Evaluation of birth outcomes, congenital anomalies and neonatal complications of singletons born to infertile women treated with letrozole: A retrospective cohort study.

At present, safety of letrozole administration as an ovulation-inducing drug still remains controversial. Investigation of the safety of letrozole use for the induction of ovulation in the Chinese population is scant. The present study aimed to fill this gap. Data concerning mothers using letrozole and birth outcomes of their singleton offspring were collected as the letrozole group (n=194), equivalent data from mothers using non-letrozole drugs and their singleton offspring were included as the non-letrozole group (control, n=154). Birth outcomes, congenital anomalies and neonatal complications were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Univariate analysis, Spearman's rank correlation analysis and the logistic regression model were utilized. For birth outcomes, the percentage of caesarean section deliveries in the letrozole group was lower than the non-letrozole group (43.8 vs. 56.4%, P=0.019). For congenital anomalies, no significant difference was found between the two groups (all P>0.05). The statistical P-value for the correlation between the maternal use of letrozole and neonatal complications was marginal (P=0.051). Results from the logistic regression analysis confirmed that maternal use of letrozole was not a significant contributor for neonatal complications, independent of statistical adjustment [crude odds ratio (OR), 1.436; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.803-2.569; P=0.223 vs. adjusted OR, 1.406; 95% CI, 0.748-2.643; P=0.290). The results of the present study suggested that maternal use of letrozole for ovulation induction does not associate with poorer birth outcomes or increased risk of congenital anomalies and neonatal complications.

Identification of an individualized therapy prognostic signature for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are the most common cancers in the head and neck. Therapeutic response-related genes (TRRGs) are closely associated with carcinogenesis and prognosis in HNSCC. However, the clinical value and prognostic significance of TRRGs are still unclear. We aimed to construct a prognostic risk model to predict therapy response and prognosis in TRRGs-defined subgroups of HNSCC. METHODS: The multiomics data and clinical information of HNSCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The profile data GSE65858 and GSE67614 chip was downloaded from public functional genomics data Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Based on TCGA-HNSC database, patients were divided into a remission group and a non-remission group according to therapy response, and differentially expressed TRRGs between those two groups were screened. Using Cox regression analysis and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, candidate TRRGs that can predict the prognosis of HNSCC were identified and used to construct a TRRGs-based signature and a prognostic nomogram. RESULT: A total of 1896 differentially expressed TRRGs were screened, including 1530 upregulated genes and 366 downregulated genes. Then, 206 differently expressed TRRGs that was significantly associated with the survival were chosen using univariate Cox regression analysis. Finally, a total of 20 candidate TRRGs genes were identified by LASSO analysis to establish a signature for risk prediction, and the risk score of each patient was calculated. Patients were divided into a high-risk group (Risk-H) and a low-risk group (Risk-L) based on the risk score. Results showed that the Risk-L patients had better overall survival (OS) than Risk-H patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed great predictive performance for 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS in TCGA-HNSC and GEO databases. Moreover, for patients treated with post-operative radiotherapy, Risk-L patients had longer OS and lower recurrence than Risk-H patients. The nomogram involves risk score and other clinical factors had good performance in predicting survival probability. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed risk prognostic signature and Nomogram based on TRRGs are novel promising tools for predicting therapy response and overall survival in HNSCC patients.

Short placental telomere was associated with cadmium pollution in an electronic waste recycling town in China.

In Guiyu, an electronic waste recycling site near Shantou, Guangdong province, China, primitive ways of e-waste processing have caused severe cadmium and lead pollution to the local residents. However, the possible effects of cadmium or lead pollution to genomic integrity of the local residents have not been investigated. We examined the possible relationship between cadmium and lead concentrations in placenta and placental telomere length in Guiyu and compared the data with that of a non-polluted town. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and real-time PCR were used to determine placental cadmium and lead concentrations, and placental telomere length. We found that placental cadmium concentration was negatively correlated with placental telomere length (r = -0.138, p = 0.013). We also found that placental cadmium concentration of 0.0294 µg/g might be a critical point at which attrition of placental telomere commenced. No significant correlation between placental lead concentration and placental telomere length was detected (r = 0.027, p = 0.639). Our data suggest that exposure to cadmium pollution during pregnancy may be a risk factor for shortened placental telomere length that is known to be related to cancer development and aging. Furthermore, grave consequence on the offspring from pregnancies in e-waste polluted area is indicated.

Up-regulation of immunoglobulin G gene expression in the hippocampus of rats subjected to acute immobilization stress.

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is thought to be produced by matured B lymphocytes, however, it was recently found to be synthesized in neurons of the brain, especially showing higher expression level in the hippocampus. To study the possible effects of IgG in the hippocampus, we examined IgG protein and mRNA expressions in rat hippocampal neurons with immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization and laser microdissection-assisted RT-PCR. Increased IgG expressions at both protein and mRNA levels were detected in the hippocampus of an acute immobilization stress model of rat. No change was observed in the cortex or the thalamus. Furthermore, the microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and ß III tubulin proteins did not show significant changes. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that hippocampal IgG may play a key role in adverse circumstances such as stress. The finding of increased IgG expression in the hippocampus following stress may also provide possibilities for developing antidepressant medication.