Cyclocarysaponins A-J, dammarane-type triterpenoid glycosides from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus.

Ten previously undescribed dammarane-type triterpenoid glycosides, cyclocarysaponins A-J (1-10), were isolated from the leaves of Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal.) Iljinskaja. The structures of these compounds were characterized through detailed spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESI-MS). The cytotoxic activities of all isolates were assessed against five human cancer cell lines (Bel-7402, Caski, BGC-823, A2780, and HCT-116). Of the tested compounds, compounds 1, 7, and 9 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against one or more human cancer cell lines.

Comprehensive identification strategy for rapid profiling of chemical constituents using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry with Rhubarb as an example.

In this study, the collision induced dissociation tandem mass spectrometry (CID-MS/MS) fragmentation pathway of chemical components in rhubarb was wholly explored using 34 standards by UHPLC-QTOF-MS/MS in negative ion mode. In consequently, the diagnostic product ions for speedy screening and categorization of chemical components in rhubarb were ascertained based on their MS/MS splitting decomposition patterns and intensity analysis. According to these findings, a fresh two-step data mining strategy had set up. The initial key step involves the use of characteristic product ions and neutral loss to screen for different types of substituents and basic skeletons of compounds. The subsequent key step is to screen and classify different types of compounds based on their characteristic product ions. This method can be utilized for rapid research, classification, and identification of compounds in rhubarb. A total of 356 compounds were rapidly identified or tentatively characterized in three rhubarb species extracts, including 150 acylglucoside, 125 anthraquinone, 65 flavanols and 15 other compounds. This study manifests that the analytical strategy is feasible for the analysis of complex natural products in rhubarb.

Genomic and T cell repertoire biomarkers associated with malignant mesothelioma survival.

BACKGROUND: Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an exceedingly rare tumor with poor prognosis due to the limited availability of effective treatment. Immunotherapy has emerged as a novel treatment approach for MM, but less than 40% of the patients benefit from it. Thus, it is necessary to identify accurate and effective biomarkers that can predict the overall survival (OS) and immunotherapy efficacy for MM. METHODS: DNA sequencing was used to identify the genomic landscape based on the data from 86 Chinese patients. T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing was used to characterize MM TCR repertoires of 28 patients between October 2016 and April 2023. RESULTS: Patients with TP53, NF2, or CDKN2A variants at the genomic level, as well as those exhibiting lower Shannon index (<6.637), lower evenness (<0.028), or higher clonality (≥0.194) according to baseline tumor tissue TCR indexes, demonstrated poorer OS. Furthermore, patients with TP53, CDKN2A, or CDKN2B variants and those with a lower evenness (<0.030) in baseline tumor tissue showed worse immunotherapy efficacy. The present study is the first to identify five special TCR Vß-Jß rearrangements associated with MM immunotherapy efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The present study reported the largest-scale genomic landscape and TCR repertoire of MM in Chinese patients and identified genomic and TCR biomarkers for the prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in MM. The study results might provide new insights for prospective MM trials using specific genes, TCR indexes, and TCR clones as biomarkers and offer a reference for future antitumor drugs based on TCR-specific clones.

Genomic landscape defines peritoneal metastatic pattern and related target of peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer.

The primary objective of this study is to develop a prediction model for peritoneal metastasis (PM) in colorectal cancer by integrating the genomic features of primary colorectal cancer, along with clinicopathological features. Concurrently, we aim to identify potential target implicated in the peritoneal dissemination of colorectal cancer through bioinformatics exploration and experimental validation. By analyzing the genomic landscape of primary colorectal cancer and clinicopathological features from 363 metastatic colorectal cancer patients, we identified 22 differently distributed variables, which were used for subsequent LASSO regression to construct a PM prediction model. The integrated model established by LASSO regression, which incorporated two clinicopathological variables and seven genomic variables, precisely discriminated PM cases (AUC 0.899; 95% CI 0.860-0.937) with good calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow test p = .147). Model validation yielded AUCs of 0.898 (95% CI 0.896-0.899) and 0.704 (95% CI 0.622-0.787) internally and externally, respectively. Additionally, the peritoneal metastasis-related genomic signature (PGS), which was composed of the seven genes in the integrated model, has prognostic stratification capability for colorectal cancer. The divergent genomic landscape drives the driver genes of PM. Bioinformatic analysis concerning these driver genes indicated SERINC1 may be associated with PM. Subsequent experiments indicate that knocking down of SERINC1 functionally suppresses peritoneal dissemination, emphasizing its importance in CRCPM. In summary, the genomic landscape of primary cancer in colorectal cancer defines peritoneal metastatic pattern and reveals the potential target of SERINC1 for PM in colorectal cancer.

