lncRNA GAS5 inhibits colorectal cancer cell proliferation via the miR­182­5p/FOXO3a axis.

Long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are mainly involved in diverse biological processes in human malignancies. The expression profile and underlying mechanism of the lncRNA growth arrest specific transcript 5 (GAS5) in colorectal cancer (CRC) are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of GAS5 in human CRC tissues. lncRNA GAS5 was specifically downregulated in CRC tissues and cell lines. Reduced GAS5 levels were significantly associated with advanced clinical stage and lymph node metastasis in CRC. GAS5 overexpression suppressed CRC cell proliferation and promoted cellular apoptosis. A dual­luciferase reporter assay showed that GAS5 could negatively regulate the expression of microRNA (miR)­182­5p. Upregulated miR­182­5p abrogated the effect of GAS5 overexpression on CRC cell proliferation and apoptosis. Furthermore, GAS5 positively regulated the expression of FOXO3a in CRC cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that overexpression of the lncRNA GAS5 inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis by inhibiting miR­182­5p expression, and thus could be a therapeutic target in CRC.

Self-management of peripherally inserted central catheters after patient discharge via the WeChat smartphone application: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

WeChat is a smartphone application that may help patients self-manage peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC), although additional data are needed regarding this topic. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine whether WeChat helped improve PICC-related complications, self-care ability, PICC maintenance dependency in that the behavior of a patient is in compliance with a doctor's order or a will, knowledge mastery, and satisfaction among patients with a PICC. The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine, China national Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Wiper, and Baidu Scholar databases were searched to identify related reports that were published up to April 2018. This search revealed 36 reports that were published during 2014-2018, including 2,623 controls and 2,662 patients who used the WeChat application. Relative to the traditional follow-up group, the group that received WeChat follow-up had a lower risk of PICC-related complications (odds ratio [OR]: 0.23, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.19-0.27, P < 0.00001), better self-care ability (mean difference: 36.41, 95% CI: 34.68-38.14, P < 0.00001), higher PICC maintenance dependency (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 3.35-5.44, P < 0.00001), and higher patient satisfaction (OR: 6.20, 95% CI: 4.32-8.90, P < 0.00001). Eight studies reported knowledge mastery, although the different evaluation tools precluded a meta-analysis. Nevertheless, those eight studies revealed that knowledge mastery was significantly higher in the WeChat group than in the traditional follow-up group (P < 0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of WeChat follow-up on self-management among patients who are discharged with a PICC. It appears that WeChat follow-up can help improve the incidence of complications, self-care ability, PICC maintenance dependence, and patient satisfaction. However, the WeChat application itself cannot improve patients' self-management ability. Further studies are needed to produce high-quality evidence to determine whether WeChat is an effective follow-up tool.

[Treatment of 21 cases of chronic radiation intestinal injury by staging ileostomy and closure operation].

