Chemokines: Function and therapeutic potential in bone metastasis of lung cancer.

Lung cancer is a rapidly progressing disease with a poor prognosis. Bone metastasis is commonly found in 40.6% of advanced-stage patients. The mortality rate of lung cancer patients with bone metastasis can be significantly decreased by implementing novel diagnostic techniques, improved staging and classification systems, precise surgical interventions, and advanced treatment modalities. However, it is important to note that there is currently a lack of radical procedures available for these patients due to the development of drug resistance. Consequently, palliative care approaches are commonly employed in clinical practice. Therefore, new understandings of the process of bone metastasis of lung cancer are critical for developing better treatment strategies to improve patient's clinical cure rate and quality of life. Chemokines are cell-secreted small signaling proteins in cancer occurrence, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, we review the development of bone metastasis in lung cancer and discuss the mechanisms of specific chemokine families (CC, CXC, CX3C, and XC) in regulating the biological activities of tumors and promoting bone metastasis. We also highlight some preclinical studies and clinical trials on chemokines for lung cancer and bone metastasis.

In Situ Preservation of Parathyroid Gland With Vasculature for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Is Associated With Higher PTH Levels After Total Thyroidectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of parathyroid gland vasculature preservation in-situ technique (PGVPIST) on postoperative parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium plasma levels in thyroid patients undergoing total thyroidectomy for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Patients with PTC who underwent total thyroidectomy by either the conventional technique (group 1, January 2019 to January 2020) or PGVPIST (group 2, January 2020 to January 2021) were compared. Postoperative blood calcium levels and PTH levels were assessed in these groups. RESULTS: Totally 149 patients with consecutive PTC underwent total thyroidectomy, including 60 patients in group 1 and 89 patients in group 2. Postoperative serum calcium levels in group 1 were insignificantly lower than in group 2 at day 1 (2.18 ± 0.02 vs 2.15 ± 0.01 mmol/L) and day 30 (2.27 ± 0.02 vs 2.38 ± 0.11) after surgery. But postoperative serum PTH levels in group 1 were significantly lower than that in group 2 at day 1 (23.68 ± 2.54 vs 31.46 ± 2.11 pg/mL) and day 30 (45.63 ± 3.21 vs 55.65 ± 2.89 pg/mL) after surgery. CONCLUSION: Parathyroid gland vasculature preservation in-situ technique for PTC is associated with higher PTH level after total thyroidectomy. The parathyroid gland vasculature mostly strongly adheres with adjacent thyroid parenchyma. Therefore, deferred processing of tiny thyroid parenchyma of parathyroid gland vessels is essential to prevent devascularization.

Formation of chiral morphologies of biological materials induced by chirality.

Chiral growth exists prevalently in natural materials. The mechanism underlying the formation of chiral morphologies in biological and man-made materials has been an important issue of both theoretical and technological interest. In this paper, an elastic rod model taking into account chiral microstructures is developed to investigate the formation of chiral morphologies of biological materials. The curvature and twist of chiral shapes are investigated with this model using the variational method of energy. The result shows the misfit of chirality of two-layer structured biological materials may induce various chiral morphologies, such as helices and twisting belts. Furthermore, it was found that cooperative or competitive interactions between anisotropic elasticity and chirality can also lead to the formation of chiral morphologies, and the fibre orientation angles and chiral parameters are the determining factors to the shape, size and handedness of chiral morphologies. This work is expected to shed new light on the physical mechanisms of the formation of various chiral morphologies in the biological world and provide useful guidance for the design of deformation driving and shape control of soft robots and machines.

The expression of the circadian gene TIMELESS in non-small-cell lung cancer and its clinical significance.

We aimed to explore the relationship between the circadian gene TIMELESS (TIM) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and prognosis, so as to provide a reference for subsequent targeted therapy and patient prognosis. A total of 72 patients with NSCLC were selected as the study cohort. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were used to measure the expressions of TIM in NSCLC and para-carcinoma tissues (PCT). RT-qPCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of TIM. The Kaplan-Meier method was further utilized to generate survival curves for a log-rank test single-factor analysis and a Cox regression multi-factor analysis. The relationship between the TIM gene expression and the clinical features and survival were explored. The results indicated that the mRNA and protein expressions of TIM in the NSCLC tissues were higher than those in the PCT (P < 0.01). An immunohistochemistry assay showed that the expression rate of TIM in the NSCLC tissues of the 72 cases was 84.72%. The TIM expression was significantly different in terms of the NSCLC differentiation level, the tumor size, the lymph node metastasis, the TNM stage, and the survival rate (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). A Cox regression analysis indicated that the degree of TIM expression can be used as an independent observation index that indicates the prognosis of NSCLC. The TIM expression was significantly increased in the NSCLC tissues, and the higher the degree of positive expression, the worse the clinical prognosis. The expression of TIM is of certain auxiliary value in determining the degree of NSCLC malignancy, the lymph node metastasis, and the evaluation of the prognosis.

