Association of Angiogenesis Gene Expression With Cancer Prognosis and Immunotherapy Efficacy.

Background: Several new blood vessels are formed during the process of tumor development. These new blood vessels provide nutrients and water for tumour growth, while spreading tumour cells to distant areas and forming new metastases in different parts of the body. The available evidence suggests that tumour angiogenesis is closely associated with the tumour microenvironment and is regulated by a variety of pro-angiogenic factors and/or angiogenic inhibitors. Methods: In the present study, a comprehensive characterization of angiogenesis genes expression was performed in a pan-cancer analysis across the 33 human cancer types. Further, genetic data from several public databases were also used in the current study. An angiogenesis score was assigned to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) pan-cancer data, with one angiogenesis score as per sample for each tumour. Results: It was found that angiogenesis genes vary across cancer types, and are associated with a number of genomic and immunological features. Further, it was noted that macrophages and iTreg infiltration were generally higher in tumours with high angiogenesis scores, whereas lymphocytes and B cells showed the opposite trend. Notably, NK cells showed significantly different correlations among cancer types. Furthermore, results of the present study showed that a high angiogenesis score was associated with poor survival and aggressive types of cancer in most of the cancer types. Conclusion: In conclusion, the current study evidently showed that the expression of angiogenesis genes is a key feature of tumour biology that has a major impact on prognosis of patient with cancers.

Comprehensive Transcriptomic Analysis and Experimental Validation Identify lncRNA HOXA-AS2/miR-184/COL6A2 as the Critical ceRNA Regulation Involved in Low-Grade Glioma Recurrence.

PURPOSE: The recurrence and metastasis of glioma are closely related to complex regulatory networks among protein-coding genes, lncRNAs and microRNAs. The aim of this study was to investigate core genes, lncRNAs, miRNAs and critical ceRNA regulatory mechanisms, which are involved in lower-grade glioma (LGG) recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed multiple datasets from Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) database and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to perform comprehensive transcriptomic analysis. Further in vitro experiments including cell proliferation assay, luciferase reporter assay, and Western blot were performed to validate our results. RESULTS: Recurrent LGG and glioblastoma (GBM) showed different transcriptome characteristics with less overlap of differentially expressed protein-coding genes (DEPs), lncRNAs (DELs) and miRNAs (DEMs) compared with primary samples. There were no overlapping gene in ontology (GO) terms related to GBM recurrence in the TCGA and CGGA databases, but there were overlaps associated with LGG recurrence. GO analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis identified three core genes: TIMP1, COL1A1 and COL6A2. By hierarchical cluster analysis of them, LGGs could be clustered as Low_risk and High_risk group. The High_risk group with high expression of TIMP1, COL1A1, and COL6A2 showed worse prognosis. By coexpression networks analysis, competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network analysis, cell proliferation assay and luciferase reporter assay, we confirmed that lncRNA HOXA-AS2 functioned as a ceRNA for miR-184 to regulate expression of COL6A2, which induced cell proliferation of low-grade glioma. CONCLUSION: In this study, we revealed a 3-hub protein-coding gene signature to improve prognostic prediction in LGG, and identified a critical ceRNA regulation involved in LGG recurrence.

The relationship between serum lipoprotein (a) levels and ischemic stroke risk: a cohort study in the Chinese population.

The role of atherosclerosis in ischemic stroke has been intensively investigated in recent years, and lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] is found to have roles during the process. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and serum Lp(a) levels in the Chinese population. All consecutive patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke during 2011-2012 were recruited to participate in the study. Serum Lp(a) levels and routine tests were examined in both groups. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was assessed on admission blinded to Lp(a) levels. In this study, 181 patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. There was a significant difference in median serum Lp(a) levels between acute ischemic stroke patients and control cases (328 [IQR, 173-554] vs. 145 [IQR, 66-254] mg/L, respectively; P = 0.000). Lp(a) levels increased with increasing severity of stroke as defined by the NIHSS score (P = 0.000). For the entire group, when adjusting for other possible risk factors, an elevated Lp(a) level was an independent risk factor for stroke, and a serum Lp(a) level ≥300 mg/L was associated with a 2.23-fold increase in AIS (P = 0.015). In addition, this association was stronger in male than in female patients. High Lp(a) levels are significantly related to stroke, independent from other traditional and emerging risk factors, suggesting that they may play a role in its pathogenesis. It should be considered as a routine risk factor for stroke in the Chinese population.

[Changes of regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of children with epilepsy].

OBJECTIVE: To study the levels of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the peripheral blood of children with epilepsy and the roles of Tregs in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. METHODS: Forty-one children with epilepsy and thirty-eight healthy children were enrolled. The percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs in CD4+ T cells and the percentages of CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, nature killer (NK) cells and B cells in lymphocytes were evaluated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: The percentages of peripheral blood CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs and CD4+ T cells and the ratio of CD4+ T cells to CD8+ T cells in epileptic children were (2.4±0.5)%, (35±5)% and 1.32±0.24 respectively, which were significantly lower than those in healthy children ï¼»(6.1±1.2)%, (38±4)% and 1.60±0.24 respectively; P<0.05ï¼½. In contrast, the percentages of CD8+ T cells, NK cells and B cells in lymphocytes in epileptic children were significantly higher than those in healthy childrenï¼»(27±3)% vs (24±3)%, (11.1±5.1)% vs (8.5±1.9)% and (24±9)% vs (16±5)% respectively; P<0.05ï¼½. CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Tregs in the peripheral blood may be involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy.