Ceftriaxone improves impairments in synaptic plasticity and cognitive behavior in APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by inhibiting extrasynaptic NMDAR-STEP61 signaling.

Abnormal activation of the extrasynaptic N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) contributes to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ceftriaxone (Cef) can improve cognitive impairment by upregulating glutamate transporter-1 and promoting the glutamate-glutamine cycle in an AD mouse model. This study aimed to investigate the effects of Cef on synaptic plasticity and cognitive-behavioral impairment and to unravel the associated underlying mechanisms. We used an APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mouse model of AD in this study. Extrasynaptic components from hippocampal tissue homogenates were isolated using density gradient centrifugation. Western blot was performed to evaluate the expressions of extrasynaptic NMDAR and its downstream elements. Intracerebroventricular injections of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-striatal enriched tyrosine phosphatase 61 (STEP61 ) and AAV-STEP61 -shRNA were used to modulate the expressions of STEP61 and extrasynaptic NMDAR. Long-term potentiation (LTP) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests were performed to evaluate the synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. The results showed that the expressions of GluN2B and GluN2BTyr1472 in the extrasynaptic fraction were upregulated in AD mice. Cef treatment effectively prevented the upregulation of GluN2B and GluN2BTyr1472 expressions. It also prevented changes in the downstream signals of extrasynaptic NMDAR, including increased expressions of m-calpain and phosphorylated p38 MAPK in AD mice. Furthermore, STEP61 upregulation enhanced, whereas STEP61 downregulation reduced the Cef-induced inhibition of the expressions of GluN2B, GluN2BTyr1472 , and p38 MAPK in the AD mice. Similarly, STEP61 modulation affected Cef-induced improvements in induction of LTP and performance in MWM tests. In conclusion, Cef improved synaptic plasticity and cognitive behavioral impairment in APP/PS1 AD mice by inhibiting the overactivation of extrasynaptic NMDAR and STEP61 cleavage due to extrasynaptic NMDAR activation.

Retracted: Effect of Sham Acupuncture on Chronic Pain: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Along with increasing research on acupuncture for chronic pain, the validity of sham acupuncture (SA) has also been argued. METHODS: Nine databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the inception dates of the databases to July 5, 2022. With Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods, a Bayesian multiple-treatment network meta-analysis (NMA) with random-effects model was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 62 RCTs with 6,806 patients and four kinds of treatments (real acupuncture [RA], non-acupuncture [NA], penetrative SA [PSA], and non-penetrative SA [NPSA]) were included. The results indicated that both NPSA and PSA were not superior to NA in improving chronic pain (NPSA: mean difference [MD]= -4.77, 95% confidence interval [CI] -11.09 to 1.52; PSA: MD= -4.96, 95% CI -10.38 to 0.48). After NPSA and PSA were combined into the SA group, the weak trend of pain relief from SA was still not statistically significant (MD= -4.91, 95% CI -9.93 to 0.05). NPSA and PSA had similar effects (MD= 0.18, 95% CI -5.45 to 5.81). RA was significantly associated with pain relief, compared with NPSA and PSA (NPSA: MD= -12.03, 95% CI -16.62 to -7.41; PSA: MD= -11.85, 95% CI -15.48 to -8.23). The results were generally consistent regardless of pain phenotype, frequency, duration, acupuncture methods, analgesic intake, or detection bias. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that acupuncture was significantly associated with reduced chronic pain. The two kinds of placebo acupuncture, NPSA and PSA, have similar effects. Both NPSA and PSA, with a weak but not significant effect, are appropriate to be inert placebo controls in RCTs for chronic pain.

Case report: A case of duodenal adenocarcinoma achieving significantly long survival treating with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chemotherapy without positive biomarkers.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA), particularly duodenal adenocarcinoma (DA), is a rare gastrointestinal cancer with a dismal prognosis. Data on SBA treatments are limited, and the therapeutic strategy remains uncertain. Currently, chemotherapy is the most used treatment; however, it has a poor median progression-free survival (mPFS) of no more than five months in the second-line setting. We report a case with DA that responded well to the immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) tislelizumab plus irinotecan in the second-line treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first report of administering ICIs plus chemotherapy to SBA. Despite the absence of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) and high tumor mutational burden (TMB), the patient with TP53/KRAS mutation achieved a significantly long PFS of 17 months, and the benefit is still ongoing. The mechanism of this remarkable efficacy might be associated with an increase in tumor immunogenicity after chemotherapy. The current study presents a promising effect of ICIs plus chemotherapy on SBA, affirming the need to investigate the clinical value of this combination in SBA and the underlying mechanism behind it.

