Updated incidence rates and risk factors of esophageal cancer in Nan'ao Island, a coastal high-risk area in southern China.

Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common cancers in China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the updated incidence rates and risk factors of EC in Nan'ao Island, where the EC incidence rate was chronically the highest in southern China. To calculate the annual incidence rate, data on 338 EC cases from Nan'ao Cancer Registry system diagnosed during 2005-2011 were collected. A case-control study was conducted to explore the EC risk factors. One hundred twenty-five alive EC patients diagnosed during 2005-2011 and 250 controls were enrolled into the case-control study. A pre-test questionnaire on demography, dietary factors, drinking water treatment, and behavioral factors was applied to collect information of all participants. The average EC incidence rates during 2005-2011 were 66.09/105, 94.62/105, 36.83/105 for both genders, males and females, respectively, in Nan'ao Island. The EC incidence rate in males was 2.40- to 4.55-fold higher than that in females in the period from 2006 to 2011 (P < 0.05). Considering the onset age, males tend to be much younger than females and reached peak incidence rate at a younger age (P < 0.05). Drinking water treatment by filter (odds ratio [OR] = 0.28, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.13-0.58) and fruit consumption (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.32-0.94) reduced the risk for EC. On the contrary, the pickled vegetables consumption (OR = 2.64, 95% CI = 1.46-4.76) and liquor drinking (OR = 2.32, 95% CI = 1.21-4.44) increased the risk for EC. These results may be of importance for future research on EC etiology and prevention strategies.

Enzymatic Synthesis of Glucose-Based Fatty Acid Esters in Bisolvent Systems Containing Ionic Liquids or Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Sugar fatty acid esters (SFAEs) are biocompatible nonionic surfactants with broad applications in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. They can be synthesized enzymatically with many advantages over their chemical synthesis. In this study, SFAE synthesis was investigated by using two reactions: (1) transesterification of glucose with fatty acid vinyl esters and (2) esterification of methyl glucoside with fatty acids, catalyzed by Lipozyme TLIM and Novozym 435 respectively. Fourteen ionic liquids (ILs) and 14 deep eutectic solvents (DESs) were screened as solvents, and the bisolvent system composed of 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethylsulfonate ([HMIm][TfO]) and 2-methyl-2-butanol (2M2B) was the best for both reactions, yielding optimal productivities (769.6 and 397.5 µmol/h/g, respectively) which are superior to those reported in the literature. Impacts of different reaction conditions were studied for both reactions. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the transesterification reaction. Results also demonstrated that as co-substrate, methyl glucoside yielded higher conversions than glucose, and that conversions increased with an increase in the chain length of the fatty acid moieties. DESs were poor solvents for the above reactions presumably due to their high viscosity and high polarity.

UPF1: a potential biomarker in human cancers.

Recently, Up-frameshift protein 1 (UPF1) is reported to be downregulated in various cancers and its low expression is closely correlated with poor prognosis. UPF1 is well known as a master regulator of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), which serves as a highly conserved mRNA surveillance process protecting cells from aberrant toxic transcripts. Due to dysfunction of UPF1, NMD fails to proceed, which contributes to tumor initiation and progression. This review shows a brief summary of the aberrant expression, functional roles and molecular mechanisms of UPF1 during tumorigenesis. Increasing evidence has indicated that UPF1 could serve as a potential biomarker for cancer diagnosis and treatment for future clinical applications in cancer.

