The association between MTHFR polymorphism and cervical cancer

The combined effect of MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms on the risk of digestive system cancer among a hypertensive population

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays a crucial role in directing folate species towards nucleotide synthesis or DNA methylation. The MTHFR polymorphisms C677T and A1298C have been linked to cancer susceptibility, but the evidence supporting this association has been equivocal. To investigate the individual and joint associations between MTHFR C677T, A1298C, and digestive system cancer in a Chinese hypertensive population, we conducted a population-based case-control study involving 751 digestive system cancer cases and one-to-one matched controls from the China H-type Hypertension Registry Study (CHHRS).

METHODS

We utilized the conditional logistic regression model to evaluate multivariate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of digestive system cancer.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed a significantly lower risk of digestive system cancer in individuals with the CT genotype (adjusted OR: 0.71; 95% CI 0.52, 0.97; P = 0.034) and TT genotype (adjusted OR: 0.57; 95% CI 0.40, 0.82; P = 0.003; P for trend = 0.003) compared to those with the 677CC genotype. Although A1298C did not show a measurable association with digestive system cancer risk, further stratification of 677CT genotype carriers by A1298C homozygotes (AA) and heterozygotes (AC) revealed a distinct trend within these subgroups.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate a potential protective effect against digestive system cancer associated with the T allele of MTHFR C677T. Moreover, we observed that the presence of different combinations of MTHFR polymorphisms may contribute to varying susceptibilities to digestive system cancer.

Genetic Modulation of HPV Infection and Cervical Lesions: Role of Oxidative Stress-Related Genes

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a necessary but not sufficient factor for the development of invasive cervical cancer (ICC) and high-grade intraepithelial lesion (HSIL). Oxidative stress is known to play a crucial role in HPV infection and carcinogenesis. In this study, we comprehensively investigate the modulation of HPV infection, HSIL and ICC, and ICC through an exploration of oxidative stress-related genes: CβS, MTHFR, NOS3, ACE1, CYBA, HAP, ACP1, GSTT1, GSTM1, and CYP1A1. Notably, the ACE1 gene emerges as a prominent factor with the presence of the I allele offering protection against HPV infection. The association of NOS3 with HPV infection is perceived with the 4a allele showing a protective effect. The presence of the GSTT1 null mutant correlates with increased susceptibility to HPV infection, HSIL and ICC, and ICC. This study also uncovers intriguing epistatic interactions among some of the genes that further accentuate their roles in disease modulation. Indeed, the epistatic interactions between the BB genotype (ACP1) and DD genotype (ECA1) were shown to increase the risk of HPV infection, and the interaction between BB (ACP1) and 0.0 (GSTT1) was associated with HPV infection and cervical lesions. These findings underscore the pivotal role of four oxidative stress-related genes in HPV-associated cervical lesions and cancer development, enriching our clinical understanding of the genetic influences on disease manifestation. The awareness of these genetic variations holds potential clinical implications.

RTP4, a Biomarker Associated with Diagnosing Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Pan-Cancer Analysis

Background

Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a global epidemic of infectious disease; the purpose of our study was to explore new potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis and to use the biomarkers for further pan-cancer analysis.

Methods

Four microarray gene expression sets were downloaded from the GEO public databases and conducted for further analysis. Healthy control (HC) samples and samples of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) were calculated with enrichment scores in folate biosynthesis pathways. The scores acted as a new phenotype combined with clinical information (control or PTB) for subsequent analysis. Weight gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to seek the modules mostly related to PTB and folate biosynthesis in training sets. Twenty-nine coexistence genes were screened by intersecting the genes in the green-yellow module of GSE28623 and the brown module of GSE83456. We used the protein-protein interaction network analysis to narrow the gene range to search for hub genes. Then, we downloaded the unified and standardized pan-cancer data set from the UCSC database for correlations between biomarkers and prognosis and tumor stage differences.

