Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for predicting cancer-specific survival in lymph node-negative elderly esophageal cancer patients: A SEER-based study.

In this study, we explored the prognostic risk factors of elderly patients (≥65 years old) with lymph node-negative esophageal cancer (EC) and established a nomogram to evaluate the cancer-specific survival of patients. The surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database was used to collect data on patients diagnosed with EC. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to determine independent prognostic factors, and the nomogram for predicting cancer-specific survival of EC patients was constructed based on the independent prognostic factors obtained from the multivariate Cox analysis. To evaluate the predictive ability of the nomogram, calibration curves, concordance index (C-index), receiver operating characteristic curves, and decision curve analysis were conducted. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze the long-term outcomes of EC patients with different risk stratifications. A total of 3050 cases with lymph node-negative EC were randomized into the training cohort (1525) and the validation cohort (1525). Cancer-specific mortality at 1, 3, and 5 years in the entire cohort was 30.7%, 41.8%, and 59.2%, respectively. In multivariate Cox analysis, age (P < .001), marital status (P < .001), tumor size (P < .001), Tumor-node-metastasis stage (P < .001), chemotherapy (P = .011), radiotherapy (P < .001), and surgery (P < .001) were independent prognostic factors. The C-index for the training cohort was 0.740 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.722-0.758), and the C-index for the validation cohort was 0.738 (95% CI: 0.722-0.754). The calibration curve demonstrated the great calibration ability of the nomogram. Based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, the nomogram demonstrated a higher sensitivity than the tumor-node-metastasis stage. Decision curve analysis showed the good clinical utility of the nomogram. The risk stratification system was established using the Kaplan-Meier curve and verified by the log-rank test (P < .001). The nomogram and risk stratification system can improve the accuracy of prediction to help clinicians identify high-risk patients and make treatment decisions.

The prognostic effect of metastasis patterns on overall survival in organ metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.

The effect of various metastases patterns on the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma (AD) remains unknown. The purpose of our retrospective study is to determine whether various metastases patterns have a prognostic impact on patients with organ metastatic lung AD. Patient data was extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The Kaplan-Meier method was chosen for the evaluation of overall survival (OS) rate. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression analyses were conducted to evaluate independent prognostic factors. In the SEER database, 12,228 patients with IV lung AD were retrieved in total. And 78.78% of those patients (9633/12,228) suffered from one of brain, lung, liver or bone metastasis due to disease progression. It was found that the most common site in patients with metastatic lung AD was brain (21.20%), and the least common site of metastasis was liver (3.50%). Patients who suffered single lung metastatic showed relatively good OS, and the median survival time was 11 months (95% CI 0.470-0.516). For those with 2 metastatic sites, data analysis suggested that the median survival times of patients with bone and lung metastasis (10 months; 95% CI 0.469-0.542) were better than others. For those with 3 metastatic sites, data analysis suggested that metastatic pattern had no effect on the OS. Brain is the most common single metastasis site of lung AD. Compared with the other 3 metastatic sites, patients with lung metastasis had better survival results. Deeper knowledge of metastatic patterns will help doctors to better understand the prognosis and formulate more appropriate treatment plans.

A nomogram model of postoperative prognosis for metastatic lung adenocarcinoma: A study based on the SEER database.

We have observed that patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma can obtain survival benefits from surgical resection of the primary tumor. A model was developed to evaluate the prognosis of patients. The patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database and divided into surgery group and non-surgical group. Through Kaplan-Meier analysis, the survival rate of the non-surgical group was found to be significantly lower no matter before or after propensity score matching. One thousand one hundred and seventy surgical patients were divided into a training group and a verification group. In the training group, univariate and multivariate Cox models were used to explore the prognostic factors, and logistic regression was used to establish a nomogram based on significant predictors. In total, 12,228 patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma were recognized; primary tumor surgery accounted for 9.5%. After propensity score matching, the median survival time of 2 groups was significantly different. For the training group, univariate and multivariate COX analysis was conducted, and a nomogram was constructed. Acceptable agreement has been achieved between the predicted and observed survival rates, and the nomogram can divide patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma into different risk groups and predict their prognostic survival rate.

