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We previously found that genetic polymorphisms in gene coding for histamine H4 receptors were related to the risk and malignant degree of breast cancer. The roles of polymorphisms in other histamine-related genes, such as histidine decarboxylase (HDC), histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) and histamine H3 receptor (HRH3), remain unexplored. The aim of this study is to analyze the clinical associations of polymorphisms in HDC, HNMT and HRH3 with breast cancer. Two hundred and one unrelated Chinese Han breast cancer patients and 205 ethnicity-matched health controls were recruited for case-control investigation. Genomic DNA from the participants was extracted and 5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HDC, HNMT and HRH3 were genotyped. We found that polymorphisms of HNMT and HRH3 were irrelevant with breast cancer in the present study. However, the T allele of rs7164386 in HDC significantly decreased the risk of breast cancer (adjusted odds ratios [ORs], 0.387; 95% confidence intervals [CIs], 0.208–0.720; P = 0.003). Furthermore, for HDC haplotypes, the CG haplotype of rs7164386-rs7182203 was more frequent among breast cancer patients (adjusted OR, 1.828; 95% CI, 1.218–2.744; P = 0.004) while the TG haplotype was more frequent among health controls (adjusted OR, 0.351; 95% CI, 0.182–0.678; P = 0.002). These findings indicated that polymorphisms of HDC gene were significantly associated with breast cancer in Chinese Han population and may be novel diagnostic or therapeutic targets for breast cancer. Further studies with larger participants worldwide are still needed for conclusion validation.

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Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most frequently occurring hospital- and community-associated pathogenic bacteria featuring high morbidity and mortality. The occurrence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has increased persistently over the years. Therefore, developing novel anti-MRSA drugs to circumvent drug resistance of S. aureus is highly important. Roemerine, an aporphine alkaloid, has previously been reported to exhibit antibacterial activity. The present study aimed to investigate whether roemerine can maintain these activities against S.aureus in vivo and further explore the underlying mechanism. We found that roemerine is effective in vitro against four S. aureus strains as well as in vivo against MRSA insepticemic BALB/c mice. Furthermore, roemerine was found to increase cell membrane permeability in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings suggest that roemerine may be developed as a promising compound for treating S. aureus, especially methicillin-resistant strains of these bacteria.