Angelica polysaccharides relieve blood glucose levels in diabetic KKAy mice possibly by modulating gut microbiota: an integrated gut microbiota and metabolism analysis

BACKGROUND

Angelica polysaccharides (AP) have numerous benefits in relieving type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the underlying mechanisms have yet to be fully understood. Recent many reports have suggested that altering gut microbiota can have adverse effects on the host metabolism and contribute to the development of T2D. Here, we successfully established the T2D model using the male KKAy mice with high-fat and high-sugar feed. Meanwhile, the male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a normal feed. T2D KKAy mice were fed either with or without AP supplementation. In each group, we measured the mice's fasting blood glucose, weight, and fasting serum insulin levels. We collected the cecum content of mice, the gut microbiota was analyzed by targeted full-length 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing and metabolites were analyzed by untargeted-metabolomics.

RESULTS

We found AP effectively alleviated glycemic disorders of T2D KKAy mice, with the changes in gut microbiota composition and function. Many bacteria species and metabolites were markedly changed in T2D KKAy mice and reversed by AP. Additionally, 16 altered metabolic pathways affected by AP were figured out by combining metagenomic pathway enrichment analysis and metabolic pathway enrichment analysis. The key metabolites in 16 metabolic pathways were significantly associated with the gut microbial alteration. Together, our findings showed that AP supplementation could attenuate the diabetic phenotype. Significant gut microbiota and gut metabolite changes were observed in the T2D KKAy mice and AP intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Administration of AP has been shown to improve the composition of intestinal microbiota in T2D KKAy mice, thus providing further evidence for the potential therapeutic application of AP in the treatment of T2D.

Single-cell RNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq explore the prognostic value of exhausted T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a worldwide health problem. Mounting evidence indicates that exhausted T cells play a critical role in the progress and treatment of HCC. Therefore, a detailed characterisation of exhausted T cells and their clinical significance warrants further investigation in HCC. Based on the GSE146115, we presented a comprehensive single-cell Atlas in HCC. Pseudo-time analysis revealed that tumour heterogeneity progressively increased, and the exhausted T cells gradually appeared during tumour progression. Functional enrichment analysis revealed that the evolutionary process of exhausted T cells mainly contained the pathway of cadherin binding, proteasome, cell cycle, and T cell receptor regulation of apoptosis. In the International Cancer Genome Consortium database, we divided patients into three clusters with the T cell evolution-associated genes. We found that the exhausted T cells are significantly related to poor outcomes through immunity and survival analysis. In The Cancer Genome Atlas database, the authors enrolled weighted gene co-expression network analysis, univariate Cox analysis, and Lasso Cox analysis, then screened the 19 core genes in T cells evolution and built a robust prognostic model. This study offers a fresh view on evaluating the patients' outcomes from an exhausted T cells perspective and might help clinicians develop therapeutic systems.

Copper in cancer: from limiting nutrient to therapeutic target

As an essential nutrient, copper's redox properties are both beneficial and toxic to cells. Therefore, leveraging the characteristics of copper-dependent diseases or using copper toxicity to treat copper-sensitive diseases may offer new strategies for specific disease treatments. In particular, copper concentration is typically higher in cancer cells, making copper a critical limiting nutrient for cancer cell growth and proliferation. Hence, intervening in copper metabolism specific to cancer cells may become a potential tumor treatment strategy, directly impacting tumor growth and metastasis. In this review, we discuss the metabolism of copper in the body and summarize research progress on the role of copper in promoting tumor cell growth or inducing programmed cell death in tumor cells. Additionally, we elucidate the role of copper-related drugs in cancer treatment, intending to provide new perspectives for cancer treatment.

Prognostic and Immunological Significance of the Molecular Subtypes and Risk Signatures Based on Cuproptosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a challenging medical problem. Cuproptosis is a novel form of cell death that plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis, angiogenesis, and metastasis. However, it remains unclear whether cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) influence the outcomes and immune microenvironment of HCC patients.

