Association of obesity and diabetes with serum prostate-specific antigen levels in Japanese males.

Patients with diabetes have been reported to be at an increased risk for cancers of the pancreas, liver, and colon; however, recent studies have suggested that men with diabetes are at a decreased risk for prostate cancer. Previous studies have found that obese men have lower serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations than do non-obese men. Further understanding of how obesity and diabetes affect the PSA concentration may improve our ability to detect clinically relevant prostate tumors. This study examined the relationships among serum PSA level, obesity, and diabetes in apparently healthy Japanese males. We analyzed the baseline data from 2,172 Japanese males (age, 56.8 +/- 6.1 years [mean +/- SD]) who participated in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study. Diabetes was defined as the presence of both a hemoglobin A1c (JDS) of > or = 6.1% and a fasting plasma glucose level of > or = 126 mg/dL, or a positive medical history. After adjusting for age, the PSA levels were elevated among males with a higher normal BMI (ranging from 23.0 to 24.9) and lowered among men with a BMI of > or = 25.0. In the stratified analysis, these significant differences in BMI categories were absent among diabetics. The mean PSA levels were significantly lower in diabetics than in non-diabetics among subjects aged 60 and over. Our findings suggest that the pre-overweight men had increased PSA levels, and the diabetes was associated with a reduction of PSA levels in elderly.

Profile of participants and genotype distributions of 108 polymorphisms in a cross-sectional study of associations of genotypes with lifestyle and clinical factors: a project in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study.

BACKGROUND: Most diseases are thought to arise from interactions between environmental factors and the host genotype. To detect gene-environment interactions in the development of lifestyle-related diseases, and especially cancer, the Japan Multi-institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study was launched in 2005. METHODS: We initiated a cross-sectional study to examine associations of genotypes with lifestyle and clinical factors, as assessed by questionnaires and medical examinations. The 4519 subjects were selected from among participants in the J-MICC Study in 10 areas throughout Japan. In total, 108 polymorphisms were chosen and genotyped using the Invader assay. RESULTS: The study group comprised 2124 men and 2395 women with a mean age of 55.8 ± 8.9 years (range, 35-69 years) at baseline. Among the 108 polymorphisms examined, 4 were not polymorphic in our study population. Among the remaining 104 polymorphisms, most variations were common (minor allele frequency ≥0.05 for 96 polymorphisms). The allele frequencies in this population were comparable with those in the HapMap-JPT data set for 45 Japanese from Tokyo. Only 5 of 88 polymorphisms showed allele-frequency differences greater than 0.1. Of the 108 polymorphisms, 32 showed a highly significant difference in minor allele frequency among the study areas (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This comprehensive data collection on lifestyle and clinical factors will be useful for elucidating gene-environment interactions. In addition, it is likely to be an informative reference tool, as free access to genotype data for a large Japanese population is not readily available.

Baseline data of Shizuoka area in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study).

The Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study launched in 2005 by ten research groups throughout Japan aimed to examine gene-environment interactions in lifestyle-related diseases, especially cancers. This paper describes one component of the J-MICC Study, named Shizuoka Study, in which visitors aged 35 to 69 years to the Seirei Preventive Health Care Center in Hamamatsu were enrolled. Among 13,740 visitors matching eligibility criteria, 5,040 persons (36.7%) were enrolled from January 2006 to December 2007. Their lifestyle, disease history, and family history were surveyed using a self-administrated questionnaire. Blood and urine were collected from the participants. By the end of December 2008, 8 withdrawers and 1 ineligible participant had been removed, leaving 5,031 participants (3,419 males and 1,612 females) as the baseline dataset. Current smokers were 23.3% among males, and 4.4% among females, and those who drank once or more per month were 76.9% and 38.6%, respectively. Those with a cancer history were 3.0% for males and 3.8% for females. Measurements out of a normal range in males and females were 11.3% and 4.0% for diastolic blood pressure > or = 90 mmHg, 11.0% and 7.6% for systolic blood pressure > or = 140 mmHg, 5.9% and 1.7% for fasting blood glucose > or = 126 mg/dl, respectively. Collected information and specimens will be cooperatively used to examine the associations of biomarkers with lifestyle, genotypes, and their combinations, as well as for a part of the J-MICC Study.

