DNA Methylation and Birth Weight: a Genome-wide Analysis / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

The study illustrate the inner correlation between global DNA methylation variation and different birth weights. Infant birth weight was used to identify cases and controls. Cord blood and placentas were collected. We performed DNA methylation profiling of bisulphite-converted DNA. We have identified many differentially methylated CpG sites in experimental groups; these sites involved in hundreds of signalings. Among these, more than ten pathways were referred to the glucose and lipid metabolism. Methylation changes in the insulin-signaling pathway (ISP), adipocytokine signaling pathway (ASP) and MAPK signaling pathway are involved in the fetal programming of diabetes..

Clinicopathological significance of PTEN and Caspase-3 expressions in breast cancer / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expressions of PTEN and Caspase-3 proteins in human breast carcinoma, and to evaluate their clinicopathological implications during the tumorigenesis and progression of breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expressions of PTEN and Caspase-3 proteins in 95 cases of breast cancer and 15 cases of benign breast diseases were investigated immunohistochemically. Correlations between the expression of PTEN protein, Caspase-3 protein, and clinicopathological features of breast cancers were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The loss expression rate of PTEN protein in tumor tissues was significantly higher than that in benign breast diseases (33.7% vs. 0, P < 0.01). Analysis of the clinicopathological features showed that PTEN expression level was negatively correlated with TNM stage, histological grade, axillary lymph node status, recurrence, and metastasis (P < 0.05). The positive expression level of Caspase-3 was negatively correlated with TNM stage (P < 0.01), but not related with histological grade, axillary lymph node status, recurrence, or metastasis (P > 0.05). In addition, the expression of PTEN protein had significantly positive correlation with the expression of Caspase-3 protein in breast cancer (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The combination detection of PTEN and Caspase-3 may serve as an important index to estimate the pathobiological behavior and prognosis of breast cancer.</p>