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Problem-based learning (PBL) is defined as a student-centered pedagogy which can provide learners more opportunities for application of knowledge acquired from basic science to the working situations than traditional lecture-based learning (LBL) method. In China, PBL is increasingly popular among preventive medicine educators, and multiple studies have investigated the effectiveness of PBL pedagogy in preventive medicine education. A pooled analysis based on 15 studies was performed to obtain an overall estimate of the effectiveness of PBL on learning outcomes of preventive medicine. Overall, PBL was associated with a significant increase in students' theoretical examination scores (SMD = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.41-0.83) than LBL. For the attitude- and skill-based outcomes, the pooled PBL effects were also significant among learning attitude (OR = 3.62, 95% CI = 2.40-5.16), problem solved skill (OR = 4.80, 95% CI = 2.01-11.46), self-directed learning skill (OR55.81, 95% CI53.11-10.85), and collaborative skill (OR54.21, 95% CI5 0.96-18.45). Sensitivity analysis showed that the exclusion of a single study did not influence the estimation. Our results suggest that PBL of preventive medicine education in China appears to be more effective than LBL in improving knowledge, attitude and skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human murine double minute 2 (MDM2) is known as an oncoprotein through inhibiting P53 transcriptional activity and mediating P53 ubiquitination. Therefore, the amplification of MDM2 may attenuate the P53 pathway and promote tumorigenesis. The SNP309 T>G polymorphism (rs2279744), which is located in the intronic promoter ofMDM2 gene, was reported to contribute to the increased level of MDM2 protein. In this hospital-based case-control study, which consisted of 573 cases and 588 controls, we evaluated the association between MDM2 SNP309 and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Chinese population by using the TaqMan method to genotype the polymorphism.Wefound that theMDM2 SNP309 polymorphism was significantly associated with CRC risk. In addition, in our meta-analysis, we found a significant association betweenMDM2 SNP309 and CRC risk among Asians, which was consistent with our results. In conclusion, we demonstrated that theMDM2 SNP309 polymorphism increased the susceptibility of CRC in Asian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine involved in different physiologic and pathophysiologic processes and plays important roles in the etiology of cancer. The −174G>C polymorphism of the IL-6 gene influences IL-6 transcription and has been implicated in cancer risk. However, published data have been conflicting. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis of 29,377 cancer cases and 37,739 controls from 50 published case-control studies was performed. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between −174G>C polymorphism and cancer risk. Overall meta-analysis indicated that no association was found between −174G>C genotypes and cancer risk. However, the positive association was found in bladder cancer (OR = 4.33, 95% CI: 1.93-9.71 for CC vs. GC, OR = 2.81, 95% CI: 1.39-5.68 for CC vs. GG, and OR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.32-3.64 for CC vs. GG/GC), and among Asians (OR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.07-4.06 for CC vs. GG, and OR = 2.20, 95% CI: 1.02-4.74 for CC vs. GG/GC) and Africans (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.07-2.42 for GC vs. GG). This meta-analysis showed the evidence that the −174G>C of the IL-6 gene was a low-penetrance susceptibility gene for bladder cancer. Further larger, perferably prospective studies are needed to confirm this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potentially functional polymorphism, rs763110 (−844C>T), in the promoter region of the FAS ligand (FASL) gene, has been implicated in cancer risk, but individually published studies show inconclusive results. To derive a more precise estimation of the association between the FASL rs763110 and risk of cancer, we performed a meta-analysis of 19 published studies that included 11 105 cancer cases and 11 372 controls. We used odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the strength of the associations. Overall, the rs763110 CT and TT variant genotypes were associated with a significantly reduced cancer risk of all cancer types in different genetic models (homozygote comparison: OR=0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.95, Pheterogeneity=0.001; heterozygote comparison: OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.72–0.95, Pheterogeneity<0.001; dominant model comparison: OR=0.82, 95% CI: 0.71–0.94, Pheterogeneity<0.001; and recessive model comparison: OR=0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.96, Pheterogeneity=0.074). In the stratified analyses, the risk remained for studies of the smoking-related cancers and Asian populations, or population-based studies in all the genetic models. Although some modest bias could not be eliminated, this meta-analysis suggests that the FASL rs763110 T allele has a possible protective effect on cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]