Mechanism of Peppermint Extract-Induced Delay of 'Packham's Triumph' Pear (Pyrus communis L.) Postharvest Ripening.

Postharvest ripening is correlated to the quality and shelf life of European pear fruit. In this study, the effects of peppermint extract on fruit phenotype, related physiological activities, and aroma components during postharvest ripening of the European pear variety 'Packham's Triumph' were examined. Fruit treated with 2.0 g L-1 peppermint extract for 12 h showed delayed softening by 4 d compared with that of the untreated control group. The peak values of ethylene and respiratory rate in fruit were reduced to a certain extent after peppermint extract treatment; however, the peppermint extract did not delay the occurrence of the respiratory climacteric peak. Peppermint extract treatment also did not significantly increase the content of the characteristic peppermint aroma in pear fruit. Further, widely targeted metabolome analysis revealed 298 significantly different metabolites, with flavonoids (40%) and lipid compounds (15%) accounting for the highest proportion on the first day after treatment. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway result showed significant enrichment in the metabolic pathways of biosynthesis of flavonoid, isoflavonoid, flavone and flavonol, linoleic acid, and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism following peppermint extract treatment. The combined analysis of transcriptome and metabolome data showed significant enrichment in linoleic acid metabolism and alpha-linolenic acid metabolism on the first, third, and fifth days after peppermint extract treatment. This study indicates that peppermint extract mainly affects the pear fruit softening process in the early stage after treatment.

Differences in microbial communities and potato growth in two soil types under organic cultivation.

Organic agriculture plays a positive role in promoting genetic diversity, including living organisms, plants, and cultivated crops in the soil. However, few comparative studies reported whether different soil types were suitable for organic cultivation. In this study, loam and clay-loam soils under continuous organic cultivation were analyzed. The results showed that there were no significant differences between two soil types in soil pH, bulk density, total porosity, moisture content and three soil phases. The capillary porosity and organic matter content of loam were significantly higher than those of clay-loam. Compared with clay-loam soil, the contents of total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc and silicon in loam soil were also significantly higher. The microbial diversity was higher in loam and the dominant microbes differed between the two soils. Glycosyl transferases and carbohydrate esterases were enriched in loam, whereas glycoside hydrolases and carbohydrate-binding modules were enriched in clay loam. The potato yield in loam was significantly higher than that in clay loam. Among the tuber quality indicators, the protein content of potatoes in loam was higher than that in clay-loam, but the reducing sugar content was lower for loam than for clay-loam. In conclusion, compared with clay loam, loam was more suitable for organic cultivation of potatoes on account of the high contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium and the rich microbial community, thus promoting a high yield of tubers. This study provided a theoretical reference for the selection of soil type suitable for organic cultivation.

The potential effect and mechanism of Saikosaponin A against gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Saikosaponin A (SSA) shows a series of pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor. However, there is a lack of comprehensive research or sufficient evidence regarding the efficacy of SSA in treating gastric cancer (GC), and the specific mechanisms by which it inhibits GC growth and progression are still not fully understood. METHODS: MTT and clonogenic assays were employed to detect the effect of SSA on the proliferation of GC cells. Bioinformatics predicted the SSA targets in the treatment of GC. The core genes and the underlying mechanism of SSA in anti-GC were obtained by analyzing the intersecting targets; molecular docking and Western blot were used to check the reliability of core genes. Flow cytometry was used to analyze apoptosis and cell cycle in GC cells treated with varying concentrations of SSA. Western blot was employed to detect the expression levels of related proteins. RESULTS: SSA significantly blocked GC cells in the S phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis to suppress the proliferation of GC cells. Network pharmacology revealed that the underlying mechanisms through which SSA acts against GC involve the modulation of several signaling pathways, including the PI3K-Akt, MAPK, RAS, and T-cell signaling pathways. Molecular docking showed pivotal target genes with a high affinity to SSA, including STAT3, MYC, TNF, STAT5B, Caspase-3 and SRC. Furthermore, western blot results revealed that SSA significantly increased the protein levels of Bax and Cleaved Caspase-3, whereas decreased the expression levels of p-JAK, p-STAT3, MYC, Bcl-2, p-PI3K, p-AKT and p-mTOR, confirming that the reliability of hub targets and SSA could promote GC cell apoptosis by suppressing PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that SSA has the ability to trigger apoptosis in GC cells by blocking the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. These findings highlight the potential of SSA as a promising natural therapeutic agent for the treatment of GC.

