Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells alleviate intestinal fibrosis: The role of tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 protein.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic potential of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (AMSCs) in the treatment of intestinal fibrosis occured in patients with Crohn's disease (CD) remains unclear. Tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene 6 (TSG6) protein plays a critical role in inflammation regulation and tissue repair. This study aimed to determine if AMSCs attenuate intestinal fibrosis by secreting paracrine TSG6 protein and explore the underlying mechanisms. METHODS: Two murine models for intestinal fibrosis were established using 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid in BALB/c mice and dextran sulfate sodium in C57BL/6 mice. Primary human fibroblasts and CCD-18co cells were incubated with transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 to build two fibrosis cell models in vitro. RESULTS: Intraperitoneally administered AMSCs attenuated intestinal fibrosis in the two murine models, as evidenced by significant alleviation of colon shortening, collagen protein deposits, and submucosal thickening, and also decrease in the endoscopic and fibrosis scores (P < 0.001). Although intraperitoneally injected AMSCs did not migrate to the colon lesions, high levels of TSG6 expression and secretion were noticed both in vivo and in vitro. Similar to the role of AMSCs, injection of recombinant human TSG6 attenuated intestinal fibrosis in the mouse models, which was not observed with the administration of AMSCs with TSG6 knockdown or TSG6 neutralizing antibody. Mechanistically, TSG6 alleviates TGF-ß1-stimulated upregulation of α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) and collagen I by inhibiting Smad2 phosphorylation. Furthermore, the expression of TSG6 is lower in intestinal fibrosis tissue of patients with Crohn's disease and can reduce pro-fibrotic protein (αSMA) secretion from primary ileal fibrotic tissue. CONCLUSIONS: AMSCs attenuate intestinal fibrosis by secreting paracrine TSG6 protein, which inhibits Smad2 phosphorylation. TSG6, a novel anti-fibrotic factor, could potentially improve intestinal fibrosis treatments.

Disulfidptosis, A Novel Cell Death Pathway: Molecular Landscape and Therapeutic Implications.

Programmed cell death is pivotal for several physiological processes, including immune defense. Further, it has been implicated in the pathogenesis of developmental disorders and the onset of numerous diseases. Multiple modes of programmed cell death, including apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, and ferroptosis, have been identified, each with their own unique characteristics and biological implications. In February 2023, Liu Xiaoguang and his team discovered "disulfidptosis," a novel pathway of programmed cell death. Their findings demonstrated that disulfidptosis is triggered in glucose-starved cells exhibiting high expression of a protein called SLC7A11. Furthermore, disulfidptosis is marked by a drastic imbalance in the NADPH/NADP+ ratio and the abnormal accumulation of disulfides like cystine. These changes ultimately lead to the destabilization of the F-actin network, causing cell death. Given that high SLC7A11 expression is a key feature of certain cancers, these findings indicate that disulfidptosis could serve as the basis of innovative anti-cancer therapies. Hence, this review delves into the discovery of disulfidptosis, its underlying molecular mechanisms and metabolic regulation, and its prospective applications in disease treatment.

Curcumin/TGF-ß1 siRNA loaded solid lipid nanoparticles alleviate cerebral injury after intracerebral hemorrhage by transnasal brain targeting.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a prevalent cerebrovascular disorder. The inflammation induced by cerebral hemorrhage plays a crucial role in the secondary injury of ICH and often accompanied by a poor prognosis, leading to disease exacerbation. However, blood-brain barrier (BBB) limiting the penetration of therapeutic drugs to the brain. In this paper, our primary objective is to develop an innovative, non-invasive, safe, and targeted formulation. This novel approach aims to synergistically harness the combined therapeutic effects of drugs to intervene in inflammation via a non-injectable route, thereby significantly mitigating the secondary damage precipitated by inflammation following ICH. Thus, a novel "anti-inflammatory" cationic solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) with targeting ability were constructed, which can enhance the stability of curcumin(CUR) and siRNA. We successfully developed SLN loaded with TGF-ß1 siRNA and CUR (siRNA/CUR@SLN) that adhere to the requirements of drug delivery system by transnasal brain targeting. Through the characterization of nanoparticle properties, cytotoxicity assessment, in vitro pharmacological evaluation, and brain-targeting evaluation after nasal administration, siRNA/CUR@SLN exhibited a nearly spherical structure with a particle size of 125.0±1.93 nm, low cytotoxicity, high drug loading capacity, good sustained release function and good stability. In vitro anti-inflammatory results showcasing its remarkable anti-inflammatory activity. Moreover, in vivo pharmacological studies revealed that siRNA/CUR@SLN can be successfully delivered to brain tissue. Furthermore, it also elicited an effective anti-inflammatory response, alleviating brain inflammation. These results indicated that favorable brain-targeting ability and anti-inflammatory effects of siRNA/CUR@SLN in ICH model mice. In conclusion, our designed siRNA/CUR@SLN showed good brain targeting and anti-inflammatory effect ability after nasal administration, which lays the foundation for the treatment of inflammation caused by ICH and offers a novel approach for brain-targeted drug delivery and brings new hope.

