Medicine
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The promoter is the center for regulation of gene transcription due to containing numerous transcription factor binding sites. The aim of the study was to determine whether genetic variations at excision repair cross complementation group 5 (ERCC5) promoter could affect transcription factor binding and whether such single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-dependent binding could affect gene expression, drug response, and clinical outcome. A total of 170 patients who were cytologically or histologically confirmed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC), at least 1 measurable lesion, and underwent oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy were studied. ⋯ Allelic variants (-763AA vs -763AG or -763GG, +25GG versus +25AG or +25AA) were significantly associated with shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.05, respectively). At multivariate analysis, patients with risk genotypes (-763AA or +25GG genotype) demonstrated a significantly increasing risk of progression (P = 0.01) or worse OS (P = 0.001). The ERCC5 promoter polymorphisms at -763 and +25 may be important functional variants and predictors of clinical outcome of CRC patients who received oxaliplatin chemotherapy.
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To evaluate the predictive and prognostic significance of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in a large cohort of gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy. Assessing a patient's immune and nutritional status, PNI has been reported as a predictive marker for surgical outcomes in various types of cancer. We retrospectively reviewed data from a prospectively maintained database of 7781 gastric cancer patients who underwent gastrectomy from January 2001 to December 2010 at a single center. ⋯ For long-term outcomes, low PNI was a poor prognostic factor for overall survival, but not recurrence (overall survival: hazard ratio [HR] = 1.383, 95% CI = 1.221-1.568, P < 0.001; recurrence-free survival: HR = 1.142, 95% CI = 0.985-1.325, P = 0.078). PNI can be used to predict patients at increased risk of postoperative morbidity and mortality. Although PNI was an independent prognostic factor for overall survival, the index was not associated with cancer recurrence.
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Genome-wide association studies in European individuals have revealed that IL12A is strongly associated with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). However, this association was not detected in replicative studies conducted in Chinese Han and Japanese populations. To verify contributions of genetic variants of IL12A to the pathogenesis of PBC in Chinese populations, a replicative study of 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) around the IL12A gene locus was performed in a cohort of 586 PBC cases and 726 healthy controls. ⋯ The results of eQTL analysis, conducted using the publically accessible data, showed that the risk alleles of rs4679868 and rs6441286 were significantly associated with decreased expression of IL12A in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from individuals of Chinese Han ancestry (P = 0.0031 for rs4679868 and P = 0.0073 for rs6441286). In addition, the risk alleles of the 2 SNPs were significantly associated with down-regulation of SCHIP1, a celiac disease susceptible gene, 91.5 kb upstream of IL12A. These results not only demonstrated that IL12A is associated with PBC in the Chinese Han population but also identified a potential mechanism for its involvement in the pathogenesis of PBC.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Intraoperative Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Pain in Highly Nicotine-Dependent Patients After Thoracic Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial.
To investigate the effects of intraoperative dexmedetomidine on pain in highly nicotine-dependent patients after thoracic surgery. Highly nicotine-dependent men underwent thoracic surgery and received postoperative patient-controlled intravenous analgesia with sufentanil. In dexmedetomidine group (experimental group, n = 46), dexmedetomidine was given at a loading dose of 1 μg/kg for 10 minutes, followed by continuous infusion at 0.5 μg/kg/h until 30 minutes before the end of surgery. ⋯ No patient experienced sedation or respiratory depression. Frequency of nausea and vomiting and degree of satisfaction were similar in both groups. Intraoperative dexmedetomidine was associated with reduced resting and coughing NRS scores and a sufentanil-sparing effect during the first 24 hours after thoracic surgery.
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Review Meta Analysis
Efficacy of N-Acetylcysteine in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
There are a number of conflicting reports describing the clinical outcomes of using N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. We have, therefore, performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine, compared with control, for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Original controlled clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of N-acetylcysteine for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were included in the analysis. ⋯ There were no statistically significant differences in forced vital capacity (SMD = 0.07; 95% CI: -0.13-0.27; P = 0.52), percentage of predicted carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (SMD = 0.12; 95% CI: -0.06-0.30; P = 0.18), rates of adverse events (odd ratio = 4.50; 95% CI: 0.19-106.41; P = 0.35), or death rates (odd ratio = 1.79; 95% CI: 0.3-5.12; P = 0.28) between the N-acetylcysteine group and the control group. N-Acetylcysteine was found to have a significant effect only on decreases in percentage of predicted vital capacity and 6 minutes walking test distance. N-acetylcysteine showed no beneficial effect on changes in forced vital capacity, changes in predicted carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, rates of adverse events, or death rates.