Background: Although the incidence of colorectal cancer is steadily increasing, screening for colorectal cancer with conventional approaches is not routinely performed in China. Noninvasive screening methods are attractive options to resolve this issue. Syndecan-2 (SDC2) is frequently methylated in colorectal cancer. However, the value of a stool test of methylated SDC2 for the detection of colorectal cancer is unknown. Methods: Methylation status of SDC2 was tested in cell lines and 398 colorectal tissue samples and further evaluated with 497 stool samples, including 196 from colorectal cancer patients, 122 from adenoma patients, and 179 from normal individuals, using real-time methylation-specific PCR. The impacts of one quantitative partial stool sampling device and 17 potentially interfering substances on the performance of fecal methylated SDC2 were also analyzed. SDC2 expression was also measured. Results: SDC2 methylation level was higher in 96.8% (120/124) of colorectal cancer tissues compared with paired adjacent normal epithelia. Stool test of methylated SDC2 detected 81.1% (159/196) of colorectal cancer and 58.2% (71/122) of adenomas at a specificity of 93.3% (167/179). No significant difference was found between partial and whole stool collection on colorectal cancer detection (P > 0.05, R2 = 0.80). Among 17 interfering substances, only berberine at high concentrations inhibited fecal detection of methylated SDC2. SDC2 was overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissues compared with normal epithelia. Conclusions: Fecal methylated SDC2 is a valuable biomarker for the noninvasive detection of colorectal neoplasms. Impact: Stool DNA test of methylated SDC2 would serve as an alternative method for screening colorectal neoplasms. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(9); 1411–9. ©2017 AACR.

Our previous study has shown that reduced insulin resistance (IR) was one of the possible mechanisms for the therapeutic effect of silibinin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in rats. In the present study, we investigated the pathways of silibinin in regulating hepatic glucose production and IR amelioration. Forty-five 4- to 6-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into a control group, an HFD group (high-fat diet for 6 weeks) and an HFD + silibinin group (high-fat diet + 0.5 mg kg^-1·day^-1 silibinin, starting at the beginning of the protocol). Both subcutaneous and visceral fat was measured. Homeostasis model assessment-IR index (HOMA-IR), intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were performed. The expression of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL) and of genes associated with hepatic gluconeogenesis was evaluated. Silibinin intervention significantly protected liver function, down-regulated serum fat, and improved IR, as shown by decreased HOMA-IR and increased ITT slope. Silibinin markedly prevented visceral obesity by reducing visceral fat, enhanced lipolysis by up-regulating ATGL expression and inhibited gluconeogenesis by down-regulating associated genes such as Forkhead box O1, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and glucose-6-phosphatase. Silibinin was effective in ameliorating IR in NAFLD rats. Reduction of visceral obesity, enhancement of lipolysis and inhibition of gluconeogenesis might be the underlying mechanisms.

Background and study aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of erosive esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus in an adult Chinese population without gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. Patients and methods: Between March 2006 and February 2007, consecutive individuals aged between 18 and 75 years, who underwent routine upper endoscopy as part of their regular medical examination were recruited. Demographic and medical information were collected. Erosive esophagitis was defined endoscopically as visible breaks of the distal esophageal mucosa. Barrett’s esophagus was diagnosed endoscopically and confirmed histologically. ”Silent GERD“ was defined when erosive esophagitis and/or Barrett’s esophagus were present in an individual without reflux symptoms. Results: Among the 2580 individuals included, erosive esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus were found in 4.3 % (n = 110) and 1.0 % (n = 27), respectively. In individuals with erosive esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus, 33.6 % and 40.7 %, respectively, were asymptomatic. Thus, the prevalence of erosive esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus in individuals without GERS was 1.6 % and 0.5 %, respectively, giving an overall prevalence of silent GERD of 2.0 % (46 / 2270). Multivariate analysis identified that male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.87, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.24 – 6.66; P = 0.014), hiatus hernia (OR = 9.68, 95 %CI 5.00 – 17.95; P < 0.001), and alcohol consumption (OR = 3.17, 95 %CI 1.44 – 6.97; P = 0.004) were positively associated with erosive esophagitis, whereas Helicobacter pylori infection (OR = 0.37, 95 %CI 0.14 – 0.98; P = 0.046) was negatively associated with erosive esophagitis. Alcohol consumption (OR = 5.32, 95 %CI 1.55 – 13.33; P = 0.008) was positively associated with Barrett’s esophagus in asymptomatic individuals. Conclusion: In this cohort of the adult Chinese population without reflux symptoms, the prevalence of erosive esophagitis and Barrett’s esophagus is 1.6 % and 0.5 %, respectively, with an overall prevalence of silent GERD of 2.0 %. Male sex, hiatus hernia, and alcohol consumption are positively associated with erosive esophagitis, whereas a negative association exists for H. pylori infection. Alcohol consumption is positively associated with Barrett’s esophagus.

Although colonoscopy plays an important role in postoperative surveillance of patients with colorectal cancer, the optimum protocol for colonoscopic surveillance has not been established. Our purpose was to compare the efficacy of 2 different colonoscopic surveillance strategies in terms of both survival and recurrence resectability. Prospective, randomized, controlled trial. A teaching hospital in Sun Yat-sen University. Three hundred twenty-six consecutive patients undergoing radical surgery for colorectal cancer. In the intensive colonoscopic surveillance group (ICS group, n = 165), colonoscopy was performed at 3-month intervals for 1 year, at 6-month intervals for the next 2 years, and once a year thereafter. In the routine colonoscopic surveillance group (RCS group, n = 161), colonoscopy was performed at 6 months, 30 months, and 60 months postoperatively. The 5-year survival rate was 77% in the ICS group and 73% in the RCS group (P > .05). Postoperative colorectal cancer was detected in 13 patients (8.1%) in the ICS group and in 18 patients (11.4%) in the RCS group. In the ICS group, there were more asymptomatic postoperative colorectal cancers (P = .04), more patients had reoperation with curative intent (P = .048), and the probability of survival after postoperative colorectal cancer was higher (P = .03). Lack of detailed characterization of metachronous colorectal adenomas in these patients. Although the patients in the ICS group had more curative operations for postoperative colorectal cancer and survived significantly longer, ICS itself did not improve overall survival.