Interleukin-4 and -8 Gene Polymorphisms and Risk of Gastric Cancer in a Population in Southwestern China

Pan, Xiong-Fei,Wen, Ying,Loh, Marie,Wen, Yuan-Yuan,Yang, Shu-Juan,Zhao, Zhi-Mei,Tian, Zhi,Huang, He,Lan, Hui,Chen, Feng,Soong, Richie,Yang, Chun-Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.7

Background: Gastric carcinogenesis is a complicated process that involves environmental and genetic factors like interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-8. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in their genes are associated with changed levels of gene expression. Here, we investigated the association between IL4-590 C>T and IL8-251T>A and gastric cancer (GC) risk in Sichuan of Southwestern China. Materials and Methods: We surveyed the research subjects using a self-designed questionnaire with questions on demographic factors and putative risk factors. Approximately 2-5ml of whole blood was collected after field survey to analyze IL4-590 C>T and IL8-251T>A genotypes using MALDI-TOF MS. Results: Our study recruited 308 pairs of GC patients and controls, including 224 (72.7%) men and 84 (27.3%) women in each group. There were 99 cardia and 176 noncardia GC patients in the case group. The case and control groups had an average age of $57.7{\pm}10.6$ ($mean{\pm}SD$) and $57.6{\pm}11.1$ years. GC patients reported a significantly greater proportion of family history of cancer (29.9% vs 10.7%, p<0.01) and drinking (54.6% vs 43.2%, p<0.01) than did controls. Variant genotypes of IL-4-590 C>T and IL-8-251 T>A were not associated with overall GC risk (adjusted OR, 0.89; 95%CI, 0.61-1.28 for CT or CC vs TT; adjusted OR, 1.14; 95%CI, 0.86-1.79 for TA or AA vs TT). Stratification analysis of two SNPs for risk by subsites only found that variant IL-8-251 TA or AA genotype was associated with increased noncardia GC risk (adjusted OR, 2.58; 95%CI, 1.19-5.57). We did not observe interactions between the IL-8-251 T>A genotype and smoking (adjusted OR, 0.38; 95%CI, 0.08-1.79) or drinking (adjusted OR, 0.36; 95%CI, 0.08-1.65) for risk of noncardia GC. Conclusions: Our data indicate no association between the two SNPs of IL-4-590 and IL-8-251 with overall GC risk, while the IL-8-251 TA or AA genotype conferred risk of cardia GC. Our findings contribute to the evidence body for risk of SNPs associated with the development of gastric cancer in this region.

Polymorphisms of XRCC1 and ADPRT Genes and Risk of Noncardia Gastric Cancer in a Chinese Population: a Case-control Study

Pan, Xiong-Fei,Xie, Yao,Loh, Marie,Yang, Shu-Juan,Wen, Yuan-Yuan,Tian, Zhi,Huang, He,Lan, Hui,Chen, Feng,Soong, Richie,Yang, Chun-Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.11

Objective: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies and its mortality ranks third among all cancers in China. We previously noted that XRCC1 Arg194Trp was associated with GC risk in Western China in a study on XRCC1 Arg194Trp and ADPRT Val762Ala. We aimed to further explore the association of these polymorphisms with risk of the noncardia subtype. Methods: We enrolled 176 noncardia GC patients and 308 controls from four hospitals and a community between October 2010 and August 2011. Genotyping was performed in a 384-well plate format on the Sequenom MassARRAY platform. A self-designed questionnaire was utilized to collect epidemiological data from the subjects regarding demographic factors and potential risk factors. Results: Subjects were aged $56.8{\pm}11.8$ (mean ${\pm}$ standard deviation) and $57.6{\pm}11.1$ years in the case and control groups, respectively. Individuals carrying the XRCC1 Trp/Trp or Arg/Trp variant genotype were at significantly increased risk of noncardia GC (adjusted OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.00-2.17), after adjustment for family history of cancer, drinking, and smoking. The increased risk of XRCC1 Arg194Trp variant genotype was more pronounced among subjects below 60 years old (adjusted OR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.07-2.96), compared to older individuals. ADPRT Val762Ala variants (Ala/Ala or Val/Ala) were not associated with noncardia GC (adjusted OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.69-1.54). Conclusions: Our study suggests that XRCC1 Arg194Trp is a genetic susceptibility factor for developing noncardia GC in Han Chinese in Western China. In particular, individuals with the XRCC1 Arg194Trp variant genotype are at increased risk for GC below 60 years old.

