Stem cell-based therapy in periodontal regeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies.

BACKGROUND: Periodontitis is a common and chronic inflammatory disease characterized by irreversible destruction of the tooth surrounding tissues, especially intrabony defects, which eventually lead to tooth loss. In recent years, stem cell-based therapy for periodontitis has been gradually applied to the clinic, but whether stem cell-based therapy plays a positive role in periodontal regeneration is unclear at present. METHODS: The clinical studies related to the evaluation of mesenchymal stem cells for periodontal regeneration in PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials (CENTRAL), Web of Science (WOS), Embase, Scopus, Wanfang and China national knowledge infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched in June 2023. The inclusion criteria required the studies to compare the efficacy of stem cell-based therapy with stem cell free therapy for the treatment periodontitis, and to have a follow-up for at least six months. Two evaluators searched, screened, and assessed the quality and the risk of bias in the included studies independently. Review Manager 5.4 software was used to perform the meta-analysis, and GRADEpro GDT was used to evaluate the level of the evidence. RESULTS: Five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 118 patients were analyzed. The results of this meta-analysis demonstrated that stem cell-based therapy showed better therapeutic effects on clinical attachment level (CAL) (MD = - 1.18, 95% CI = - 1.55, - 0.80, P < 0.00001), pocket probing depth (PPD) (MD = - 0.75, 95% CI = - 1.35, - 0.14, P = 0.020), and linear distance from bone crest to bottom of defect (BC-BD)( MD = - 0.95, 95% CI = - 1.67, - 0.23, P = 0.010) compared with cell-free group. However, stem cell-based therapy presented insignificant effects on gingival recession (P = 0.14), linear distance from cementoenamel junction to bottom of defect (P = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results demonstrate that stem cell-based therapy may be beneficial for CAL, PPD and BC-BD. Due to the limited number of studies included, the strength of the results in this analysis was affected to a certain extent. The high-quality RCTs with large sample size, multi-blind, multi-centric are still required, and the methodological and normative clinical study protocol should be established and executed in the future.

Clinical application prospects and transformation value of dental follicle stem cells in oral and neurological diseases.

Since dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) were first reported, six types of dental SCs (DSCs) have been isolated and identified. DSCs originating from the craniofacial neural crest exhibit dental-like tissue differentiation potential and neuro-ectodermal features. As a member of DSCs, dental follicle SCs (DFSCs) are the only cell type obtained at the early developing stage of the tooth prior to eruption. Dental follicle tissue has the distinct advantage of large tissue volume compared with other dental tissues, which is a prerequisite for obtaining a sufficient number of cells to meet the needs of clinical applications. Furthermore, DFSCs exhibit a significantly higher cell proliferation rate, higher colony-formation capacity, and more primitive and better anti-inflammatory effects than other DSCs. In this respect, DFSCs have the potential to be of great clinical significance and translational value in oral and neurological diseases, with natural advantages based on their origin. Lastly, cryopreservation preserves the biological properties of DFSCs and enables them to be used as off-shelf products for clinical applications. This review summarizes and comments on the properties, application potential, and clinical transformation value of DFSCs, thereby inspiring novel perspectives in the future treatment of oral and neurological diseases.

Duality of immune recognition by tomato and virulence activity of the Ralstonia solanacearum exo-polygalacturonase PehC.

Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating soil-borne bacterial pathogen capable of infecting many plant species, including tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). However, the perception of Ralstonia by the tomato immune system and the pathogen's counter-defense strategy remain largely unknown. Here, we show that PehC, a specific exo-polygalacturonase secreted by Ralstonia, acts as an elicitor that triggers typical immune responses in tomato and other Solanaceous plants. The elicitor activity of PehC depends on its N-terminal epitope, and not on its polygalacturonase activity. The recognition of PehC specifically occurs in tomato roots and relies on unknown receptor-like kinase(s). Moreover, PehC hydrolyzes plant pectin-derived oligogalacturonic acids (OGs), a type of damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP), which leads to the release of galacturonic acid (GalA), thereby dampening DAMP-triggered immunity (DTI). Ralstonia depends on PehC for its growth and early infection and can utilize GalA as a carbon source in the xylem. Our findings demonstrate the specialized and dual functions of Ralstonia PehC, which enhance virulence by degrading DAMPs to evade DTI and produce nutrients, a strategy used by pathogens to attenuate plant immunity. Solanaceous plants have evolved to recognize PehC and induce immune responses, which highlights the significance of PehC. Overall, this study provides insight into the arms race between plants and pathogens.

