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BackgroundThe IL-4, IL-4 receptor (IL4R), and IL-13 genes are crucial immune factors and may influence the course of various diseases. In the present study, we investigated the association between the potential functional polymorphisms in IL-4, IL-4R, and IL-13 and coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) risk in a Chinese population.MethodsSix polymorphisms (C-590T in IL-4, Ile50Val, Ser478Pro, and Gln551Arg in IL-4R, C-1055T and Arg130Gln in IL-13) were genotyped and analyzed in a case-control study of 556 CWP and 541 control subjects.ResultsOur results revealed that the IL-4 CT/CC genotypes were associated with a significantly decreased risk of CWP (odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.58–0.95), compared with the TT genotype, particularly among subgroups of age <65 years (OR = 0.68, 95%CI = 0.46–0.99) and dust exposure years ≥26 years (OR = 0.69, 95%CI = 0.50–0.94). Moreover, the polymorphism was significantly associated with risk of CWP patients with stage I. In addition, a combined effect was observed in a dose-dependent manner with increasing numbers of risk variant alleles (P trend = 0.023), and individuals with 11–12 risk alleles had a 47% higher risk of CWP than those with 0–8 risk alleles (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.05–2.05).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the IL-4 C-590T polymorphism is involved in the etiology of CWP and susceptibility to this disease. Larger studies are warranted to validate our findings.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are an abundant class of small noncoding RNA molecules thought to be involved in biological functions, including embryonic development, chromosome architecture, cell proliferation and apoptosis. We hypothesized that common variants in the miRNAs are associated with risk of coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP). In a case-control study of 496 CWP patients and 513 control subjects frequency matched by exposure years and work types, we genotyped four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2910164, rs2292832, rs11614913 and rs3746444) in pre-miRNAs (miR-146a, miR-149, miR196a2 and miR-499) and assessed the associations with risk of CWP. A significantly increased risk of CWP was found for the miR-149 rs2292832 TT genotype (odds ratio (OR), 1.31; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.69), compared with the CT/CC genotypes, and this increased risk was evident among subgroups of those aged X68 years (OR¼1.52, 95% CI¼1.03-2.25), dust exposure X26 years (OR¼1.42, 95% CI¼1.04-1.93) and ever smokers (OR¼1.48, 95% CI¼1.00-2.20). Furthermore, a significant association was observed between the genotypes and patients with stages II and III (OR¼1.50, 95% CI¼1.05-2.14 for stage II, and OR¼3.33, 95% CI¼1.67-6.65 for stage III). These results suggest that miR-149 rs2292832 polymorphism is involved in susceptibility to developing CWP.

The expression of targeting protein for Xenopus kinesin-like protein 2 (TPX2) and NIK-IKK-β binding protein (NIBP) in patients with esophageal cancer were investigated. A total of 250 samples of cancer tissue and 250 samples of adjacent normal tissue were collected from 250 patients who underwent radical resection of esophageal cancer in Weihai Central Hospital from March 2011 to February 2014. RT-qPCR was used to detect the relative expression of TPX2 and NIBP. The relative expression of TPX2 and NIBP in esophageal cancer tissues was statistically higher than those in adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05). TPX2 and NIBP levels in tumor tissues with lymph node metastasis were significantly higher than those in tissues without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the relative expression of TPX2 and NIBP in different degrees of infiltration (P<0.05). Tissues with a TPX2 level equal to or higher than the average TPX2 level (1.465) were divided into TPX2 high expression group, while tissues with a TPX2 level below the average were divided into TPX2 low expression group. The 5-year overall survival rate of TPX2 high expression group was significantly lower than that of TPX2 low expression group (P<0.05). Tissues with a NIBP level equal to or higher than the average NIBP level (0.498) were included in the NIBP high expression group, while tissues with a NIBP level below the average were included in the NIBP low expression group. The 5-year overall survival rate of NIBP high expression group was significantly lower than that of NIBP low expression group (P<0.05). TPX2, NIBP, TNM staging, lymph node metastasis, and degree of infiltration were independent prognostic factors affecting overall survival (P<0.05). In conclusion, owing to their high expression in esophageal cancer tissues, TPX2 and NIBP are potentially important biomarkers for the evaluation of TNM stage, metastasis, and prognosis of esophageal cancer.

Backgrounds Free‐wall rupture (FWR) has a high mortality rate. We aimed to find sensitive predictive indicators to identify high‐risk FWR patients by exploring the predictive values of neutrophil percentage‐to‐albumin ratio (NPAR) and monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR) on patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods 76 FWR patients with AMI were collected, and then 228 non‐CR patients with AMI were randomly selected (1:3 ratio) in this retrospective study. The independent influencing factors of FWR were evaluated by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was applied to evaluate the predictive value of NPAR and MLR for FWR. Results According to the results of multivariate logistic regression analysis, emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.094–0.751, p = 0.012), angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) treatment (OR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.044–0.659, p = 0.010), NPAR (OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.031–7.044, p = 0.043), and MLR (OR = 5.99, 95% CI: 2.09–17.168, p = 0.001) were the influencing factors of the FWR patients with AMI, independently. Additionally, the NPAR and MLR were the predictors of FWR patients, with AUC of 0.811 and 0.778, respectively (both p < 0.001). Conclusions In summary, the emergency PCI and ACEI/ARB treatment were independent protective factors for FWR patients with AMI, while the increase of MLR and NPAR were independent risk factors. What's more, NPAR and MLR are good indicators for predicting FWR.