Interleukin-10 Gene Promoter Polymorphisms and Risk of Gastric Cancer in a Chinese Population: Single Nucleotide and Haplotype Analyses

Pan, Xiong-Fei,Yang, Shu-Juan,Loh, Marie,Xie, Yao,Wen, Yuan-Yuan,Tian, Zhi,Huang, He,Lan, Hui,Chen, Feng,Soong, Richie,Yang, Chun-Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.4

Objectives: Interleukin (IL) -10 is a potent cytokine with a dual ability to immunosuppress or immunostimulate. We aimed to explore the association of IL10 promoter polymorphisms with risk of gastric cancer (GC) in a Han population in Southwestern China. Methods: We enrolled 308 pairs of GC and control subjects from four hospitals and a community between October 2010 and August 2011 in a 1:1 matched case-control design. Demographic information was collected using a designed questionnaire. IL10-592 A>C and IL10-1082 A>G polymorphisms were determined by Sequenom MassARRAY analysis. Results: Patients with GC reported statistically higher proportions of family history of cancer (29.9% versus 10.7%, P<0.01) and alcohol drinking (54.6% versus 43.2%, P<0.01) than did controls. Similar results were observed in comparison between non-cardia GC patients and controls (P<0.01 and P=0.03). Variant genotypes of IL10-592 A>C and IL10-1082 A>G were not associated with overall GC risk (adjusted OR, 0.94, 95% CI, 0.66-1.33; adjusted OR, 1.00, 95% CI, 0.62-1.60). Sub-analysis showed that the IL10-592 AC/CC variant genotype was associated with decreased non-cardia GC risk (adjusted OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36-0.95). No association was found between any of the IL10 haplotypes established from two polymorphisms and risk of non-cardia GC. Conclusions: In conclusion, our data do not link the two SNPs of IL10-592 and IL10-1082 with overall GC risk. We demonstrate that IL10-592 polymorphism is associated with protective effect against non-cardia GC. Our findings may offer insight into risk associated with the development of GC in this region.

Knowledge, Perceptions and Acceptability of HPV Vaccination among Medical Students in Chongqing, China

Fu, Chun-Jing,Pan, Xiong-Fei,Zhao, Zhi-Mei,Saheb-Kashaf, Michael,Chen, Feng,Wen, Ying,Yang, Chun-Xia,Zhong, Xiao-Ni Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.15

Objectives: To evaluate medical students' knowledge of HPV and HPV related diseases and assess their attitudes towards HPV vaccination. Methods: A total of 605 medical undergraduates from Chongqing Medical University in China were surveyed using a structured and pretested questionnaire on HPV related knowledge. Results: Some 68.9% of the medical students were females, and mean age was 21.6 (${\pm}1.00$) years. Only 10.6% correctly answered more than 11 out of 14 questions on HPV related knowledge, 71.8% being willing to receive/advise on HPV vaccination. Female students (OR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.53-4.72) and students desiring more HPV education (OR: 4.24; 95% CI: 1.67-10.8) were more willing to accept HPV vaccination. HPV vaccination acceptability was observed to show a positive association with HPV related knowledge. Conclusions: Our survey found low levels of HPV related knowledge and HPV vaccination acceptability among participating medical students. HPV education should be systematically incorporated into medical education to increase awareness of HPV vaccination.

Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection, Cervical Cancer, and HPV Vaccine and its Correlates among Medical Students in Southwest China: a Multi-center Cross-sectional Survey

Wen, Ying,Pan, Xiong-Fei,Zhao, Zhi-Mei,Chen, Feng,Fu, Chun-Jing,Li, Si-Qi,Zhao, Yun,Chang, Hong,Xue, Qing-Ping,Yang, Chun-Xia Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.14

Background: Since cervical cancer can be prevented and controlled through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, it is important to train health care providers and provide them with appropriate knowledge. This study aimed to understand the level of HPV related knowledge among medical students and correlates in Southwest China in order to address any potential gap in their knowledge base. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among medical students in six selected universities across Southwest China based on a pretested questionnaire regarding HPV infection, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccines. Results: We successfully surveyed 1, 878 medical students, of whom 32.1% were males and 67.9% were females. Their mean age was 20.8 (standard deviation: 1.3) years. 91.8% of them were ethnic Han Chinese, and 43.8% were students in clinical medicine. While 76.5% had heard of HPV only 48.8% knew that the prevention of cervical cancer was possible through HPV vaccination. Only 42.9% of the male and 49.2% of the female students correctly answered over 10 out of 22 questions on HPV related knowledge. Female students appeared to know more about HPV and HPV vaccination (OR: 1.39; 95% CI: 1.11-1.75). In addition, the student knowledge improved with the grade (p<0.001). University courses were the most selected source of knowledge about HPV vaccination (66.4%). 83.6% of males and 91.4% of females were willing to have more HPV related education by experts (p<0.001). Only 10.1% of the students acknowledged that people had asked for their advice regarding HPV vaccination. Conclusions: Our survey indicates that medical students from Southwest China have poor knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccination, but are willing to receive more relevant information. Targeted education should be incorporated into school courses to inform these future health care providers and ensure success of programs for cervical cancer control and prevention.

Salvianolic Acid B Reverses the Epithelial-to-mesenchymal Transition of HK-2 Cells that is Induced by Transforming Growth Factor-β

Rong-hua Pan,Feng-yan Xie,Hui-mei Chen,Li-zhi Xu,Xiao-chun Wu,Ling-ling Xu,Gang Yao 대한약학회 2011 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.34 No.3

Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is the most abundant bioactive molecule from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, and has recently been used for treating renal fibrosis in traditional Chinese medicine. Here we investigated the ability reversal of Sal B to reverse the transdifferentiation of human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells that was induced by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1). The effects of Sal B on HK-2 cell morphology were observed by phase contrast microscopy, while alpha smooth muscle actin and E-cadherin were studied by immunocytochemistry and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Exposure of HK-2 cells to TGF-β1 for 72 h induced a complete conversion of the epithelial cells to myofibroblasts. When HK-2 cells were co-incubated with Sal B and TGF-β1 for a further 72 h, the morphology of myofibroblasts returned to that of proximal tubular epithelial cells,whereas the myofibroblast phenotype was maintained after exposure of cells to TGF-β1 for 144 h. Sal B reduced alpha smooth muscle actin levels and increased E-cadherin levels compared with their epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition controls. The reversal effect of Sal B was dose-dependent. That Sal B reverses the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in vitro suggests that it could possibly facilitate the repair of tubular epithelial structures and the regression of renal fibrosis in injured kidneys.

Unveiling the enigma of acute kidney disease: predicting prognosis, exploring interventions, and embracing a multidisciplinary approach

( Szu-yu Pan ),( Thomas Tao-min Huang ),( Zheng-hong Jiang ),( Li-chun Lin ),( I-jung Tsai ),( Tsung-lin Wu ),( Chih-yi Hsu ),( Ting Wang ),( Hui-chuen Chen ),( Yu-feng Lin ),( Vin-cent Wu ) 대한신장학회 2024 Kidney Research and Clinical Practice Vol.43 No.4

Acute kidney disease (AKD) is a critical transitional period between acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. The incidence of AKD following acute kidney injury is approximately 33.6%, and it can occur without identifiable preceding acute kidney injury. The development of AKD is associated with increased risks of chronic kidney disease, dialysis, and mortality. Biomarkers and subphenotypes are promising tools to predict prognosis in AKD. The complex clinical situations in patients with AKD necessitate a comprehensive and structured approach, termed “KAMPS” (kidney function check, advocacy, medications, pressure, sick day protocols). We introduce “MAND-MASS,” an acronym devised to summarize the reconciliation of medications during episodes of acute illness, as a critical component of the sick day protocols at AKD. A multidisciplinary team care, consisting of nephrologists, pharmacists, dietitians, health educators, and nurses, is an optimal model to achieve the care bundle in KAMPS. Although the evidence for patients with AKD is still lacking, several potential pharmacological agents may improve outcomes, including but not limited to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors, and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists. In conclusion, accurate prognosis prediction and effective treatment for AKD are critical yet unmet clinical needs. Future studies are urgently needed to improve patient care in this complex and rapidly evolving field.