Curcumin inhibits the development of colorectal cancer via regulating the USP4/LAMP3 pathway.

In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of curcumin on the progression of colorectal cancer and its underlying mechanisms involved. Cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion were determined through CCK-8 assay, colony formation assay, EdU assay, flow cytometry, and transwell invasion assay, respectively. The protein expression of Bax, MMP2, USP4 and LAMP3 was measured using western blot. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to evaluate the relationship between USP4 and LAMP3. Co-IP was also conducted to determine the interaction between USP4 and LAMP3. Xenograft tumor model was established to explore the role of curcumin in colorectal cancer in vivo. IHC was utilized to measure the expression of Bax, MMP2, USP4 and LAMP3 in tumor tissues from mice. Curcumin significantly accelerated cell apoptosis, and inhibited cell proliferation and invasion in LoVo and HCT-116 cells. LAMP3 was augmented in colorectal cancer tissues and cells, and curcumin could reduce the expression of LAMP3. Curcumin decreased LAMP3 expression to exhibit the inhibition role in the progression of colorectal cancer. USP4 interacted with LAMP3, and positively regulated LAMP3 expression in colorectal cancer cells. LAMP3 overexpression could reverse the suppressive effects of USP4 knockdown on the development of colorectal cancer. Curcumin downregulated USP4 to impeded the progression of colorectal cancer via repressing LAMP3 expression. In addition, curcumin obviously restrained tumor growth in mice through downregulating USP4 and LAMP3 expression. These data indicated that curcumin exert the anti-tumor effects on the development of colorectal cancer through modulating the USP4/LAMP3 pathway.

Potential of Fecal Carcinoembryonic Antigen for Noninvasive Detection of Colorectal Cancer: A Systematic Review.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is more abundant in feces than in serum; however, evidence for the role of fecal CEA (FCEA) in the detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is limited. We conducted a systematic review of studies that evaluated FCEA for the noninvasive detection and diagnosis of CRC. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for relevant studies published until 18 January 2023. Information on publication year, study design, country, study population characteristics, FCEA and serum CEA (SCEA) concentrations, and diagnostic performance was summarized. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias and applicability of each included study. Seven studies published between 1979 and 2021, all conducted in clinical settings and together involving 399 CRC patients and 889 controls, were identified. Significant differences in FCEA concentrations were observed between CRC and control groups in all studies. Methods for detecting FCEA varied, with the electronic chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) being used in the most recent studies. Reported sensitivities, specificities, and area under the curves of FCEA ranged from 50.0% to 85.7%, 73.0% to 100.0%, and 0.704 to 0.831, respectively. In direct comparisons, the diagnostic performance of FCEA was better than that of SCEA. The potential role of FCEA as a novel, noninvasive, easily measurable biomarker for the diagnosis of CRC requires further evaluation in screening settings.