Smoking and serum CA19-9 levels according to Lewis and secretor genotypes.

CA19-9, a marker for cancers of biliary tract, pancreas and colorectum, is not synthesized in those with no enzyme activity genotype (le/le) of Lewis (Le) gene. No enzyme activity genotype (se/se) of secretor (Se) gene is known to have an association with high serum CA19-9 levels. There are also variations in serum CA19-9 levels independent of the genotypes. This study aimed to examine the associations of serum CA19-9 levels with smoking, alcohol drinking and body mass index (BMI; kg/m(2)), after the adjustments of Le and Se genotypes. Subjects were 486 health check-up examinees (158 males and 328 females) aged from 39 to 90 years in Hokkaido, Japan. Genotyping was conducted for 3 polymorphisms; Le T59G (59T for Le allele and 59G for le allele), Se A385T (385A for Se allele and 385T for sej allele), and Se pseudogene (se5 allele). The genotypes of Le and Se were deterministic factors of serum CA19-9. Those with Le/Le & se/se had the highest mean, while CA19-9 was not detected or very low in those with le/le. Although no associations were observed with alcohol drinking and BMI, a significant association was observed with smoking. Among those with Le/Le, the geometric mean of CA19-9 was significantly lower for current smokers than for noncurrent smokers (p = 0.011 in 4-way ANOVA with age, sex and Se genotype). When hemoglobin A1c was further adjusted, the association became stronger (p = 0.0027). In addition to polymorphic variations, some components of cigarette smoke may influence the production or destruction of CA19-9.

Serum folate and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism adjusted for folate intake.

BACKGROUND: Serum folate concentration is lower in individuals with the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677TT genotype than in those with the MTHFR 677CC or 677CT genotypes. Since studies considering folate intake are limited, we examined the association between folate intake and serum folate levels, according to the genotype. METHODS: The subjects comprised 170 Japanese persons (74 males and 96 females) aged 20-75 years who visited a clinic to test for Helicobacter pylori infection. Folate intake was estimated using a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire, and serum folate was measured in the residual fasting blood samples of the subjects. MTHFR C677T was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The geometric means of serum folate level were 6.19, 6.20, and 5.17 ng/mL among the 60 participants with the 677CC genotype, 90 participants with the 677CT genotype, and 20 participants with the 677TT genotype, respectively. No difference was noted in the mean folate intake estimated using the food-frequency questionnaire. Regression analysis showed that log(e)(serum folate) adjusted for age, sex, and log(e)(folate intake) was significantly lower among those with the 677TT genotype than among those with the 677CT or 677CC genotypes (p = 0.01). The adjusted reduction in serum folate was 20.2% (95% confidence interval, 5.4-32.6%) in the case of the 677TT genotype relative to the levels in the case of the 677CC/677CT genotypes. When folate intake was adjusted for total energy intake, using the residual method, the slope of the regression line for 677TT was smaller than those of the regression lines for 677CC and 677CT. CONCLUSION: Individuals with the 677TT genotype may need to consume more folate to maintain serum folate levels similar to those found in individuals with the 677CC/677CT genotypes.

Active smoking, passive smoking, and breast cancer risk: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk.

BACKGROUND: Evidence is lacking regarding the relationship between cigarette smoking and breast cancer in Japanese women. We examined the association between breast cancer incidence and active and passive smoking in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer Risk. METHODS: Our study comprised 34,401 women aged 40-79 years who had not been diagnosed previously with breast cancer and who provided information on smoking status at baseline (1988-1990). The subjects were followed from enrollment until December 31, 2001. Cox proportional-hazards models were used to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between breast cancer incidence and tobacco smoke. RESULTS: During 271,412 person-years of follow-up, we identified 208 incident cases of breast cancer. Active smoking did not increase the risk of breast cancer, with a HR for current smokers of 0.67 (95% CI: 0.32-1.38). Furthermore, an increased risk of breast cancer was not observed in current smokers who smoked a greater number of cigarettes each day. Overall, passive smoking at home or in public spaces was also not associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among nonsmokers. Women who reported passive smoking during childhood had a statistically insignificant increase in risk (HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 0.84-1.85), compared with those who had not been exposed during this time. CONCLUSION: Smoking may not be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in this cohort of Japanese women.