Dissecting the ferroptosis-related prognostic biomarker and immune microenvironment of driver gene-negative lung cancer.

Despite significant advances in targeted and immune therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), effective therapies for wild-type epidermal growth factor receptor/anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EGFR/ALKWT) with low expression of programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) NSCLC remain elusive. Numerous studies have shown that ferroptosis plays an essential role in antitumor activity. To identify the molecular regulation patterns associated with ferroptosis, 351 EGFR/ALKWT NSCLC samples with low-level PD-L1 were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and clustered using the k-means clustering technique. The two clusters associated with ferroptosis showed significantly different prognoses. In total, 169 differential expression genes (DEGs) were identified. Cluster differential analysis revealed that Cluster 1 had a significantly poorer overall survival (OS) and was associated with more negative immune regulation. In addition, TCGA samples were randomly assigned in a 7:3 ratio to a training group or testing group. A signature of eight genes associated with ferroptosis was established in the training cohort using DEGs and validated in the test cohort and three independent cohorts (GSE72049, GSE41271, and GSE50081). The 5-year area under the curve (AUC) was 0.713, which was significantly higher than that of other predictors, including TNM stage and age. Furthermore, the risk score was associated with immune function, immune infiltration, and immunotherapy response, with high-risk patients having a worse prognosis, an immune-suppressing phenotype, and a poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the biological role of ferroptosis in EGFR/ALKWT NSCLC with low-level PD-L1, laying the groundwork for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Bone metastasis attenuates efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors and displays "cold" immune characteristics in Non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the clinical characteristics affecting outcomes after immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) therapies in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and the underlying mechanism in tumor immune micro-environment (TIME). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 144 patients treated with ICI-based strategies were retrospectively analyzed. Expression of 10 immune antibodies in tumor tissues from other 60 untreated NSCLC patients were sequentially tested using multiplexed immunofluorescence (mIF) staining method. Correlation of clinical characteristics with ICI treatment outcomes and TIME characteristics were analyzed. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic and cox regression indicated that BoM negatively affected disease control rate (OR = 0.32, 95%CI: 0.13-0.82, P = 0.018), progression free survival (HR = 3.44, 95% CI:1.97-6.00, P < 0.001) and overall survival (HR = 3.24, 95% CI:1.62-6.50, P = 0.001), irrespective of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. BoM patients were with significantly lower PD-L1, and this heterogeneity of TIME was then confirmed in the mIF staining, where 36 (61.0%) patients were clustered into immune-subtype A, with low expression of all the detected immune markers, similar to "cold" tumors, and 23 (39.0%) in cluster B with likely "hot" tumors. More patients in immune-subtype A were non-smokers (63.9% vs. 39.1% P = 0.063), with BoM (66.7% vs. 21.7%, P = 0.001), in stage IV(88.9% vs. 65.2%, P = 0.045), and with adenocarcinoma (91.7% vs. 69.6%, P = 0.037). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that BoM was independently associated with the "cold" immune characteristics (OR = 0.19, 95% CI:0.04-0.84, P = 0.028). Combination therapy with chemotherapy /antiangiogenesis or use of bisphosphonate during ICI treatment significantly improved clinical outcomes in BoM patients. CONCLUSIONS: BoM displays adverse impact on clinical outcomes after ICI treatments in NSCLC patients. The "cold" characteristics of TIME may be the underlying mechanism for the attenuated efficacy of ICIs in bone metastatic NSCLC patients.