Palmitoylation landscapes across human cancers reveal a role of palmitoylation in tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND: Protein palmitoylation, which is catalyzed by palmitoyl-transferase and de-palmitoyl-transferase, plays a crucial role in various biological processes. However, the landscape and dynamics of protein palmitoylation in human cancers are not well understood. METHODS: We utilized 23 palmitoyl-acyltransferases and seven de-palmitoyl-acyltransferases as palmitoylation-related genes for protein palmitoylation analysis. Multiple publicly available datasets were employed to conduct pan-cancer analysis, examining the transcriptome, genomic alterations, clinical outcomes, and correlation with c-Myc (Myc) for palmitoylation-related genes. Real-time quantitative PCR and immunoblotting were performed to assess the expression of palmitoylation-related genes and global protein palmitoylation levels in cancer cells treated with Myc depletion or small molecule inhibitors. Protein docking and drug sensitivity analyses were employed to predict small molecules that target palmitoylation-related genes. RESULTS: We identified associations between palmitoylation and cancer subtype, stage, and patient survival. We discovered that abnormal DNA methylation and oncogenic Myc-driven transcriptional regulation synergistically contribute to the dysregulation of palmitoylation-related genes. This dysregulation of palmitoylation was closely correlated with immune infiltration in the tumor microenvironment and the response to immunotherapy. Importantly, dysregulated palmitoylation was found to modulate canonical cancer-related pathways, thus influencing tumorigenesis. To support our findings, we performed a proof-of-concept experiment showing that depletion of Myc led to reduced expression of most palmitoylation-related genes, resulting in decreased global protein palmitoylation levels. Through mass spectrometry and enrichment analyses, we also identified palmitoyl-acyltransferases ZDHHC7 and ZDHHC23 as significant contributors to mTOR signaling, DNA repair, and immune pathways, highlighting their potential roles in tumorigenesis. Additionally, our study explored the potential of three small molecular (BI-2531, etoposide, and piperlongumine) to modulate palmitoylation by targeting the expression or activity of palmitoylation-related genes or enzymes. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings underscore the critical role of dysregulated palmitoylation in tumorigenesis and the response to immunotherapy, mediated through classical cancer-related pathways and immune cell infiltration. Additionally, we propose that the aforementioned three small molecule hold promise as potential therapeutics for modulating palmitoylation, thereby offering novel avenues for cancer therapy.

Elderly patients with stage II gastric cancer do not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: With the aging of the population, the burden of elderly gastric cancer (EGC) increases worldwide. However, there is no consensus on the definition of EGC and the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II EGC. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of adjuvant chemotherapy in defined EGC patients. METHODS: We enrolled 5762 gastric cancer patients of three independent cohorts from the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (local), the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER), and the Asian Cancer Research Group (ACRG). The optimal age cutoff for EGC was determined using the K-adaptive partitioning algorithm. The defined EGC group and the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy for them were confirmed by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Furthermore, gene set variation analyses (GSVA) were performed to reveal pathway enrichment between groups. RESULTS: The optimal age partition value for EGC patients was 75. In the local, SEER, and ACRG cohorts, the EGC group exhibited significantly worse overall survival and cancer-specific survival than the non-EGC group (P < 0.05) and was an independent risk factor. Stratified analyses based on chemotherapy showed that EGC patients derived little benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Furthermore, GSVA analysis revealed the activation of DNA repair-related pathways and downregulation of the p53 pathway, which may partially contribute to the observed findings. CONCLUSION: In this retrospective, international multi-center study, 75 years old was identified as the optimal age cutoff for EGC definition, and adjuvant chemotherapy proved to be unbeneficial for stage II EGC patients.

Associations between weight-adjusted waist index and bone mineral density: results of a nationwide survey.

BACKGROUND: The weight-adjusted waist circumference index (WWI) is a novel obesity indicator that offers improved accuracy in assessing both muscle and fat mass compared to traditional measures. This study aimed to investigate the association between WWI and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults. METHODS: Weighted multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analysis, interaction tests and restricted cubic spline (RCS) curves were used to explore the relationship between WWI and BMD based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). RESULTS: This study had 40,568 individuals in total. At all four measurement sites, we detected a negative linear correlation between WWI and BMD. Even when quartile factors for WWI were created, this unfavorable connection maintained. In comparison to those in the lowest quartile, those in the highest percentile of WWI showed declines in lumbar BMD of 0.08 g/cm2 and femoral neck BMD of 0.03 g/cm2, respectively. This adverse correlation, nevertheless, differed among several categories. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest an adverse correlation between WWI and BMD among US adults. Employing WWI as a tool for osteoporosis prevention in the general population may enhance interventions.

Construction of a novel nomogram based on competing endogenous RNAs and tumor-infiltrating immune cells for prognosis prediction in elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

Competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) and tumor-infiltrating immune cells play essential roles in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumorigenesis. However, their prognostic role in elderly patients with CRC is unclear. Gene expression profiles and clinical information for elderly patients with CRC were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Univariate, LASSO, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were utilized for screening key ceRNAs and prevent overfitting. A total of 265 elderly patients with CRC were included. We constructed a novel ceRNA network consisting of 17 lncRNAs, 35 miRNAs, and 5 mRNAs. We established three prognosis predictive nomograms based on four key ceRNAs (ceRNA nomogram), five key immune cells (immune cell nomogram), and their combination (ceRNA-immune cell nomogram). Among them, the ceRNA-immune cell nomogram had the best accuracy. Furthermore, the areas under the curve of the ceRNA-immune cell nomogram were also significantly greater than the TNM stage at 1 (0.818 vs. 0.693), 3 (0.865 vs. 0.674), and 5 (0.832 vs. 0.627) years. Co-expression analysis revealed that CBX6 was positively correlated with activated dendritic cells (R = 0.45, p < 0.01), whereas negatively correlated with activated mast cells (R =- 0.43, p < 0.01). In conclusion, our study constructed three nomograms to predict prognosis in elderly patients with CRC, among which the ceRNA-immune cell nomogram had the best prediction accuracy. We inferred that the mechanism underlying the regulation of activated dendritic cells and mast cells by CBX6 might play a crucial role in tumor development and prognosis of elderly patients with CRC.

Risk factors for postoperative recurrence in patients with stage II colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Recurrences are the main reasons for unfavorable outcomes for patients with stage II colorectal cancer (CRC). To obtain a clear understanding of the high-risk factors, further investigation is warranted. The present study aimed to analyze the risk factors associated with postoperative recurrence in patients with stage II CRC. METHODS: Eligible patients with pathologically confirmed stage II CRC were enrolled in the study retrospectively based on a prospectively maintained database from April 2008 to March 2019. The Kaplan-Meier method were used to calculate the overall survival (OS) rate and the cumulative recurrence rate. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for recurrence. RESULTS: There were 2515 patients included, of whom 233 (9.3%) developed local or distant recurrence. Recurrence was associated with a significantly worse 5-year OS (45.4% vs. 95.5%, p < 0.0001). The 5-year cumulative recurrence rate was 13.0% in patients with stage II CRC. On multivariable Cox analysis, tumor size (Hazard Ratio (HR) [95% confidence interval (CI)] = 1.79[1.38, 2.33]), preoperative carbohydrate antigen (CA) 125 level (HR [95% CI] = 1.78[1.17, 2.70]), preoperative CA 199 level (HR [95% CI] = 1.56[1.09, 2.22]), and ulcerating tumor (HR [95% CI] = 1.61[1.19, 2.17]) were found to be associated with postoperative recurrence. Adjuvant chemotherapy was associated with a lower cumulative recurrence rate in patients with these risk factors (p = 0.00096). CONCLUSION: The tumor diameter, preoperative CA125 level, preoperative CA199 level, and an ulcerative tumor can predict postoperative recurrence in patients with stage II CRC, and postoperative chemotherapy could reduce the cumulative recurrence rate in patients with these high-risk factors.

