Individual susceptibility to cancer induced by environmental agents may be influenced by polymorphic metabolic genes responsible for the activation or detoxification of carcinogens．The association between genetic polymorphisms in cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) and lung cancer susceptibility has been extensively studied．The various CYP1A1 alleles exhibit population frequencies that depend on race and ethnicity．An increased risk of lung cancer in Asians was found to be associated with genetic polymorphisms in CYP1A1．However，reports from Caucasians are not consistant，probably suggesting the ethnic-sepecific effect of the polymorphisms in the locus on the cancer．Evidence also exists for the association between levels of carcinogen-DNA adducts or frequency of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene mutations and CYP1A1 polymorphisms．These findings provide a better understanding of the relationship between CYP1A1 and lung cancer susceptibility．

Single nueleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most common genetic variants in human genome.Candidate gene,genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and exome sequencing which base on SNPs have made a great progress in identifying cancer susceptibility.The development and application of high resolutions in SNPs has played an important role in clarifying the mechanism,prevention,diagnosis and targeted therapy in cancers.

Objective To investigate the relationship between genetic polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) and the risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Methods Eighty-three patients with ALL and a cohort of 83 matched healthy objects were included, and DNA was extracted from their peripheral blood. PCR-RFLP was used to determine the genotypes of MTHFR C677T and A1298C. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression model. Results It was found that the frequency of the MTHFR C677T TT genotype among patients was significantly different from that among control objects (P=0.008). The MTHFR C677T TT genotype had an increased risk of ALL compared with that of 677CC genotype (OR=3.229, 95%CI: 1.328-7.847, P=0.01). No significant association between the MTHFR C677T CT genotype or A1298C polymorphism and the risk of leukemia. Conclusion The present findings suggest that 677C→T polymorphism in MTHFR may be a genetic susceptibility factor for acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Daily dietary intakes of nitrate, nitrite and vitamin C were investigated in Chanle county, Fujian province, where gastric cancer was very common, with a marked geographic variation in mortality. The average daily intake of nitrate of residents in Zhanggang village (high risk area) was 132.75 mg, which was significantly higher than that (84.65 mg) in Shouzhan village (moderate risk area), but similar to that (113.12 mg) in Meihua village (low risk area). However, nitrite intake in Zhanggang village was greatly higher than that in Shouzhan and Meihua villages (3.36 mg vs 0.21 and 0.37 mg, respectively). The average daily intake of vitamin C in Shouzhan village was 56.37 mg, significantly lower than that in Zhanggang village (123.09 mg) and in Meihua village (105.90 mg). The molar ratio of vitamin C intake to nitrite in the three villages was 3.22, 3.30 and 4.33, respectively. It was invesely associated with the mortality of gastric cancer. The results suggested that nitrate and nitrite might be etiological factors of gastric cancer in the county.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of Xuebijing injection pretreatment on systemic inflammatory response induced by severe heat-stroke, and to investigate the mechanism of alleviation of intestinal injury in rats. Methods Thirty-six healthy adult male Wistar rats with grade SPF were randomly assigned into three groups with randomized number method, namely sham group, severe heat-stroke model group, and Xuebijing pretreatment group (XBJ group), with 12 rats in each group. The animals were placed in a pre-warm chamber [temperature (40±2)℃, humidity (65±5)%] in order to induce typical heat-stroke. The duration of heat-stress was 60 minutes, while the animals in sham group were exposed to ambient temperature of 25℃. Arterial blood samples were collected at the beginning and the end of heat-stress, the concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukins (IL-1β, IL-6), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in peripheral blood were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The intestinal tissues were harvested after heat-stress, and the pathological changes in intestine tissues were observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and under optical microscope. The pathological injury scores were calculated. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in intestinal tissue. Apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining. Western Blot was used to measure the tight junction protein occludin expression.Results The concentrations of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and LPS in blood of the rats after heat-stress in model group were significantly higher than those of sham group [TNF-α (μg/L): 443.00±110.10 vs. 98.36±44.61, IL-1β (μg/L): 436.37±163.64 vs. 64.24±16.15, IL-6 (μg/L): 342.70±92.42 vs. 54.40±13.22, LPS (μg/L): 0.68±0.22 vs. 0.09±0.02, allP< 0.01], but the levels of these parameters in XBJ group were significantly lower than those of model group [TNF-α (μg/L):340.45±68.57 vs. 443.00±110.10, IL-1β (μg/L): 191.33±82.78 vs. 436.37±163.64, IL-6 (μg/L): 192.21±37.89 vs. 342.70±92.42, LPS (μg/L): 0.43±0.17 vs. 0.68±0.22, allP< 0.01]. Infiltration of inflammatory cells, necrosis and hemorrhage in intestinal mucosa were found in the intestine of heat-stroke animals in model group. The pathological lesions in XBJ group were milder than those of model group, with a decreased pathological injury score compared with model group (2.10±1.15 vs. 3.20±0.67,P< 0.01). The expression of iNOS and apoptosis of cells in intestinal tissue in model group were increased compared with that of sham group, but they were significantly less marked in XBJ group compared with model group [iNOS (adjustedA value): 0.32±0.15 vs. 0.74±0.17, apoptotic index: 0.23±0.08 vs. 0.56±0.07, bothP< 0.01]. The order of expression for occludin protein from high to low was sham group, XBJ group and model group (A value was 0.96±0.25, 0.62±0.20, 0.33±0.11, respectively). Furthermore, there was significant difference in the expression of occludin protein between model group and both XBJ group and sham group (bothP<0.01).Conclusions Xuebijing injection alleviates inflammation and endotoxemia produced by severe heat-stroke in rats. The mechanism may be related to amelioration of oxidative injury, apoptosis, and dysfunction of tight junction protein occludin expression.