Results

Eventually, RTP4 was selected as a biomarker. To verify the reliability of this biomarker, an area under the ROC (AUC) was calculated in gene sets (GSE28623, GSE83456, and GSE34608). Lastly, to explore the difference in RTP4 expression before and after antituberculosis treatment, the GSE31348 gene set was enrolled to compare the expressions in weeks 0 and 26. The results showed significant differences between these two time points (p < 0.001). RTP4 was significantly upregulated in the pulmonary tuberculosis group compared to the healthy control group in three gene sets and downregulated after antituberculosis therapy in one gene set. These results suggest that RTP4 can be used as a potential biomarker in diagnosing tuberculosis. The results of pan-cancer analysis showed that high expression of RTP4 in 4 tumor types was positively correlated with poor prognosis and high expression of RTP4 in 6 tumor types was negatively correlated with poor prognosis. We found significant differences in the expression of the RTP4 gene at different stages in 5 types of tumors.

Conclusion

RTP4 might be a new potential biomarker for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis.

Impact of Methionine Synthase Reductase Polymorphisms in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Introduction： Metabolism methionine and of folate play a vital function in cellular methylation reactions, DNA synthesis and epigenetic process.However, polymorphisms of methionine have received much attention in recent medical genetics research. Objectives: To ascertain whether the common polymorphisms of the MTRR (Methionine Synthase Reductase) A66G gene could play a role in affecting susceptibility to Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) in Sudanese individuals. Methods: In a case-controlled study, we extracted and analyzed DNA from 200 CML patients and 100 healthy control subjects by the PCR-RFLP method. Results: We found no significant difference in age orgender between the patient group and controls. The MTRR A66G genotypes were distributed based on the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p > 0.05). The variation of MTRR A66G was less significantly frequent in cases with CML (68.35%) than in controls (87%) (OR = 0.146, 95% CI = 0.162−0.662, p < 0.002). Additionally, AG and GG genotypes and G allele were reducing the CML risk (Odds ratio [OR] = 0.365; 95% CI [0.179−0.746]; p = 0.006; OR = 0.292; 95% CI [0.145−0.590]; p = 0.001 and OR = 0.146; 95% CI [0.162−0.662]; p = 0.002 and OR = 2.0; 95% CI [1.3853−2.817]; respectively, (p = 0.000)). Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that heterozygous and homozygous mutant genotypes of MTRR polymorphisms were associated with decreased risk of developing CML in the Sudanese population.

Simultaneous Detection of Three Genotypes of Gene Methylene Tetrahydrofolate Reductase and Methionine Synthase Reductase Based on Multiplex Asymmetric Real-Time PCR-HRM Biosensing

Genotyping of folate metabolism genes is of great importance in disease diagnosis and prevention. However, most current detection methods used for folate metabolism gene genotyping are based on sequencing and chips, which suffer from a high cost and laborious and time-consuming procedures. Herein, we reported a multiplex asymmetric PCR-HRM strategy for identifying genotypes of folate metabolism genes in a single tube. The proposed multiplex PCR-HRM assay has been successfully applied to identify the genotypes of folate metabolism genes, methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T, A1298C) and methionine synthase reductase A66G, on 1 μL of genomic DNA (gDNA) samples directly released from blood specimens, and the genotyping results were 100% consistent with the results of sequencing. The assay allows us to accurately detect the genotypes of gDNA with the detection limit down to 1 ng, which meets the clinical requirement. What is more, the capacity of resistance to aerosol pollution of the multiplex asymmetric PCR-HRM biosensing was first addressed and has been evaluated as it can withstand contamination of roughly 12.5-25% interfering nucleic acids. Because of the advantages of multiplex detection, high accuracy, and resistance to aerosol pollution and having no open tube procedure, this approach would pave the way for establishing a fast and cost-effective platform for folate metabolism gene genotyping and other SNP genotyping in clinical diagnostics.

Targeting purine metabolism in ovarian cancer

Purine, an abundant substrate in organisms, is a critical raw material for cell proliferation and an important factor for immune regulation. The purine de novo pathway and salvage pathway are tightly regulated by multiple enzymes, and dysfunction in these enzymes leads to excessive cell proliferation and immune imbalance that result in tumor progression. Maintaining the homeostasis of purine pools is an effective way to control cell growth and tumor evolution, and exploiting purine metabolism to suppress tumors suggests interesting directions for future research. In this review, we describe the process of purine metabolism and summarize the role and potential therapeutic effects of the major purine-metabolizing enzymes in ovarian cancer, including CD39, CD73, adenosine deaminase, adenylate kinase, hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase, inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase, purine nucleoside phosphorylase, dihydrofolate reductase and 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. Purinergic signaling is also described. We then provide an overview of the application of purine antimetabolites, comprising 6-thioguanine, 6-mercaptopurine, methotrexate, fludarabine and clopidogrel. Finally, we discuss the current challenges and future opportunities for targeting purine metabolism in the treatment-relevant cellular mechanisms of ovarian cancer.