[Alternative Splicing Analysis of LACTB Gene and Expression Characteristics of Different Transcripts in Leukemia Cell Lines].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the expression of different transcripts of lactamase ß（LACTB) gene in leukemic cell lines. METHODS: NCBI website and DNAstar software were used to detect the Bioinformatics analysis of LACTB. The expression of different transcripts of LACTB gene in leukemic cell lines (THP-1, HL60, K562, U937, Jurkat and Raji) was detected by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), DNA and clone sequencing; the expression of different transcripts of LACTB gene in leukemic cell lines was detected by Quantitative Real-time PCR. RESULTS: There were a variety of splicing isomers in LACTB, and it could produce a variety of protein isomers with conserved N-terminal and different C-terminal, moreover, there were many splice isoforms of LACTB in leukemia cell lines, and there were different expression patterns in different cell lines, including XR1, V1, V2 and V3. The expression of total LACTB showed high in HL60 cells, while low in Raji cells, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The V1 was high expression in U937 cells but low in Raji cells, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). V2 was high expression in HL60 cells but lowly in Raji cells, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The expression of V3 was low in THP-1 cells, which was significantly different as compared with that in normal bone marrow (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The reaserch found that there are many splice isomers of LACTB in leukemic cell lines, and there are different expression patterns in different cell lines.

Dietary patterns and their associations with the metabolic syndrome and predicted 10-year risk of CVD in northwest Chinese adults.

The impact of diet on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and CVD has been investigated widely, but few studies have investigated the association between dietary patterns (DP) and the predicted CVD, derived from reduced rank regression (RRR). The objectives of this study were to derive DP using RRR and principal component analysis (PCA) and investigate their associations with the MetS and estimated 10-year atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD). We used the baseline dataset from the Xinjiang multi-ethnic cohort study in China, collected from June 2018 to May 2019. A total of 14 982 subjects aged 35-74 years from Urumqi, Huo Cheng and Mo Yu were included in the analysis. The 10-year ASCVD risk was estimated using the Chinese ASCVD risk equations. The associations of DP with the MetS and 10-year ASCVD were determined using multivariable logistic regression models. In Urumqi and Mo Yu, the increased RRR DP score was associated with a higher OR of having the MetS and with a higher OR of elevated 10-year ASCVD risk. However, only the first DP determined by PCA in Urumqi was inversely associated with the MetS and elevated 10-year ASCVD risk. The prevalence of the MetS and elevated ASCVD risk in urban population is higher than that in rural areas. Our results may help nutritionists develop more targeted dietary strategies to prevent the MetS and ASCVD in different regions in China.

Specific Gene Co-variation Acts Better Than Number of Concomitant Altered Genes in Predicting EGFR-TKI Efficacy in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: There occurs huge heterogeneity in clinical outcomes for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). The purpose of this study was to indicate genetic biomarkers predicting primary resistance of EGFR-TKIs in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a next-generation sequencing panel with 168 cancer-related genes, matched tumor biopsy and plasma samples before treatments from patients with NSCLC were analyzed. Patients taking EGFR-TKIs were followed-up with imaging examination. Correlation of co-alterative genes with progression-free survival (PFS) was analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients treated with EGFR-TKIs, 46 (95.83%) had at least 1 genetic co-variant beyond EGFR mutation. Multivariate analysis indicated that RB1, PIK3CA, and ERBB2 co-alterations, rather than number of co-alterative genes, were independently associated with poorer PFS. Grouping patients by specific gene status showed best likelihood ratio χ2, Akaike information criterion, and Harrell concordance index. The median PFS for patients in group A (less genetic co-variations and wild specific genes), group B (more genetic co-variations and wild specific genes), group C (less genetic co-variations and altered specific genes), and group D (more genetic co-variations and altered specific genes) were 10.4, 9.13 (vs. group A; P = .3112), 6.33 (vs. group B; P = .0465), and 3.90 (vs. group C; P = .0309) months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed a high concomitant genetic alteration rate in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC. Specific gene variants were more important than number of altered genes in predicting poor PFS, and may help select patients needing new treatment strategies.

Switching dynamics analysis of forest-pest model describing effects of external periodic disturbance.

A periodically forced Filippov forest-pest model incorporating threshold policy control and integrated pest management is proposed. It is very natural and reasonable to introduce Filippov non-smooth system into the ecosystem since there were many disadvantageous factors in pest control at fixed time and the threshold control according to state variable showed rewarding characteristics. The main aim of this paper is to quest the association between pests dynamics and system parameters especially the economical threshold ET, the amplitude and frequency of periodic forcing term. From the view of pest control, if the maximum amplitude of the sliding periodic solution does not exceed economic injury level(EIL), the sliding periodic solution is a desired result for pest control. The Filippov forest-pest model exhibits the rich dynamic behaviors including multiple attractors coexistence, period-adding bifurcation, quasi-periodic feature and chaos. At certain frequency of periodic forcing, the varying system initial densities trigger the system state switch between different attractors with diverse amplitudes and periods. Besides, parameters sensitivity analysis shows that the pest could be controlled at a certain level by choosing suitable parameters.

