Mutation characteristics and molecular evolution of ovarian metastasis from gastric cancer and potential biomarkers for paclitaxel treatment.

Ovarian metastasis is one of the major causes of treatment failure in patients with gastric cancer (GC). However, the genomic characteristics of ovarian metastasis in GC remain poorly understood. In this study, we enroll 74 GC patients with ovarian metastasis, with 64 having matched primary and metastatic samples. Here, we show a characterization of the mutation landscape of this disease, alongside an investigation into the molecular heterogeneity and pathway mutation enrichments between synchronous and metachronous metastasis. We classify patients into distinct clonal evolution patterns based on the distribution of mutations in paired samples. Notably, the parallel evolution group exhibits the most favorable prognosis. Additionally, by analyzing the differential response to chemotherapy, we identify potential biomarkers, including SALL4, CCDC105, and CLDN18, for predicting the efficacy of paclitaxel treatment. Furthermore, we validate that CLDN18 fusion mutations improve tumor response to paclitaxel treatment in GC with ovarian metastasis in vitro and vivo.

Fe3O4 nanoparticles entrapped in the inner surfaces of N-doped carbon microtubes with enhanced biomimetic activity.

Tubular structured composites have attracted great interest in catalysis research owing to their void-confinement effects. In this work, we synthesized a pair of hollow N-doped carbon microtubes (NCMTs) with Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) encapsulated inside NCMTs (Fe3O4@NCMTs) and supported outside NCMTs (NCMTs@Fe3O4) while keeping other structural features the same. The impact of structural effects on the catalytic activities was investigated by comparing a pair of hollow-structured nanocomposites. It was found that the Fe3O4@NCMTs possessed a higher peroxidase-like activity when compared with NCMTs@Fe3O4, demonstrating structural superiority of Fe3O4@NCMTs. Based on the excellent peroxidase-like catalytic activity and stability of Fe3O4@NCMTs, an ultra-sensitive colorimetric method was developed for the detection of H2O2 and GSH with detection limits of 0.15 µM and 0.49 µM, respectively, which has potential application value in biological sciences and biotechnology.

Interfacing Ag2S Nanoparticles and MoS2 Nanosheets on Polypyrrole Nanotubes with Enhanced Catalytic Performance.

The tubular architecture with multiple components can bring synergistic effects to improve the enzyme-like activity of molybdenum-based nanomaterials. Here, a facile polypyrrole (PPy)-protected hydrothermal sulfidation process was implemented to engineer MoS2/Ag2S heterointerfaces encapsulated in one-dimensional (1D) PPy nanotubes with MoO3@Ag nanorods as the self-sacrificing precursor. Notably, the sulfidation treatment led to the generation of MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) and Ag2S nanoparticles (NPs) and the creation of a tubular structure with a "kill three birds with one stone" role. The Ag2S/MoS2@PPy nanotubes showed the synergistic combined effects of Ag2S NPs, MoS2 NSs, and the 1D tube-like nanostructure. Based on the synergistic effects from these multiple components and the tubular structure, Ag2S/MoS2@PPy nanocomposites were used as a colorimetric sensing platform for detecting H2O2. Moreover, the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) revealed excellent catalytic activity in the presence of NaBH4 and Ag2S/MoS2@PPy nanocomposites. This work highlights the effects of MoS2/Ag2S heterointerfaces and the hierarchical tubular structure in catalysis, thereby providing a new avenue for reducing 4-NP and the enzyme-like catalytic field.

The role of macrophages in gastric cancer.

As one of the deadliest cancers of the gastrointestinal tract, there has been limited improvement in long-term survival rates for gastric cancer (GC) in recent decades. The poor prognosis is attributed to difficulties in early detection, minimal opportunity for radical resection and resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. Macrophages are among the most abundant infiltrating immune cells in the GC stroma. These cells engage in crosstalk with cancer cells, adipocytes and other stromal cells to regulate metabolic, inflammatory and immune status, generating an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment (TME) and ultimately promoting tumour initiation and progression. In this review, we summarise recent advances in our understanding of the origin of macrophages and their types and polarisation in cancer and provide an overview of the role of macrophages in GC carcinogenesis and development and their interaction with the GC immune microenvironment and flora. In addition, we explore the role of macrophages in preclinical and clinical trials on drug resistance and in treatment of GC to assess their potential therapeutic value in this disease.

