A Modified Purse-String Stapling Technique for Intracorporeal Circular Stapled Esophagojejunostomy During Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy: Comparison with Extracorporeal Reconstruction Technique.

Background: Intracorporeal esophagojejunostomy (EJ) in the context of laparoscopic total gastrectomy remains a complex and technically demanding procedure. We have previously introduced a novel method of intracorporeal circular stapled EJ utilizing a conventional purse-string suture instrument. Since May 2018, we have refined this technique, and the aim of this study was to assess its safety and efficacy. Methods: Between May 2018 and June 2022, we enrolled 92 patients who underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy with the modified intracorporeal reconstruction method. In addition, between March 2014 and June 2022, we enrolled 121 patients who underwent the procedure with the extracorporeal reconstruction method. We retrospectively collected and compared the clinical data of these 2 patient cohorts. Results: Intracorporeal reconstruction group experienced lower postoperative pain scores (2.7 ± 1.3 versus 4.5 ± 1.4, P = .032), reduced administration of analgesics (3.1 ± 2.2 versus 5.0 ± 3.5, P = .041), and shorter postoperative hospital stays (4.9 ± 2.3 versus 6.3 ± 3.5, P = .045) compared with the extracorporeal reconstruction group. In addition, anastomotic time and postoperative pain score were not increased in the overweight patients in the intracorporeal reconstruction group. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 2 (2.2%) patients in the intracorporeal reconstruction group and 4 (3.3%) patients in the extracorporeal reconstruction group. Anastomotic stricture occurred in 1 (1.1% and 0.8%) patient in each group. There was no significant difference in the overall postoperative complication rate between the 2 groups. Conclusions: The modified intracorporeal purse-string stapling technique for EJ during laparoscopic total gastrectomy is a safe and viable option, exhibiting less invasiveness and comparable outcomes to the extracorporeal reconstruction method, especially suitable for obese patients.

The Synergistic Anti-colon Cancer Effect of Aurora A Inhibitors and AKT Inhibitors Through PI3K/AKT Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Both AKT and Aurora inhibitors are a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of malignant tumors. However, the role of combined inhibition of AKT and Aurora in colon cancer and its underlying mechanism have yet to be fully investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of combined AKT and Aurora inhibitors in colon cancer and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: CCK8 assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cell line SW480 treated with combined AKT inhibitor MK2206 and Aurora inhibitor Alisertib, respectively. And tumor formation and growth were measured in tumor allograft model mice administered with the combined inhibitors. Western blot analysis was used to examine the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and signal transduction pathway components. The PI3K agonist 740Y-P and Overexpression of AKT are used to verify whether the PI3K/AKT pathway plays an anti-tumor effect when combined with inhibitory administration. RESULTS: Aurora A inhibitor Alisertib and AKT inhibitor MK2206 displayed consistent and synergistic antiproliferation and proapoptotic effects. Combined inhibition of Aurora A and AKT down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2/Bax and up-regulated the expression of cleaved-caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP. While single-drug treatment can significantly inhibit the expression of P-PI3K and P-AKT as well as increase the expression of P53 and H2A.X, the combined drugs had a more significant inhibitory effect than the single drug. Moreover, administration of PI3K agonist 740Y-P and AKT1 overexpression in experiments proved that the combined drugs exert an anticancer effect by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway. Meanwhile, we showed that the combined administration had an anti-colon cancer effect on tumor allograft mice, and the underlying mechanism involved inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSION: Combined administration of Aurora A inhibitor Alisertib and AKT inhibitor MK2206 can inhibit the proliferation of colon cancer cells and induce apoptosis, while inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. The underlying mechanism may involve the PI3K/AKT pathway and DNA damage pathway.

Mechanistic insights into the ameliorative effects of hypoxia-induced myocardial injury by Corydalis yanhusuo total alkaloids: based on network pharmacology and experiment verification.

