ZBTB16 inhibits DNA replication and induces cell cycle arrest by targeting WDHD1 transcription in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma is a malignant tumor with high morbidity and mortality. ZBTB16 plays a double role in various tumors; however, the potential mechanism of ZBTB16 in the pathophysiology of lung adenocarcinoma has yet to be elucidated. We herein observed a decreased expression of ZBTB16 mRNA and protein in lung adenocarcinoma and a significantly increased DNA methylation level of ZBTB16 in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Analysis of public databases and patients' clinical data indicated a close association between ZBTB16 and patient survival. Ectopic expression of ZBTB16 in lung adenocarcinoma cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. It also induced cell cycle arrest in the S phase. Meanwhile, mitotic catastrophe was induced, and DNA damage and apoptosis occurred. In line with these findings, the overexpression of ZBTB16 in xenograft mice resulted in the inhibition of tumor growth. Comprehensive analysis showed that WDHD1 was a potential target for ZBTB16. The overexpression of both isoforms of WDHD1 significantly reversed the ZBTB16-mediated inhibition of lung adenocarcinoma proliferation and cell cycle. These studies suggest that ZBTB16 impedes the progression of lung adenocarcinoma by interfering with WDHD1 transcription, making it a potential novel therapeutic target in the management of lung adenocarcinoma.

Identification of key immune cells infiltrated in lung adenocarcinoma microenvironment and their related long noncoding RNA

LncRNA associated with immune cell infiltration in tumor microenvironment (TME) may be a potential therapeutic target for lung adenocarcinoma. We established a machine learning (ML) model based on 3896 samples characterized by the degree of immune cell infiltration, and further screened the key lncRNA. In vitro experiments were applied to validate the prediction. Treg is the key immune cell in the TME of lung adenocarcinoma, and the degree of infiltration is negatively correlated with the prognosis. PCBP1-AS1 may affect the infiltration of Tregs by regulating the TGF-β pathway, which is a potential predictor of clinical response to immunotherapy. PCBP1-AS1 regulates cell proliferation, cell cycle, invasion, migration, and apoptosis in lung adenocarcinoma. The results of clinical sample staining and in vitro experiments showed that PCBP1-AS1 was negatively correlated with Treg infiltration and TGF-β expression. Tregs and related lncRNA PCBP1-AS1 can be used as targets for the diagnosis and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

Identification of the key DNA damage response genes for predicting immunotherapy and chemotherapy efficacy in lung adenocarcinoma based on bulk, single-cell RNA sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics

BACKGROUND

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) plus chemotherapy is the preferred first-line treatment for advanced driver-negative lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). The DNA damage response (DDR) is the main mechanism underlying chemotherapy resistance, and EGLN3 is a key DDR component.

METHOD

We conducted an analysis utilizing TCGA and GEO databases employing multiple labels-WGCNA, DEGs, and prognostic assessments. Using bulk RNA-seq and scRNA-seq data, we isolated EGLN3 as the single crucial DDR gene. Spatial transcriptome analysis revealed the spatial differential distribution of EGLN3. TIDE/IPS scores and pRRophetic/oncoPredict R packages were used to predict resistance to ICI and chemotherapy drugs, respectively.

RESULTS

EGLN3 was overexpressed in LUAD tissues (p < 0.001), with the high EGLN3 expression group exhibiting a poor prognosis (p = 0.00086, HR: 1.126 [1.039-1.22]). Spatial transcriptome analysis revealed EGLN3 overexpression in cancerous and hypoxic regions, positively correlating with DDR-related and TGF-β pathways. Drug response predictions indicated EGLN3's resistance to the common chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin (p = 6.1e-14), docetaxel (p = 1.1e-07), and paclitaxel (p = 4.2e-07). Furthermore, on analyzing the resistance mechanism, we found that EGLN3 regulated DDR-related pathways and induced chemotherapy resistance. Additionally, EGLN3 influenced TGF-β signaling, Treg cells, and cancer-associated fibroblast cells, culminating in immunotherapy resistance. Moreover, validation using real-world data, such as GSE126044, GSE135222, and, IMvigor210, substantiated the response trends to immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

EGLN3 emerges as a potential biomarker predicting lower response to both immunotherapy and chemotherapy, suggesting its promise as a therapeutic target in advanced LUAD.

Case report: EBV-positive epithelioid follicular dendritic cell sarcoma with CD30 expression: a highly challenging diagnosis

Introduction

Follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is a rare tumor entity with a wide range of anatomical sites and strong heterogeneity in morphology and immunohistochemistry, making it highly susceptible to misdiagnosis. There are two types of FDCS: conventional FDCS and EBV+ inflammatory FDCS. It is currently suggested that the former has nothing to do with EBV infection. Moreover, they have distinctively different clinicopathological characteristics.

Case description

A 69-year-old male patient was admitted to our hospital after 4 months of progressive enlargement of the neck mass. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) examination showed multiple enlarged lymph nodes in the body. After cervical lymph node excision and biopsy, it was found that the tumor cells were epithelioid and diffusely expressed EBER and CD30. It was initially diagnosed as poorly differentiated cancer and lymphoma. In subsequent differential diagnosis, we found that it strongly stained CD21 and CD23, which was approved the diagnosis of EBV+ FDCS.

Conclusion

Epithelioid FDCS is very rare. EBV-positive FDCS with abnormal expression of CD30 has not been reported. Whether EBV also plays an important role in conventional FDCS requires more cases to be verified. Our case provides valuable research clues for further understanding the pathological characteristics of this tumor entity.

Epithelioid Subtype Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors of Stomach in an Endoscopic Biopsy: A Potential Diagnostic Pitfall

Background

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract with a broad morphological spectrum. Although epithelioid GISTs account for 20% of GISTs, their morphological features may pose a diagnostic pitfall for pathologists due to their morphological similarities to poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and lymphoma.

Case Presentation

Herein, we report a 65-year-old male patient with gastric epithelioid GIST misdiagnosed as adenocarcinoma for four years. During this period, he was treated with chemotherapy combined with PD-L1 immunotherapy. The clinicians thought the treatments were effective. However, there was no significant change in tumor size. The patient's clinical symptoms did not improve significantly as well. Finally, an endoscopic biopsy was performed again and gastric epithelioid GIST was confirmed in our hospital through morphology, immunohistochemistry, and whole-genome sequencing.