Measuring industrial operational efficiency and factor analysis: A dynamic series-parallel recycling DEA model.

Countries are now struggling to improve their recycling efficiency of an industrial operational system to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, yet scant studies have viewed the series-parallel recycling structure of the system based on data envelopment analysis (DEA). This research divides the system into industrial production and industrial waste treatment (IWT) processes connected serially, while the IWT process is further separated into treatment sub-units for wastewater, waste gas, and solid wastes connected in parallel. We propose a dynamic series-parallel recycling DEA model within a directional distance function to measure efficiency and discuss the efficiency relationship among the system, processes, and sub-units. By using the spatial Durbin model, we explore factors that mainly influence the efficiency for the 30 provinces during 2011-2019. The results show the following. (1) The medium performance of the industrial operational system with an average overall recycling efficiency of 0.69 is mainly caused by the poor performance of the IWT process with a score of 0.61. (2) The highest performance is observed in the wastewater treatment sub-unit, followed by waste gas treatment and solid waste treatment sub-units. (3) Market-based environmental regulations significantly promote local IWT efficiency, while command-and-control environmental regulations have no significant effect on local IWT efficiency. But they all have significant spatial spillovers. The voluntary environmental regulations have no significant impact.

Evaluating the recycling efficiency of industrial water use systems in China: Basin differences and factor analysis.

Numerous studies have divided industrial water use system into stages of industrial water use (IWU) and wastewater treatment (IWT) subsystems, named as the IWUWT system, yet scant studies have examined its dynamic recycling efficiency with non-discretionary variables. This paper proposes a dynamic two-stage recycling model with non-discretionary variables to compare and analyze the basin differences of the efficiency, and further reveal the driving forces of this efficiency in the Yangtze River basin and Yellow River basin. The results are as follows. (1) The average overall efficiency of the IWUWT system for the 30 provinces during 2011-2018 was 0.79 due to the bad performance of the IWT subsystem with an efficiency score of 0.74, especially for Yunnan and Guangxi. (2) The influence of economic policy uncertainty on circulating industrial water use is more significant in the south basin. (3) Economic development and water use intensity were the main drivers of IWUWT efficiency in the Yangtze River basin, while economic development and environmental consciousness were for the Yellow River basin. The results have important implications for Chinese government and different provinces to improve IWUWT efficiency by policy-making.

Virtual reconstruction of midfacial bone defect based on generative adversarial network.

BACKGROUND: The study aims to evaluate the accuracy of the generative adversarial networks (GAN) for reconstructing bony midfacial defects. METHODS: According to anatomy, the bony midface was divided into five subunit structural regions and artificial defects are manually created on the corresponding CT images. GAN is trained to reconstruct artificial defects to their previous normal shape and tested. The clinical defects are reconstructed by the trained GAN, where the midspan defects were used for qualitative evaluation and the unilateral defects were used for quantitative evaluation. The cosine similarity and the mean error are used to evaluate the accuracy of reconstruction. The Mann-Whitney U test is used to detect whether reconstruction errors were consistent in artificial and unilateral clinical defects. RESULTS: This study included 518 normal CT data, with 415 in training set and 103 in testing set, and 17 real patient data, with 2 midspan defects and 15 unilateral defects. Reconstruction of midspan clinical defects assessed by experts is acceptable. The cosine similarity in the reconstruction of artificial defects and unilateral clinical defects is 0.97 ± 0.01 and 0.96 ± 0.01, P = 0.695. The mean error in the reconstruction of artificial defects and unilateral clinical defects is 0.59 ± 0.31 mm and 0.48 ± 0.08 mm, P = 0.09. CONCLUSION: GAN-based virtual reconstruction technology has reached a high accuracy in testing set, and statistical tests suggest that it can achieve similar results in real patient data. This study has preliminarily solved the problem of bony midfacial defect without reference.

