Prognostic Significance of Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND:In patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms and haplotypes are reported to be associated with survival. We hypothesized that a similar association would be observed in patients with head and neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC). METHODS:In a post-hoc analysis of our previous prospective cohort study, VDR polymorphisms including Cdx2 G/A (rs11568820), FokI C/T (rs10735810), BsmI A/G (rs1544410), ApaI G/T (rs7976091), and TaqI T/C (rs731236) were genotyped by sequencing in 204 consecutive patients with HNSCC who underwent tumor resection. Progression-free survival was compared between VDR polymorphisms using Kaplan-Meier survival curves with log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models adjusting for age, gender, smoking status, primary tumor sites, postoperative stages, existence of residual tumor, and postoperative treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. RESULTS:During a median follow-up of 1,047 days, tumor progression and death occurred in 76 (37.3%) and 27 (13.2%) patients, respectively. The FokI T/T genotype was associated with poor progression-free survival: median survival for T/T was 265 days compared with 1,127 days for C/C or C/T (log-rank test: P = 0.0004; adjusted hazard ratio, 3.03; 95% confidence interval, 1.62 to 5.67; P = 0.001). In contrast, the other polymorphisms (Cdx2, BsmI, ApaI, TaqI) showed no significant association with progression-free survival. The A-T-G (Cdx2-FokI-ApaI) haplotype demonstrated a significant association with a higher progression rate (P = 0.02). CONCLUSION:These results suggest that VDR polymorphisms and haplotypes may be associated with prognosis in patients with HNSCC, although the sample size is not large enough to draw definitive conclusions

Divalent/Monovalent Selectivities and Secondary Interactions of Multibasic Acids on Anion Exchange Resins

The ion exchange equilibria of Br^– on three strongly basic anion exchange resins of different exchange capacities and different cross-linking degrees by five alkanoates (MC_<i>m</i>), a phosphate, and eight alkanedioates (DC_<i>n</i>; <i>m</i>,<i>n</i> = number of carbon atoms) were analyzed, and the selectivity coefficients for their monoanion and dianion, <i>K</i>₁₁ and <i>K</i>₂₁ were evaluated as a function of percent exchange (%E). The decrease in the <i>K</i>₁₁ values of MC_<i>m</i> with an increase in %E was attributed to the interference with hydration of MC_<i>m</i> in the resin phase, while the increase in the <i>K</i>₁₁ values of DC_<i>n</i> to the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between exchanged acidic anions. The log <i>K</i>₂₁ values of DC_<i>n</i> at %<i>E</i> = 0 plotted against <i>n</i> showed the minimum rather than the maximum as described previously. The reason has been discussed in terms of the hydrophobic interaction of DC_<i>n</i> with the polymer matrix, intramolecular hydrogen bonding, and the charge density

Synergistic antioxidative effect of astaxanthin and tocotrienol by co-encapsulated in liposomes

Astaxanthin and vitamin E are both effective antioxidants that are frequently used in cosmetics, as food additives, and in to prevent oxidative damage. A combination of astaxanthin and vitamin E would be expected to show an additive anntioxidative effect. In this study, liposomes co-encapsulating astaxanthin and the vitamin E derivatives α-tocopherol (α-T) or tocotrienols (T3) were prepared, and the antioxidative activity of these liposomes toward singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical was evaluated in vitro. Liposomes co-encapsulating astaxanthin and α-T showed no additive anntioxidative effect, while the actual scavenging activity of liposomes co-encapsulating astaxanthin and T3 was higher than the calculated additive activity. To clarify why this synergistic effect occurs, the most stable structure of astaxanthin in the presence of α-T or α-T3 was calculated. Only α-T3 was predicted to form hydrogen bonding with astaxanthin, and the astaxanthin polyene chain would partially interact with the α-T3 triene chain, which could explain why there was a synergistic effect between astaxanthin and T3 but not α-T. In conclusion, co-encapsulation of astaxanthin and T3 induces synergistic scavenging activity by intermolecular interactions between the two antioxidants

VDR haplotype (Cdx2, Fok<i>I</i>, and Apa<i>I</i>) frequencies and permutation analysis^*2.

*1<p>: Number of permutation was 10,000 times.</p>*2<p>: Analyses were performed using samples from 172 patients.</p

Patients' characteristics stratified by FokI genotype.

*1<p>: P-value was calculated by Mann Whitney test.</p>*2<p>: P-value was calculated by chi-square test.</p

Kaplan-Meier curves of progression-free survival by Fok<i>I</i> polymorphism in 204 patients with HNSCC.

<p>Difference in time until progression was compared between Fok<i>I</i> C/C plus C/T and T/T.</p

Cox proportional hazard models.

<p>*Adjusted for age, gender, smoking status, primary tumor sites, postoperative stages, existence of residual tumor, and postoperative treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.</p><p>HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval.</p