Comprehensive analysis of LD-related genes signature for predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Lipid droplets (LD) in renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC)play a crucial role in lipid metabolism and immune response modulation. The purpose of this study was to create a LD-related signature to predict prognosis and guide the immunotherapy and targeted therapy in ccRCC patients. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive analysis using transcriptional profiles and clinical data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). LD-related genes were identified from existing literature and the GeneCards database, and differentially expressed genes were determined. Sequentially, we conducted Cox regression analysis and Lasso regression analysis, to establish a prognostic risk model. The performance of the risk model was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier (KM) analysis and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Additionally, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), ESTIMATE, CIBERSORT, and immunophenoscore (IPS) algorithm were used to assess the tumor microenvironment (TME) and treatment response. RESULTS: We constructed a risk signature with four LD-related genes in the TCGA dataset, which could be an independent prognostic factor in ccRCC patients. Then, patients were classified into two risk groups and exhibited notable differences in overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and TME characteristics. Furthermore, we developed a comprehensive nomogram based on clinical features, which demonstrated good prognostic predictive value. According to the results of GSEA analysis, immune-related pathways were found to be significantly enriched in the high-risk group. Additionally, the high-risk group displayed high levels of immune cell infiltration, TMB and IPS scores, indicating better efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Finally, high-risk demonstrated reduced IC50 values compared to the low-risk counterpart for specific targeted and chemotherapeutic drugs, suggesting that the patients receiving these targeted drugs in high-risk group had better treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that the LD-related gene signature could potentially predict the prognosis of ccRCC patients. Additionally, it showed promise for predicting responses to immunotherapy and targeted therapy in ccRCC patients. These insights might potentially have guided the clinical management of these patients, but further validation and broader data analysis are needed to confirm these preliminary observations.

Association between nocturia and serum albumin in the U.S. adults from NHANES 2005-2012.

BACKGROUND: Nocturia, a prevalent chronic condition, impacts individuals' quality of life but remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the association between serum albumin levels and nocturia. METHODS: Based on the analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database (2005-2012), our study included a total of 6345 adults (≥20 years old). Nocturia was defined as ≥2 nocturnal voiding episodes. Logistic regression and smooth curve fitting analyzed the linear and nonlinear correlations between serum albumin and nocturia, with subgroup analysis. RESULTS: Among 6345 participants, 1821 (28.7%) experienced nocturia. Logistic regression analysis revealed a linear negative correlation between serum albumin and nocturia risk (OR = 0.9549, 95% CI = 0.9280 ~ 0.9827, P = 0.002). Even after quartile division of serum albumin concentration, this correlation persisted within each group, and a smooth curve fitting validated the nonlinear negative correlation between the two. Subgroup analysis further demonstrated significant impacts of body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, and age on this association. CONCLUSION: This cross-sectional study indicated that higher serum albumin levels were associated with a reduced risk of nocturia in U.S. adults aged 20 and older, highlighting the importance of serum albumin in the prevention and treatment of nocturia and providing clinical guidance.

Association between family income to poverty ratio and nocturia in adults aged 20 years and older: A study from NHANES 2005-2010.

BACKGROUND: Nocturia, the most common lower urinary tract symptom (LUTS), significantly impacts socioeconomic factors and individuals' quality of life and is closely related to many diseases. This study utilized data from NHANES 2005-2010 to explore the relationship between family income to poverty ratio (PIR) and the presence of nocturia symptoms in adults aged 20 or older in the United States. METHODS: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 2005-2010, including 6,662 adults aged 20 or older, were utilized for this cross-sectional study. The baseline data was used to display the distribution of each characteristic visually. Multiple linear regression and smooth curve fitting were used to study the linear and non-linear correlations between PIR and nocturia. Subgroup analysis and interaction tests were conducted to examine the stability of intergroup relationships. RESULTS: Out of the 6,662 adult participants aged 20 or older, 1,300 households were categorized as living in poverty, 3,671 households had a moderate income, and 1,691 households were classified as affluent. Among these participants, 3,139 individuals experienced nocturia, representing 47.12% of the total, while 3,523 individuals were nocturia-free, constituting 52.88% of the total population. After adjusting for all other covariates, it was found that PIR was significantly negatively correlated with nocturia (OR: 0.875, 95%CI: 0.836-0.916 P<0.0001). This trend persisted when PIR was divided into three groups (PIR <1, PIR 1-4, PIR > 4) or quartiles. There was a non-linear negative correlation between PIR and nocturia. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that lower PlR was associated with a higher risk of nocturia in adults aged 20 or older in the United States. These findings highlight the importance of considering socioeconomic factors in preventing and managing nocturia. Nonetheless, further exploration of the causal nexus between these factors was precluded due to the constraints of a cross-sectional design.