Identification of a novel missense heterozygous mutation in the KDF1 gene for non-syndromic congenital anodontia.

OBJECTIVES: KDF1 is a recently identified gene related to tooth development, but it has been little studied. To date, only three cases have been reported in which KDF1 mutations are related to tooth development, including two ectodermal dysplasia cases accompanied by tooth loss and one non-syndromic case with tooth agenesis. However, no KDF1 mutations have been reported as associated with non-syndromic anodontia. Here, the aim was to investigate the genetic etiology of this condition and explore the functional role of a novel KDF1 mutation in a Chinese patient with non-syndromic anodontia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pathogenic variants were identified by whole-exome and Sanger sequencing. Meanwhile, we conducted a literature review of the reported KDF1 mutations and performed an in vitro functional analysis of four anodontia-causing KDF1 mutations (one novel and three known). RESULTS: We identified a novel de novo missense mutation (c.911 T > A, p.I304N) in the KDF1 gene in a Chinese patient with severe non-syndromic anodontia. In vitro functional studies showed altered mRNA and protein expression levels of the mutant KDF1. CONCLUSIONS: Our results are the first report of KDF1 missense mutation causing non-syndromic anodontia. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study not only further supports the important role of KDF1 in non-syndromic congenital anodontia, but also expands the spectrum of KDF1 mutations and will contribute to the genetic diagnosis and counselling of families with anodontia.

CGFe and TGF-ß1 enhance viability and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells through the MAPK pathway.

The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of concentrated growth factor exudate (CGFe) and TGF-ß1 on the viability and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). CGFe was prepared from the peripheral blood of healthy donors (obtained with informed consent). STRO-1+ hDPSCs were isolated from dental pulp tissues and treated in four groups: i) Control; ii) TGF-ß1 (1 ng/ml); iii) 100% CGFe; and iv) TGF-ß1 (1 ng/ml) + 100% CGFe group. hDPSC viability was measured via MTT assay. The osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs was quantified via alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, western blotting and reverse transcription-quantitative PCR assays. CGFe and TGF-ß1 enhanced hDPSC viability, upregulated ALP activity, upregulated the expression of phosphorylated (p)-ERK1/2, p-JNK and p-p38 in hDPSCs, and promoted transcription and protein expression of osteogenic-related genes (bone sialoprotein, Runt-related transcription factor 2 and osteocalcin) in hDPSCs. The present study demonstrated that CGFe and TGF-ß1 facilitated the viability and osteogenic differentiation of hDPSCs potentially through activation of the MAPK signaling pathway.

Association Between the Aldehyde Dehydrogenase-2 rs671 G>A Polymorphism and Head and Neck Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis in East Asians.

BACKGROUND: Aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2) plays an important role in the alcohol detoxification and acetaldehyde metabolism. Published studies have demonstrated some inconsistent associations between ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk. METHODS: A meta-analysis was performed to provide pooled data on the association between the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism and HNC risk. Electronic databases were searched to identify relevant studies. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to examine the pooled effect size of each genetic model. In addition, heterogeneity test, accumulative analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias were conducted to test the statistical power. RESULTS: Thirteen publications (14 independent case-control studies) involving 10,939 subjects were selected. The stratified analysis indicated that both light/moderated drinking (e.g., GA vs. GG: OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.86, p < 0.01, I2  = 81.1%) and heavy drinking would increase HNC risk with rs671 G>A mutation (e.g., GA vs. GG: OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.11 to 4.77, p = 0.03, I2  = 81.9%). CONCLUSIONS: In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that the ALDH2 rs671 G>A polymorphism may play an important synergistic effect in the pathogenesis of HNC development in East Asians.