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms of EXOC1, BCL2, CCAT2, and CARD8 Genes and Susceptibility to Cervical Cancer in the Northern Chinese Han Population

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the main malignant tumors that threaten the health and lives of women around the world, and its morbidity and mortality rate ranks fourth. At present, most studies on the genetic background of CC focus on genetic polymorphisms. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are considered clinically as potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for a variety of tumors. Therefore, we aimed to explore the association between SNPs in different genes (EXOC1 gene, BCL2 gene, CCAT2 gene and CARD8 gene) and susceptibility to CC. This study is a case-control study based on women in northern Chinese, which included 492 women with CC and 510 healthy women. This study used multiplex PCR combined with next-generation sequencing to genotype the selected SNPs (rs13117307(C/T) in EXOC1 gene, rs2279115(C/A) in BCL2 gene, rs6983267(G/T) in CCAT2 gene and rs7248320(G/A) in CARD8 gene). The results of the study showed that there was no significant association between the four SNPs and the susceptibility to CC. However, in further stratified analysis, we found that rs13117307 and rs2279115 were significantly related to squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag) levels in women with CC, and rs6983267 was significantly related to the menopausal status of women with CC. Specifically, alleles T of rs13117307 and genoytpe AA of rs2279115 when SCC-Ag is greater than 1.5 ng/ml increase the risk of CC. The genotype TG/TG+TT of rs6983267 increases the risk of CC in premenopausal women. In conclusion, although we did not directly find a significant correlation between four SNPs, rs13117307 in EXOC1 gene,rs2279115 in BCL2 gene, rs6983267 in CCAT2 gene and rs7248320 in CARD8 gene, and CC susceptibility, we found that SNPs rs13117307, rs2279115, rs6983267 were associated with the clinical characteristics of several patients' CC patients. Therefore, this study provides us with new ideas for understanding CC and the diagnosis and treatment of CC in the future.

Genetic association study of intron variants in the forkhead box protein P3 gene in Chinese patients diagnosed with cervical cancer

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3) intron single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in high‐risk human papilloma virus (HR‐HPV) infection and cervical cancer (CC) malignant lesions. We performed FOXP3 genotyping in 350 patients with CC and 350 healthy controls using the ImLDR multiple single nucleotide polymorphism genotyping technology. The heterozygous mutation TC in rs2294021 decreased the risk of HR‐HPV infection and CC malignant lesions (TC vs. TT: OR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.51–0.99); the dominant model TC+CC and allele C in rs2294021 decreased the risk of CC malignant lesions (TC+CC vs. TT: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.50–0.95; C vs. T: OR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.63–0.97). The heterozygous mutation GA, dominant model GA+AA and allele A in rs3761549 also decreased the risk of HR‐HPV infection and CC malignant lesions (GA vs. GG: OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51–0.96; GA+AA vs. GG: OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.51–0.94; A vs. G: OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.58–0.96). Patients with CC and HR‐HPV infection carrying rs2294021 TC and rs3761549 GA had lower expression of FOXP3 protein. Haplotype analysis revealed that T‐C‐A decreased the risk of HR‐HPV infection. Furthermore, we found a significant association between immune cells infiltration and prognosis in patients with CC. Our findings demonstrated that rs2294021 and rs3761549 variants may protect against HR‐HPV and CC malignant lesions by downregulating FOXP3 and that FOXP3 was associated with immune cells infiltration, which affected the prognosis of CC.

