The pathogenesis of CRC remains to be further understood. This study was designed to elucidate the role of Foxp3+IL-17+ T cells in the pathogenesis of CRC. Surgically removed CRC tissue was collected from 12 patients with CRC. The frequency and cytokine profile of Foxp3+IL-17+ T cells in CRC were examined by flow cytometry. Chemokine CXCL11 was examined in CRC tissue by Western blotting. Treg chemotaxis was examined in a transwell system. The effect of Foxp3+IL-17+ T cells on induction of cancer-initiating cells was examined; the latter's Akt and MAPK activities and colony formation were examined afterward. Abundant Foxp3+IL-17+ T cells were detected in CRC tissue that expresses high levels of TGF-β, CXCR3, CCR6, and RORγt. High levels of CXCL11 were detected in CRC tissue-derived CD68+ cells, which had a strong chemotactic effect on Foxp3+ Tregs. Hypoxia induced the expression of IL-17 in Foxp3+ Tregs; Foxp3+IL-17+ T cells were capable of inducing CRC-associated cell markers in BMMo and drove the cells to be cancer-initiating cells. High levels of phosphorylated Akt and MAPK were detected in the induced cancer-initiation cells; the latter has the capability to form a colony. CRC tissue-derived Foxp3+IL-17+ cells have the capacity to induce cancer-initiating cells.

Very few articles have aimed to illuminate the clinical profiles of vitiligo in China. We conducted this retrospective survey involving 4118 outpatients with vitiligo in order to identify the differences among various clinical types of vitiligo and their associated disorders. Completed questionnaires (3742) were validated and analysed. Of this large cohort, 1565 (41.8%) individuals presented vitiligo vulgaris, followed by focal, segmental, acrofacial, and universal, in that order. The mean age of vitiligo onset was 18.88 years. More than 60% of the patients were affected before 20 years of age. Patients with segmental vitiligo were affected earlier than those with other types of vitiligo (15.55 years; (P < 0.001). More than 74% of the patients presented with focal vitiligo at onset. After 3-5 years, 99% of active vitiligo was worse and shifted from one clinical type to another. However, there was no transformation between acrofacial vitiligo and segmental vitiligo. Compared with the general population, the patients with vitiligo were more likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis (P < 0.01), ichthyosis (P < 0.01), chronic urticaria (P < 0.01), or alopecia areata (P < 0.01).

Highlights d High-fat diet induces colonic lysine homocysteinylation (K-Hcy) catalyzed by MARS d Increased MARS copy number is a risk factor for human colorectal cancer (CRC) d K-Hcy impedes DNA damage repair in CRC d K-Hcy inhibition decreases high-fat-induced oncogenic effects

To identify genetic markers for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 993 individuals with LSCC (cases) and 1,995 cancer-free controls from Chinese populations. The most promising variants (association P < 1 × 10(-5)) were then replicated in 3 independent sets including 2,398 cases and 2,804 controls, among which we identified 3 new susceptibility loci at 11q12 (rs174549), 6p21 (rs2857595) and 12q24 (rs10492336). The minor alleles of each of these loci showed protective effects, with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 0.73 (0.68-0.78; P = 1.00 × 10(-20)), 0.78 (0.72-0.84; P = 2.43 × 10(-15)) and 0.71 (0.65-0.77; P = 4.48 × 10(-14)), respectively. None of these variants showed an interaction with smoking or drinking. This is the first GWAS to our knowledge solely on LSCC, and the findings might advance understanding of the etiology of LSCC.