Novel prognostic value and potential utility of opioid receptor gene methylation in liquid biopsy for oral cavity cancer.

Opioids are a class of recreational drugs and prescription medications that bind to a group of G-protein-coupled receptors known as opioid receptors (ORs). ORs are involved in the development of many types of cancer; however, their role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is complex and poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the methylation status of five OR genes in verification (301 HNSCC primary samples) and validation (five circulating tumor DNA [ctDNA] samples) studies using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (Q-MSP). OPRL1 and OPRM1 methylation levels were significantly higher in HNSCC tissues than in corresponding normal tissues from the same individuals (P = 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). In Kaplan-Meier estimate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analyses, two genes (OPRL1 and OPRM1) were significantly associated with increased recurrence in the methylation group with oral cavity cancer. Furthermore, a validation study of ctDNA demonstrated that OPRL1 genes exhibited predictive performance as emerging biomarkers and were each capable of discriminating the plasma from tumor-free individuals. We characterized the relationship between OR gene methylation status and outcomes in oral cavity cancer. Our results highlight the potential utility of ctDNA methylation-based detection in the clinical management of oral cavity cancer.

Venous Thromboembolism in Japanese Patients With Pancreatic Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Japan. Previous studies from other countries have reported venous thromboembolism prevalence rates of 12 to 36% in patients with pancreatic cancer. In this study, we aimed to determine the incidence of VTE in patients with PDAC in Japan and compare the characteristics of patients with and without VTE. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, clinicopathological characteristics of patients with and without concomitant VTE were compared. PATIENTS: Patients with PDAC treated at Fukui Prefectural Hospital, Japan from 2010 to 2019. RESULTS: The 1-year survival rate of all patients with pancreatic cancer was 40.7%. Among 432 patients with PDAC, 31 developed VTE. Seventeen (55%) patients received anticoagulant therapy. Compared with the non-VTE group, the VTE group had significantly more patients whose body mass index was >25 kg/m² (p = .035) and had a significantly higher rate of chemotherapy (p = .024). There was no significant difference in median survival time from PDAC diagnosis between the VTE and non-VTE groups. The 6-month mortality rate after VTE diagnosis was 54.8%. PDAC-related death was the most frequent cause of death, and thrombus-related death was not observed. CONCLUSION: Several baseline characteristics differed between patients with and without VTE. The incidence of VTE in patients with PDAC is high. However, because the prognosis of PDAC itself remains quite poor, VTE may not have a significant effect on prognosis.

Aerobic Dechlorination of Dichloromethane Using Biostimulation Agent BD-C in Continuous and Batch Cultures of Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10.

It is important to construct microbiological treatment systems for organic solvent-contaminated water. We developed a continuous culture supplemented with a biostimulation agent named BD-C, which is formulated from canola oil, and Xanthobacter autotrophicus strain GJ10 for an aerobic dichloromethane (DCM)-dechlorinating microorganism. The continuous culture was a chemostat constructed using a 1 L screw-capped bottle containing artificial wastewater medium with 2.0 mM DCM and 1.0% (v/v) BD-C. The expression of genes for DCM metabolism in the dechlorinating aerobe was monitored and analyzed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Strain GJ10 was able to dechlorinate approximately 74% of the DCM in medium supplemented with BD-C during 12 days of incubation. The DCM dechlorination rate was calculated to be 0.11 mM/day. The ΔΔCT method showed that expression of haloalkane dehalogenase increased 5.4 times in the presence of BD-C. Based on batch culture growth tests conducted with mineral salt medium containing three DCM concentrations (0.07, 0.20, 0.43 and 0.65 mM) with BD-C, the apparent maximum specific consumption rate (νmax) and the saturation constant (Ks) determined for DCM degradation in this test were 19.0 nmol/h/CFU and 0.44 mM, respectively. In conclusion, BD-C enhanced the aerobic degradation of DCM by strain GJ10.