Search

To the Editor: Zhuo et al1 reported interesting observations in vivo about the effects of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition with perindopril on plasma ACE levels and cellular expression of ACE, AT1 receptors, and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms in human blood vessels. Oral ACE inhibition at conventional doses (perindopril 4 mg/d) decreased plasma ACE activity by 70% and vascular ACE immunoactivity to 65% of control subjects detected by immunocytochemistry, and increased endothelial NOS (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) expression in the vascular wall. However, the authors also observed a dramatic 80% increment of the AT1 receptor binding in vascular smooth muscle cells, which might increase the potential of these receptors to counterbalance the beneficial effects of suppressed angiotensin II formation if AT1 receptors were activated by alternative sources of angiotensin II. Whether the overexpression of AT1 receptors may somehow limit, or even reverse, the beneficial effects of ACE inhibitors in specific clinical situations of vascular disease has stimulated the following comments. So far, mostly beneficial vascular effects have been reported in patients treated with ACE inhibitors.2,3 However, 2 recent publications have shown that oral administration …

We recently demonstrated that an allelic polymorphism in the haptoglobin gene is a major determinant of susceptibility to a number of vascular disorders. We set out to determine if haptoglobin phenotype was predictive of the development of restenosis in a consecutive series of patients, all of whom underwent stent implantation followed by repeat angiography with quantitative coronary angiography analysis 6 months later. This study included 214 consecutive patients undergoing stent implantation for de novo lesions between 1998 and 1999 in Aalst, Belgium. All underwent follow-up quantitative coronary angiography analysis 6 months after the procedure. The haptoglobin phenotype was determined by electrophoresis. No significant differences were found between patients segregated by phenotype with respect to clinical, procedural, and angiographic factors previously suggested to influence the development of restenosis. None of the diabetic patients homozygous for the haptoglobin 1 allele developed restenosis compared with a >50% restenosis rate for diabetic patients with at least 1 haptoglobin 2 allele (p

In Europe, bladder cancer (BC) is the sixth most commonly diagnosed tumor and the second most common cause of death among patients with genitourinary tract malignancies. The ability to repair DNA damage is strongly associated with the risk of cancer and inter-individual variation in DNA repair capacity (DRC) might account for different susceptibility of developing cancer. DRC represents a complex marker comprising the sum of several factors such as gene variants, gene expression, stability of gene products, and effect of inhibitors/stimulators. Individuals with low DRC will tend to accumulate more damage than those who have a better ability to repair such damage. This variability is modulated by the genetic background to which SNPs/haplotype combinations in DNA repair genes, as well as epigenetic regulation are likely to contribute. Phenotypic assays to evaluate DNA repair activity (in particular NER comet assay, H2AX phosphorylation and micronucleus assay) were performed on cryopreserved lymphocytes from 159 cases (collected before treatment) and 159 controls matched by age and smoking habits, enrolled in Turin Bladder Cancer Study (TBCS). We aimed at studying the relationship between DRC (evaluated by comet assay, micronuclei and H2AX phosphorylation assay) and bladder cancer integrating, gene expression and epigenetic profile data (methylation levels and microRNA expression). In particular, we performed an integrated analysis on the genotype/phenotype correlation in a population of bladder cancer cases and controls provided with detailed description of the follow-up for response to therapy/recurrence/survival. This integrated approach will help in elucidating the role of DRC (and its determinants) as predictive and prognostic marker and to identify combined biomarkers to be measured in blood cells as non-invasive predictive method. Citation Format: Barbara Pardini, Alessandra Allione, Simonetta Guarrera, Valentina Turinetto, Giovanni Fiorito, Fabio Rosa, Alessia Russo, Federica Modica, Claudia Giachino, Paolo Vineis, Carlotta Sacerdote, Giuseppe Matullo. DNA repair capacity, gene expression and epigenomic profiles in bladder cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5367. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5367

The peculiar position of Sardinia in the Mediterranean sea has rendered its population an interesting biogeographical isolate. The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic population structure, as well as to estimate Runs of Homozygosity and regions under positive selection, using about 1.2 million single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyped in 1077 Sardinian individuals. Using four different methods - fixation index, inflation factor, principal component analysis and ancestry estimation - we were able to highlight, as expected for a genetic isolate, the high internal homogeneity of the island. Sardinians showed a higher percentage of genome covered by RoHs>0.5 Mb (FRoH%0.5) when compared to peninsular Italians, with the only exception of the area surrounding Alghero. We furthermore identified 9 genomic regions showing signs of positive selection and, we re-captured many previously inferred signals. Other regions harbor novel candidate genes for positive selection, like TMEM252, or regions containing long non coding RNA. With the present study we confirmed the high genetic homogeneity of Sardinia that may be explained by the shared ancestry combined with the action of evolutionary forces.

