Xiang-Yu Meng

Matrix metalloproteinase gene polymorphisms and periodontitis susceptibility: a meta-analysis involving 6,162 individuals

We aimed to systematically investigate the potential association of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, -3, -2, and -8 gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to periodontitis using meta-analysis. A literature search in PubMed, Embase, and Web of Sciencewas conducted to obtain relevant publications. Finally a total of 16 articles with 24 case-control studies (nine on MMP-9-1562 C/T, seven on MMP-3-1171 A5/A6, four on MMP-2-753C/T, and four on MMP-8-799 C/T) were considered in this meta-analysis. The results based on 2,724 periodontitis patients and 3,438 controls showed that MMP-9-1562C/T, MMP-3-1171 A5/A6, and MMP-8-799C/T polymorphisms were associated with periodontitis susceptibility. No significant association was found between MMP-2-753 C/T and periodontitis susceptibility. Subgroup analyses suggested that the MMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphism reduced chronic periodontitis susceptibility and MMP-3-1171 A5/A6polymorphism increased chronic periodontitis susceptibility. In summary, current evidence demonstrated that MMP-9-753 C/Tpolymorphism reduced the risk of periodontitis, MMP-3-1171 5A/6A and MMP-8-799 C/Tpolymorphisms increased the risk of periodontitis, and MMP-2-753 C/T was not associated with risk of periodontitis.

Androgen receptor gene polymorphisms and risk of prostate cancer: a meta-analysis.

Although the association between CAG and GGN repeats in the androgen receptor gene and prostate cancer risk has been widely studied, it remains controversial from previous meta-analyses and narrative reviews. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to provide more precise estimates with sufficient power. A total of 51 publications with 61 studies for CAG repeats and 14 publications with 16 studies for GGN repeats were identified in the meta-analysis. The results showed that short CAG repeats (<22 repeats) carriers presented an elevated risk of prostate cancer than long CAG repeats (≥22) carriers (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.47). Prostate cancer cases presented an average fewer CAG repeats (MD = −0.85, 95% CI −1.28 to −0.42) than controls. Short GGN repeats (≤16) carriers presented an increased risk of prostate cancer than long GGN repeats (>16) carriers (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.82). In subgroup analyses, the abovementioned significant association was predominantly observed in Caucasian populations. The meta-analysis showed that short CAG and GGN repeats in androgen receptor gene were associated with increased risk of prostate cancer, especially in Caucasians.

Identification of Biomarkers Correlated with the TNM Staging and Overall Survival of Patients with Bladder Cancer

Objective: To identify candidate biomarkers correlated with clinical prognosis of patients with bladder cancer (BC). Methods: Weighted gene co-expression network analysis was applied to build a co-expression network to identify hub genes correlated with tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging of BC patients. Functional enrichment analysis was conducted to functionally annotate the hub genes. Protein-protein interaction network analysis of hub genes was performed to identify the interactions among the hub genes. Survival analyses were conducted to characterize the role of hub genes on the survival of BC patients. Gene set enrichment analyses were conducted to find the potential mechanisms involved in the tumor proliferation promoted by hub genes. Results: Based on the results of topological overlap measure based clustering and the inclusion criteria, top 50 hub genes were identified. Hub genes were enriched in cell proliferation associated gene ontology terms (mitotic sister chromatid segregation, mitotic cell cycle and, cell cycle, etc.) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways (cell cycle, Oocyte meiosis, etc.). 17 hub genes were found to interact with ≥5 of the hub genes. Survival analysis of hub genes suggested that lower expression of MMP11, COL5A2, CDC25B, TOP2A, CENPF, CDCA3, TK1, TPX2, CDCA8, AEBP1, and FOXM1were associated with better overall survival of BC patients. BC samples with higher expression of hub genes were enriched in gene sets associated with P53 pathway, apical junction, mitotic spindle, G2M checkpoint, and myogenesis, etc. Conclusions: We identified several candidate biomarkers correlated with the TNM staging and overall survival of BC patients. Accordingly, they might be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets with clinical utility.

Concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy versus exclusive radiotherapy in high-risk cervical cancer: a meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (DDP-CCRT) in patients with high-risk cervical carcinoma (CC) compared with exclusive radiotherapy (RT). Materials and methods Databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies comparing DDP-CCRT with RT alone. Risk of bias assessment for RCTs was performed using the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool, and the Newcastle–Ottawa quality scale was used to perform quality assessment for cohort studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5 and Stata 12.0 software. Results Finally, eight RCTs and three cohort studies containing 2,130 subjects were included. Analysis on total failures revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of DDP-CCRT (risk ratio =0.77, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.67–0.89). No significant heterogeneity was detected for pooled analysis concerning overall survival; the result of which demonstrated the superiority of DDP-CCRT over RT alone (hazard ratio =0.68, 95% CI: 0.57–0.80), and stable and established accumulative effects were observed in cumulative meta-analysis. Similar results were observed for progression-free survival (hazard ratio =0.63, 95% CI: 0.50–0.76). In terms of treatment-related Grade 3 and 4 adverse events, our pooled analysis with a fixed-effects model showed significantly enhanced toxicity in the DDP-CCRT group compared with that in the RT group (odds ratio =3.13, 95% CI: 2.37–4.13). Conclusion Solid and stable beneficial effects are associated with DDP-CCRT, and its superiority over comparative RT in patients with high-risk CC is confirmed. DDP-CCRT should be considered one of the frontline treatment options for high-risk CC patients without contraindications. However, enhanced toxicity associated with DDP-CCRT should never be ignored.

Plasmakinetic resection technology for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to compare plasmakinetic resection of the prostate (PKRP) with transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in terms of efficacy and safety. Published RCTs were searched from PubMed, Embase, Science Citation Index, and Cochrane Library up to April 10, 2014. After methodological quality assessment and data extraction, meta-analysis was performed using the STATA 12.0 software. 18 reports of 16 RCTs were included in this analysis. Meta-analyses showed that PKRP significantly improved Qmax at 12 months, but no significant difference was found for other efficacy outcomes. In terms of safety, treatment of PKRP was associated with reduced drop in serum sodium, lower TUR syndrome, reduced need of blood transfusion, clot retention, and shorter catheterization time and hospital stay; in contrast, there were no significant differences in the analysis of operative time, postoperative fever, and long-term postoperative complications. In summary, current evidence suggests that, although PKRP and TURP are both effective for BPH, PKRP is associated with additional potential benefits in efficacy and more favorable safety profile. It may be possible that PKRP may replace the TURP in the future and become a new standard surgical procedure.

Intrafascial versus interfascial nerve sparing in radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The present study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the intrafascial and interfascial nerve sparing (ITR-NS and ITE-NS) radical prostatectomy. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for eligible studies. Meta-analysis with random-effects model was performed. Six comparative trials were selected and embraced in this research, including one randomized controlled trial, three prospective comparative trials, and two retrospective comparative trials. With regard to perioperative parameters, no significant association of operative time, blood loss, transfusion rates, duration of catheterization, and hospital stay existed between ITR-NS and ITE-NS. With respect to the functional results, ITR-NS had advantages in terms of both continence and potency recovery compared with ITE-NS. In reference to the oncologic results, the ITR-NS showed lower overall positive surgical margin (PSM) compared with ITE-NS but pT2 PSM and biochemical recurrence free rates were similar to the two surgical types. This study demonstrates that ITR-NS has better continence at 6 mo and 36 mo and better potency recovery at 6 mo and 12 mo postoperatively, regardless of the surgical technique. The cancer control of ITR-NS was also better than that of ITE-NS. This may be explained by the fact that patients in ITE-NS group present higher risk cancer than patients in ITR-NS group.