A variety of conditions lead to anemia, which affects one-quarter of the world's population. Previous genome-wide association studies revealed a number of genetic polymorphisms significantly associated with plasma iron status. To evaluate the association of genetic variants in genes involved in iron delivery and hepcidin regulation pathways with the risk of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA), the following single nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped in 2139 unrelated elderly Chinese women: rs3811647 (TF), rs7385804 (TFR2), rs235756 (BMP2), and rs855791(V736A) and rs4820268 (TMPRSS6, encoding matriptase-2). We identified common variants in TMPRSS6 as being genetic risk factors for both iron deficiency (OR(rs855791) = 1.55, P = 4.96 × 10(-8)) and IDA (OR(rs855791) = 1.78, P = 8.43 × 10(-9)). TMPRSS6 polymorphisms were also associated with lower serum iron (SI) and hemoglobin levels, consistent with their associations to increased iron deficiency and anemia risk. Variants rs3811647 in TF and rs7385804 in TFR2 were associated with reduced SI, serum transferrin and transferrin saturation levels; however, these variants were not associated with iron deficiency or anemia risk. Our findings suggest that TF, TFR2 and TMPRSS6 polymorphisms are significantly associated with decreased iron status, but only variants in TMPRSS6 are genetic risk factors for iron deficiency and IDA.

Dietary intervention studies to assess the cardioprotective effects of oily fish are scarce in China. The present study aimed to examine the effects of the oily fish, Norwegian salmon, herring and local farmed pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) on CVD risk markers when included in the Chinese diet. In this 8-week, parallel-arm, randomised intervention study, 126 Chinese women with hypertriacylglycerolaemia, aged 35-70 years, were assigned to four groups to consume an experimental lunch containing 80 g fillets of either one of three oily fish or a mix of commonly eaten meats (pork/chicken/beef/lean fish) for 5 d/week. The results showed that inclusion of the three oily fish significantly increased the intake of n-3 long-chain PUFA (LC-PUFA) while decreasing the dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio. Compared to the control group, significant increases of DHA, EPA+DHA and total n-3 PUFA in plasma choline phosphoglyceride were observed in the three oily fish groups. Plasma TAG levels were significantly reduced only in the salmon and herring groups. When compared to the baseline level, the three oily fish diets significantly decreased serum concentrations of TAG, apoB, apoCII and apoCIII, but only the salmon and herring diets significantly lowered TNF-α and raised adiponectin levels in serum. The salmon diet additionally decreased the serum concentration of IL-6. To conclude, dietary inclusion of salmon, herring and pompano as oily fish can effectively increase serum n-3 LC-PUFA content and are associated with favourable biochemical changes in dyslipidaemic middle-aged and elderly Chinese women, and these beneficial effects are mainly associated with n-3 LC-PUFA contents.

While the application of early screening and HPV vaccines has reduced the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer, it remains the third most common carcinoma and fourth leading cause of cancer-associated death among women worldwide. The precise mechanisms underlying progression of cervical cancer are not fully understood at present. Here, we detected significant down-regulation of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (HPGD) in cervical cancer tissues. Overexpression of HPGD inhibited cervical cancer cell proliferation, migration and anchorage-independent growth to a significant extent. To clarify the mechanisms underlying HPGD down-regulation in cervical cancer, miRNA microarray, bioinformatics and luciferase reporter analyses were performed. HPGD was identified as a direct target of miR-146b-3p displaying up-regulation in cervical cancer tissues. Similar to the effects of HPGD overexpression, down-regulation of miR-146b-3p strongly suppressed proliferation, migration and anchorage-independent growth of cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, HPGD negatively regulated activities of STAT3 and AKT that promote cervical cancer cell proliferation. Notably, HPV oncogenes E6 and E7 were determined as potential contributory factors to these alterations. Our results collectively suggest that the HPGD/miR-146b-3p axis plays a significant role in cervical cancer and may serve as a potentially effective therapeutic target.

Breast milk fatty acid composition may be affected by the maternal diet during gestation and lactation. The influence of dietary and breast milk fatty acids on breast milk immune factors is poorly defined. We determined the fatty acid composition and immune factor concentrations of breast milk from women residing in river/lake, coastal and inland regions of China, which differ in their consumption of lean fish and oily fish. Breast milk samples were collected on days 3 -5 (colostrum), 14 and 28 post-partum (PP) and analysed for soluble CD14 (sCD14), transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1, TGF-b2, secretory IgA (sIgA) and fatty acids. The fatty acid composition of breast milk differed between the regions and with time PP. The concentrations of all four immune factors in breast milk decreased over time, with sCD14, sIgA and TGF-b1 being highest in the colostrum in the river and lake region. Breast milk DHA and arachidonic acid (AA) were positively associated, and g-linolenic acid and EPA negatively associated, with the concentrations of each of the four immune factors. In conclusion, breast milk fatty acids and immune factors differ between the regions in China characterised by different patterns of fish consumption and change during the course of lactation. A higher breast milk DHA and AA concentration is associated with higher concentrations of immune factors in breast milk, suggesting a role for these fatty acids in promoting gastrointestinal and immune maturation of the infant.