Peripheral blood DNA adducts have been considered an acceptable surrogate for target tissues and possibly predictive of cancer risk. A group of 114 workers exposed to traffic pollution and a random sample of 100 residents were drawn from the EPIC cohort in Florence, a population recently shown to present increased DNA adduct levels (Palli et al., Int J Cancer 2000;87:444-51). DNA bulky adducts and 3 DNA repair gene polymorphisms were analyzed in peripheral leukocytes donated at enrollment, by using (32)P-postlabeling and PCR methods, respectively. Adduct levels were significantly higher for traffic workers among never smokers (p = 0.03) and light current smokers (p = 0.003). In both groups, urban residents tended to show higher levels than those living in suburban areas, and a seasonal trend emerged with adduct levels being highest in summer and lowest in winter. Traffic workers with at least 1 variant allele for XPD-Lys751Gln polymorphism had significantly higher levels in comparison to workers with 2 common alleles (p = 0.02). A multivariate analysis (after adjustment for age, season, area of residence, smoking, XPD-Lys751Gln genotype and antioxidant intake) showed a significant 2-fold association between occupational exposure and higher levels of adducts (odds ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.1-4.2), in agreement with recent pooled estimates of increased lung cancer risk for similar job titles. Our results suggest that traffic workers and the general population in Florence are exposed to high levels of genotoxic agents related to vehicle emissions. Photochemical pollution in warmer months might be responsible for the seasonal trend of genotoxic damage in this Mediterranean urbanized area.

Background A number of reports have investigated the association between various gene polymorphisms and the phenotypic expression of myocardial infarction. No investigations have evaluated the prognostic role of genetic factors in young people with premature coronary disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of genetic factors compared with that of conventional risk factors on follow-up events in a population of Italian young adults with myocardial infarction. Methods and Results: The study population consisted of 106 young patients (mean age 40 ± 4 years, range 23 to 45 years) with diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Clinical and genetic data from the group of patients with events during follow-up were compared with those from patients without events. The following genetic polymorphisms were tested: angiotensin I converting enzyme, angiotensin II type I receptor, apolipoprotein E (ApoE), endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase, and platelet glycoprotein IIIa. Coronary angiography was performed in 94 patients. Coronary angiography showed coronary artery disease in 93% of patients. During follow-up (46 ± 12 months, range 25 to 72) the overall combined end points (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and revascularization procedures) accounted for 21 events. Family history of coronary artery disease, smoking, stenosis of the left anterior descending artery at coronary angiography, and ApoE polymorphism (presence of ϵ4 allele) were significantly more prevalent (univariate analysis) in the group of patients with events. Logistic multivariate analysis showed that ApoE polymorphism ( P =.004, odds ratio [OR] 6.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2 to 22), family history ( P =.005, OR 8.3, 95% CI 2 to 35), smoking after acute myocardial infarction ( P =.008, OR 10.9, 95% CI 2 to 62), and left anterior descending coronary artery disease ( P =.02. OR 6.6, 95% CI 1.3 to 33) were independent predictors of adverse events. Conclusions: Myocardial infarction at a young age is commonly characterized by evidence of multiple cardiovascular risk factors and by a favorable prognosis in short- and medium-term follow-up. Evidence of significant disease at coronary angiography suggests the presence of a premature atherosclerotic process. ApoE polymorphism (presence of ϵ4 allele) appears to be a strong independent predictor of adverse events, suggesting a remarkable influence in the accelerated coronary disease. (Am Heart J 2000;139:979-84.)