Introduction: Corydalis yanhusuo total alkaloids (CYTA) are the primary active ingredients in yanhusuo, known for their analgesic and cardioprotective effects. However, the mechanisms underlying the treatment of Myocardial ischemia (MI) with CYTA have not been reported. The purpose of this study was to explore the protective effect of CYTA on MI and its related mechanisms. Methods: A network pharmacology was employed to shed light on the targets and mechanisms of CYTA's action on MI. The protective effect of CYTA against hypoxia damage was evaluated in H9c2 cells. Furthermore, the effects of CYTA on L-type Ca2+ current (ICa-L), contractile force, and Ca2+ transient in cardiomyocytes isolated from rats were investigated using the patch clamp technique and IonOptix system. The network pharmacology revealed that CYTA could regulate oxidative stress, apoptosis, and calcium signaling. Cellular experiments demonstrated that CYTA decreased levels of CK, LDH, and MDA, as well as ROS production and Ca2+ concentration. Additionally, CYTA improved apoptosis and increased the activities of SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, along with the levels of ATP and Ca2+-ATPase content and mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, CYTA inhibited ICa-L, cell contraction, and Ca2+ transient in cardiomyocytes. Results: These findings suggest that CYTA has a protective effect on MI by inhibiting oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, apoptosis and Ca2+ overload. Discussion: The results prove that CYTA might be a potential natural compound in the field of MI treatment, and also provide a new scientific basis for the its utilization.

Inhibition of human ether-à-go-go-related gene K+ currents expressed in HEK293 cells by three gingerol components from ginger.

OBJECTIVES: Gingerols are bioactive compounds derived from ginger, our experiment investigates the effects of 6-, 8- and 10-Gin on the human ether-à-go-go-related gene (hERG) K+ channels by using patch clamp technology. KEY FINDINGS: hERG K+ currents were suppressed by 6-, 8- and 10-Gin in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC50 values of 6-, 8- and 10-Gin were 41.5, 16.1 and 86.5 µM for the hERG K+ currents, respectively. The maximum inhibitory effects caused by 6-, 8- and 10-Gin were 44.3% ± 2.0%, 88.6% ± 1.3% and 63.1% ± 1.1%, respectively, and the effects were almost completely reversible. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that 8-Gin is the most potent hERG K+ channel inhibitor among gingerol components and may offer a new approach for understanding and treating cancer.

The Higher Expression of CDCA2 Associated with Poor Prognosis in Glioma.

Glioma is the most common primary intracranial tumor and is related to poor clinical outcomes. The developments of sensitive markers can be applied to reveal the mechanisms involved in the progression of glioma. This study examined CDCA2 expression in glioma samples and its significance in predicting glioma patient outcome. GEPIA and GEO datasets were used to explore the expression of CDCA2 in glioma. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate assays were applied to delve into the prognostic values of CDCA2 expression in glioma patients using CGGA datasets. Our group also determined the associations between CDCA2 and clinical characteristics. Coexpression analysis was performed. In this research, we observed that CDCA2 expression was distinctly upregulated in glioma specimens compared with nontumor specimens. The prognosis of glioma with high CDCA2 expression was distinctly worse compared with that of glioma with low CDCA2 expression. Additionally, multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that high CDCA2 expression was an independent poor prognostic indicator for glioma patients. High expression of CDCA2 was positively associated with advanced clinical progression. Coexpression analysis revealed that CDCA2 could be positively related to ASPM, SKA1, DLGAP5, NCAPG, and CDCA8 and was negatively associated with ETNPPL, LDHD, MRVI1, CBX7, and CENPJ. Overall, our findings revealed that CDCA2 might serve as an independent prognosis indicator for glioma.

Effectiveness and Safety of Anlotinib Monotherapy for Patients with Extensive-stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer Who Progressed to Chemotherapy: A Real-world Exploratory Study.