Improving Rhamnolipids Biosynthesis in Pseudomonas sp. L01 through Atmospheric and Room-Temperature Plasma (ARTP) Mutagenesis.

Biosurfactants have significant applications in various industries, including microbial-enhanced oil recovery (MEOR). While the state-of-the-art genetic approaches can generate high-yield strains for biosurfactant production in fermenters, there remains a critical challenge in enhancing biosurfactant-producing strains for use in natural environments with minimal ecological risks. The objectives of this work are enhancing the strain's capacity for rhamnolipids production and exploring the genetic mechanisms for its improvement. In this study, we employed atmospheric and room-temperature plasma (ARTP) mutagenesis to enhance the biosynthesis of rhamnolipids in Pseudomonas sp. L01, a biosurfactant-producing strain isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil. Following ARTP treatment, we identified 13 high-yield mutants, with the highest yield of 3.45 ± 0.09 g/L, representing a 2.7-fold increase compared to the parent strain. To determine the genetic mechanisms behind the enhanced rhamnolipids biosynthesis, we sequenced the genomes of the strain L01 and five high-yield mutants. A comparative genomic analysis suggested that mutations in genes related to the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the transport of rhamnolipids may contribute to the improved biosynthesis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first instance of utilizing the ARTP approach to improve rhamnolipid production in Pseudomonas strains. Our study provides valuable insights into the enhancement of biosurfactant-producing strains and the regulatory mechanisms of rhamnolipids biosynthesis.

Carotid atherosclerosis: An independent risk factor for small fiber nerve dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To explore whether carotid atherosclerosis is an independent risk factor for small fiber nerve dysfunction in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 247 type 2 diabetes patients from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital received carotid ultrasonography and quantitative sensory testing, including cold and warm detection thresholds, and some patients received cold and heat pain detection thresholds, respectively. According to the results of quantitative sensory testing, patients were divided into normal small fiber nerve function (NSF) and small fiber nerve dysfunction (SFD) group. Meanwhile, patients were divided into the non-carotid atherosclerosis group, carotid intimal thickening, unilateral carotid atherosclerosis and bilateral carotid atherosclerosis group. The correlation between carotid ultrasonography with quantitative sensory testing parameters was analyzed by SPSS 26.0. RESULTS: First, the incidence rate of SFD increased significantly in patients with carotid atherosclerosis (72.2%, P < 0.001) especially in bilateral carotid atherosclerosis (81.7%, P < 0.001). Second, compared with the NS group, the carotid intima-media thickness in SFD was thicker (P = 0.018) and the size of atherosclerotic plaque was larger (P < 0.001). In addition, the cold detection threshold decreased (P < 0.001), whereas the warm detection threshold (P < 0.001) and heat pain detection threshold (P < 0.001) increased as aggravation of carotid atherosclerosis. In the correlation analysis, the size of atherosclerotic plaque presented a positive correlation with the warm detection threshold (r = 0.476, P < 0.001) and heat pain detection threshold (r = 0.213, P < 0.001), but presented a negative correlation with the cold detection threshold (r = -0.239, P < 0.01). Furthermore, carotid atherosclerosis (odds ratio 2.326, P = 0.017), especially bilateral carotid atherosclerosis (odds ratio 5.042, P = 0.001), was an independent risk factor for SFD (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Carotid atherosclerosis was significantly associated with quantitative sensory testing and found to be an independent risk factor for small fiber nerve dysfunction in type 2 diabetes patients.

Single-Cell-Based High-Throughput Cultivation and Functional Characterization of Biosurfactant-Producing Bacteria from Soil and Oilfield-Produced Water.