Significant association between Helicobacter pylori infection and serum C-reactive protein.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in gastric mucosa may cause systemic inflammatory reaction. This study aimed to examine the association between the infection and serum high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). METHODS: Subjects were comprised of three groups; 453 health checkup examinees from Yakumo town inhabitants in Hokkaido, Japan (YTI, 153 males and 300 females), 449 health checkup examinees (ENUH, 273 males and 176 females), and 255 female patients of an infertility clinic (PIC), Nagoya University Hospital. Twenty participants with hsCRP more than 1 mg/dl were excluded from the analysis. Those with hsCRP more than 0.1mg/dl were defined as high hsCRP individuals. H. pylori infection status was examined with a serum IgG antibody test. RESULTS: When the three groups were combined, the geometric mean of hsCRP concentration was significantly higher among the seropositives (0.047 mg/dl) than among the seronegatives (0.035 mg/dl); p<0.0001 by a t-test. The percentage of high hsCRP individuals was also higher in the seropositives than in the seronegatives among any group; 23.3% and 20.1% in YTI, 22.0% and 16.0% in ENUH, and 32.7% and 18.7% in PIC, respectively, although the difference was significant only in ENUH. The summary odds ratio of the high hsCRP for the seropositives relative to the seronegatives was 1.38 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.89), when age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and subject group were adjusted by a logistic model. CONCLUSIONS: In three groups, hsCRP was higher among the infected individuals. The summary odd ratio indicated that H. pylori infection could influence the serum hsCRP level.

Metabolic syndrome defined by new criteria in Japanese is associated with increased liver enzymes and C-reactive protein.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is characterized by the presence of atherogenic risk factors, and is associated with a marked increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease. Recently, the criteria of MetS were newly defined in Japan. We examined the relationship between MetS and the various metabolic parameters in Japanese subjects. This study included 458 Japanese subjects undergoing medical checkups at Nagoya University Hospital. New criteria developed by the joint committee of eight Japanese medical societies for the clinical recognition of MetS were adopted. We examined the association between MetS and various metabolic parameters, including liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase, ALT; gamma glutamyltransferase, GGT) and highly sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The mean overall prevalence of MetS was 8.7% (male: 12.9%; female: 2.2%, p = 0.0001). MetS was significantly associated with elevated ALT (> 45 IU/L) (OR: 3.37, 95% CI: 1.19-9.52, p < 0.05) and GGT (> 64 IU/L in males, > 45 IU/L in females) (OR: 4.96, 95% CI: 2.31-10.66, p = 0.0001), respectively. MetS was also significantly associated with elevated hsCRP (> or = 0.1 ng/mL) (OR: 2.77, 95% CI: 1.20-6.41, p < 0.05). Thus, MetS was associated with elevated liver enzymes (especially, GGT), and inflammation (hsCRP).

Controls for monitoring the deterioration of stored blood samples in the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort Study (J-MICC Study).

Cohort studies commonly store blood samples to measure the associations of biomarkers with disease risks for a long time after the study subjects are enrolled. To obtain valid measurements of the stored samples, monitoring their degree of deterioration is essential. The first stage of the Japan Multi-Institutional Collaborative Cohort (J-MICC) Study launched in 2005 included a project to validate the quality of stored blood samples. This project will compare the measurements of representative molecules over different storage periods (1, 4, and 8 years after sampling, and when a nested case-control study is conducted), different storage temperatures (-80 and -150 degrees C), and different separation conditions (temperature and time) before storage. For these purposes, 28 ml of peripheral blood from 10 people was sampled four times annually, using two tubes for serum and two EDTA-Na tubes for plasma. These samples were treated using the process adopted for the J-MICC study protocol, and stored in tubes containing 300 microliters of serum or plasma labeled with two-dimensional bar codes. The sampling was started in 2006, and some of the specimens will be stored until the end of the J-MICC Study in 2035. The resulting findings will produce valuable information on the stability of the molecules, not only for the J-MICC Study, but also for other cohort studies.