BACKGROUND: Anlotinib demonstrated promising efficacy for patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) in clinical trials. However, the real-world evidence of anlotinib monotherapy in ES-SCLC was still limited currently. Therefore, present study was to investigate the effectiveness and safety of anlotinib for patients with ES-SCLC who progressed to chemotherapy in real-world and the potential biomarker during anlotinib monotherapy. METHODS: A total of 89 patients with ES-SCLC who failed the previous chemotherapy treatment were recruited. All the patients were administered with anlotinib monotherapy. Demographic data of the patients were collected; effectiveness and safety profile during anlotinib monotherapy were documented through electronic medical record system in the hospital. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were presented using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate analysis was adjusted by Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: All the 89 patients with ES-SCLC who progressed to chemotherapy were available for the assessment of effectiveness and safety profile. Best overall response indicated that partial response was observed in 6 patients (6.7%), stable disease was noted in 61 patients (68.5%), and progressive disease was found in 22 patients (24.7%). Therefore, the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) of the 89 patients with ES-SCLC was 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.5%-14.1%) and 75.3% (95% CI: 65.0%-83.8%), respectively. The prognostic data suggested that the median PFS of the 89 patients was 3.1 months (95% CI: 2.10-4.10), and the median OS was 8.6 months (95% CI: 7.42-9.78). In addition, the most common adverse reactions of the patients who received anlotinib monotherapy were hypertension (34.8%), hand-foot syndrome (30.3%), fatigue (29.2%), loss of appetite (27.0%), and hematological toxicity (21.3%). Association analysis between biomarker (hypertension status) and prognosis indicated that the median PFS of patients with hypertension and patients with non-hypertension was 5.5 and 3.0 months, respectively (χ2 = 4.64, P = .031). Furthermore, multivariate Cox analysis for PFS suggested that hypertension status was an independent factor for PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71, P = .035]. CONCLUSION: Anlotinib monotherapy showed encouraging effectiveness and acceptable safety profile for patients with ES-SCLC in real world. Hypertension induced by anlotinib administration might be used as a potential biomarker to predict superior PFS for patients with ES-SCLC.

8-Gingerol Ameliorates Myocardial Fibrosis by Attenuating Reactive Oxygen Species, Apoptosis, and Autophagy via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway.

8-gingerol (8-Gin) is the series of phenolic substance that is extracted from ginger. Although many studies have revealed that 8-Gin has multiple pharmacological properties, the possible underlying mechanisms of 8-Gin against myocardial fibrosis (MF) remains unclear. The study examined the exact role and potential mechanisms of 8-Gin against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced MF. Male mice were intraperitoneally injected with 8-Gin (10 and 20 mg/kg/d) and concurrently subcutaneously injected with ISO (10 mg/kg/d) for 2 weeks. Electrocardiography, pathological heart morphology, myocardial enzymes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, degree of apoptosis, and autophagy pathway-related proteins were measured. Our study observed 8-Gin significantly reduced J-point elevation and heart rate. Besides, 8-Gin caused a marked decrease in cardiac weight index and left ventricle weight index, serum levels of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase (CK and LDH, respectively), ROS generation, and attenuated ISO-induced pathological heart damage. Moreover, treatment with 8-Gin resulted in a marked decrease in the levels of collagen types I and III and TGF-ß in the heart tissue. Our results showed 8-Gin exposure significantly suppressed ISO-induced autophagosome formation. 8-Gin also could lead to down-regulation of the activities of matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9), Caspase-9, and Bax protein, up-regulation of the activity of Bcl-2 protein, and alleviation of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, 8-Gin produced an obvious increase in the expressions of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway-related proteins. Our data showed that 8-Gin exerted cardioprotective effects on ISO-induced MF, which possibly occurred in connection with inhibition of ROS generation, apoptosis, and autophagy via modulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Immune-related gene expression signatures in colorectal cancer.