Biosurfactants are a group of surface-active compounds that can be produced by diverse microorganisms. They have been widely used in various industrial fields. Reducing production costs, improving efficiency, and collecting more diverse producing strains have become major challenges in the biosurfactant industry. These challenges could be overcome by screening for more diverse and efficient biosurfactant-producing strains. The conventional methods for the isolation and functional characterization of microorganisms are laborious and biased toward fast-growing or strongly competitive microorganisms. Here, we established a high-throughput approach of single-cell-based cultivation and functional characterization of biosurfactant-producing bacteria (SCCBB). This approach combines single-cell cultivation with the detection of optical distortions. Using this approach, we isolated 431 strains with biosurfactant production potential from petroleum-contaminated soil and oilfield-produced water. The surfactant production capabilities of the strains were subsequently validated using surface tension measurements, TLC, and CMC measurements. To investigate the industrial production potential, we optimized the production conditions of a representative glycolipids-producing strain, Pseudomonas sp. L01, using response surface methodology (RSM). Optimal conditions yielded a crude biosurfactant yield of 8.43 g/L in a flask. Our work provides a high-throughput approach to the isolation and screening of biosurfactant-producing bacteria, as well as other functional bacteria in a wide range of fields.

Neuropathy scale score as an independent risk factor for myocardial infarction in patients with type 2 diabetes.

AIMS: To investigate whether peripheral neuropathy scale scores are associated with myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 32,463 T2DM patients were enroled from 103 tertiary hospitals in 25 Chinese provinces. Based on a history of MI, participants were divided into the MI group (n = 4170) and the non-MI group (n = 28,293). All patients were assessed using four neuropathy scales, namely, Neurological Symptom Score (NSS), Neurological Disability Score (NDS), Toronto Clinical Scoring System (TCSS), and Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI), and some of the patients underwent evaluation of nerve conduction velocity (NCV) (n = 20,288). The relationship between these scores and myocardial infraction was analysed. RESULTS: The neuropathy scale scores in the MI group were higher than those in the non-MI group (p < 0.001). After dividing patients into four groups based on the grading criteria, our results showed that, in addition to aggravating the degree of neuropathy signs, the incidence of MI increased (p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis results showed that neuropathy scale scores and NCV were both independent risk factors for MI (p < 0.001). Furthermore, among the scales used, MNSI presented a higher odds ratio and area under the curve (AUC; 0.625, p < 0.001) than the other three scales (AUCNSS  = 0.575, AUCNDS  = 0.606, and AUCTCSS  = 0.602, p < 0.001) for MI. CONCLUSIONS: Increased scores on these neuropathy scales (NSS, NDS, TCSS, and MNSI) and NCV were significantly associated with increased risk of MI and were considered independent risk factors.

Silymarin ameliorates the disordered glucose metabolism of mice with diet-induced obesity by activating the hepatic SIRT1 pathway.

Obesity-induced insulin resistance is the principal cause of type 2 diabetes worldwide. The use of natural products for the treatment of diabetes is increasingly attracting attention. Silymarin (SLM) is a flavonolignan compound that has been shown to have promise for the treatment of diabetes. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects. C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks and then orally administered SLM (30 mg/kg) daily for 1 month. The effects of SLM were also investigated in HepG2 cells that had been rendered insulin resistant by palmitic acid (PA) treatment. SLM ameliorated the dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance of the HFD-fed mice. HFD-feeding and PA treatment reduced the expression of sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) in the livers of the mice and in HepG2 cells, respectively. SLM increased the phosphorylation of AKT and FOXO1, and reduced the level of FOXO1 acetylation in PA-treated cells. However, SIRT1 knockdown by RNA interference reduced these effects of SLM. Moreover, the results of molecular dynamic simulation and in vitro activity assays indicated that SLM may directly bind to SIRT1 and increase its enzymatic activity. These findings suggest that hepatic SIRT1 may be an important pharmacological target of SLM and mediate effects on insulin resistance and gluconeogenesis, which may underlie its anti-diabetic activity.

The Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy in a Chinese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIMS: Epidemiological data on diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Chinese population is still rather scarce, and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy are inconsistent because of study designs, grading standards, and population samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This hospital-based retrospective study included 1052 type 2 diabetes patients. Diabetic retinopathy was diagnosed by nonmydriatic fundus photography and/or fundus examination apparatus. Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the risk of diabetic retinopathy. RESULTS: A total of 352 (33.5% prevalence) subjects were diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy based on our population. The patients in the DR group not only had significantly higher hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), urinary microalbumin-creatinine ratio (ACR), and systolic blood pressure but also had higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) levels compared to those in the non-DR group. Moreover, we confirmed that diabetes duration and HbA1c are strongly associated with DR risk. We also found that serum LH was an independent risk factor in male diabetic retinopathy patients (OR = 1.086, 95% CI 1.024-1.152), and the levels of LH were significantly associated with diabetic retinopathy prevalence (P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Our study strengthens the argument that diabetes duration and HbA1c are risk factors for patients with DR. Additionally; we firstly confirmed that serum LH was an independent risk factor in male diabetic retinopathy patients.

Hepatocyte growth factor alleviates hepatic insulin resistance and lipid accumulation in high-fat diet-fed mice.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is frequently accompanied by fatty liver disease. Lipid accumulation within the liver is considered as one of the risk factors for insulin resistance. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is used to treat liver dysfunction; however, the effect and mechanism of HGF on hepatic lipid metabolism are still not fully understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were induced with a high-fat diet for 12 weeks, followed by a 4-week treatment of HGF or vehicle saline. The levels of fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were calculated for insulin sensitivity. Biochemical plasma parameters were also measured to assess the effect of HGF on lipid accumulation. Additionally, genes in the lipid metabolism pathway were evaluated in palmitic acid-treated HepG2 cells and high-fat diet mice. RESULTS: HGF treatment significantly decreased the levels of fasting blood glucose, hepatic triglyceride and cholesterol contents. Additionally, HGF-regulated expression levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c/fatty acid synthase, peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor-α, and upstream nuclear receptors, such as farnesoid X receptor and small heterodimer partner. Furthermore, c-Met inhibitor could partially reverse the effects of HGF. CONCLUSIONS: HGF treatment can ameliorate hepatic insulin resistance and steatosis through regulation of lipid metabolism. These effects might occur through farnesoid X receptor-small heterodimer partner axis-dependent transcriptional activity.

Prevalence, treatment patterns and control rates of metabolic syndrome in a Chinese diabetic population: China Cardiometabolic Registries 3B study.

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, and assess the effect of MetS on the treatment patterns and blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids goal achievements. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 25,454 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients including demographic data, anthropometric measurements, treatment patterns, and blood glucose and lipid profiles were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Using modified Adult Treatment Panel III MetS criteria, the prevalence of MetS was 57.4% in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, who also fulfilled the criteria for MetS, tended to be women, living in the northeast, with a diabetes duration ≥5 years and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Most MetS (53.4%) and non-MetS (57%) diabetes patients received oral hypoglycemic drugs. Insulin or insulin combination therapies were more applied in MetS (37.5%) than in non-MetS (33.1%) diabetes patients, and the percentages of MetS diabetes patients receiving antihypertensive and lipid-modulating drugs were 52.9% and 28.2% vs 38.3% and 19.3% of the non-MetS diabetes patients. Just 37.5%, 15.6% and 32.9% of the MetS diabetes patients vs 54.6%, 45.6% and 40.4% of the non-MetS diabetes patients achieved the individual target goals for control of blood glucose (glycosylated hemoglobin <7%), blood pressure (systolic blood pressure <130 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure <80 mmHg) and blood lipids (total cholesterol <4.5 mmol/L), whereas just 2.1% achieved all three target goals. CONCLUSIONS: MetS with a high prevalence in Chinese type 2 diabetes mellitus patients is associated with poor blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids control rate.

Global epidemiology of diabetic foot ulceration: a systematic review and meta-analysis †.

