Multi-Omics Analysis of the Prognostic and Immunological Role of Runt-Related Transcription Factor 3 in Pan-Cancer.

Runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) plays a pivotal role in tumor microenvironment and immune infiltration. However, the prognostic and immunological roles of RUNX3 in pancancer remain unclear. In the current study, we explored the expression profiles, prognostic landscape, and immune infiltration of RUNX3 in pancancer through a variety of online platforms, including HPA, ONCOMINE, UALCAN, GEPIA, PrognoScan, TCGA, TIMER, R2, and Reactome databases. In general, RUNX3 was widely expressed in tonsil, gallbladder, skin, spleen, lymph node, and bone marrow, and RUNX3 was frequently higher expression in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues. In prognostic analysis, the RUNX3 expression level was significantly correlated with the clinical outcomes of bladder cancer, blood cancer, brain cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. In mutation analysis, a total 72 mutation sites were located within amino acids 1 to 415 of RUNX3, including 65 missense sites and seven truncating sites, whereas the mutation frequency of skin cutaneous melanoma and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) is relatively high (> 3%). In immune infiltration analysis, the RUNX3 expression level was significantly related to recognized markers and the immune infiltration levels of various types of immune cells in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and brain lower grade glioma (LGG). After that, 453 RUNX3 co-expressed genes were recognized in COAD, lymphoid neoplasm diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, LGG, and ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OV). Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that RUNX3 co-expressed genes were remarkably enriched in immune system and tumor progression pathways. RUNX3 expression is associated with clinical prognosis, immune infiltration, and identified RUNX3 related pathways in a variety of tumors, which may serve as targets of promising prognostic markers and novel therapeutic targets for various human cancers.

Visual Analysis of Uterine Adhesion Research Based on CiteSpace: Bibliometric Analysis From 2006 to 2021.

Background: Intrauterine adhesionis caused by a variety of reasons, such as damage of the endometrial basal layer, adhesion or occlusion of the uterine cavity or cervix in different degrees. Seriously endangering women's physical and mental health. Objective: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the research development of intrauterine adhesions in recent 15 years, explore the future development direction, and promote the development of this field. Methods: With intrauterine adhesions and Ashman's syndrome as the theme, the related literatures from January 2006 to July 2021 in the Web of Science were searched, and the visual atlas was analyzed by CiteSpace software. Results: A total of 644 literatures were included. The key words related to intrauterine adhesion mainly include adhesion, pregnancy, expression, intrauterine adhesions, women, adhesion molecule, diagnosis, activation, hysteroscopy and fertility, etc. Six clusters were obtained by keywords analysis, involving hysteroscopy, placenta, office hysteroscopy, uterus and laparoscopy. Co-occurrence of keywords shows that the research focus in recent years is on endometrial repair and regeneration. Conclusions: Through the bibliometric analysis of WOS research on intrauterine adhesions in recent 15 years, the comprehensive analysis of countries, institutions, authors and keywords is obtained, which has a clear guiding significance for guiding the future development of intrauterine adhesions.

Distinct expression and prognostic values of GATA transcription factor family in human ovarian cancer.

Accumulated studies have provided controversial evidences of expression patterns and prognostic value of the GATA family in human ovarian cancer. In the present study, we accessed the distinct expression and prognostic roles of 7 individual members of GATA family in ovarian cancer (OC) patients through Oncomine analysis, CCLE analysis, Human Protein Atlas (HPA), Kaplan-Meier plotter (KM plotter) database, cBioPortal and Metascape. Our results indicated that GATA1, GATA3, GATA4 and TRPS1 mRNA and protein expression was significantly higher in OC than normal samples. High expression of GATA1, GATA2, and GATA4 were significantly correlated with better overall survival (OS), while increased GATA3 and GATA6 expression were associated with worse prognosis in OC patients. GATA1, GATA2, GATA3 and GATA6 were closely related to the different pathological histology, pathological grade, clinical stage and TP53 mutation status of OC. The genetic variation and interaction of the GATA family may be closely related to the pathogenesis and prognosis of OC, and the regulatory network composed of GATA family genes and their neighboring genes are mainly involved in Notch signaling pathway, Th1 and Th2 cell differentiation and Hippo signaling pathway. Transcriptional GATA1/2/3/4/6 could be prognostic markers and potential therapeutic target for OC patients.