Circular RNA CDK6 suppresses cervical cancer proliferation and metastasis by sponging miR-449a

Cervical cancer is a malignant tumor that severely threatens female health. Recently, more and more studies indicated that circRNA could function as a tumor activator or suppressor in cervical cell development. Therefore, we aimed to study the effect of circRNA CDK6 (circCDK6) on the development and biological behavior of cervical cancer. We used quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) to examine the circCDK6 expression level in cervical cancer cell lines. RNA-fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed the location of circCDK6 and miR-449a in HeLa and CaSki cells, respectively. Then, the biological function of silencing circCDK6 in cellular proliferation, metastasis, and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)-related process was determined. We also performed RNA Binding Protein Immunoprecipitation (RIP) and Dual-luciferase reporter assay to determine the relationship between the circCDK6 and miR-449a. Finally, the results showed that circCDK6 level remarkably increased in several cervical cancer cells, especially in Hela and CaSki cells. The miR-449a was further confirmed to be a potential target of circCDK6, and its expression increased by silencing circCDK6. The circCDK6 participated in tumorigenesis and cancer progression and might serve as a tumor suppressive factor in cervical cell progression via Epithelial-MesenchymalTransition (EMT) process by regulating miR-449a.

Pharmacogene Variants Associated with Liver Transplant in a Twelve-Year Clinical Follow-Up

Some gene polymorphisms have been previously associated individually with tacrolimus efficacy and toxicity, but no long-term study to determine the role of pharmacogene variants in the clinical evolution of liver-transplanted patients has been addressed so far. In the present work, we analyzed the relation between highly-evidenced genetic polymorphisms located in relevant pharmacogenes and the risk of suffering premature death and other comorbidities such as cancer, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, graft rejection, infections and nephrotoxicities in a cohort of 87 patients (8 were excluded due to early loss of follow-up) transplanted at Hospital La Fe in Valencia (Spain) during a 12-year follow-up. Employing a logistic regression model with false discovery rate penalization and Kaplan–Meier analyses, we observed significant association between survival rates and metabolizer genes. In this sense, our results show an association between MTHFR gene variants in donor rs1801133 (HR: 7.90; p-value: 0.032) and recipient rs1801131 (HR: 7.34; p-value: 0.036) and the group of patients who died during the follow-up period, supporting the interest of confirming these results with larger patient cohorts. In addition, donor polymorphisms in UGT1A9 metabolizer gene rs6714486 (OR: 0.13; p-value: 0.032) were associated with a lower risk of suffering from de novo cancer. Genetic variants in CYP2B6 metabolizer gene rs2279343 demonstrated an association with a risk of infection. Other variants in different locations of SLCO1A2, ABCC2 and ABCB1 transporter genes were associated with a lower risk of suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic and acute nephrotoxicities and arterial hypertension. Results suggest that pharmacogenetics-derived information may be an important support for personalized drug prescription, clinical follow-up and the evolution of liver-transplanted patients.

Effects of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase single-nucleotide polymorphisms on breast, cervical, ovarian, and endometrial cancer susceptibilities

Background

Recent studies identifying methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms associated with breast cancer (BC), ovarian cancer (OC), cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer (EC) have reported conflicting results and been underpowered. To clarify the correlation between MTHFR mutations and these common female malignancies, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis incorporating all eligible publications.

Methods

Relevant reports published before January 20, 2020, were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval summaries for the MTHFR 677C/T and 1298A/C polymorphisms in BC, OC, cervical cancer, and EC were estimated.

Results

A total of 171 studies comprising 56,675 cancer cases and 67,559 controls were included. The results showed a markedly elevated risk of cancer susceptibility related to MTHFR 677C/T based on all genetic models. Similarly, we identified a significant correlation between 1298A/C mutation and cancer risk based on overall comparisons among all models, except the heterozygous model. Moreover, subgroup analysis by cancer type revealed a significantly increased risk of BC associated with 677C/T in the five models and of cervical cancer associated with 1298A/C in some models. Based on ethnicity, significant associations were observed between Asian, African, and mixed populations for 677C/T and the Asian population for 1298A/C. With regard to the sample type used for analysis, we detected a positive association between using blood as the DNA source and cancer risk for 677C/T in all genetic models and for 1298A/C in some genetic models. Further stratification of the results revealed that a notably increased risk was associated with the use of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment-length polymorphism or TaqMan as the genotyping method, as well as with the use of population-or hospital-based groups as the controls for 677C/T and 1298A/C, respectively.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis suggests that MTHFR 677C/T and 1298A/C polymorphisms correlate with the risk of common gynecological cancers, with these findings potentially applicable for overall comparisons of related data.

