Confirmation of LRRK2 S1647T variant as a risk factor for Parkinson's disease in southern China

BACKGROUND

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) S1647T has been identified as a risk variant for Parkinson's disease (PD) in Han Chinese.

METHODS

To replicate the association of LRRK2 S1647T with risk of PD, we conducted a case-control study of this variant involving 406 PD subjects and 412 controls from southern mainland China.

RESULTS

The results showed that the frequency of A allele was higher in patients with PD (OR=1.238, 95% CI: 1.015-1.510, P=0.035) compared to controls. In a multivariate logistic regression analysis with the disease group (patients with PD vs. controls) as the dependent variable and genotype as an independent factor adjusting for the effect of age and gender, the homozygous S1647T genotype (AA) was associated with an increased risk of PD (OR=1.815, 95% CI:1.270-2.594, P=0.001). The pooled analysis of present data and the data from the previous work demonstrated that the frequency of A allele was higher in patients with PD (OR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.09-1.32, P<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

LRRK2 S1647T increases the risk of Parkinson's disease in southern China.

FZD7 has a critical role in cell proliferation in triple negative breast cancer

Breast cancer is genetically and clinically heterogeneous. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer that is usually associated with poor outcome and lack of benefit from targeted therapy. We used microarray analysis to perform a pathway analysis of TNBC compared with non-triple negative breast cancer (non-TNBC). Overexpression of several Wnt pathway genes, such as frizzled homolog 7 (FZD7), low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 and transcription factor 7 (TCF7) was observed in TNBC, and we directed our focus to the Wnt pathway receptor, FZD7. To validate the function of FZD7, FZD7shRNA was used to knock down FZD7 expression. Notably, reduced cell proliferation and suppressed invasiveness and colony formation were observed in TNBC MDA-MB-231 and BT-20 cells. Study of the possible mechanism indicated that these effects occurred through silencing of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, as evidenced by loss of nuclear accumulation of β-catenin and decreased transcriptional activity of TCF7. In vivo studies revealed that FZD7shRNA significantly suppressed tumor formation, through reduced cell proliferation, in mice bearing xenografts without FZD7 expression. Our findings suggest that FZD7-involved canonical Wnt signaling pathway is essential for tumorigenesis of TNBC, and thus, FZD7 shows promise as a biomarker and a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.

Technical modification for laparoscopic donor nephrectomy to minimize testicular pain: a complication with significant morbidity

The laparoscopic approach to donor nephrectomy is becoming increasingly common. While it is felt that the recovery from laparoscopic nephrectomy is quicker and less painful, a number of complications have been reported. A rarely reported on complication in the literature with significant morbidity is ipsilateral orchalgia. From 1998 to 2008, 257 hand-assisted laparoscopic donor nephrectomies were performed at our institution. Eight of 129 (6.2%) men complained of de novo ipsilateral orchalgia postoperatively. The average duration of pain was 402 days. Patients reported significant morbidity related to this complication. None, however, required further treatment. Three patients reported that they would reconsider organ donation as a result of testicular pain. Our technique originally included dissection and ligation of the gonadal vein en bloc with the ureter at the level of the left common iliac artery. Since recognizing this complication, we have adopted a gonadal vein sparing approach so as not to disturb the vessel below its point of ligation at the renal vein. To date, 50 patients have undergone the modified technique without experiencing orchalgia. In conclusion, ipsilateral testicular pan is a relatively frequent complication of laparoscopic donor nephrectomy and may be a source of significant morbidity. Using a modified surgical technique, this complication can be reduced or eradicated.

Simultaneous operation of concomitant diseases in the esophagus and lung

The aim of this study was to retrospectively review our experience of performing simultaneous operations on concomitant diseases in the esophagus and lungs. From January 1998 to July 2009, simultaneous operations were performed on 13 patients with concomitant esophageal and pulmonary diseases, using coordinated surgical approaches. Among the 13 patients, six had primary cancers in the esophagus and lungs, five had primary esophageal cancer accompanied by a benign pulmonary disease, one had benign diseases in both esophagus and lung, and one had primary esophageal cancer with metastasis to the left lower lung. All patients survived the operations. Two major complications occurred postoperatively. One complication was bronchopleural fistula and the other was intrathoracic gastric laceration. Both patients recovered after additional treatments. Simultaneous operation of concomitant diseases in the esophagus and lungs is feasible and safe in selected patients who have received careful preoperative assessment, well-designed surgical approach, and proper perioperative management.

Evaluation of endogenous control genes for gene expression studies across multiple tissues and in the specific sets of fat- and muscle-type samples of the pig

To normalize a set of quantitative real-time PCR (q-PCR) data, it is essential to determine an optimal number/set of housekeeping genes, as the abundance of housekeeping genes can vary across tissues or cells during different developmental stages, or even under certain environmental conditions. In this study, of the 20 commonly used endogenous control genes, 13, 18 and 17 genes exhibited credible stability in 56 different tissues, 10 types of adipose tissue and five types of muscle tissue, respectively. Our analysis clearly showed that three optimal housekeeping genes are adequate for an accurate normalization, which correlated well with the theoretical optimal number (r ≥ 0.94). In terms of economical and experimental feasibility, we recommend the use of the three most stable housekeeping genes for calculating the normalization factor. Based on our results, the three most stable housekeeping genes in all analysed samples (TOP2B, HSPCB and YWHAZ) are recommended for accurate normalization of q-PCR data. We also suggest that two different sets of housekeeping genes are appropriate for 10 types of adipose tissue (the HSPCB, ALDOA and GAPDH genes) and five types of muscle tissue (the TOP2B, HSPCB and YWHAZ genes), respectively. Our report will serve as a valuable reference for other studies aimed at measuring tissue-specific mRNA abundance in porcine samples.