Conclusion

A broad morphological spectrum and diverse immunophenotypic changes of GISTs could represent a pitfall for pathologists. However, predisposed anatomical sites, morphology, and corresponding immunohistochemical markers are of great significance for the diagnosis of GISTs and the differential diagnosis from other diseases. On the other hand, clinicians should diagnose and comprehensively evaluate treatment effects based on the patient's clinical symptoms and relevant laboratory examinations, instead of over-reliance on pathological diagnosis.

Dose-related effects of early-life intake of sn-2 palmitate, a specific positionally distributed human milk fatty acid, on the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota

sn2 Palmitate in human milk plays an important role in the physiological health of infants by reducing mineral loss, improving stool hardness, and relieving constipation. Also, sn-2 palmitate modulates intestinal microbiota. However, it remains unclear whether the effects of sn-2 palmitate on infant gut microbiota are dose-dependent. In this study, we investigated the effects of low, medium, and high doses (600, 1,800, and 5,400 mg/kg body weight, respectively) of sn-2 palmitate on the structure, composition, and metabolic function of intestinal microbes in mice. Our results showed that high doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly modulated α- and β-diversity of the intestinal microbiota. The relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group decreased with increasing doses of sn-2 palmitate. In contrast, the abundances of Bacteroidetes phylum, Bacteroides, uncultured_Lachnospiraceae, and uncultured_Muribaculaceae were positively correlated with sn-2 palmitate doses. The number of genes predicted encoding autophagy-yeast, phospholipase D signaling pathway, and pentose and glucuronate interconversion metabolic functions of intestinal microbiota increased with increasing doses of sn-2 palmitate. In addition, low and medium doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly upregulated the arginine and proline metabolic pathways, and high doses of sn-2 palmitate significantly increased purine metabolism. Our results revealed that the effects of sn-2 palmitate intake early in life on the composition and metabolism of the intestinal microbiota of mice showed dose-related differences. The study is expected to provide a scientific basis for the development of infant formulas.

Deep Learning-Based Multi-Modality Segmentation of Primary Gross Tumor Volume in CT and MRI for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The delineation of primary gross tumor volume (GTV) of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an essential step for radiotherapy planning. In clinical practice, radiation oncologists manually delineate the GTV in planning CT with the help of diagnostic MRI. This is because NPC tumors are closely adjacent to many important anatomic structures, and CT and MRI provide complementary strength to accurately determine the tumor extension boundary. Manual delineation is time-consuming with the potential registration errors between MRI and CT decreasing the delineation accuracy. In this study, we propose a fully automated GTV segmentation method based on CT and MRI by first aligning MRI to CT, and then, segmenting the GTV using a multi-modality deep learning model.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We collected 104 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with both planning CT and diagnostic MRI scans (T1 & T2 phases). An experienced radiation oncologists manually delineated the GTV, which was further examined by another senior radiation oncologist. Then, a coarse to fine cross-modality registration from MRI to CT was conducted as follows: (1) A rigid transformation was performed on MRI to roughly align MRI to CT with similar anatomic position. (2) Then, the region of interest (RoI) on both CT and rigid-transformed MRI were cropped. (3) A leading cross-modality deformable registration algorithm, named DEEDS, was applied on the cropped MRI and CT RoIs to find an accurate local alignment. Next, using CT and registered MRI as the combined input, a multi-modality deep segmentation network based on nnUNet was trained to generate the GTV prediction. 20% patients were randomly selected as the unseen testing set to quantitatively evaluate the performance.

RESULTS

The quantitative NPC GTV segmentation performance is summarized in Table 1. The deep segmentation model using CT alone achieved reasonable high performance with 76.6% Dice score and 1.34mm average surface distance (ASD). When both CT and registered MRI were used, the segmentation model further improved the performance by 0.9% Dice score increase and 11% relative ASD error reduction, demonstrating the complementary strength of CT and MRI in determining NPC GTV. Notably, the achieved 77.5% Dice score and 1.19mm ASD by the multimodality model is among the top performing results reported in recent automatic NPC GTV segmentation using either CT or MRI modality.

CONCLUSION

We developed a fully automated multi-modal deep-learning model for NPC GTV segmentation. The developed model can segment the NPC GTV in high accuracy. With further optimization and validation, this automated model has potential to standardize the NPC GTV segmentation and significantly decrease the workload of radiation oncologists in clinical practice.

Deep Learning for Automatic Prediction of Lymph Node Station Metastasis in Esophageal Cancer Patients from Contrast-Enhanced CT

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The diagnosis of lymph node (LN) metastasis in computed tomography (CT) is an essential yet challenging task in esophageal cancer staging and treatment planning. Although criteria (e.g., RECIST, morphological/texture features) are proposed to predict LN metastasis, the diagnostic accuracy remains low with sensitivity <50% and specificity <75%, as reported in previous studies. Deep learning (DL) has the potential to address this issue by learning from large-scale labeled data. However, due to the practical surgery procedure in lymph node dissection, it is difficult to pair the metastasis of individual LN reported in the pathology report to the LN instance found in the CT image. Hence, in this study, we first use pathology reports to determine the LNS metastasis, then develop a multiple instance deep learning (MIDL) model to predict lymph node station (LNS) metastasis.

MATERIALS/METHODS

We collected 1200 esophageal cancer patients with preoperative contrast-enhanced CT before surgery. A recently developed automatic mediastinal LNS segmentation model was first applied to segment LNS of 1 to 8 based on the IASLC protocol. For each LNS, the local CT region of interest (ROI) was cropped to generate a station-wise CT patch, where the LNS was labeled as metastatic if at least one metastatic LN was indicated in the pathology report. Using the station-wise CT patch and LNS label, we train a 3D MIDL model, MobileNetV3, to predict LNS metastasis. To better provide the LN position priors in MIDL, LN instances (with a short axis >4mm) were also segmented using an automatic LN detection algorithm and were added to the MIDL model as an auxiliary input. Five-fold cross-validation was conducted to evaluate the MIDL performance.

