Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern. Accumulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs) in CRC is associated with poor prognosis and disease recurrence. CAFs are the main cellular component ofthe...Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern. Accumulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs) in CRC is associated with poor prognosis and disease recurrence. CAFs are the main cellular component ofthe tumor microenvironment. CAF-tumor cell interplay, which is facilitated by various secretomes, drives colorectalcarcinogenesis. The complexity of CAF populations contributes to the heterogeneity of CRC and influences patientsurvival and treatment response. Due to their significant roles in colorectal carcinogenesis, different clinicalapplications utilizing or targeting CAFs have been suggested. Circulating CAFs (cCAFs) which can be detected inblood samples, have been proposed to help in determining patient prognosis and enables the detection of cancerthrough liquid biopsy. Liquid biopsy is gaining traction as it is non-invasive, allows frequent and easy sampling, andshows concordance to tissue biopsy analysis. In addition, CAF-targeted therapy is currently being studied extensivelyto be used as one of the treatment avenues for CRC. Various mechanisms of CAF-targeted therapy have beenreported, including blocking the signaling pathways involving CAFs and cancer cells, thus abolishing the CAF-tumorcell crosstalk and subsequently hindering tumorigenesis. These translational applications of cCAFs and utilization ofCAFs as key targets for CRC therapy, although still in the early phases of development, will potentially improve CRCpatient management in the future.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the allele and genotype frequencies and associated risk of interleukin (IL)-8-251T>A polymorphism on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility risk. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 255 normal ...AIM: To investigate the allele and genotype frequencies and associated risk of interleukin (IL)-8-251T>A polymorphism on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility risk. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 255 normal controls and 255 clinically and histopathologically confirmed CRC patients were genotyped for IL-8-251T>A polymorphism employing allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The relative association of variant allele and genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk was determined by calculating the odds ratios (ORs). Corresponding χ 2 tests on the CRC patients and controls were carried out and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined using Fisher's exact test. The allele frequencies and its risk association were calculated using FAMHAP, haplotype association analysis software. RESULTS: On comparing the frequencies of genotypesof patients and controls, the homozygous variant AA was significantly higher in CRC patients (P = 0.002) compared to controls. Investigation on the association of the polymorphic genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk, showed that the homozygous variant IL-8 -251AA had a significantly increased risk with OR 3.600 (95% CI: 1.550-8.481, P = 0.001). In the case of allele frequencies, variant allele A of IL-8 -251 showed a significantly increased risk of CRC predisposition with OR 1.32 (95% CI: 1.03-1.69,P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Variant allele and genotype of IL-8 (-251 T>A) was significantly associated with CRC susceptibility risk and could be considered as a high-risk variant for CRC predisposition.展开更多
AIM:To determine the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and to justify the need for hepatitis A vaccination.METHODS:Patients (n=119) were enrolled be...AIM:To determine the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and to justify the need for hepatitis A vaccination.METHODS:Patients (n=119) were enrolled between July and September 2009.The diagnosis of CLD was based on the presence of viral markers for more than 6 mo.The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based on clinical,biochemical and radiological profiles.Patient serum was tested for anti-HAV IgG.RESULTS:The overall anti-HAV seroprevalence was 88.2%.The aetiology of CLD was hepatitis B in 96 patients (80.7%) and hepatitis C in 23 patients (19.3%).Mean age was 44.4 ± 14 years.Patients were grouped according to age as follows:24 (20.2%) patients in the 21-30 years age group,22 (18.5%) in the 31-40 years age group,31 (26.1%) in the 41-50 years age group,23(19.3%) in the 51-60 years age group and 19 (16.0%) patients aged greater than 60 years,with reported seroprevalences of 66.7%,95.5%,93.5%,91.3% and 94.7%,respectively.There was a marked increase of seroprevalence in subjects older than 30 years (P=0.001).CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrated that patients aged greater than 30 years of age were likely to have natural immunity to hepatitis A.Therefore,hepatitis A vaccination may not be routinely required in this age group.展开更多