Background —Tissue proliferation is almost invariably observed in recurrent lesions within stents, and ACE, a factor of smooth muscle cell proliferation, may play an important role. Plasma ACE level is largely controlled by the insertion/deletion ( I/D ) polymorphism of the enzyme gene. The association among restenosis within coronary stents, plasma ACE level, and the I/D polymorphism is analyzed in the present prospective study. Methods and Results —One hundred seventy-six consecutive patients with successful, high-pressure, elective stenting of de novo lesions in the native coronary vessels were considered. At follow-up angiography, recurrence was observed in 35 patients (19.9%). Baseline clinical and demographic variables, plasma glucose and serum fibrinogen levels, lipid profile, descriptive and quantitative angiographic data, and procedural variables were not significantly different in patients with and without restenosis; mean plasma ACE levels (±SEM) were 40.8±3.5 and 20.7±1.0 U/L, respectively ( P r =.352 and −.387, respectively P D/D genotype, 13 of 80 (16.3%) with I/D genotype, and 1 of 34 (2.9%) with I/I genotype showed recurrence; the restenosis rate for each genotype is consistent with a codominant expression of the allele D . Conclusions —In a selected cohort of patients, both the D/D genotype of the ACE gene, and high plasma activity of the enzyme are significantly associated with in-stent restenosis. Continued study with clinically different subsets of patients and various stent designs is warranted.

Asbestos exposure is the main risk factor for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a rare aggressive tumor. Nevertheless, only 5-17% of those exposed to asbestos develop MPM, suggesting the involvement of other environmental and genetic risk factors. To identify the genetic risk factors that may contribute to the development of MPM, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS; 370,000 genotyped SNPs, 5 million imputed SNPs) in Italy, among 407 MPM cases and 389 controls with a complete history of asbestos exposure. A replication study was also undertaken and included 428 MPM cases and 1269 controls from Australia. Although no single marker reached the genome-wide significance threshold, several associations were supported by haplotype-, chromosomal region-, gene- and gene-ontology process-based analyses. Most of these SNPs were located in regions reported to harbor aberrant alterations in mesothelioma (SLC7A14, THRB, CEBP350, ADAMTS2, ETV1, PVT1 and MMP14 genes), causing at most a 2-3-fold increase in MPM risk. The Australian replication study showed significant associations in five of these chromosomal regions (3q26.2, 4q32.1, 7p22.2, 14q11.2, 15q14). Multivariate analysis suggested an independent contribution of 10 genetic variants, with an Area Under the ROC Curve (AUC) of 0.76 when only exposure and covariates were included in the model, and of 0.86 when the genetic component was also included, with a substantial increase of asbestos exposure risk estimation (odds ratio, OR: 45.28, 95% confidence interval, CI: 21.52-95.28). These results showed that genetic risk factors may play an additional role in the development of MPM, and that these should be taken into account to better estimate individual MPM risk in individuals who have been exposed to asbestos.

To determine whether the limited V gene usage by the T-cell receptor delta (TCRD) chain is dictated by preferential rearrangement or by antigen selection, we characterized and compared the TCRDV gene repertoire of the productive with that of the unprotective allele in 80 human TCRG/TCRD clones. Six different V genes were found on the expressed allele; two of them, provisionally named DV7 and DV8, have not been described before on the surface of TCRG/TCRD T cells. Overall, six V genes and six non-V elements were isolated from the unproductive allele. Interestingly, the same set of genes was rearranged both in the productive and in the unproductive chromosome. These findings seem to suggest that antigen-independent mechanisms play a major role in the restriction of the TCRDV gene repertoire.

Unfortunately, the last line in the first paragraph of ME-4.1 Report on the setting of the biological sample collection; amount of sample; nature of collecting procedures; participant conditions; time between sample collection and relevant clinical or physiological endpoints, ‘‘proteins and cholesterol levels can be lowered by 5–15%’’ should read as ‘‘proteins and cholesterol levels can be increased by 5–15%’’.

