Construction and validation of an immune-related genes prognostic index (IRGPI) model in colon cancer.

Background: Though immunotherapy has become one of the standard therapies for colon cancer, the overall effective rate of immunotherapy is very low. Constructing an immune-related genes prognostic index (IRGPI) model may help to predict the response to immunotherapy and clinical outcomes. Methods: Differentially expressed immune-related genes (DEIRGs) between normal tissues and colon cancer tissues were identified and used to construct the co-expression network. Genes in the module with the most significant differences were further analyzed. Independent prognostic immune-related genes (IRGs) were identified by univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis. Independent prognostic IRGs were used to construct the IRGPI model using the multivariate cox proportional hazards regression model, and the IRGPI model was validated by independent dataset. ROC curves were plotted and AUCs were calculated to estimate the predictive power of the IRGPI model to prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was performed to screen the enriched KEGG pathways in the high-risk and low-risk phenotype. Correlations between IRGPI and clinical characteristic, immune checkpoint expression, TMB, immune cell infiltration, immune function, immune dysfunction, immune exclusion, immune subtype were analyzed. Results: Totally 680 DEIRGs were identified. Three independent IRGs,NR5A2, PPARGC1A and LGALS4, were independently related to survival. NR5A2, PPARGC1A and LGALS4 were used to establish the IRGPI model. Survival analysis showed that patients with high-risk showed worse survival than patients in the low-risk group. The AUC of the IRGPI model for 1-year, 3-year and 5-year were 0.584, 0.608 and 0.697, respectively. Univariate analysis and multivariate cox regression analysis indicated that IRGPI were independent prognostic factors for survival. Stratified survival analysis showed that patients with IRGPI low-risk and low TMB had the best survival, which suggested that combination of TMB and IRGPI can better predict clinical outcome. Immune cell infiltration, immune function, immune checkpoint expression and immune exclusion were different between IRGPI high-risk and low-risk patients. Conclusion: An immune-related genes prognostic index (IRGPI) was constructed and validated in the current study and the IRGPI maybe a potential biomarker for evaluating response to immunotherapy and clinical outcome for colon cancer patients.

Mental Health Study from the Perspective of Behavior Preference under the Environment of Internet Media: Based on China's Data Analysis.

To prevent the mental health problems of college preference students effectively, this paper analyzes the influence of college students' internet media use behaviors on their mental health in the information age. We make an empirical study on the above problems by using metrology models under the condition of controlling individual factors. The result shows that the mental health of college students is significantly affected by different internet media use behaviors and shows obvious heterogeneity. Preference for games and soap operas or films has a significant negative relationship with the mental health of college students, while the preference for science, education programs, and the preference to obtain current political news comments through official media have a positive impact on the psychological security of college students. Meanwhile, the mental health of college students is also significantly influenced by individual factors. The education level, family income, and social satisfaction show a significant positive correlation with the mental health of college students.

Effects of oxalic acid on Cr(VI) reduction by phenols in ice.

Since Cr(VI) is highly toxic, the environmental reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) has attracted significant attention. Oxalic acid, a primary component of dissolved organic matter (DOM), is widely distributed throughout the natural environment but the reduction of Cr(VI) by oxalic acid is insignificant at the low concentrations present in the environment; however, the reduction of Cr(VI) is accelerated significantly in ice. In terms of combined pollution, Cr(VI) can coexist with other organic pollutants in the environment but the impact of organic pollutants on the reduction of Cr(VI), changes to the organic pollutants themselves, and the role of oxalic acid in these reactions are unknown. In this study, we investigated redox reactions between Cr(VI) and phenolic compounds in ice (- 15 °C) in the presence of oxalic acid and compared these to room temperature redox reactions in aqueous solutions (20 °C). While these redox reactions were negligible in aqueous solution, they were significantly accelerated in ice under acidic conditions, which was primarily attributed to the freeze concentration effect. Oxalic acid has two functions in these redox reactions; the first is to provide the H+ required for the reaction and the second is to serve as a reducing agent. When oxalic acid and phenolic pollutants coexist, Cr(VI) preferentially reacts with the phenolic compounds. Phenol, 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) were each demonstrated to reduce Cr(VI) in ice, but the reaction rate and overall reactivity of these three phenolic compounds are different.

Photoconversion of 2-Chloronaphthalene in Water.

The photoconversion of 2-chloronaphthalene (CN-2) in water in a simulated sunlight system was investigated. The photoconversion efficiency, photoproducts and mechanisms were inspected, and the effects of inorganic ions (NO3-, NO2-) and fulvic acid (FA) were discussed. The results showed that CN-2 could be transformed in water under the irradiation. NO3- and NO2- promoted the photoconversion of CN-2 owing to ·OH generated by the photolysis of NO3- and NO2-; FA at a lower concentration promoted the photoconversion, but it had an inhibition effect at a higher concentration. It was demonstrated that the acidic conditions promoted the photoconversion of CN-2 by the active groups such as superoxide radical anion, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical produced in the system. Eight photoproducts of CN-2 were characterized by the GC-MS method and the possible photoconversion mechanisms were proposed accordingly.

[Anti-microRNA-221 enhances radiosensitivity of colorectal carcinoma cells by up-regulating PTEN].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of knocking-down microRNA-221 (miR-221) expression on the radiosensitivity of human colorectal carcinoma cells. METHODS: Human colorectal carcinoma-derived cell line Caco2 was transfected with miR-221 antisense oligonucleotides (anti-miR-221) via Lipofectamine 2000. Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to detect the expression of miR-221 and PTEN mRNA in Caco2 cells. The changes in the protein expression of PTEN in the transfected cells were detected by Western blotting. The cell death after transfection and irradiation was detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Transfection with anti-miR-221 caused a significant reduction in miR-221 expression (P<0.05) and up-regulated PTEN protein expression (P<0.05) in Caco2 cells. The percentage of cell death was significantly increased in anti-miR-221 group and anti-miR-221 with irradiation group (P<0.01). Anti-miR-221 significantly enhanced the radiosensitivity of Caco2 cells, which was partially reversed by PTEN-siRNA. CONCLUSION: Anti-miR-221 can enhance the radiosensitivity of colorectal carcinoma cells by up-regulating the expression of PTEN.