Whether circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can be used as an indicator of treatment response in breast cancer (BC) needs to be clarified. We addressed this issue by a meta-analysis. PubMed, EMBase and Cochrane library databases were searched in June 2016. Effect measures were estimated as pooled risk ratio (RR), odds ratio (OR) or mean difference by fixed- or random-effect models, according to heterogeneity of included studies. In total, 50 studies with 6712 patients were recruited. Overall analysis showed that there was a significant reduction of CTC-positive rate (RR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.61–0.76, P < 0.00001) after treatment. Subgroup analyses revealed that neoadjuvant treatment, adjuvant treatment, metastatic treatment or combination therapy could reduce the CTC-positive rate, but surgery could not; moreover, the reduction was only found in HER2+ or HER2- patients but not in the triple-negative ones. Reduction of CTC-positive rate was associated with lower probability of disease progression (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.33–0.89, P = 0.01) and longer overall survival period (mean difference = 11.61 months, 95% CI: 8.63–14.59, P < 0.00001) as well as longer progression-free survival period (mean difference = 5.07 months, 95% CI: 2.70–7.44, P < 0.0001). These results demonstrate that CTC status can serve as an indicator to monitor the effectiveness of treatments and guide subsequent therapies in BC.

Study Objectives:. To investigate the association between sleep duration and semen parameters as well as reproductive hormone levels.Methods:. We desi

Purpose.: We explored associations between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and genetic variants of 10 genes in a nationwide Chinese population. Methods.: In this multicenter case-control study, 535 AMD patients and 469 controls were recruited from 16 centers that spread from the north to the south of China. All participants underwent comprehensive eye examinations, and 40 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of 10 genes were selected. DNA samples were genotyped with the MassArray system. The effect of the genotypes and haplotypes on AMD was assessed with logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, long-term residence, and family origin. Results.: In our study, 11 SNPs in complement H (CFH), 2 in age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2), and 2 in high-temperature requirement factor A1 (HTRA1) were associated significantly with AMD. They were rs551397, rs800292, rs1329424, rs1061170, rs10801555, rs12124794, rs10733086, rs10737680, rs2274700, rs1410996, and rs380390 in CFH; rs10490924 and rs2736912 in ARMS2; and rs11200638 and rs3793917 in HTRA1. Three haplotypes in CFH, predisposed the patients significantly to AMD (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). With the sample size of our study, no relationship was found for AMD and the SNPs tested in complement 3 (C3); serpin peptidase inhibitor, clade G, member 1 (SERPING1); vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP); lipoprotein lipase (LPL); hepatic lipase (LIPC); and metallopeptidase inhibitor 3 (TIMP3) genes. Conclusions.: Gene variants in CFH, ARMS2, and HTRA1 contribute to AMD in the Chinese population.