Interaction of Microglia and Astrocytes in the Neurovascular Unit.

The interaction between microglia and astrocytes significantly influences neuroinflammation. Microglia/astrocytes, part of the neurovascular unit (NVU), are activated by various brain insults. The local extracellular and intracellular signals determine their characteristics and switch of phenotypes. Microglia and astrocytes are activated into two polarization states: the pro-inflammatory phenotype (M1 and A1) and the anti-inflammatory phenotype (M2 and A2). During neuroinflammation, induced by stroke or lipopolysaccharides, microglia are more sensitive to pathogens, or damage; they are thus initially activated into the M1 phenotype and produce common inflammatory signals such as IL-1 and TNF-α to trigger reactive astrocytes into the A1 phenotype. These inflammatory signals can be amplified not only by the self-feedback loop of microglial activation but also by the unique anatomy structure of astrocytes. As the pathology further progresses, resulting in local environmental changes, M1-like microglia switch to the M2 phenotype, and M2 crosstalk with A2. While astrocytes communicate simultaneously with neurons and blood vessels to maintain the function of neurons and the blood-brain barrier (BBB), their subtle changes may be identified and responded by astrocytes, and possibly transferred to microglia. Although both microglia and astrocytes have different functional characteristics, they can achieve immune "optimization" through their mutual communication and cooperation in the NVU and build a cascaded immune network of amplification.

[Prognostic Value of Morphology and Hans Classification in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of morphology and Hans classification in diffuse large B cell lymphoma（DLBCL）. METHODS: Clinical data of 249 patients diagnosed with DLBCL in our hospital and Hangzhou Xixi hospital during Jan 2006 to Dec 2016 were analyzed retrospectively. These patients were classified into 3 groups: immunoblastic variant（IB） group, centroblastic variant（CB） group and others group according to the cell morphology. And DLBCL was also divided into GCB（germinal center B-cell-like）or non-GCB（non-germinal center B-cell-like） group by analyzing the expression of CD10, BCL6 and MUM1 (GCB: CD10 +,BCL6+-,MUM1+-/CD10-,BCL6+,MUM1-；non-GCB：CD10-,BCL6-,MUM1+-/CD10-,BCL6+,MUM1+). RESULTS: The univariate analysis displayed that the age，LDH level，IPI，IB，non-GCB，B-symptoms and rituximab all could influence the OS and EFS, the CR rate of CB subtype patients was significantly higher than that of the patients with IB subtype （68.3% vs 38.9%)(P=0.02）. IB subtype was the in dependent prognostic factor for both EFS and OS in the whole study. In multivariate analysis, IPI and IB were the independent prognostic factors for OS and EFS. IB subtype was also an independent prognostic factor in EFS and OS with or without rituximab. The expression of BCL2 and BCL6 was related with prognosis in R-CHOP, but not in CHOP treated patients. Other markers (CD5, CD10, IRF4/MUM1, HLA-DR and Ki-67 proliferation index) were not of the significant prognostic value for DLBCL. When accepted rituximab, the GCB and non-GCB were not different significantly for prognosis. However, the non-GCB group showed a poor prognosis without using rituximab （EFS P=0.020；OS P=0.020）. Multivariate Cox models showed that OS and EFS were not significantly different between GCB and non-GCB group, however, the IB subtype had a very significantly poor prognosis in OS and EFS (P=0.001, P=0.002). When the analysis was restricted to DLBCL with CB morphology only, no prognostic value was observed in Hans classification. CONCLUSION: The subtype of immunoblast is a major risk factor in patients treated with CHOP or R-CHOP. There is a significant association between the Hans classification and the morphologic subclassification. Results of this study have supplemented the data for the prognostic factor of DLBCL and demonstrated that the cytomorphologic diagnosis can be reproducible.

Effect of long non-coding RNA highly up-regulated in liver cancer (HULC) on the prognosis of cancer: a meta-analysis.