Efficient plasma metabolic fingerprinting as a novel tool for diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer: a large-scale, multicentre study.

OBJECTIVE: Metabolic biomarkers are expected to decode the phenotype of gastric cancer (GC) and lead to high-performance blood tests towards GC diagnosis and prognosis. We attempted to develop diagnostic and prognostic models for GC based on plasma metabolic information. DESIGN: We conducted a large-scale, multicentre study comprising 1944 participants from 7 centres in retrospective cohort and 264 participants in prospective cohort. Discovery and verification phases of diagnostic and prognostic models were conducted in retrospective cohort through machine learning and Cox regression of plasma metabolic fingerprints (PMFs) obtained by nanoparticle-enhanced laser desorption/ionisation-mass spectrometry (NPELDI-MS). Furthermore, the developed diagnostic model was validated in prospective cohort by both NPELDI-MS and ultra-performance liquid chromatography-MS (UPLC-MS). RESULTS: We demonstrated the high throughput, desirable reproducibility and limited centre-specific effects of PMFs obtained through NPELDI-MS. In retrospective cohort, we achieved diagnostic performance with areas under curves (AUCs) of 0.862-0.988 in the discovery (n=1157 from 5 centres) and independent external verification dataset (n=787 from another 2 centres), through 5 different machine learning of PMFs, including neural network, ridge regression, lasso regression, support vector machine and random forest. Further, a metabolic panel consisting of 21 metabolites was constructed and identified for GC diagnosis with AUCs of 0.921-0.971 and 0.907-0.940 in the discovery and verification dataset, respectively. In the prospective study (n=264 from lead centre), both NPELDI-MS and UPLC-MS were applied to detect and validate the metabolic panel, and the diagnostic AUCs were 0.855-0.918 and 0.856-0.916, respectively. Moreover, we constructed a prognosis scoring system for GC in retrospective cohort, which can effectively predict the survival of GC patients. CONCLUSION: We developed and validated diagnostic and prognostic models for GC, which also contribute to advanced metabolic analysis towards diseases, including but not limited to GC.

Introduction of a Polyethylene Glycol Linker Improves Uptake of 67Cu-NOTA-Conjugated Lactam-Cyclized Alpha-Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone Peptide in Melanoma.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of linker on tumor targeting and biodistribution of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex {67Cu-1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triyl-triacetic acid-polyethylene glycol-Nle-c[Asp-His-DPhe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-CONH2} and 67Cu-NOTA-GGNle-CycMSHhex {67Cu-NOTA-GlyGlyNle-CycMSHhex} on melanoma-bearing mice. NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex and NOTA-GGNle-CycMSHhex were synthesized and purified by HPLC. The biodistribution of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex and 67Cu-NOTA-GGNle-CycMSHhex was determined in B16/F10 melanoma-bearing C57 mice. The melanoma imaging property of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was further examined in B16/F10 melanoma-bearing C57 mice. 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex exhibited higher tumor uptake than 67Cu-NOTA-GGNle-CycMSHhex at 2, 4, and 24 h post-injection. The tumor uptake of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was 27.97 ± 1.98, 24.10 ± 1.83, and 9.13 ± 1.66% ID/g at 2, 4, and 24 h post-injection, respectively. Normal organ uptake of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was lower than 2.6% ID/g at 4 h post-injection, except for kidney uptake. The renal uptake of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was 6.43 ± 1.31, 2.60 ± 0.79, and 0.90 ± 0.18% ID/g at 2, 4, and 24 h post-injection, respectively. 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex showed high tumor to normal organ uptake ratios after 2 h post-injection. The B16/F10 melanoma lesions could be clearly visualized by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex as an imaging probe at 4 h post-injection. The favorable tumor targeting and biodistribution properties of 67Cu-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex underscored its potential as an MC1R-targeted therapeutic peptide for melanoma treatment.

