[The possibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy course adjustment for delayed operation of patients with esophageal cancer in special period].

Objective: To investigate the effect of the neoadjuvant chemotherapy course adjustment on the patients with esophageal cancer underwent delayed operation. Methods: The clinical data of patients with esophageal cancer treated in Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from 2019-2020, who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy strategy adjustment (multiple course chemotherapy group) or not (control group), were retrospectively studied. The clinical pathological characteristics and postoperative complication of these two group were compared and analyzed. Results: The cases who underwent the interval between chemotherapy and operation more than 4 weeks in multiple course chemotherapy group and control group were 17 and 6, with significant difference (P<0.05). The average operative blood loss of these two groups were 88.6 ml and 46.1 ml, the average postoperative hospital stays were 14.7 days and 10.0 days, with significant difference (P<0.05). The incidence rate of postoperative complication in the multiple course chemotherapy group was 40.9% (9/22), not significantly different from 31.8% (7/22) of control group (P>0.05). There were no death within postoperative 7 days and 30 days in both groups. Cases with apparent tumor regression [tumor regression grade (TRG) 1 to 3] in multiple course chemotherapy group were 14, with marginal tumor regression (TRG 4 to 5) were 8, while there were 7 and 15 in the control group, respectively, with significant difference (P<0.05). After multiple neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the imaging examination of patients indicated an almost total tumor degradation and the postoperative pathology showed no residual malignant tumor tissue was observed. Conclusions: Increased neoadjuvant chemotherapy course for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer can obtain more obvious tumor degradation response. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy adjustment according to the operation schedule is recommended.

High expression of long non-coding RNA ATB is associated with poor prognosis in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of lncRNA-ATB in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) tissues and adjacent non-tumor tissues to determine whether lncRNA-ATB could be used as a potential prognostic biomarker for RCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: qRT-PCR was performed to determine the expression level of lncRNA-ATB in RCC tissues and corresponding non-tumor tissues. The relationship between lncRNA-ATB expression and clinicopathologic features was analyzed. Patient survival analysis was determined according to the Kaplan-Meier method using the log-rank test. A Cox's regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The expression level of lncRNA-ATB was significantly upregulated in RCC tissues vs. corresponding non-tumor tissues (p<0.01) and the high expression of lncRNA-ATB was significantly associated with histological grade (p=0.008), lymph nodes metastasis (p=0.015), and distant metastasis (p=0.008). Also, Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated patients with high lncRNA-ATB expression that had a significantly shorter overall survival than those with low lncRNA-ATB expression (p<0.001). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that lncRNA-ATB expression was an independent risk factor for overall survival in RCC patients. CONCLUSIONS: lncRNA-ATB was a potential prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for patients with RCC.

[Expression and clinical significance of autophagy-related gene Beclin1 and P62 in nasal polyps].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of autophagy-related gene Beclin1 and P62 in nasal polyps and its relationship with the pathogenesis of this disease. METHODS: The specimens were divided into two groups: nasal polyp tissue(n=50) and normal inferior turbinate mucosa(n=20). The general morphology was detected with hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, the expression of Beclin1 and P62 was examined with immunohistochemistry(IHC) and real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction ( RT-PCR). SPSS 20.0 software was used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Protein level: The expression of Beclin1 in nasal polyp tissue was lower than inferior turbinate mucosa(U=-13.36, P<0.01), in contrast, P62 in experimental group was higher than control group(U=12.99 , P<0.01). mRNA level: The relative quantity of Beclin1 and LC3B expressions in nasal polyp were 0.46±0.17 and 0.46±0.11, which was lower than those in turbinate mucosa 1.11±0.47 and 0.96±0.25.The differences were significant(t value was -4.61, -4.61, both P<0.01). But the relative quantity of P62 expression in nasal polyp was 2.19±0.44, which was higher than that in turbinate mucosa (1.05±0.33). The difference was all significant(t=6.16, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with control group, the expression of Beclin1 was deficient and P62 was much more. Autophagy was deficient in nasal polyps, which might be in connection with the pathogenesis of the disease.

MiR-630 inhibits proliferation by targeting CDC7 kinase, but maintains the apoptotic balance by targeting multiple modulators in human lung cancer A549 cells.