RESULTS

The MIDL model's performance is summarized in Table 1. The MIDL model incorporating an additional LN instance mask demonstrated a superior overall AUC of 0.7539, surpassing the model without the LN mask input by 2.93%. The specificity was evaluated at a threshold resulting in a recall of 0.7, and the best model outperformed the CT input model in terms of specificity by 2.11%. This highlights the value of including the LN position prior to the MIDL model. Notably, when a threshold was set to result in a specificity of 75%, the best MIDL model demonstrated a significantly higher recall compared to the previously reported clinical diagnostic recall (39.7% vs. 63.21%).

CONCLUSION

We developed a MIDL classification model to predict LNS metastasis using CT scans of 1200 patients. Our findings suggest that the MIDL model can substantially improve LNS metastasis prediction and has the potential to play an essential role in cancer staging, treatment planning, and prognostic analysis.

Thymic hyperplasia with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA)-like features: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Thymic hyperplasia with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis-like features (LESA-like TH) is a rare form of thymic hyperplasia, characterized by a prominent expansion of the thymic medulla containing hyperplastic lymphoid follicles with germinal centers, while an almost total absence of thymic cortex. Since the first report in 2012, only a few cases of LESA-like TH have been reported in the literature to date. Due to the rarity of LESA-like TH and the tumor-like morphology, it is easy to be misdiagnosed as other common diseases of the thymus in routine practice, such as thymoma and lymphoma.

CASE PRESENTATION

Herein, we present a case report of a 52-year-old Chinese female patient with LESA-like TH, without any discomforting symptoms. Computer-tomography imaging revealed a cystic solid mass in the anterior mediastinum, with well-defined boundaries and multiple internal septa. Histologically, prominent features were florid lymphoid follicles containing germinal centers, as well as hyperplasia of thymic epithelial cells and proliferation of Hassall bodies. However, the thymic cortex rich in immature T cells was almost completely absent. Furthermore, mature plasma cells, lymphoepithelial lesions, and cholesterol clefts were frequently seen.

CONCLUSION

We made a diagnosis of LESA-like TH and performed a literature review to better understand the clinicopathological features of LESA-like TH and reduce misdiagnosis.

Gut-associated Lymphoid Tissue/Dome-Type Carcinoma of the Colon: A Rare Case Report With Review of the Literature

Gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) carcinoma, also termed dome-type carcinoma, is an infrequent distinctive subtype of colorectal adenocarcinoma and only 18 cases have been reported in the English medical literature. These tumors have unique clinicopathological features and are considered to have a low malignant potential with favorable prognosis. Herein, we described a case of a 49-year-old male with intermittent hematochezia for 2 years. Colonoscopy revealed a sessile broad-based polyp of approximately 20 mm × 17 mm in the sigmoid colon 260 mm away from the anus, with a slightly hyperemic surface. Histologically, this lesion showed typical GALT carcinoma. The patient was followed up for one and a half year and he did not experience any discomfort, such as abdominal pain or hematochezia, and no tumor recurrence occurred. Moreover, we reviewed the literature, summarized the clinicopathological features of GALT carcinoma, and highlighted its pathological differential diagnosis to further explore this infrequent type of colorectal adenocarcinoma.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the breast, 3 cases report and literature review

RATIONALE

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in salivary glands, with specific histomorphological and molecular characteristics. MEC occurring in breast is more rare.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We reported 3 cases of female breast mass, diagnosed as benign nodules by ultrasound.

DIAGNOSES

The first 2 cases were pathological diagnosed as breast MEC, low grade, and the third case as breast MEC, medium grade.

INTERVENTIONS

After pathological diagnosis, 3 patients have expanded the scope of breast resection and lymph node dissection, with negative margin and no lymph node metastasis.

OUTCOMES

In the follow-up observation, the first case was followed up for 24 months, the second case was followed up for 30 months, and the third case was followed up for 12 months. All patients had a good prognosis without evidence of recurrence and metastasis.

CONCLUSION

Breast MEC is extremely rare and estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative breast cancer with a good prognosis, which is different from other highly malignant triple-negative breast cancers. reviewed its clinicopathologic morphological characteristics, immunohistochemical markers and molecular characteristics, prognosis and clinical treatment through literature, in order to understanding its clinicopathology and providing reference for clinical precise treatment.

Comparison of higher-order aberrations between implantable collamer lens V4c implantation and simulated spectacle correction in patients with high myopia

PURPOSE

To investigate the differences in higher-order aberrations between non-toric or toric implantable collamer lens (ICL or TICL) V4c implantation and simulated spectacle correction.

METHODS

Patients with high myopia who underwent ICL/TICL V4c implantation were enrolled. The "total no defocus" pattern of iTrace aberrometry to simulate the condition of spectacle correction was measured before ICL/TICL implantation, and higher-order aberrations in this condition were compared to those 3 months after surgery. Related factors with changes in coma were comprehensively analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 89 right eyes of 89 patients were included. Compared to simulated spectacle correction, total-eye coma (P<0.0001 ICL, P<0.0001 TICL) and internal coma (P<0.0001 ICL, P<0.001 TICL) decreased in the ICL- and TICL-treated groups after surgery. Total-eye secondary astigmatism (P<0.0001 ICL, P=0.007 TICL) and internal secondary astigmatism (P<0.0001 ICL, P=0.009 TICL) were also decreased in both groups postoperatively. Spherical error showed positive correlations with variation in total-eye coma (r=0.37, P=0.004 ICL; r=0.56, P=0.001 TICL) and internal coma (r=0.30, P=0.02 ICL and r=0.45, P=0.01 TICL). Axial length revealed negative correlations with changes in total-eye coma (r=-0.45, P<0.001 ICL; r=-0.39, P=0.03 TICL) and internal coma (r=-0.28, P=0.03 ICL and r=-0.42, P=0.02 TICL).

CONCLUSIONS

Both ICL- and TICL-treated groups demonstrated a decrease in coma and secondary astigmatism after 3 months, postoperatively. ICL/TICL may confer a compensatory effect on coma aberration and secondary astigmatism. Patients with a higher myopia achieved a greater improvement in coma and may benefit more from ICL/TICL implantation than from spectacle correction implantation than from spectacle correction.

