Sulforaphane activates CD8 T cells antitumor response through IL-12RB2/MMP3/FasL-induced MDSCs apoptosis'.

Background: Extensive attention has been given to the role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in driving tumor progression and treatment failure. Preclinical studies have identified multiple agents that eliminate MDSCs. However, none have been authorized in the cliniccal ues due to the safety reasons.

Genetic prediction of age at menarche, age at natural menopause and type 2 diabetes: A Mendelian randomization study.

Background And Aims: The relationship between reproductive factors and type 2 diabetes (T2D) is controversial; therefore, we explored the causal relationship of age at menarche (AAM), age at natural menopause (ANM), with the risk of T2D and glycemic traits using two-sample Mendelian randomization.

Methods And Results: We used publicly available data at the summary level of genome-wide association studies, where AAM (N = 329,345), ANM (N = 69,360), T2D (N = 464,389). The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was employed as the primary method.

Western oropharyngeal and gut microbial profiles are associated with allergic conditions in Chinese immigrant children.

Background: The allergy epidemic resulting from western environment/lifestyles is potentially due to modifications of the human microbiome. Therefore, it is of interest to study immigrants living in a western environment as well as their counterparts in the country of origin to understand differences in their microbiomes and health status.

Methods: We investigated 58 Australian Chinese (AC) children from Perth, Western Australia as well as 63 Chinese-born Chinese (CC) children from a city in China.

Elevated apolipoprotein B predicts poor postsurgery prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aims: To date, curative resection remains to be the most optimal therapeutic choice of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), though the overall survival (OS) remains extremely unsatisfactory. To better manage the HCC patients, we evaluated the prognosis predicting values of apolipoprotein B (ApoB) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) on the long-time survival of patients who underwent surgical treatment in this study.

Methods: A subgroup of 164 patients from our previously described follow-up cohort were enrolled in this study, of whom the pre-surgery ApoB and LDL-C measurements were available.

Diacylglycerol kinase γ predicts prognosis and functions as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating glucose transporter 1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Diacylglycerol kinases (DGK) are a family of enzymes catalyzing the transformation of diacylglycerol into phosphatidic acid, which have been recognized as key regulators in cell signaling pathways. The role of DGKγ in human malignancies has seldom been studied. In this study, we investigated the role of DGKγ in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

PCR screening of antimicrobial resistance genes in faecal samples from Australian and Chinese children.

Objectives: Recent public awareness campaigns on the risk of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes has placed pressure on governments to enforce stricter antimicrobial stewardship policies on hospitals and the agricultural industry. In this study, faecal samples from Australian and Chinese children were screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in order to identify demographics at risk of carriage of these genes and to examine antimicrobial stewardship policies from the two countries that may influence carriage.

Methods: Faecal samples from 46 Australian and 53 Chinese children were screened by PCR for the presence of six clinically relevant ARGs.

Increased glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase expression indicates higher survival rates in male patients with hepatitis B virus-accociated hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhosis.

Elevated expression of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) has been reported in different human malignancies. To understand its role in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the expression of GAPDH was quantitatively measured in a cohort of 72 male HCC patients without preoperative treatment, all with evidence of chronic HBV infection. Using C-terminal banding protein 1 (CTBP1) or hypoxanthine phosphori-bosyltransferase 1 (HPRT1) as reference genes, the level of GAPDH mRNA in tumor tissue was found to be significantly higher compared with that in paired non tumor tissues (P=0.

Reduced red blood cell count predicts poor survival after surgery in patients with primary liver cancer.

Currently, the optimal therapy of primary liver cancer (PLC) remains to be hepatic resection. For better management of the patients, we evaluated the prognostic predicting value of red blood cell (RBC) count, a routine laboratory parameter, on the long-term survival of patients who underwent surgical treatment. Clinical and laboratory data of 758 patients, who underwent surgical hepatic resection, were retrospectively studied by χ2 tests and logistic regression.

Coinfection with HIV-1 alleviates iron accumulation in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection.

Most chronically-infected hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients have increased levels of iron in the liver. Iron overload reduces sustained responses to antiviral therapy, leading to more rapid progression to liver cirrhosis and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, it is still unclear how HIV-1 infection affects iron status in patients chronically infected with HCV.

The function of targeted host genes determines the oncogenicity of HBV integration in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background & Aims: Although hepatitis B virus (HBV) integration into the human genome has been considered as one of the major causative factors to hepatocarcinogenesis, the underlying mechanism(s) was still elusive. Here we investigate the essential difference(s) of HBV integration between HCC tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues and explore the factor(s) that determine the oncogenicity of HBV integration.

Methods: 1115 HBV integration sites were collected from four recent studies.

[Study on the association of cytochrome P450 polymorphisms and the risk of esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis].

Objective: To examine the association between CYP1A1 polymorphisms (MspI and Ile/Val) and esophageal cancer (EC) by systematically reviewing the risk of the original studies.

Methods: Data from 16 papers (8 for MspI, 14 for Ile/Val) regarding case-control studies on the association of cytochrome P450 polymorphisms and risk of esophageal cancer was analyzed by dominant model (variant genotype vs. wild-type genotype) through meta-analysis.

XRCC1 gene polymorphisms and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma risk in Chinese population: A meta-analysis of case-control studies.

Two non-synonymous polymorphisms Arg194Trp and Arg399Gln in the DNA-base excision repair gene X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) have been implicated in risk for esophageal cancer. However, the results from different studies remain controversial. The present meta-analysis of literatures was performed to clarify these associations in Chinese population.