Acetic acid bacteria capable of growing at 30°C - 37°C were collected from various decomposed fruits available in Bangladeshi local markets in order to assess their suitability for vinegar production. ...Acetic acid bacteria capable of growing at 30°C - 37°C were collected from various decomposed fruits available in Bangladeshi local markets in order to assess their suitability for vinegar production. Initially, 42 microorganisms were isolated from decomposed fruits like grapes, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, safeda etc. during summer when temperature reaches up to 37°C. Then their growths were checked in YPG medium containing various ethanol concentrations at different time point at 37°C. From the preliminary screening, 15 Gram negative bacterial isolates have produced halos or yellow zone around the colonies on YPG agar plate at 37°C which indicated acetic acid production capability by those bacteria. Furthermore, acetic acid production rates were determined by titration method and about 3 - 6.9 gm/100ml acetic acid were estimated by using 4% ethanol at 37°C by shaking culture for 3 days. Several biochemical analysis revealed that our collection contained huge amount of acetic acid producing bacteria and some of them could be potential candidates for vinegar production.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the risk association of xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC ) Lys939Gln polymorphism alone and in combination with cigarette smoking on colorectal cancer (CRC) predisposition. METHODS: Peripheral bl...AIM: To investigate the risk association of xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC ) Lys939Gln polymorphism alone and in combination with cigarette smoking on colorectal cancer (CRC) predisposition. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 510 study subjects (255 CRC patients, 255 controls)were collected. DNA was extracted and genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The association between polymorphic genotype and CRC predisposition was determined using the OR and 95%CI. RESULTS: The frequency of the homozygous variant (Gln/Gln) genotype was significantly higher in cases compared with controls (16.0% vs 10.2%, P = 0.049). The Gln/Gln genotype of XPC showed a significantly higher association with the risk of CRC (OR = 1.884; 95%CI: 1.082-3.277; P = 0.025). In the case of allele frequencies, variant allele C was associated with a significantly increased risk of CRC (OR = 1.375; 95%CI: 1.050-1.802; P = 0.020). Moreover, the risk was markedly higher for those who were carriers of the Gln/Gln variant genotype and were also cigarette smokers (OR = 3.409; 95%CI: 1.061-10.949; P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The XPC Gln/Gln genotype alone and in combination with smoking increases the risk of CRC among Malaysians.展开更多
Hereditary spastic paraplegia （HSP） （MIM#182600） is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, with 35 underlying loci recognized by the HGNC （HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee; http：//www.gene.ucl.ac....Hereditary spastic paraplegia （HSP） （MIM#182600） is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, with 35 underlying loci recognized by the HGNC （HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee; http：//www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/） and 10 identified genes （ http ： //www. gene. ucl. ac. uk/cgi-bin/nomenc lature/ searchgenes.pl plus NIPA1, last search July 2006）. The mode of inheritance may be autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked. Among these, autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia （AD-HSP） is the most common type, accounting for 70%-80% of all families. The disease is characterized by lower limb spasticity, hyperreflexia, progressive spastic gait and an extensor plantar response. Pes cavus is one of the commonly reported foot phenotypes.展开更多
Genetic variations and their functional implications have been one of the focuses in recent genome research. With the release of the HapMap by the International Consortium, and the availability of the ultra-high-volum...Genetic variations and their functional implications have been one of the focuses in recent genome research. With the release of the HapMap by the International Consortium, and the availability of the ultra-high-volume genotyping platform, it will soon be possible to use genome-wide association ap- proach to identify genetic variations responsible for complex traits/diseases. While the power of this ap- proach is generally agreed, it is a debated issue as to how much population difference should be exploited, and how best it should be applied. To address this issue we have sequenced 7 genes in the centromeric region of chromosome 15, investigated their SNPs, SNP frequencies, tagSNPs, LD structures, and hap- lotypes in 50 Tibetan subjects, and compared them with those from the Han population. Genetic diversi- ties between the two populations were also quantified. Our results show that the overall genetic variation between the two populations is very little, but there are differences, primarily in allele frequencies, which is a dominating factor for haplotypes and tagSNPs. In general Tibetans have longer LD and less diversity inthe region studied. These data provide genetic evi- dence for the close relationship between the two populations, and support the idea that all populations are fundamentally the same, but also indicate popu- lation variations, particularly in allele frequency, should be taken into account in complex traits/ dis- eases analysis. Data obtained in this investigation not only help us understand the genome region, but also provide road maps for variation study in the genes/ region in Tibetan population.展开更多
Hereditary hearing loss is one of the most common neurosensory defects in humans. Approximately 70% of cases are nonsyndromic and could be inherited in autosomal domi- nant, autosomal recessive, mitochondrial, X-linke...Hereditary hearing loss is one of the most common neurosensory defects in humans. Approximately 70% of cases are nonsyndromic and could be inherited in autosomal domi- nant, autosomal recessive, mitochondrial, X-linked, and Y-linked manners （Wang et al., 2004; Alford, 2011）. The autosomal dominant type, comprising 15%-20% of non- syndromic hearing loss, is monogenic and genetically heterogeneous. Since the first dominant deafness locus （DFNA 1） was identified in 1992, a total of 64 DFNA loci have been mapped （DFNA1-DFNA64）,展开更多
基金supported by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia for Fundamental Research Grant Scheme with Project Code:FRGS/1/2020/SKK0/USM/03/10 and USM.