PVA electrospun fibers coated with PPy nanoparticles for wearable strain sensors

Current conductive polymers win wide applications in smart strain/stress sensors, bioinspired actuators, and wearable electronics. This paper investigates a novel strain sensor by using conductive polypyrrole (PPy) nanoparticles coated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers as matrix. The flexible, water-resistant PVA fibers are initially prepared by combined electrospinning and annealing techniques, and then are coated with PPy nanoparticles through in situ polymerization. The resultant PPy@PVA fibers exhibit stable, favorable electrical conductivities due to the uniform point-to-point connections among PPy nanoparticles, e.g. after three-time' polymerizations, the PPy@PVA3 fiber film presents a sheet resistance of ∼840 Ω/sq and a bulk conductivity of ∼32.1 mS/cm. Cyclic sensing tests reveal that, PPy@PVA sensors show linear relationships between the relative resistance variations and the applied strains, e.g. the linear deviation of PPy@PVA3 is only 0.9 % within 33 % strain. After long-term stretching/releasing cycles, the PPy@PVA sensor exhibits stable, durable, and reversible sensing behaviors, no evident "drift" is observed over 1,000 cycles (5,000 seconds). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma with TSC2 mutation: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma (ESC-RCC) is an under-recognized, emerging new entity of sporadic renal neoplasms, which is listed as a rare type of renal cell carcinoma in the 2022 WHO renal tumor classification. It is easily misdiagnosed because its characteristics are insufficiently understood.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report one case of ESC-RCC, a 53-year-old female patient with a right kidney mass found during clinical examination. The patient experienced no discomforting symptoms. Computer-tomography imaging at our urinary department showed a round soft tissue density shadow around the right kidney. Microscopic examination revealed a tumor displaying a solid-cystic composition of eosinophilic cells with unique features, revealed by characteristic immunohistochemical markers (CK20-positive/CK7-negative), and a nonsense mutation in TSC2. Ten months after the renal tumor resection, the patient presented in good condition with no recurrence or metastasis.

CONCLUSIONS

The distinct morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular characteristics of ESC-RCC we describe here, based on our case and the relevant literature, highlight the key points of the pathological and differential diagnosis of this novel renal neoplasm. Our findings will therefore deepen our understanding of this novel renal neoplasm and help reduce misdiagnosis.

Acinar cell carcinoma of gastric ectopic pancreas origin: a case report and literature review

BACKGROUND

Primary pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma of the stomach is extremely rare, often misdiagnosed, and of unclear origin.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report the case of a primary pure pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma of the stomach in a 58-year-old woman. This is the first reported case to exhibit residual ectopic pancreatic tissue adjacent to the tumor serving as evidence for the origin of the carcinoma. Furthermore, we summarized the clinicopathological features of pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma of the stomach in order to further understand this solid tumor.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary pancreatic-type acinar cell carcinoma of the stomach is rare. Data on tumors of this histological type are still relatively scarce, and more in-depth research is needed to elucidate their molecular biological characteristics and prognosis.

Secondary Sinonasal Collision Tumor of Papillary Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Small Cell Neuroendocrine Carcinoma After Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Radiotherapy: A Case Report and Literature Review of Sinonasal Collision Carcinomas

In the head and neck region, small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (SmNEC) is extraordinary infrequent. Collision malignancy is also a rare entity in the nasal cavity, with merely sporadic 6 case reports on primary collision tumor associated with neuroendocrine carcinoma. The development of a secondary SmNEC within the previous radiation field had uncommonly been described, and there was no report on secondary sinonasal collision carcinoma with SmNEC component as a side reaction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) radiotherapy. In light of the rarity of these neoplasms, we presented a case of a sinonasal collision carcinoma of papillary squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) and SmNEC after NPC radiotherapy. To our knowledge, it may be the first case of a secondary coexistence of two malignancies synchronously in the nasal cavity after NPC treatment. Recognizing this peculiar kind of collision tumor associated SmNEC could promote our understanding of this entity and hence propose optimal treatment strategies.

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma with smooth muscle differentiation: a potential pathological diagnostic pitfall

BACKGROUND

Sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SNMM) is a rare malignant melanoma originating from melanocytes derived from multipotent neural crest cells. Its incidence accounts for less than 1 % of all malignant melanomas, with five-year survival rate about 25 %. Occasionally, it is incredibly formidable to make a compelling diagnosis when malignant melanoma with other diverse differentiation.

CASE PRESENTATION

Herein, we presented a 54-year-old male case of SNMM with smooth muscle differentiation, defined by histopathology and positive immunostaining for the smooth muscle specific markers of a-SMA, H-caldesmon, calponin and Desmin, as well as specific melanocyte markers of HMB-45, Melan-A, SOX10, and PNL2.

CONCLUSIONS

Mucosal melanoma with smooth muscle differentiation is remarkably infrequent, and reported only 4 cases to date. It would be a potential pathological diagnostic pitfall. It is important to understand this variation of malignant melanoma for avoiding misdiagnosis.

Coexistence of primary pulmonary meningioma and metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma of the lung: A rare case report with review of the literature

RATIONALE

Primary pulmonary meningioma (PPM) is extremely rare tumor and only a few reports have been reported to date. PPM may be overlooked when it coexists with other types of tumors in the lung. It is essential to have a knowledge of the clinicopathological features of PPM and to recognize this rare coexistence.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 57-year-old male underwent surgery for papillary renal cell carcinoma, when 2 pulmonary nodules were detected using chest computed tomography.

DIAGNOSIS

The coexistence of benign PPM and metastatic papillary renal cell carcinoma was histologically confirmed.

INTERVENTIONS

A lobectomy was performed.

OUTCOMES

The patient recovered well after surgery and was discharged on postoperative day 4.

LESSONS

Duo to the rarity of PPM, it is easily overlooked, especially when it coexists with other tumors in the lung. The possibility of PPM needs to be taken into account when diagnosing pulmonary nodules in clinical practice.

DOCK4 regulates ghrelin production in gastric X/A-like cells

PURPOSE

Ghrelin, a gastric hormone, provides a hunger signal to the central nervous system to stimulate food intake. Ghrelin also modulates neuroinflammatory and apoptotic processes. Dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (DOCK4), a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), is involved in the regulation of neuronal polarization and axon regeneration. However, the effect of DOCK4 on ghrelin production has not been explored.

METHODS

The expression of DOCK4 in human and mouse stomach was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The synthesis and secretion of ghrelin in Dock4 null mice were evaluated by real-time quantitative PCR, Western blot and ELISA. The effects of DOCK4 on ghrelin production in mHypoE-42 cells were measured by real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot.

