Figure 2

NKX6.3 expression in gastric mucosae. (a) In real-time PCR assay, reduced expression of NKX6.3 mRNA was found in 28 (51%) of the 55 gastric mucosae. The mean value of mRNA expression in gastric mucosae without H. pylori infection, atrophy, and intestinal metaplasia was used as a control. mRNA expression change in each case was further normalized to the mean value of those in control gastric mucosae and reduced NKX6.3 expression was defined as <0.5 fold change. (b) In scatter plot analysis, NKX6.3 mRNA expression was closely associated with mononuclear cell infiltration (Student's t-test, P=0.0001), atrophy (P=0.0274), and intestinal metaplasia (P<0.0001) but not with granulocytic infiltration (P=0.3550). (c) Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis using NKX6.3 to distinguish patients with atrophy and intestinal metaplasia from human gastric mucosal tissues. NKX6.3 yielded an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.6892 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.5463–0.8321; P=0.02386) and 0.9414 (95% CI, 0.8847–0.9981; P<0.0001) in distinguishing atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, respectively. (d) Scatter plot analysis showed that CDX2 mRNA expression was closely associated with mononuclear cell infiltration (Student's t-test, P=0.0038), atrophy (P=0.0038) and intestinal metaplasia (P<0.0001) but not with granulocytic infiltration (P=0.9173). MNC, mononuclear cell; IM, intestinal metaplasia; PMN, polymorphonuclear leukocytes. (e) Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis using CDX2 to distinguish patients with atrophy and intestinal metaplasia. CDX2 yielded an AUC value of 0.7613 (95% CI, 0.6250–0.8976; P=0.0018) and 0.9971 (95% CI, 0.9895–1.005; P<0.0001) in distinguishing atrophy and intestinal metaplasia, respectively. IM, intestinal metaplasia; MNC, mononuclear cell; PMN, polymorphonuclear leukocytes.