Individual DNA repair capacity is modulated by the genetic background to which hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or haplotype combinations in DNA repair genes are likely to contribute. A large number of studies have been published on the association between DNA repair gene polymorphisms and cancer risk, whereas only few small studies investigated the relation between DNA repair phenotypic assays and cancer risk or DNA repair polymorphisms. In order to identify functional SNPs/haplotypes modulating DNA repair phenotypes and to investigate their potential impact on cancer risk, we have performed a genotype-phenotype correlation study evaluating levels of DNA damage and DNA repair capacity in blood cells treated at low doses of different DNA damaging agents. We investigated the association between genotypes/haplotypes and the DNA repair capacity measured with the following DNA repair phenotypic assays on cryopreserved lymphocytes from 225 healthy individuals: Comet assay after treatment with BPDE, phosphorylation of histone H2AX after treatment with γ-rays, OGG1 glycosylase activity, OGG1 and ERCC1 expression levels. Sixty-five DNA repair genes and a total of 768 SNPs have been selected and analysed on the 225 DNA samples by using a custom GoldenGate SNP chip (Illumina). Genotype-phenotype correlation analysis identified some new possible functional variants and haplotypes. We also tested gene-gene interactions, comparing results with existing prior knowledge from different publicly available databases and crossing functional evidence with information on gene expression levels and protein-protein interaction. A confirmation of some already described interplays between different DNA repair pathways have been obtained from SNP analysis and a suggestion of new possible cross-talks have been identified that need further experimental validation. Our results can contribute to identify subjects carrying combinations of less efficient DNA repair variants/haplotypes possibly at increased cancer risk or who can better benefit from anti-cancer therapies. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2739. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2739

Bladder cancer (BC) survival is highly influenced by environmental and predisposing genetic factors. In the last decades growing evidence of the major role played by DNA repair systems in the survival after a BC has been provided. The objectives of the study are to assess the relationship between DNA Repair Genes polymorphisms and survival by treatment in bladder cancer patients. We conducted a hospital-based case-control investigation at S. Giovanni Battista hospital in Turin, where about half of the incident BC in the Turin metropolitan area are treated. Cases are histologically confirmed incident BC patients, male, aged 40 to 75 years and resident in the Turin metropolitan area. Each patient filled in a questionnaire on history of tobacco smoking, occupational history, 24-hours medication use recall and food habits, and provided a blood sample. We followed up BC patients for death and recurrences using municipal registry office, death's certificate, hospital discharge, medical records and pathologists’ reports. In the cohort of BC patients, we genotyped 36 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in 10 DNA Repair Genes. We analyzed survival on BC patients using a Cox proportional-hazards regression model for codominant and per-allele scenario, adjusted for age, stage and grading and stratified by therapy (chemotherapy vs no or other therapies). Chemotherapy group include patients tretated with systemic and local chemotherapy with different therapeutic plans (Carboplatinum doublets, Gencitabin, Epirubicin, etc). We identified 456 BC patients which were followed-up for mortality (median follow-up 62 months). In multivariate analysis both stage and grade predicted the outcome in a statistically significant way, after adjustment for age. Our preliminary analyses showed that the variant alleles in two SNPs in XRCC1 gene (rs 2854509 and rs 3213255) confer a significant lower risk of death and one SNP in ERCC2 gene (rs 171140) confers a significant higher risk of death compared to the wild type (analyses adjusted by age, stage and grading) only in the group of treated with chemotherapy. Our findings suggest a link between DNA repair genes variation and survival in BC patients that become evident only in patients treated with chemotherapy. We hypothesize that levels of DNA adducts or other DNA damages inducted by chemotherapy, are partially due to the individual DNA repair activity, resulting in a different response to chemotherapy and, consequentially, in different survival rates. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4670. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4670

BACKGROUND Common sequence variants in 8q24 and 5p15 chromosomal regions have recently been associated with several cancer types and other pathologies. Notably, for most of them a strong environmental risk component has been described. The aim of this study is to investigate for the first time in a cohort study the association among SNPs in those regions and several diseases. METHODS We conducted the study on Turin EPIC (European Perspective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition) cohort: 10,604 volunteers recruited from 1993 to 1998, aged 35 to 64 years old. Each subject compiled a detailed questionnaire on life style and diet, provided a blood sample and was followed-up for life status, cancer, cardiovascular and diabetes incidence. We selected from literature two SNPs in 5p15 region (rs401681, rs2736098) and five SNPs in 8q24 region (rs672888, rs1447295, rs9642880, rs16901979, rs6983267) which proved to be associated with several diseases in previous studies. We calculated Hazard Ratios for each cancer site and cause of mortality under different genetic models, and incident diabetes Odd Ratios. RESULTS We observed 830 incident cancers (737 excluding skin carcinomas) and 342 overall death in the cohort since 1993. Considering all cancers together, we observed a statistically significant increase in risk when the variant allele in SNP rs6983267 was present (HR 1.19, p We also found statistically significant associations among SNPs in 8q24 region and cancers of head and neck, colon-rectum, liver, lung, prostate, bladder, brain, thyroid, lymphomas, all cancers together and diabetes. We also observed statistically significant results for 5p15 region and melanoma. CONCLUSIONS Our analyses confirm for the first time in a cohort study the hypothesis of a pleiotropic effect on several disease susceptibility of 8q24 and 5p15 regions. We are also investigating if those associations are mediated by individual risk factors (diet, body mass index, smoking and blood pressure). Further functional analyses are needed to better elucidate the mechanisms underlying the risk increase conferred by genetic variation in 8q24 and 5p15 regions. Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4736.