Understanding Cervical Cancer through Proteomics

Cancer is one of the leading public health issues worldwide, and the number of cancer patients increases every day. Particularly, cervical cancer (CC) is still the second leading cause of cancer death in women from developing countries. Thus, it is essential to deepen our knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of CC and propose new therapeutic targets and new methods to diagnose this disease in its early stages. Differential expression analysis using high-throughput techniques applied to biological samples allows determining the physiological state of normal cells and the changes produced by cancer development. The cluster of differential molecular profiles in the genome, the transcriptome, or the proteome is analyzed in the disease, and it is called the molecular signature of cancer. Proteomic analysis of biological samples of patients with different grades of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and CC has served to elucidate the pathways involved in the development and progression of cancer and identify cervical proteins associated with CC. However, several cervical carcinogenesis mechanisms are still unclear. Detecting pathologies in their earliest stages can significantly improve a patient's survival rate, prognosis, and recurrence. The present review is an update on the proteomic study of CC.

The effect of psychological nursing on the short- and long-term negative emotions and quality of life of cervical cancer patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of psychological nursing intervention on the short- and long-term negative emotions and changes in the quality of life in patients with cervical cancer who underwent postoperative chemotherapy.

METHODS

141 patients with cervical cancer who received postoperative chemotherapy in our hospital were recruited as the study cohort. They were divided into the study group (80 cases) and the control group (61 cases) according to the different nursing methods each underwent. The patients in the control group underwent routine nursing, and the study group also underwent psychological nursing. The changes in the quality of life and the negative emotions of the patients in the two groups before and after the intervention were compared, and the correlation between the quality of life and the negative emotions were explored.

RESULTS

The patients' Quality of Life Questionnaire (EROTC-QLQ-C30) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores in the two groups before the intervention were not significantly different (P > 0.05). A re-evaluation at the end of the 90 day-intervention showed that the EROTC-QLQ-C30 scores in the study group were significantly higher than they were in the control group (P < 0.05). A dynamic evaluation showed that the proportion of patients with mild anxiety in the study group was higher than it was in the control group at 30, 60, and 90 days of intervention (P < 0.05). A Spearman correlation analysis showed that the SAS scale and EROTC-QLQ-C30 scores were negatively correlated (r=-0.4438, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The implementation of psychological intervention can help alleviate the short- and long-term negative emotions of cervical cancer patients who underwent postoperative chemotherapy, and it is feasible and conducive to the patients' quality of life. We recommend carrying out the clinical promotion and application of this psychological intervention.

Folate Intake and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review and Updated Meta-Analysis of Epidemiological Studies

INTRODUCTION

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies and primary prevention strategies are limited. Epidemiological studies focusing on the association between folate intake and pancreatic cancer risk have reported inconsistent findings.

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature was conducted using the PubMed and EMBASE databases. A systematic review and meta-analysis of eligible studies was performed to assess the association between folate intake and risk of pancreatic cancer.

RESULTS

A total of 16 studies involving 5654 cases and 1,009,374 individuals were included. The result showed a significant association of folate intake with a decreased risk of pancreatic cancer, with a pooled OR of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.69-0.97, P = 0.019) for the highest category of intake vs. the lowest. The data suggested that high intake of folate may contribute to the prevention of pancreatic cancer. However, the association was observed only in case-control studies (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65-0.93, P = 0.006), but not in cohort studies (RR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.66-1.09, P = 0.244). Dose-response meta-analysis showed that an increment of folate intake (100 μg/day) was marginally associated with the risk of pancreatic cancer, with a pooled OR of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.93-1.00, P = 0.053).

CONCLUSION

High folate intake might be inversely associated with pancreatic cancer risk, which needs to be confirmed.

Cervical Cancer Diagnosis: Insights into Biochemical Biomarkers and Imaging Techniques

Cervical malignancy is known as one of the important cancers which is originated from cervix. This malignancy has been observed in women infected with papillomavirus who had regular oral contraceptives, multiple pregnancies, and sexual relations. Early and fast cervical cancer diagnosis is known as two important aspects of cervical cancer therapy. Several investigations indicated that early and fast detection of cervical cancer could be associated with better treatment process and increasing survival rate of patients with this malignancy. Imaging techniques are very important diagnosis tools that could be employed for diagnosis and following responses to therapy in various cervical cancer stages. Multiple lines of evidence indicated that utilization of imaging techniques is related to some limitations (i.e. high cost, and invasive effects). Hence, it seems that along with using imaging techniques, finding and developing new biomarkers could be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of subjects with cervical cancer. Taken together, many studies showed that a variety of biomarkers including, several proteins, mRNAs, microRNAs, exosomes and polymorphisms might be introduced as prognostic, diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in cervical cancer therapy. In this review article, we highlighted imaging techniques as well as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of cervical cancer.