The molecular mechanisms of the long noncoding RNA SBF2-AS1 in regulating the proliferation of oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

The long noncoding RNASBF2-AS1 can promote the occurrence and development of many kinds of tumours, but its role in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unknown. We found that SBF2-AS1 was up-regulated in ESCC, and its expression was positively correlated with tumor size (P = 0.0001), but was not related to gender, age, TNM stage, histological grade, and lymphnode metastasis (P > 0.05). It was further found that the higher the expression of SBF2-AS1, the lower the survival rate. COX multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SBF2-AS1 was an independent prognostic factor. Functional experiments show that inhibition of SBF2-AS1 can inhibit the proliferation of ESCC through in vivo and in vitro, and overexpression of SBF2-AS1 can promote the proliferation of ESCC and inhibit its apoptosis. In mechanism, SBF2-AS1/miR-338-3P, miR-362-3P/E2F1 axis are involved in the regulation of ESCC growth. In general, SBF2-AS1 may be used as ceRNA to combine with miR-338-3P and miR-362-3P to up-regulate the expression ofE2F1, and ultimately play a role in promoting cancer. It may be used as a therapeutic target and a biomarker for prognosis.

The transfer of natural Rhodamine B contamination from raw paprika fruit to capsicum oleoresin during the extraction process.

Occurrence of Rhodamine B (RhB) contamination in paprika caused by agricultural materials during the vegetation process has been reported. It may transfer during the process of active compounds extraction, and eventually exist in final products. Herein, the re-distribution of RhB during the extraction process was assessed in terms of RhB contents, as well as mass, color value and capsaicinoids yield of each process. Results revealed that natural RhB contamination at 0.55-1.11µg/kg originated from raw paprika fruit then transferred with the extraction proceeded. About 95.5% of RhB was found in red oleoresin. After separation of red oleoresin, 91.6% of RhB was remained in capsicum oleoresin, only 3.7% in paprika red. These results were consistent with total capsaicinoids recovery of each product. The RhB levels in edible capsicum oleoresin in our present study at 0.01-0.34µg/kg did not exceed the legal limits established by the European Union.

Occurrence of Sudan I in paprika fruits caused by agricultural environmental contamination.

Current research has demonstrated the presence of sub parts per billion levels of Sudan dye in paprika fruits during the vegetation process, which is difficult to understand on the basis of the conventional concept of cross-contamination or malicious addition. Detailed surveys on Sudan dyes I-IV in paprika fruits, soils, and agronomic materials used from seven fields of Xinjiang (China) were conducted to investigate the natural contamination. Results revealed that Sudan dyes II-IV were never detected and that Sudan I existed in almost all samples except for the mulching film and irrigation water. The higher total amount of Sudan I in soils, pesticides, and fertilizers compared to coated seeds indicated the combination of Sudan I-contaminated soils and application of Sudan I-containing agronomic materials constitutes a major source of 0.18-2.52 µg/kg levels of Sudan I in fruits during the growth period. The study offers a more reasonable explanation for the previously observed Sudan I in paprika fruits.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans and polychlorinated biphenyls in human adipose tissue from Zhejiang Province, China.

This is the first report on polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin/furan (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination of human adipose tissue from China. A total of 24 human adipose tissue samples from a general population in Zhejiang Province were analyzed for PCDD/F and PCB by high-resolution gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. Total PCDD/F concentrations in human adipose tissue ranged from 33.9 to 504 pg g(-1)lipid (mean 108 pg g(-1)lipid). Corresponding values for dioxin-like PCBs ranged from 4.1 to 125 ng g(-1)lipid (mean 32.8 ng g(-1)lipid). Mean total WHO toxicity equivalent (TEQ) values for PCDD/Fs and PCBs in human adipose tissue were 9.22 and 16.2 pg g(-1)lipid, respectively. OCDD was the dominant PCDD/F congener, and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF and 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD accounted for more than 70% of the WHO PCDD/F TEQ. In all samples, PCB-118, PCB-156 and PCB-105 were the main PCB congeners. PCB-153 concentrations were the highest of all indicator PCBs (mean 52.5 ng g(-1)lipid). The contamination levels and profiles are compared with those reported for European and Asian countries.