Background: Recent epidemiological studies suggest a reduced cancer incidence and mortality among metformin users. Some studies also assessed treatment with other anti-diabetic drugs, such as insulin, and found an increased risk of cancer. Our aim is to investigate in a large prospective study the possible association between metformin use and other anti-diabetic drugs and the risk of cancer. In order to disentangle the protective effect of metformin from the possible increased risk of other anti-diabetic drugs we will compare diabetic patients treated with metformin to diabetic patients treated with other anti-diabetic drugs and to non-diabetic subjects. Methods: We have requested data on diabetic patients and non-diabetic subjects from 5 different centers in Italy (about 40000 volunteers enrolled), participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. We expect to have approximately 1500 incident and 1000 prevalent diabetic patients. We will adjust our analyses for anthropometric, dietary, and lifestyle factors. Preliminary analyses have been performed on the Turin cohort, including 473 incident and 214 prevalent diabetic patients. We calculated odds ratios (ORs), adjusting for age and sex for diabetic patients developing cancer using metformin compared to diabetic patients not using metformin. Results: Among both incident and prevalent diabetic patients we found a decreased risk of cancer for metformin users versus non-metformin users: OR=0.89, 95%CI=0.25-3.14 and OR=0.61, 95%CI=0.22-1.69 respectively, however, these results were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results seem to suggest a protective effect of metformin, although it is not statistically significant. Using data from all EPIC-Italy centers will increase our power. This will be the largest prospective cohort study investigating the possible association between the use of metformin and other anti-diabetic drugs, and cancer incidence, comparing diabetics to non diabetics and adjusting for different possible confounding factors. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-399.

Nat. Genet. 41, 991–995 (2009); published online 2 August; corrected online 23 August 2009 In the version of this article initially published online, Simonetta Guarrera and Silvia Polidoro were inadvertently omitted from the author list, and an affiliation was omitted for Paolo Vineis. These errors have been corrected in all versions of this article.

PR-7 We conducted a genome-wide SNP association study on 1,803 urinary bladder cancer (UBC) cases and 34,336 controls from Iceland and the Netherlands using Illumina HumanHap300 and HumanCNV370-duo Beadchips. The 10 most significant SNPs were genotyped using Centaurus single track assays in 7 follow up case-control groups (2,165 cases and 3,800 controls) from Italy (Torino and Brescia), the UK, Belgium, Eastern Europe (Hungary, Romania and Slovakia), Sweden and Spain. The strongest association was observed with allele T of rs9642880 on chromosome 8q24, 30 kb upstream of MYC (allele-specific odds ratio (OR) = 1.22; P = 9.34 x 10-12). Approximately 20% of individuals of European ancestry are homozygous for rs9642880[T], and their estimated risk of developing UBC is 1.49 times that of noncarriers. A weaker signal, but nonetheless of genome-wide significance, was captured by rs710521[A] located near TP63 on 3q28 (allele-specific OR = 1.19; P = 1.15 x 10-7). No association was observed between UBC and the four 8q24 variants previously associated with prostate, colorectal and breast cancers, nor did rs9642880 associate with any of these three cancers. Individuals with low risk tumors (i.e. confined to the bladder mucosa and not poorly differentiated) had a higher frequency of rs9642880[T] than individuals with high risk tumors (OR = 1.15, P = 0.011). No difference was found in the frequencies of rs9642880[T] between ever-smoking and never-smoking cases. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):PR-7.