Elevated C-reactive protein levels in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To determine the relationship between systemic C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and advanced neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japanese patients. DESIGN: Case-control study. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-seven patients with PCV, 176 with advanced neovascular AMD, and 262 control subjects without any macular abnormality were studied. METHODS: Color fundus photographs of the macular area were taken from both eyes in all subjects. Indocyanine green angiography and fluorescein angiography were performed for diagnosis. The CRP level was measured by a high-sensitivity assay using a latex aggregation immunoassay, and the levels in patients with PCV and neovascular AMD were compared with that in the control group using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Associations between CRP and PCV or neovascular AMD were compared using logistic regression analysis by computing the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after the study populations were divided into quartiles. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The CRP levels in patients with PCV, patients with neovascular AMD, and control subjects. Standard univariate and multivariate analyses between groups. RESULTS: Median CRP levels were significantly higher in cases with PCV (0.94 mg/l) or with advanced neovascular AMD (0.95 mg/l) than in control subjects (0.43 mg/l) (P<0.001 for Kruskal-Wallis test). After adjusting for baseline characteristics such as age, gender, smoking status, alcohol use, body mass index, history, and use of antiinflammatory drugs, the increase in risk was significant for the highest quartile of CRP for both PCV (OR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.49-8.40) and neovascular AMD (OR, 4.08; 95% CI, 1.94-8.56), and for the third quartile of CRP for neovascular AMD (OR, 2.29; 95% CI, 1.07-4.91). The trends for an increase in risk of disease with increase in CRP were statistically significant for both PCV (P = 0.001) and neovascular AMD (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The significant associations between elevated serum CRP levels and PCV or neovascular AMD in the Japanese strongly suggest that inflammatory processes are involved in the pathogenesis of PCV and neovascular AMD.

No associations of Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric atrophy with plasma total homocysteine in Japanese.

Recent studies have suggested that Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection might be a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Since the bacterium has not been isolated from atherosclerotic lesions, a direct role in atherogenesis is not plausible. We examined associations of plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) and serum folate, independent risk factors for atherosclerosis, with H. pylori infection and subsequent gastric atrophy among 174 patients (78 males and 96 females) aged 20 to 73 years, who visited an H. pylori eradication clinic of Nagoya University from July 2004 to October 2005. Polymorphism genotyping was conducted for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and thymidylate synthase (TS) 28-bp tandem repeats by PCR with confronting two-pair primers and PCR, respectively. H. pylori infection and gastric atrophy were not significantly associated with hyperhomocysteinemia (tHcy > or = 12 nmol/ml), when adjusted by sex, age, smoking, alcohol, and genotypes of MTHFR and TS. The adjusted odds ratio of gastric atrophy for low folate level (< or = 4 mg/ml) was 0.21 (95% confidence interval = 0.05-0.78). The associations of tHcy with serum folate and MTHFR genotype were clearly observed in this dataset. The present study demonstrated that folate and MTHFR genotype were the deterministic factors of plasma tHcy, but not H. pylori infection and subsequent gastric atrophy, indicating that even if H. pylori infection influences the risk of atherosclerosis, the influence may not be through the elevation of homocysteine.

No association between Helicobacter pylori seropositivity and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) A317G polymorphism, and no modification by NAD(P)H:qinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) C609T.

Our previous epidemiologic study reported that NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) 609C/C with full enzyme activity was a high risk genotype for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) seropositivity. Since NQO1 stabilizes ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), which attenuates the innate immune response through elevated polyamines, ODC functional polymorphisms may also influence H. pylori seropositivity. This study aimed to examine the association with ODC A317G polymorphism, as well as the modification by NQO1 C609T. The two polymorphisms were determined by polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP) among 465 health checkup examinees in Nagoya. The ODC A317G genotype frequency was 35.9% for A/A, 49.3% for A/G, and 14.8% for G/G. The sex-age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) of the ODC gene for H. pylori seropositivity was not significant (OR = 1.09 for G/A and OR = 1.02 for G/G, relative to A/A). Among subjects with any NQO1 genotype, no association was observed between the ODC ploymorphism and H. pylori seropositivity. Results of the present study did not support the hypothesis that the different genetic traits in the ODC-polyamine pathway are associated with susceptibility to persistent H. pylori infection. The higher frequency of the ODC 317A allele in the Japanese population than that in the Caucasian population is firstly reported. The genetic traits through the ODC-polyamine pathway will be further investigated.

