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Cancer is the leading cause of death in economically developed countries and the second leading cause of death in developing countries. The relationship between genetic polymorphisms and the risk of cancers has been widely researched. Excision repair cross-complementing group 2 (ERCC2) gene plays important roles in the nucleotide excision repair pathway. There is contrasting evidence on the association between the ERCC2 Asp312Asn polymorphism and the risk of cancer. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis in order to assess the correlation between these factors. We searched the PubMed, EMBASE, Science Direct, Web of Science, and CNKI databases for studies published from January 1, 2005 to January 1, 2016. Finally, 86 articles with 38,848 cases and 48,928 controls were included in the analysis. The overall analysis suggested a significant association between the ERCC2 Asp312Asn polymorphism and cancer risk. Furthermore, control source, ethnicity, genotyping method, and cancer type were used for subgroup analysis. The result of a trial sequential analysis indicated that the cumulative evidence is adequate; hence, further trials were unnecessary in the overall analysis for homozygote comparison. In summary, our results suggested that ERCC2 Asp312Asn polymorphism is associated with increased cancer risk. A significantly increased cancer risk was observed in Asian populations, but not in Caucasian populations. Furthermore, the ERCC2 Asp312Asn polymorphism is associated with bladder, esophageal, and gastric cancers, but not with breast, head and neck, lung, prostate, and skin cancers, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Further multi-center, well-designed studies are required to validate our results.

BackgroundImmunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis. Although an important link between intestinal metabolites and immune activity is widely established, the metabolic profile of IgAN is still poorly understood, which severely limits the mechanistic studies and therapy of IgAN.MethodsThe diversity of intestinal flora and relative abundance of metabolites in IgAN patients and healthy subjects were measured by 16s ribosomal RNA gene sequencing combined with liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. The levels of serum Gd-IgA1, IL-6, IL-10, IL-22, and TNF-a were tested by ELISA. We employed the tryptophan-targeted UHPLC-MRM-MS approach to assess the content of tryptophan metabolites quantitatively.ResultsIntestinal fatty acid levels, mainly unsaturated fatty acids, were observed to be dramatically decreased in IgAN patients. Disorders in linoleic acid and arachidonic acid metabolism, metabolic imbalances of anti-/pro- inflammatory fatty acid metabolites, and intestinal AhR signaling deficiency might reflect the damage of the intestinal mucosal barrier in IgAN patients. In addition, we found that high levels of Gd-IgA1, IL-22, and TNF-α were associated with the activity of the tryptophan-kynurenine metabolic pathway, as well as lower levels of 3-indolepropionic acid. 3-indolepropionic acid, kynurenine, and indoleacrylic acid had synergistic effects on regulating immuno-inflammatory responses in IgAN patients.ConclusionsThe metabolic characteristic of fatty acids and tryptophan in the intestinal system is disturbed in IgAN patients, leading to active immune-inflammatory reactions.

The 2010 ANCA-GN classification and the extent of ANCA serology and baseline eGFR were shown to be significant predictors of renal outcome, although there was no significant prognostic difference between crescentic and mixed. The ANCA-GN classification scheme should, therefore, be optimized by combining with other established parameters, such as tubular atrophy and the proportion of normal glomeruli.

Background: The involvement of lncRNA FEZF1-AS1 has been analyzed in many types of cancers, while its roles in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear. We then explored the role of FEZF1-AS1 in NSCLC. Methods: qPCR and western blot were performed to measure gene expression. FEZF1-AS1, miR-34a, and NOTCH-1 were overexpressed to analyze the relationship between them. Transwell assays were performed to analyze the effects of transfections on cell invasion and migration. Results: FEZF1-AS1 was up-regulated in NSCLC patients. Increased expression levels of FEZF1-AS1 were observed with the increase in clinical stages. Bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-34a can bind with FEZF1-AS1. In NSCLC tissues, NOTCH-1 and FEZF1-AS1 were positively correlated. In NSCLC cells, over-expression of FEZF1-AS1 resulted in up-regulated expressions of NOTCH-1, while miR-34a over-expression mediated down-regulated expressions of NOTCH-1. In addition, FEZF1-AS1 and miR-34a did not alter each other, while bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-34a can bind FEZF1-AS1. Analysis of cell migration and invasion showed increased cell invasion and migration rates after FEZF1-AS1 and NOTCH-1 over-expression. MiR-34a played the opposite role and reduced the effects of FEZF1-AS1 over-expression. Conclusions: FEZF1-AS1 promoted NSCLC cell migration and invasion through the up-regulation of NOTCH1 by serving as a sponge of miR-34a.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the safety of CyberKnife stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and identify the treatment-related risk factors of hepatic toxicity.Materials and methodsOne hundred and four HCC patients treated with CyberKnife SBRT were included in this study between August 2009 and December 2012. The average dose of prescribed radiation was 42.81±4.78 Gy (28–55 Gy) with the average fraction size of 8–16 Gy to the planning target volume. The average fractions were 3.31±0.81 (2–6 fractions). Response rates were determined, and the Child–Pugh (CP) score and class following CyberKnife SBRT were obtained to evaluate hepatic toxicity.ResultsSeventeen patients experienced progression in CP class and 24 patients experienced CTCAE V. 4.0 grade 2–3 hepatic toxicity during the five-month follow-up period, while no patient experienced grade 4 liver toxicity. Multivariate analysis indicated that only V25 was an independent factor in grade 2–3 hepatic toxicity (P=0.029, <0.05). Radiation-induced hepatic toxicity (RIHT), defined as an increase of at least two points within three months following CyberKnife SBRT, occurred in 13 of the 104 patients (13/104, 12.5%), and only the normal liver tissue was found to be associated with RIHT (P=0.008, <0.05).ConclusionCyberKnife SBRT is a feasible and safe treatment for HCC with regard to hepatic toxicity, while V25 and normal liver volume may be an independent factor of grade 2–3 hepatic toxicity and RIHT, respectively.

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