivo. In addition, LINC00922 knockdown suppressed migration, invasion, and EMT of OC cells in vitro. Mechanically, LINC00922 could competitively bind with miR-361-3p to relieve the repressive effect of miR-361-3p on its target gene CLDN1 in OC cells. In addition, silencing miR-361-3p promoted OC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, EMT and Wnt/ß-catenin signaling, while LINC00922 knockdown inhibited Wnt/ß-catenin signaling by upregulating miR-361-3p. Rescue experiments revealed that LINC00922 knockdown inhibited OC cell proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT by regulating miR-361-3p. CONCLUSION: This study suggested that LINC00922 could competitively bind with miR-361-3p to promote the CLDN1 expression and activate Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in OC progression, which providing a promising therapeutically target for OC.

Co-delivery of cisplatin and oleanolic acid by silica nanoparticles-enhanced apoptosis and reverse multidrug resistance in lung cancer.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of chemotherapy is one of the significant concerns in cancer therapy. Here in our study, cisplatin (DDP) and oleanolic acid (OA) were co-loaded in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Nsi) to construct DDP/OA-Nsi and solve the DDP-resistance in lung cancer therapy. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays demonstrated that in DDP-resistant A549/DDP cells, the cytotoxicity of DDP/OA-Nsi was significantly higher than that of free DDP or DDP single delivery system (DDP-Nsi). The intracellular drug accumulation study revealed that the intracellular DDP concentration in the DDP/OA-Nsi group was also higher than that in free DDP and DDP-Nsi groups. In the A549/DDP xenograft tumor model, DDP/OA-Nsi showed the best anticancer effect. In summary, DDP/OA-Nsi was a promising drug delivery system to solve MDR in lung cancer therapy.

Comparison of Incidence and Outcomes of Neuroblastoma in Children, Adolescents, and Adults in the United States: A Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program Population Study.

BACKGROUND This United States (U.S.) population study aimed to compare the incidence of neuroblastoma and outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program database. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients with neuroblastoma were identified in the SEER database from 1975 to 2013. According to the age at diagnosis, patients were divided into "Children" (≤14 years old) and "Adolescents/Adults" group (>14 years old). Then, comparisons in basic characteristics, incidence rates (IRs) and long-term survival outcomes between patients in 2 groups were made. RESULTS A total of 4280 patients were identified, including 3998 children and 282 adolescent/adult patients. Adolescent/adult patients were more likely to have localized diseases than children and to be diagnosed with ganglioneuroblastoma (all P<0.05). The IR of neuroblastoma presented with upward and downward trends in children and adolescent/adult populations, respectively. Adolescents/adults had worse overall survival (OS) than children despite the earlier tumor stage. Lastly, multivariate Cox proportional hazards analyses showed that tumor stage, histology, sequence of primary malignancy, primary site, the administration of surgery, and treatment era were prognostic factors for children, and sequence of primary malignancy, primary site, undergoing surgery, and treatment era were tightly related to OS in adolescent/adult patients. CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the SEER program database between 1975 to 2013 showed that in the U.S., the incidence of neuroblastoma in children increased, but the incidence decreased in adolescents and adults. There was a trend for improved overall survival in all age groups despite the increased stage at presentation in children.

Differential placental methylation in preeclampsia, preterm and term pregnancies.

INTRODUCTION: Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Recently, the role of epigenetic modifications in preeclampsia has been a focus of research. This study was to identified genes or pathways that may be associated with PE, and discuss whether the changes in the methylation level of these genes is related to the pathogenesis of PE. METHODS: The methylation levels of placental tissues between PE (n = 4), preterm birth (PB, n = 4) and term birth (TB, n = 4) were detected by Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation850 K BeadChip. Pyrosequencing and qRT-PCR were used to validated the methylation and expression levels of the genes with the most significant differences. RESULTS: The global methylation levels of placenta tissues in PE and PB were both higher compared to TB. After eliminated the effect of gestational age, there were 808 gene probes differentially methylated in PE compared to PB. We found 137 genes with 130 genes hypermethylated and 7 genes hypomethylated. CMIP, BLCAP and MICA genes were with the most significant differential methylation. The expression level of CMIP and BLCAP were both negatively correlated to the methylation levels, while the expression level of MICA was not related to its methylation levels. CONCLUSION: The methylation levels in placenta tissues were associated with gestational ages. We indicated the expression levels of the significantly methylated genes were negatively correlated with the methylation levels, further functional researches were still needed to find out whether they are associated with the onset of preeclampsia.