Method

From The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) databases, we obtained the mRNA expression file and related clinical information of HCC patients. We selected 19 CRGs as candidate genes for this study according to previous literature. We performed a differential expression analysis of the 19 CRGs between malignant and precancerous tissue. Based on the 19 CRGs, we enrolled cluster analysis to identify cuproptosis-related subtypes of HCC patients. A prognostic risk signature was created utilizing univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analyses. We employed independent and stratification survival analyses to investigate the predictive value of this model. The functional enrichment features, mutation signatures, immune profile, and response to immunotherapy of HCC patients were also investigated according to the two molecular subtypes and the prognostic signature.

Results

We found that 17 CRGs significantly differed in HCC versus normal samples. Cluster analysis showed two distinct molecular subtypes of cuproptosis. Cluster 1 is preferentially related to poor prognosis, high activity of immune response signaling, high mutant frequency of TP53, and distinct immune cell infiltration versus cluster 2. Through univariate and LASSO Cox regression analyses, we created a cuproptosis-related prognostic risk signature containing LIPT1, DLAT, MTF1, GLS, and CDKN2A. High-risk HCC patients were shown to have a worse prognosis. The risk signature was proved to be an independent predictor of prognosis in both the TCGA and ICGC datasets, according to multivariate analysis. The signature also performed well in different stratification of clinical features. The immune cells, which included regulatory T cells (Treg), B cells, macrophages, mast cells, NK cells, and aDCs, as well as immune functions containing cytolytic activity, MHC class I, and type II IFN response, were remarkably distinct between the high-risk and low-risk groups. The tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) score suggested that high-risk patients had a higher response rate to immune checkpoint inhibitors than low-risk patients.

Conclusion

This research discovered the potential prognostic and immunological significance of cuproptosis in HCC, improved the understanding of cuproptosis, and may deliver new directions for developing more efficacious therapeutic techniques for HCC patients.

Construction and Validation of a Protein-associated Prognostic Model for Gastrointestinal Cancer

Background Gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) is a prevalent and lethal malignant tumor. It is obligatory to investigate innovative biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis. Proteins play a crucial role in regulating the occurrence and progression of GIC. However, the prognostic value of proteins is unclear in GIC.

OBJECTIVE

This paper aims to identify the hub prognosis-related proteins (PAPs) and construct a prognosis model for GIC patients for clinical application.

METHODS

Protein expression data of GIC was obtained from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) and downloaded the clinicopathological data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). Besides, hub proteins were filtrated via univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Moreover, survival analysis and nomogram were used to predict overall survival (OS). We used the calibration curves to assess the consistency of predictive and actual survival rates. The consistency index (C-index) was used to evaluate the prognostic ability of the predictive model. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis and protein co-expression of PAPs were used to explore their roles in GIC.

RESULTS

Finally, a prognosis model was conducted based on ten PAPs (CYCLIND1, DVL3, NCADHERIN, SYK, ANNEXIN VII, CD20, CMET, RB, TFRC, and PREX1). The risk score calculated by the model was an independent prognostic predictor. Compared with the high-risk subgroup, the low-risk subgroup had better OS. In the TCGA cohort, the area under the curve value of the receiver operating characteristic curve of the prognostic model was 0.692. The expression of proteins and risk score had a significant association with the clinicopathological characteristics of GIC. Besides, a nomogram based on GIC clinicopathological features and risk scores could properly predict the OS of individual GIC patients. The C-index is 0.71 in the TCGA cohort and 0.73 in the GEO cohort.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the risk score is an independent prognostic biomarker and is related to the malignant clinical features of GIC patients. Besides, several PAPs associated with the survival and clinicopathological characteristics of GIC might be potential biomarkers for GIC diagnosis and treatment.

Role of gasdermin family proteins in the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma

Primary liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer, accounting for 75%–85% of cases. The occurrence and progression of HCC involve multiple events. Pyroptosis is a gasdermins mediated programmed cell death and is intricately associated with cancerogenesis, including HCC. This review mainly concerns the recent research advances of the gasdermin family members in HCC. The biological roles and specific expression patterns of the family members are discussed, especially those that are involved in the regulatory pathways in the occurrence and progression of HCC. We provide the latest progress into the distinct molecular mechanisms of gasdermin family members involved in the occurrence and development of HCC.