Objective To investigate the effect ofulinastatin on severe heat-stroke with acute lung injury induced by severe heat stroke.Methods Thirty severe heat stroke patients were divided into conventional group (n=15) and ulinastatin group (n=15) randomly,with another 80 healthy adults serving as controls.The baseline data such as age,gender,onset period and APACHE Ⅱ scores were recorded and compared between the two groups on admission.Peripheral leucocyte counts,oxygenation index and Murray scores were determined on the 1st,3rd and 5th day.The concentration of inflammatory mediators in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and alveolar macrophage supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Western blotting and real-time PCR were used to measure expression of triggering receptor-1 on myeloid cells (TREM-1) on alveolar macrophages.Furthermore,comparison was made in terms of the ventilation period,ICU stay time and mortality in 28 days between the two groups.Results No differences were found in age,gender,onset period and APACHE Ⅱ scores between the two groups (P＞0.05).Compared with the conventional group,peripheral leucocyte counts and Murray scores in the ulinastatin group significantly decreased on the 3rd and 5th day (P＜0.05,P＜0.01).But oxygenation index was higher in the ulinastatin group than in the conventional group (P＜0.05).The concentration of TNF-α and IL-6 in BALF was lower in the ulinastatin group than in the conventional group (on the 3rd day:P＜0.05,P＜0.01;on the 5th day:P＜0.01,P＜0.01).The concentration of TNF-α and IL-6 in alveolar macrophage supernatant was lower in the ulinastatin group than in the conventional group (on the 3rd day:-P＜0.05,P＜0.01;on the 5th day:P＜0.01,P＜0.05).The expression of TREM-1 protein on alveolar macrophages were lower in the ulinastatin group than in the conventional group (on the 3rd day P＜0.01;on the 5rd day P＜0.05).TREM-1 mRNA was lower in the ulinastatin group than in the conventional group (on the 3rd day:P＜0.05;on the 5th day:P＜0.05).Eventually,the treatment of ulinastatin shorten ventilation period and ICU stay time (P＜0.01,P＜0.05).Nonetheless,it failed to show any improvement in terms of the mortality during 28 days (P＞0.05).Conclusion Our study exhibited that ulinastatin had good effect on the heat stroke patients with acute lung injury and it helped reduce the inflammatory reaction of pulmonary tissues.The underlying mechanism of these effects might lie in its ability to reduce heat stroke-induced inflammatory secretion and expression of TREM-1 on alveolar macrophage.

We reported a case of rhabdomyolysis following hemorrhagic shock caused by intractable postpartum hemorrhage. During the resuscitation, the patient was clearly diagnosed with the following manifestations, including dark urine, oliguria, significantly increased creatine kinase and positive myoglobin in both serum and urine. Acute kidney injury occurred after emergent abdominal hysterectomy. The patient was fully recovered after active anti-shock management, including a successful resuscitation, aggressive hydration, urine alkalinization, diuresis, treatment on acidosis, hyperpotassemia and hypocalcemia.