OBJECTIVE: To summarize the application of staged ileostomy and closure operation combined with nutritional support therapy in the treatment of chronic radiation intestinal injury(CRII). METHODS: Clinical data of patients with definite radiation history and pathological diagnosis of CRII receiving treatment at Department of General Surgery, Jinling Hospital from January 2012 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients who were diagnosed with tumor recurrence during operation or by postoperative pathology were excluded. Patients undergoing stageI( ileostomy and stageII( closure operation combined with nutrition support therapy were enrolled to the cohort. Detailed scheme of stage I( ileostomy and therapeutic time were determined by clinical symptoms and nutritional status. While performing ileostomy, the removal of intestinal lesions depended on range and degree of intestinal injury. Nutritional support therapy and other symptom-relieving therapy were offered after surgery. Timing for stageII( closure operation was decided according to nutritional status of patients. Lesions of remaining intestine were determined during operation, then necessary intestinal resection and closure operation were performed. Adhesion classification of radiation intestinal injury (total five levels) proposed by our center was adopted to evaluate the level and range of intestinal lesions. Level 0 indicated no adhesion between injured intestinal loop and surrounding organs; level 1 indicated that the adhesion and fibrosis were limited to right pelvis; level 2 indicated that the adhesion included all pelvis and the adhesion was severe and difficult to divide; level 3 was the forward extension of level 2 adhesion, which was between injured intestinal loop and anterior pelvic wall; level 4 was the upward extension of level 3 adhesion, which was between injured intestinal loop and anterior abdominal wall. Clavien-Dindo classification (lower level means milder symptom) and complication comprehensive index(CCI, lower CCI means milder symptom) calculated by on-line program (http:∕∕www.assessurgery. com) were applied to estimate postoperative complications. Resected intestinal length, adhesion classification of radiation intestinal injury, postoperative complications and time to total enteral nutritional (TEN) of both surgeries and nutritional status (body mass index and serum albumin) were compared between stageI( ileostomy and stageII( closure operation. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients were enrolled in the research with 2 males and 19 females. Primary tumor included 14 cervical cancers, 3 rectal cancers, 1 endometrial cancer, 1 ovarian carcinoma, 1 seminoma and 1 mixed germ cell tumor. Median interval between the end of radiation and radiation intestinal injury was 7(2 to 91) months and median interval between the incidence of radiation intestinal injury and ileostomy was 5(<1 to 75) months. Operative indications for ileostomy were obstruction in 14 cases (66.7%), intestinal internal fistula in 1 case (4.8%), intestinal outer fistula in 2 cases (9.5%), radiation proctitis in 3 cases (14.3%) and acute intestinal perforation in 1 case (4.8%). Average age of patients undergoing stageI( ileostomy was 48 (18 to 60) years with BMI (17.0±2.7) kg/m2 and serum albumin (36.8±5.2) g/L. Patients undergoing stageII( closure operation had significantly higher BMI [(18.4±2.0) kg/m2, t=-2.747, P=0.013] and higher serum albumin [(40.8±3.6) g/L, t=-3.505, P=0.002]. Average interval between stageI( ileostomy and stageII( closure surgery was (197±77) days. Resected intestinal length of stageI( ileostomy was which was significantly longer than that of stageII( closure surgery [(74.0±56.1) cm vs. (15.5±10.4) cm, t=4.547, P= 0.000]. Abdominal adhesion classification of stageII( ileostomy plus closure operation was significantly better as compared to stage I( ileostomy(Z=-3.347, P=0.001). Morbidity of postoperative complications in stageI( ileostomy was 52.4% (11/21), which decreased to 19.0% (4/21) in stageII( operation with significant difference (χ²=5.081, P=0.024). Postoperative complication Clavien-Dindo classification and CCI scores in stageII( operation were significantly lower than those in stageI( operation (P=0.006 and P=0.002). Till June 2017, 17 of 21 patients(81.0%) were followed-up for (28±18) months. Except for 2 cases of relapse, 15 patients recovered to normal diet. CONCLUSIONS: Application of staged ileostomy and closure operation combined with nutritional support therapy to CRII is in accordance with the principle of injury control surgery. Furthermore, this staged approach is safe and effective, can reduce the morbidity and the severity of complications, and can also be helpful to decide the margin for intestinal resection.

Hepatocellular carcinoma stem cell-like cells are enriched following low-dose 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy.

It has been proposed that cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumor resistance to chemotherapy and tumor relapse. The goal of the present study was to determine the effect of low-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu) on enriched hepatocellular CSC-like cells. Increased cell motility and epithelial-mesenchymal transition were observed by migration assay in human hepatoblastoma PLC/RAF/5 cells following 5-Fu treatment, as well as a significant enhancement in their sphere-forming abilities. CSC-like cells were identified by side population cell analysis. The percentage of CSC-like cells in the surviving cells was greatly increased in response to 5-Fu. These findings indicate that low-dose 5-Fu treatment may efficiently enrich the CSC-like cell population in PLC/RAF/5 cells.