Kinesin family member 23 knockdown inhibits cell proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in esophageal carcinoma by inactivating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Kinesin family member 23 (KIF23) serves as a tumor-promoting gene with prognostic values in various tumors. However, the role of KIF23 in esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) progression is largely unknown. The overlapping differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in GSE12452, GSE17351, and GSE20347 datasets were identified via GEO2R tool and Venn diagram software. KIF23 expression was analyzed using GSE12452, GSE17351, and GSE20347 datasets, GEPIA database, and qRT-PCR. Cell proliferation was assessed by CCK-8 and EdU incorporation assays. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) analysis was performed to investigate the pathways associated with the regulatory mechanisms of KIF23 in ESCA. The expression of E-cadherin, vimentin, N-cadherin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and alternation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway were detected by western blot analysis. We identified two overlapping upregulated DEGs, among which KIF23 was selected for subsequent experiments. KIF23 was overexpressed in ESCA samples and cells, and knockdown of KIF23 retarded cell proliferation in ESCA cells. Besides, KIF23 knockdown suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in ESCA cells, as evidenced by the increase of E-cadherin expression and the reduction of vimentin, N-cadherin, and MMP-9 expression. GSEA analysis suggested that Wnt signaling pathway was the significant pathway related to KIF23. Moreover, we demonstrated that KIF23 silencing inhibited the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in ESCA cells. Activation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway by SKL2001 reversed the effects of KIF23 silencing on cell proliferation and EMT in ESCA cells. In conclusion, KIF23 knockdown inhibited the proliferation and EMT in ESCA cells through blockage of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Prognostic factors and the necessity of chemotherapy for stage II gastric cancer: a model based on multicenter retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to construct a prognostic model for prognosis prediction and assess the response to adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) of stage II gastric cancer (GC) patients on high and low survival risk stratifications. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 547 stage II gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 radical gastrectomy from January 2009 to May 2017 in Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University (SAH-SYSU), the Fujian Medical University Union Hospital (FJUUH), and the Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center (SYSUCC).The propensity score matching (PSM) of all variables was performed to balance selective bias between ACT and surgery alone (SA) groups. Kaplan-Meier survival and multivariate Cox regression analyses were carried out to identify independent prognostic factors. Independent factors selected by the Cox regression were integrated into the nomogram. The nomogram points stratified patients into high-risk and low-risk groups by the optimal cut-off value. RESULTS: 278 patients were selected after PSM. Age, tumor site, T stage and lymph-nodes-examined (LNE) selected by Cox regression as independent prognostic factors were integrated into the nomogram. The nomogram performed well with a C-index of 0.76 and with C-indexes of 0.73 in and 0.71 in two validate cohorts. AUCs of the 3 year and 5 year ROC curves were 0.81 and 0.78. High- and low-risk groups stratified by the cut-off value demonstrated different responses to ACT. CONCLUSIONS: The nomogram performed well in prognosis prediction. Patients in high- and low-risk groups demonstrated different responses to ACT, and high-risk patients might need ACT.

Lymphovascular or perineural invasion is associated with lymph node metastasis and survival outcomes in patients with gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and perineural invasion (PNI) are associated with poorer prognosis in several human malignancies, but their significance in gastric cancer (GC) remains to be clearly defined. Our study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of LVI/PNI in patients with curative resected GC. METHODS: Records of 1488 patients with stage I--III GC and 3327 patients with stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) were reviewed retrospectively, and difference in the incidence of LVI/PNI between GC and CRC was compared. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate whether LVI/PNI was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis (LNM) and overall survival (OS) in GC. RESULTS: Patients with stage I-III GC had a significantly higher incidence of LVI/PNI than patients with stage I-III CRC (50.54% vs. 21.91%, p < 0.001). LVI/PNI was significantly associated with higher CEA, higher CA199, deeper tumor invasion, more lymph node metastasis, and advanced TNM stage in GC ( p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified LVI/PNI (OR = 2.64, 95%CI: 2.05-3.40, p < 0.001) as an independent risk factor for LNM in GC. The OS rate was significantly lower in the LVI/PNI-positive GC group than that in the LVI/PNI-negative GC group ( p < 0.001). On multivariate Cox regression analysis, LVI/PNI (HR = 1.34, 95%CI: 1.04-1.71, p  = 0.023) was an independent prognostic factor for OS in GC. CONCLUSION: GC has a high incidence of LVI/PNI, which was closely associated with disease progression. LVI/PNI could serve as an independent risk factor for LNM and the prognosis of patients with curative resected GC. These findings will be helpful in predicting survival outcomes more accurately and establishing individualized treatment plans.

China's innovation and research contribution to combating neglected diseases: a secondary analysis of China's public research data.

BACKGROUND: Many emerging and developing economies, such as China, have played the important roles in combating global neglected diseases (NDs). This study aims to explore China's public landscape of research projects and funding of NDs and to provide empirical evidence on promoting China's participation in addressing global health priorities that disproportionately affect developing countries. METHODS: We systematically sourced China's public funding information from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and provincial science and technology agency websites up to August 16, 2019. Following the G-FINDER R&D scope, we screened projects of NDs for analysis. National-funded projects were reviewed on an annual basis for exploring the trends and distribution of funding flows. Information on provincial-funded projects was compared with national projects by disease, research type, and geographical distribution. RESULTS: A total of 1266 projects were included for analysis and categorized by year, funding source, recipient, disease, research type, region, and province. China's national public funding for ND research reached a historical peak of USD 16.22 million in 2018. But the proportion of ND research to all public-funded projects was less than 0.5%, and over half of the ND projects were allocated to "the big three," i.e., tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. About 58% of national and provincial ND projects focus on basic research. Economically developed regions and municipalities play dominant roles in leading national ND research, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong. Provincial ND projects are primarily driven by endemic regions. CONCLUSIONS: As a new emerging high-tech innovator, China has gradually increased public input to ND-related innovation and research. But there is still a large funding gap among NDs that requires China's increased support and participation. National development plans and cooperative health needs should be taken into account for China's participation in promoting global research and development (R&D) for combating NDs.

