Association between the methylation status of PCDH17 and the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in triple-negative breast cancer.

The present study aimed to assess whether the methylation status of the protocadherin 17 gene (PCDH17) in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues was associated with the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). The present study included 280 patients diagnosed with TNBC using core needle biopsy. Tumor pathological diagnosis was determined via hematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunohistochemical staining was used to determine estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 and Ki-67 status. PCDH17 methylation status was analyzed using methylation-specific PCR. χ2 tests were performed to analyze differences between PCDH17 methylation status and TNBC clinicopathological features. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to analyze whether PCDH17 methylation status predicted a curative effect of NAC. The multivariate analysis included factors with P<0.2 from the univariate analysis and those that were clinically associated with NAC. A total of 228 patients were positive for PCDH17 methylation, while the remainder 52 were negative. Additionally, 107 patients achieved pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC. The pCR rate was 67.3% among the 52 patients negative for PCDH17 methylation and 31.6% among the 228 patients positive for PCDH17 methylation. Patients who were negative for PCDH17 methylation and had high Ki67 expression exhibited significantly higher pCR rates than their counterparts. The present results demonstrate that PCDH17 methylation status may predict the response to NAC in patients with TNBC. Therefore, this epigenetic characteristic may serve as an indicator of treatment efficacy.

Erratum: A Novel Human-Like Collagen Hydrogel Scaffold with Porous Structure and Sponge-Like Properties. Polymers, 2017, 9, 638.

The authors wish to make a change to the published paper[...].

A Novel Human-Like Collagen Hydrogel Scaffold with Porous Structure and Sponge-Like Properties.

The aim of this research was to prepare a novel sponge-like porous hydrogel scaffold based on human-like collagen (HLC) that could be applied in cartilage tissue regeneration. In this study, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as a porogen to prepare the porous hydrogel, which had not been previously reported. Glutamine transaminase (TGase) was used as the cross-linker of the hydrogel, because it could catalyze the cross-linking of BSA. During the crosslinking process, BSA and HLC were mixed together, which affected the cross-linking of HLC. When the cross-linking was completed, the non-crosslinked section formed pores. The microstructure, porosity, swelling properties, and compressive properties of the hydrogel were studied. The results showed that the pore size of the hydrogel was between 100 and 300 µm, the porosity reached up to 93.43%, and the hydrogel had rapid water absorption and suitable mechanical properties. Finally, we applied the hydrogel to cartilage tissue engineering through in vitro and in vivo research. The in vitro cell experiments suggested that the hydrogel could promote the proliferation and adhesion of chondrocytes, and in vivo transplantation of the hydrogel could enhance the repair of cartilage. In general, the hydrogel is promising as a tissue engineering scaffold for cartilage.

Abnormal expression of serum soluble E-cadherin is correlated with clinicopathological features and prognosis of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Increased amounts of soluble E-cadherin (E-cad) have been found in the serum in various cancers, but the role of serum soluble E-cad in the prognosis of breast cancer patients has not been explored in Asian populations. MATERIAL/METHOD: Blood samples from 111 consecutive patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 55 healthy controls were investigated.Serum soluble E-cad expression levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) with an immunoassay kit according to the manufacturer's directions. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to evaluate the association between serum soluble E-cad expression level and survival. All statistical tests were 2-sided. RESULTS: The serum levels of soluble E-cad in breast cancer patients were significantly higher than those of the control group (2218.9±319.6 ng/ml vs. 742.8±91.7 ng/ml, p<0.001). Serum levels of soluble E-cad correlated significantly with TNM stage (P=0.007), tumor grade (P=0.03), and lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier analysis with the log-rank test indicated that high serum levels of soluble E-cad had a significant impact on overall survival (55.4% vs. 81.4%; P=0.032) and disease-free survival (36.8% vs. 67.8%; P=0.002) in breast cancer. Multivariate analysis revealed that serum levels of soluble E-cad were independently associated with overall survival and disease-free survival in breast cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Serum soluble E-cad level is an independent prognostic factor in Asian breast cancer patients.