Cell-free DNA methylation reveals cell-specific tissue injury and correlates with disease severity and patient outcomes in COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: The recently identified methylation patterns specific to cell type allows the tracing of cell death dynamics at the cellular level in health and diseases. This study used COVID-19 as a disease model to investigate the efficacy of cell-specific cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation markers in reflecting or predicting disease severity or outcome. METHODS: Whole genome methylation sequencing of cfDNA was performed for 20 healthy individuals, 20 cases with non-hospitalized COVID-19 and 12 cases with severe COVID-19 admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and gene ontology pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the locus-specific methylation difference between cohorts. The proportion of cfDNA derived from lung and immune cells to a given sample (i.e. tissue fraction) at cell-type resolution was estimated using a novel algorithm, which reflects lung injuries and immune response in COVID-19 patients and was further used to evaluate clinical severity and patient outcome. RESULTS: COVID­19 patients had globally reduced cfDNA methylation level compared with healthy controls. Compared with non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the cfDNA methylation pattern was significantly altered in severe patients with the identification of 11,156 DMRs, which were mainly enriched in pathways related to immune response. Markedly elevated levels of cfDNA derived from lung and more specifically alveolar epithelial cells, bronchial epithelial cells, and lung endothelial cells were observed in COVID-19 patients compared with healthy controls. Compared with non-hospitalized patients or healthy controls, severe COVID-19 had significantly higher cfDNA derived from B cells, T cells and granulocytes and lower cfDNA from natural killer cells. Moreover, cfDNA derived from alveolar epithelial cells had the optimal performance to differentiate COVID-19 with different severities, lung injury levels, SOFA scores and in-hospital deaths, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.958, 0.941, 0.919 and 0.955, respectively. CONCLUSION: Severe COVID-19 has a distinct cfDNA methylation signature compared with non-hospitalized COVID-19 and healthy controls. Cell type-specific cfDNA methylation signature enables the tracing of COVID-19 related cell deaths in lung and immune cells at cell-type resolution, which is correlated with clinical severities and outcomes, and has extensive application prospects to evaluate tissue injuries in diseases with multi-organ dysfunction.

Involvement of Bile Acid Metabolism and Gut Microbiota in the Amelioration of Experimental Metabolism-Associated Fatty Liver Disease by Nobiletin.

Metabolism-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a growing health problem worldwide, is one of the major risks for the development of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Oral administration of nobiletin (NOB), a natural citrus flavonoid, modulates the gut microbes and their metabolites in mice. In the present study, we established a mouse model of MAFLD by subjecting mice to a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Throughout this timeframe, NOB was administered to investigate its potential benefits on gut microbial balance and bile acid (BA) metabolism using various techniques, including 16S rRNA sequencing, targeted metabolomics of BA, and biological assays. NOB effectively slowed the progression of MAFLD by reducing serum lipid levels, blood glucose levels, LPS levels, and hepatic IL-1ß and TNF-α levels. Furthermore, NOB reinstated diversity within the gut microbial community, increasing the population of bacteria that produce bile salt hydrolase (BSH) to enhance BA excretion. By exploring further, we found NOB downregulated hepatic expression of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and its associated small heterodimer partner (SHP), and it increased the expression of downstream enzymes, including cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) and cytochrome P450 27A1 (CYP27A1). This acceleration in cholesterol conversion within the liver contributes to mitigating MAFLD. The present findings underscore the significant role of NOB in regulating gut microbial balance and BA metabolism, revealing that long-term intake of NOB plays beneficial roles in the prevention or intervention of MAFLD.

