Formosanin C promotes the curative efficacy of ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation in a mouse model of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of tumor-associated death among women worldwide, and new therapeutic strategies are required to improve the post-surgery prognosis and quality of life of patients. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a less invasive approach compared with traditional surgical resection to treat malignancies, and the combination of RFA and chemotherapeutic agents, including formosanin C (FC), can synergistically improve the curative effects against breast carcinoma. However, the detailed mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, nude mice were used to identify the influence of FC on the therapeutic efficacy of RFA for breast cancer. Flow cytometry was performed to demonstrate the proportional alteration of CD8+ and CD45+ T cells with different biomarkers, including CD107a, IFNγ and TNFα. It was demonstrated that FC enhanced the therapeutic efficacy of RFA in breast cancer, while RFA combined with FC improved the proportion of IFNγ+ and TNFα+ CD8+ T cells and CD107a+ CD8+ T cells in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, thus increasing the immune responses caused by surgery and chemotherapy. The present study indicated that FC may promote the curative efficacy of ultrasound-guided RFA against breast tumor by regulating adaptive immune responses.

Clinical Application of High-frequency Ultrasound in Treatment of Infantile Hemangiomas.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical application of high-frequency ultrasound in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas. METHODS: Ultrasonographic data before and after treatment for 1 month, 3 months and 5 months were recorded from 80 patients with infantile hemangioma. The hemangioma was monitored dynamically with relevant indexes before and after treatment, and the treatment results were divided into 2 groups: the treatment-effective group of 70 cases and the treatment-ineffective group of 10 cases. The differences of tumor size, internal echo and hemodynamic parameters (peak arterial systolic flow velocity, resistance index and venous velocity) were compared before and after treatment, and reliable ultrasound observation indexes were summarized. RESULTS: After treatment, in the treatment-effective group, the thickness of tumor was reduced in all cases, the blood flow signals decreased in 55 cases, the peak systolic velocity decreased in 55 cases, resistance index increased in 55 cases, and venous flow velocity decreased in 53 cases; the differences were statistically significant compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05). The thickness of tumors was significantly decreased after 5 months of treatment compared with 1 month and 2 month treatment (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the longitudinal and transverse diameter of tumors after treatment (P > 0.05). In the treatment-ineffective group, there was no significant difference in the above indexes before and after treatment (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: High-frequency ultrasound had primary application value in the treatment of infantile hemangiomas, where the change of tumor thickness provided the most important observational indicator.

Evaluation of prognostic value of lncRNA BANCR in tumor patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) BANCR is reported to be upregulated in many tumors. Nevertheless, the potential value of BANCR in tumor prognosis is unclear, which is mainly explored in this study. METHODS: Articles published before January 1, 2019 on the correlation between BANCR and prognosis, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis were searched for in PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science and relevant data were extracted. The correlation between the expression of BANCR and tumor prognosis using four survival indicators, including overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), relapse-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS)), lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis was analyzed by calculating hazard ratio (HR), odds ratio (OR) and 95%CI. A heterogeneity test was performed on the selected articles, and the combined effect size, HR, OR and 95%CI were calculated using STATA 12.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 11 articles including 1240 tumor patients were included in this meta-analysis. OS was shorter in tumor patients with high BANCR expression (HR=1.58, 95%CI:1.10-2.26), whereas RFS, DFS and PFS were not shorter compared with low BANCR expression (HR=1.26, 95%CI: 0.50-3.18). Moreover, regression analysis revealed that a high level of BANCR was correlated with lymph node metastasis (OR=1.61, 95%CI: 1.24-2.10) and distant metastasis (OR=2.22, 95%CI: 1.35-3.65). CONCLUSIONS: BANCR overexpression was closely correlated with poor overall survival, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Our conclusion still needs to be further verified in a multi-hospital trial using a large sample size.

Effect of isoflavone on balloon catheter-induced neointimal hyperplasia in ovariectomised rabbit carotid artery.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to investigate the effects of phytoestrogen isoflavone on balloon catheter-induced hyperplasia of carotid artery. METHODS: Forty-eight female New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into four groups: control (balloon-induced carotid artery injury only); ovariectomy control (ovariectomy and carotid artery injury), oestrogen (ovariectomy, carotid artery injury and nilestriol, 5mg/kg daily for 28 days), and isoflavone (ovariectomy, carotid artery injury and isoflavone 120 mg/kg daily for 28 days). The arterial wall thickness was assessed by coloured ultrasonography, and the oestrogen-α and oestrogen-ß receptors in the abdominal aorta were measured by Western blotting. RESULTS: The medial layer thickness in the isoflavone group was less than in the ovariectomy control group (0.28±0.03 vs. 0.35±0.04 mm, p<0.01), and the intimal/medial layer (I/M) ratio is the isoflavone group was also less than in the ovariectomy control group (16.85±3.79 vs. 48.94±8.92, p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in the medial layer thickness or I/M ratio between the isoflavone and the oestrogen groups. The optical density of the oestrogen-α receptors in the isoflavone group (0.317±0.002) was less than in the oestrogen (0.633±0.002) or ovariectomy control group (0.590±0.001, p<0.01). The optical density of the oestrogen-ß receptors in the isoflavone group (1.350±0.002) and the ovariectomy control group (1.2033±0.002) was less than in the oestrogen group (1.7699±0.003, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Isoflavone therapy in the ovariectomised rabbit model attenuated balloon catheter-induced intimal and medial layer hyperplasia in the carotid arteries. Down-regulation of the oestrogen-α receptors may be involved in the hyperplasia-preventative effect.

Value of high frequency ultrasonography in diagnosis and surgical repair of traumatic finger tendon ruptures.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of high frequency ultrasonography in the diagnosis of zone 2 flexor tendon injuries. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ninety-two patients (49 males and 43 females, mean age 32.6 ± 11.2 years) with zone 2 flexor tendon injuries in one or more digits were randomly divided into a study (n = 46, 95 digits) and a control group (n = 46, 90 digits). In the study group, preoperative ultrasound was performed and surgical repair was conducted based on ultrasonographic findings. Diagnosis and surgical repair of the control group was based on history of trauma and physical examination. RESULTS: Types of ruptures (complete or partial) and the location of the distal end of the ruptured tendon diagnosed by preoperative ultrasonography were consistent with surgical findings in all cases (95/95, 100%) of the study group, whereas the concordance rate between clinically diagnosed ruptures and surgical findings was only 34.4% (31/90) in the control group (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Preoperative high frequency ultrasound examination yielded excellent diagnostic accuracy for zone 2 flexor tendon injuries.