Background: DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus has been repeatedly associated with exposure to smoking from the foetal period onwards. We explored whether DNA methylation may be a mechanism that links exposure to maternal prenatal smoking with offspring's adult cardio-metabolic health.Methods: We meta-analysed the association between DNA methylation at GFI1-locus with maternal prenatal smoking, adult own smoking, and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in 22 population-based studies from Europe, Australia, and USA (n= 18,212). DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus was measured in whole-blood. Multivariable regression models were fitted to examine its association with exposure to prenatal and own adult smoking. DNA methylation levels were analysed in relation to body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), fasting glucose (FG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), diastolic, and systolic blood pressure (BP).Findings: Lower DNA methylation at three out of eight GFI1-CpGs was associated with exposure to maternal prenatal smoking, whereas, all eight CpGs were associated with adult own smoking. Lower DNA methylation at cg14179389, the strongest maternal prenatal smoking locus, was associated with increased WC and BP when adjusted for sex, age, and adult smoking with Bonferroni-corrected P Interpretation: Epigenetic changes at the GFI1 were linked to smoking exposure in-utero/in-adulthood and robustly associated with cardio-metabolic risk factors. Fund: European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 633595 DynaHEALTH. (c) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

We present a meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that the presence of a high level of bulky DNA adducts in tissues is associated with an increased risk of cancer in humans. Seven articles were selected that matched the selection criteria, for a total of 691 cancer patients and 632 control subjects. In five studies the cases had lung cancer, in one oral cancer, and in one bladder cancer. Six studies measured adducts in WBCs and one in normal lung tissue around tumor tissue. Six were case-control investigations, and one was a case-control study on lung cancer nested within a cohort. Current smokers showed a statistically significant difference between cases and controls, with cases having 83% higher levels of adducts than controls (95% confidence interval, 0.44-1.22). Results were negative or contradictory in ex-smokers and nonsmokers. This observation was confirmed by sensitivity analyses. Publication bias does not seem to be a problem. Despite some methodological limitations, our meta-analysis shows that current smokers with high levels of adducts have an increased risk of lung and bladder cancers. This conclusion also suggests that similar (aromatic) compounds may be involved in the etiology of both types of cancer.

Background Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) gene play an important role in the acute myocardial infarction (AMI), however no investigation has been conducted so far in young AMI patients. In this study, we evaluated the influence of TGF-β1 polymorphisms/haplotypes on the onset and progression of AMI in young Italian population. Methods 201 cases and 201 controls were genotyped for three TGF-β1 polymorphisms (G-800A, C-509T and Leu10Pro). The main follow-up end-points (mean follow-up, 107 ± 49 months) were death, myocardial infarction or revascularization procedures. Results Significant risk factors were smoking (p < 10-4), family history for coronary artery disease (p < 10-4), hypercholesterolemia (p = 0.001) and hypertension (p = 0.002). The C-509T and Leu10Pro polymorphisms showed significant differences (p = 0.026 and p = 0.004) between cases and controls. The most common haplotypes revealed a possible protective effect (GCT, OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.57–0.99, p = 0.042) and an increased risk of AMI (GTC, OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.13–2.02, p = 0.005), respectively. No statistical differences were observed in genotype distribution in the follow-up study between the two groups: 61 patients with subsequent events (13 deaths) and 108 without events. Conclusion Even though our results need to be further confirmed in larger studies, this is the first study reporting on a possible role of TGFβ1 common haplotypes in the onset of AMI in young patients.

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with earlier onset of age-related chronic conditions and reduced life-expectancy, but the underlying biomolecular mechanisms remain unclear. Evidence of DNA-methylation differences by SES suggests a possible association of SES with epigenetic age acceleration (AA). We investigated the association of SES with AA in more than 5,000 individuals belonging to three independent prospective cohorts from Italy, Australia, and Ireland. Low SES was associated with greater AA (β = 0.99 years; 95% CI 0.39,1.59; p = 0.002; comparing extreme categories). The results were consistent across different SES indicators. The associations were only partially modulated by the unhealthy lifestyle habits of individuals with lower SES. Individuals who experienced life-course SES improvement had intermediate AA compared to extreme SES categories, suggesting reversibility of the effect and supporting the relative importance of the early childhood social environment. Socioeconomic adversity is associated with accelerated epigenetic aging, implicating biomolecular mechanisms that may link SES to age-related diseases and longevity.