Construction and validation of m6 A RNA methylation regulators associated prognostic model for gastrointestinal cancer

N6-methyladenosine (m⁶ A) RNA methylation is correlated with carcinogenesis and dynamically possessed through the m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators. This paper aimed to explore 13 m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators' role in gastrointestinal cancer (GIC) and determine the risk model and prognosis value of m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators in GIC. We used several bioinformatics methods to identify the differential expression of m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators in GIC, constructed a prognostic model, and carried out functional enrichment analysis. Eleven of 13 m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators were differentially expressed in different clinicopathological characteristics of GIC, and m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators were nearly associated with GIC. We constructed a risk model based on five m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators (METTL3, FTO, YTHDF1, ZC3H13, and WTAP); the risk score is an independent prognosis biomarker. Moreover, the five m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators can also forecast the 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival through a nomogram. Furthermore, four hallmarks of oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, fatty acid metabolism, and cholesterol homoeostasis gene sets were significantly enriched in GIC. m⁶ A RNA methylation regulators were related to the malignant clinicopathological characteristics of GIC and may be used for prognostic stratification and development of therapeutic strategies.

Construction and validation of an RNA-binding protein-associated prognostic model for colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent and fatal malignancies, and novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC must be identified. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are essential modulators of transcription and translation. They are frequently dysregulated in various cancers and are related to tumorigenesis and development. The mechanisms by which RBPs regulate CRC progression are poorly understood and no clinical prognostic model using RBPs has been reported in CRC. We sought to identify the hub prognosis-related RBPs and to construct a prognostic model for clinical use. mRNA sequencing and clinical data for CRC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA). Gene expression profiles were analyzed to identify differentially expressed RBPs using R and Perl software. Hub RBPs were filtered out using univariate Cox and multivariate Cox regression analysis. We used functional enrichment analysis, including Gene Ontology and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, to perform the function and mechanisms of the identified RBPs. The nomogram predicted overall survival (OS). Calibration curves were used to evaluate the consistency between the predicted and actual survival rate, the consistency index (c-index) was calculated, and the prognostic effect of the model was evaluated. Finally, we identified 178 differently expressed RBPs, including 121 up-regulated and 57 down-regulated proteins. Our prognostic model was based on nine RBPs (PNLDC1, RRS1, HEXIM1, PPARGC1A, PPARGC1B, BRCA1, CELF4, AEN and NOVA1). Survival analysis showed that patients in the high-risk subgroup had a worse OS than those in the low-risk subgroup. The area under the curve value of the receiver operating characteristic curve of the prognostic model is 0.712 in the TCGA cohort and 0.638 in the GEO cohort. These results show that the model has a moderate diagnostic ability. The c-index of the nomogram is 0.77 in the TCGA cohort and 0.73 in the GEO cohort. We showed that the risk score is an independent prognostic biomarker and that some RBPs may be potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of CRC.

A pan-cancer analysis of the HER family gene and their association with prognosis, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic targets

AIMS

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family gene is involved in a wide range of biological functions in human cancers. Nevertheless, there is little research that comprehensively analysis the correlation between HER family members and prognosis, tumor microenvironment (TME) in different cancers.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Based on updated public databases and integrated several bioinformatics analysis methods, we evaluated expression level, prognostic values of HER family gene and explore the association between expression of HER family gene and TME, Stemness score, immune subtype, drug sensitivity in pan-cancer.

KEY FINDINGS

EGFR, ERBB2, ERBB3, and ERBB4 were higher expressed in four cancers, five cancers, ten cancers, and two cancers, respectively. HER family gene expression is related to the prognosis in several cancers from TCGA and has a significant correlation with stromal and immune scores in pan-cancer also has a significant correlation with RNA stemness score and DNA stemness score in pan-cancer. Expression level of HER family gene is associated with immune subtype in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and kidney renal clear cell carcinoma. EGFR expression was negatively associated with drug sensitivity of Pipamperone, Tamoxifen, Bafetinib and positively related to drug sensitivity of Dasatinib and Staurosporine. ERBB2 expression was negatively related to drug sensitivity of Ifosfamide, Imexon, and Oxaliplatin. ERBB4 expression was positively related to drug sensitivity of E-7820.