RESULTS

We showed that DOCK4 was expressed in both human and mouse gastric ghrelin cells. The mRNA and protein levels of gastric ghrelin, as well as ghrelin secretion, were remarkably diminished in Dock4 null mice. Furthermore, we showed that overexpression of Dock4 significantly stimulated ghrelin expression, while siRNA knockdown of endogenous Dock4 resulted in a marked decrease of ghrelin in mHypoE-N42 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results identify DOCK4 as a critical regulator for ghrelin production in gastric X/A-like cells.

Rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of major cardiometabolic diseases: a Mendelian randomization study

OBJECTIVE

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is suggested to be implicated in the development of cardiometabolic diseases. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to assess potential causality for associations of RA with the risk of cardiometabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), coronary artery disease (CAD), and ischaemic stroke.

METHOD

Seventy independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with RA were identified as instrumental variables from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 58 284 European subjects. Summary-level data for the associations of the 70 genetic variants with T2D, CAD, and ischaemic stroke were taken from three GWASs with a total of 1 529 131 participants. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) MR was used in the main analyses.

RESULTS

The main IVW MR analysis showed that genetically determined RA was associated with higher risks of T2D [odds ratio (OR): 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.05; p < 0.001] and CAD (OR: 1.02, 95% CI 1.00-1.03; p = 0.012), but not ischaemic stroke (OR: 1.00, 95% CI 0.99-1.02; p = 0.961). Sensitivity analyses with multiple MR methods confirmed these associations. MR-Egger regression showed no evidence of pleiotropy in the association between genetically determined RA and the risk of T2D, CAD, and ischaemic stroke. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed that the association between genetically determined RA and the risk of T2D, CAD, and ischaemic stroke was not driven by any individual SNP.

CONCLUSION

Genetically determined RA was associated with increased risks of T2D and CAD, suggesting that RA plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of T2D and CAD.

Cold Spray: Over 30 Years of Development Toward a Hot Future

Cold Spray (CS) is a deposition process, part of the thermal spray family. In this method, powder particles are accelerated at supersonic speed within a nozzle; impacts against a substrate material triggers a complex process, ultimately leading to consolidation and bonding. CS, in its modern form, has been around for approximately 30 years and has undergone through exciting and unprecedented developmental steps. In this article, we have summarized the key inventions and sub-inventions which pioneered the innovation aspect to the process that is known today, and the key breakthroughs related to the processing of materials CS is currently mastering. CS has not followed a liner path since its invention, but an evolution more similar to a hype cycle: high initial growth of expectations, followed by a decrease in interest and a renewed thrust pushed by a number of demonstrated industrial applications. The process interest is expected to continue (gently) to grow, alongside with further development of equipment and feedstock materials specific for CS processing. A number of current applications have been identified the areas that the process is likely to be the most disruptive in the medium-long term future have been laid down.

The Prognostic Value of Multiple Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers in Preoperative Patients With Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction

The preoperative inflammatory and nutrient status of the patient are closely correlated to the outcome of surgery-based treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of inflammation and nutrient biomarkers in preoperative patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by constructing a prognostic predictive model.

Methods

We retrospectively studied 995 patients with NSCLC who underwent surgery in the Shandong Provincial Hospital and randomly allocated them into the training and validation group with a ratio of 7:3. We then compared their prognostic performance and conducted univariate Cox analyses with several clinicopathological variables. Based on the performance of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curves analysis (DCA), the prognostic model was optimized and validated.

Result

The median overall overall survival (OS) of patients was 74 months. Univariate Cox analysis indicated that fifteen inflammatory biomarkers were significantly correlated with OS (p < 0.100). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the model incorporating grade, age, stage, basophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (BLR, ≥0.00675 vs. < 0.00675) and albumin-to-globulin ratio (AGR, ≥1.40 vs. <1.40) showed the maximum area under the curve (AUC, 0.744). The C-index in the training and validation group was 0.690 and 0.683, respectively. The 3-year integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) compared to TNM (Tumor Node Metastasis) stage was 0.035 vs. 0.011 in the training and validation group, respectively.

Conclusions

Lower AGR, ANRI, and higher BLR were associated with a worse outcome for patients with NSCLC. We constructed a prognostic nomogram with risk stratification based on inflammatory and nutrient biomarkers. The discrimination and calibration abilities of the model were evaluated to confirm its validity, indicating the potential utility of this prognostic model for clinical guidance.

A bibliometric analysis of primary ovarian insufficiency from 2010 to 2020

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to carry out a bibliometric analysis of primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) from 2010 to 2020 and to reveal the research status and hotspots in the future.

METHOD

A total of 3087 articles and reviews related to POI published from 2010 to 2020 retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection were used for bibliometric analysis. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were adopted to analyze countries and regions, organizations, authors, journals, keywords and co-cited references.

RESULTS

The number of publications about POI increased year by year. The USA produced the largest number of publications and the most influence in this field. The main research directions of POI can be roughly divided into four aspects according to the analysis of keywords and co-cited references: genetic research of POI; stem cell therapy for patients with POI; prediction of ovarian function; and fertility preservation of cancer patients. Genetic research and stem cell therapy may become research hotspots in the future.

CONCLUSION

This study might be the first bibliometric study to analyze publications of POI from multiple indicators, in order to provide new opinions for the research trends and possible hotspots of POI.