The value of the combined MR imaging features and clinical factors Nomogram model in predicting intractable postpartum hemorrhage due to placenta accreta.

To explore the value of the combined MR imaging features and clinical factors Nomogram model in predicting intractable postpartum hemorrhage (IPH) due to placenta accreta (PA). We conducted a retrospective study with 270 cases of PA patients admitted to our hospital from January 2015 to December 2022. The clinical data of these patients were analyzed, and they were divided into 2 groups: the IPH group and the non-IPH group based on the presence of IPH. The differences in data between the 2 groups were compared, and the risk factors for IPH were analyzed. A Nomogram model was constructed using independent high-risk factors, and the predictive value of this model for IPH was analyzed. The results of multivariable binary Logistic regression analysis showed higher number of cesareans, placenta previa, placenta accreta type (implantation, penetration), low signal strip on T2 weighted image (T2WI) were independent high-risk factor for IPH (P < .05). ROC analysis and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed the Nomogram predictive model constructed with the high-risk factor has good discrimination and calibration. Decision curve analysis (DCA) showed that when the probability threshold for the Nomogram model's prediction was in the range from 0.125 to 0.99, IPH patients could obtain more net benefits, making it suitable for clinical application. The higher number of cesareans, placenta previa, placental accreta type (implantation, penetration), and low signal strip on T2WI are independent high-risk factor for IPH. The Nomogram predictive model constructed with the high-risk factor demonstrates good clinical efficacy in predicting the occurrence of IPH due to PA.

Comprehensive genomic profiling of small bowel adenocarcinoma by tissue and plasma biopsy.

Small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. The molecular landscape and immunological characteristics of SBA are poorly understood. Here, we performed comprehensive mutation profiling of tissue and plasma biopsies from 143 and 42 patients with SBA. Analysis showed that SBA had a distinct mutation spectrum from left- and right-sided colorectal carcinoma. Plasma biopsy had high concordance with tissue biopsy for single nucleotide variants and structural variants, but low concordance for copy number variations, which showed that plasma biopsy can be an alternative to tissue biopsy. Moreover, we analyzed the association of TMB with clinical and molecular features, and found that TMB was significantly higher in tumors with DNA damage response alterations. Our findings provide valuable insights into the molecular and immunological features of SBA and demonstrate the potential of plasma biopsy as a non-invasive method for SBA diagnosis and treatment.

Diverse terpenoid glycosides with in vitro cytotoxicity from Glechoma longituba.

Terpenoids are the largest class of all known natural products, possessing structural diversity and numerous biological activities. Ten previously undescribed terpenoid glycosides, glechlongsides A-J (1-10), were isolated from the ethanol extract of the whole plant of Glechoma longituba, including diterpenoid glycoside and pentacyclic triterpenoid saponin. The structures of these compounds were characterized by extensive analysis of 1D and 2D NMR as well as HRESIMS spectra. In addition, glechlongsides F-I (6-9) exhibited weak cytotoxicity against human cancer cell lines BGC-823, Be1, HCT-8, A2780, and A549 with IC50 values ranging from 3.77 to 30.95 µM, respectively.

Genomic and transcriptomic characterization of pre-operative chemotherapy response in patients with osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma is a heterogeneous disease with regard to its chemotherapy response and clinical outcomes. This study aims to investigate the genomic and transcriptomic characteristics related to pre-operative chemotherapy response. Samples from 25 osteosarcoma patients were collected to perform both whole exome and transcriptome sequencing. Osteosarcoma had significant amount of chromosomal copy number variants (CNVs). Chemotherapy responders showed the higher chromosomal CNV burden than non-responders (p = 0.0775), but the difference was not significant. The percentage of COSMIC signature 3, associated with homologous recombination repair deficiency, was higher in responders (56%) than in non-responders (45%). Transcriptomic analysis suggested that 11 genes were significantly up-regulated in responders and 18 genes were up-regulated in non-responders. Both GSEA and KEGG enrichment analysis indicted that four pathways related to cardiomyopathy were up-regulated in responders, while neuroactive ligand - receptor interaction was up-regulated in non-responders. Finally, a previously published chemoresistant model was validated using our dataset, with the area under the curve of 0.796 (95% CI, 0.583-1.000). Osteosarcoma had the heterogeneous mutational profile with frequent occurrence of CNVs. Transcriptomic analysis identified several signaling pathways associated with chemotherapy responsiveness to osteosarcoma. Transcriptomic signatures provides a potential research direction for predicting the chemotherapy response.