Reactive Template-Engaged Synthesis of NiSx/MoS2 Nanosheets Decorated on Hollow and Porous Carbon Microtubes with Optimal Electronic Modulation toward High-Performance Enzyme-like Performance.

As a promising cost-effective nanozyme, MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) have been considered as a good candidate for the enzyme-like catalysis. However, their catalytic activity is still restricted by the insufficient active sites and poor conductivity, and thus, the comprehensive performances are still unsatisfactory. To address these issues, herein, we design and fabricate an intelligent tubular nanostructure of hierarchical hollow nanotubes, which are assembled by NiSx/MoS2 NSs encapsulated into N-doped carbon microtubes (NiSx/MoS2@NCMTs). The N-doped carbon microtubes (NCMTs) serve as a conductive skeleton, integrating with NiSx/MoS2 NSs and ensuring their well-distribution, thereby maximally exposing more active sites. Additionally, the tube-like structure is favorable for increasing the mass transfusion to ensure their excellent catalytic performance. Profiting from their component and structural advantages, the obtained NiSx/MoS2@NCMTs exhibit a surprisingly enhanced enzyme-like activity. Based on these, a facile colorimetric sensing platform to detect H2O2 and GSH has been developed. This proposed approach can be expected to synthesize a series of tubular heterostructured MoS2-based composites, which will be widely applied in catalysis, energy storage, disease diagnosis, etc.

Glutathione peroxidase 2 knockdown suppresses gastric cancer progression and metastasis via regulation of kynurenine metabolism.

Gastric cancer (GC) is among the most lethal malignancies due to its poor early diagnosis and high metastasis rate, and new therapeutic targets are urgently needed to develop effective anti-GC drugs. Glutathione peroxidase-2 (GPx2) plays various roles in tumor progression and patient survival. Herein, we found that GPx2 was overexpressed and negatively correlated with poor prognosis by using clinical GC samples for validation. GPx2 knockdown suppressed GC proliferation, invasion, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro and in vivo. In addition, proteomic analysis revealed that GPx2 expression regulated kynureninase (KYNU)-mediated metabolism. As one of the key proteins involved in tryptophan catabolism, KYNU can degrade the tryptophan metabolite kynurenine (kyn), which is an endogenous ligand for AhR. Next, we revealed that the activation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated KYNU-kyn-AhR signaling pathway caused by GPx2 knockdown was involved in GC progression and metastasis. In conclusion, our results showed that GPx2 acted as an oncogene in GC and that GPx2 knockdown suppressed GC progression and metastasis by suppressing the KYNU-kyn-AhR signaling pathway, which was caused by the accumulation of ROS.

Deep learning radio-clinical signatures for predicting neoadjuvant chemotherapy response and prognosis from pretreatment CT images of locally advanced gastric cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Early noninvasive screening of patients who would benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) is essential for personalized treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). The aim of this study was to identify radio-clinical signatures from pretreatment oversampled computed tomography (CT) images to predict the response to NCT and prognosis of LAGC patients. METHODS: LAGC patients were retrospectively recruited from six hospitals from January 2008 to December 2021. An SE-ResNet50-based chemotherapy response prediction system was developed from pretreatment CT images preprocessed with an imaging oversampling method (i.e. DeepSMOTE). Then, the deep learning (DL) signature and clinic-based features were fed into the deep learning radio-clinical signature (DLCS). The predictive performance of the model was evaluated based on discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness. An additional model was built to predict overall survival (OS) and explore the survival benefit of the proposed DL signature and clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 1060 LAGC patients were recruited from six hospitals; the training cohort (TC) and internal validation cohort (IVC) patients were randomly selected from center I. An external validation cohort (EVC) of 265 patients from five other centers was also included. The DLCS exhibited excellent performance in predicting the response to NCT in the IVC [area under the curve (AUC), 0.86] and EVC (AUC, 0.82), with good calibration in all cohorts ( P >0.05). Moreover, the DLCS model outperformed the clinical model ( P <0.05). Additionally, we found that the DL signature could serve as an independent factor for prognosis [hazard ratio (HR), 0.828, P =0.004]. The concordance index (C-index), integrated area under the time-dependent ROC curve (iAUC), and integrated Brier score (IBS) for the OS model were 0.64, 1.24, and 0.71 in the test set. CONCLUSION: The authors proposed a DLCS model that combined imaging features with clinical risk factors to accurately predict tumor response and identify the risk of OS in LAGC patients prior to NCT, which can then be used to guide personalized treatment plans with the help of computerized tumor-level characterization.