Effects of Acupoint Application Therapy with TianGui Powder on Osteoporosis in Ovariectomized Rats through TGF-ß1 and Smad2/3 Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of acupoint application therapy (AAT) with TianGui Powder (TGP) on the expressions of the transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1) and Smad-2/3 signaling pathway in ovariectomized osteoporosis rats. METHODS: Sixty rats were randomly divided into four groups: normal group (group A), model group (group B), TGP group (group C), and Western medicine group (group D). Group A had only the corresponding amount of adipose tissue around the ovary removed; rats in the other groups had bilateral ovariectomies. After 1 week, groups A and B were given 1 mL/100 mg normal saline solution by gavage, group C was treated with AAT with TGP on ShenQue acupoint (0.2 piece/rat, 6 h/time, 1 time/d) and group D was given calcium carbonate vitamin D3 (36 mg/kg/d) and alfacalcidol (0.05 µg/kg/d) tablet suspension. In this study, the bone mineral density (BMD) , the levels of BALP, TRAP-5b, and BGP in serum and the changes in bone histomorphology was detected. For acquiring lumbar experimental data, the expression of TGF-ß1, Smad-2/3 proteins and mRNA of TGF-ß1and Smad-2/3 were assessed. After 12 weeks, the data were collected for analysis. RESULTS: Compared with group A, the bone trabecula was thinner and significantly reduced in other groups. The result of BMD improved significantly in both groups C and D compared to group B after intervention (P < 0.05). In contrast, compared to group B, the levels of BALP, TRAP-5b, and BGP significantly declined in both groups C and D. In group C, the results of protein expressions in TGF-ß1, Smad-2/3 were 2.870 ± 0.270, 1.552 ± 0.111, and 1.420 ± 0.079, respectively. In groups C and D, those indications significantly declined compared to group B (P < 0.01). In group C, the level of mRNA expressions of TGF-ß1, Smad-2/3 were 1.872 ± 0.177, 1.672 ± 0.086, and 1.790 ± 0.136, respectively. Compared with group B, those indications had significant difference in groups C and D (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupoint application therapy with TGP could significantly improve the BMD. The TGF-ß1 and Smad-2/3 signaling pathway could be a therapeutic target of TGP in postmenopausal osteoporosis rats.

Vegetation greenness modelling in response to interannual precipitation and temperature changes between 2001 and 2012 in Liao River Basin in Jilin Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Liao River basin in Jilin Province is the place of origin of the Dongliao River. This study gives a comprehensive analysis of the vegetation coverage in the region and provides a potential theoretical basis for ecological restoration. METHODS: The seasonal variation of vegetation greenness and dynamics based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in major land cover types in the region was studied. Analyzing the relationship NDVI, temperature and rainfall, we derived a set of predictor variables from 2001 to 2012 using the MODIS Terra level 1 Product (MOD02QKM). RESULTS: The results showed a general increasing trend in NDVI value in the region, while 34.63 % of the region showed degradation. NDVI values begin to rise from April when plants are regreening and they drop in September when temperature are decreasing and the leaves are falling in the study area and temperature was found decreasing during the period of 2001-2012 while rainfall showed an increasing trend. This model could be used to observe the change in vegetation greenness and the dynamic effects of temperature and rainfall. CONCLUSION: This study provided important data for the environmental protection of the basin area. And we hope to provide scientific analysis for controlling water and soil erosion, maintaining the sustainable productivity of land resources, enhancing the treatment of water pollution and stimulating the virtuous cycle of the ecological system.

Reduced NM23 Protein Level Correlates With Worse Clinicopathologic Features in Colorectal Cancers: A Meta-Analysis of Pooled Data.

The clinical value of a prominent metastasis suppressor, nonmetastatic protein 23 (NM23), remains controversial. In this study, we examined the correlation between NM23 protein levels and the clinicopathologic features of colorectal cancers (CRC), and assessed the overall prognostic value of NM23 for CRC. Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and other scientific literature databases were exhaustively searched to identify relevant studies published prior to June 31, 2015. The methodological qualities of selected studies were scored based on the critical appraisal skills program (CASP) criteria, as independently assessed by 2 reviewers. NM23 protein levels in tumor tissues of CRC patients were examined in relation to Dukes stage, differentiation grade, T-stage, lymph node metastasis status, and overall survival (OS). STATA software version 12.0 (Stata Corp, College Station, TX) was used for statistical analysis of data pooled from selected studies. Nineteen cohort studies met the inclusion criteria for present study and contained a combined total of 2148 study subjects. Pooled odd ratios (ORs) for NM23 expression revealed that reduced NM23 protein levels in CRC tumor tissues correlated with Dukes stage C and D (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.06-3.39, P = 0.032), poor differentiation grades (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.03-1.94, P = 0.032), and positive lymph node metastasis status (OR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.95-5.29, P < 0.001). On the other hand, no such correlations were evident with T-stage T3-4 (OR = 1.56, 95% CI: 0.60-4.06, P = 0.367) or OS (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.58-1.08, P = 0.138). Our analysis of pooled data found that NM23 expression is reduced in CRC tissues and low NM23 levels tightly correlate with higher Dukes stages, poorer differentiation grade, and positive lymph node metastases. However, NM23 levels did not influence the OS in CRC patients.