Search

The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of glycine thymosin β4 (Gly-Tβ4) eye drops, and to compare the efficacy of topical Gly-Tβ4 with Cyclosporine A (CsA) in a mouse model of experimental dry eye (EDE). Eye drops consisting of balanced salt solution (BSS), 0.1% Gly-Tβ4 or 0.05% CsA were used for treatment of EDE. Tear volume, tear film break-up time and corneal staining scores were measured after 7 and 14 days. Periodic acid-Schiff staining for conjunctival gobleT cells, TUNEL assay for corneal apoptotic positive cells, multiplex immunobead assay for interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ levels, and flow cytometry for CD4+/CCR5+ T cells were performed after 14 days. All clinical parameters showed improvement in the Gly-Tβ4 and CsA groups (all P

Accumulating evidence suggests the CASP gene family is important in the development of carcinogenesis. These genetic polymorphisms have been extensively investigated as a potential risk factor for cancer, but results have been inconclusive. This Human Genome Epidemiology (HuGE) review and meta-analysis was performed to investigate the associations between CASP-1, -2 and -5 and cancer risk. A literature search of Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and CBM databases was conducted from inception through September 1st, 2012. Four case-control studies with a total of 1,592 cancer cases and 1,833 healthy controls were included in the present meta-analysis. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association. Five polymorphisms were examined, including rs501192 (G>A), rs4647297 (C>G), rs507879 (T>C), rs3181320 (G>C) and rs523104 (G>C). Meta-analysis results showed that the rs3181320*C allele/carrier were associated with increased risk of various types of cancers (OR=1.26; 95% CI, 1.04–1.54; P=0.020 and OR=1.33; 95% CI, 1.00–1.75; P=0.047, respectively). However, similar associations were not found in the rs501192, rs4647297, rs507879 and rs523104 polymorphisms (all P>0.05). Results from the current meta-analysis suggest that the rs3181320*C allele/carrier in CASP-5 gene are potential risk factors for cancer.