ADH1B/ALDH2 genotypes affect the risk of esophageal cancer, and the risk is modified by alcohol consumption, ethnicity, and gender.

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These results suggested that plasma miRNAs could be potential specific biomarker for early detection COPD.

In a previous study, we determined that plasma miRNAs are potential biomarkers for cigarette smoking‐related lung fibrosis. Herein, we determine whether tissue‐specific and plasma miRNA profiles could be promising biomarkers for histological classification and TNM stage in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Plasma miRNA profiling preoperatively and seven days postoperatively, and cancer and normal tissue miRNA profiling were performed in NSCLC patients and matched healthy controls. There was a > twofold change for all signature miRNAs between the NSCLC patients and controls, with P values of < 0.05. We found that tissue‐specific and plasma miR‐211‐3p, miR‐3679‐3p, and miR‐4787‐5p were promising biomarkers of different staging lung squamous cell carcinoma, and miR‐3613‐3p, miR‐3675‐3p, and miR‐5571‐5p were promising biomarkers of different staging lung adenocarcinoma. These results suggest that tissue‐specific and plasma miRNAs could be potential biomarkers of histological classification and TNM stage in NSCLC.

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Chitosan is a cationic biopolymer derived from chitin with potential therapeutic applications such as controlled drug delivery to mucosal-epithelial surfaces in the body. Inhaled chitosan microparticles (CM), for example, are of potential interest in pulmonary pharmacotherapy. In this context, we examine some basic reactions of lung tissue to CM. Inhaled CM (2-10 mg/kg of particles) induce dose-dependent proinflammatory effects in rat lungs; these effects are documented in increases in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid protein (BALF-P) and lactate dehydrogenase activity (BALF-LDH) and increases in lung tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and leukocyte migration. Overall, the biochemical parameters (i.e., average of BALF-P, BALF-DH, and MPO) indicate that the inflammation response is 1.8-fold greater than controls without CM; the same inflammation parameters, however, are 1.9-fold lower with CM compared with the proinflammatory effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Cytological examination of BALF shows a large infiltration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils to lung tissue: more than a sixfold increase in this population of inflammatory cells, after inhalation of CM relative to air inhalation controls. Thus, the results indicate that inhaled CM can have significant proinflammatory effects on lung tissues; these effects are mild relative to LPS but need to be considered in the context of therapeutic applications via pulmonary delivery if such concentrations of CM are used.