Multi-omics of the expression and clinical outcomes of TMPRSS2 in human various cancers: A potential therapeutic target for COVID-19.

Growing evidence has shown that Transmembrane Serine Protease 2 (TMPRSS2) not only contributes to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, but is also closely associated with the incidence and progression of tumours. However, the correlation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and cancers, and the prognostic value and molecular function of TMPRSS2 in various cancers have not been fully understood. In this study, the expression, genetic variations, correlated genes, immune infiltration and prognostic value of TMPRSS2 were analysed in many cancers using different bioinformatics platforms. The observed findings revealed that the expression of TMPRSS2 was considerably decreased in many tumour tissues. In the prognostic analysis, the expression of TMPRSS2 was considerably linked with the clinical consequences of the brain, blood, colorectal, breast, ovarian, lung and soft tissue cancer. In protein network analysis, we determined 27 proteins as protein partners of TMPRSS2, which can regulate the progression and prognosis of cancer mediated by TMPRSS2. Besides, a high level of TMPRSS2 was linked with immune cell infiltration in various cancers. Furthermore, according to the pathway analysis of differently expressed genes (DEGs) with TMPRSS2 in lung, breast, ovarian and colorectal cancer, 160 DEGs genes were found and were significantly enriched in respiratory system infection and tumour progression pathways. In conclusion, the findings of this study demonstrate that TMPRSS2 may be an effective biomarker and therapeutic target in various cancers in humans, and may also provide new directions for specific tumour patients to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Efficacy of Low Molecular Heparin on Preeclampsia by Inhibiting Apoptosis of Trophoblasts via the p38MAPK Signaling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the efficacy of low molecular heparin on preeclampsia by inhibiting apoptosis of trophoblasts via the p38MAPK signaling pathway. METHODS: A preeclampsia rat model was established, and the effects of low molecular heparin on preeclampsia via the p38MAPK signaling pathway were analyzed based on intervention of the rats with different combinations of low molecular heparin and p38MAPK signaling pathway activator. Furthermore, a hypoxia/reoxygenation model of trophoblasts in vitro was established to explore the effects of low molecular heparin on trophoblasts via the p38MAPK signaling pathway. RESULTS: After treatment with low molecular heparin, pregnant rats in the heparin group showed significantly decreased blood pressure, 24 h proteinuria, and p38MAPK protein levels in placenta tissues and decreased apoptosis rate of placenta tissue cells (all P < 0.05) and showed more fetal rats and lowered weight of them (both P < 0.05) but showed no significant change in the weight of placenta (all P > 0.05). Pregnant rats treated with low molecular heparin and p38MAPK activator showed significantly higher blood pressure, 24 h proteinuria, and p38MAPK protein levels in placenta tissues and apoptosis rate of placenta tissue cells than those of pregnant rats in the heparin group (all P < 0.05) and also showed less fetal rats and lighter fetal rats than those in the heparin group (both P < 0.05) but showed no difference with them in the weight of placenta (P > 0.05). Further analysis revealed that low molecular heparin could protect the survival and migration of trophoblasts under hypoxia/reoxygenation conditions and reduce apoptosis of them (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Low molecular heparin can alleviate preeclampsia by inhibiting the p38MAPK signaling pathway and can inhibit apoptosis of trophoblasts and promote proliferation and migration of them.

Comprehensive analysis of the prognostic value and immune function of the IDO1 gene in gynecological cancers.

Gynecologic cancer is a serious global healthcare issue with high rates of mortality and morbidity. In recent years, tumor immunity and immunotherapy have attracted extensive attention for treatment of gynecological cancers. Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) plays a critical role in cancer immune escape, and its inhibition has been explored for immune-targeted therapies for many malignancies. However, knowledge about IDO1 involvement in the pathogenesis of gynecological cancers and its therapeutic potential is still evolving. In the current study, we integrated bioinformatics analysis of the prognostic value and immune function of IDO1 in gynecologic malignancies using Oncomine, GEPIA, HPA, TIMER, TISIDB, SurvExpress and Metascape database. Comprehensive analysis revealed that the transcription levels of IDO1 were significantly overexpressed in patients with gynecologic cancers, and IDO1-co-expressed gene signatures may be useful potential prognostic markers for gynecologic cancers. Furthermore, increased IDO1 expression correlated with immune infiltration cells, immune marker sets, and immunomodulators in gynecological cancers. These findings suggest that IDO1 plays an important role in immune infiltration and could potentially be an immunotherapeutic target for gynecological cancers. However, future large-scale and comprehensive research is required to validate our results.