The immune system is crucial in regulating colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis. Identification of immune-related transcriptomic signatures derived from the peripheral blood of patients with CRC would provide insights into CRC pathogenesis, and suggest novel clues to potential immunotherapy strategies for the disease. The present study collected blood samples from 59 patients with CRC and 62 healthy control patients and performed whole blood gene expression profiling using microarray hybridization. Immune-related gene expression signatures for CRC were identified from immune gene datasets, and an algorithmic predictive model was constructed for distinguishing CRC from controls. Model performance was characterized using an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC AUC). Functional categories for CRC-specific gene expression signatures were determined using gene set enrichment analyses. A Kaplan-Meier plotter survival analysis was also performed for CRC-specific immune genes in order to characterize the association between gene expression and CRC prognosis. The present study identified five CRC-specific immune genes [protein phosphatase 3 regulatory subunit Bα (PPP3R1), amyloid ß precursor protein, cathepsin H, proteasome activator subunit 4 and DEAD-Box Helicase 3 X-Linked]. A predictive model based on this five-gene panel showed good discriminatory power (independent test set sensitivity, 83.3%; specificity, 94.7%, accuracy, 89.2%; ROC AUC, 0.96). The candidate genes were involved in pathways associated with 'adaptive immune responses', 'innate immune responses' and 'cytokine signaling'. The survival analysis found that a high level of PPP3R1 expression was associated with a poor CRC prognosis. The present study identified five CRC-specific immune genes that were potential diagnostic biomarkers for CRC. The biological function analysis indicated a close association between CRC pathogenesis and the immune system, and may reveal more information about the immunogenic and pathogenic mechanisms driving CRC in the future. Overall, the association between PPP3R1 expression and survival of patients with CRC revealed potential new targets for CRC immunotherapy.

Silencing Ribosomal Protein L22 Promotes Proliferation and Migration, and Inhibits Apoptosis of Gastric Cancer Cells by Regulating the Murine Double Minute 2-Protein 53 (MDM2-p53) Signaling Pathway.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of ribosomal protein L22 (RPL22) on gastric cancer (GC) cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, and its correlation with the murine double minute 2-protein 53 (MDM2-p53) signaling pathway. MATERIAL AND METHODS The RPL22 expression in GC tissues and cells was detected by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. RPL22 was overexpressed in the MKN-45 cells by the transfection of a vector, pcDNA3.1 (pcDNA)-RPL22, whereas it was silenced in the MGC-803 cells by the transfection of short interfering (si) RNA (si-RPL22). Flow cytometric analysis, cell viability assays, wound healing assays, and transwell assays were utilized to explore the influences of RPL22 on the apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Nutlin-3 (an MDM2-p53 inhibitor) was used to inhibit MDM2-p53 signaling. RESULTS The RPL22 expression was downregulated in GC tissues and cells. It was significantly lower in the advanced GC tissues than in the early GC tissues, and was significantly lower in the lymphatic metastatic tissues than in the non-lymphatic metastatic tissues. The transfection of si-RPL22 accelerated the ability of GC cells to proliferate and metastasize, whereas apoptosis was dampened. The transfection of pcDNA-RPL22 exerted the opposite effect on the GC cells; MDM2 expression was upregulated in RPL22-silenced GC cells, while the expression of p53 was downregulated. In vitro, treatment with nutlin-3 reversed the promoting effects of si-RPL22 on GC progression. CONCLUSIONS In vitro, the silencing of RPL22 aggravates GC by regulating the MDM2-p53 signaling pathway.

Alteration of MDM2 by the Small Molecule YF438 Exerts Antitumor Effects in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) exhibits a high mortality rate and is the most aggressive subtype of breast cancer. As previous studies have shown that histone deacetylases (HDAC) may represent molecular targets for TNBC treatment, we screened a small library of synthetic molecules and identified a potent HDAC inhibitor (HDACi), YF438, which exerts effective anti-TNBC activity both in vitro and in vivo. Proteomic and biochemical studies revealed that YF438 significantly downregulated mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) expression. In parallel, loss of MDM2 expression or blocking MDM2 E3 ligase activity rendered TNBC cells less sensitive to YF438 treatment, revealing an essential role of MDM2 E3 ligase activity in YF438-induced inhibition of TNBC. Mechanistically, YF438 disturbed the interaction between HDAC1 and MDM2, induced the dissociation of MDM2-MDMX, and subsequently increased MDM2 self-ubiquitination to accelerate its degradation, which ultimately inhibited growth and metastasis of TNBC cells. In addition, analysis of clinical tissue samples demonstrated high expression levels of MDM2 in TNBC, and MDM2 protein levels closely correlated with TNBC progression and metastasis. Collectively, these findings show that MDM2 plays an essential role in TNBC progression and targeting the HDAC1-MDM2-MDMX signaling axis with YF438 may provide a promising therapeutic option for TNBC. Furthermore, this novel underlying mechanism of a hydroxamate-based HDACi in altering MDM2 highlights the need for further development of HDACi for TNBC treatment. SIGNIFICANCE: This study uncovers the essential role of MDM2 in TNBC progression and suggests that targeting the HDAC1-MDM2-MDMX axis with a hydroxamate-based HDACi could be a promising therapeutic strategy for TNBC.

