Association of Oral Contraceptives Use and Lung Cancer Risk among Women: an Updated Meta-analysis Based on Cohort and Case-control Studies

Wu, Wei,Yin, Zhi-Hua,Guan, Peng,Ren, Yang-Wu,Zhou, Bao-Sen Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.3

Background: Previous studies on the association of oral contraceptives (OC) use and lung cancer generated inconsistent findings. The aim of this study was to confirm any definite correlation between OC use and lung cancer risk. Methods: Publications were reviewed and obtained through PubMed and EMBASE databases literature search up to November, 2013. Reference lists from retrieved articles were also reviewed. The language of publication was restricted to English. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the association by calculating pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of 14 studies consisting of 9 case-control studies and 5 cohort studies were finally included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant association observed between OC use and lung cancer risk in the overall analysis (OR=0.91; 95% CI=0.81-1.03). There was a significant protective effect in Europe (OR=0.74; 95% CI=0.60-0.91) and a borderline significant protective effect with an adenocarcinoma histology (OR=0.90; 95% CI=0.80-1.01) in subgroup analyses. No association was observed for methodological quality of study, study design, smoking status and case number of study. Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that OC use is not likely to be associated with the risk of lung cancer at all. While a significant protective effect of OC use on lung cancer was observed in Europe, interpretation should be cautious because of the potential biases of low-quality studies. At the same time, more attention should be paid to the possible association of OC use with adenocarcinoma of lung. Our findings require further research, with well-conducted and large-scale epidemiological studies to confirm effects of OC use on lung cancer.

Association of GSTP1 and RRM1 Polymorphisms with the Response and Toxicity of Gemcitabine-cisplatin Combination Chemotherapy in Chinese Patients with Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Yuan, Zhi-Jun,Zhou, Wen-Wu,Liu, Wei,Wu, Bai-Ping,Zhao, Jin,Wu, Wei,He, Yi,Yang, Shuo,Su, Jing,Luo, Yi Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.10

Background: Previous studies showed that genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) were involved in glutathione metabolism and genetic polymorphisms of ribonucleotide reductase (RRM1) were correlated with DNA synthesis. Here we explored the effects of these polymorphisms on the chemosensitivity and clinical outcome in Chinese non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with gemcitabine-cisplatin regimens. Materials and Methods: DNA sequencing was used to evaluate genetic polymorphisms of GSTP1 Ile105Val and RRM1 C37A-T524C in 47 NSCLC patients treated with gemcitabine-cisplatin regimens. Clinical response was evaluated according to RECIST criteria after 2 cycles of chemotherapy and toxicity was assessed by 1979 WHO criteria (acute and subacute toxicity graduation criteria in chemotherapeutic agents). Results: There was no statistical significance between sensitive and non-sensitive groups regarding the genotype frequency distribution of GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism (p>0.05). But for RRM1 C37A-T524C genotype, sensitive group had higher proportion of high effective genotype than non-sensitive group (p=0.009). And according to the joint detection of GSTP1 Ile105Val and RRM1 C37A-T524C polymorphisms, the proportion of type A (A/A + high effective genotype) was significantly higher in sensitive group than in non-sensitive group (p=0.009). Toxicity showed no correlation with the genotypes between two groups (p>0.05). Conclusions: Compared with single detection of genetic polymorphisms of GSTP1 Ile105Val or RRM1 C37A-T524C, joint detection of both may be more helpful for patients with NSCLC to receive gemcitabine-cisplatin regimens as the first-line chemotherapy. Especially, genetic polymorphism of RRM1 is more likely to be used as an important biomarker to predict the response and toxicity of gemcitabine-cisplatin combination chemotherapy in NSCLC.