Simultaneous determination of 24 sulfonamide residues in meat by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.

The present study used the liquid extraction pretreatment method and developed an ultra-performance liquid chromatography triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous determination of 24 kinds of sulfonamide residues in meat. The meat samples were homogenized, extracted and deproteinized by acetonitrile, defatted by n-hexane, and further liquid-liquid extracted by ethyl acetate. All of 24 sulfonamide residues were simultaneously separated and determined by UPLC-MS/MS within 15 min. The sulfonamide residues were monitored via the ESI(+) ionization method and quantified by six-channel multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The calibrations were performed in sample matrixes by the isotope dilution method and the interference effect of sample matrixes on the ionization was effectively eliminated. Good linear relationship (R(2)=0.991-0.999) was observed within the concentration range of 0.2-50 microg/kg. Satisfied recoveries (67.8-113.9%) of all the sulfonamides were demonstrated in different standard-spiked levels except sulfanitran (SNT). The analytical category, separation speed, selectivity, sensitivity and repeatability of sulfonamides using UPLC-MS/MS were significantly improved compared to other analytical methods. Quantitative results of 240 meat samples demonstrated that the present method has a convenient operation and good practicability, which can be applied to the quantitative analysis of a large number of samples.

Simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins in fortified infant foods by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometry.

A novel ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of four water-soluble vitamins, including vitamin B5 (VB5), vitamin B8 (VB8), vitamin B9 (VB9), and vitamin B12 (VB12) in fortified infant foods is developed and validated. A reverse phase UPLC separation system consisting of a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C-18 column (2.1 mm x 100 mm i.d., 1.7 microm) and a binary gradient acetonitrile-water mobile phase is applied for the separation of the four water-soluble vitamins. Formic acid is spiked into the mobile phase to enhance the ionization efficiency. Tandem MS-MS analysis is performed in multi-reaction monitoring mode (MRM). Product-ion traces at m/z 220.1 --> 89.9 for VB5, 245.1 --> 227.1 for VB8, 442.3 --> 295.2 for VB9, and 678.9 --> 147.0 for VB12 are used for quantitation of the corresponding vitamins, and traces at m/z 455.5 --> 308.0 are used for methotrexate (internal standard). Limits of quantitation (LOQs) are 0.016, 0.090, 0.020, and 0.019 microg/L for VB5, VB8, VB9, and VB12, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precisions for the determination of the four vitamins are better than 6.84% and 12.26% in relative standard deviations, and recoveries for the four vitamins are in the range of 86.0~101.5%. The developed approach is applied for the determination of the trace amounts of the vitamins in fortified milk powers and fortified rice powers.

Metabolism of flavone C-glucosides and p-coumaric acid from antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) in rats.

The metabolism of flavone C-glucosides and p-coumaric acid from antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) in rats is discussed systematically in the present study. Following single oral administration of AOB, p-coumaric acid was detected in plasma but not in gastrointestinal tract extracts and faeces, and the corresponding absorption pharmacokinetic curve at different time points showed a prolonged elimination phase with p-coumaric acid being detected in the kidneys and excreted as its original form (1 x 80 (sd 0 x 24) % and 1 x 90 (sd 0 x 26) % at 12 and 24 h, respectively). However, the four flavone C-glucosides orientin, homoorientin, vitexin and isovitexin were poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. More than 50 % recovery of flavone C-glucosides was determined at 12 h and faeces containing these four analytes (21 x 23 (sd 1 x 92) %) were excreted at 24 h. These data suggested that the effective time these compounds were in the colon was long enough so that they could exert their antioxidant activity and scavenge free radicals. Besides the excretion of the original forms, moieties of the flavone C-glucosides were hydrolysed by deglycosylation and the opening of the heterocyclic C ring. Some small molecules such as phloroglucinol (PG), hydrocaffeic acid (HCA) and phloretic acid (PA) were detected and identified as metabolites of the flavone C-glucosides. In the present work, we compared the metabolic fate of flavone C-glucosides to that of flavone O-glucosides in rats, and evaluated the absorption, tissue distribution and excretion of flavone C-glucosides in AOB on their metabolism for the first time.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans and polychlorinated biphenyls in fresh fishes from Qiantangjiang River, China.

