Expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1), an interstitial collagenase regulating the extracellular matrix, plays a major role in carcinogenesis of gastric cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide. In literature, the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) promoter -1607 1G/2G (rs1799750) at the MMP1 gene promoter has been reported to alter its own transcription level. While the importance’s of the genotype of MMP1 promoter -1607 has not yet been studied in gastric cancer in Taiwan, our aim was to investigate MMP1 promoter -1607 genotypes and gastric cancer (GC) susceptibility in central Taiwan population. In the current hospital-based case-control study, the contribution of MMP1 promoter -1607 genotypes to GC risk was investigated among 121 GC patients and 363 gender- and age-matched healthy controls recruited and genotyped by the polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) methodology. We found that the genotypic and allelic frequencies were not differentially distributed between GC patient and control groups. The variant 1G containing genotypes have interactions with cigarrete smoking behaviors and Helicobacter pylori infection status, but not alcoholism on GC susceptibility determination. Our findings suggest that the variant 1G allele on MMP1 promoter -1607 may contribute to GC carcinogenesis and may be useful for GC early detection and prevention when combined with cigarrete smoking behaviors and Helicobacter pylori infection status.

Background: This study aimed to investigate skin condition, quality of life, and psychological impact of breast cancer patients after radiation therapy. We designed and administered a questionnaire to breast cancer survivors for better understanding the skin sequelae after radiation therapy. Methods: This study performed an anonymous online survey. Invitation join was posted in Facebook groups for Breast Cancer. Content of the questionnaire included basic information and a three-point scale on the degree of skin dryness, sweating, hotness sensation, itchy sensation, presence of pigment deposition, history of severe skin disorder, psychological impact, and quality of life after radiotherapy. Categorical variables were summarized using counts and percentages, and then Mantel–Haenszel chi-square tests, multiple correspondence analysis, Wald chi-square statistics, and logistic regression analyses were performed; P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In total, 421 breast cancer survivors completed the questionnaire. Among them, 331 (78.62%) reported rarely sweating; 340 (80.76%) reported dry skin; 184 (43.71%) reported itchy skin in addition to dry skin; 336 (79.81%) had severe or mild skin color deposition; and 76 (18.05%) had eczema or contact dermatitis. Dry skin problems were caused by absent sweating and skin dryness in the irradiated skin area, post-RT severe skin disorders, and skin color deposition. Compared with patients sweating normally in the radiation field, patients with absent sweating and hotness sensation in the radiation field had a higher risk of depression. Conclusions: This study showed that breast cancer patients after whole breast radiotherapy may experience skin dryness, hypersensitivity and hyper pigmentation in the irradiated skin area. These “radiation-irritated skin” lesions may induce depressive psychological status and impact the quality of life in breast cancer patients after whole breast radiotherapy.

Background/Aim: Evidence exists that oxidative stress and oxidative damage play a pivotal role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) extracted from grape seeds have been shown to exhibit antioxidant capabilities greater than those of vitamin C and E. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of OPCs on antioxidant status and lung function in patients with COPD. Patients and Methods: Patients were supplemented with 150 mg/day OPC (n=13) orally or with a placebo (n=14) for 8 weeks in a randomized double-blind clinical design. Changes in anthropometric values, lung function, oxidative state, and lipid profiles were assessed after OPC or placebo treatment for 8 weeks. Results: The results showed that OPC supplementation significantly reduced the concentration of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, and total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio. The concentration of HDL-C significantly increased in the OPC-treated group. The plasma triglyceride, TC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol values and the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase also decreased, but did not significantly differ between the OPC- and placebo-treated groups. Lung function was not significantly different between the two groups after 8 weeks. Conclusion: OPC supplementation was effective in increasing the antioxidant capacity, in addition to improving the lipid profiles in patients with COPD.

The tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are a family of multifunctional proteins which have been shown to be upregulated in various types of cancers. However, the contribution of TIMPs in breast cancer is not fully understood, not to mention triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This study's aim was to evaluate the contribution of TIMP-1 rs4898, rs6609533, and rs2070584 genotypes to the risk of breast cancer, especially the subtype of TNBC. The contributions of these TIMP-1 genotypes to cancer risk were examined among 1232 breast cancer patients and 1232 healthy controls, and several clinicopathologic factors were also analyzed. The results showed that the percentages of CC, CT, and TT of TIMP-1 rs4898 were differentially distributed at 28.5%, 33.1% and 38.4% in the breast cancer patient group and 34.5%, 41.0% and 24.5% in the control group, respectively (P for trend = 7.99*10(-13)). It was also found that the CC genotype carriers were of increased risk for breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.90, 95% confidence interval = 1.55-2.33, P = 0.0001) than the TT genotype carriers. In addition, we analyzed the allelic frequency distributions of all three TIMP-1s, and the results showed that the C allele of TIMP-1 rs4898 contributes to an increase in breast cancer susceptibility (P = 2.41*10(-12)). On the other hand, there was no difference found in the distribution of genotypic or allelic frequencies among the patients and the controls for TIMP-1 rs6609533 and rs2070584. Thus, it is our conclusion that the CC genotype of TIMP-1 rs4898 compared to the TT wild-type genotype may increase the risk for breast cancer, especially TNBC in Taiwan, and may serve as an early detective and predictive marker.