Diabetic foot is a severe public health issue, yet rare studies investigated its global epidemiology. Here we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis through searching PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of science, and Cochrane database. We found that that global diabetic foot ulcer prevalence was 6.3% (95%CI: 5.4-7.3%), which was higher in males (4.5%, 95%CI: 3.7-5.2%) than in females (3.5%, 95%CI: 2.8-4.2%), and higher in type 2 diabetic patients (6.4%, 95%CI: 4.6-8.1%) than in type 1 diabetics (5.5%, 95%CI: 3.2-7.7%). North America had the highest prevalence (13.0%, 95%CI: 10.0-15.9%), Oceania had the lowest (3.0%, 95% CI: 0.9-5.0%), and the prevalence in Asia, Europe, and Africa were 5.5% (95%CI: 4.6-6.4%), 5.1% (95%CI: 4.1-6.0%), and 7.2% (95%CI: 5.1-9.3%), respectively. Australia has the lowest (1.5%, 95%CI: 0.7-2.4%) and Belgium has the highest prevalence (16.6%, 95%CI: 10.7-22.4%), followed by Canada (14.8%, 95%CI: 9.4-20.1%) and USA (13.0%, 95%CI: 8.3-17.7%). The patients with diabetic foot ulcer were older, had a lower body mass index, longer diabetic duration, and had more hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, and smoking history than patients without diabetic foot ulceration. Our results provide suggestions for policy makers in deciding preventing strategy of diabetic foot ulceration in the future. Key messages Global prevalence of diabetic foot is 6.3% (95%CI: 5.4-7.3%), and the prevalence in North America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania was 13.0% (95%CI: 10.0-15.9%), 5.5% (95%CI: 4.6-6.4%), 5.1% (95%CI: 4.1-6.0%), 7.2% (95%CI: 5.1-9.3%), and 3.0% (95% CI: 0.9-5.0%). Diabetic foot was more prevalent in males than in females, and more prevalent in type 2 diabetic foot patients than in type 1 diabetic foot patients. The patients with diabetic foot were older, had a lower body mass index, longer diabetic duration, and had more hypertension, diabetic retinopathy, and smoking history than patients without diabetic foot.

Decreased beta cell function and insulin sensitivity contributed to increasing fasting glucose in Chinese.

To evaluate the role of insulin resistance and beta cell function to increasing fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 1,272 Chinese subjects (18-80 years of age) were divided into normal glucose tolerance (NGT), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), combined glucose intolerance (CGI), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) according to oral glucose tolerance test. Insulin sensitivity was measured by Matsuda index (ISI(M)) and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1/HOMA-IR); ß-cell function adjusted by insulin sensitivity was assessed from disposition index (DI) at basal DI(0) (homeostasis model assessment of ß-cell function (HOMA-B) × [1/HOMA-IR]), early-phase DI(30) (the ratio of total insulin AUC and total glucose AUC during 0-30 min of the OGTT (InsAUC(30)/GluAUC(30)) × ISI(M)) and total DI(120) (the ratio of total insulin AUC and total glucose AUC during 0-120 min of the OGTT (InsAUC(120)/GluAUC(120)) × ISI(M)). Compared with NGT, in IFG, ISI(M) (-23%), DI(0) (-38%), DI(30) (-30%), and DI(120) (-31%) were decreased significantly. As the FPG increased across categories classified by FPG levels from NGT → IFG → T2DM with 2 h PG < 7.8 mmol/l, ISI(M), DI(0), DI(30) and DI(120) showed decline beginning from normal range of FPG, compared with the reference category of FPG < 4.0 mmol/l. Correlation analysis showed that ISI(M) and DI were correlated inversely with FPG concentration (r = -0.242 for ISI(M), r = -0.933 for DI(0), r = -0.806 for DI(30), r = -0.817 for DI(120); P < 0.001). Both the impairment of beta cell function and insulin sensitivity started at the low point of FPG within the normoglycemic range and contributed to the deterioration of fasting glucose.

Alcohol consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer: a meta-analysis.