SIGNIFICANCE

These findings may elucidate the roles played by HER family gene in cancer progression and providing insights for further investigation of the HER family gene as potential targets in pan-cancer.

Prognostic value and immunological role of PDCD1 gene in pan-cancer

OBJECTIVE

Identify the prognostic value and investigate the association between programmed cell death 1 (PDCD1) gene expression and immune infiltration in pan-cancer.

METHODS

We used a series of bioinformatics methods to comprehensively analyze the relationship between PDCD1 gene and prognosis, tumor mutational burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), immune cell infiltration of various cancers from the existing public database, and try to find the potential prognostic value of PDCD1 for in pan-cancer.

RESULTS

High expression of PDCD1 was closely related to better overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in breast invasive carcinoma, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, skin cutaneous melanoma, and uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma; have a better disease-free interval (DFI) and progression-free interval (PFI) in several cancer types. Meanwhile, the high level of PDCD1 gene expression was associated with poorer OS, DSS, and PFI in brain lower grade glioma and uveal melanoma; poorer OS in acute myeloid leukemia and kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma; poorer OS and DSS in glioblastoma multiforme; poorer DSS in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma, by Kaplan-Meier and Cox survival analysis. PDCD1 gene expression was significantly correlated with TMB and MSI in 14 and 12 cancer types, respectively, and infiltrating levels of immune cells, especially Macrophages M0, M1, CD4-T-cells, CD8-T-cells, and T cells follicular helper, in most of eight cancer types.

CONCLUSION

PDCD1 can be used as a prognostic marker in multiple cancers, owing to it is closely associated with TMB, MSI, and immune cells infiltration.

Construction prognosis model based on autophagy-related gene signatures in hepatocellular carcinoma

Aim: To develop robust and accurate prognostic biomarkers to help clinicians optimize therapeutic strategies. Materials & methods: Differentially prognosis-related autophagy genes were identified by bioinformatics analysis method. Results: Seven prognosis-related autophagy genes were more significantly related to the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Functional enrichment analysis demonstrated that these genes were mainly enriched in the autophagy pathway. BIRC5, HSPB8 and TMEM74 exhibited significant prognostic value for HCC. Besides, the risk score and BIRC5 have significant significance with clinicopathological significance of HCC. Conclusion: The research has identified a number of prognosis-related autophagy genes that associated with the survival and clinical stage of HCC. In addition, the prognostic model can be used to calculate the patient's risk score and these prognosis-related autophagy genes might serve as therapeutic targets.

Prognostic implications of metabolism-associated gene signatures in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common and deadly malignancies. Novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of this disease must be identified. Besides, metabolism plays an essential role in the occurrence and development of CRC. This article aims to identify some critical prognosis-related metabolic genes (PRMGs) and construct a prognosis model of CRC patients for clinical use. We obtained the expression profiles of CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (TCGA), then identified differentially expressed PRMGs by R and Perl software. Hub genes were filtered out by univariate Cox analysis and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator Cox analysis. We used functional enrichment analysis methods, such as Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis, to identify involved signaling pathways of PRMGs. The nomogram predicted overall survival (OS). Calibration traces were used to evaluate the consistency between the actual and the predicted survival rate. Finally, a prognostic model was constructed based on six metabolic genes (NAT2, XDH, GPX3, AKR1C4, SPHK1, and ADCY5), and the risk score was an independent prognostic prognosticator. Genetic expression and risk score were significantly correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics of CRC. A nomogram based on the clinicopathological feature of CRC and risk score accurately predicted the OS of individual CRC cancer patients. We also validated the results in the independent colorectal cancer cohorts GSE39582 and GSE87211. Our study demonstrates that the risk score is an independent prognostic biomarker and is closely correlated with the malignant clinicopathological characteristics of CRC patients. We also determined some metabolic genes associated with the survival and clinical stage of CRC as potential biomarkers for CRC diagnosis and treatment.