MicroRNAome analyses have shown microRNA-630 (miR-630) to be involved in the regulation of apoptosis. However, its apoptotic role is still debated and its participation in DNA replication is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that miR-630 inhibits cell proliferation by targeting cell-cycle kinase 7 (CDC7) kinase, but maintains the apoptotic balance by targeting multiple activators of apoptosis under genotoxic stress. We identified a novel regulatory mechanism of CDC7 gene expression, in which miR-630 downregulated CDC7 expression by recognizing and binding to four binding sites in CDC7 3'-UTR. We found that miR-630 was highly expressed in A549 and NIH3T3 cells where CDC7 was downregulated, but lower in H1299, MCF7, MDA-MB-231, HeLa and 2BS cells where CDC7 was upregulated. Furthermore, the induction of miR-630 occurred commonly in a variety of human cancer and immortalized cells in response to genotoxic agents. Importantly, downregulation of CDC7 by miR-630 was associated with cisplatin (CIS)-induced inhibitory proliferation in A549 cells. Mechanistically, miR-630 exerted its inhibitory proliferation by blocking CDC7-mediated initiation of DNA synthesis and by inducing G1 arrest, but maintains apoptotic balance under CIS exposure. On the one hand, miR-630 promoted apoptosis by downregulation of CDC7; on the other hand, it reduced apoptosis by downregulating several apoptotic modulators such as PARP3, DDIT4, EP300 and EP300 downstream effector p53, thereby maintaining the apoptotic balance. Our data indicate that miR-630 has a bimodal role in the regulation of apoptosis in response to DNA damage. Our data also support the notion that a certain mRNA can be targeted by several miRNAs, and in particular an miRNA may target a set of mRNAs. These data afford a comprehensive view of microRNA-dependent control of gene expression in the regulation of apoptosis under genotoxic stress.

Induced migration of dental pulp stem cells for in vivo pulp regeneration.

Dental pulp has intrinsic capacity for self-repair. However, it is not clear whether dental pulp cells can be recruited endogenously for regenerating pulp tissues, including mineralizing into dentin. This work is based on a hypothesis that dental pulp stem/progenitor cells can be induced to migrate by chemotactic cytokines and act as endogenous cell sources for regeneration and mineralization. Dental stem cells (DSCs) were isolated from adult human tooth pulp and seeded on the surfaces of 3D collagen gel cylinders that were incubated in chemically defined media with stromal-derived factor-1α (SDF1), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), or bone morphogenetic protein-7 (BMP7). Significantly more cells were recruited into collagen gel by SDF1 or bFGF than without cytokines in 7 days, whereas BMP7 had little effect on cell recruitment. BMP7, however, was highly effective, equally to dexamethasone, in orchestrating mineralization of cultured DSCs. Cell membrane receptors for SDF1, bFGF, and BMP7 were up-regulated in treated DSCs. Upon in vivo delivery, bFGF induced re-cellularization and re-vascularization in endodontically treated human teeth implanted into the dorsum of rats. Thus, endogenous dental pulp cells, including stem/progenitor cells, may be recruited and subsequently differentiated by chemotaxis of selective cytokines in the regeneration of dental pulp.

[Genetic transformation of hairy roots in Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. by Ti and Ri plasmids].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a hairy root culture system by double transformation for Trichosanthes kirilowii. METHOD: 1. Crown galls were induced by direct infection of sterile seedlings of T. kirilonii with Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58, and then the hairy roots were obtained from the regenerated plants by infection with A. rhzogenes 15834; 2. Transformation of Ti and Ri plasmids was inspected by high-pressure-paper electrophoresis; 3. The protein contents in the tissues of T. kirilowii were inspected by spectrophotometer and SDS-PAGE. RESULT: A hairy root culture system has been established successfully by double transformation with Ti and Ri plasmids in T. kirilowii. CONCLUSION: Compared with the ordinary hairy roots, the double transformed hairy roots grow faster but retain similar protein contents.

[Dynamics of growth and total tanshinones accumulation in crown gall cultures of salvia miltiorrhiza].

AIM: To determine the dynamics of growth and total tanshinones accumulation in crown gall cultures of Salvia miltiorrhiza in MS and 67-V liquid media. METHODS: Fresh, dry weight and total tanshinones yields in the cultures and in the medium were determined every 5 days in crown gall suspension cultures. RESULTS: In MS medium, the logarithmic growth phase of crown gall cultures in S. miltiorrhiza was from the 5th to 30th days, and the stationary growth phase was from the 30th to 35th days. From the 25th to 30th days, physiological activity of crown gall cultures was higher and their growth was better. However, in 67-V medium, the logarithmic growth phase of crown gall cultures was from the 10th to 25th days, and the stationary growth phase was from the 25th to 35th days. Total tanshinones were largely accumulated in the cultures and in the medium after 25 days. The total tanshinones yield (60 mg.L-1) was reached at the 35th day. CONCLUSION: Knowing the regularity of the growth and total tanshinones accumulation in crown gall cultures of S. miltiorrhiza will be helpful to take proper regulative measures in order to obtain the maximum total tanshinones yield.