Detection of MSX1 gene mutations in patients with congenital tooth loss in Van der Woude syndrome / 口腔疾病防治

Objective@#To explore the relationship between MSX1 gene detection and tooth loss in a Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) family @* Methods @# DNA was extracted from the venous blood of 2 patients with dental hy⁃podontia in the 9th family of Van der Woude syndrome (VWS) families and 62 controls with complete dentition. Primers were designed for the MSXl gene. The coding regions of exons 1 and 2 of the MSX1 gene were amplified by PCR. The purified products of exons 1 and 2 of the MSX1 gene were sequenced and analyzed by sequence alignment @*Results@#The ivs2+68 C>T polymorphism in the MSX1 gene was found in the VWS9 members with tooth loss, and the VWS pa⁃tients with IRF6 gene mutations had increased tooth loss@* Conclusion@#Congenital tooth loss in the patients with con⁃genital missing teeth in VWS family 9 may be related to the ivs2 + 68 C> T polymorphism of the MSX1 gene.

Preparation of Modified Montmorillonite-Plant Fiber Composite Foam Materials.

In the present study, plant fiber foam materials have significant differences in density compared to conventional plastic foam materials. In view of the current problems of fiber foam materials, the montmorillonite (MMT) organically modified by octadecyl-dimethyl-benzyl-ammonium chloride (ODBA) was added to the preparation of composite foam materials by optimizing the existing formula. The properties of organic montmorillonite (OMMT) and the prepared composite foam materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and a standing wave tube sound absorption tester. The results showed that the pore size inside the plant fiber foam materials with the addition of OMMT was more uniform and arranged more closely and orderly. In addition, when the OMMT was added to 0.1 g, the density of the prepared OMMT-bagasse composite foam materials reached its lowest point of 0.079 g/cm³, which was shared with high foam materials.

Angiotensin (1-7) inhibits arecoline-induced migration and collagen synthesis in human oral myofibroblasts via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Arecoline induces oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) via promoting the reactive oxygen species (ROS). Angiotensin (1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) protects against fibrosis by counteracting angiotensin II (Ang-II) via the Mas receptor. However, the effects of Ang-(1-7) on OSF remain unknown. NOD-like receptors (NLRs) family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is identified as the novel mechanism of fibrosis. Whereas the effects of arecoline on NLRP3 inflammasome remain unclear. We aimed to explore the effect of Ang-(1-7) on NLRP3 inflammasome in human oral myofibroblasts. In vivo, activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes with an increase of Ang-II type 1 receptor (AT1R) protein level and ROS production in human oral fibrosis tissues. Ang-(1-7) improved arecoline-induced rats OSF, reduced protein levels of NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) and the NLRP3 inflammasome. In vitro, arecoline increased ROS along with upregulation of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/Ang-II/AT1R axis and NLRP3 inflammasome/interleukin-1ß axis in human oral myofibroblasts, which were reduced by NOX4 inhibitor VAS2870, ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine, and NOX4 small interfering RNA (siRNA). Furthermore, arecoline induced collagen synthesis or migration via the Smad or RhoA-ROCK pathway respectively, which could be inhibited by NLRP3 siRNA or caspase-1 blocker VX-765. Ang-(1-7) shifted the balance of RAS toward the ACE2/Ang-(1-7)/Mas axis, inhibited arecoline-induced ROS and NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to attenuation of migration or collagen synthesis. In summary, Ang-(1-7) attenuates arecoline-induced migration and collagen synthesis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome in human oral myofibroblasts.

[Clinical and genetic features of Chinese kindreds with Van der Woude syndrome caused by interferon regulatory factor 6 mutation].

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the clinical phenotype and genetic characteristics of Chinese families with Van der Woude syndrome (VWS). METHODS: Clinical manifestations between 14 families and within each family were recorded. Possible inheritance modes and pathogenic genes were analyzed. Phenotypic distribution and gene frequencies were calculated. RESULTS: Of the pedigrees investigated, an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern was suggested. All patients had typical symptoms. The pathogenic gene was interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6). Phenotypic distribution frequencies were as follows: lip pits (91.9%), cleft lip and/or palate (73.0%), and hyperdontia (8.1%). There were significant differences in clinical phenotypes among individuals of different families and individuals of the same family. CONCLUSIONS: VWS in a Chinese population was dominantly inherited with high penetrance and variable expressivity. The pathogenic gene was IRF6. VWS in a Chinese population was genotyped as VWS1.

Roles of PRF and IGF-1 in promoting alveolar osteoblast growth and proliferation and molecular mechanism.