Case Report: Successful conversion and salvage resection of huge hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombosis and intrahepatic metastasis via sequential hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, lenvatinib plus PD-1 antibody followed by simultaneous transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, and portal vein embolization.

Background: Advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) shows poor prognosis. Combined hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and lenvatinib and PD-1 antibody therapy show promising effects in treating advanced HCC, and salvage hepatectomy further promotes the overall survival in patients who were successfully converted after combined therapy. However, salvage major hepatectomy is not always amenable due to insufficient future liver remnant volume (FLV). Case presentation: We report the case of a 59-year-old man with a huge HCC as well as multiple intrahepatic foci and portal vein tumor thrombosis at his right hemi-liver. Genomic and pathologic analyses of HCC tissue revealed a TMB-high, TPS, and CPS-high cancer, with mutated DNA damage repair gene FANCC. These results suggested that this patient may benefit from chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Thus, he received combined HAIC, lenvatinib, and PD-1 antibody treatment and showed a quick and durable response. After successful downstaging, this patient was evaluated as not suitable for salvage hepatectomy due to the low FLV. He then received simultaneous transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and portal vein embolization (PVE). The FLV increased to meet the criteria of salvage hepatectomy. Finally, this patient underwent right hemi-hepatectomy without any severe perioperative complications. In addition, no tumor recurrence occurred during the 9-month follow-up period after surgery. Conclusion: Combined HAIC, lenvatinib, and PD-1 antibody therapy, followed by simultaneous TACE and PVE, is a safe and effective conversion therapy that promotes tumor necrosis and increase FLV in patients with advanced HCC.

Adoptive transfer of immature dendritic cells with high HO-1 expression delays the onset of T1DM in NOD mice.

AIMS: To investigate the potential of imDCs with high expression of HO-1 in preventing or delaying the onset of Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The phenotypic features of DCs in each group were assessed using flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to confirm the high expression of HO-1 in imDCs induced with CoPP. Additionally, flow cytometry was used to evaluate the suppressive capacity of CoPP-induced imDCs on splenic lymphocyte proliferation. Finally, the preventive effect of CoPP-induced imDCs was tested in NOD mice. KEY FINDINGS: Compared to imDCs, CoPP-induced imDCs exhibited a reduced mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the co-stimulatory molecule CD80 on their surface (P < 0.05) and significantly increased HO-1 protein expression (P < 0.05). Following LPS stimulation, the MFI of co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 on the surface of CoPP-induced imDCs remained at a lower level (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there was a reduced proliferation rate of lymphocytes stimulated with anti-CD3/28 antibodies. The adoptive transfer of CoPP-imDCs significantly reduced the incidence of T1DM (16.66 % vs. control group: 66.67 %, P = 0.004). Furthermore, at 15 weeks of age, the insulitis score was also decreased in the CoPP-induced imDC treatment group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum insulin levels among all groups. SIGNIFICANCE: ImDCs induced with CoPP and exhibiting high expression of HO-1 demonstrate a robust ability to inhibit immune responses and effectively reduce the onset of diabetes in NOD mice. This finding suggests that CoPP-induced imDCs could potentially serve as a promising treatment strategy for T1DM.

Alectinib relieves ischemic strokes caused by left atrial metastasis in a NSCLC patient with a novel SLC34A2-ALK (exon 1: exon 15) fusion.