Long noncoding RNA CHL1-AS1 promotes cell proliferation and migration by sponging miR-6076 to regulate CHL1 expression in endometrial cancer.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is deemed to be the most typical gynecologic malignant tumor. Despite the incidence of EC being lower in Asia than that in western countries, substantial increased incidence has been observed in the past few decades in Asia. Although various molecular testing methods and genomic science have developed, the overall prognosis is still disappointing. LncRNAs have been found to influence the progression of various cancers. CHL1-AS1 has been found to be upregulated in ovarian endometriosis, nevertheless, the molecular mechanism and biological function of CHL1-AS1 in EC have not been explored. In our exploration, both CHL1-AS1 and CHL1 were upregulated in EC cells. Knockdown of CHL1-AS1 or CHL1 inhibited cell proliferation and migration in EC. Furthermore, microRNA-6076 (miR-6076) could bind with CHL1-AS1 or CHL1, and regulate the expression of CHL1. Finally, absence of miR-6076 or overexpression of CHL1 can partially rescue the effect of CHL1-AS1 knockdown or miR-6076 upregulation on cell proliferation and migration, respectively. All in all, our research was the first endeavor to study the underlying mechanism of CHL1-AS1 in EC and confirmed that CHL1-AS1 regulated EC progression via targeting the miR-6076/CHL1 axis, offering new insight into treating EC.

E2F2/5/8 Serve as Potential Prognostic Biomarkers and Targets for Human Ovarian Cancer.

E2Fs are a family of pivotal transcription factors. Accumulative evidence indicates that aberrant expression or activation of E2Fs is a common phenomenon in malignances, and significant associations have been noted between E2Fs and tumorigenesis or progression in a wide range of cancers. However, the expression patterns and exact roles of each E2F contributing to tumorigenesis and progression of ovarian cancer (OC) have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the distinct expression and prognostic value of E2Fs in patients with OC by analyzing a series of databases, including ONCOMINE, GEPIA, cBioPortal, Metascape, and Kaplan-Meier plotter. The mRNA expression levels of E2F1/3/5/8 were found to be significantly upregulated in patients with OC and were obviously associated with tumor stage for OC. Aberrant expression of E2F2/5/7/8 was found to be associated with the clinical outcomes of patients with OC. These results suggest that E2F2/5/8 might serve as potential prognostic biomarkers and targets for OC. However, future studies are required to validate our findings and promote the clinical utility of E2Fs in OC.

Distinct expression and prognostic value of members of the epidermal growth factor receptor family in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Increased aberrant expression or activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members has been reported in a wide range of cancers, and the EGFR family of tyrosine kinases has emerged as an important therapeutic target in malignancies. However, the expression patterns and exact roles of each distinct EGFR family member, which contribute to tumorigenesis and progression of ovarian cancer (OC), are yet to be elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the current study, we report the distinct expression and prognostic value of EGFR family members in patients with OC by analyzing a series of databases including ONCOMINE, Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis, Kaplan-Meier plotter, cBioPortal, and Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery . RESULTS: It was found that in patients with OC, mRNA expression levels of ERBB2/3/4 were significantly upregulated, whereas the transcription levels of EGFR were downregulated. Aberrant EGFR expression and ERBB2/3/4 mRNA levels were associated with OC prognosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that EGFR and ERBB3/4 are distinct prognostic biomarkers and may be potential targets for OC. These results may be beneficial to better understand the molecular underpinning of OC and may be useful to develop tools for more accurate OC prognosis and for promoting the development of EGFR-targeted inhibitors for OC treatment.

Identification of circulating microRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers for ovarian cancer:A pooled analysis of individual studies.