Background: Fibrin and cytokines in platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) can be combined into a powerful biological scaffold, which is an integrated reservoir of growth factors involved in tissue regeneration. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is a kind of effective mitogenic protein, which can enhance osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament fibroblasts. However, whether PRF and IGF-1 can stimulate the osteogenic differentiation and osteogenesis of human periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the osteogenic capability of PDLSCs in vitro and in vivo after being separated from human PDL tissues, purified with STRO-1 and treated with PRF and IGF-1. Methods: The proliferative capabilities of PDLSCs under different conditions were analyzed via methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), growth curve, alkaline phosphatase activity, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting, respectively. Results: PRF and IGF-1 significantly promoted the growth, proliferation and differentiation of PDLSCs, up regulated the expressions of Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), osterix (OSX) and osteocalcin (OCN), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in stem cells. Conclusion: Our data indicate that PRF and IGF-1 facilitate the proliferation of alveolar osteoblast via the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.

Significant association between Let-7-KRAS rs712 G > T polymorphism and cancer risk in the Chinese population: a meta-analysis.

Association between let-7-KRAS rs712 polymorphism and cancer risk was inconsistent. We therefore conducted this meta-analysis to clarify the association between let-7-KRAS rs712 polymorphism and cancer risk with STATA 14.0 software. A systemic literature search in online databases (PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang database) was preformed to obtain relevant articles. A total of 13 case-control studies involving 3,453 patients and 4,470 controls were identified up to May 16, 2015. The pooled results indicated that significantly increased risk were observed in Chinese population in T vs. G (OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.03-1.42) and TT vs. GG + GT genetic models (OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.17-2.42). Sensitivity analysis was conducted and the result without heterogeneity showed significant associations in all five genetic models. Subgroup analyses of cancer type indicated a similar result in digestive cancer (for T vs. G: OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.26-1.57; GT vs. GG: OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07-1.43; TT vs. GG: OR = 2.53, 95% CI = 1.86-3.44; GT + TT vs. GG: OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.19-1.56; TT vs. GG + GT: OR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.73-3.19). In summary, these evidences demonstrate that let-7-KRAS rs712 G > T polymorphism might be associated with digestive system cancer risk in the Chinese population.

Vascular endothelial growth factor polymorphisms are associated with osteosarcoma susceptibility.

Polymorphisms in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene may contribute to osteosarcoma risk, but the results of previous studies have been inconsistent and inconclusive. We conducted a meta-analysis to assess this association more accurately. Relevant studies were collected systemically from three online English databases. Crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the associations of three VEGF gene polymorphisms (+936C/T, -634 G/C, +1612 G/A) with osteosarcoma risk. Seven case-control studies involving 1,350 cases and 1,706 controls were selected for the meta-analysis. The pooled OR indicated that the VEGF +936C/T polymorphism was associated with increased risk of osteosarcoma in a Chinese population (T vs. C: OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.12-1.42, P < 0.01; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.29-2.24, P < 0.01; CT + TT vs. CC: OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.06-1.44, P < 0.01; TT vs. CC + CT: OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.23-2.10, P < 0.01). A significant association was also found between the -634 G/C polymorphism and osteosarcoma risk (C vs. G: OR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.69-0.96, P = 0.01; CC vs. GG: OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.48-0.90, P < 0.01; GC + CC vs. GG: OR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.67-0.96, P = 0.02; CC vs. GG + GC: OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.60-0.86, P < 0.01). In sum, our meta-analysis suggests VEGF polymorphisms are associated with osteosarcoma susceptibility in the Chinese population. However, further studies that include different ethnicities and larger populations are needed.