Identification and Characterization of the Antifungal Substances of a Novel Streptomyces cavourensis NA4s

( Hua Qi Pan ),( Su Ya Yu ),( Chun Feng Song ),( Nan Wang ),( Hui Ming Hua ),( Jiang Chun Hu ),( Shu Jin Wang ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.3

A new actinomycete strain NA4 was isolated from a deep-sea sediment collected from the South China Sea and showed promising antifungal activities against soilborne fungal pathogens. It was identified as Streptomyces cavourensis by morphological, physiological, and phylogenetic analyses based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence. The main antifungal components were isolated and identified from the fermentation culture as bafilomycins B1 and C1. These compounds exhibited significant antifungal activities and a broad antifungal spectrum. The results suggest that the Streptomyces cavourensis NA4 and bafilomycins B1 and C1 could be used as potential biocontrol agents for soilborne fungal diseases of plants.

Quality of Life for Patients with Esophageal/Gastric Cardia Precursor Lesions or Cancer: A One-year Prospective Study

Wen, Ying,Pan, Xiong-Fei,Huang, Wen-Zhi,Zhao, Zhi-Mei,Wei, Wen-Qiang,Chen, Feng,Lan, Hui,Huang, He,Yang, Chun-Xia,Qiao, You-Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.1

Background: The current study examined health-related quality of life (QoL) for patients with esophageal/gastric cardia precursor lesions or cancer before and after treatment to facilitate improved prevention and treatment. Materials and Methods: Patients with different stages of esophageal/gastric cardia lesions completed two QoL questionnaires, EORTC QLQ-C30 and supplemental QLQ-OES 18, before primary treatment, and at 1, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Results: Fifty-nine patients with precursor lesions, 57 with early stage cancer, and 43 with advanced cancer responded to our survey. Patients with precursor lesions or early stage cancer reported better QoL overall than those with advanced cancer before treatment (p<0.01). Global QoL scores before treatment and at 1 month after treatment were $71{\pm}9$ versus $69{\pm}9$ (p>0.01), $71{\pm}8$ versus $61{\pm}11$ (p<0.01), $67{\pm}11$ versus $62{\pm}9$ (p<0.01) for three stages of lesions. At 6 months after treatment, some QoL measures recovered gradually in precursor lesion and early cancer patients, while some continuously deteriorated in advanced cancer patients. At 12 months, all QoL scores were comparable to baseline for patients with precursor lesions (p>0.01), while global QoL, social, pain, and insomnia scores for early stage and advanced cancer were inferior to corresponding baseline levels (difference between means>5, p<0.01). At this time point, compared with patients with early stage cancer, those with advanced cancer showed worse QoL with all function and most symptom measures (p<0.01). Conclusions: Patients with precursor lesions or early stage esophageal/gastric cardia cancer show better QoL than those with advanced cancer. This indicates that screening, early diagnosis and treatment may improve the QoL for esophageal/gastric cardia cancer patients. Target intervention and counseling should be given by health care providers during treatment and follow-up to facilitate QoL improvement.

Intermediate State of Consensus Formation Described by the Tri-Molecular Model

Peng Wang,Feng-Chun Pan,Xue-Ling Lin,Xu-Ming Wang,Jie Huo 한국물리학회 2019 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.75 No.2

Consensuses are essential for a society to run well. The description of consensuses formation is a hot spot for interdisciplinary study. Based on the tri-molecule model, this paper investigated the intermediate state of a group from diffidence to confidence. The model emphasizes the different influences from the internal and the external environments. The former, for one individual, refers to collisions with the others in the group while the latter refers to impacts from the outside of the group. The investigation reveals three variation modes for the intermediate state under different transition ratios and different diffusion modes of the individuals. One variation mode is stable, and the others are unstable. The stable transition mode appears under the condition that the influence from the external environment is stronger than that from the internal environment, which may be realistically observable. This implies that the formation of social consensuses needs some strong external actions, such as advocating, publicizing, training and educating, conducted by the government and others.