No abstract

Gastric cancers express enhanced levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MMP and TIMP genes may be associated with disease susceptibility and might also affect their antigen expression. We studied the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of SNPs of MMP-2, -7, -8 and -9 and TIMP-1 and -2 in gastric cancer patients in relation to tumour progression, patient survival and tissue antigen expression. The genotype distribution and allele frequencies were similar in gastric cancer patients and controls, except for MMP-7 À181A4G . In addition, the genotype distribution of MMP-7 À181A4G was associated with Helicobacter pylori status (w 2 7.8, P ¼ 0.005) and tumour-related survival of the patients. Single-nucleotide polymorphism TIMP-2 303C4T correlated significantly with the WHO classification (w 2 5.9, P ¼ 0.03) and also strongly with tumour-related survival (log rank 11.74, P ¼ 0.0006). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms of MMP-2, -8, -9 and TIMP-1 were not associated with tumour-related survival. Only the gene promoter MMP-2 À1306C4T polymorphism correlated significantly with the protein level within the tumours. First-order dendrogram cluster analysis combined with Cox analysis identified the MMP-7 À181A4G and TIMP-2 303C4T polymorphism combination to have a major impact on patients survival outcome. We conclude that MMP-related SNPs, especially MMP-7 À181A4G and TIMP-2 303C4T , may be helpful in identifying gastric cancer patients with a poor clinical outcome.

Infectious complications after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) are a major clinical problem. The lectin pathway of complement activation is liver-derived and a crucial effector of the innate immune defense against pathogens. Polymorphisms in lectin pathway genes determine their functional activity. We assessed the relationship between these polymorphic genes and clinically significant bacterial infections, i.e., sepsis, pneumonia, and intra-abdominal infection, and mortality within the first year after OLT, in relation to major risk factors in two cohorts from different transplant centers. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the mannose-binding lectin gene (MBL2), the ficolin-2 gene (FCN2), and the MBL-associated serine protease gene (MASP2) of recipients and donors were determined. Recipients receiving a donor liver in the principal cohort with polymorphisms in all three components i.e., MBL2 (XA/O; O/O), FCN216359T, and MASP21371A, had a cumulative risk of an infection of 75% as compared to 18% with wild-type donor livers (P 5 0.002), an observation confirmed in the second cohort (P 5 0.04). In addition, a genetic (mis)match between donor and recipient conferred a two-fold higher infection risk for each separate gene. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed a stepwise increase in infection risk with the lectin pathway gene profile of the donor (hazard ratio 5 4.52; P 5 8.1 3 10 26 ) and the donor-recipient (mis)match genotype (hazard ratio 5 6.41; P 5 1.9 3 10 27 ), independent from the other risk factors sex and antibiotic prophylaxis (hazard ratio > 1.7 and P < 0.02). Moreover, patients with a lectin pathway gene polymorphism and infection had a six-fold higher mortality (P 5 0.9 3 10 28 ), of which 80% was infectionrelated. Conclusion: Donor and recipient gene polymorphisms in the lectin complement pathway are major determinants of the risk of clinically significant bacterial infection and mortality after OLT. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;52:1100-1110 Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; CSI, clinically significant bacterial infection; HR, hazard ratio; MASP, MBL-associated serine protease; MBL, mannosebinding lectin; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; OLT, orthotopic liver transplantation; SNP, single-nucleotide polymorphism.From the

Copeptin is a fragment of the vasopressin precursor, a hormone that is known to be increased in patients with cirrhosis and that plays a role in the development of complications of the disease. Vasopressin is difficult to measure, but copeptin is a more stable molecule and is easier to measure in blood. Solà and Kerbert and colleagues have shown in a series of 361 patients that copeptin is markedly increased in patients with cirrhosis who develop complications during the following 3months, compared to those patients who do not develop complications. Moreover, copeptin correlates with prognosis.

Background:Upregulation of the matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 in various cancers has been associated with worse survival of the patients.Methods:We assessed MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in normal colorectal mucosa from colorectal cancer patients in relation to the course of the disease.Results:A high protein expression of MMP-2 as well as MMP-9 in normal mucosa was found to be correlated with worse 5-year survival. The combination of both parameters was an even stronger prognostic factor. These protein levels were found not to be related to the corresponding single nucleotide polymorphisms of MMP-2 (−1306C>T) and MMP-9 (−1562C>T). Multivariate analyses indicated that the MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in normal mucosa are prognostic for survival, independent of TNM classification.Conclusion:MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels in normal mucosa are indicative of the course of disease in colorectal cancer patients.