BACKGROUND: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are proposed as promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for many cancers. However, the diagnostic value of circulating miRNAs in ovarian cancer is inconsistent in different studies. Thus we performed this meta-analysis to systematically evaluate the diagnostic value of circulating miRNAs in ovarian cancer. METHODS: Eligible studies that were published prior to 30 June 2017 were searched from the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure. All analyses were performed using STATA 12.0 software. A bivariate regression was used to calculate pooled diagnostic accuracy estimates. RESULTS: A total of 36 studies from 16 publications were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio of circulating miRNAs for ovarian cancer diagnosis were 0.76 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.69, 0.81), 0.81 (95% CI 0.74, 0.87), 4.00 (95% CI 2.70, 5.30), 0.30(95% CI 0.24, 0.37) and 13.00 (95% CI 9.00, 19.00), respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.85 (95% CI 0.82, 0.88). Subgroup analyses showed that multiple miRNA assays yielded better diagnostic characteristics than a single miRNA assay, and plasma miRNAs were better than serum miRNAs for ovarian cancer detection. CONCLUSION: Circulating miRNAs, especially the combination of multiple circulating miRNAs, are promising biomarkers for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. However, further large-scale prospective studies are necessary to validate the applicability of the miRNAs in the early detection of ovarian cancer.

A bibliometric and social network analysis of pelvic organ prolapse during 2007-2016.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) seriously affects the life quality of old females. In the present work, we described the knowledge structure of POP in a macroscopic view, and summarized the recent research focus. METHODS: Candidates were identified through reading and screening publications from PubMed database with a MeSH term of "pelvic organ prolapse" during 2007-2016. Relevant journals and journal-affiliated countries were extracted, and essential information, such as the number of publication of each year, first authors and MeSH/subheading words, was analyzed with BICOMB. In addition, highly-frequent MeSH/subheading words were determined and classified, and co-occurrence matrices were produced accordingly. Finally, social network was utilized to analyze the knowledge structure. RESULTS: A total of 3294 publications of POP were retrieved from 364 journals. The publication of POP had a significant downward trend since the beginning of 2015. POP articles published in American and British journals were significantly more compared with other countries. The co-occurrence matrices of 37 × 37 and 55 × 55 were produced by the highly-frequent MeSH/subheading words, and then the social network analysis was performed based on them. CONCLUSION: These publications on POP were mainly from the developed countries. Surgical treatment of POP was a hot topic of POP research in recent 10 years.

Prognostic significance of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in ovarian cancer: evidence from 4,910 patients.

Increasing evidence indicates that elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are related with poor prognosis in various types of tumors. However, the prognostic role of NLR in patients with ovarian cancer (OC) remains controversial. Thus, the current meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic role of NLR in patients with OC. A total of 16 studies with 4,910 patients were included. By pooling hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs from each study. The results demonstrated that elevated pretreatment NLR was significantly related to poor OS (HR: 1.50, 95% CI: 1.27-1.77) and PFS (HR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.28-1.84) in patients with OC. Subgroup analyses was divided by ethnicity, sample size, histologic types, cut-off value of NLR, analysis method and NOS score, but the results did not showed any significant change the main results. This meta-analysis revealed that elevated pretreatment NLR might be a predicative factor of poor prognosis in OC patients.

MiR-34a and miR-206 act as novel prognostic and therapy biomarkers in cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence indicated that the aberrant expression of microRNA plays a crucial role in the development of cervical cancer. The overall shorter survival was strongly related to the abnormal expression of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) and microRNA-206 (miR-206), which target B cell lymphoma-2(Bcl2) and c-Met. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met pathway is related to the occurrence, development and prognosis of cervical cancer, and c-Met is significantly overexpressed in cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Bcl2 is also considered to be a promising target for developing novel anticancer treatments. METHODS: In this study, we detect the expression of miR-34a and miR-206 in the cervical cancer tissue through quantificational real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay, and the expression of Bcl2 and c-Met from cervical cancer tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The expression of miR-34a and miR-206 were down-regulated in the cervical cancer tissue through qRT-PCR assay. As target genes of miR-34a and miR-206, Bcl2 and c-Met were up-regulated in cervical cancer tissues through qRT-PCR assay and immunohistochemistry. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analysis revealed that down-regulated expression of miR-34a and miR-206 were strongly related to shorter overall survival. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model for all variables that were statistically significant in the univariate analysis demonstrated that miR-34a (P = 0.038) and miR-206 (P = 0.008) might be independent prognostic factors for overall survival of patients suffering from cervical cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The up-regulation of Bcl2 and c-Met promotes the cervical cancer's progress, and the expression of miR-34a and miR-206 significantly correlated with the progression and prognosis in cervical cancer. All of these suggested that miR-34a and miR-206 might be the novel prognostic and therapy tools in cervical cancer.