Matrine restrains the development of colorectal cancer through regulating the AGRN/Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is a common malignant digestive tract tumor. This study aimed to explore the biological role and potential underlying mechanism of matrine in colorectal cancer. METHODS: The mRNA expression of AGRN was measured using RT-qPCR. Cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis were determined using CCK-8, EdU, transwell assays and flow cytometry, respectively. Xenograft tumor experiment was performed to explore the action of matrine and AGRN on tumor growth in colorectal cancer in vivo. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was applied for AGRN, ß-catenin, and c-Myc expression in the tumor tissues from mice. RESULTS: Matrine dramatically repressed cell growth and reduced the level of AGRN in colorectal cancer cells. AGRN expression was boosted colorectal cancer tissues and cells. AGRN downregulation depressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and enhanced cell apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, matrine showed the anti-tumor effects on colorectal cancer cells via regulating AGRN expression. AGRN knockdown could inactivate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer cells. We found that AGRN downregulation exhibited the inhibition action in the progression of colorectal cancer by modulating the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. In addition, matrine could inhibit the activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway through regulating AGRN in colorectal cancer cells. Furthermore, xenograft tumor experiment revealed that matrine treatment or AGRN knockdown repressed the development of colorectal cancer via the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in vivo. CONCLUSION: Matrine retarded colorectal cancer development by modulating AGRN to inactivate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Clec7a expression in inflammatory macrophages orchestrates progression of acute kidney injury.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with high risk of mortality, post-disease renal fibrosis, kidney dysfunction and renal failure. Renal macrophages play a key role in the pathogenesis (M1 subpopulation), healing and remodeling (M2 subpopulation) in AKI and, thus, have been a promising target for clinical treatment of AKI. Here, in a mouse renal ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) model for AKI, we showed that renal macrophages could be further classified into Clec7a+ M1 macrophages, Clec7a- M1 macrophages, Clec7a+ M2 macrophages and Clec7a- M2 macrophages, representing distinct macrophage populations with different functionality. Interestingly, Clec7a+ M1 macrophages exhibited potent pro-inflammatory and phagocytic effects compared to Clec7a- M1 macrophages, while Clec7a- M2 macrophages exhibited better proliferating and migrating potential, which is critical for their role in tissue repairing after injury. These data from mice were further strengthened by bioinformatics analyses using published database. In vivo, combined expression of Clec7a in M1 macrophages and depletion of Clec7a in M2 macrophages significantly improved the renal function after IRI-AKI. Together, our data suggest that Clec7a is crucial for the fine regulation of macrophage phenotype during AKI and could be a novel target for boosting clinical therapy.

SIRGs score may be a predictor of prognosis and immunotherapy response for esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

Background: Esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA) is a special malignant tumor with unknown biological behavior. PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors have been recommended as first-line treatment for advanced EGJA patients. However, the biomarkers for predicting immunotherapy response remain controversial. Methods: We identified stromal immune-related genes (SIRGs) by ESTIMATE from the TCGA-EGJA dataset and constructed a signature score. In addition, survival analysis was performed in both the TCGA cohort and GEO cohort. Subsequently, we explored the differences in tumor-infiltrating immune cells, immune subtypes, immune-related functions, tumor mutation burden (TMB), immune checkpoint gene expression, immunophenoscore (IPS) between the high SIRGs score and low SIRGs score groups. Finally, two validation cohorts of patients who had accepted immunotherapy was used to verify the value of SIRGs score in predicting immunotherapy response. Results: Eight of the SIRGs were selected by LASSO regression to construct a signature score (SIRGs score). Univariate and multivariate analyses in the TCGA and GEO cohort suggested that SIRGs score was an independent risk factor for the overall survival (OS) and it could increase the accuracy of clinical prediction models for survival. However, in the high SIRGs score group, patients had more immune cell infiltration, more active immune-related functions, higher immune checkpoint gene expression and higher IPS-PD1 and IPS-PD1-CTLA4 scores, which indicate a better response to immunotherapy. The external validation illustrated that high SIRGs score was significantly associated with immunotherapy response and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can improve OS in patients with high SIRGs score. Conclusion: The SIRGs score may be a predictor of the prognosis and immune-therapy response for esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma.