Adoptive immunotherapy with interleukin-2 & induced killer cells in non-small cell lung cancer: A systematic review & meta-analysis

Background & objectives:

The effectiveness of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and induced killer cells for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is controversial. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of interleukin-2 and induced killer cells on NSCLC, so as to provide references for further clinical practice and research.

Methods:

Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in Cochrane library (Issue 2, 2013), Web of Science (1980-March 2013), PubMed (1966-March 2013), China Knowledge Resource Integrated database (CNKI) (1994-March 2013), China Biology Medicine database (CBM) (1978-March 2013), VIP (1989-March 2013), and Wan Fang databases (1997-March 2013). There were no language restrictions. After independent quality assessment and data extraction by two authors, meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.1 software.

Results:

Ten RCTs were included. Odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CI), P value expressed as test group (interleukin-2 or induced killer cells combined chemotherapy) versus control group (chemotherapy alone), was 2.02 (1.24, 3.29; P=0.004) for disease control rate. Hazard ratios (HR) (95% CI; P value), expressed as test group (interleukin-2 or induced killer cells) versus control group, were 0.60 (0.46, 0.79; P=0.0003) for overall survival of postoperative treatment, and 0.77 (0.60, 0.99; P =0.04) for overall survival of combination with chemotherapy. Mean differences (MD) (95% CI; P value), expressed as test group (interleukin-2 or induced killer cells) versus control group (after treatment), were 11.32 (6.32, 16.33; P=0.00001) for NK cells, 11.79 (2.71, 20.86; P=0.01) for CD3+ cells, 14.63 (2.62, 26.64; P=0.02) for CD4+ cells, and -4.49 (-7.80, 1.18; P=0.008) for CD8+ cells.

Interpretation & conclusions:

The meta-analysis showed that IL-2 or induced killer cells combination therapy was efficacious in treating NSCLC and improved overall survival. Further analysis of trials having adequate information and data need to be done to confirm these findings.

Vitamin D Status and the Risk of Recurrent Stroke and Mortality in Ischemic Stroke Patients: Data from a 24-Month Follow-Up Study in China

PURPOSE

In this study, we determined serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH) D] levels in serum, and investigated their associations with risk of recurrent stroke and mortality in a 24-month follow up study in Chinese patients with first-ever ischemic stroke.

METHODS

In this preplanned post hoc analysis, serum levels of 25(OH) D and NIH stroke scale (NIHSS) were measured at the time of admission in a cohort of patients with ischemic stroke. We used logistic regression model to assess the relationship between 25(OH) D levels and risk recurrent stroke or mortality.

RESULTS

The follow-up rate was 98.2% in 220 stroke patients. Of 216 patients, 18.5% (95%CI: 13.3%-23.7%) patients had a stroke recurrence, and 30.1% (95% CI: 24.0%-36.2%) died. After adjustment for traditional risk factors, serum 25(OH) D levels were negatively associated with the risk of stroke recurrence (odds ratio [OR], 0.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70-0.85; P < 0.001) and negatively associated with mortality during 24 months of follow-up (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64-0.80; P< 0.001). Compared with the first quartile of serum 25(OH) D levels, the ORs for stroke recurrence and mortality were as follows: second quartile, 0.80 (95% CI, 0.63-0.93) and 0.77 (95% CI, 0.65-0.89); third quartile, 0.42 (95% CI, 0.31-0.55) and 0.39 (95% CI, 0.30-0.52); fourth quartile, 0.12 (95% CI, 0.07-0.19) and 0.10 (95% CI, 0.06-0.15), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower serum levels of 25(OH) D are independently associated with the stroke recurrence and mortality at 24 months in ischemic stroke patients.

Characterization of Craniocervical Artery Dissection by Simultaneous MR Noncontrast Angiography and Intraplaque Hemorrhage Imaging at 3T

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Craniocervical artery dissection is the most common cause of ischemic stroke identified in young adults. For the diagnosis of craniocervical artery dissection, multisequence MR imaging is recommended but is time-consuming. Recently, investigators proposed a simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging technique allowing simultaneous noncontrast MRA and vessel wall imaging in a single scan. This study sought to investigate the feasibility of 3D simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage MR imaging in the characterization of craniocervical artery dissection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-four symptomatic patients (mean age, 45.0 ± 16.1 years; 21 men) with suspected craniocervical artery dissection were recruited. The 3D simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage 3D TOF MRA and black-blood imaging sequences were performed on a 3T MR imaging scanner. The agreement between simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging and multisequence MR imaging in evaluating arterial dissection was determined.

