Prognostic and Clinical Significance of Aspartate Aminotransferase-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Index in Individuals with Liver Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at exploring the prognostic and clinicopathological roles of aspartate aminotransferase-to-lymphocyte ratio index (ALRI) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma via a meta-analysis. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and VIP databases were comprehensively searched from inception to November 20, 2021. Pooled hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the relationship between ALRI and overall survival (OS) as well as progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95% CI were also used to investigate correlations between clinical factors and ALRI in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. RESULTS: A total of 3914 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma from eleven retrospective cohorts were included in this meta-analysis. The combined results revealed that patients with hepatocellular carcinoma with elevated ALRI tended to have unfavorable OS (HR 1.53 [95% CI 1.25-1.82]; P < 0.001). Pooled HRs revealed that high ALRI was an independent risk factor for inferior PFS in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HR 1.36 [95% CI 1.10-1.63]; P < 0.001). In addition, high ALRI was strongly associated with male sex (OR 1.32 [95% CI 1.02-1.70]; P = 0.035), presence of cirrhosis (OR 1.68 [95% CI 1.01-2.81]; P = 0.046), larger tumor size (OR 2.25 [95% CI 1.31-3.88]; P < 0.001), presence of portal vein tumor thrombus (OR 2.50 [95% CI 1.52-4.11]; P < 0.001), and distant metastasis (OR 1.72 [95% CI 1.05-2.82]; P = 0.031). CONCLUSION: Elevated ALRI in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma predicted inferior survival outcomes and was strongly associated with some important features of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Utility of Pretreatment Blood Platelet-To-Lymphocyte Ratio in Prediction of Clinical Outcomes and Chemosensitivity in Patients with Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND The results of previous studies that evaluated the association between pretreatment blood platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and clinical outcomes and chemosensitivity in patients with advanced gastric cancer are inconsistent. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the association between pretreatment blood PLR and clinical outcomes and chemosensitivity in advanced gastric cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS We performed a systematic literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library up to Mar 9, 2021. Hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were pooled for meta-analysis. The quality of the included studies was measured by the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. RESULTS We included 17 studies comprising 3499 patients with advanced GC in this meta-analysis. Pooled results demonstrated that high PLR was correlated with poor OS (HR=1.429, 95% CI=1.246-1.639, P<0.001) and DFS (HR=1.47, 95% CI=1.14-1.88, P=0.003) compared with low PLR in patients with advanced GC. Moreover, high PLR was associated with a lower response to chemotherapy in patients with advanced GC (OR=1.395, 95% CI=1.056-1.841, P=0.019). However, there was no significant correlation between PLR and clinicopathological features. CONCLUSIONS This meta-analysis suggests that high PLR is a risk factor for unfavorable OS, DFS, and chemosensitivity in patients with advanced GC.

Prognostic Value of Blood Urea Nitrogen to Serum Albumin Ratio in Intensive Care Unit Patients with Lung Cancer.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic ability of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) to serum albumin ratio (BAR) to predict in-hospital mortality in patients with lung cancer in the intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV v1.0) database was used to identify patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Multivariate COX regression was used to investigate the association between BAR and in-hospital mortality and propensity score matching (PSM) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were also used to ensure the robustness of our findings. eICU-CRD database (validation cohort) was also applied to validate our findings. RESULTS: The optimal cut-off value for BAR was 6.8mg/g. Among 1202 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer, 287 high-BAR group (≥6.8mg/g) patients and 287 low-BAR group (<6.8mg/g) patients, who had similar propensity scores were included in this study. After matching, the high-BAR group had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (hazard ratio, HR, 2.24, 95% confidence index, 95% CI, 1.57-3.19, P<0.001) even after adjustment for confounding factors. Moreover, the performance of BAR was superior to that of BUN and serum albumin alone and could add net benefit in predicting in-hospital mortality. Those results were further confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: As an easily accessible and cost-effective parameter, BAR could serve as a good prognostic predictor for lung cancer patients in ICU.

A dual-signal self-checking photoelectrochemical immunosensor based on the sole composite of MIL-101(Cr) and CdSe quantum dots for the detection of α-fetoprotein.

Designing a photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensor that can produce dual photocurrent signals which can refer to each other is a great importance but a big challenge. In this manuscript, a novel dual photocurrent signals immunosensor was constructed for the detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP). Unlike the usual method of using two composite materials to provide cathode and anode photocurrent respectively, this work applies only one compound of MIL-101 (Cr) and CdSe quantum dots (QDs). Thereinto, we found that the photocurrent polarity of MIL-101(Cr) would switch by adjusting applied voltage. And then CdSe QDs was introduced by simple ultrasound mixing to boost the dual photocurrent signals. Furthermore, in the composite of M&C, the electron transfer path between MIL-101(Cr) and CdSe QDs may switch between "Z-type" and "Ⅱ-type" by adjusting voltage. Benefiting by the dual signals, the proposed sensor can not only perform sensitively quantitative detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP), but also can intuitively estimate the accuracy and reliability of the test result by determining whether the corresponding relationship of "cathode photocurrent-analyte concentration-anode photocurrent" is established. The linear ranges of the sensing electrodes as cathode and anode are the same, both from 0.1 to 300 ng mL-1. The limit of detection (LOD) is 0.082 ng mL-1 (S/N = 3) when it used as an anode, and the LOD is 0.054 ng mL-1 (S/N = 3) when it served as cathode. Furthermore, this sensor showed acceptable stability, reproducibility, specificity, and feasibility of detecting AFP in human serum, which has broad development prospects in the early clinical diagnosis.