Encorafenib enhances TRAIL-induced apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells dependent on p53/PUMA signaling.

TRAIL has been demonstrated to play a critical role in the apoptosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, but drug resistance markedly restricts its therapeutic effects. Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether encorafenib can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells and the underlying mechanism. TRAIL was first used to induce CRC cells. CCK-8 assays were conducted for detecting cell viability of TRAIL-induced CRC cells with encorafenib treatment. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis of CRC cells and western blot was used to measure the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins. The expressions of DR4, DR5, p53, and PUMA were then evaluated by qPCR and western blot. After transfecting the interference plasmid of p53 into CRC cells, the expressions of PUMA and DR5 were further explored. TRAIL reduced the cell viability of CRC cells, and the inhibition was further reinforced under co-treatment of TRAIL and encorafenib. Encorafenib also triggered the promotion of CRC cell apoptosis induced by TRAIL. It was also found that encorafenib exerted its promoting effects on cell apoptosis of CRC cells via the elevation of DR5. Besides, encorafenib administration promoted the expression levels of p53 and PUMA in TRAIL-induced CRC cells. Furthermore, p53 knockdown attenuated the expression of PUMA and DR5 in TRAIL-induced CRC cells treated with encorafenib. This study indicates that encorafenib stimulates TRAIL-induced apoptosis of CRC cells dependent on p53/PUMA signaling, which may provide instructions for the treatment of CRC.

Interleukin-18 Is a Prognostic Marker and Plays a Tumor Suppressive Role in Colon Cancer.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) belongs to the IL-1 family and is an essential proinflammatory and immune regulatory cytokine. The present study was designed to investigate the expression and function of IL-18 in colon cancer. In clinical analyses, mRNA and protein expressions of IL-18 were decreased in tissues of colon cancer patients. This decreased expression of IL-18 was significantly correlated with the tumor size (P = 0.001) and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P = 0.013). Patients with IL-18-positive tumors had a better survival rate than patients with IL-18-negative tumors. Moreover, upregulation of IL-18 inhibited colon cancer cell proliferation. Our data suggest that the decreased expression of IL-18 in colon cancer was associated with prognosis and tumor proliferation. IL-18 may be considered a novel tumor suppressor and a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer patients.

Evaluation of Surgical Clipping and Endovascular Coiling on Oculomotor Nerve Palsy Caused by Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm.

Objectives: Internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysm often leads to oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) that impairs eye movement. Currently, microsurgical clipping and endovascular coiling are the two major options to treat ONP. The purpose of the current study is to compare the clinical outcomes of the two methods in patients with ONP caused by ICA aneurysm. Patients and Methods: In the present study, we assessed the prognostic factors and recovery outcomes of a total of 90 ICA aneurysm-induced ONP patients, where 50 of them were treated with microsurgical clipping and 40 of them were treated with endovascular coiling. Within the endovascular coiling group, 20 of the patients were treated with balloon-assisted coiling and the other 20 were treated with stent-assisted coiling. Results: Overall, we achieved a 59% (53 out of 90) full recovery rate. Both surgical clipping and endovascular coiling treatment methods achieved similar recovery outcomes in the tested patients. However, within the endovascular coiling group, balloon-assisted coiling treatment demonstrated a significantly higher full recovery rate (17 out of 20) compared to stent-assisted coiling treatment (eight out of 20). Conclusion: In general, no significant difference was identified between the surgical and coiling treatments, and both procedures were considered as beneficial for ICA aneurysm-induced ONP.