Association between IL-10 polymorphisms (-1082A/G, -592A/C and -819T/C) and oral cancer risk.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is likely to be closely correlated with the outbreak and progression of cancers though aiding tumors to free from the immune response. In previous studies, several polymorphisms sites including -1082A/G, -592A/C and -819T/C in the promoter region of IL-10 gene were proved to be involved in oral cancer. The purpose of this study was to further explore this association via a meta-analysis. There were four publications with 3783 cases and 4245 controls retrieved though electronic databases. The association among three IL-10 polymorphisms sites was estimated by summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) which were calculated using fixed-effect model. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity (Asian or Caucasian) was also performed for the analysis of IL-10-1082A/G polymorphism (three studies in Asians and one study in Caucasian). As a result, we found a moderately increased risk which was related to IL-10-1082A/G polymorphism in oral cancer under all the five contrasts [GG vs. AA: OR (95% CI)=2.95 (1.94-4.48); GG+AG vs. AA: OR (95% CI)=1.59 (1.35-1.86); GG vs. AG+AA: OR (95% CI)=2.59 (1.71-3.94); Allele G vs. Allele A: OR (95% CI)=1.68 (1.46-1.94); AG vs. AA: OR (95% CI)=1.53 (1.29-1.81)]. Additionally, the increased risk of oral cancer was also observed in Asians and Caucasians. However, the pooled data indicated that IL-10 -592A/C and -819T/C polymorphisms sites had no relationship with oral cancer risk. Taken together, the IL-10-1082A/G polymorphism site may act as a risk factor in oral cancer, and this issue still needs to be further verified.

Increased risks between Interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms and haplotype and head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis.

Molecular epidemiological research suggests that interleukin-10 (IL-10) polymorphisms may be associated with an increased risk of head and neck cancer (HNC), but results remain controversial. To derive a more precise evaluation, we performed a meta-analysis focused on genetic polymorphisms of IL-10. PubMed, Embase, CNKI and Wanfang databases were searched for studies that examined the relationship between IL-10 polymorphisms or haplotypes and HNC risk. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were applied to assess the relationship strength. Publication bias, sensitivity and cumulative analyses were conducted to measure the robustness of our findings. Overall, nine related studies involving 2,258 patients and 2,887 control samples were analyzed. Significant associations between the IL-10-1082A > G polymorphism and HNC risk were observed (G vs. A: OR = 1.56, 95% CI = 1.27-1.92, P < 0.01, I(2) = 69.4%; AG vs. AA: OR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.32-2.05, P < 0.01, I(2) = 55.6%; GG vs. AA: OR = 2.24, 95% CI = 1.69-2.97, P < 0.01, I(2) = 38.5%; AG + GG vs. AA: OR = 1.70, 95% CI = 1.36-2.14, P = 0.02, I(2) = 61.8%; GG vs. AA + AG: OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.23-2.90, P = 0.01, I(2) = 46.3%) in the total population, as well as in subgroup analysis. Moreover, increased HNC risks were also associated with the IL-10 -819T > C polymorphism and the GCC haplotype. In conclusion, our meta-analyses suggest that IL-10 polymorphisms, specifically the -1082A > G polymorphism, may be associated with increased risk of HNC development.

Significant association between functional microRNA polymorphisms and head and neck cancer susceptibility: a comprehensive meta-analysis.

Molecular epidemiological studies have showed a closer association between microRNA polymorphisms with and head and neck cancer (HNC) risk. But the results of these studies were inconsistent. We performed this meta-analysis to clarify the associations between microRNA polymorphisms and HNC risk. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang) were searched. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) were calculated to assess the association between microRNA-146a rs2910164 G > C, microRNA-196a2 rs11614913 C > T, microRNA-149 rs2292832 C > T, microRNA-499 rs3746444 A > G polymorphisms and HNC risk. Heterogeneity, publication bias and sensitivity analysis were conducted to guarantee the statistical power. Overall, 11 selected articles involving 16100 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. Significantly increased risk between microRNA-146a rs2910164 G > C polymorphism and HNC risk were observed in Caucasian population (GC vs. GG: OR = 1.31, 95%CI = 1.01-1.68; GC + CC vs. GG: OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.02-1.57). For microRNA-196a2 rs11614913 C > T, similarly increased risk were also found in Asian population (T vs. C, OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.04-1.25; TT vs. CC, OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.09-1.61; CT + TT vs. CC OR = 1.32, 95%CI = 0.99-1.76; TT vs. CC + CT, OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 0.99-1.33). In addition, no significant association was detected between microRNA-149 rs2292832 C > T and microRNA-499 rs3746444 A > G polymorphism and HNC risk. This meta-analysis demonstrates that microRNA polymorphisms are associated with HNC development based on ethnicity diversity.