Some studies investigated the association between highly up-regulated in liver cancer (HULC) and the overall survival (OS) of cancer. However, the results were conflicted and inconclusive. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to determine the association between HULC and the OS of cancer. A comprehensive online search was conducted on Online electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Wanfang database) from the earliest date to Aug 30, 2016. The strength of the association was calculated with the HRs and respective 95% CIs. The expression of HULC was significantly associated with OS of cancers (HR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.61 - 2.79; P<0.00001). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the expression of HULC was significantly associated with OS in Chinese patients (HR = 2.04; 95% CI 1.55 - 2.70; P<0.00001). In the subgroup analysis by cancer type, HULC was associated with OS in osteosarcoma patients (HR = 3.36; 95% CI 1.02 - 11.07; P = 0.05) and in gastric cancer patients (HR = 2.17; 95% CI 1.08 - 4.38; P = 0.03). We performed the sensitivity analysis to assess the stability of the meta-analysis. A significant association was found in studies with adjustment (HR = 2.01; 95% CI 1.35 - 2.99; P= 0.0006). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that high expression of HULC was significantly associated with OS of cancer.

Association of mutant EGFR L858R and exon 19 concentration in circulating cell-free DNA using droplet digital PCR with response to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC.

The present study aimed to determine the diagnostic concordance of plasma epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) with tumor tissue samples and the predictive clinical significance of plasma EGFR mutation concentration. Plasma DNA samples from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were analyzed for EGFR exon 21 codon 858 (L858R) mutation, deletion of exon 19 (ex19del) and exon 20 codon 790 (T790M) mutation using ddPCR. Firstly, the mutations in the plasma samples were compared with the matched tumor samples to determine the concordance. Secondly, image examination follow-ups were analyzed to assess the association between plasma EGFR mutation concentration and patients' response to EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). A total of 51 patients with NSCLC were enrolled, including 48 newly diagnosed patients. Compared with tumor tissue samples, the sensitivity and specificity of ddPCR were 76.19% (16/21) and 96.55% (28/29) for mutant L858R, and 88.89% (8/9) and 100% (41/41) for ex19del, respectively. No patient exhibited the T790M mutation in the tumor tissue or plasma samples. Furthermore, 5 patients with the L858R mutation and 4 patients with ex19del in plasma and tumor tissue samples had been followed up with image examination for ≥3 months following EGFR-TKI treatment. The baseline mutant EGFR concentrations were positively correlated with a reduction in tumor burden (Spearman's r=0.7000, P=0.0358). When analyzed separately, ex19del concentrations (Spearman's r=1.0000, P<0.0001) were also positively correlated with the reduction, while mutant L858R concentrations were not (Spearman's r=0.7000, P=0.1881). In the present study, detection of plasma EGFR mutations using ddPCR exhibited sufficient concordance with tumor tissue sample results. Baseline plasma mutant EGFR and ex19del concentrations were significantly and positively correlated with response to EGFR-TKIs.

Meta-analysis of the role of bevacizumab in extensive stage small cell lung cancer.

Progress in the treatment options for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains poor. Concerns exist regarding the efficacy of bevacizumab in SCLC. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of bevacizumab in extensive stage (ES)-SCLC. A meta-analysis on studies conducted and listed on the Medline, Cochrane Trials, ASCO, ESMO and ClinicalTrial databases, and Chinese databases prior to April 2015 was performed. All clinical trials in which patients with ES-SCLC were treated with bevacizumab were considered. Survival rates at specific time points were extracted from the reported survival curves. Hazard ratios (HR) for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), rates for PFS, OS, overall response rate (ORR), and side-effects were synthesized using random-effects or fixed-effects model. Two randomized control trials (RCT) (176 patients) and six single-arm trials (292 patients) were identified. In RCTs, no statistically significant differences were observed in PFS [HR, 0.70; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.41-1.19; P=0.19] or OS (HR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.84-1.75; P=0.31). In the first-line trials, pooled 6-month and 1-year PFS rates were 57% (95% CI, 39-76%) and 10% (95% CI, 4-16%), respectively. Synthesized 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 45% (95% CI, 36-54%) and 10% (95% CI, 6-14%), respectively. Reported median PFS and OS times for pretreated patients were 2.7-4.0 months and 6.3-7.4 months, respectively. Pooled ORRs were 71% (95% CI, 59-82%) in the first-line trials and 18% (95% CI, 11-25%) in the second-line trials. The most common types of reported toxicities were chemotherapy-associated, including neutropenia, leukopenia, fatigue and thrombocytopenia. According to the RCTs, bevacizumab did not appear to improve the PFS or OS for patients with ES-SCLC, with low quality of evidence. Due to the disappointing pooled efficacy in the single-arm trials, more clinical studies on bevacizumab in SCLC may not be valuable, although the evidence was with low quality.