[The effects of robotic-assisted versus laparoscopic-assisted radical right hemicolectomy on short-term outcome and long-term prognosis based on propensity score matching]

Objective: To compare the short-term and long-term outcomes between robotic-assisted and laparoscopic-assisted radical right hemicolectomy in patients with adenocarcinoma of the right colon. Methods: Retrospective review of a prospectively collected database identified 288 right colon cancer patients who underwent either robotic-assisted (n=57) or laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy (n=231) between October 2014 and October 2020 at Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. There were 161 males and 127 females, aging (60.3±12.8) years (range: 17 to 86 years). After propensity score matching as 1∶4 between robotic-assisted and laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy, there were 56 cases in robotic group and 176 cases in laparoscipic group. Perioperative outcomes and overall survival were compared between the two groups using t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, χ² test, Fisher exact test, Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test, respectively. Results: The total operative time was similar between the robotic and laparoscopic group ((206.9±60.7) minutes vs. (219.9±56.3) minutes, t=-1.477, P=0.141). Intraoperative bleeding was less in the robotic group (50 (20) ml vs. 50 (50) ml, Z=-4.591, P<0.01), while the number of lymph nodes retrieved was significantly higher (36.0±10.0 vs. 29.0±10.1, t=4.491, P<0.01). Patients in robotic group experienced significantly shorter hospital stay, shorter time to first flatus, and defecation (t: -2.888, -2.946, -2.328, all P<0.05). Moreover, the overall peri-operative complication rate was similar between robotic and laparoscopic group (17.9% vs. 22.7%, χ²=0.596,P=0.465). The 3-year overall survival were 92.9% and 87.9% respectively and the 3-year disease-free survival rates were 83.1% and 82.6% with no statistical significance between the robotic and laparoscopic group (P>0.05). Conclusions: Compared to laparoscopic-assisted right hemicolectomy, robot-assisted right hemicolectomy could improve some short-term clinical outcomes. The two procedures are both achieving comparable survival.

[Regulatory effect of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-associated protein B on proliferation and metastasis of liver cancer cells]

Objective: To study the expression and effect of small nuclear ribonucleoprotein-associated protein B (SNRPB) on proliferation and metastasis of liver cancer tissues and cells. Methods: The bioinformatics database starBase v3.0 and GEPIA were used to analyze the expression of SNRPB in liver cancer tissue and normal liver tissue, as well as the survival and prognosis of liver cancer patients. The expression of SNRPB mRNA and protein in liver cancer cell lines were analyzed by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RNA interference technique (siRNA) was used to determine SNRPB protein expression down-regulation. The proliferation effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cells was observed by MTT assay. Transwell invasion and migration assay was used to detect the changes in the metastatic ability of liver cancer cells after SNRPB down-regulation. Western blot was used to detect the changes of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in liver cancer cells after down-regulation of SNRPB expression. Data were compared between two groups and multiple groups using t-test and analysis of variance. Results: The expression of SNRPB was significantly higher in liver cancer tissue than normal liver tissue, and its expression level was correlated with the prognosis of liver cancer patients. Compared with the immortalized hepatocyte LO(2), the expression of SNRPB was significantly increased in the liver cancer cells (P < 0.01). siRNA-SNRPB had significantly inhibited the expression of SNRPB mRNA and protein in liver cancer cells. MTT results showed that the absorbance value was lower in SNRPB knockdown group than negative control group, and the difference at 96 h after transfection was most significant (P < 0.01). Transwell assay results showed that compared with the negative control group, the SNRPB knockdown group (MHCC-97H: 121.27 ± 8.12 vs. 46.38 ± 7.54; Huh7: 126.50 ± 6.98 vs. 41.10 ± 8.01) invasion and migration (MHCC-97H: 125.20 ± 4.77 vs. 43.18 ± 7.32; Huh7: 132.22 ± 8.21 vs. 38.00 ± 6.78) ability was significantly reduced (P < 0.01) in liver cancer cells. Western blot showed that the expression level of epithelial phenotype marker E-cadherin was decreased after down-regulation of SNRPB, while the expression levels of mesenchymal phenotype markers N-cadherin and vimentin was increased, suggesting that down-regulation of SNRPB inhibited EMT in liver cancer cells. Conclusion: SNRPB expression is significantly increased in liver cancer tissues and cells, and it is involved in regulating the proliferation, metastasis and EMT of liver cancer cells.

The Association between Dietary Magnesium Intake and Telomere Length in Adults with Hypertension

BACKGROUND

Dietary micronutrients are significantly associated with telomere length, as shown in multiple studies. However, no study has investigated the association between magnesium intake and telomere length in adults with hypertension.

METHODS

Participants were included from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. Dietary magnesium intake was assessed using the 24 - hour recall method and the telomere length of leukocytes was measured using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A multivariate regression model was then used to assess the association between dietary magnesium intake and telomere length in adults with hypertension.

RESULTS

Our final analysis included 2199 hypertensive adults (46.79% males) with a mean dietary magnesium intake of 254.82±133.47 mg/day. Linear regression, adjusted for race, sex, age, smoking, uric acid, and other variables, showed that every 1 mg increase in dietary magnesium intake was associated with a 0.20 (95% CI: 0.01, 0.39, p = 0.043) longer telomere length in all participants. In the ≥45 years age group, there was a statistically significant association between the telomere length and dietary magnesium (95% CI: 0.16, 0.63, p <0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that increased magnesium intake is associated with a longer telomere length in hypertensive adults, especially in those ≥45 years of age. However, further research is needed to determine a causal relationship.

[Effect of perioperative accelerated rehabilitation management program for children with congenital spinal deformity]

Objective: To explore the perioperative therapeutic effect of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) in children with congenital spinal deformity and summarize the clinical experience. Methods: Fifty-nine pediatric patients with congenital spinal deformities admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital from May 2020 to January 2021 were included in this study, and all patients underwent posterior spinal osteotomy orthopedic implant fusion with internal fixation. There were 22 males and 37 females, aged (7.4±4.1) years. Patients were divided into ERAS group (n=29) and control group (n=30) according to the management model. Patients in the ERAS group were managed with an accelerated recovery management model during the perioperative period, which mainly included: high protein diet, shortened fasting time, optimized anesthesia protocol, and multimodal analgesia. Patients in the control group received the traditional perioperative management model. The indexes of surgery, diet, pain score and laboratory tests were compared between the two groups. Results: All patients completed the surgery successfully. The mean temperature and pain scores of patients in the ERAS group were lower than those in the control group at 3 days postoperatively (P<0.05). The time to exhaustion and defecation in the ERAS group was (1.0±0.8) d and (2.5±0.9) d postoperatively, both significantly earlier than those in the control group ((3.4±0.8) d and (4.0±1.1) d) (both P<0.05). C-reactive protein was 38(8,46) mg/L in patients of the ERAS group on the day 3 postoperatively, which was significantly lower than that in the control group 47(22,93) mg/L (P=0.023). The hemoglobin level on postoperative day 3 was (110.7±9.6) g/L in the ERAS group, which was significantly higher than that in the control group ((104.5±11.4) g/L) (P=0.029). Postoperative complications occurred in 8(27.6%) and 9(30.0%) patients in the ERAS and control groups, respectively (P=1.000), with mild abdominal pain and bloating being the most common complications in both groups, most of which were not treated specifically. Conclusion: ERAS is a safe and effective perioperative management mode for children with congenital spinal deformity. Compared with the traditional method, it can significantly improve the treatment efficiency and deserve clinical application.