BACKGROUND: The adoption of molecular profiling in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) have promoted the discoveries of novel anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutation patterns including rare intergenic rearrangements. It is always meaningful to report the structure of these fusions and their responses to ALK-inhibitors for future reference. Reports of cerebral ischemic strokes caused by atrial metastases through lymphohematogeneous spread are scarce. CASE PRESENTATION: A 35-year-old woman with no history of astherosclerosis presented with sudden onset of diplopia and facial palsy. Brain MRI scan discovered multiple infarcts around cortical and subcortical areas supplied by bilateral middle cerebral arteries, the occlusions of which were confirmed by angiography. Echocardiogram revealed intracavity appendages in atriums. The histology following valve debridement displayed endocardial metastases from lung cancer on mitral and trucuspid valves. PET/CT found right lower lobe primary tumor and mediastinal lymphadenopathies. The histology of primary lung tumor suggested adenocarcinoma and a DNA-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) test uncovered an intergenic (FAM49A, RAD51AP2)-ALK (intergenic: A14) rearrangement. Further RNA-based NGS uncovered a novel SLC34A2-ALK (exon 1: exon 15) fusion. Strokes recurred after valve surgery and vegetations reappeared on the mitral valve. Alectinib 600 mg bid was administered based on molecular finding and achieved remarkable tumor regression. Neurologic symptoms were largely relieved. No new infarctions or cerebral metastases has ever been found since. CONCLUSIONS: We report a novel SLC34A2-ALK rearrangement responding well to alectinib in a very interesting case of peripheral lung adenocarcinoma presenting with recurrent cerebral ischemic strokes due to endocardial metastases.

Aged gut microbiota contribute to different changes in antioxidant defense in the heart and liver after transfer to germ-free mice.

Age-associated impairment in antioxidant defense is an important cause of oxidative stress, and elderly individuals are usually associated with gut microbiota (GM) changes. Studies have suggested a potential relationship between the GM and changes in antioxidant defense in aging animals. Direct evidence regarding the impact of aging-associated shifts in GM on the antioxidant defense is lacking. The heart is a kind of postmitotic tissue, which is more prone to oxidative stress than the liver (mitotic tissue). To test and compare the influence of an aged GM on antioxidant defense changes in the heart and liver of the host, in this study, GM from young adolescent (5 weeks) or aged (20 months) mice was transferred to young adolescent (5 weeks) germ-free (GF) mice (N = 5 per group) by fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Four weeks after the first FMT was performed, fecal samples were collected for 16S rRNA sequencing. Blood, heart and liver samples were harvested for oxidative stress marker and antioxidant defense analysis. The results showed that mice that received young or aged microbiota showed clear differences in GM composition and diversity. Mice that received aged microbiota had a lower ratio of Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes in GM at the phylum level and an increased relative abundance of four GM genera: Akkermansia, Dubosiella, Alistipes and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group. In addition, GM α-diversity scores based on the Shannon index and Simpson index were significantly higher in aged GM-treated mice. Oxidative stress marker and antioxidant defense tests showed that FMT from aged donors did not have a significant influence on malondialdehyde content in serum, heart and liver. However, the capacity of anti-hydroxyl radicals in the heart and liver, as well as the capacity of anti-superoxide anions in the liver, were significantly increased in mice with aged microbiota. FMT from aged donors increased the activities of Cu/Zn superoxide SOD (Cu/Zn-SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione-S-transferase in the heart, as well as the activity of Cu/Zn-SOD in the liver. Positive correlations were found between Cu/Zn-SOD activity and radical scavenging capacities. On the other hand, glutathione reductase activity and glutathione content in the liver were decreased in mice that received aged GM. These findings suggest that aged GM transplantation from hosts is sufficient to influence the antioxidant defense system of young adolescent recipients in an organ-dependent manner, which highlights the importance of the GM in the aging process of the host.

[Research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of Ajania plants].

Ajania belonging to the subtribe Artemisiinae of Anthemideae(Asteraceae) is a genus of semi-shrubs closely related to Chrysanthemum. There are 24 species of Ajania in northwestern China, most of which are folk herbal medicines with strong stress tolerance. Modern medical studies have demonstrated that the chemical constituents of Ajania mainly include terpenoids, flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, alkynes, and essential oils. These compounds endow the plants with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antimalarial, antioxidant, and insecticide effects. In this study, we reviewed the research progress in the chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Ajania, aiming to provide reference for the further research and development of Ajania.

