DDX17 modulates the expression and alternative splicing of genes involved in apoptosis and proliferation in lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Background: The DEAD-box RNA-binding protein (RBP) DDX17 has been found to be involved in the tumorigenesis of many types of cancers. However, the role of DDX17 in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unclear. Methods: We silenced DDX17 expression in A549 LUAD cells by small interfering RNA (siRNA). Cell proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed to explore the functions of DDX17. Knockdown of DDX17 by siRNA significantly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in A549 cells. We used high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and alternative splicing (AS) events in DDX17 knockdown LUAD cells. Results: DDX17 knockdown increased the expression levels of proapoptotic genes and decreased those of proproliferative genes. Moreover, the DDX17-regulated AS events in A549 cells revealed by computational analysis using ABLas software were strongly validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and were also validated by analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD dataset. These findings suggest that DDX17 may function as an oncogene by regulating both the expression and AS of proliferation- and apoptosis-associated genes in LUAD cells. Our findings may offer new insights into understanding the molecular mechanisms of LUAD and provide a new therapeutic direction for LUAD.

Clinical application of gastrointestinal decompression in anastomotic fistula after McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

AbstractCervical anastomotic fistula is one of the most common complications after McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer, leading to septic shock and even death. It is therefore very important to provide effective symptom management after diagnosis of anastomotic fistula. Placing the gastrointestinal decompression tube beside the anastomotic site and connecting the tube to a gastrointestinal decompression disk could support the prevention and treatment of anastomotic fistula after surgical treatment of esophageal cancer. Thirty-eight patients with anastomotic fistula after undergoing McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer in our hospital from April 2017 to January 2021 were divided equally into control and observation groups according to the gastrointestinal decompression method used. Gastrointestinal decompression tubes were placed 45 to 50 cm from the incisors in the control group or 25 to 30 cm from the incisors in the observation group. The treatment efficacy was compared between the 2 groups. The drainage time, length of hospital stay after anastomotic fistula detection, and fistula healing time in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group (P < .05 for all). Placing the gastrointestinal decompression tube connected to a gastrointestinal decompression disk next to the anastomotic site is a simple procedure and may significantly improve the drainage time, length of hospital stay, and fistula healing time of patients who develop anastomotic fistula resulting from McKeown esophagectomy for esophageal cancer.

Postoperative thoracogastric necrosis associated with thoracogastric-tracheal fistula of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Postoperative thoracogastric necrosis (TGN) associated with thoracogastric-tracheal fistula (TGTF) of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma is rare and has a poor prognosis and high mortality. Few cases have been reported and successful treatment is rare. Surgery is the major treatment option. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 71-year-old man was hospitalized in a local hospital for more than 2 months due to dysphagia. The patient was previously healthy and had no underlying diseases. DIAGNOSIS: TGN associated with TGTF of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma. INTERVENTION: Two-stage surgeries were performed. OUTCOME: The patient recovered well at the time of the follow-up examination on April 4, 2021 with an ECOG score of 0. CONCLUSION: Staging surgery can be an alternative treatment for TGN associated with TGTF of an endoscopic McKeown-type resection of esophageal carcinoma.

A novel grade-lymph node ratio model predicts the prognosis of the advanced gastric cancer patients after neoadjuvant radiotherapy.

Although local advanced gastric cancer (AGC) could benefit from neoadjuvant radiotherapy (NRT), there are few studies evaluating patients' survival after NRT. In current study, we aimed to investigate the value of prognostic factors in AGC patients after NRT and to evaluate whether post-therapy pathological characteristics were predictive factors in these patients. We retrospectively analyzed AGC patients who underwent NRT from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database. The patients' clinical and post-therapy pathological characteristics were analyzed. The best cutoff points for continuous variables were identified by X-tile. The discrimination of risk factors were compared by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. As a result, 1,429 AGC patients were included into this study. In the multivariate analysis, the lymph nodes status and histology grade were significant risk factors for DSS (disease special survival). Then, we propose a novel Grade-lymph node Ratio (G-R) staging system for the AGC patients' survival prognosis. Clearly, the new G-R staging system has a more-accurate 3-year and 5-year DSS prediction than the AJCC staging system (p = 0.001, 0.007, respectively). In conclusions, the current large, general population-based study demonstrated that the G-R staging system resulting in more-accurate DSS prediction. It could be regarded as a reliable classification for AGC patients after NRT in future.

[Research of loss of heterozygaity on chromosome 3p in non-small cell lung cancer.].

BACKGROUND: It has been proven that allelic loss of chromosome region 3p occurs early and frequently in non-small-cell lung cancer, and numerous tumor suppressor genes at this locus may be targets of inactivation. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of the allele genes on 3p and the diagnostic value of NSCLC. METHODS: A total of 32 NSCLC samples and 8 tissues of the pulmonary benign disease have been analyzed by fluorescent quantitative PCR. RESULTS: There were 25 of the 32 cases (78.125%) with NSCLC tumor had LOH on 3p . Among them, LOH detection was 14 cases (43.75%) at 3p 25, 18 cases (56.25%) at 3p14 and 18 cases (56.25%) at 3p 21.3, respectively, and was 18.75% (3p 25),31.25% (3p 14),50% (3p 21.3) in the nucleated cell in peripheral blood, respectively. The total detection was 20 cases (65.625%). LOH detection in the nucleated cells in peripheral blood was correlation with the tumor tissues and the combined detection is better than single ones. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that 3p LOH occur commonly in human NSCLC. The 3p LOH detection of the tumor tissue and the nucleated cell in peripheral blood is beneficial to the diagnosis of NSCLC. The combined LOH detection of 3 separate regions of 3p LOH is beneficial to increase the detection rate.