Single-cell transcriptome analysis yields new insights into the pathogenic mechanisms and possible genetic etiology of cardiomyopathies

Background

Inherited cardiomyopathies (CM) represent a clinically heterogeneous group of primary cardiac muscle disorders with a strong genetic underpinning. Recent rapid genomic advances have led to the identification of numerous disease-causing genes for both non-syndromic (nsCM) and syndromic (sCM) cardiomyopathies. This has greatly facilitated molecular genetic testing, thus enabling accurate disease diagnosis needed for the practice of precision medicine and the optimization of patient outcome. However, many cardiomyopathies remain unexplained with the known genes and dominant genetic model of disease.

Purpose

To reassess the genetic features of known CM genes as a strategy to recover novel candidate CM genes.

Methods

Known hypertrophic CM (HCM), dilated CM (DCM) and pediatric CM genes were curated from the literature and from 23 commercial CM diagnostic panels. They were classified as non-syndromic and syndromic, and further annotated using two constraint metrics, the missense Z score and pLI score obtained from the GnomAD database. Publicly available mouse (n=6) and human (n=3) single-cell RNA (scRNA) datasets were downloaded and cardiomyocyte specific differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (fold change &gt;0.1; adjusted P&lt;0.0001) were recovered. Genes identified as DEGs in at least 4 mouse or 3 human scRNA datasets were recovered as nsCM candidate genes.

Results

Analyses of 9 scRNA datasets showed the majority of known nsCM genes are cardiomyocyte specific (Fig. 1a-b). nsCM and sCM genes have distinct expression and genetic profile. nsCM genes are associated with higher heart expression and lower loss intolerance (Fig. 1c). In contrast, syndromic CM genes mostly showed lower expression with high loss intolerance, consistent with their higher clinical impact. However, interestingly some of the nsCM genes (MYLK2, TMPO and KLF10) show low or even no detectable expression in mouse and human cardiac cells. Using the scRNA data, we assessed cellular expression of genes in the 23 commercial CM diagnostic panels. This analysis showed some of the CM genes with high cardiomyocytes expression have low coverage on the current commercial CM panels (Fig. 1d). Using human and mouse scRNA data, we recovered 224 mouse and 157 human nsCM candidate genes. MTUS2 (microtubule-associated tumor suppressor candidate 2) was identified as a strong nsCM candidate gene supported by evidence from both mouse and human studies (Fig. 1e-f).

Conclusions

Our analysis showed many of the nsCM genes have differential cardiomyocyte expression with low loss intolerance, while the reverse was observed for many sCM genes. We propose increasing commercial panel coverage of cardiomyocytes-specific expressed genes may help increase disease diagnostic yield. Additionally, novel candidate genes uncovered trained on cardiomyocyte expression profile may help accelerate elucidation of unsolved cardiomyopathy cases.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

P–501 Deep in the Maze: The psychosocial trajectory and decision making of Women with recurrent implantation failure of IVF

Study question

To understand the psychosocial trajectory of Chinese women who have experienced recurrent implantation failure (RIF) of IVF and their decision making accordingly.

Summary answer

Chinese women experience despair, doubt, and disorientation along with the cumulative failure cycles of IVF, and stick to IVF as the ultimate option.

What is known already

Recurrent implantation failure, the absence of implantation after repeated embryo transfers is a stressful event for people undergoing treatment for infertility. Numerous researches have focused on the psychological wellness of women undertaking IVF, but pay less attention to the subgroup who have undergone repeated failures. Current studies have shown that women after repeated unsuccessful IVF might endure anxiety, depression, and other psychosocial distress; however, the feelings brought by the different times of failure are unlike, and these experiences will affect their treatment decisions accordingly, which is rarely studied.

Study design, size, duration

Semi-structured interview was adopted with sixteen Chinese women from March 2020 to July 2020. The interview lasted 90 minutes. A follow-up survey was conducted three months after the interview. Driven by grounded theory, data is analyzed by thematic analysis.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Convenience sampling was used to recruit female participants who have failed to achieve clinical pregnancy after two consecutive cycles of fresh or frozen IVF embryo transfers with a cumulative number of transferred embryos of four or more cleavage-stage embryos or two or more blastocysts. Chinese-speaking women who were undertaking IVF treatment in the reproductive center of hospital in Shenzhen City were recruited by pamphlets and doctors’ referral.

Main results and the role of chance

Chinese women with recurrent implantation failures experience the following psychosocial trajectory during the cumulative failure cycles of IVF: despair, doubt, and disorientation. Despair usually comes after the first failure: the high expectation for success rates makes the initial failure exceptionally shocking and desperate. Huge distress brings two kinds of decisions: start a new IVF cycle quickly to welcome the positive results in the imagination, or wait for a period of time to avoid the pain of failure again. Doubt usually appears after the second failure. In addition to doubting the health function of their body, recurrent failure makes the patients particularly doubt the efficacy of IVF and doctors’ clinical judgment. Some patients would do ‘hospital shopping’ and consider change clinics. Disorientation can be seen in patients who have experienced more than three cycles of failure. Past experience and meaning cannot help them understand and solve the current dilemma. The inherent concept of fertility continues to strengthen their belief of having a baby as ultimate goal. The follow-up survey found that most women still choose to continue IVF treatment after repeated failure. They are like being in the maze of fertility, wandering for a long time but unable to get out.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Several limitations are identified: self-selection bias due to convenience sampling; narrow sampling approach may limits the generalizability; the exclusion of men may ignore the marital interdependence during the infertility treatment.

Wider implications of the findings: Patients who have experienced recurrent implantation failure demand promising intervention during and after infertility treatment. The findings demonstrate the need for both supportive and implication counseling to facilitate them cope with the psychosocial distress, and make value-based decision making, so as to enhance their self-agency.