Y chromosome polymorphisms may contribute to an increased risk of male-induced unexplained recurrent miscarriage.

The present study aims to explore the relationship between the Y chromosome polymorphisms (1qh+, inv(9), 9qh+, 16qh+, group D/G, Yqh- and Yqh+) and the risk of unexplained recurrent miscarriage (URM). A total of 507 couples with URM were recruited as case group and 465 healthy couples as control group. The Y chromosome polymorphisms of the male individuals were analysed with the G-banding technique, and the results of the chromosome G-banding analysis were determined using the International Naming Standards of Human Genetics (ISCN). Logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the risk factors for URM. The detection rate of Y chromosome polymorphisms in the case group (12.03%) was higher than that in the control group (2.15%). Y chromosome polymorphisms were detected at significantly higher rates in the case group than in the control group. Using the normal Y chromosomes in individuals of the case group as reference, the partners of their counterparts were more likely to experience miscarriage. The couples who were Y chromosome-polymorphism carriers had shorter gestational age, increased frequency of URM and longer average interval between pregnancies. The results of logistic regression analysis revealed that Y chromosome polymorphisms, shorter gestational age, a higher frequency of miscarriage and longer pregnancy interval were independent risk factors for URM. Y chromosome polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of URM and may play an important role in the development of URM.

Chinese herbal medicine Kuntai capsule for treatment of menopausal syndrome: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials.

OBJECTIVES: Kuntai capsule has been widely used for the treatment of menopausal syndrome in China for long time. We conducted this review to assess efficacy and safety of Kuntai capsule for the treatment of menopausal syndrome. METHODS: We searched studies in PubMed, ClinicalTrials, the Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database(CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Wan fang Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database(CBM) until November 20, 2014. Randomized trials on Kuntai capsule for menopausal syndrome, compared with placebo or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were included. Two reviewers independently retrieved the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and extracted the information. The Cochrane risk of bias method was used to assess the quality of the included studies, and a Meta-analysis was conducted with Review Manager 5.2 software. RESULTS: A total of 17 RCTs (1455 participants) were included. The studies were of low methodological quality. Meta-analysis indicated that there was no statistical difference in the Kupperman index (KI) [WMD=0.51, 95% CI (-0.04, 1.06)], the effective rate of KI [OR=1.21, 95% CI (0.72, 2.04)], E2 level [WMD=-15.18, 95% CI (-33.93, 3.56)], and FSH level [WMD=-3.46, 95% CI (-7.2, 0.28)] after treatment between Kuntai versus HRT group (P>0.05). However, Compared with HRT, Kuntai capsule could significantly reduce the total incidence of adverse events [OR=0.28, 95% CI (0.17, 0.45)]. CONCLUSIONS: Kuntai capsule may be effective for treating menopausal syndrome and lower risk of side effects. The studies we analyzed were of low methodological quality. Therefore, more strictly designed large-scale randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate the efficacy of Kuntai capsule in menopausal syndrome.

Circulating Cell Free DNA as the Diagnostic Marker for Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Quantitative analyses of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are potential methods for the detection of ovarian cancer. Many studies have evaluated these approaches, but the results were too inconsistent to be conclusive. This study is the first to systematically evaluate the accuracy of circulating cfDNA for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer by conducting meta-analysis. METHODS: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases systematically for relevant literatures up to December 10, 2015. All analyses were conducted using Meta-DiSc1.4 and Stata 12.0 software. Sensitivity, specificity and other measures of accuracy of circulating cfDNA for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer were pooled. Meta-regression was performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity. RESULTS: This meta-analysis included a total of 9 studies, including 462 ovarian cancer patients and 407 controls. The summary estimates for quantitative analysis of circulating cfDNA in ovarian cancer screen were as follows: sensitivity, 0.70 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.65-0.74); specificity, 0.90 (95% CI, 0.87-0.93); positive likelihood ratio, 6.60 (95% CI, 3.90-11.17); negative likelihood ratio, 0.34 (95% CI, 0.25-0.47); diagnostic odds ratio, 26.05 (95% CI, 14.67-46.26); and area under the curve, 0.89 (95% CI, 0.83-0.95), respectively. There was no statistical significance for the evaluation of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence suggests that quantitative analysis of cfDNA has unsatisfactory sensitivity but acceptable specificity for the diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Further large-scale prospective studies are required to validate the potential applicability of using circulating cfDNA alone or in combination with conventional markers as diagnostic biomarker for ovarian cancer and explore potential factors that may influence the accuracy of ovarian cancer diagnosis.

