The pleiotropic mode and molecular mechanism of macrophages in promoting tumor progression and metastasis.

Macrophages are the most abundant immune cells in primary and metastatic tumor tissues. Studies have shown that macrophages mainly exhibit a tumor-promoting phenotype and play a key role in tumor progression and metastasis. Therefore, many macrophage-targeted drugs have entered clinical trials. However, compared to preclinical studies, some clinical trial results showed that macrophage-targeted therapy did not achieve the desired effect. This may be because most of what we know about macrophages comes from in vitro experiments and animal models, while macrophages in the more complex human microenvironment are still poorly understood. With the development of technologies such as single-cell RNA sequencing, we have gained a new understanding of the origin, classification and functional mechanism of tumor-associated macrophages. Therefore, this study reviewed the recent progress of macrophages in promoting tumor progression and metastasis, aiming to provide some help for the formulation of optimal strategies for macrophage-targeted therapy.

A novel metabolism-related prognostic gene development and validation in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: The importance of metabolism-related alterations in the development of gastric cancer (GC) is increasingly recognized. The present study aimed to identify metabolism-related genes to facilitate prognosis of GC patients. METHODS: Gene expression datasets and clinical information of GC patients were downloaded from TCGA and GEO databases. We scored the enrichment of human metabolism-related pathways (n = 86) in GC samples by GSV, constructed prognostic risk models using LASSO algorithm and multivariate Cox regression analysis, combined with clinical information to construct a nomogram, and finally cis score algorithm to analyze the abundance of immune-related cells in different subtypes. We used Weka software to screen for prognosis-related marker genes and finally validated the expression of the selected genes in clinical cancer patient tissues. RESULTS: We identified that two GC metabolism-related signatures were strongly associated with OS and the levels of immune cell infiltration. Moreover, a survival prediction model for GC was established based on six GC metabolism-related genes. Time-dependent ROC analysis showed good stability of the risk prediction scoring model. The model was successfully validated in an independent ACRG cohort, and the expression trends of key genes were also verified in the GC tissues of patients. DLX1, LTBP2, FGFR1 and MMP2 were highly expressed in the cluster with poorer prognosis while SLC13A2 and SLCO1B3 were highly expressed in the cluster with better prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: We identified a risk predictive score model based on six metabolism-related genes related to survival, which may serve as prognostic indicators and potential therapeutic targets for GC.

Trends of cervical cancer at global, regional, and national level: data from the Global Burden of Disease study 2019.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is an important global health problem. In this study we aimed to analyze trends in cervical cancer at the global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2019, to inform health service decision-making. METHODS: Data on cervical cancer was extracted from the Global Burden of Disease study, 2019. Trends in cervical cancer burden were assessed based on estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) and age-standardized rate (ASR). RESULTS: Globally, decreasing trends were observed in incidence, death, and disability adjusted life years (DALYs) of cervical cancer from 1990 to 2019, with respective EAPCs of - 0.38 (95% confidence interval [CI]: - 0.41 to - 0.34), - 0.93 (95%CI: - 0.98 to - 0.88), and - 0.95 (95 CI%: - 1.00 to - 0.90). Meanwhile, decreasing trends were detected in most sociodemographic index (SDI) areas and geographic regions, particularly death and DALYs in Central Latin America, with respective EAPCs of - 2.61 (95% CI: - 2.76 to - 2.46) and - 2.48 (95% CI: - 2.63 to - 2.32); hhowever, a pronounced increasing trend in incidence occurred in East Asia (EAPC = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.55). At the national level, decreasing trends in cervical cancer were observed in most countries/territories, particularly DALYs in the Maldives (EAPC = - 5.06; 95% CI: - 5.40 to - 4.72), Whereas increasing trends were detected in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Bulgaria. CONCLUSIONS: Slowly decreasing trends in cervical cancer were detected worldwide from 1990 to 2019. Cervical cancer remains a substantial health problem for women globally, requiring more effective prevention and control strategies.