TTDA inhibited apoptosis by regulating the p53-Bax/Bcl2 axis in glioma.

The trichothiodystrophy group A protein (TTDA) functions in nucleotide excision repair and basal transcription. TTDA plays a role in cancers and serves as a prognostic and predictive factor in high-grade serous ovarian cancer; however, its role in human glioma remains unknown. Here, we found that TTDA was overexpressed in glioma tissues. In vitro experiments revealed that TTDA overexpression inhibited apoptosis of glioma cells and promoted cell growth, whereas knockdown of TTDA had the opposite effect. Increased TTDA expression significantly decreased the Bax/Bcl2 ratio and the level of cleaved-caspase3. TTDA interacted with the p53 gene at the -1959 bp and -1530 bp region and regulated its transcription, leading to inhibition of the p53-Bax/Bcl2 mitochondrial apoptosis pathway in glioma cells. These results indicate that TTDA is an upstream regulator of p53-mediated apoptosis and acts as an oncogene, suggesting its value as a potential molecular target for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma.

MicroRNA-195: a review of its role in cancers.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small and highly conserved noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level by binding to the 3'-UTR of target mRNAs. Recently, increasing evidence has highlighted their profound roles in various pathological processes, including human cancers. Deregulated miRNAs function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in multiple cancer types. Among them, miR-195 has been reported to significantly impact oncogenicity in various neoplasms by binding to critical genes and signaling pathways, enhancing or inhibiting the progression of cancers. In this review, we focus on the expression of miR-195 in regulatory mechanisms and tumor biological processes and discuss the future potential therapeutic implications of diverse types of human malignancies.

In vivo and in vitro effects of hyperplasia suppressor gene on the proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells.

Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common subtype of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Hyperplasia suppressor gene (HSG) has been reported to inhibit cell proliferation, migration, and remodeling in cardiovascular diseases. However, there lacks systematic researches on the effect of HSG on the apoptosis and proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells and data of in vivo experiments. The present study aims to investigate the effects of HSG gene silencing on proliferation and apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell was selected to construct adenovirus vector. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis were conducted to detect expressions of HSG and apoptosis related-proteins. Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8 assay was performed to assess A549 cell proliferation and flow cytometry to analyze cell cycle and apoptosis rate. The BALB/C nude mice were collected to establish xenograft model. Silenced HSG showed decreased mRNA and protein expressions of HSG, and elevated A549 cell survival rates at the time point of 24, 48, and 72 h. The ratio of cells at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis rate decreased and the ratio of cells at S- and G2/M phases increased following the silencing of HSG. There were decreases of B cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)-associated X protein (Bax), Caspase-3, and Caspase-8 expressions but increases in Bcl-2 induced by silenced HSG. As for the xenograft in nude mice, tumor volume increased, and apoptosis index (AI) decreased after HSG silencing. These results indicate that HSG gene silencing may promote the proliferation of A549 cells and inhibit the apoptosis. HSG may be a promising target for the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma.

Identification of Metastatic Lymph Nodes in MR Imaging with Faster Region-Based Convolutional Neural Networks.

MRI is the gold standard for confirming a pelvic lymph node metastasis diagnosis. Traditionally, medical radiologists have analyzed MRI image features of regional lymph nodes to make diagnostic decisions based on their subjective experience; this diagnosis lacks objectivity and accuracy. This study trained a faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) with 28,080 MRI images of lymph node metastasis, allowing the Faster R-CNN to read those images and to make diagnoses. For clinical verification, 414 cases of rectal cancer at various medical centers were collected, and Faster R-CNN-based diagnoses were compared with radiologist diagnoses using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). The area under the Faster R-CNN ROC was 0.912, indicating a more effective and objective diagnosis. The Faster R-CNN diagnosis time was 20 s/case, which was much shorter than the average time (600 s/case) of the radiologist diagnoses.Significance: Faster R-CNN enables accurate and efficient diagnosis of lymph node metastases. Cancer Res; 78(17); 5135-43. ©2018 AACR.