Grb2-associated binder 1 polymorphism was associated with the risk of Helicobactor pylori infection and gastric atrophy.

BACKGROUND: Various single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have explained the association between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and gastric atrophy and cancer. This study investigated the associations of Grb2 associated binder 1 (Gab1) polymorphism and the combination of PTPN11 gene encoding src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase-2 (SHP2) and Gab1 gene with gastric cancer and gastric atrophy among H. pylori seropositive subjects. METHODS: A single nucleotide polymorphism at intron 2 of Gab1 (JST164345) was examined for 454 Japanese health checkup examinees (126 males and 328 females) aged 35 to 85 without a history of gastric cancer and 202 gastric cancer patients (134 males and 68 females) aged 33 to 94 with pathologically confirmed diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma. RESULTS: The decreased OR of the Gab1 A/A for H. pylori seropositivity was 0.25 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.08-0.71). Among seropositive healthy controls, the OR of the Gab1 G/A+A/A for gastric atrophy was significant (OR=1.95, 95% CI: 1.12 -3.40). Seropositive individuals with PTPN11 G/G and Gab1 G/A+A/A demonstrated the highest risk of gastric atrophy with significance (OR=3.49, 95% CI: 1.54-7.90) relative to PTPN11 G/A+A/A and Gab1 G/G, the lowest risk combination, as a reference. However, the gene-gene interaction between PTPN11 and Gab1 was not observed (OR=1.39, 95% CI: 0.41-4.66). Compared to gastric cancer case, the Gab1 did not influence the step of atrophy/metaplasia-gastric cancer sequence. CONCLUSIONS: This study represents that the Gab1 polymorphism was associated with the low risk of H. pylori infection and the high risk of gastric atrophy among seropositive healthy controls, and that seropositive individuals with PTPN11 G/G and Gab1 G/A+G/G were associated with the greatest risk of gastric atrophy. These findings require confirmation in much larger studies.

Eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori according to genotypes of CYP2C19, IL-1B, and TNF-A.

BACKGROUND: Lansoprazole, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin are commonly used drugs for eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). A few studies reported that the eradication rate was influenced by the functional polymorphism of CYP2C19, whose product metabolizes proton pomp inhibitors including lansoprazole. METHODS: This study examined the eradication rate among 67 participants in the polymorphism study who visited Daiko Medical Center, Nagoya University from July 2004 to October 2005. The participants aged 20 to 69 years were classified into three group according to CYP2C19 genotype; rapid metabolizers (RM) with *1*1 genotype, intermediate metabolizers (IM) with *1*2 or *1*3 genotype, and poor metabolizers (PM) with *2*2, *2*3, or *3*3 genotype. For the genotype classification, G681A (681G for *1 and 681A for *2) and G636A (636G for *1 and 636A for *3) were genotyped by PCR with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP). They were also genotyped for IL-1B T-31C and TNF-A T-1031C by a duplex PCR-CTPP. RESULTS: The eradication rate was 70.0% for RM, 93.9% for IM, and 85.7% for PM. The difference in the rate between RM and IM+PM was statistically significant (p=0.025). The eradication rate was highest for those with IL-1B -31CC; the p value was marginal among the whole subjects (chi2=3.78, p=0.05) and not significant among the RM group (chi2=1.60, p=0.21). The genotypes of TNF-A T-1031C had no associations with the eradication rate. But among the RM group, the odd ratio (OR) of the TNF-A CT for the eradication rate relative to TT was marginally reduced (OR=0.05, 95% confidence interval, 0.002-1.19). CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirmed the low eradication rate for RM. The reproduced finding provides evidence that the CYP2C19 genotype is useful to predict the success of the treatment. For the RM group, alternative regimens expected to be with a higher eradication rate will be recommended, especially to those with the TNF-A -1031C allele.