TCF7L1 Genetic Variants Are Associated with the Susceptibility to Cervical Cancer in a Chinese Population

Background

Cervical cancer (CC) is the second most common tumor in women worldwide. Studies have been accepted that genetic variations play an important role in the development of CC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of TCF7L1 variants on CC risk.

Methods

508 patients of cervical cancer and 497 healthy subjects were recruited to determine the impact of TCF7L1 polymorphisms on CC susceptibility. The associations were investigated by computing odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. The effect of SNP-SNP interactions on CC risk was explored by multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis.

Results

Our study showed that rs11904127 (OR 0.79, p = 0.010) and rs62162674 (OR 0.82, p = 0.044) of TCF7L1 significantly decreased cervical cancer risk. Stratified analysis indicated that rs11904127 and rs62162674 present decreased susceptibility to CC in age > 51 years (OR 0.74, p = 0.019; OR 0.72, p = 0.014, respectively). Haplotype analyses revealed that G_rs2366264T_rs11689667C_rs62162674 has a lower risk to cervical cancer (OR = 0.43, p = 0.018). Besides, there is strong interaction of rs11904127 and rs2366264.

Conclusion

Rs11904127 and rs62162674 in TCF7L1 are related to cervical cancer. We suggest that these variants can be used as prognostic markers for judging the susceptibility to cervical cancer.

Association of MTHFR C677T and A1298C Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:

The relation between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase)MTHFR(polymorphisms and the risk of developing Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is not still clear, while there are reports about the association of MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms with developing CLL, there are other reports that rolled out the association of MTHFR polymorphisms with developing CLL. Therefore herein we carried out this meta-analysis to clear the association of MTHFR polymorphisms with the risk of CLL,

Methods:

A comprehensive search was performed through PubMed, Scopus and Embase from inception to Aug 2020. Odds ratios (OR) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) for five possible genetic models were calculated. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the Cochran Q test and the I2 statistic.

Results:

Totals of 1290 cases and 1887 controls for the C677T polymorphism and 1117 cases and 1256 controls for the A1298C polymorphism were included in our analysis. Analyzing the MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms genotypes showed an association between MTHFR polymorphism at A1298C under Allelic model and the risk of CLL (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.01–1.25), however there was no association between MTHFR polymorphism at MTHFR C677T and risk of CLL.

Conclusion:

The risk of developing CLL might be associated with MTHFR polymorphism at A1298C under allelic model and not associated with MTHFR polymorphisms at C677T, However, further studies considering other factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, gene-gene interaction and environmental condition are needed to clear the true association of MTHFR polymorphisms with CLL.

Association of serum folate and vitamin B12 with pre-neoplastic cervical lesions

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Diet and lifestyle play an important role in etiology of various tumors. Serum concentration of folate and vitamin B12may be associated with carcinogenesis since they are involved in DNA methylation and nucleotide synthesis. However, the role of these micronutrients on development of cervical cancer is still controversial. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the association of lower status of folate and vitamin B12 with the risk of pre-neoplastic cervical lesions.

METHODS

Our sample group was divided in Control group (n = 120) - women with normal cytology, and Case groups (n = 57) - women presenting Atypical Squamous Cells of Undetermined Significance (ASC-US, n = 21), Low Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL; n = 16), and High-Grade lesions (n = 20). We obtained cervical samples for cytology analysis and HPV detection, and blood samples for evaluation of serum concentration of folate and vitamin B12.

RESULTS

No difference of serum folate was observed among Cases and Control groups. On the other hand, women with High-Grade lesions presented significant lower median concentration of vitamin B12 if compared to another groups. Then, we observed increased risk of High-Grade lesions among participants with low vitamin B12 levels was observed in relation to women that presented high levels of the micronutrient and from Control group [OR (95% CI): 2.09 (0.65-6.76), p = 0.216], ASC-US [OR (95% CI): 3.15 (0.82-12.08), p = 0.095], and LSIL [OR (95% CI): 3.10 (0.76-12.70), p = 0.116].