Effects of Polyethylene Glycol and 8-Aminooctanoic Acid Linkers on Melanoma Uptake of [99mTc]Tc-Tricarbonyl-NOTA-Conjugated Lactam-Cyclized α-MSH Peptides.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of linkers on tumor targeting and biodistribution of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex {[99mTc]Tc(CO)3-1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triyl-triacetic acid-polyethylene glycol-Nle-c[Asp-His-d-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-CONH2} and [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex {[99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-8-aminooctanoic acid-Nle-CycMSHhex} on B16/F10 melanoma-bearing mice. NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex and NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex were synthesized and radiolabeled with [99mTc]Tc via the {[99mTc]Tc(CO)3(OH2)3}+ intermediate. The biodistribution of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex and [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex was determined on B16/F10 melanoma-bearing C57 mice. The melanoma imaging property of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was determined on B16/F10 melanoma-bearing C57 mice. [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex and [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex were readily prepared with more than 90% radiochemical yields and exhibited MC1R-specific binding on B16/F10 melanoma cells. [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex exhibited a higher tumor uptake than [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex at 2, 4, and 24 h postinjection. The tumor uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was 13.63 ± 1.13, 31.93 ± 2.57, 20.31 ± 3.23, and 1.33 ± 0.15% ID/g at 0.5, 2, 4, and 24 h postinjection, respectively. The tumor uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was 1.6 and 3.4 times the tumor uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-AocNle-CycMSHhex at 2 and 4 h postinjection, respectively. Meanwhile, the normal organ uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was lower than 1.8% ID/g at 2 h postinjection. The renal uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex was only 1.73 ± 0.37, 0.73 ± 0.14, and 0.03 ± 0.01% ID/g at 2, 4, and 24 h postinjection, respectively. [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex showed high tumor to normal organ uptake ratios at 2 h postinjection. Single-photon emission computed tomography imaging revealed that the B16/F10 melanoma lesions could be clearly visualized by [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex at 2 h postinjection. Overall, the high tumor uptake and low kidney uptake of [99mTc]Tc(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex highlighted its potential for melanoma imaging and warranted the future evaluation of [188Re]Re(CO)3-NOTA-PEG2Nle-CycMSHhex for melanoma therapy.

Polyphyllin B Suppresses Gastric Tumor Growth by Modulating Iron Metabolism and Inducing Ferroptosis.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. GPx4, as the core regulator of ferroptosis, has become a potential molecular target for developing anticancer agents. In the present study, we found that GPx4 was overexpressed and negatively correlated with poor prognosis in GC, while it was associated with the GC development. Molecular docking and structure-based virtual screening assays were used to screen potential GPx4 inhibitors, and we identified a novel GPx4 inhibitor, polyphyllin B (PB), which can induce ferroptosis by down-regulating GPx4 expression in GC cells. It has also been shown to inhibit cell proliferation, suppress invasion and migration, induce apoptosis, and block the cell cycle progression in GC cells in vitro. Then, immunofluorescence and western blotting assay confirmed that PB can regulate the expression of LC3B, TFR1, NOCA4 and FTH1 in vitro, which suggested that suggest that PB may increase the level of Fe2+ by transporting Fe3+ into the cell by TFR1 and promoting NCOA4-dependent iron autophagy. In addition, PB can also suppresses tumor growth in an orthotopic mouse model of GC via regulating the expression of GPx4, TFR1, NOCA4 and FTH1 in vivo. In summary, we confirmed that GPx4 may be a potential target for GC treatment, PB may be a novel and promising drug for the treatment of GC, which shows good antitumor efficacy without causing significant host toxicity via inducing ferroptosis in both gastric cancer cells and mouse models.

Integrative proteomic characterization of adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction.

