Aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is presently proposed to correlate with various human cancers and common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at miRNA genes can influence the maturation of miRNAs or miRNA-mediated transcriptional regulation. However, whether miRNAs SNP alter gastric cancer susceptibility is still unclear. Here we investigated the possible role of a common A/G polymorphism (rs895819) within hsa-mir-27a in the development or progression of gastric cancer, and assessed the effect of rs895819 on the expression of miR-27a and its target gene Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 10 (ZBTB10). In the present case-control study, we found that subjects with the variant genotypes (AG + GG) showed a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer relative to AA carriers (adjusted odds ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval 1.06-2.05; P = 0.019). The elevated risk was especially evident in older subjects (age >58 years), men, nonsmokers and rural subjects. A significant association of hsamir-27a variant genotypes with lymph node metastasis was also observed. Further functional analyses indicated that variant genotypes might be responsible for elevated miR-27a levels and reduced ZBTB10 mRNA. Moreover, an inverse correlation was found between ZBTB10 and miR-27a levels. In conclusion, we were the first to show that a common polymorphism (rs895819) in hsa-mir-27a, by modulating miR-27a and ZBTB10 levels, acted as an important factor of the gastric cancer susceptibility. (Cancer Sci 2010; 101: 2241-2247 G astric cancer is one of the commonest malignant tumors in the world.(1) Of all the treatment modalities, only surgical resection may offer an opportunity for long-term survival. However, in most cases, curative resection of the tumor is impossible because of the advanced stage at the time of diagnosis.(2) In this regard, early detection of gastric cancer currently is the most important measure to decrease disease-associated mortality. Therefore, it appears very important to find novel diagnosis biomarkers to improve patient prognosis.MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small endogenous noncoding RNA, negatively regulate post-transcriptional gene expression by directly cleaving target mRNA or by inhibiting their translation.(3) Although the underlying biological functions are not completely clear, it has been shown to play important roles in a variety of cellular processes including apoptosis, differentiation and cell proliferation.(4-6) Recent studies have identified that aberrant miRNAs expression correlated with various human cancers such as colon tumors, breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer. There is increasing evidence that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) or mutations could make a significant contribution to disease susceptibility and outcome. The high degree of phylogenetic conservation in miRNA sequences determines that the functional variation in miRNAs may influence various biological processes. Therefore, a mutation or a SNP in miRNA genes might influence the transcrip...

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Pre-miR-146a C/G polymorphism might be associated with an elevated risk of gastric cancer in Chinese population.

Pharmacist interventions, interacted directly with the physicians at ward level, could play an important role in optimizing antibiotic use, thus lead to the reduction in patients' length of hospital stay and health care cost.

The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of the endothelial lipase (EL) gene 584C/T variant, which results in a change at codon 111 of the EL gene from threonine to isoleucine, on the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a Chinese population. The study population consisted of 265 CAD patients and 265 age-and sexmatched control subjects. The T allele frequency was significantly lower among CAD patients than among control subjects (18.3% vs. 29.8%; P , 0.001). In both the CAD and control groups, the T allele carriers had higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels than homozygote C allele carriers. In a multiple logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol, a significantly decreased risk of developing CAD was found in subjects carrying a variant CT or TT genotype (odds ratio 5 0.496, 95% confidence interval 5 0.341-0.723; P , 0.001), and the significance persisted after further adjustment for HDL-C. In conclusion, our observation that the EL 584T allele was associated with protection from CAD in this Chinese population replicates the findings in a Japanese study, which found a similar association of this allele with acute myocardial infarction, independent of HDL-C levels.-Tang, N-P., L

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are emerging as important regulators in various pathobiological processes in cancer. Genistein, as a major isoflavonoid isolated from dietary soybean, possesses a wide variety of biological activities particularly in cancer prevention. However, the molecular mechanisms by which genistein elicits its effects on ovarian cancer cells have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we reported that expression of miR-27a was higher in human ovarian cancer relative to benign ovarian tissues. Meanwhile, transfection of SKOV3 cells with the inhibitor of miR-27a suppressed growth and migration of tumor cells. Our study also found that treatment of ovarian cancer cells with genistein caused an inhibition of ovarian cancer cell growth and migration. Further cellular mechanistic studies revealed that genistein down-regulated miR-27a expression, which was accompanied by significantly increased expression of Sprouty2, a putative miR-27a target gene. Taken together, our findings reveal that oncogenic miR-27a plays an important role in ovarian cancer cell growth and metastasis, and genistein, as nontoxic inactivators of miRNA, can block ovarian cancer cell growth and migration, offering novel insights into the mechanisms of genistein therapeutic actions.

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