Muscles of two species of fish collected in Qiangtangjiang River were analyzed for polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by high resolution gas chromatography/high resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Average concentrations of total PCDD/Fs in Crucian carp and White Amur bream were 1.14-7.88 pg g(-1)ww and 1.02-8.18 pg g(-1)ww respectively. Corresponding values for PCBs were 469.36-10972 pg g(-1)ww and 364.79-4948.0 pg g(-1)ww. Average total WHO-TEQ of Crucian carp and White Amur bream from five areas ranged from 0.25 to 2.33 pg g(-1)ww and 0.30 to 1.70 pg g(-1)ww. The contamination level was compared with other studies and risk assessment was discussed.

Determination of flavone C-glucosides in antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) fortified foods by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet diode array detection.

Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with ultraviolet diode array detection (UV-DAD) was used for the simultaneous determination of four flavone C-glucosides, i.e. orientin, homoorientin, vitexin and isovitexin in several food systems fortified by the antioxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB), such as high temperature sterilized milk, sunflower seed oil and extruded rice cake for the first time. The method included extraction of flavone C-glucosides from AOB-fortified foods by methanol aqueous solution, deproteinating with saturated lead acetate solution and potassium oxalate, defatting with n-hexane and clean-up by solid-phase extraction (SPE) with Phenomenex C18 cartridges. Analytes were separated with Luna C18 5 microm 250mm x 4.6mm column using acetonitrile and 1% (v/v) acetic acid (pH 3.0) as mobile phase. Good results were obtained with respect to repeatability (relative standard deviation (RSD)< 2.2%) and recovery (81.4-91.8%) which fulfilled the requirements defined by European Union (EU) legislation. The total amounts of four flavone C-glucosides were 12.56 microg/100 mL, 881.08 microg/100 mL and 1420.83 microg/100 g dry weight in AOB-fortified sterilized milk, sunflower seed oil and extruded rice cake, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the analysis of flavone C-glucosides in AOB-fortified samples. The optimized procedure could also be referenced for the separation of flavone C-glucosides in other fortified foodstuffs.

Toxicology and safety of anti-oxidant of bamboo leaves. Part 1: Acute and subchronic toxicity studies on anti-oxidant of bamboo leaves.

The anti-oxidant of bamboo leaves (AOB) has recently been certificated as a novel kind of natural anti-oxidant by the Ministry of Health of the People's Republic of China, and has been used in various food systems. Here, AOB was subjected to a series of acute and subchronic toxicological tests to evaluate its safety. It was examined to evaluate acute oral toxicity by using Kun-Ming mice and Sprague-Dawley rats, and its mutagenic potential assessed by reverse mutation test using Salmonella typhimurium, bone marrow cell micronucleus test using Kun-Ming mice, and sperm abnormality test using Kun-Ming mice. In addition, a 90-day oral toxicity study using Sprague-Dawley rats was conducted to evaluate subchronic toxicology. The results showed that the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of AOB was >10 g/kg body weight in both rats and in mice, which can be regarded as virtually non-toxic. No mutagenicity evidence was detected in any of the three mutagenic tests. Administration at levels of 1.43, 2.87 and 4.30 g/kg per day to the rats for 90 days did not induce significant hematological, clinic, chemical and histopathological changes, and suggested a no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of 4.30 g/kg per day. These results indicate that AOB can be generally regarded as safe for use as a food additive.