Lymph nodes primary staging of colorectal cancer in 18F-FDG PET/MRI: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of 18F-FDG PET/MRI for lymph node (LN) metastasis primary staging in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: This study was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA-DTA statement. Electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library) were searched for studies on 18F-FDG PET/MRI for diagnosing LN metastasis. The pooled sensitivity (SEN), specificity (SPE), and area under the curve (AUC) were applied to assess the diagnostic performance. Heterogeneity was identified and processed using meta-regression and sensitivity analysis. All data analyses were performed via STATA 15 and Meta-Disc 1.4 software. RESULTS: There were finally 7 studies included, involving a total of 184 patients. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was 0.108 (P = 0.818), with no threshold-effect observed. The pooled SEN was 0.81 (95%CI 0.66-0.90) and the SPE was 0.89 (95% CI 0.73-0.96). In sub-groups, prospective groups demonstrated to have the highest SEN of 0.92 (95%CI 0.79-1.00). The studies conducted by Catalano et al. and Kang et al. were considered to be potential sources of heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG PET/MRI has shown remarkable diagnostic performance in identification of LN metastases in newly diagnosed CRC patients. It would be of great application value for the primary staging of CRC lymph node metastases.

Systems Pharmacology-Based Identification of Mechanisms of Action of Bolbostemma paniculatum for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Traditional Chinese medicine has widely used Bolbostemma paniculatum to treat diseases, including cancer, but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. The present study aimed to elucidate the potential pharmacological mechanisms of "Tu Bei Mu" (TBM), the Chinese name for Bolbostemmatis Rhizoma, the dry tuber of B. paniculatum, for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). MATERIAL AND METHODS The active components and putative therapeutic targets of TBM were explored using SwissTargetPrediction, Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), and Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH). The HCC-related target database was built using DrugBank, DisGeNet, Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), and Therapeutic Target Database (TTD). A protein-protein interaction network of the common targets was constructed, based on the matches between TBM potential targets and HCC-related targets, using Cytoscape software. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of the cluster networks were used to elucidate the biological functions of TBM. RESULTS Pharmacological network diagrams of the TBM compound-target network and HCC-related target network were successfully constructed. A total of 22 active components, 191 predicted biological targets of TBM, and 3775 HCC-related targets were identified. Through construction of an HCC-related target database and a protein-protein interaction network of the common targets, TBM was predicted to be effective in treating HCC mainly through the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, p53, and PPAR signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS The PI3K/Akt, HIF1, p53, and PPAR pathways may play vital roles in TBM treatment of HCC. Also, the potential anti-cancer effect of TBM on HCC appears to stem from the synergetic effect of multiple targets and mechanisms.

Polymeric membrane neutral phenol-sensitive electrodes for potentiometric G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme-based biosensing.

The first potentiometric transducer for G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme-based biosensing has been developed by using potential responses of electrically neutral oligomeric phenols on polymeric membrane electrodes. In the presence of G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme and H(2)O(2), monomeric phenols (e.g., phenol, methylphenols, and methoxyphenols) can be condensed into oligomeric phenols. Because both substrates and products are nonionic under optimal pH conditions, these reactions are traditionally not considered in designing potentiometric biosensing schemes. However, in this paper, the electrically neutral oligomeric phenols have been found to induce highly sensitive potential responses on quaternary ammonium salt-doped polymeric membrane electrodes owing to their high lipophilicities. In contrast, the potential responses to monomeric phenolic substrates are rather low. Thus, the G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme-catalyzed oxidative coupling of monomeric phenols can induce large potential signals, and the catalytic activities of DNAzymes can be probed. A comparison of potential responses induced by peroxidations of 13 monomeric phenols indicates that p-methoxyphenol is the most efficient substrate for potentiometric detection of G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzymes. Finally, two label-free and separation-free potentiometric DNA assay protocols based on the G-quadruplex/hemin DNAzyme have been developed with sensitivities higher than those of colorimetric and fluorometric methods. Coupled with other features such as reliable instrumentation, low cost, ease of miniaturization, and resistance to color and turbid interferences, the proposed polymeric membrane-based potentiometric sensor promises to be a competitive transducer for peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme-involved biosensing.