The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has been rapidly increasing in recent decades, but its molecular alterations and subtypes are still obscure. Here, we conduct proteomics and phosphoproteomics profiling of 103 AEG tumors with paired normal adjacent tissues (NATs), whole exome sequencing of 94 tumor-NAT pairs, and RNA sequencing in 83 tumor-NAT pairs. Our analysis reveals an extensively altered proteome and 252 potential druggable proteins in AEG tumors. We identify three proteomic subtypes with significant clinical and molecular differences. The S-II subtype signature protein, FBXO44, is demonstrated to promote tumor progression and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Our comparative analyses reveal distinct genomic features in AEG subtypes. We find a specific decrease of fibroblasts in the S-III subtype. Further phosphoproteomic comparisons reveal different kinase-phosphosubstrate regulatory networks among AEG subtypes. Our proteogenomics dataset provides valuable resources for understanding molecular mechanisms and developing precision treatment strategies of AEG.

Development of a tongue image-based machine learning tool for the diagnosis of gastric cancer: a prospective multicentre clinical cohort study.

Background: Tongue images (the colour, size and shape of the tongue and the colour, thickness and moisture content of the tongue coating), reflecting the health state of the whole body according to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), have been widely used in China for thousands of years. Herein, we investigated the value of tongue images and the tongue coating microbiome in the diagnosis of gastric cancer (GC). Methods: From May 2020 to January 2021, we simultaneously collected tongue images and tongue coating samples from 328 patients with GC (all newly diagnosed with GC) and 304 non-gastric cancer (NGC) participants in China, and 16 S rDNA was used to characterize the microbiome of the tongue coating samples. Then, artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning models were established to evaluate the value of tongue images and the tongue coating microbiome in the diagnosis of GC. Considering that tongue imaging is more convenient and economical as a diagnostic tool, we further conducted a prospective multicentre clinical study from May 2020 to March 2022 in China and recruited 937 patients with GC and 1911 participants with NGC from 10 centres across China to further evaluate the role of tongue images in the diagnosis of GC. Moreover, we verified this approach in another independent external validation cohort that included 294 patients with GC and 521 participants with NGC from 7 centres. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01090362. Findings: For the first time, we found that both tongue images and the tongue coating microbiome can be used as tools for the diagnosis of GC, and the area under the curve (AUC) value of the tongue image-based diagnostic model was 0.89. The AUC values of the tongue coating microbiome-based model reached 0.94 using genus data and 0.95 using species data. The results of the prospective multicentre clinical study showed that the AUC values of the three tongue image-based models for GCs reached 0.88-0.92 in the internal verification and 0.83-0.88 in the independent external verification, which were significantly superior to the combination of eight blood biomarkers. Interpretation: Our results suggest that tongue images can be used as a stable method for GC diagnosis and are significantly superior to conventional blood biomarkers. The three kinds of tongue image-based AI deep learning diagnostic models that we developed can be used to adequately distinguish patients with GC from participants with NGC, even early GC and precancerous lesions, such as atrophic gastritis (AG). Funding: The National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFA0910100), Program of Zhejiang Provincial TCM Sci-tech Plan (2018ZY006), Medical Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province (2022KY114, WKJ-ZJ-2104), Zhejiang Provincial Research Center for Upper Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer (JBZX-202006), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (HDMY22H160008), Science and Technology Projects of Zhejiang Province (2019C03049), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82074245, 81973634, 82204828), and Chinese Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M713203).