The POLG1 nuclear gene, encoding for the catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial polymerase gamma, has been reported to play a role in male infertility. In fact, genotypes showing alleles different from the common ten repeat CAG allele have been detected in patients with oligozoospermia or in patients with normal spermiograms and unexplained infertility. However, these results have been debated by other studies. To verify these data, we analyzed 625 individuals in three groups of case-controls from three different Italian regions. In these series, the frequency of the different genotypes was not statistically different in oligozoospermic vs normal subjects. Even considering the pooled controls and patients (348 and 277, respectively), no significant difference was shown (p = 0.11). Our findings, in agreement with other studies from Italy and France, suggest that, at least in these countries, the POLG1 CAG-repeat polymorphisms do not contribute to oligozoospermia.

DNA repair genes have an important role in protecting individuals from cancer-causing agents. Polymorphisms in several DNA repair genes have been identified and individuals with non-dramatic reductions in the capacity to repair DNA damage are observed in the population, but the impact of specific genetic variants on repair phenotype and cancer risk has not yet been clarified. In 308 healthy Italian individuals belonging to the prospective European project EPIC, we have investigated the relationship between DNA damage, as measured by (32)P-DNA adduct levels, and three genetic polymorphisms in different repair genes: XRCC1-Arg399Gln (exon 10), XRCC3-Thr241Met (exon 7) and XPD-Lys751Gln (exon 23). DNA adduct levels were measured as relative adduct level (RAL) per 10(9) normal nucleotides by DNA (32)P-post-labelling assay in white blood cells from peripheral blood. Genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP analysis. The XRCC3-241Met variant was significantly associated with higher DNA adduct levels, whereas XRCC1-399Gln and XPD-751Gln were associated with higher DNA adduct levels only in never-smokers. XRCC3-241Met homozygotes had an average DNA adduct level of 11.44 +/- 1.48 (+/-SE) compared with 7.69 +/- 0.88 in Thr/Met heterozygotes and 6.94 +/- 1.11 in Thr/Thr homozygotes (F = 3.206, P = 0.042). Never-smoking XRCC1-399Gln homozygotes had an average DNA adduct level of 15.60 +/- 5.42 compared with 6.16 +/- 0.97 in Gln/Arg heterozygotes and 6.78 +/- 1.10 in Arg/Arg homozygotes (F = 5.237, P = 0.007). A significant odds ratio (3.81, 95% CI 1.02-14.16) to have DNA adduct levels above median value was observed for XPD-751Gln versus XPD-751Lys never-smoking homozygotes after adjustment for several confounders. These data show that all the analysed polymorphisms could result in deficient DNA repair and suggest a need for further investigation into the possible interactions between these polymorphisms, smoking and other risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The aromatic amine 4-aminobiphenyl (4-ABP) is an environmental and occupational contaminant known to be a major etiological agent of human bladder cancer. 4-ABP metabolites are able to form DNA adducts that may induce mutations and initiate bladder carcinogenesis. Cells exposed to 4-ABP may develop resistance to the carcinogen. The aim of the present study was to detect and identify proteins whose expression is altered in the bladder carcinoma RT112 sub-lines selected for acquired resistance to 4-ABP, in order to disentangle the mechanisms. RESULTS: Differential proteome analysis of cell lysates showed an overall perturbation in cell metabolism and energy pathways in the 4-ABP-resistant human urothelial clones, with over-expression of membrane trafficking proteins such as annexin 2. The resistant clones had altered expression of many proteins linked directly (i.e. lamin A/C, programmed cell death 6 interacting protein) or indirectly (i.e. 94 kDa glucose-regulated protein, fatty acid-binding protein) to decreased apoptosis, suggesting that resistance to 4-ABP might be associated with low apoptotic activity. CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that deregulation of apoptosis and membrane trafficking proteins might be strongly implicated in the selection of carcinogen resistant cells. Some of these proteins might have potential as biomarkers of resistance and cancer risk. We thank Dr. Monica Ganzinelli, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, for technical assistance in Western Blot analysis and antibodies gift. We thank Prof. Alberto Bardelli for providing RT112 bladder cancer cell line. This work was supported by Compagnia di San Paolo (Torino), The Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), the Italian Technology and Research Ministry Regione Piemonte and partly by ECNIS (Environmental Cancer Risk, Nutrition and Individual Susceptibility), a network of excellence operating within the European Union 6th Framework Program, Priority 5: "Food Quality and Safety" (Contract No 513943).