BackgroundCoffee consumption has been shown to be associated with cancer of various sites in epidemiological studies. However, there is no comprehensive overview of the substantial body of epidemiologic evidence.MethodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and bibliographies of retrieved articles. Prospective cohort studies were included if they reported relative risks (RRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of various cancers with respect to frequency of coffee intake. We did random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions of study-specific incremental estimates to determine the risk of cancer associated with 1 cup/day increment of coffee consumption.Results59 studies, consisting of 40 independent cohorts, met the inclusion criteria. Compared with individuals who did not or seldom drink coffee per day, the pooled RR of cancer was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.82-0.92) for regular coffee drinkers, 0.89 (0.84-0.93) for low to moderate coffee drinkers, and 0.82 (0.74-0.89) for high drinkers. Overall, an increase in consumption of 1 cup of coffee per day was associated with a 3% reduced risk of cancers (RR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.98). In subgroup analyses, we noted that, coffee drinking was associated with a reduced risk of bladder, breast, buccal and pharyngeal, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, hepatocellular, leukemic, pancreatic, and prostate cancers.ConclusionsFindings from this meta-analysis suggest that coffee consumption may reduce the total cancer incidence and it also has an inverse association with some type of cancers.

The genetic architecture of membranous nephropathy and its potential to improve non-invasive diagnosis Jingyuan Xie et al. # Membranous Nephropathy (MN) is a rare autoimmune cause of kidney failure. Here we report a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for primary MN in 3,782 cases and 9,038 controls of East Asian and European ancestries. We discover two previously unreported loci, NFKB1

The FAT10 gene encodes a diubiquitin-like protein containing two tandem head-to-tail ubiquitin-like domains. There is a high degree of similarity between murine and human FAT10 sequences at both the mRNA and protein levels. In various cell lines, FAT10 expression was shown to be induced by gamma interferon or by tumor necrosis factor alpha. In addition, FAT10 expression was found to be up-regulated in some Epstein-Barr virus-infected B-cell lines, in activated dendritic cells, and in several epithelial tumors. However, forced expression of FAT10 in cultured cells was also found to produce apoptotic cell death. Overall, these findings suggest that FAT10 may modulate cellular growth or cellular viability. Here we describe the steps to generate, by genetic targeting, a FAT10 gene knockout mouse model. The FAT10 knockout homozygous mice are viable and fertile. No gross lesions or obvious histological differences were found in these mutated mice. Examination of lymphocyte populations from spleen, thymus, and bone marrow did not reveal any abnormalities. However, flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that the lymphocytes of FAT10 knockout mice were, on average, more prone to spontaneous apoptotic death. Physiologically, these mice demonstrated a high level of sensitivity toward endotoxin challenge. These findings indicate that FAT10 may function as a survival factor.

Our review suggests that supplementation with Lactobacilli could be effective in increasing eradication rates of anti-H. pylori therapy for first-treated patients. Furthermore, Lactobacilli showed a positive impact on some H. pylori therapy-related side effects.

BackgroundsNonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has become the most common chronic liver disease in Asians. However, data on prevalence and factors associated with NAFLD in Asians are lacking. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD in Shanghai employees to assess the relationship between NAFLD and age, gender, metabolic risk factors in this studied population.MethodsWe selected 7152 employees of Shanghai work-units. Each of them underwent detailed medical history-taking, physical examination, laboratory assessments and abdominal ultrasonography. The diagnosis of NAFLD was done according to established criteria. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves were applied to detect areas under the ROC curves for each index. Nominal logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio for risk factors of NAFLD.ResultsAbout 38.17% employees had NAFLD, more in men than in women. The prevalence of NAFLD increased with increasing age. In both genders, the prevalence of metabolic factors was higher in the NAFLD group. Body max index, waist circumference, weight-to-height ratio, blood pressure, blood glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein and uric acid were found to have a diagnostic value for NAFLD. Body max index is a better index for diagnosing NAFLD. Uric acid is a new diagnosing index not inferior to lipid metabolic factors. Metabolic factors can increase the risk of NAFLD up to 1.5 ~ 3.8 times.ConclusionsOlder age, male gender, metabolic factors such as obesity, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension or type 2 diabetes are risk factors for NAFLD. Prevalence of NAFLD in Shanghai employees is high. Prevention is extremely important. Those achieve the critical point should have early intervention.