Dual inhibition of MYC and SLC39A10 by a novel natural product STAT3 inhibitor derived from Chaetomium globosum suppresses tumor growth and metastasis in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer remains one of the most common deadly diseases and lacks effective targeted therapies. In the present study, we confirmed that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is highly expressed and associated with a poor prognosis in gastric cancer. We further identified a novel natural product inhibitor of STAT3, termed XYA-2, which interacts specifically with the SH2 domain of STAT3 (Kd= 3.29 µM) and inhibits IL-6-induced STAT3 phosphorylation at Tyr705 and nuclear translocation. XYA-2 inhibited the viability of seven human gastric cancer cell lines with 72-h IC50 values ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 µΜ. XYA-2 at 1 µΜ inhibited the colony formation and migration ability of MGC803 (72.6% and 67.6%, respectively) and MKN28 (78.5% and 96.6%, respectively) cells. In the in vivo studies, intraperitoneal administration of XYA-2 (10 mg/kg/day, 7 days/week) significantly suppressed 59.8% and 88.8% tumor growth in the MKN28-derived xenograft mouse model and MGC803-derived orthotopic mouse model, respectively. Similar results were obtained in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse model. Moreover, XYA-2 treatment extended the survival of mice bearing PDX tumors. The molecular mechanism studies based on transcriptomics and proteomics analyses indicated that XYA-2 might exert its anticancer activity by synergistically inhibiting the expression of MYC and SLC39A10, two downstream genes of STAT3 in vitro and in vivo. Together, these findings suggested that XYA-2 may be a potent STAT3 inhibitor for treating gastric cancer, and dual inhibition of MYC and SLC39A10 may be an effective therapeutic strategy for STAT3-activated cancer.

Highly active CoNi nanoparticles confined in N-doped carbon microtubes for efficient catalytic performance.

Engineering a tube-like architecture with bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) has been considered an effective strategy for enhancing catalytic performance. Herein, we report a simple method for preparing one-dimensional (1D) carbon-based tubular composites incorporated with bimetallic active CoNi alloy NPs. CoNi alloy NPs were produced from the co-reduction of Co and Ni ions existing within a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-based precursor and polydopamine (PDA) layer after N2-protected thermal treatment. Moreover, the coated PDA outer layer was preserved for constructing a tubular structure, which eventually resulted in a composite of N-doped carbon microtubes (NCMTs) and CoNi NPs (CoNi@NCMTs). The resultant CoNi@NCMTs exhibited excellent catalytic activity for reducing 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. The synergy between the N-doped carbon microtubes and the well-dispersed bimetallic CoNi NPs provided outstanding catalytic performance, constructing inexpensive transition metal nanocatalysts. Moreover, the catalytic activity of the CoNi@NCMTs was well conserved even after five consecutive cyclic reactions. Importantly, hierarchical MoO3@CoNi-LDH can be a good precursor to obtain tube-like structured CoNi-LDH, CoNi-LDH@SiO2 and CoNi-LDH@NiMoO4 composites.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection for early signet ring cell gastric cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The use of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for treating early signet ring cell carcinoma (SRC) is controversial due to the risk of lymph node metastasis. AIM: To carry out a meta-analysis to evaluate ESD for therapeutic efficacy and safety in early signet ring cell gastric cancer. METHODS: The PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE databases were used to search for relevant studies evaluating the therapeutic efficacy and safety of ESD in SRC. The rates of recurrence, complete resection, incomplete resection, curative resection, en bloc resection, and adverse events were extracted and analyzed. The methodological quality of the enrolled studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Publication bias was evaluated by the Egger's test. Institutional review board approval and written consent were not needed for this report. RESULTS: This meta-analysis enrolled seven studies with 653 participants undergoing ESD treatment for early SRC. The overall recurrence rate was 0.010 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.000-0.040, Z = 1.422, P = 0.155]. The total lymphovascular invasion rate was 0.038 (95%CI: 0.007-0.088, Z = 3.026, P = 0.002). The total en bloc resection rate was estimated at 0.984 (95%CI: 0.925-1.000, Z = 19.463, P = 0.000). The total complete and incomplete resection rates were estimated at 0.785 (95%CI: 0.596-0.928, Z = 9.789, P = 0.000) and 0.188 (95%CI: 0.016-0.468, Z = 2.531, P = 0.011), respectively. The total procedure-associated gastric hemorrhage and perforation rates were estimated at 0.026 (95%CI: 0.005-0.061, Z = 3.006 P = 0.003) and 0.004 (95%CI: 0.000-0.028, Z = 0.938, P = 0.348), respectively. The curative resection, vertical margin invasion, and lateral margin invasion rates were 72.1% (145/341), 2.3% (8/348), and 34.45% (41/119), respectively. CONCLUSION: ESD constitutes a promising therapeutic approach for early undifferentiated SRC gastric cancer. However, further improvements are required for increasing its treatment efficacy and reducing adverse outcomes.