Trial registration number

Not applicable

[Regulatory effects of LIM kinase 1 on the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells]

Objective: To study LIM kinase 1 (LIMK1) expressional condition, and its regulatory effects on the proliferation and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells and tissues. Methods: The online database starBase v3.0 and GEPIA were used to analyze the LIMK1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and normal liver tissues, and then the relevant survival analysis was performed. LIMK1 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line was analyzed by Western blot. Hep3B and Huh7 cells were transiently transfected after LIMK1 protein expression was down-regulated by small interfering RNA (siRNA). LIMK1 effects on the proliferation of Hep3B and Huh7 cells were observed by MTT assay and colony formation assay. Transwell assay was used to detect the change in metastatic ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cell after the down-regulation of LIMK1 expression. Western blot was used to detect the changes of related indexes in the process of epithelial mesenchymal transition after the down-regulation of LIMK1 expression. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Results: The expression level of LIMK1 in liver cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of normal liver tissues, and was related with prognosis (P ​< 0.01). Furthermore, LIMK1 expression in HCC cell lines was significantly higher than that of immortalized liver L02 cells (P < 0.05). Functional correlated experiment showed that the proliferation and metastatic ability of liver cancer cells were significantly inhibited after LIMK1 expression down-regulation (P < 0.05). Simultaneously, LIMK1 was also involved in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Conclusion: LIMK1 was overexpressed in HCC tissues and cells, and may regulate the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells and participate in epithelial-mesenchymal transition process.

POS0417 EXOGENOUS CXCL5 RESTORES ENDOGENOUS BLOOD-TISSUE CHEMOKINE GRADIENT TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL IN MURINE LUPUS

Background:

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multi-organ autoimmune disease that is potentially fatal. There is an unmet need to improve current therapies. In patients with SLE, we observed that serum CXCL5 levels were significantly lower than healthy control subjects and negatively correlated with disease activity(1-9).

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to elucidate the effect of supplemental serum CXCL5 in abrogating the pathological processes of SLE.

Methods:

Ten doses of exogenous CXCL5 (3µg/kg) was administered to 16-week-old Faslpr mice weekly by intravenous injection. Mice were monitored for 10 weeks. Splenic immune profile was measured by flow cytometry. Circulating cytokine and immunoglobulin profile were detected by Luminex technology. Renal function was evaluated by urinary spot albumin creatinine ratio. In situ renal immune cell infiltration and complement 3 deposition were detected by Haematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry staining. The molecular pathways involved were examined by RNA sequencing.

Results:

In Faslpr mice, intravenous administration of exogenous CXCL5 significantly improved mouse survival with concomitant reduction of autoantibody secretion, proteinuria, complement 3 deposition, neutrophil infiltration and lupus nephritis classes. Through evaluating the changes of immune profile, cytokine profile and molecular pathways, we found that intravenous CXCL5 reduced inflammation via an orchestral effect of regulating neutrophil trafficking and modulating helper T cell-mediated immune response. Pharmacokinetic and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction studies further demonstrated that this orchestration was triggered by a cascade reaction - restoring vascular under-expressed CXCL5 by an exogenous stimulation, re-establishing the normal serum levels of endogenous CXCL5 and reverting the CXCL5 chemokine gradient between inflamed tissues and blood circulation.

Conclusion:

Managing the dysregulation of CXCL5 by exogenous supplement may provide a new option for SLE therapy.

References:

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[5]Han KQ, Han H, He XQ, et al. Chemokine CXCL1 may serve as a potential molecular target for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cancer Med. Oct 2016;5(10):2861-2871. doi:10.1002/cam4.843

[6]Pappa CA, Tsirakis G, Kanellou P, et al. Monitoring serum levels ELR+ CXC chemokines and the relationship between microvessel density and angiogenic growth factors in multiple myeloma. Cytokine. Dec 2011;56(3):616-20. doi:10.1016/j.cyto.2011.08.034

[7]Zhang L, Li H, Ge C, et al. CXCL3 contributes to CD133(+) CSCs maintenance and forms a positive feedback regulation loop with CD133 in HCC via Erk1/2 phosphorylation. Sci Rep. Jun 3 2016;6:27426. doi:10.1038/srep27426

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[9]Ma Y, Ren Y, Dai ZJ, Wu CJ, Ji YH, Xu J. IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-alpha levels correlate with disease stage in breast cancer patients. Adv Clin Exp Med. May-Jun 2017;26(3):421-426. doi:10.17219/acem/62120

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

Identification of a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (AccMKK4) from Apis cerana cerana and its involvement in various stress responses

The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade pathway is a ubiquitous signal transduction pathway in eukaryotes that regulates a variety of immune responses. This study accomplished the first isolation of an AccMKK4 gene from Apis cerana cerana and explored its function. Yeast two-hybrid experiments proved that AccMKK4 can interact with Accp38b, and the silencing of AccMKK4 in honeybees downregulated the expression level of Accp38b, which suggests that AccMKK4 might participate in the oxidative stress response through the p38 MAPK pathway. Tissue-specific expression levels of AccMKK4 analysis showed that AccMKK4 in the thorax, particularly muscle tissue, was higher than that in other tissues. The qRT-PCR results from different conditions demonstrated that AccMKK4 responds to various environmental stresses. After AccMKK4 silencing, the transcription level of some antioxidant genes and the activity of antioxidant-related enzymes are reduced, which indicated that AccMKK4 plays an important role in resistance against oxidative stress caused by external stimuli. In summary, our findings indicate that AccMKK4 probably plays an indispensable role in the response of honeybees to environmental stress and might aid for further research on the role of the MAPK cascade pathway in the antioxidant defence mechanisms of insects.

Nanog promotes stem-like traits of glioblastoma cells

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with poor progrnosis and a high recurrence rate after surgery. To this end, we examined the role of Nanog that is highly expressed in this tumor. NANOG is a transcription factor involved in the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and the induction of malignancy in cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). Bioinformatic analysis revealed that NANOG may be associated with the development of stem-like traits in GBM. Forced expression of NANOG markedly increased the expression of cancer stem cell markers and promoted the sphere formation and migration of GBM cells. Nanog enhanced the expression of SHH which is required for the maintenance of the positive feedback loop of Hedgehog signaling pathway. Treatment of GBM cells with SANT-1 and GANT61 significantly reduced the tumor progression. These data support a view that reduction of Nanog might have therapeutic benefits in GBM.