A magnetic SERS immunosensor for highly sensitive and selective detection of human carboxylesterase 1 in human serum samples.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common and lethal cancer. New serum markers for detecting HCC are urgently needed. Human carboxylesterase 1 (hCE1) is an important member of the serine hydrolase superfamily and is closely related to the occurrence of HCC. It can be used as a good serum marker for early diagnosis of HCC. Here, we developed a surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)- based magnetic immunosensor that specifically recognizes and detects trace amounts of hCE1 in human serum via a sandwich structure consisting of a SERS tags, magnetic supporting substrates, and target antigen (hCE1). The SERS tags are 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA)-labeled AgNPs, and the SERS supporting substrates are composed of a raspberry-like morphology of Fe3O4@SiO2@AgNPs magnetic nanocomposites surface-functionalized with a hCE1 antibody. The prepared SERS magnetic immunosensor exhibits excellent selectivity and extremely high sensitivity for hCE1 detection. The SERS signal and logarithm of hCE1 concentration presented a wide linear response range of 0.1 ng mL-1 to 1.0 mg mL-1, and the detection limit of hCE1 was 0.1 ng mL-1. The results indicate that the immunosensor can be used for the rapid determination of hCE1 in human serum without a complicated sample pre-treatment. Furthermore, the immunosensor has good reproducibility and stability, and has a promising prospect for the quantitative detection of other tumor markers in early clinical diagnosis.

Transaxillary Endoscopic Approach to Capsular Contracture Following Previous Breast Augmentation: Operative Technique and Clinical Outcome.

BACKGROUND: Capsular contracture (CC) is a complication of breast augmentation that frequently requires revision surgery. The axillary approach reduces the visibility of the postoperative scar. It is unclear whether the previous incision can be used to repair the deformity caused by CC. METHODS: This study analyzed 21 patients (42 breasts) with grade III-IV CC during 2012-2017. The mean age of the patients was 32 years (range 23-48). Previous axillary scars were used to expose, and CCs were taken out completely or partially. Breast implants were removed. The dissection was performed with endoscopic assistance, using electrocautery under direct visualization. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 13 months (range 6-24 months). The dissection plane was changed to dual plane. Thirty-five CCs were taken out completely. Thirty-eight breast implants taken out remained intact. None of the patients required additional surgery. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic-assisted treatment may be an effective technique for treating CC and avoiding the additional scar. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

lncRNA PCAT19 negatively regulates p53 in non-small cell lung cancer.

The present study aimed to investigate the influence of long non-coding (lnc)RNA prostate cancer associated transcript (PCAT)19 on the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It was determined that PCAT19 expression was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and also predicted poor patient survival rate. Additionally, p53 expression was downregulated in NSCLC specimens, which was negatively correlated with PCAT19 expression. Moreover, in H1993 NSCLC cells, silencing of the PCAT19 gene led to an increase in the expression of p53, whilst conversely, its overexpression led to p53 downregulation. PCAT19 silencing was associated with the decreased proliferation rate of NSCLC cells, while PCAT19 overexpression led to increased proliferation. In addition, p53 overexpression, achieved through the transfection of a p53 expression vector, attenuated the effects of PCAT19 overexpression on cell proliferation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that PCAT19 negatively regulates the p53 tumor-suppression pathway, promoting cancer cell proliferation in patients with NSCLC.

GC-MS-Based Metabolomics to Reveal the Protective Effect of Gross Saponins of Tribulus terrestris Fruit against Ischemic Stroke in Rat.

