Patients with old age or proximal tumors benefit from metabolic syndrome in early stage gastric cancer.

Background: Metabolic syndrome and/or its components have been demonstrated to be risk factors for several cancers. They are also found to influence survival in breast, colon and prostate cancer, but the prognostic value of metabolic syndrome in gastric cancer has not been investigated.

Methods: Clinical data and pre-treatment information of metabolic syndrome of 587 patients diagnosed with early stage gastric cancer were retrospectively collected.

Modeling and Analysis of Structures of Phospholipase A(2)'s from Venom of Agkistrodon haly Pallas.

We have modeled three-dimensional structures of basic-acidic hybrid phospholipase A(2)-II and neutral phospholipase A(2) from venom of snake Agkistrodon halys Pallas, based on the known structures of basic and acidic phospholipase A(2)'s from the same source. We have compared these structures of phospholipase A(2)'s, explained the results of fluorescent spectrum study on the phospholipase A(2)'s and calculated the electrostatic potential maps on the catalytic active site. We suggest that the electrostatic potential around the catalytic active site of PLA(2) containing a calcium ion favors the binding of the PLA(2) to its substrate with negative charge.