RESULTS

Dissection was found to involve 1 artery in 22 patients and 2 arteries in 2 patients. The intramural hematoma and luminal occlusion were detected in 19 (79.2%) and 11 (45.8%) patients, respectively. In measuring stenosis, the Cohen κ value between 3D TOF MRA and simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging was 0.82 (P < .001). All intramural hematomas on multisequence imaging were successfully identified by simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging.

CONCLUSIONS

3D simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging showed excellent agreement with multisequence MR imaging in evaluating luminal stenosis and intramural hematoma in patients with craniocervical artery dissection. The simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging saved nearly 50% of scanning time compared with multisequence MR imaging. Our findings suggest that 3D simultaneous noncontrast angiography and intraplaque hemorrhage imaging might be an alternative, time-efficient diagnostic tool for craniocervical artery dissection.

[The progress of magnetic nanomaterials in application of biomedicine]

Magnetic nanomaterials is widely used in medical diagnosis, drug delivery, biomedical and other fields due to their unique structure and excellent properties. The magnetic nanometer material in biomedical applications, such as biological separation and purification, application of controlled drug release and magnetic resonance imaging are reviewed in the present paper, and the development trend of magnetic nanomaterials is also forecasted.

Relationship between PTEN and VEGF expression and clinicopathological characteristics in HCC

To investigate the expressions and significance of the tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten protein (PTEN) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to analyze the relationship between their expressions and the tumor's invasion and their peri-carcinomatous tissues, the correlation of their expressions with the tumor's clinicopathological characteristics and invasion potential were studied. Our study showed that the expression level of PTEN in HCC was remarkably lower than that in peri-carcinomatous liver tissues, while the expressions of both VEGF and MVD were higher than that in peri-carcinomatous liver tissues. Correlation analysis revealed that the expression of PTEN was negatively related to the progression of the pathological differentiation and invasion of tumor, whereas the expressions of VEGF and MVD were positively related. Moreover, there was a negative relationship between the expression of PTEN and the expressions of VEGF and MVD, and a positive one between VEGF and MVD. The expressions of PTEN and VEGF may reveal the degree of differentiation and the invasive potential of HCC tissues. The mechanism by which the lack of PTEN expression probably induces abnormal hyperexpression of VEGF may play an important role in the invasion and metastasis of HCC.

The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and its clinical significance in lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) plays an important role in tumour progression and metastasis through activation of many target genes that are especially involved in pivotal aspects of cancer biology. However, the prognostic role of HIF-1α has been controversial in primary patients with lung cancer. This meta-analysis was performed to systematically evaluate whether HIF-1α expression is associated with the clinical outcomes in lung cancer patients.

METHODS

We retrieved relevant articles from Cochrane library, PubMed, EMbase, CNKI, CBM, VIP and Wan Fang Databases from inception to May 2012. Studies were selected using specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed on the association between HIF-1α expression and clinical outcomes in lung cancer patients. All analyses were performed using the Revman 5.1 software.

RESULTS

A total of 30 studies were identified as eligible for the systematic review and meta-analysis. The expression of HIF-1α was significantly higher than those in normal lung tissue; and III-IV stage, lymph node metastasis, poorly differentiation, squamous cell carcinoma and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were significantly higher than those in I-II stage, no lymph node metastasis, well differentiation, adenocarcinomas and non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), respectively (odds ratio (OR) = 19.00, 95% confidence interval (CI):12.12-29.78, p <0.00001; OR = 0.23, 95% CI:0.14-0.36, p <0.00001; OR = 3.72, 95% CI:2.38-5.80, p <0.00001; OR = 0.47, 95% CI:0.31-0.70, p <0.00002, OR = 0.24, 95% CI:0.07-0.77, p = 0.02; OR = 0.78, 95% CI:0.63-0.98, p = 0.03). VEGF and CA IX positive expression in HIF-1α positive tumour tissues were significantly higher than those in HIF-1α negative tumour tissues, respectively (OR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.90-5.46, p <0.0001; OR = 3.84, 95% CI: 2.10-7.03, p <0.0001). The positive HIF-1α tumour tissues of patients had lower 5-year survival rates (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03-0.47, p = 0.002) and overall survival (relative risk (RR) = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.12-2.50, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