Abstract. The present study aimed to explore the renoprotective effect of metformin on diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetic rats. A rat model of type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN) was successfully induced via a high-fat diet combined with a single low-dose of streptozotocin. Metformin was administered intragastrically for 13 weeks, and fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), HDL-c, LDL-c, urinary and serum creatinine levels were subsequently examined at the end of administration. Renal function was determined after the treatment protocol. Expression levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were assessed via immunohistochemical analysis. Superoxide dismutase activity, malondialdehyde content and glutathione peroxidase levels were assessed in kidney tissues using commercially available kits. The results of the present study demonstrated that metformin administration significantly decreased the levels of serum blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, urinary albumin excretion and fasting blood glucose in rats with T2DN. Furthermore, TG, TC and LDL-c levels were significantly decreased following metformin treatment, whereas HDL-c was increased. Metformin treatment significantly increased SOD activity and significantly decreased malondialdehyde levels, as compared with the model group. It was also demonstrated that metformin administration significantly decreased the expression levels of TGF-β1 and attenuated the morphological changes associated with T2DN in rats. These data clearly demonstrated the renoprotective effects of metformin against the development and progression of T2DN in rats. The underlying mechanism of this protective effect may be associated with glycemic control, lipid metabolism, and anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory functions.

Some miRNAs were differentially expressed during differentiation of SW1116csc into SW1116 cells. miR-93 may inhibit SW1116csc proliferation and colony formation.

AIM:To observe the therapeutic efficacy of high-dose Vitamin C (Vit. C) on acute pancreatitis (AP), and to explore its potential mechanisms. METHODS:Eghty-four AP patients were divided into treatment group and control group, 40 healthy subjects were taken as a normal group. In the treatment group, Vit. C (10 g/day) was given intravenously for 5 days, whereas in the control group, Vit. C (1 g/day) was given intravenously for 5 days. Symptoms, physical signs, duration of hospitalization, complications and mortality rate were monitored. Meanwhile, serum amylase, urine amylase and leukocyte counts were also determined. The concentration of plasma vitamin C (P-VC), plasma lipid peroxide (P-LPO), plasma vitamin E (P-VE), plasma β-carotene (P-β-CAR), whole blood glutathione (WB-GSH) and the activity of erythrocyte surperoxide dimutase (E-SOD) and erythrocyte catalase (E-CAT) as well as T lymphocyte phenotype were measured by spectrophotometry in the normal group and before and after treatment with Vit. C in the treatment and the control group. RESULTS:Compared with the normal group, the average values of P-VC, P-VE, P-β-CAR, WB-GSH and the activity of E-SOD and E-CAT in AP patients were significantly decreased and the average value of P-LPO was significantly increased, especially in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) patients (P <0.05. P-VC, P =0.045; P-VE, P =0.038; P =0.041; P-β-CAR, P =0.046; WB-GSH, P =0.039; E-SOD, P =0.019; E-CAT, P =0.020; P-LPO, P =0.038). Compared with the normal group, CD 3 and CD 4 positive cells in AP patients were significantly decreased. The ratio of CD 4 /CD 8 and CD 4 positive cells were decreased, especially in SAP patients (P<0.05. CD 4 /CD 8 , P =0.041; CD 4 , P =0.019). Fever and vomiting disappeared, and leukocyte counts and amylase in urine and blood become normal quicker in the treatment group than in the control group. Moreover, patients in treatment group also had a higher cure rate, a lower complication rate and a shorter in-ward days compared with those in he control group. After treatment, the average value of P-VC was significantly higher and the values of SIL-2R, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05 P-VC, P =0.045; SIL-2R, P =0.012; TNF-α, P =0.030; IL-6, P =0.015; and IL-8, P =0.043). In addition, the ratio of CD 4 /CD 8 and CD4 positive cells in the patients of treatment group were significantly higher than that of the control group after treatment (P<0.05. CD 4 /CD 8 , P =0.039; CD 4 , P =0.024). CONCLUSION:High-dose vitamin C has therapeutic efficacy on acute pancreatitis. The potential mechanisms include promotion of anti-oxidizing ability of AP patients, blocking of lipid peroxidation in the plasma and improvement of cellular immune function.