文摘Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major global health concern. Accumulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs) in CRC is associated with poor prognosis and disease recurrence. CAFs are the main cellular component ofthe tumor microenvironment. CAF-tumor cell interplay, which is facilitated by various secretomes, drives colorectalcarcinogenesis. The complexity of CAF populations contributes to the heterogeneity of CRC and influences patientsurvival and treatment response. Due to their significant roles in colorectal carcinogenesis, different clinicalapplications utilizing or targeting CAFs have been suggested. Circulating CAFs (cCAFs) which can be detected inblood samples, have been proposed to help in determining patient prognosis and enables the detection of cancerthrough liquid biopsy. Liquid biopsy is gaining traction as it is non-invasive, allows frequent and easy sampling, andshows concordance to tissue biopsy analysis. In addition, CAF-targeted therapy is currently being studied extensivelyto be used as one of the treatment avenues for CRC. Various mechanisms of CAF-targeted therapy have beenreported, including blocking the signaling pathways involving CAFs and cancer cells, thus abolishing the CAF-tumorcell crosstalk and subsequently hindering tumorigenesis. These translational applications of cCAFs and utilization ofCAFs as key targets for CRC therapy, although still in the early phases of development, will potentially improve CRCpatient management in the future.
基金Supported by USM Research University Grant, No. 1001/PPSP/812032
文摘AIM: To investigate the allele and genotype frequencies and associated risk of interleukin (IL)-8-251T>A polymorphism on colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility risk. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 255 normal controls and 255 clinically and histopathologically confirmed CRC patients were genotyped for IL-8-251T>A polymorphism employing allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. The relative association of variant allele and genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk was determined by calculating the odds ratios (ORs). Corresponding χ 2 tests on the CRC patients and controls were carried out and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were determined using Fisher's exact test. The allele frequencies and its risk association were calculated using FAMHAP, haplotype association analysis software. RESULTS: On comparing the frequencies of genotypesof patients and controls, the homozygous variant AA was significantly higher in CRC patients (P = 0.002) compared to controls. Investigation on the association of the polymorphic genotypes with CRC susceptibility risk, showed that the homozygous variant IL-8 -251AA had a significantly increased risk with OR 3.600 (95% CI: 1.550-8.481, P = 0.001). In the case of allele frequencies, variant allele A of IL-8 -251 showed a significantly increased risk of CRC predisposition with OR 1.32 (95% CI: 1.03-1.69,P = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Variant allele and genotype of IL-8 (-251 T>A) was significantly associated with CRC susceptibility risk and could be considered as a high-risk variant for CRC predisposition.
基金Supported by Short term grant No. 304/PPSP/61310014 from the Universiti Sains Malaysia
文摘AIM:To determine the seroprevalence of anti-hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibodies in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) and to justify the need for hepatitis A vaccination.METHODS:Patients (n=119) were enrolled between July and September 2009.The diagnosis of CLD was based on the presence of viral markers for more than 6 mo.The diagnosis of liver cirrhosis was based on clinical,biochemical and radiological profiles.Patient serum was tested for anti-HAV IgG.RESULTS:The overall anti-HAV seroprevalence was 88.2%.The aetiology of CLD was hepatitis B in 96 patients (80.7%) and hepatitis C in 23 patients (19.3%).Mean age was 44.4 ± 14 years.Patients were grouped according to age as follows:24 (20.2%) patients in the 21-30 years age group,22 (18.5%) in the 31-40 years age group,31 (26.1%) in the 41-50 years age group,23(19.3%) in the 51-60 years age group and 19 (16.0%) patients aged greater than 60 years,with reported seroprevalences of 66.7%,95.5%,93.5%,91.3% and 94.7%,respectively.There was a marked increase of seroprevalence in subjects older than 30 years (P=0.001).CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrated that patients aged greater than 30 years of age were likely to have natural immunity to hepatitis A.Therefore,hepatitis A vaccination may not be routinely required in this age group.
文摘Acetic acid bacteria capable of growing at 30°C - 37°C were collected from various decomposed fruits available in Bangladeshi local markets in order to assess their suitability for vinegar production. Initially, 42 microorganisms were isolated from decomposed fruits like grapes, mangoes, pineapples, oranges, safeda etc. during summer when temperature reaches up to 37°C. Then their growths were checked in YPG medium containing various ethanol concentrations at different time point at 37°C. From the preliminary screening, 15 Gram negative bacterial isolates have produced halos or yellow zone around the colonies on YPG agar plate at 37°C which indicated acetic acid production capability by those bacteria. Furthermore, acetic acid production rates were determined by titration method and about 3 - 6.9 gm/100ml acetic acid were estimated by using 4% ethanol at 37°C by shaking culture for 3 days. Several biochemical analysis revealed that our collection contained huge amount of acetic acid producing bacteria and some of them could be potential candidates for vinegar production.