HIF-1α is related to a differing degree of lung cancer cell, lymph node metastasis, post-operative survival time and histology (NSCLC vs. SCLC, adenocarcinomas vs. squamous cell carcinoma). HIF-1 α , which combines other proteins, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or CA IX, might serve as important parameters in evaluating biological behaviour and prognosis of lung cancer; it will be of benefit to clinical treatment and prognostic evaluation.

Unifying model for two-state and downhill protein folding

A protein-folding model is proposed at the amino acid level, in which the folding process is divided into two successive stages: the rate-determining step, dominated by the "stochastic interactions"of solvent molecules, and the rapid phase, dominated by the "order interactions"among atoms in polypeptide. The master equation approach is used to investigate the folding kinetics, and an analytical treatment of the master equation yields a simple three-parameter expression for folding time. It is found that both two-state and downhill protein-folding kinetics can be described by a unifying model.

Resequencing of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Promoter Reveals Haplotype Structure and Functional Diversity

Our group has previously reported that SNPs in the VEGF promoter are strongly associated with efficacy and toxicity to the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab in metastatic breast cancer. In order to better understand the biologic mechanism for our previously reported biomarkers, we embarked on a comprehensive evaluation of the genetic variation in the VEGF promoter coupled with a study of its intrinsic function. By resequencing 96 DNA samples (48 Caucasians, 48 African-Americans) for the VEGF promoter, we elucidated its complete haplotype structure and identified SNPs that were not previously reported in prior resequencing efforts. SNPs that were identified included twenty previously reported SNPs/insertions/deletions, one novel SNP, and one novel deletion. Among these variants, we identified five SNPs (VEGF-3818G/T, -2305G/T, -1210C/A, -1154G/A, & -7C/T) that tag six haplotypes capturing 74% of the genetic variation of the VEGF promoter. Subsequently, we cloned the six major haplotypes into reporter constructs in order to determine the effect of genetic variation on function. The reporter assays were performed in 5 breast cancer cell lines representing all ER and HER-2 statuses along with an inflammatory breast cancer cell line. We demonstrate that there is significant variation in promoter-induced expression among the haplotypes. More importantly, we show that the haplotypes containing the SNPs previously reported to be associated with increased survival with the use of bevacizumab are high-expressing haplotypes, thus lending putative functional evidence to the prior clinical finding. Further, we also report the presence of a low-expressing haplotype predominantly in African-Americans. Altogether, these results set the foundation for future studies elucidating the role of VEGF genetic variation with response to anti-angiogenic therapy and associations with angiogenesis-related diseases.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 2122.

[Irinotecan/cisplatin versus Etoposide/cisplatin for Patients with Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review.]

BACKGROUND

It is unclear whether etoposide/cisplatin (EP) regimen is the optimal chemotherapy regimen in the treatment patients with extensive small cell lung cancer (SCLC), this study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of patients with extensive SCLC treated with irinotecan/cisplatin (IP) versus EP.

METHODS

We searched EMBASE, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, China journal full-text database (CJFD), Chinese scientific journal full-text database (CSJD), Chinese biomedicine literature database (CBM) for randomized controlled trials comparing IP with EP regimens. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of included studies and extracted data. We analyzed the data using Review Manager (version 5.0).