Genomic and transcriptomic insights into the precision treatment of pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary enteric adenocarcinoma (PEAC) is a rare subtype of lung adenocarcinoma. More investigations about precision therapy in PEAC were required to improve the prognosis. METHODS: Twenty-four patients with PEAC were enrolled in this study. Tumor tissue samples were available from 17 patients for both DNA and RNA based next-generation sequencing, PD-L1 IHC staining and PCR-based microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis. RESULTS: TP53 (70.6%) and KRAS (47.1%) were the most frequently mutated genes in PEAC. For KRAS mutations, the prevalence of G12D (37.5%) and G12V (37.5%) was higher than G12A (12.5%) and G12C (12.5%). Actionable mutations in receptor tyrosine kinase (including one EGFR and two ALK mutations), PI3K/mTOR, RAS/RAF/MEK, homologous recombination repair (HRR) and cell cycle signaling pathways were identified in 94.1% of patients with PEAC. While PD-L1 expression was observed in 17.6% (3/17) patients, no MSI-H patients were identified. Transcriptomic data showed that two patients with positive PD-L1 expression had relatively high immune infiltration. In addition, prolonged survival was obtained with the treatment of osimertinib, ensartinib, and immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy in two EGFR-mutated, one ALK-rearranged, and one PD-L1 expressed patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: PEAC is a disease of genetic heterogeneity. The administration of EGFR and ALK inhibitors was effective in patients with PEAC. PD-L1 expression and KRAS mutation type may be used as predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy in PEAC. This study provided both theoretical basis and clinical evidence for PEAC.

Genomic and Transcriptomic Characterization Revealed the High Sensitivity of Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy in a Subset of Endometrial Stromal Sarcoma.

PURPOSE: The unique chromosomal rearrangements of endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) make it possible to distinguish high-grade ESS (HGESS) and low-grade ESS (LGESS) from the molecular perspective. Analysis of ESS at the genomic and transcriptomic levels can help us achieve accurate diagnosis of ESS and provide potential therapy options for ESS patients. Materials and Methods: A total of 36 ESS patients who conducted DNA- and/or RNA-based next-generation sequencing were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The molecular characteristics of ESS at genomic and transcriptomic levels, including mutational spectrum, fusion profiles, gene expression and pathway enrichment analysis and features about immune microenvironment were comprehensively explored. RESULTS: TP53 and DNMT3A mutations were the most frequent mutations. The classical fusions frequently found in HGESS (ZC3H7B-BCOR and NUTM2B-YWHAE) and LGESS (JAZF1-SUZ12) were detected in our cohort. CCND1 was significantly up-regulated in HGESS, while the expression of GPER1 and PGR encoding estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) did not differ significantly between HGESS and LGESS. Actionable mutations enriched in homologous recombination repair, cell cycle, and phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin pathways were detected in 60% of HGESS patients. Genes with up-regulated expression in HGESS were significantly enriched in five immune-related pathways. Most HGESS patients (85.7%) had positive predictors of immunotherapy efficacy. Moreover, immune microenvironment analysis showed that HGESS had relatively high immune infiltration. The degree of immune infiltration in HGESS patients with ZC3H7B-BCOR fusion was relatively higher than that of those with NUTM2B-YWHAE fusion. CONCLUSION: This study investigated the molecular characteristics of ESS patients at the genomic and transcriptomic levels and revealed the potentially high sensitivity of targeted therapy and immunotherapy in a subset of HGESS with specific molecular features, providing a basis for guiding decision-making of treatment and the design of future clinical trials on precision therapy.

[Anti-herpes simplex virus type â of tectorigenin derivative and effect on Toll-like receptors in vitro].