Macrophages Promote Coal Tar Pitch Extract-induced Tumorigenesis of BEAS-2B Cells and Tumor Metastasis in Nude Mice Mediated by AP-1

Zhang, Peng,Jin, Yue-Fei,Zhang, Qiao,Wu, Yi-Ming,Wu, Wei-Dong,Yao, Wu,Wu, Yong-Jun,Li, Zhi-Tao,Zhao, Yong,Liu, Yu,Feng, Fei-Fei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.12

Background: We sought to evaluate the role of tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) on the promotion of coal tar pitch extract (CTPE)-induced tumorigenesis of human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and tumor metastasis in nude mice, and related mechanisms. Materials and Methods: BEAS-2B cells were first treated with 2.4 mg/mL CTPE for 72 hours. After removal of CTPE, the cells were continuously cultured and passaged using trypsin-EDTA. THP-1 cells were used as macrophage-like cells. BEAS-2B cells under different conditions (n=6/group) were injected into the back necks of nude mice, and alterations of tumor xenograft growth, indicative of tumorigenicity, and tumor metastasis were determined. Pathological changes (tumor nests and microvascular lesions) of HE-stained tumor tissues were also evaluated. The expression of AP-1(c-Jun) in xenografts and metastatic tumors was determined using immunohistochemistry. Results: Tumor size and weight in nude mice transplanted with the mixture of CTPE-induced passage 30 BEAS-2B and THP-1 cells (2:1) were increased compared to those from the CTPE-treated BEAS-2B cells at passage 30 alone at different observation time points. Tumor metastasis to lymph nodes and liver was only detected after transplantation of a mixture the two kinds of cells. The numbers of tumor nests and microvascular lesions, and the expression levels of AP-1 (c-Jun) in tumors from the mixture of two kinds of cells were increased apparently in contrast to those in tumor from the CTPE-treated BEAS-2B cells of passage 30 alone. In addition, there was positive correlation between AP-1 (c-Jun) expression level and the number of microvascular lesions, or between AP-1 (c-Jun) expression level and tumor metastasis in these two groups. Conclusions: TAMs not only facilitate tumorigenesis transformation of CTPE-induced BEAS-2B cells, but also promote tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis in nude mice in vivo, which may be mediated by AP-1.

Clinical Application of Endoscopic Inguinal Lymph Node Resection after Lipolysis and Liposuction for Vulvar Cancer

Wu, Qiang,Zhao, Yi-Bing,Sun, Zhi-Hua,Ni, Jing,Wu, Yu-Zhong,Shao, Heng-Hua,Qu, Jun-Wei,Huang, Xin-En Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.12

Aim: To examine lymph nodes obtained after lipolysis and liposuction of subcutaneous fat of the inguinal region of female vulvar cancer patients to explore the feasibility of clinical application. Methods: The field of operation was on the basis of the range of the conventional resection of inguinal lymph nodes. We injected lipolysis liquid fanwise, started liposuction after 15-20 minutes; then the subcutaneous fatty tissue was sucked out clearly by suction tube. We selected the first puncture holes located on 2-3 cm part below anterior superior spine, the others respectively being located 3cm and 6cm below the first for puncturing into the skin, imbedding a trocar to intorduce $CO_2$ gas and the specular body, and excise the lymph nodes by ultrasonic scalpel. The surgical field chamber was set with negative pressure drainage and was pressured with a soft saline bag after surgery. Results: A lacuna emerged from subcutaneous of the inguinal region after lipolysis and liposuction, with a wide fascia easily exposed at the bottom where lymph nodes could be readily excised. The number of lymph nodes of ten patients excised within the inguinal region on each side was 4-18. The excised average number of lymph nodes was 11 when we had mature technology. Conclusion: Most of adipose tissue was removed after lipolysis and liposuction of subcutaneous tissue of inguinal region, so that the included lymph nodes were exposed and easy to excise by endoscope. This surgery avoided the large incision of regular surgery of inguinal region, the results indicating that this approach is feasible and safe for used as an alternative technology.