RESULTS

Four randomized controlled trials totaling 1 180 patients were included. The results of meta analysis were as follows: there was no significant difference between IP regimen and EP regimens in one year survive rate (RR=1.22, 95%CI: 0.97-1.54), two year survive rate (RR=2.26, 95%CI: 0.46-11.21). There was significant difference between IP regimen and EP regimens in overall response rate (RR=1.13, 95%CI: 1.03-1.25), grade 3/4 neutropenia (RR=0.48, 95%CI: 0.34-0.69), thrombopenia (RR=0.23, 95%CI: 0.15-0.36), grade 3 anemia (RR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.40-0.77), grade 3/4 diarrhea (RR=9.56, 95%CI: 4.91-18.59), grade 3 nausea/vomiting (RR=1.70, 95%CI: 1.19-2.43).

CONCLUSIONS

There is no significant difference between IP group and EP group with regard to one year survive rate, two year survive rate, but IP regimen improves reponse rate. IP regimen has less hematologic & greater gastrointestinal toxicity compared with EP, EP regimen remain the main standard chemotherapy in the treatment extensive small cell lung cancer due to cheapness, they still need to be confirmed by randomized controlled trials.

Evaluating "eee" phonation in multidetector CT of the neck

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Since the advent of pharyngography, "eee" phonation has been used to distend the airway during imaging. When imaging shifted to axial CT, "eee" phonation was used to delineate mucosal anatomy better. However, because patients could not phonate for the entire examination (which could take several minutes), the technique was only useful during supplemental imaging, performed after the primary acquisition through the neck. The supplemental images covered a limited area (usually the larynx or supraglottis) and, therefore, could be obtained while patients phonated. Imaging of the neck has now shifted to multidetector CT (MDCT). With a 64-detector MDCT, the entire neck can be imaged in 8 seconds. We evaluated whether "eee" phonation could be used during the entire acquisition through the neck without degrading image quality.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-eight patients who performed "eee" phonation during a CT examination of the neck were compared with 96 patients scanned following a breath-hold command. All patients were scanned on the same 64-detector MDCT scanner after intravenous contrast administration. Images were acquired at a 2-mm section thickness and reconstructed at 1-mm intervals. All scanning times ranged from 5 to 7 seconds. Studies were evaluated separately by 2 neuroradiologists for image degradation due to motion. Statistical analysis was performed by using the proportional odds ratio.

RESULTS

We found no significant difference in motion during phonation compared with the breath-hold technique.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that "eee" phonation can be performed during an entire image acquisition through the neck, when performed with the speed of the 64-detector scanner, without increasing motion.

Picosecond transient absorption spectroscopy in the blue spectral region of photosystem I

Picosecond transient absorption difference spectroscopy in the blue wavelength region (380-500 nm) was used to study the early electron acceptors in photosystem I. Samples were photosystem I core particles with about 100 chlorophylls per reaction center isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. After excitation at 590 nm at room temperature, decay-associated spectra (DAS) were determined from global analysis in the blue region, yielding two transient components and one nondecaying component. A 3 ps decay phase is interpreted as primarily due to antenna excited-state redistribution. A 28 ps decay phase is interpreted as due to overall excited-state decay by electron transfer. The nondecaying component is ascribed to the difference spectrum of P(700) and the quinone or A(1) electron acceptor (P(700)(+)A(1)(-) - P(700)A(1)). Decay curves on the millisecond time scale at different wavelengths were measured with an autoxidizable artificial electron acceptor, benzyl viologen, and the (P(700)(+) - P(700)) difference spectrum was constructed. The (A(1)(-) - A(1)) difference spectrum was obtained by taking the difference between the above two difference spectra. A parallel picosecond experiment under strongly reducing conditions was also done as a control experiment. These conditions stabilize the electron on an earlier acceptor, A(0). The nondecaying component of the DAS at low potential was assigned to (P(700)(+)A(0)(-) - P(700)A(0)) since the electron-transfer pathway from A(0) to A(1) was blocked. The [(P(700)(+)A(0)(-) - P(700)A(0)) - (P(700)(+) - P(700))] subtraction gives a spectrum, interpreted as the (A(0)(-) - A(0)) difference spectrum of a chlorophyll a molecule, consistent with previous studies. The (A(1)(-) - A(1)) spectrum resolved on the picosecond time scale shows significant differences with similar spectra measured on longer time scales. These differences may be due to electrochromic effects and spectral evolution.