Linc-ROR Regulates POU5F1 and SOX2 by Competitively Binding miR-145-5p to Affect the Proliferation and Migration of Gastric Cancer Cells.

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and research on gastric cancer pathogenesis is fundamental. Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) control cancer initiation and progression through several mechanisms, with the competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory network being the most common. In this study, in situ hybridization revealed that long intergenic non-protein coding RNA-regulator of reprogramming (linc-ROR) was highly expressed in gastric cancer cells and was mainly cytoplasmic-positive. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), plate colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assay revealed that linc-ROR knockdown impedes the growth, proliferation, and migration of gastric cancer cells, while linc-ROR overexpression promoted gastric cancer cell growth, migration, and colony formation ability. Combined with previous studies, the molecular mechanism axis of linc-ROR/miR-145-5-5p/POU5F1/SOX2 was verified. The expression of linc-ROR knockdown significantly suppressed the protein expression of POU5F1 and SOX2. Co-transfection with linc-ROR siRNA reverses the carcinogenic effect of the miR-145-5p inhibitor on gastric cancer cell proliferation, cloning, and migration. These findings lay a foundation for developing novel targets for gastric cancer treatment.

Ailanthone: A novel potential drug for treating human cancer.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2015, >8.7 million people died worldwide due to cancer, and by 2030 this figure is expected to increase to ~13.1 million. Tumor chemotherapy drugs have specific toxicity and side effects, and patients can also develop secondary drug resistance. To prevent and treat cancer, scientists have developed novel drugs with improved antitumor effects and decreased toxicity. Ailanthone (AIL) is a quassinoid extract from the traditional Chinese medicine plant Ailanthus altissima, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and antimalarial effects. An increasing number of studies have focused on AIL due to its antitumor activity. AIL can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis by up- or downregulating cancer-associated molecules, which ultimately leads to cancer cell death. Antitumor effects of AIL have been observed in melanoma, acute myeloid leukemia, bladder, lung, breast, gastric and prostate cancer and vestibular neurilemmoma. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first review to describe the antitumor mechanisms of AIL.

Clinical significance of the molecular heterogeneity of gastrointestinal stromal tumors and related research: A systematic review.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most commonly observed mesenchymal tumors of the digestive tract, and they originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. GISTs can be divided into KIT/PDGFRA­mutant GISTs and wild­type GISTs based on the presence or absence of KIT/PDGFRA mutations. Wild­type GISTs can be divided into succinate dehydrogenase complex (SDH)­deficient GISTs and non­SDH­deficient GISTs. Downstream signaling pathways activated by these mutations serve a pivotal role in the development of GISTs and are associated with the biological behavior, including risk stratification, clinical prognosis and drug resistance. Accurate medical care requires accurate molecular diagnosis, which in turn prolongs the survival of patients with GISTs and makes GIST a chronic disease. At present, there is a lack of effective treatment for imatinib/sunitinib/regorafenib resistant patients and KIT/PDGFRA­WT GISTs, which is undoubtedly a major challenge for future research. The present review summarizes the molecular pathogenesis of GISTs and the progress of related research.

Thermally induced chirp studies on spectral broadening of semiconductor laser diode arrays.

Spectral-width broadening has many factors. Diode lasers are not always monochromatic due to several broadening mechanisms, widening the energy distribution of emitted photons. In this paper, we report the two main factors affecting time average spectral-width broadening of a laser diode array (LDA)-a transient rise of the active region temperature of an LDA due to injection current, and the temperature and stress nonuniform distribution of different emitters within an LDA. We find that temperature and stress nonuniformity broadens the spectral width by almost 0.1-1.0 nm as a function of different operating conditions, while the thermally induced chirp that is attributed to injection current plays a more signification role in spectral-width broadening.