Ozonated autohemotherapy modulates the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines in gouty patients.

OBJECTIVES: Ozonated autohemotherapy (O3-AHT) has been used to effectively treat gout, but the underlying therapeutic mechanisms remain unknown. In this study, as an initial effort to understand the therapeutic mechanisms of O3-AHT, we aim to examine the effect of O3-AHT on serum inflammatory cytokine levels in gouty patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three groups of patients and healthy subjects were recruited, including the gouty (n=10), hyperuricemia (n=10), and healthy control (n=11) groups. Cytometric bead array was applied to examine 12 cytokines before (T0), during (T1), and after (T2) therapies. RESULTS: Three cytokines, IL-8, IL-12, and MCP-1, were detectable in all participants. Before O3-AHT, the average serum levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 were higher in the gout group than in the hyperuricemia and healthy control groups, confirming the inflammation status in gouty patients. After the 5th course of O3-AHT (T1), IL-8 level was significantly increased compared to that at T0. IL-12 level was also raised at T1, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. After completing the therapy, both IL-8 and IL-12 levels decreased to levels lower than those at T0. MCP-1 level remained essentially unchanged during and after treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that O3-AHT induces a significant change in serum cytokine levels, suggesting that modulating the inflammatory process is one of the therapeutic mechanisms underlying O3-AHT. In addition, the sensitive response of serum IL-8 and IL-12 levels to O3-AHT suggests that these cytokines may be developed as biomarkers to evaluate the therapeutic effect of O3-AHT in gouty patients.

Combined expression of metastasis related markers Naa10p, SNCG and PRL-3 and its prognostic value in breast cancer patients.

Combinations of multiple biomarkers representing distinct aspects of metastasis may have better prognostic value for breast cancer patients, especially those in late stages. In this study, we evaluated the protein levels of N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein (Naa10p), synuclein-γ (SNCG), and phosphatase of regenerating liver-3 (PRL-3) in 365 patients with breast cancer by immunohistochemistry. Distinct prognostic subgroups of breast cancer were identified by combination of the three biomarkers. The Naa10p+SNCG-PRL-3- subgroup showed best prognosis with a median distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) of 140 months, while the Naa10p-SNCG+PRL-3+ subgroup had the worst prognosis with a median DMFS of 60.5 months. Multivariate analysis indicated Naa10p, SNCG, PRL-3, and the TNM classification were all independent prognostic factors for both DMFS and overall survival (OS). The three biomarker combination of Naa10p, SNCG and PRL-3 performed better in patients with lymph node metastasis, especially those with more advanced tumors than other subgroups. In conclusion, the combined expression profile of Naa10p, SNCG and PRL-3, alone or in combination with the TNM classification system, may provide a precise estimate of prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Coexpression of ANXA2, SOD2 and HOXA13 predicts poor prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the main type of esophageal cancer, and is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality among all types of cancers. Previously, we found that the homeobox A13 gene (HOXA13) plays a crucial role in the carcinogenesis of ESCC and both Annexin A2 (ANXA2) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) were its potential targets. Samples from 258 patients from two independent cohorts were collected. RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to detect the expression levels of HOXA13, ANXA2 and SOD2. Kaplan­Meier survival curve analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression model were employed to determine their prognostic significance. Results showed that ESCC tissues had higher ANXA2 and SOD2 mRNA and protein levels than the non-cancerous tissues. ANXA2 and SOD2 were found to be positively correlated with HOXA13 expression not only at the mRNA level but also at the protein level. In both the study cohort and the validation cohort, the median overall survival time of patients with high expression of HOXA13, ANXA2 and SOD2 was shorter than the survival time of the patients with low expression. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that both TNM stage and coexpression of HOXA13/ANXA2/SOD2 are independent predictors of overall survival of ESCC patients. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that ANXA2 and SOD2 are potential target genes of HOXA13 and their coexpression predicts the poor prognosis of ESCC patients.

N-acetyltransferase 2 phenotype and risk of esophageal cancer: a meta analysis.

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) gene encodes a phase II enzyme taking part in detoxification of aromatic amines. Published studies have demonstrated that N-Acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) phenotype is a risk factor of various cancers. Many studies have investigated the association between NAT2 phenotype and susceptibility to esophageal cancer but yielded controversial results. To derive a more precise estimation of this association, a meta-analysis was performed. Electronic databases (Pubmed/Medline, ISI Web of Science and China National Knowledge Infrastructure) in English and Chinese were searched. A total of 5 articles including 476 cases and 1,093 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to evaluate intensity of associations. Pooling studies together, NAT2 slow acetylator phenotype was a significant risk factor of esophageal squamous cell cancer (OR=1.35, 95% CI=1.03-1.77, n=5 studies) but not esophageal adenocarcinoma (OR=0.97, 95% CI=0.47-2.04, n=2 studies). There was a significant association between NAT2 acetylator phenotypes and ESCC in South Asian populations (OR=1.51, 95% CI=1.03-2.20), but not in East Asian populations (OR=1.19, 95% CI=0.80-1.77). Significant association between NAT2 acetylator phenotypes and esophageal cancer was found in population-based control subgroup (OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.07-2.50) but not in hospital-based control subgroup (OR=1.19, 95% CI=0.84-1.69). There is a significant association between NAT2 acetylator phenotype and esophageal cancer in both smokers (OR=1.681, 95% CI=1.179-2.395) and non-smokers (OR=1.614, 95% CI=1.173-2.222). In conclusion, NAT2 slow acetylator phenotype was a significant risk factor of ESCC in Asian populations.