Association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and risk of cancer: evidence from 99 case-control studies.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) plays a central role in DNA repair and estrogen-induced carcinogenesis. Many recent epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cancer risk, but the results are inconclusive. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association between cancer susceptibility and COMT Val158Met in different genetic models. Overall, no significant associations were found between COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cancer risk (homozygote model: odds ratio [OR] =1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.98, 1.13]; heterozygote model: OR =1.01, 95% CI = [0.98, 1.04]; dominant model: OR =1.02, 95% CI [0.97, 1.06], and recessive model: OR =1.03, 95% CI [0.97, 1.09]). In the subgroup analysis of cancer type, COMT Val158Met was significantly associated with increased risks of bladder cancer in recessive model, and esophageal cancer in homozygote model, heterozygote model, and dominant model. Subgroup analyses based on ethnicities, COMT Val158Met was significantly associated with increased risk of cancer in homozygote and recessive model among Asians. In addition, homozygote, recessive, and dominant models were significantly associated with increased cancer risk in the subgroup of allele-specific polymerase chain reaction genotyping. Significant associations were not observed when data were stratified by the source of the controls. In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that COMT Val158Met polymorphism might not be a risk factor for overall cancer risk, but it might be involved in cancer development at least in some ethnic groups (Asian) or some specific cancer types (bladder and esophageal cell cancer). Further evaluations of more preclinical and epidemiological studies are required.

Prognostic value of cancer stem cell marker CD133 in ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between CD133 expression and prognosis and clinicopathological features of ovarian cancer. METHODS: The electronic and manual searches were performed through the database of PubMed Chinese Wanfang databases (up to September 15, 2014) was performed using the following keywords ovarian cancer, CD133, AC133, prominin-1. Meta-analysis was performed by using Review Manager 5.2 and the outcomes included the overall survival and various clinicopathological features. RESULTS: A total of 1051 ovarian cancer patients from 8 studies were included. Meta-analysis showed that overexpression of CD133 was highly correlated with reduced 2-year overall survival (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06-2.63, P = 0.03, fixed-effect). With respect to clinicopathological features, CD133 level was positively correlated with tumor stage (OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.12-0.58, P = 0.001 random-effect). But not correlated with patients' age (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.68-1.86, P = 0.65 fixed-effect), tumor grade (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.06-1.62, P = 0.17 random-effect), histological type (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.82-1.47, P = 0.54 fixed-effect) and response to treatment (OR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.61-1.16, P = 0.29 fixed-effect). CONCLUSION: On the basis of current retrospective evidence, the present meta-analysis indicated that high level of CD133 expression trends to correlate with a worse prognosis in patients with ovarian cancer.

[The expression and antibody preparation of S100A10 protein].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare S100A10 protein and its specific polyclonal antibody. METHODS: The full-length gene fragment of S100A10 was amplified by PCR, and then cloned into pET28a(+) prokaryotic expression vector. After transformation, the vector was induced to express the recombinant (S100A10)(2) protein by IPTG in E.coli BL21 (DE3). The recombinant (S100A10)(2) was then purified by Ni-NTA resin. (S100A10)(2)-specific polyclonal antibody was prepared using the purified recombinant (S100A10)(2) protein as antigen to inoculate rabbit intradermally. The title and specificity of the polyclonal antibody were determined by ELISA and Western blotting. RESULTS: The study successfully constructed the prokaryotic recombinant expression vector pET28a(+)-(S100A10)(2), and obtained the purified recombinant (S100A10)(2) protein and polyclonal antibody with high titer and specificity. CONCLUSION: The prokaryotic expression and purification system for S100A10 has been established and polyclonal antibody of (S100A10)(2) been prepared, which provides helpful fools for further researches on S100A10.