The roles of genetic polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of recurrent miscarriage (RM) have been intensively studied. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent, especially when conducted in different populations. Therefore, we performed the current study to systematically review the broad spectrum of genetic polymorphisms that were suspected to be involved in RM, and discussed potential genetic biomarkers of RM. Eligible articles were identified in PubMed, Medline, Embase and CNKI. Odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to describe the strength of association, and a probability value (p value) of 0.05 or less was considered as statistically significant. A total of 425 eligible articles were included in this systematic review and 369 articles evaluating 124 polymorphisms of 73 genes were meta-analyzed. Significant associations were found between RM and 53 genetic polymorphisms of 37 genes. Our findings suggest that genetic variants of

Our findings suggest that IRS-1 Gly972Arg polymorphism is associated with PCOS in the Caucasian ethnicity, and IRS-2 Gly1057Asp polymorphism is correlated with PCOS in the Asian ethnicity. However, INSR His 1058 C/T polymorphism may not be implicated in PCOS. © 2016 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Recently, the roles of toll like receptor (TLR) gene polymorphisms in atherosclerotic diseases were extensively investigated, with conflicting results. Therefore, we performed this study to better assess the relationship between TLR gene variants and atherosclerosis. Eligible studies were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CNKI. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate associations between TLR gene polymorphisms and atherosclerosis. A total of 40 studies covering 19,657 cases and 15,660 controls were finally included in our systematic review and meta-analysis. Significant correlations with atherosclerosis susceptibility were found for the TLR1 rs5743551 polymorphism (dominant model: 95% CI 1.03-1.79; recessive model: 95% CI 0.28-0.97; allele model: 95% CI 1.07-1.69), TLR1 rs5743611 polymorphism (dominant model: 95% CI 0.56-0.98) and TLR6 rs5743810 polymorphism (recessive model: 95% CI 0.56-0.92) in overall analyses. Moreover, further subgroup analyses revealed that TLR4 rs1927911 polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of cerebral infarction in the recessive model (95% CI 0.46-0.96), whereas TLR4 rs4986791 polymorphism was significantly correlated with susceptibility to atherosclerosis among Asians in the dominant (95% CI 1.58-6.66), additive (95% CI 0.13-0.69) and allele (95% CI 1.58-5.53) models. However, no positive results were found for the other 13 TLR polymorphisms. In conclusion, our findings indicate that most TLR gene polymorphisms may not be implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, whereas certain TLR gene variations, such as rs5743551, rs5743611, rs5743810, rs4986791 and rs1927911, may serve as genetic biomarkers of atherosclerotic diseases.

The endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene plays an important role in regulating vascular tone and blood pressure. Recently, the eNOS G894T and T-786C single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were intensively studied with regard to their associations with hypertension. However, the results of these studies were inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted the so far largest meta-analysis to better assess the correlations between eNOS SNPs and hypertension. Eligible articles were searched in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Scopus, and CNKI up to April 2016. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to detect any potential associations between eNOS SNPs and the risk of hypertension. A total of 95 case-control studies involving 29,308 hypertension cases and 33,950 healthy controls were analyzed. The overall meta-analysis results showed that eNOS G894T and T-786C SNPs were both significantly associated with the risk of hypertension, the T allele of G894T SNP (G versus T, P < 0.00001, OR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.76-0.89) and C allele of T-786C SNP (T versus C, P = 0.004, OR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.87-0.97) conferred an increased susceptibility to hypertension. Further subgroup analyses yielded similar positive results for G894T SNP in essential hypertension, gestational hypertension, and Asian ethnicity, and that for T-786C SNP in essential hypertension and Asian population. Overall, our findings suggest that eNOS G894T and T-786C SNPs were both significantly correlated with hypertension. Additionally, the T allele of G894T SNP and C allele of T-786C SNP may serve as potential biological markers for hypertension susceptibility in Asians.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to better elucidate the roles of genetic factors in Kawasaki disease (KD), and determine the potential genetic biomarkers of KD. The systematic literature search of PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI identified 164 eligible studies. The qualitative synthesis revealed that 62 genes may be correlated with the susceptibility to KD, and 47 genes may be associated with the incidence of coronary artery lesions (CALs) in KD. A total of 53 polymorphisms in 34 genes were investigated in further quantitative synthesis. Of these, 23 gene polymorphisms were found to be significantly correlated with KD susceptibility, and 10 gene polymorphisms were found to be significantly associated with the incidence of CALs in KD. In conclusion, our findings indicate that gene polymorphisms of ACE, BLK, CASP3, CD40, FCGR2A, FGβ, HLA-E, IL1A, IL6, ITPKC, LTA, MPO, PD1, SMAD3, CCL17 and TNF may affect KD susceptibility. Besides, genetic variations in BTNL2, CASP3, FCGR2A, FGF23, FGβ, GRIN3A, HLA-E, IL10, ITPKC and TGFBR2 may serve as biomarkers of CALs in KD.

Abstract. Cancer incidence is dramatically increasing worldwide, therefore improved prediction and therapeutic methods are needed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in cytokine genes may contribute to carcinogenesis. Interleukin (IL)-4 gene polymorphisms have been intensively studied with regard to their associations with cancer. However, the results of these previous studies remain inconclusive. The present study, therefore, aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of previously published studies in order to clarify the association of IL-4 with cancer risk. Eligible published articles were searched in Medline, PubMed, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to March 2016. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were used to identify potential associations between IL-4 genetic polymorphisms and the risk of cancer. A meta-analysis was then performed on 10,873 patients and 14,328 controls for IL-4 rs2243250 polymorphism, 3,970 patients and 5,686 controls for IL-4 rs2070874 polymorphism, and 1,896 patients and 2,526 controls for IL-4 rs79071878 polymorphism. A significant association with cancer risk was observed for rs2243250 and rs79071878 polymorphisms. In the subgroup analysis by cancer type, rs2243250 polymorphism was demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer and breast cancer, rs2070874 polymorphism was correlated with leukemia and oral carcinoma, and rs79071878 polymorphism was relevant to bladder carcinoma risk. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, IL-4 rs2243250 polymorphism was demonstrated to be associated with cancer risk in both Caucasian and Asian populations, rs2070874 was associated with cancer risk in Asian populations, while rs79071878 polymorphism was associated with cancer risk in Caucasian populations. In conclusion, the present results suggested that the IL-4 rs2243250 and rs79071878 polymorphisms were associated with cancer susceptibility. Further subgroup analyses revealed that the effects of IL-4 gene polymorphisms on cancer risk may vary by cancer type and by

Recent clinical trials failed to demonstrate that ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplement reduced cardiovascular events, which contradicted previous evidence. However, serum ω-3 PUFA concentrations of participants remained unclear in those studies. We aimed to investigate the definite relationship between serum concentrations of ω-3 PUFAs and coronary artery disease (CAD), and to explore the potential influence factors of ω-3 PUFAs. We selected Chinese in-patients (n = 460) with multiple cardiovascular risk factors or an established diagnosis of CAD. Serum ω-3 PUFAs, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were measured by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Serum concentrations of ω-3 PUFAs in CAD patients were lower than that in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Furthermore, high serum DHA concentration was an independent protective factor of CAD after adjustment for confounding factors (OR: 0.52, p = 0.014). Alcohol intake (p = 0.036) and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) usage (p = 0.027) were associated with a decreased serum ω-3 PUFA concentration. We conclude that serum concentrations of ω-3 PUFAs may associate with a decreased CAD proportion, and DHA may serve as a protective factor of CAD. Serum ω-3 PUFA concentrations may be reduced by alcohol intake and certain drugs like PPIs.

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