Stroke is one of the most common neurological disorders and seriously threatens human life. Gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris fruit (GSTTF) are used for neuroprotective treatment on convalescents of ischemic stroke. However, the therapeutic effects and mechanisms have not yet well understood, especially from the metabolic perspective. In this study, the protective effect of GSTTF on ischemic stroke in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rat model was investigated by the GC-MS-based metabolomics approach. 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining of brain tissues showed that GSTTF significantly reduced the infarct area after MCAO surgery. Metabolomic profiling showed a series of metabolic perturbation occurs in ischemic stroke compared with sham group. GSTTF can reverse the MCAO-induced serum metabolic deviations by regulating multiple metabolic pathways including fatty acids metabolism, amino acids metabolism, and carbohydrates metabolism. The current study provided a useful approach for understanding the mechanism of MCAO-induced ischemic stroke and a reliable basis for evaluating the efficacy of GSTTF in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

New steroidal alkaloid and furostanol glycosides isolated from Solanum lyratum with cytotoxicity.

Two previously undescribed steroidal compounds, 16, 23-epoxy-22, 26-epimino-cholest-22(N), 23, 25(26)-trien-3ß-ol-3-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-ß-D-galactopyranoside (1) and 26-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-5α-furost-20(22)-en-3ß, 26-diol (2), together with 7 known ones including 26-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(25R)-5, 20(22)-dien-furost-3ß, 26-diol (3), (25R)-5-en-spirost-3ß-ol-O-ß-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-[α-L-rhmanopyranosyl-(1→2)]-ß-D-galactopyranoside (4), funkioside D (5), aspidistrin (6), tigogenin-3-O-ß-D-lucotrioside (7), desglucolanatigonin II (8), and degalactotigonin (9), were isolated from Solanum lyratum Thunb. Their cytotoxic activities were tested in two cancer cell lines by MTT method. One of the steroidal glycosides (6) showed significant cytotoxic activity against gastric cancer SGC7901 and liver cancer BEL-7402 cells.

Associations of Functional MicroRNA Binding Site Polymorphisms in IL23/Th17 Inflammatory Pathway Genes with Gastric Cancer Risk.

IL23/Th17 axis acts as an inflammatory pathway in gastric carcinogenesis. MicroRNA- (miRNA-) binding site single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of inflammatory genes may alter gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility. In this study, four miRNA binding site SNPs (rs3748067 of IL17A, rs887796, rs1468488 of IL17RA, and rs10889677 of IL23R) were genotyped from 500 patients and 500 controls. Unconditional logistic regression analyses and multifactor dimensionality reduction software were used to evaluate the relationships of SNPs with GC and gene-environment interactions, respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot analysis, and luciferase report gene assay were applied for function verification. We found that CT (ORadj = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.44-0.79), CT + TT (ORadj = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.43-0.77) genotypes, and T allele (ORadj = 0.77; 95% CI: 0.47-0.80) of rs3748067 reduced GC risk; the rs10889677 CC genotype (ORadj = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.27-3.87) and C allele (ORadj = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.02-1.52) increased GC risk. A meaningful interaction among ever smoked, family history of GC, and rs3748068 could intensify GC risk by 2.25-fold. Functional tests demonstrated the inhibitory effect of miR-10a-3p on IL17A expression in SGC-7901 cells. These results suggested that miRNA binding site SNPs within IL23/Th17 inflammatory pathway genes and their interactions with environmental factors could be associated with GC risk.

The Risk Factors and Neonatal outcomes of Isolated Single Umbilical Artery in Singleton Pregnancy: A Meta-analysis.

The current meta-analysis aims to evaluate the risk factors and neonatal outcomes of isolated Single Umbilical Artery (iSUA) in singleton pregnancy. Standard Mean Difference (SMD) or Weighted Mean Difference (WMD) was pooled for the maternal age, gravidity and parity, neonate birth weight and Apgar score one and five minutes after birth. We also pooled the odds ratios (ORs) at 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal smoking status, the rate of neonate delivery before 37 or 34 weeks, Cesarean section (CS), the rate of being admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and the serious adverse neonate outcome. Results show that maternal primigravidity [OR: -0.082, CI (-0.152, -0.011), p = 0.023] and female sex of the neonate [OR: 0.805, CI (0.673, 0.963), p = 0.017] were associated with higher risks of iSUA. As compared to normal neonates, the neonates with iSUA had lower birth weight, worse Apgar score, increased risk of delivery before the normal gestational age, increased rate of CS due to fetal distress, increased rate of admission to NICU and prolonged NICU stay. However, no difference in neonatal mortality was observed. Maternal primigravidity and female neonate might associate with increased risk of iSUA. Identification of iSUA is of great importance for prenatal diagnosis and may improve neonatal outcomes.