Resveratrol suppresses the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in PC-3 cells by down-regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Zhi Wang,Longxiang Wu,Shiyu Tong,Xiheng Hu,Xiongbing Zu,Yuan Li,Wei He,Longfei Liu,Minfeng Chen,Lin Qi 한국통합생물학회 2016 Animal cells and systems Vol.20 No.2

Resveratrol possesses a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties and has been an ideal alternative drug for the treatment of different cancers, including prostate cancer. However, the mechanisms by which resveratrol inhibits the growth of prostate cancer are still not fully elucidated. To understand the effect of resveratrol on the apoptosis and the epithelial-tomesenchymal transition (EMT) of prostate cancer as well as its related mechanism, we investigated the potential use of resveratrol in PC-3 prostate cancer cells in vitro using real-time PCR, fluorescence-activated cell sorting, Western blotting, etc. Resveratrol suppresses the PC-3 prostate cancer cell growth and induces apoptosis. Resveratrol also influences the expression of EMT-related proteins (increased E-cadherin and decreased Vimentin expression). Finally, resveratrol also suppressed Akt phosphorylation in PC-3 cells. This study indicates that resveratrol may be a potential anti-cancer treatment for prostate cancer; moreover, it provides new evidence that resveratrol suppresses prostate cancer growth and metastasis.

Expression profiles of microRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep by deep sequencing

Zhi-Jin Liu,Cun-Yuan Li,Xiao-Yue Li,Yang Yao,Wei Ni,Xiang-Yu Zhang,Yang Cao,Wureli Hazi,Dawei Wang,Renzhe Quan,Shuting Yu,Yuyu Wu,Songmin Niu,Yulong Cui,Yaseen Khan,Shengwei Hu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2019 Animal Bioscience Vol.32 No.6

Objective: MicroRNAs are a class of endogenous small regulatory RNAs that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Recent studies on miRNAs are mainly focused on mice, human and pig. However, the studies on miRNAs in skeletal muscle of sheep are not comprehensive. Methods: RNA-seq technology was used to perform genomic analysis of miRNAs in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. Targeted genes were predicted using miRanda software and miRNA-mRNA interactions were verified by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. To further investigate the function of miRNAs, candidate targeted genes were enriched for analysis using gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Results: The results showed total of 1,086 known miRNAs and 40 new candidate miRNAs were detected in prenatal and postnatal skeletal muscle of sheep. In addition, 345 miRNAs (151 up-regulated, 94 down-regulated) were differentially expressed. Moreover, miRanda software was performed to predict targeted genes of miRNAs, resulting in a total of 2,833 predicted targets, especially miR-381 which targeted multiple muscle-related mRNAs. Furthermore, GO and KEGG pathway analysis confirmed that targeted genes of miRNAs were involved in development of skeletal muscles. Conclusion: This study supplements the miRNA database of sheep, which provides valuable information for further study of the biological function of miRNAs in sheep skeletal muscle.

Cloning and Characterization of Functional Trehalose-6-Phosphate Synthase Gene in Maize

Wei Jiang,Feng-Ling Fu,Su-Zhi Zhang,Ling Wu,Wan-Chen Li 한국식물학회 2010 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.53 No.2

Trehalose is a non-reducing disaccharide of glucose that functions as a compatible solute in the stabilization of biological structures under heat and desiccation stress in bacteria, fungi, and some “resurrection plants”. In the plant kingdom, trehalose is biosynthesized by trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (TPP). Over-expression of exogenous and endogenous genes encoding TPS and TPP is reported to be effective for improving abiotic stress tolerance in tobacco, potato, tomato, rice, and Arabidopsis. On the basis of bioinformatics prediction, we cloned a fragment containing an open reading frame of 2,820 bp from maize,which encodes a protein of 939 amino acids. Phylogenetic analysis showed that this gene belongs to the class I subfamily of the TPS gene family. Analysis of conserved domains revealed the presence of a TPS domain and a TPP domain. Yeast complementation with TPS and TPP mutants demonstrated that this protein has the activity of trehalose-6-phosphate synthase. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and realtime quantitative PCR indicated that the expression of this gene is upregulated in response to both salt and cold stress.