Objective To evaluate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) of candidate genes and radiation-induced esophagitis (RIE) in patients with lung cancer. Methods Between Jan. 2004 and Aug. 2006,170 patients with pathologically diagnosed lung cancer were enrolled in this study. The total target dose was 45-70 Gy( median 60 Gy). One hundred and thirty-two patients were treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy(3DCRT) and 38 with two-dimensional radiotherapy(2DRT).Forty-one patients received radiotherapy alone, 78 received sequential chemoradiotherapy and 51 received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Thirty-seven SNPs in 20 DNA repair genes were analyzed by using PCR-based restrieted fragment length polymorphism(RFLP). These genes were apoptosis and inflammatory cytoking genes including ATM, ERCC1, XRCC3, XRCC1, XPD, XPC, XPG, NBS1, STK15, ZNF350, ADPRT,TP53, FAS, FASL, CYP2D6 * 4, CASPASE8, COX2,TGF-β, CD14 and ACE. The endpoint was grade ≥2 R I E. Results Forty of the 170 patients developed grade ≥2 R I E, including 36 in grade 2 and 4 in grade 3. Univariate analysis revealed that radiation technique and concurrent chemoradiotherapy were statistically significant relatives to the incidence of R I E (P = 0. 032,0.049) , and both of them had the trend associating with the esophagitis( P = 0.072,0. 094 ). An increased incidence of esophagitis was observed associating with the TGF-β1-509T and XPD 751 Lys/Lys genotypes ( χ2 = 5.65, P = 0.017 ;χ2 = 3.84, P = 0. 048 )in multivariate analysis. Conclusions Genetic polymorphisms in TGF-β1 gene and XPD gene have a significant association with radiation-induced esophagitis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the possible association between dopamine D2 receptor (DRD2) TaqI A and TaqI B genotypes as well as smoking behavior and the risk of lung cancer among Chinese Han people.

METHODSPCR was used to perform genotyping on peripheral WBC DNA from 326 lung cancer patients and 326 age, sex and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. Subjects were interviewed to obtain relevant information and lifetime history of tobacco use.

RESULTSThere were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of DRD2 genotypes between lung cancer cases and controls. The DRD2 genotypes and smoking status showed no correlation among cases and among controls as well. However, among controls, the frequency of the DRD2 * A2/A2 genotype in smokers who smoked > or = 25 cigarettes/day appeared to be higher than that in those who smoked < 25 cigarettes/day (42.5% versus 26.1%, P = 0.047). A similar trend was also found for the DRD2 * B2/B2 genotype, which was linked to the DRD2 * A2/A2 genotype, although the difference was not significant (40.0% versus 26.1%, P = 0.091). In contrast to controls, no association was found between the DRD2 genotypes and smoking among lung cancer cases.

CONCLUSIONOur results suggested that DRD2 * A2/A2 genotype might be associated with a greater smoking intensity in Chinese. Further studies are needed to confirm this preliminary finding.

Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; etiology ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, Dopamine D2 ; genetics ; Smoking ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and susceptibility to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in China.

METHODSThe p53 genotypes were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism among 204 healthy controls and 91 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

RESULTSThere was no significant difference between patients and controls with respect to allele frequency for the p53 Pro allele (0.480 versus 0.588, P=0.11); however, the Pro/Pro genotype of p53 among cases (39.6%) was significantly (P<0.05) more frequent than that among controls (21.1%). Subjects homozygous for the p53 Pro allele had a more than 2-fold increased risk of developing ESCC (OR=2.18; 95%CI=1.10-4.35, adjusted for age, sex, and smoking), whereas the Arg/Pro genotype was not associated with elevated risk of the cancer (adjusted OR=0.84; 95%CI=0.42-1.68). No interaction between smoking and Pro/Pro genotype was observed for risk of ESCC.

CONCLUSIONThe p53 codon 72 polymorphism may play a role in susceptibility to esophageal carcinogenesis.

Alleles ; Arginine ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; ethnology ; genetics ; Codon ; genetics ; Confidence Intervals ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; ethnology ; genetics ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Proline ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics