Project description:Objectives. Oral verrucous hyperplasia (OVH) is commonly observed in the oral cavity of betel quid chewers that histologically display epithelial hyperplasia with or without dysplasia. Because of the high frequency of synchronous OVH adjacent to oral carcinomas, OVH is considered a potential malignant disorder, and studies of prognostic factors and genetic alterations are required. Materials and Methods. We conducted a follow-up study of 269 OVH patients at Chi-Mei Medical Center. A Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox's proportional-hazards regression model were used to calculate the survival rate and prognostic factors of disease recurrence and transformation. Copy number variations (CNVs) were analyzed using a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array. Results. The 5-year disease-free and cancer-free survival rates of patients with OVH were 52% and 77%, respectively. Heavy betel quid (BQ) chewing (>20 nuts/day), the severity of oral submucosal fibrosis (OSF), and non-buccal and non-tongue lesions were high risk factors for malignant transformation, while dysplasia did not affect outcomes. A genetic analysis showed that OVH already possessed many CNVs present in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and a bioinformatics analysis of CNV-associated genes revealed that the upregulation of CTTN, FOLR3, ORAOV1, PPFIA1, and RNF121 could help identify high-risk OVH patients. Conclusions. BQ-associated OVH has a high malignant potential, and more attention must be paid to OVH patients who have a heavy BQ chewing habit and advanced OSF, and whose tumor is located at non-buccal and non-tongue regions. The five CNV-associated genes can be used for early diagnosis and for predicting the prognosis.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of Homo sapiens inflammatory skin diseases (whole skin biospies): Psoriasis (Pso), vs Atopic Dermatitis (AD) vs Lichen planus (Li), vs Contact Eczema (KE), vs Healthy control (KO) In recent years, different genes and proteins have been highlighted as potential biomarkers for psoriasis, one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases worldwide. However, most of these markers are not psoriasis-specific but also found in other inflammatory disorders. We performed an unsupervised cluster analysis of gene expression profiles in 150 psoriasis patients and other inflammatory skin diseases (atopic dermatitis, lichen planus, contact eczema, and healthy controls). We identified a cluster of IL-17/TNFα-associated genes specifically expressed in psoriasis, among which IL-36γ was the most outstanding marker. In subsequent immunohistological analyses IL-36γ was confirmed to be expressed in psoriasis lesions only. IL-36γ peripheral blood serum levels were found to be closely associated with disease activity, and they decreased after anti-TNFα-treatment. Furthermore, IL-36γ immunohistochemistry was found to be a helpful marker in the histological differential diagnosis between psoriasis and eczema in diagnostically challenging cases. These features highlight IL-36γ as a valuable biomarker in psoriasis patients, both for diagnostic purposes and measurement of disease activity during the clinical course. Furthermore, IL-36γ might also provide a future drug target, due to its potential amplifier role in TNFα- and IL-17 pathways in psoriatic skin inflammation. In recent years, different genes and proteins have been highlighted as potential biomarkers for psoriasis, one of the most common inflammatory skin diseases worldwide. However, most of these markers are not psoriasis-specific but also found in other inflammatory disorders. We performed an unsupervised cluster analysis of gene expression profiles in 150 psoriasis patients and other inflammatory skin diseases (atopic dermatitis, lichen planus, contact eczema, and healthy controls). We identified a cluster of IL-17/TNFα-associated genes specifically expressed in psoriasis, among which IL-36γ was the most outstanding marker. In subsequent immunohistological analyses IL-36γ was confirmed to be expressed in psoriasis lesions only. IL-36γ peripheral blood serum levels were found to be closely associated with disease activity, and they decreased after anti-TNFα-treatment. Furthermore, IL-36γ immunohistochemistry was found to be a helpful marker in the histological differential diagnosis between psoriasis and eczema in diagnostically challenging cases. These features highlight IL-36γ as a valuable biomarker in psoriasis patients, both for diagnostic purposes and measurement of disease activity during the clinical course. Furthermore, IL-36γ might also provide a future drug target, due to its potential amplifier role in TNFα- and IL-17 pathways in psoriatic skin inflammation.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.