Quantitative cell-free circulating EGFR mutation concentration is correlated with tumor burden in advanced NSCLC patients.

OBJECTIVES: Droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) has shown sufficient concordance in detecting plasma epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) status in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared to tumor tissues. However, the clinical significance of the quantitative plasma mutated EGFR concentration remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of plasma mutated EGFR concentration with tumor burden in advanced NSCLC patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using ddPCR, plasma DNA samples prior to administration of therapies from 113 consecutive NSCLC patients were analyzed for EGFR L858R substitution and deletion of exon19 (ex19del). Plasma EGFR status was compared to tumor EGFR status to determine concordance. Then, we assessed the correlation of plasma mutated EGFR concentrations with tumor burden and other tumor characteristics. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared to tumor EGFR, the concordance rate of plasma and tissue EGFR status was 86.73%. Of the 64 patients who harbored tumor EGFR mutation, plasma mutated EGFR concentrations significantly correlated with number of metastatic sites (Spearman's r=0.4954, p<0.0001), number of lesions (Spearman's r=0.4484, p=0.0002), and sum of measurable lesions' diameters (Spearman's r=0.3539, p=0.0048). Number of metastatic sites was independently associated with mutated EGFR concentration in multiple linear regression. Besides, plasma mutated EGFR concentrations were significantly higher in those with extensive tumor burden (median concentration, 386.9 vs. 13.4copies/mL; p<0.0001) and stage IV disease (median concentration, 244.2 vs. 0copies/mL; p=0.0252). In conclusion, mutated plasma EGFR concentration determined by ddPCR analysis significantly correlated with tumor burden.

Association of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism in the Hepcidin Promoter Gene with Susceptibility to Extrapulmonary Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Hepcidin is a 25-amino acid peptide produced by the liver in response to inflammation and iron overload. It is encoded by the hepcidin antimicrobial peptide (HAMP) gene and plays a key role in innate immunity. Previous studies have reported that a -582 A>G polymorphism in the HAMP promoter (HAMP-P) affects hepcidin expression, causing susceptibility to various bacterial and viral pathogens. However, it is not known whether the HAMP-P -582 A>G polymorphism is associated with tuberculosis (TB) susceptibility. AIMS: The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between the HAMP-P -582 A>G polymorphism and TB susceptibility in a Chinese Han population. METHODS: Han Chinese subjects examined included 500 pulmonary TB, 386 extrapulmonary TB, and 600 healthy control subjects. We analyzed correlations between the hepcidin promoter -582 A>G polymorphism and disease susceptibility and then examined the regulatory effects of the -582 A>G variant on hepcidin production in CD14+ monocyte cultures stimulated with lipoarabinomannan derived from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that the HAMP-P -582 A>G polymorphism (rs10421768) is associated with susceptibility to extrapulmonary TB, but not pulmonary TB. CD14+ monocytes from individuals with the rs10421768 GG genotype secreted significantly less hepcidin in response to M. tuberculosis lipoarabinomannan compared with cells from individuals with either the AA or AG genotypes. CONCLUSIONS: The G allele of the HAMP-P -582 A>G gene may play a critical role in TB susceptibility.

Yin-Cold or Yang-Heat Syndrome Type of Traditional Chinese Medicine Was Associated with the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Gene Status in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients: Confirmation of a TCM Concept.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapies should be tailored according to the different syndrome types. In order to identify the relationship between the TCM Yin-cold (YC) or Yang-heat (YH) syndrome types and the EGFR gene status, we prospectively studied 310 NSCLC patients. TCM YH or YC was diagnosed by three TCM experts. TCM symptoms and signs were entered into a binary cluster analysis. The relationships between the EGFR gene status, YH or YC syndrome types, and classification by cluster analysis were analyzed using the chi-square test and multivariate logistic regression. In the 299 patients who had their EGFR gene tested, 45.24% YC (76/168) and 25.95% YH (34/131) patients had EGFR mutations (p = 0.001). Among the 292 patients entered into the cluster analysis, 132 were classified into group A, with signs and symptoms similar to YC, whereas 160 group B patients were similar to YH. In the 281 patients with EGFR tested, 45.67% group A (58/127) and 28.57% group B patients (44/154) had EGFR mutations (p = 0.003). The EGFR status was independently correlated with TCM syndrome type and classification by cluster analysis on multivariate logistic regression. NSCLC patients with YC were more likely to have EGFR gene mutations.

