Medicine
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Phosphatase and tension homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) was considered as a promising target in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) because of its negative effects on insulin resistance. Alteration in DNA methylation is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of T2DM. The aim of the present study was to quantitatively evaluate the promoter methylation of PTEN in Uyghur patients with mild T2DM. ⋯ Furthermore, there was a negative association between promoter methylation and PTEN expression. Together, these findings suggest that epigenetic inactivation of PTEN plays an important role in Uyghur patients with mild T2DM. The aberrant methylation of CpG sites within the PTEN promoter may serve as a potential candidate biomarker for T2DM in the Uyghur population.
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Two clinical cases are reported of envenomation by the nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes ammodytes) venom of a 9-year-old boy and of an 84-year-old woman. ⋯ Our finding constitutes an important message to clinicians to consider the possibility of such complications in the case of nose-horned viper envenomation.
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The aim of this case-control study was to clarify the relationship between uracil N-glycosylase (UNG) rs3219218 and rs246079 genotypes and risk of cervical squamous cell cancer (CSCC). Modified polymerase chain reaction-mismatch amplification (MA-PCR) was applied for genotyping UNG rs3219218 (A/G) and UNG rs246079 (A/G) polymorphisms in 400 CSCC, 400 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) III, and 1200 normal controls. We observed no association between the UNG rs3219218 (A/G) polymorphism and risk of CIN III or CSCC. ⋯ G allele or G carrier (GG + AG) genotype was identified as a high-risk factor in CSCC (OR = 1.67) while in the CIN III group, no major differences were evident relative to the control group (OR = 1.45). A particularly high level of enrichment grouping was evident according to the number of sexual partners in the CIN III (P = .036) and CSCC (P = .001) groups. Our data clearly suggest an association between UNG rs246079 (A/G) and CSCC carcinogenesis, supporting the potential application of this polymorphism as a genetic biomarker for early prediction of cervical carcinoma.
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Numerous studies have shown a relationship between cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) polymorphism in the synthesis of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and the coronary artery disease (CAD) susceptibility, but the results have remained inconsistent. In addition, there was no study exploring the relationship between CETP polymorphisms and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) levels. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate the relationship between CETP rs708272 polymorphism and CAD risk and lipid levels in Chinese Han population. 556 CAD patients and 414 controls undergoing coronary angiography were consecutively enrolled in the hospital-based study. ⋯ In addition, males with CT+TT genotypes had higher HDL-C levels and lower AIP levels than those with CC genotypes (HDL-C: CT+TT 1.11 ± 0.31vs CC 1.06 ± 0.30 mmol/L, P = .041; AIP: CT+TT 0.12 ± 0.32vs CC 0.16 ± 0.31, P = .034, respectively). However, there were no significant associations between lipid levels and CETP rs708272 polymorphism in females, after adjusting for confounders. CETP rs708272 polymorphism has a gender-specific effect on lipid and AIP levels but not on the risk of CAD.
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Case Reports
A huge gastric bezoar treated by traditional Chinese medicine purgative: A case report.
Currently, the mainstream treatment for gastric bezoars is endoscopic lithotripsy. This report describes traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) purgative cured a 62-year-old woman with a huge gastric bezoar accompanied by isolated esophageal venous aneurysms and multiple bleeding gastric ulcers. ⋯ TCM combined with conventional western medicine to treat huge gastric bezoars and its complications is effective and safe, and worth to be recommended as an alternative to endoscopic lithotripsy.