ABSTRACT
An affordable and reliable way of confirming the placement of nasogastric tube (NGT) at point-of-care is an unmet need. Using a novel algorithm and few sensors, we developed a low-cost magnet tracking device and showed its potential to localize the NGT preclinically. Here, we embark on a first-in-human trial. Six male and 4 female patients with NGT from the general ward of an urban hospital were recruited. We used the device to localize the NGT and compared that against chest X-ray (CXR). In 5 patients, with the sensors placed on the sternal angle, the trajectory of the NGT was reproduced by the tracking device. The tracked location of the NGT deviated from CXR by 0.55 to 1.63 cm, and a downward tracking range of 17 to 22 cm from the sternal angle was achieved. Placing the sensors on the xiphisternum, however, resulted in overt discordance between the device's localization and that on CXR. Short distance between the sternal angle and the xiphisternum, and lower body weight were observed in patients in whom tracking was feasible. Tracking was quick and well tolerated. No adverse event occurred. This device feasibly localized the NGT in 50% of patients when appropriately placed. Further refinement is anticipated.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05204901.
Subject(s)
Magnets , Point-of-Care Systems , Female , Humans , Male , Feasibility Studies , Intubation, Gastrointestinal , RadiographyABSTRACT
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), and genes are emerging players in cancer progression. In the present study, we explored the roles and interactions of oncogenic lncRNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 (SNHG1), miR-376, forkhead box protein K1 (FOXK1), and Snail in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Expression of SNHG1, miR-376, and FOXK1 in HCC was characterized in clinical HCC tissues of 75 patients with HCC. The interactions between SNHG1 and miR-376 and between miR-376 and FOXK1 were predicted and confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Overexpression and knockdown experiments were performed in HCC cells to examine the effects of the SNHG1/miR-376/FOXK1/Snail axis on viability, apoptosis, invasiveness, and migrating abilities. Their effects on tumor growth and metastasis were validated in nude mouse models. SNHG1 and FOXK1 were upregulated, and miR-376a was downregulated in HCC. SNHG1 knockdown contributed to suppression of HCC cell viability, invasion, and migration properties and promotion of apoptosis. SNHG1 could competitively bind to miR-376a to upregulate its target gene FOXK1, which upregulated Snail. SNHG1 knockdown delayed cancer progression both in vitro and in vivo by upregulating miR-376a and downregulating FOXK1 and Snail. SNHG1 knockdown exerts anti-tumor activity in HCC, suggesting a therapeutic target.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are known as potential noninvasive biomarkers for cancers. Overexpression of mircoRNA-224 (miR-224) has been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), so the aim of this study was to determine the value of serum miR-224 in diagnosis of HCC at early stage. METHODS: Three hundred and thirty-five subjects including early-stage HCC, liver cirrhosis (LC), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in two cohorts. Association of miR-224 expression with HCC was analyzed. The area under curves (AUC) was calculated for miR-224 and compared with that for AFP in detection of HCC at early stage. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that serum miR-224 was significantly higher in early-stage HCC than that in LC, CHB and HC, respectively. Besides, it decreased significantly after surgery in early-stage HCC, and there was a positive correlation between miR-224 in sera and that in paired tumor tissues. Serum miR-224 levels also showed a significant correlation with BCLC stages of HCC. Expression of miR-224 was significantly higher in tumorous tissues than that in adjacent non-tumorous tissues of HCC, pathologic liver tissues of LC and CHB. Further, ROC analysis demonstrated that AUC were 0.880 (95% CI: 0.838-0.923; sensitivity: 86.5%, specificity: 76.7%) for serum miR-224 in discriminating early-stage HCC from all three controls (LC, CHB and healthy subjects), higher than that for AFP (AUC: 0.700, 95% CI: 0.633-0.767; sensitivity: 71.9%, specificity: 63.7%) (P<0.01). Moreover, serum miR-224 also had a better performance than AFP in discriminating HCC from each of the three control groups. When miR-224 and AFP were used together, the diagnostic accuracy increased significantly compared with either marker alone. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that serum miR-224 is a potential reliable biomarker in detecting early-stage HCC, with better performance than AFP.