Possible interactions of the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase genotype with alcohol drinking and walking time for high serum uric acid levels among Japanese.

A variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism located in intron 4 of the gene for endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) is reported to be significantly associated with the nitric oxide level, which influences serum uric acid (SUA). To cast light on any association between the polymorphism and hyperuricemia, as well as gene-environment interactions, a cross-sectional study was conducted for 703 health checkup examinees (213 men and 490 women). The age-adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of hyperuricemia (> or =7 mg/dL) for ecNOS 4/4, 4/5, or 5/6 genotypes (non-5/5 group) as compared with the 5/5 genotype was 2.41 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-5.30) in men. The aORs for drinking alcohol relative to never drinking were found to be 8.93 (95% CI, 1.02-78.16) among men with non-5/5 genotypes and 1.76 (95% CI, 0.59-5.26) for their 5/5 counterparts. Moreover, the aORs for heavy drinking (> or =50 mL/d) were 23.16 (95% CI, 2.14-250.35) and 2.48 (95% CI, 0.75-8.15), respectively. The interaction between the genotype and current drinking was 3.10 (95% CI, 0.45-21.41). The aORs for more than 30 minutes of daily walking relative to 30 minutes or less of daily walking were found to be 1.54 (95% CI, 0.40-5.95) among men with non-5/5 genotypes and 0.31 (95% CI, 0.12-0.81) for their 5/5 counterparts. The interaction between the genotype and more than 30 minutes of daily walking was 4.92 (95% CI, 0.95-25.64). This study indicated that the ecNOS variable number of tandem repeat polymorphism influences the SUA level in men. Although the interactions were not significant, alcohol intake may be more influential among men with non-5/5 genotypes and walking may be more effective among men with the 5/5 genotype. These findings would be informative for men with high SUA levels.

Use of duplex PCR-CTPP methods for CYP2E1RsaI/IL-2 T-330G and IL-1B C-31T/TNF-A T-1031C polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND: Two duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with confronting two-pair primer (PCR-CTPP) methods were designed for cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2E1 RsaI and interleukin (IL-2) T-330G, and for IL-1B C-31T and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-A) T-1031C. The four polymorphisms are considered to be functional, and the three cytokines reportedly inhibit CYP2E1 expression. Many studies have reported associations between the above polymorphisms and risk of diseases including cancers and inflammatory diseases. AIM: The main objective of this study was to examine the applicability of the established PCR conditions to a real situation. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were female examinees aged from 35 to 85 years who attended health checks run by a local government in Japan. RESULTS: The allele frequencies among 325 female health check examinees were 0.804 for CYP2E1 c1 allele, 0.668 for IL-2-330T allele, 0.554 for IL-1B-31T allele, and 0.822 for TNF-A-1031T allele. p-Values from a Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test were 0.658, 0.955, 0.062, and 0.806, respectively. DISCUSSION: Clear DNA bands observed with electrophoresis allowed us to genotype the four polymorphisms. The genotype frequencies were within the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test proportions, though the p-value for IL-1B C-31T was marginal. CONCLUSIONS: Both duplex PCR-CTPP methods may be useful tools for studies on the association between these polymorphisms and disease risk.

The ACE gene polymorphism is associated with the incidence of gastric cancer among H. pylori seropositive subjects with atrophic gastritis.

Studies of the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism have provided evidence that the D/D genotype is associated with gastric tumor progression and numbers of lymph node metastases, but not with the overall risk of gastric cancer. The highest levels of circulating and tissue ACE activity were found in carriers of the D/D genotype. Here, we further investigated the association using 454 Japanese subjects undergoing a health checkup and 202 gastric cancer patients. The ACE polymorphism was not found to be linked with H. pylori seropositivity or gastric atrophy. However, among H. pylori seropositive subjects with atrophy, those with the I/D genotype had an increased risk of gastric cancer (OR=1.59; 95% CI, 1.02-2.48). We also established that the polymorphism did not lower the age at diagnosis of gastric cancer. Confirmation of the association between ACE polymorphisms and development of gastric cancer requires much larger studies, and the biological role also needs to be fully elucidated.