Epidemiologic findings are inconsistent concerning the association of endometrial cancer risk with alcohol consumption. Therefore, we conduct a meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association of alcohol consumption and the risk of endometrial cancer. A systematic literature search up to April 2010 was performed in MEDLINE and EMBASE, and study-specific risk estimates were pooled using a random-effects model. In the present study, six prospective and 14 case-control studies were included. Alcohol intake was not significantly associated with the risk of endometrial cancer among prospective studies (relative risk (RR): 1.04; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.91-1.18) or among case-control studies (odds ratio (OR): 0.89; 95% CI: 0.76-1.05). However evidence from the results of our stratified analyses revealed that increased risk of endometrial cancer was associated with liquor consumption (RR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03-1.45) but null association with wine and beer consumption. In conclusion, alcohol consumption is not associated with the risk of endometrial cancer. Future studies should also examine whether the relation varies according to different type of alcoholic beverages.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1-2518 A/G polymorphism and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Hyperglycemia could accelerate monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) production in monocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Recently, a genetic polymorphism (-2518 A/G) located in MCP-1 gene promoter has been found that could influence the expression of MCP-1. A large cohort study of Caucasians reported that MCP-1 G-2518 gene variant was negatively correlated with the prevalence of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, it is unclear whether this polymorphism is associated with type 2 diabetes in Han Chinese. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control study of 416 type 2 diabetes cases and 416 controls. RESULTS: Compared with the wild genotype AA, MCP-1 G-2518 gene variant could significantly decrease the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Han Chinese (adjusted OR=0.49, 95% CI 0.32-0.77, P<0.0001). The results of stratified analyses indicated that a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes related with variant genotypes was evident in younger participants (age ≤50) (adjusted OR=0.35, 95% CI 0.20-0.61, P<0.0001), and similar results were observed in males (adjusted OR=0.37, 95% CI 0.21-0.66, P=0.001) and urban participants (adjusted OR=0.35, 95% CI 0.21-0.58, P<0.0001). In addition, a statistically significant difference was observed between MCP-1-2518 A/G polymorphism and waist to hip ratio. CONCLUSIONS: Our present pilot study indicated that MCP-1 G-2518 gene variant could significantly decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes in a Chinese population.

Hsa-mir-27a genetic variant contributes to gastric cancer susceptibility through affecting miR-27a and target gene expression.

Aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is presently proposed to correlate with various human cancers and common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at miRNA genes can influence the maturation of miRNAs or miRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation. However, whether miRNAs SNP alter gastric cancer susceptibility is still unclear. Here we investigated the possible role of a common A/G polymorphism (rs895819) within hsa-mir-27a in the development or progression of gastric cancer, and assessed the effect of rs895819 on the expression of miR-27a and its target gene Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 10 (ZBTB10). In the present case-control study, we found that subjects with the variant genotypes (AG + GG) showed a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer relative to AA carriers (adjusted odds ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.05; P = 0.019). The elevated risk was especially evident in older subjects (age >58 years), men, nonsmokers and rural subjects. A significant association of hsa-mir-27a variant genotypes with lymph node metastasis was also observed. Further functional analyses indicated that variant genotypes might be responsible for elevated miR-27a levels and reduced ZBTB10 mRNA. Moreover, an inverse correlation was found between ZBTB10 and miR-27a levels. In conclusion, we were the first to show that a common polymorphism (rs895819) in hsa-mir-27a, by modulating miR-27a and ZBTB10 levels, acted as an important factor of the gastric cancer susceptibility.

Tea consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND: Tea consumption has been extensively studied in relation to various diseases, several epidemiologic studies have been performed to investigate the association of tea consumption with type 2 diabetes; however, the results of these studies were not entirely consistent. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a meta-analysis of studies that assessed the association of tea consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search through November 2008 in PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The search was limited to English-language studies. Studies were excluded if they were type 1 diabetes, animal studies. Nine cohort studies were identified by two authors, and summary relative risks (RRs) were calculated using a random-effects model. RESULTS: We identified nine cohort studies, including 324,141 participants and 11,400 incident cases of type 2 diabetes with follow-up ranging from 5 to 18 years. The summary adjusted RR did not show that tea consumption was associated with a reduced type 2 diabetes risk (RR, 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.92-1.01). Evidence from the results of our stratified analyses revealed that tea consumption > or =4 cups per day (RR, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.7-0.93) might play a role in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. However, no statistically significant association was observed for sex and the follow-up durations stratified between tea consumption and type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicates that tea consumption > or =4 cups per day may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.