Upregulation of phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class C is associated with unfavorable survival prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of malignant tumor, and is the second highest cause of cancer-associated mortality, behind lung carcinoma. It is urgent to identify novel genes that can be used to confirm the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with HCC. The present study aimed to investigate the expression pattern of phosphatidylinositol glycan anchor biosynthesis class C (PIGC) in HCC and assess its clinical prognostic significance. Bioinformatics analyses were used to investigate PIGC mRNA expression levels in HCC and adjacent non-cancerous tissue samples. Furthermore, the present study detected the expression levels of PIGC protein in HCC and matched normal tissue samples via immunohistochemistry, and evaluated the prognostic significance of PIGC protein in HCC. The levels of PIGC mRNA and protein were found to be significantly higher in tissue from patients with HCC compared with non-cancerous liver tissue. The survival analysis showed that the expression levels of PIGC mRNA or protein were associated with the survival of patients with HCC. PIGC protein expression was significantly associated with Tumor-Node-Metastasis stage. A negative correlation between PIGC DNA methylation and mRNA expression was observed (Spearman r=-0.453). PIGC is an oncogene that is negatively regulated by DNA methylation, and high levels of PIGC mRNA or protein may predict an unfavorable prognosis in patients with HCC.

Zingiberene targets the miR-16/cyclin-B1 axis to regulate the growth, migration and invasion of human liver cancer cells.

PURPOSE: Liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered as one of the most frequent malignancies with significantly high morbidity and mortality across the globe. MicroRNAs (miRs) are regarded as important regulators of liver cancer formation and its development. However, the full biochemical mechanism of their role is still very less understood. The main objective of the current research work was to examine the role of miR-16/cyclin-B1 axis in liver cancer regulation and how this pathway along with liver cancer migration and invasion are targeted by zingiberene molecule. METHODS: Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate miR-16 expression in HCC cell lines. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the expression of the miR-16 target genes. Effects on cell migration and invasion were evaluated by in vitro wound healing assay and transwell Matrigel assay, respectively. Effects of zingiberene on HCC cell viability were evaluated by MTT assay. RESULTS: Zingiberene treatment led to downregulation of miR-16 in HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells, accompanied by induction of G0/G1 cell cycle arrest targeting cyclin B1 as direct target. These effects were also accompanied by inhibition of cell migration and invasion, indicating that miR-16 can have a significant role as liver cancer suppressor after zingiberene treatment. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-16, which was one of HCC downregulated miRs, directly targeted Cyclin B1 in HCC cells. CONCLUSION: The current study indicates miR-16/cyclin B1 axis might have significant applications as a therapeutic target for patients with liver cancer.

Anticancer effects of Lanostane against human gastric cancer cells involves autophagy, apoptosis and modulation of m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

PURPOSE: Gastric carcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related morbidity throughout the globe. There are limited clinical therapies for gastric cancer due to lack of effective drugs and ambiguity in molecular mechanisms. As such there is a pressing need for novel and effective anticancer drugs for gastric cancer. The main aim of the current research work was to investigate the anticancer effects of Lanostane natural product in MKN-45 human gastric cancer cells along with evaluating its effects on cell autophagy, apoptosis, and m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. METHODS: MTT cytotoxicity assay was used to evaluate cell viability of MKN-45 human gastric cancer cells. Apoptosis was evaluated by fluorescence microscopy using Hoechst 33258 and Annexin-V/propidium iodide (PI) assay using flow cytometry. Autophagy was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and western blot method. Effects on m-TOR/PI3K/AKT related protein expression were evaluated by western blot method. RESULTS: Lanostane molecule led to substantial and dose-dependent growth inhibitory effects onMKN-45 human gastric cancer cells. Clonogenic assay showed significant decrease in MKN-45 cell colonies. Hoechst 33258 and annexin V/PI revealed that lanostane induced dominant apoptotic effects in these cells and exhibited dose-dependence. TEM revealed that lanostane induced autophagy in MKN-45 cells by forming autophagosomes and autophagic vacuoles. Lanostane also targeted m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway by altering the expression of some key proteins. CONCLUSION: Lanostane displayed strong anticancer effects in MKN-45 human gastric cancer cells by triggering apoptosis and autophagy and targeting m-TOR/PI3K/AKT signalling pathway.

Efficacy of S-1 vs capecitabine for the treatment of gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

AIM: To rationally evaluate the effect of S-1 vs capecitabine for the treatment of gastric cancer. METHODS: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, Google Scholar, and China Journal Full Text Database were accessed to collect clinical randomized controlled trials regarding the effect of S-1 vs capecitabine for the treatment of gastric cancer patients. Statistical analysis was performed by meta-analysis. Four randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Compared with capecitabine regimens, the 1-year survival rate in gastric cancer patients was 0.80 (95%CI: 0.52-1.21, P = 0.29). The overall response rate of S-1 vs capecitabine was 0.94 (95%CI: 0.59-1.51, P = 0.93). Compared with capecitabine regimens, the most frequent hematologic toxicities were neutropenia (OR = 0.99, 95%CI: 0.65-1.49, P = 0.94) and thrombocytopenia (OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.31-1.67, P = 0.44). The most frequent non-hematologic toxicities included nausea (OR = 0.85, 95%CI: 0.56-1.28, P = 0.43) and hand-foot syndrome (OR = 0.16, 95%CI: 0.10-0.27, P < 0.00001). CONCLUSION: The existing studies suggest that S-1 is not more effective than capecitabine in the treatment of gastric cancer patients, but does exhibit less toxicity with regard to hand-foot syndrome.