Indications for Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage II Gastric Cancer After D2 Gastrectomy-A Chinese Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) for patients with stage II gastric cancer remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the indications for adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with stage II gastric cancer by constructing an individual prediction model. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this Chinese multicenter study, a total of 1012 patients with stage II gastric cancer after D2 radical gastrectomy were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were randomly assigned to a training cohort (n = 674) or a validation cohort (n = 338). A nomogram was constructed according to the training cohort. Concordance index (C-index), the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were applied to evaluate the performance of the nomogram. ROC curves and stratified survival were used to determine the patients' cutoff score for a benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. An additional 338 patients were used as a validation cohort to validate the feasibility of using this nomogram to guide individualized therapy for patients with stage II gastric cancer. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analyses illustrated that age, sex, tumor location, size, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), hemoglobin (HB), and T stage were independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), and they were used to establish a nomogram. The cutoff value was determined by ROC curve analysis, and patients were divided into a high-risk group (< 239 points) and a low-risk group (≥ 239 points). There was no significant difference in the OS of low-risk patients in either the training cohort or the validation cohort. However, the OS of high-risk patients in the AC group was better than that of patients in the surgery-only group. CONCLUSIONS: This prediction model can be applied to guide treatment of patients with stage II gastric cancer. High-risk patients (< 239 points) are likely to benefit from AC after D2 radical gastrectomy.

Nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group c member 2 (NR3C2) is downregulated due to hypermethylation and plays a tumor-suppressive role in colon cancer.

Nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group c member 2 (NR3C2) has been reported to function as a tumor suppressor in several tumors. However, the clinical significance and potential action mechanisms of NR3C2 in colon cancer (COAD) remain unclear. NR3C2 expression and its correlation with clinicopathological features in COAD were analyzed based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database were used to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values of NR3C2 in COAD. Immune infiltration and DNA methylation analyses were performed by Gene Set Cancer Analysis (GSCA) database. NR3C2-correlated genes were identified by UALCAN database and subjected to gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment pathway analyses. Cell apoptosis and proliferation were evaluated using TUNEL and CCK-8 assays, respectively. NR3C2 was downregulated in COAD based on TCGA and GEO databases, which may be due to promoter hypermethylation. NR3C2 expression was correlated with prognosis and immune infiltration of COAD. High NR3C2 expression displayed good diagnostic value in COAD. KEGG pathway analysis presented that NR3C2-correlated genes were mainly clustered in choline metabolism in cancer and apoptosis. In vitro experiments confirmed that NR3C2 overexpression induced apoptosis and suppressed proliferation in COAD cells. In conclusion, our study revealed the potential prognostic and diagnostic values of NR3C2 and provided insights into understanding the tumor-suppressive role of NR3C2 in COAD progression.

Identification of the regulatory role of the circ_0004788/miR-515-5p/FGF2 network in nasopharyngeal carcinoma development.

BACKGROUND: CircularRNAs (circRNAs) played vital roles in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the impacts of circ_0004788 on the development of NPC have not been explored. METHODS: Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) and colony formation assays were applied to determine cell proliferation. Wound healing, transwell invasion assay, tube formation assay, and flow cytometry were employed for the detection of cell migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and apoptosis, respectively. Xenograft tumor experiment was used to explore the biological role of circ_0004788 in NPC in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_0004788 and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) were significantly elevated, and microRNA-515-5p (miR-515-5p) was dramatically decreased in NPC tissues and cells. The impacts of circ_0004788 knockdown on cell progression in NPC cells were reversed by miR-515-5p inhibitor, and FGF2 overexpression could block the suppressive effect of miR-515-5p on cell progression in NPC cells. CONCLUSION: Circ_0004788 knockdown restrained the progression of NPC via the miR-515-5p/FGF2 axis.