The study investigated the inhibitory effect and mechanism of tectorigenin derivative(SGY) against herpes simplex virus type Ⅰ(HSV-1) by in vitro experiments. The cytotoxicity of SGY and positive drug acyclovir(ACV) on African green monkey kidney(Vero) cells and mouse microglia(BV-2) cells was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) method, and the maximum non-toxic concentration and median toxic concentration(TC_(50)) of the drugs were calculated. After Vero cells were infected with HSV-1, the virulence was determined by cytopathologic effects(CPE) to calculate viral titers. The inhibitory effect of the tested drugs on HSV-1-induced cytopathy in Vero cells was measured, and their modes of action were initially explored by virus adsorption, replication and inactivation. The effects of the drugs on viral load of BV-2 cells 24 h after HSV-1 infection and the Toll-like receptor(TLR) mRNA expression were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR). The maximum non-toxic concentrations of SGY against Vero and BV-2 cells were 382.804 µg·mL~(-1) and 251.78 µg·mL~(-1), respectively, and TC_(50) was 1 749.98 µg·mL~(-1) and 2 977.50 µg·mL~(-1), respectively. In Vero cell model, the half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC_(50)) of SGY against HSV-1 was 54.49 µg·mL~(-1), and the selection index(SI) was 32.12, with the mode of action of significantly inhibiting replication and directly inactivating HSV-1. RT-qPCR results showed that SGY markedly reduced the viral load in cells. The virus model group had significantly increased relative expression of TLR2, TLR3 and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 3(TRAF3) and reduced relative expression of TLR9 as compared with normal group, and after SGY intervention, the expression of TLR2, TLR3 and TRAF3 was decreased to different degrees and that of TLR9 was enhanced. The expression of inflammatory factors inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), and interleukin-1ß(IL-1ß) was remarkably increased in virus model group as compared with that in normal group, and the levels of these inflammatory factors dropped after SGY intervention. In conclusion, SGY significantly inhibited and directly inactivated HSV-1 in vitro. In addition, it modulated the expression of TLR2, TLR3 and TLR9 related pathways, and suppressed the increase of inflammatory factor levels.

Serial Circulating Tumor DNA in Monitoring the Effect of Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Patients With Colon Cancer: Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Although programmed death 1 blockade has significantly improved the survival of advanced colorectal cancer patients with DNA mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR)/microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H), clinical data in neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting are limited. The role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in precision oncology is promising, but its clinical significance in immunotherapy needs to be validated. We report a case series of 3 colon patients who received neoadjuvant and adjuvant immunotherapy and serial ctDNA analysis. This report summarizes clinical and molecular details for 3 patients with locally advanced or recurrent dMMR/MSI-H/polymerase epsilon ( POLE ) mutation-positive tumors treated with neoadjuvant/adjuvant immunotherapy. One stage IV recurrent colon cancer patient diagnosed with Lynch syndrome received adjuvant sintilimab monotherapy and had a progression-free survival (PFS) over 16 months, one stage Ⅲc colon cancer patient with MSI-H/high tumor mutation burden received neoadjuvant toripalimab monotherapy, was assessed as clinical complete response before surgery, continued with adjuvant sintilimab monotherapy and had a PFS over 17 months, one stage Ⅱ colon cancer patient with POLE P286R also received adjuvant sintilimab monotherapy and had a PFS over 17 months. All patients had detectable ctDNA after radical surgery and clearance of ctDNA during adjuvant immunotherapy. All 3 patients are free of tumor disease at the time of this report. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the long-term efficacy of neoadjuvant and adjuvant programmed death 1 blockade in locally advanced and metastasis in dMMR/MSI-H/ POLE mutated colorectal cancer and the role of ctDNA monitoring.

One-stop molecular classification of endometrial carcinoma using comprehensive next-generation sequencing.

This study aims to investigate the feasibility of molecular classification using only comprehensive next-generation sequencing-based techniques and its relationship with survival outcomes in patients with endometrial cancer. Paired tumor-normal sequencing data of 1021 cancer-related genes using tumor tissues or peripheral blood samples and clinical data were retrospectively collected from a cohort of endometrial cancers. The microsatellite instability status was inferred using the MSIsensor (v0.5) with a cut-off of 8%. Sixty patients were classified into four groups: POLEMUT group (13.3%), MSI-H group (20%), TP53WT group (45%) and TP53MUT group (21.7%). Patients within TP53MUT group were more common in serous carcinoma compared to endometrioid carcinoma (P = .0098). TP53WT was significantly correlated with early stage and low grade. TP53MUT group was associated with significantly worse DFS compared to MSI-H group and TP53WT group (P = .014 and .004, respectively). Comprehensive next-generation sequencing is a reliable and simple method to stratify the prognosis of endometrial carcinoma. It can be potentially used to guide treatment of patients with endometrial cancer in routine practice.