Multiplex PCR with confronting two-pair primers for CYP1A1 Ile462Val, GSTM1, GSTT1, and NQO1 C609T.

Polymerase chain reaction with confronting two-pair primers (PCR-CTPP) is an effective genotyping method for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in aspects of reducing time and costs for analysis. So far we have established PCR-CTPP conditions for tens of SNPs, including a triplex genotyping (Kawase et al., 2003). In the present study we report a quadruplex PCR-CTPP to genotype simultaneously four functional polymorphisms of carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes, CYP1A1 Ile462Val, GSTM1 null, GSTT1 null and NQO1 C609T, which were reported that they have significant associations with smoking-related cancers. We applied this method for 475 health check-up examinees to demonstrate the performance. Among the subjects, the genotype frequency of CYP1A1 Ile462Val was 56.8% for Ile/Ile, 38.1% for Ile/Val and 5.1% for Val/Val. The null type frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 were 52.8% and 49.9%, respectively. And the genotype frequency of NQO1 C609T was 41.9% for C/C, 41.3% for C/T and 16.8% for T/T. Their distributions were similar to those reported for Japanese by other studies. To the best of our awareness, this is the first paper that reports the success in quadruplex PCR-CTPP. The applied polymorphisms are useful ones, which would be adopted not only for research purposes, but also for risk assessment of individuals exposed to carcinogenic substances. This convenient genotyping would be applied for cancer prevention especially in Asian Pacific regions, where expensive genotyping methods are hardly available.

GSTT1 and GSTM1 deletions, NQO1 C609T polymorphism and risk of chronic myelogenous leukemia in Japanese.

We conducted a prevalent case-control study with 51 chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cases and 476 controls to investigate the associations between glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) deletions, and the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) C609T polymorphism with risk of chronic myelocytic leukemia in Japanese. For the GSTT1 deletion, when the GSTT1 positive genotype was defined as the reference, the OR for the GSTT1 deletion genotype was 1.32 (95%CI; 0.74-2.36). For the GSTM1 deletion, when the GSTM1 positive genotype was defined as the reference, the OR for the GSTM1 deletion genotype was 0.95 (95%CI; 0.53-1.69). For NQO1 C609T polymorphism, when the NQO1 609CC genotype was defined as the reference, the ORs for the CT genotype, TT genotype, and CT and TT genotypes combined together were 2.37 (95%CI, 1.21-4.67, P=0.012), 1.44 (0.55-3.74, P=0.012) and 2.12 (1.10-4.08, P=0.025), respectively. The present study revealed that the risk of CML was modulated little by GSTT1 and GSTM1 deletions, but a statistically significant association between NQO1 C609T polymorphism and CML was observed for Japanese. Incidence case-control studies with a larger statistical power are now required to confirm our findings.

Associations between disease risk and eight polymorphisms adopted for genotype announcements at Nagoya University Hospital.

Genetic polymorphisms have the potential to predict disease susceptibility. This may be especially useful among individuals with a high-risk lifestyle, so that the genotyping could be adopted for disease prevention through modifications toward a lower-risk lifestyle. We started a program of free genotype announcements in a polymorphism study among health checkup examinees at the Nagoya University Hospital on June 9, 2003. Since such announcements remain controversial for fear of unexpected harmful effects and counseling system, the accumulated evidence on the association between disease risk and genotypes announcements in our study was reviewed in this article. The genotypes used were those of alcohol dehydrogenase 2 (ADH2) Arg47His, aldelhyde dehydlrogenase 2 (ALDH2) Glu487Lys, NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) C609T, glutathlione S transferase M1 (GSTM1), glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), interleukin-1B (IL-1B) C-31T, and tumor necrosis factor A (TNF-A) T-1031C, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) Ins/Del. Since showed a potential for widespread use in health checkups, the information on the above polymorphisms seems worth documenting. Although there have been no complaints from the participants to date, careful treatments are requested.