Autophagy Strengthens Intestinal Mucosal Barrier by Attenuating Oxidative Stress in Severe Acute Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction can be caused by severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). It is normally associated with changes to mucosal autophagy and oxidative stress. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between autophagy and oxidative stress on the intestinal mucosal barrier of SAP rat model. METHODS: SAP was induced by retrograde injection of sodium taurocholate (5%) into the biliopancreatic duct. Bacterial translocation (BT) was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing analysis. Morphological alterations in the pancreas and gut were determined by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Oxidative stress status was determined by measuring the level of intestinal malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Western blot, RT-PCR, and immunofluorescent staining were preformed to analyze the expression of tight junction and autophagy proteins. RESULTS: According to the sequencing analysis, rats in SAP group were divided into BT (+) group (n = 9) and BT (-) group (n = 8). Pancreatic and intestinal injuries in SAP group were significantly higher than sham operation group. The content of MDA was clearly elevated, and SOD as well as GPx activities were decreased in BT (+) group as compared with BT (-) group. The expression of LC3II and Beclin1 in BT (-) group was higher than that observed in BT (+). In contrast, BT (+) group had a higher level of claudin-2 and a lower level of zonula occluden-1, occludin, and claudin-1. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that activated autophagy may attenuate intestinal mucosal barrier dysfunction by preventing and reducing the oxidative stress in SAP.

Interleukin-35 expression is associated with colon cancer progression.

Colon cancer development is closely related to inflammation. Thus, we conducted the present investigation to study the effects of IL-35 (Interleukin 35), a newly identified anti-inflammatory factor, on colon cancer development. We first evaluated the IL-35 expression in 186 pairs of colon cancer samples and paired adjacent normal tissues by qPCR, ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunoassay) and tissue microarrays. Then the role of IL-35 on patient survival rates, colon cancer progression and their sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs were assessed. IL-35 was barely expressed in the colon cancer tissue but highly expressed in the adjacent normal tissue. The down-regulation of IL-35 was significantly associated with the AJCC (American Joint Committee on Cancer) stage, nodal involvement, invasion depth, distant metastasis, differentiation and it was also shown to be an independent prognostic indicator of both disease-free and overall survivals for colon cancer patients. Overexpression of IL-35 in colon cancer cell suppressed cell migration, invasion, proliferation, colony formation and cancer stem cells through suppressing ß-catenin. IL-35 inhibited colon tumor formation in the mice model and sensitize the cancer cell to chemotherapy drugs. Our results showed that IL-35 shows an inhibitory effect in colon cancer development and is a novel prognostic indicator. Therefore, IL-35 might be a potential therapeutic target.

The clinical and prognostic value of polo-like kinase 1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma patients: immunohistochemical analysis.

Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) has been suggested to serve as oncogene in most human cancers. The aim of our study is to present more evidence about the clinical and prognostic value of PLK1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma patients. The status of PLK1 was observed in lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma and normal lung tissues through analyzing microarray data set (GEO accession number: GSE1213 and GSE 3627). PLK1 mRNA and protein expressions were detected in lung squamous cell carcinoma and normal lung tissues by using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. In our results, the levels of PLK1 in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues were higher than that in lung adenocarcinoma tissues. Compared with paired adjacent normal lung tissues, the PLK1 expression was increased in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues. Furthermore, high-expression of PLK1 protein was correlated with differentiated degree, clinical stage, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis. The univariate and multivariate analyses showed PLK1 protein high-expression was an unfavorable prognostic biomarker for lung squamous cell carcinoma patients. In conclusion, High-expression of PLK1 is associated with the aggressive progression and poor prognosis in lung squamous cell carcinoma patients.