CONCLUSIONS

Low concentration of vitamin B12 was associated with an increased risk of High-Grade cervical lesions. Besides, we did not observe any difference of serum folate among women with normal cytology and women with pre-neoplastic cervical lesions.

Association of MTHFR 677C>T Polymorphism with Susceptibility to Ovarian and Cervical Cancers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:

Previous studies have evaluated the impact of MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism on susceptibility to ovarian and cervical cancers in women, but the conclusions are still controversial. To get a more precise evaluation of the association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and risk of ovarian and cervical cancers, we performed a meta-analysis of the association of all eligible studies.

Methods:

A comprehensive search performed in PubMed, Google Scholar, CNKI, and Web of Science databases to identify the relevant studies up to October 15, 2018. The strength of the association was estimated by odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results:

A total of 27 case-control studies including eleven studies with 4990 cases 7730 controls on ovarian cancer and 16 studies with 4990 cases and 7730 controls on cervical cancer were selected. Pooled data revealed that the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism not significantly associated with an increased risk of ovarian and cervical cancers under all five genetic models. However, stratified analysis by ethnicity showed that the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of ovarian cancer in Asians. No publication bias was found in the current meta-analysis.

Conclusions:

The results of this meta-analysis proposes that the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism may not play a role in development of ovarian and cervical cancers in overall population. Further well-designed studies are necessary to clarify the precise role of the MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism on ovarian and cervical cancers risk.

Lack of association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism, HPV infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia in Brazilian women

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer has high prevalence and mortality rates in worldwide female population. Persistent infection by high-risk Human Papillomavirus (hr-HPV) is the main cause of this cancer. However, many environmental, genetical, and epigenetical cofactors can modulate viral infection and cervical carcinogenesis. Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism is a genetic factor that has been associated with many pathologies, including cancer. Nevertheless, studies with cervical cancer presented controversial results, and varied according to ethnicity. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer.

METHODS

A case-control study was performed with 150 histological cervical samples. Case group were divided in Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) grade I (n = 30), CIN II (n = 30), CIN III (n = 30), and Squamous Cervical Carcinoma (SCC) (n = 30). Control group was composed by 30 samples without lesion, presenting cervicitis. HPV detection was performed by conventional Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) with SPF primers set, and by real-time PCR specific for HPV 16 and hr-HPV. MTHFR C677T polymorphism was analyzed by PCR followed by Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP).

RESULTS

Frequency of MTHFR CC genotype was 72.7% (n = 109), CT 23.3% (n = 35) and TT 4.0% (n = 6). Polymorphic T allele frequency was 15.7%. No statistically significant association was observed between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and presence of pre-neoplastic or neoplastic cervical lesions. Similar frequencies of T allele was observed in control (23.3%) and cases (13.3%) groups (p = 0.174). In addition, there was no statistically significant association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and viral infection, even considering hr-HPV or HPV 16 positivity.

CONCLUSION

MTHFR C677T polymorphism was not associated with cervical cancer and HPV infection.

MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in a female Chinese population

Objective

To examine the relationship between polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and susceptibility to lung cancer in a female Chinese population.

Method

A hospital-based case-control study of 388 cases and 388 controls was conducted. Two polymorphisms in MTHFR were detected using TaqMan methods.

Results

The MTHFR C677T polymorphism was associated with the risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma. Carriers with the TT genotype of C677T were observed to have an increased risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma (the ORs were 1.550 and 1.588, respectively). By contrast, the A1298C polymorphism had a negative relationship with the risk of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma; compared with the AA genotype carriers, the CC genotype carriers had a lower risk of lung cancer and adenocarcinoma in the female Chinese population (ORs were 0.302 and 0.215, respectively). In the stratified analyses, we observed only the A1298C polymorphism in the CC genotype carriers with a statistically significant reduction in the risk of non-small-cell lung cancer, compared to the AA genotype carriers. No significant statistical association was found between the MTHFR gene polymorphisms and risk of the residual subtype of lung cancer.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence that the MTHFR C677T polymorphism may contribute to the development of lung cancer and lung adenocarcinoma in a female Chinese population. However, the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism may be associated with the decreasing risk of lung cancer.