Association between serum periostin concentrations and outcome after acute spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Higher serum periostin concentrations are associated with mortality after head trauma. We further determined the relationship between periostin concentrations, severity, and clinical outcome in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: We prospectively included 128 controls and 128 consecutive patients with acute ICH within the first 24h after onset. At admission, we measured serum periostin concentrations. RESULTS: Serum periostin concentrations were significantly higher in the patients than in the controls. Serum periostin concentrations were positively related to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (r=0.526) and hematoma volume (r=0.586). An unfavorable outcome (defined as modified Rankin scale >2) was observed in 65 (50.8%) patients. Serum periostin [odds ratio (OR), 1.008; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.002-1.013], NIHSS score (OR, 1.462; 95% CI, 1.209-1.767), hematoma volume (OR, 1.134; 95% CI, 1.047-1.227) and age (OR, 1.060; 95% CI, 1.015-1.108) emerged as independent predictors for 6-month unfavorable outcome. In terms of ROC AUC, serum periostin concentrations had significantly higher predictive value compared with age and showed similar predictive value compared with NIHSS score and hematoma volume. CONCLUSIONS: High concentrations of serum periostin in acute ICH patients are associated with increasing severity and a poor functional prognosis.

Association of polymorphisms in FLT3, EGFR, ALOX5, and NEIL3 with glioblastoma in the Han Chinese population.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the highest-grade glioma in astrocytoma. Patients often have poor prognosis due to therapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Identification of the genetic factors of GBM could be important contribution to early prevention of this disease. We genotyped 17 tag single-nucleotide polymorphisms (tSNPs) from nine genes in this study, including 72 cases and 302 controls. SNP genotyping was conducted using Sequenom MassARRAY RS1000. Statistical analysis of the association between tSNPs and GBM was performed using the χ (2) test and SNPStats software. The rs3829382 in FLT3 was associated with increased odds of developing GBM using the χ (2) test. When we analyzed tSNPs under different inheritance models, we found rs9642393 in EGFR increased odds of developing GBM in the dominant model. After stratification by gender, we found that rs12645561 in NEIL3 and rs2291427 in ALOX5 were associated with developing GBM. Polymorphisms within FLT3, EGFR, NEIL3, and ALOX5 may contribute to the occurrence of GBM in the Han Chinese population. However, the functional significance of these polymorphisms needs further investigation.