Morphology and transcriptome differences between the haploid and diploid drones of Apis cerana

Wei-Yu Yan,Hai-Yan Gan,Shu-Yun Li,Jing-Hua Hu,ZilongWang,Xiaobo Wu,Zhi Jiang Zeng 한국응용곤충학회 2016 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.19 No.4

In general, drone honey bees are haploid and develop from unfertilized eggs. However, a diploid drone can arise in an inbred colony. In this study, the morphological characteristics and gene expression profile of the haploid and diploid drones of Apis cerana were analyzed to reveal the differences between them. The ploidy level of the droneswas identified by FlowCytometry (FCM). The characters of the forewings,wetweight of reproductive organs and of newly emerged drones, were investigated. Then, a high throughput transcriptomic analysis was performed using RNA-seq in diploid and haploid drones. The results showed that the wet weight and reproductive organs of diploid droneswere significantly lighter than those of haploid drones. About 201 million high-quality reads were generated from RNA-seq, and 75.99–78.12% of the data weremapped to Apis cerana genome. 360 genes were differentially expressed between diploid and haploid drone, with 152 up-regulated and 208 downregulated in the diploid drones. Functional analysis identified that these genes were significantly enriched in 28 pathways. Comparative transcriptomic analysis detected several differentially expressed genes, which lay a foundation for future studies on molecular mechanisms underlying biology difference in drones in Apis cerana.

Diversity of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with a Sb Accumulator Plant, Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), in an Active Sb Mining

( Yuan Wei ),( Zhi Peng Chen ),( Feng Chang Wu ),( Ji Ning Li ),( Yu Xian Shangguan ),( Fa Sheng Li ),( Qing Ru Zeng ),( Hong Hou ) 한국미생물 · 생명공학회 2015 Journal of microbiology and biotechnology Vol.25 No.8

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) have great potential for assisting heavy metal hyperaccumulators in the remediation of contaminated soils. However, little information is available about the symbiosis of AMF associated with an antimony (Sb) accumulator plant under natural conditions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the colonization and molecular diversity of AMF associated with the Sb accumulator ramie (Boehmeria nivea) growing in Sb-contaminated soils. Four Sb mine spoils and one adjacent reference area were selected from Xikuangshan in southern China. PCR-DGGE was used to analyze the AMF community composition in ramie roots. Morphological identification was also used to analyze the species in the rhizosphere soil of ramie. Results obtained showed that mycorrhizal symbiosis was established successfully even in the most heavily polluted sites. From the unpolluted site Ref to the highest polluted site T4, the spore numbers and AMF diversity increased at first and then decreased. Colonization increased consistently with the increasing Sb concentrations in the soil. A total of 14 species were identified by morphological analysis. From the total number of species, 4 (29%) belonged to Glomus, 2 (14%) belonged to Acaulospora, 2 (14%) belonged to Funneliformis, 1 (7%) belonged to Claroideoglomus, 1 (7%) belonged to Gigaspora, 1 (7%) belonged to Paraglomus, 1 (7%) belonging to Rhizophagus, 1 (7%) belonging to Sclervocystis, and 1 (7%) belonged to Scutellospora. Some AMF sequences were present even in the most polluted site. Morphological identification and phylogenetic analysis both revealed that most species were affiliated with Glomus, suggesting that Glomus was the dominant genus in this AMF community. This study demonstrated that ramie associated with AMF may have great potential for remediation of Sb-contaminated soils.

Mathematical modeling of torque for single screw expanders

Yuting Wu,Ruiping Zhi,Wei Wang,Lili Shen,Yeqiang Zhang,Biao Lei,Jingfu Wang,Chongfang Ma 대한기계학회 2017 JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol.31 No.1

This paper presents a mathematical model of torque for Single screw expanders (SSEs). Instantaneous torque and torque ratio were analyzed and discussed. The periodic variation of instantaneous torque is the same for different inlet pressure levels. The torque ratio, with its value close to 1, is independent of the inlet pressure of SSE. An experimental system was established to measure the torque, power and shaft efficiency of the self-developed SSE prototype, and results were used to validate the model. Comparison shows that the difference between calculated and experimental torque values is small (6.58 N.m to 7.55 N.m). The calculated and experimental output power is similar, with a difference of 2.07 kW to 2.37 kW. Therefore, the proposed model can be used to estimate the torque and output power of SSEs.