Estimation of cell-free circulating EGFR mutation concentration predicts outcomes in NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.

Detection of circulating tumor DNA using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) is a highly-sensitive, minimally invasive alternative to serial biopsies for assessment and management of cancer. We used ddPCR to assess the utility of measuring plasma concentrations of common epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations (L858R, exon 19 deletion, and T790M) in 57 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs). High baseline plasma EGFR mutation (pEGFRmut) concentrations were associated with shorter progression-free survival (8.43 months) than low baseline pEGFRmut (16.23 months; p = 0.0019). By contrast, there were no differences in tumor shrinkage or overall survival between groups. During EGFR-TKI treatment, pEGFRmut levels decreased to zero in 89.58% of patients. Twenty-five of the 27 patients who progressed had basal pEGFRmut, and 18 also had circulating T790M. All 20 patients with dramatic progression (according to a categorization system for EGFR-TKIs failure) had basal pEGFRmut, and 13 had T790M mutation at progression. These results support the use of ddPCR for analysis of plasma EGFR mutations for prediction of PFS and to monitor clinical responses to EGFR-TKIs in NSCLC patients.

Polymorphisms in the prostaglandin receptor EP2 gene confers susceptibility to tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES: Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is an important lipid mediator of the inflammatory immune response during acute and chronic infections. PGE2 modulates a variety of immune functions via four receptors (EP1-EP4), which mediate distinct PGE2 effects. Mice lacking EP2 are more susceptible to infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), have a higher bacterial load, and increase size and number of granulomatous lesions. Our aim was to assess whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in EP2 increase the risk of tuberculosis. METHODS: DNA re-sequencing revealed five common EP2 variants in the Chinese Han population. We sequenced the EP2 gene from 600 patients and 572 healthy controls to measure SNP frequencies in association with tuberculosis infections (TB) within the population. RESULTS: The rs937337 polymorphism is associated with increased risk to tuberculosis (p=0.0044, odds ratio [OR], 1.67; 95% confidential interval,1.22-2.27). The rs937337 AA genotype and the rs1042618 CC genotype were significantly associated with TB. An estimation of the frequencies of haplotypes revealed a single protective haplotype GACGC for tuberculosis (p=0.00096, odds ratio [OR], 0.56; 95% confidential interval, 0.41-0.77). Furthermore, we determined that the remaining SNPs of EP2 were nominally associated with clinical patterns of disease. CONCLUSIONS: We identified genetic polymorphisms in EP2 associated with susceptibility to tuberculosis within a Chinese population. Our data support that EP2 SNPs are genetic predispositions of increased susceptibility to TB and to different clinical patterns of disease.

[Epidemiological and clinical features of calicivirus-associated diarrhea in hospitalized children in Chengdu, China from 2012 to 2014].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the epidemiological and clinical features of calicivirus-associated diarrhea in hospitalized children in Chengdu, China in recent years. METHODS: The clinical data of 267 children with calicivirus-associated diarrhea aged <5 years who were hospitalized in Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital (the only sentinel hospital for sample collection of pediatric viral diarrhea in Chengdu, Sichuan) between January 2012 and December 2014 were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: Among the 267 children, 200 (74.9%) were aged less than 1 year. The infection rate of calicivirus was 28.4%, 21.6%, and 27.1% in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. Calicivirus was prevalent in summer and autumn (August to October). The detection rate of Norovirus II was 85.8% (229/267), and 244 children (91.4%) experienced an acute clinical course. Watery stool was the most common change in stool properties (82.0%, 219 children), and some specimens showed mucus and/or blood. Most children had moderate to severe fever. One hundred and thirty-eight children (53.9%) experienced a reduced serum prealbumin level. One hundred and fifty-nine children (59.6%) experienced flora imbalance. CONCLUSIONS: Calicivirus has become one of the major pathogens for diarrhea in children aged <5 years in Chengdu, with Norovirus II as the dominant strain. Calicivirus is prevalent in summer and autumn. Infants aged <1 year are the main population affected by calicivirus-associated diarrhea, with watery stool as the most common manifestation.