AbstractDiabetes mellitus with atherosclerosis (AS) adds to the social burden. This study aimed to investigate whether advanced glycation end product (AGE) levels were correlated with inflammation and carotid AS (CAS) in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. A total of 50 elderly T2DM patients and 50 age-matched senior healthy subjects were recruited in this study. T2DM patients were classified into two groups based on the intima–media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery from color Doppler ultrasonography. Patients with IMT > 1 mm were classified into the T2DM + CAS group (n = 28), and patients with IMT < 1 mm were assigned as the T2DM + non-atherosclerosis (NAS) group (n = 22). The plasma levels of AGEs, receptor for AGE (RAGE), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interferon gamma (IFN-γ) of all subjects were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The T-lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by a flow detector. T2DM + CAS patients showed significantly higher concentrations of AGEs, RAGE, TNF-α, and IFN-γ in the peripheral blood. The highest levels of CD4+ T cells were observed in the T2DM + CAS group. The AGE level was positively correlated with the concentrations of RAGE, TNF-α, IFN-γ, and CD4+. In summary, the results showed that the levels of AGEs may be correlated with the inflammatory status in T2DM patients with CAS.

Recent evidence has demonstrated that detection of changes in the levels of urinary vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tissue a distintegrin and metalloproteinase 9 (ADAM9) is effective in determining prostate cancer progression. To evaluate the combined application of VEGF and ADAM9 as early progression markers of lethal phenotypic cancer, quantification of urinary VEGF and tissue ADAM9 expression was studied in patients with late stage prostate cancer. Tissue biopsies were collected during palliative transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) surgery, and urine samples were collected before hormone therapy and 3, 6 and 12 months post-TURP. We observed a nearly 100% correlation between increasing urinary VEGF levels over time and prostate cancer progression, but no correlation was observed when comparing urinary VEGF concentrations at a single time point and cancer progression. In addition, we also observed correlation of increasing ADAM9 nuclear positive staining and lethal phenotypic transition. Statistical analysis revealed that both the increase in urinary VEGF level and the presence of the tissue ADAM9 nuclear staining were significantly correlated with the risk of patients with relapse prostate cancer (P<0.05). Thus, we suggest that combination of detection of changes in urinary VEGF and tissue staining of ADAM9 may be accurate for predicting the mortality of patients with prostate cancer during hormone therapy.

Liver transplantation is associated with a significantly increased risk of de novo malignancies, but for renal cancer this risk is less clear. We therefore performed a meta-analysis of published studies to determine whether renal cancer risk in liver transplant recipients (LTRs) was increased. To obtain a more precise conclusion, a systematic search was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases until June 10, 2015. Standardized incidence ratio (SIR) corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate risk of renal cancer in LTRs. Heterogeneity test, sensitivity analysis, and publishing bias were also performed. We identified 8 eligible studies and performed a meta-analysis on data of 49,654 LTRs with a total follow-up of 121,514.6 patient-years. The SIR for renal cancer was identified a 3.275-fold higher SIR (95% CI: 1.857-5.777; P < 0.001) in LTRs compared with the general population. This systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated that the LTRs was associated with a significant increase in the incidence of renal cancer. Such association suggests that yearly routine post-transplant surveillance is need for renal cancer in LTRs.