TNF-α-308/-238 polymorphisms are associated with gastric cancer: A case-control family study in China.

BACKGROUND: Associations of TNF-α-308 (rs1800629) and -238 (rs361525) with gastric cancer had the inconsistent indication among different populations. METHODS: In this case-control family study, 47 families were determined with the probands diagnosed with gastric cancer (case family, n=296), accordingly 47 families without gastric cancer were matched with the case families by multivariate distribution of age, sex, social class, and pedigree size (control family, n=319). Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP-PCR) was used to identify the TNF genotype. Chi-square test was used to compare the groups regarding genotype and the allele frequencies, HWE test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. RESULTS: The frequencies of TNF-α-308 GA and AA genotypes were significantly higher in case family than that in control family. The risk of gastric cancer was increased in GA and AA carriers in the first degree (OR=2.06, 95% CI=1.20-3.51 and OR=4.89, 95% CI=2.74-8.74), however the similar result was not found in the second degree. Helicobacter pylori infection status were significantly associated with risk of gastric cancer in first-degree relatives (OR=1.96, 95% CI=1.26-3.05) while no statistical significance was noted in the second-degree relatives. Haplotypes of TNF-α-308/-238 alleles, GA/GG, AA/GG and AA/GA indicated the susceptibilities to gastric cancer with OR and 95% confident intervals resulting 2.07 (1.34-3.21), 4.49 (2.74-7.33) and 4.98 (1.76-14.01) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TNF-α-G308A (rs1800629) polymorphisms are associated with gastric cancer in Chinese population. Haplotypes of TNF-α-308/-238 GA/GG, AA/GG and AA/GA increase the susceptibilities to gastric cancer. The first-degree relatives are more likely to develop into gastric cancer with TNF-α-G308 polymorphisms and H. pylori positive than the second-degree are.

Associations of Il-1 Family-Related Polymorphisms With Gastric Cancer Risk and the Role of Mir-197 In Il-1f5 Expression.

To explore whether the roles of IL-1 family single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the microRNA binding sites (miR-SNPs) in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of their target genes in the progression of gastric cancer (GC) and verify the relationship between miR-197 with chronic inflammatory gene-IL1-F5 by microRNA target prediction, a case-control study which consisted of 500 cases and 500 frequency-matched healthy controls was conducted. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) or allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR). Association between SNPs and GC risk was evaluated by adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in unconditional logistic regression analyses. Quantitative real-time (qRT) PCR assay and Western Blot analyses were performed to analyze the miR-197 expression and the IL1-F5 expression. The variant homozygote and heterozygote genotype of rs9005 in IL-1RN were significantly associated with increased risks of GC (ORadjusted [95%CI]: 1.71[1.04-2.81] and ORadjusted[95%CI]: 1.36 [1.04-1.78]). Compared with the wild heterozygote genotype, the variant heterozygote genotype of rs2472188 and rs2515401 in IL-1F5 polymorphisms were significantly associated with increased GC risks (ORadjusted [95%CI]: 1.51[1.15-1.99] and ORadjusted[95%CI]: 1.36[1.04-1.76]), but no significant differences existed in other 7 IL-1 family SNPs (rs2856836 in IL-1A, rs3732131 in IL-1R1, rs1135354 and rs3771157 in IL-18RA, rs3180235, rs957201 and rs2515402 in IL-1F5) with GC. The recombinant plasmid-pGenesil-1-miR-197 could upregulate the expression of miR-197 and downregulate the expression of IL-1F5 in human gastric cancer cell lines SGC-7901 and BGC-823 cells after transfection, and the miR-197 inhibitor could facilitate the expression of IL1-F5 after transfecting the same cell lines. These results suggested that SNPs in the IL-1 family genes play important roles in the development of GC and the IL-1F5 might be the target gene of miR-197, and miR-197 might negatively regulate its expression.