基金Supported by Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS),No.203/PPSP/6171112
文摘AIM: To investigate the risk association of xeroderma pigmentosum group C (XPC ) Lys939Gln polymorphism alone and in combination with cigarette smoking on colorectal cancer (CRC) predisposition. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 510 study subjects (255 CRC patients, 255 controls)were collected. DNA was extracted and genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The association between polymorphic genotype and CRC predisposition was determined using the OR and 95%CI. RESULTS: The frequency of the homozygous variant (Gln/Gln) genotype was significantly higher in cases compared with controls (16.0% vs 10.2%, P = 0.049). The Gln/Gln genotype of XPC showed a significantly higher association with the risk of CRC (OR = 1.884; 95%CI: 1.082-3.277; P = 0.025). In the case of allele frequencies, variant allele C was associated with a significantly increased risk of CRC (OR = 1.375; 95%CI: 1.050-1.802; P = 0.020). Moreover, the risk was markedly higher for those who were carriers of the Gln/Gln variant genotype and were also cigarette smokers (OR = 3.409; 95%CI: 1.061-10.949; P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: The XPC Gln/Gln genotype alone and in combination with smoking increases the risk of CRC among Malaysians.
基金This study was supported by the grants from the Chinese 863 HiTech Project (No.2001AA221102)the Guangdong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No.031673)the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau (No. 200223-C7191and No.2004Z3-C7501)
文摘Hereditary spastic paraplegia （HSP） （MIM#182600） is a group of heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, with 35 underlying loci recognized by the HGNC （HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee; http：//www.gene.ucl.ac.uk/nomenclature/） and 10 identified genes （ http ： //www. gene. ucl. ac. uk/cgi-bin/nomenc lature/ searchgenes.pl plus NIPA1, last search July 2006）. The mode of inheritance may be autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or X-linked. Among these, autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia （AD-HSP） is the most common type, accounting for 70%-80% of all families. The disease is characterized by lower limb spasticity, hyperreflexia, progressive spastic gait and an extensor plantar response. Pes cavus is one of the commonly reported foot phenotypes.
基金supported by the 863 Project(Grant No.2001AA221102)the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province(Grant No.031673)+1 种基金the Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Foundation(Grant Nos.2002Z3-C7191&2004Z3-C7501)the China Medical Board of New York(Grant No.01-759).
文摘Genetic variations and their functional implications have been one of the focuses in recent genome research. With the release of the HapMap by the International Consortium, and the availability of the ultra-high-volume genotyping platform, it will soon be possible to use genome-wide association ap- proach to identify genetic variations responsible for complex traits/diseases. While the power of this ap- proach is generally agreed, it is a debated issue as to how much population difference should be exploited, and how best it should be applied. To address this issue we have sequenced 7 genes in the centromeric region of chromosome 15, investigated their SNPs, SNP frequencies, tagSNPs, LD structures, and hap- lotypes in 50 Tibetan subjects, and compared them with those from the Han population. Genetic diversi- ties between the two populations were also quantified. Our results show that the overall genetic variation between the two populations is very little, but there are differences, primarily in allele frequencies, which is a dominating factor for haplotypes and tagSNPs. In general Tibetans have longer LD and less diversity inthe region studied. These data provide genetic evi- dence for the close relationship between the two populations, and support the idea that all populations are fundamentally the same, but also indicate popu- lation variations, particularly in allele frequency, should be taken into account in complex traits/ dis- eases analysis. Data obtained in this investigation not only help us understand the genome region, but also provide road maps for variation study in the genes/ region in Tibetan population.
基金supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China,key project(No.30830104) and major project(No.81120108009)
文摘Hereditary hearing loss is one of the most common neurosensory defects in humans. Approximately 70% of cases are nonsyndromic and could be inherited in autosomal domi- nant, autosomal recessive, mitochondrial, X-linked, and Y-linked manners （Wang et al., 2004; Alford, 2011）. The autosomal dominant type, comprising 15%-20% of non- syndromic hearing loss, is monogenic and genetically heterogeneous. Since the first dominant deafness locus （DFNA 1） was identified in 1992, a total of 64 DFNA loci have been mapped （DFNA1-DFNA64）,
