Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors involved in cardiovascular diseases. Notably, numerous studies have demonstrated that TLR4 activates the expression of several of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes that play pivotal roles in myocardial inflammation, particularly myocarditis, myocardial infarction, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and heart failure. In addition, TLR4 is an emerging target for anti-inflammatory therapies. Given the significance of TLR4, it would be useful to summarize the current literature on the molecular mechanisms and roles of TLR4 in myocardial inflammation. Thus, in this review, we first introduce the basic knowledge of the TLR4 gene and describe the activation and signaling pathways of TLR4 in myocardial inflammation. Moreover, we highlight the recent progress of research on the involvement of TLR4 in myocardial inflammation. The information reviewed here may be useful to further experimental research and to increase the potential of TLR4 as a therapeutic target.
The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between female hormone and menstrual factors and pancreatic cancer (PC) through a meta-analysis of observational studies.We undertook a systematic literature search up to July 10, 2014 in PubMed and EMBASE databases. Combined relative risks (RRs) were estimated by random-effects models. Subgroup analysis was performed by study design, source of control, and geographic regions. Sensitivity analyses and publication bias were utilized to evaluate the robustness of our results.A total of 27 case–control and cohort studies were retrieved for this meta-analysis. No significant associations were observed between the risk of PC and age at menarche (RR = 0.94, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.83–1.07), age at menopause (RR = 0.98, 95% CI 0.85–1.13), hysterectomy (RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.84–1.11), oophorectomy (RR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.82–1.26), hormone replacement therapy (RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.87–1.08), and oral contraceptives (RR = 1.09, 95% CI 0.96–1.23).This meta-analysis of observational studies does not support the hypothesis that exogenous hormone use and menstrual factors are associated with PC.
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