Expression of autophagy-related factor p62 for lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

p62/SQSTM1 is the scaffold protein implicated in selective autophagy, which is induced by cellular stress. Research has shown that p62 is highly expressed in cancer. Moreover, p62 can easily promote tumor metastasis. However, studies have not reached a consensus on the relationship of p62 expression with the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on p62 expression in the prognosis and clinical-pathological parameters of lung cancer patients. Literature search was performed with PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and SpringerLink databases. Fixed-effects and random-effects models were used to study the relationship of p62 expression with patients' overall survival (OS) and clinical-pathological parameters. I2 was used to test for heterogeneity. Egger's test was used to assess publication bias. The meta-analysis collected and considered 13 articles, which included 1393 lung cancer patients. The studies show that the high expression of p62 is associated with poor OS in lung cancer patients. The clinical-pathological parameters of patients show that p62 is more highly expressed in high TNM stage (II + III + IV VS. I), Lymph node metastasis (N1 VS. N0), and distant metastases (D1 VS. D0). However, there is no correlation between the p62 expression and the Beclin 1 and LC3B in lung cancer patients. In conclusion, the over-expression of p62 is associated with poor OS in lung cancer patients and can be used as a biomarker for lung cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Clinical assessment and polysomnographic study of sleep apnea in a Chinese population of snorers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: While an increasing number of people who snore are seeking medical consultations, the clinical characteristics of snorers are rarely reported. The aim of this study is to characterize the clinical and polysomnographic features in a population of snorers. METHODS: A total of 490 subjects were examined retrospectively. The clinical history, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, physical examination, and full-night polysomnography (PSG) data were obtained for all the subjects. The correlations between the neck circumference, waist circumference, ESS scores, body mass index (BMI), and apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients were explored. The gender and age differences in OSA patients were analyzed. RESULTS: OSA was diagnosed in 84.7% of the sample, with 21.2% of the patients having a mild form, 15.4% having a moderate form, and 63.4% having a severe form of OSA. The ESS scores, neck circumference, waist circumference, and BMI were positively correlated with AHI in OSA patients. The ESS scores and BMI were negatively correlated with nadir oxygen saturation (SaO2). A greater number of men than women exhibited moderate to severe forms of the disease. OSA affects the work of males more commonly compared with females. Nocturia was a more common complaint in elderly OSA patients. Heart diseases coexisted more frequently with OSA in elderly patients. CONCLUSIONS: In a population of snorers, OSA is the most common condition identified. The ESS scores and BMI were well correlated with the severity of the disease. Men had a more severe form of OSA than women. Nocturia frequently occurred in elderly OSA patients, as did the coexistence of heart disease.