Perforation of small bowel caused by Schistosoma japonicum: a case report.

A 67-year-old man from Jingzhou was admitted to the First Hospital Affiliated to Yangtze University in July 2013 with sudden onset of abdominal pain with dizziness for 12 h. The patient had sign of peritoneal irritation. Ultrasonography of the abdomen and pelvis showed hepatic fibrosis due to schistosomiasis. Computed tomography showed free gas in the peritoneal cavity. Plain abdominal radiography showed bilateral subdiaphragmatic accumulation of gas, perforation of the viscus, and radio-opacity in the left renal area. The patient underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy. At laparotomy, a moderate amount of muddy yellow pus was found in the intra-abdominal cavity. At the junction of the jejunum and ileum, about 250 cm from Treitz's ligament, there was an about 10-cm length of inflamed small bowel with perforation (3 mm in diameter) along the mesenteric border at the middle of the lesion. The patient underwent resection of the affected intestinal segment, along with end-to-end intestinal anastomosis. Histopathological examination revealed mucosal necrosis and hemorrhage with a large number of infiltrating eosinophils and neutrophils, and acute submucosal inflammation with a large number of infiltrating eosinophils and neutrophils associated with Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) eggs. No intravascular adult parasite was found. Postoperatively, the patient was treated with praziquantel (30 mg/kg daily) for 4 d. The patient progressed well. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of small bowel perforation associated with eggs of S. japonicum.

Roles of mTOR and p-mTOR in gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between expression of mammal target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphorylation of mTOR (p-mTOR) protein in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways in gastrointestinal stromal tumors and relatiuonships with clinical factors. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of the associated proteins mTOR, p-mTOR, and phosphorylation of the tumor suppressor genes PTEN, P27, VEGF, and EGFR in 40 cases of gastrointestinal stromal tumors, with division into a very low and low risk group as well as a moderate and high risk group. RESULTS: The positive rate of mTOR and p-mTOR was significantly increased in the moderate and high risk group compared with the very low and low risk group. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). When grouped according to size, the positive mTOR expression rate exhibited a statistical difference (P<0.05), which was significantly increased in the group of tumors larger than 5 cm. The difference in the positive mTOR and p-mTOR expression rate exhibit no statistical significance among the PTEN, P27, VEGF, and EGFR expression subgroups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The different expressions of mTOR and p-mTOR in the signal transduction pathway of gastrointestinal stromal tumor in the different degree-of-risk groups suggested that the mTOR and p-mTOR of the signal transduction pathway serve an important function in the occurrence and development of gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

One-step in situ synthesis and characterization of sponge-like porous calcium phosphate scaffolds using a sol-gel and gel casting hybrid process.

In this article, a novel strategy to prepare porous calcium phosphate ceramics using a sol-gel and gel-casting hybrid process is presented. The ceramic foams obtained using this method exhibited sponge-like structure with uniform big pores and small pores distributed on the big pore walls. The sizes of big and small pores were within 500-800 and 50-300 microm, respectively. These kinds of porous calcium phosphate ceramics have shown better property in withstanding machining and better microstructures characterized by a very high degree of interconnection and optimal pore size for osteo-conduction compared with those conventionally fabricated. The signification or importance of this study is reflected by one-step in situ synthesis and the use of a sol-gel and gel casting hybrid process. Organic monomers, foaming agents, and surfactants are not required during this novel porous ceramic fabrication. The precursors themselves act as monomers, foaming agents, and surfactants. These advantages will offer a cheap and simple pathway for industrial manufacture.

Electron beam irradiation modification of collagen membrane.

A critical observation of reconstituted collagen membrane radiated by electron beam (EB) indicated that these collagenous fibers become cross-linked network when the irradiation is carried out in greater than melt temperature and nitrogen atmosphere. Studies on the membrane properties showed that glass transformation temperature (Tg) and melt point (Tm) of reconstituted collagen have no changes, but thermal gravity curves and infrared (IR) spectra become obviously different before and after irradiation. Cross-linking density calculated by the equation based on the theory of Flory-Rehner proved further that the densities increase with radiation doses increasing. Resistance to enzymatic digestions in vitro and implantation in vivo were determined to evaluate the physicochemical properties of cross-linked matrices. Based on the above results, it was concluded that EB radiation inducing cross-linking in greater than melt temperature and nitrogen atmosphere condition is an attractive, effective method, which introduce into intermolecular covalent cross-linkings.