Aberrant Expression TFR1/CD71 in Gastric Cancer Identifies a Novel Potential Prognostic Marker and Therapeutic Target.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with poor prognosis. So far, other than the HER2, GC lacks effective therapeutic targets. Transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) expressions are abnormally upregulated in various cancers for the satisfaction of iron demand increased. This study aimed to explore the expression and clinical value of TFR1 in GC. Methods: A tissue microarray including GC tissues and matched noncancerous tissues from 155 GC patients were collected. Moreover, the level of TFR1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, and we also evaluated the relationship between TFR1 expression and the clinicopathologic characteristics. What is more, univariate analysis and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the risk factors and independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of GC. Results: We found that TFR1 was overexpressed in GC tissues compared with noncancerous tissues, and a significant relationship was found between TFR1 expression and age (P=0.001), Lauren type (P=0.008), T stage (P=0.003), HER2 (P=0.003), PD-L1 (P < 0.001), and the level of CA72-4 (P=0.028). Survival analysis confirmed that GC patients with positive TFR1 expression had a poorer OS than that with negative TFR1 expression, and TFR1 expression was an independent risk factor in GC. Furthermore, we also found that there was a significant difference between the TFR1-PD-L1- group and the TFR1+PD-L1+ group (P=0.023), while there was no significant difference between the TFR1-PD-L1- group and the TFR1+PD-L1- group (P=0.119), or between the TFR1-PD-L1- group and the TFR1-PD-L1+ group (P=0.396). Conclusions: TFR1 was overexpressed in GC and its aberrant expression identifies a novel potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target. In addition, TFR1 expression may be associated with the immune microenvironment and suppress the immune response via regulating the PD-L1 expression.

Hierarchical microtubes constructed using Fe-doped MoS2 nanosheets for biosensing applications.

The structural design of multiple functional components could enhance the synergistic catalytic performance of MoS2-based composites in enzyme-like catalysis. Herein, one-dimensional (1D) Fe-MoS2 microtubes were designed to prepare tubular Fe-doped MoS2 composites with MoO3 microrods as self-sacrificing precursors. Remarkably, the results indicated that the generated ammonia released from the sulfidation process led to the dissolution of MoO3 cores and the generation of a tubular structure. The Fe-MoS2 composites integrated the synergistic effects of Fe-doped MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) and the 1D tubular structure. Thus, a higher catalytic activity was observed in peroxidase-like catalysis than in other components, such as MoO3@FeOOH, FeOOH and MoS2 NSs. The peroxidase-like mechanism originated from the generation of the ˙OH radical. The Fe-MoS2 microtube-based colorimetric assay was used to detect H2O2 with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.51 µM in a linear range from 1.25 to 50 µM. The colorimetric method was simple, selective, and sensitive for glutathione (GSH) detection in the range of 0.25-125 µM with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.12 µM. Thus, we provide a facile synthetic strategy for simultaneously integrating electronic modulation and structural design to develop an efficient MoS2-based functional catalyst.

Discovery of benzochalcone derivative as a potential antigastric cancer agent targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3).

Gastric cancer remains a significant health burden worldwide. In continuation of our previous study and development of effective small molecules against gastric cancer, a series of benzochalcone analogues involving heterocyclic molecules were synthesised and biologically evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Among them, the quinolin-6-yl substituted derivative KL-6 inhibited the growth of gastric cancer cells (HGC27, MKN28, AZ521, AGS, and MKN1) with a submicromolar to micromolar range of IC50, being the most potent one in this series. Additionally, KL-6 significantly inhibited the colony formation, migration and invasion, and effectively induced apoptosis of MKN1 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The mechanistic study revealed that KL-6 could concentration-dependently suppress STAT3 phosphorylation, which may partly contribute to its anticancer activity. Furthermore, in vivo antitumour study on the MKN1 orthotopic tumour model showed that KL-6 effectively inhibited tumour growth (TGI of 78%) and metastasis without obvious toxicity. Collectively, compound KL-6 may support the further development of candidates for gastric cancer treatment.

Huaier Inhibits Gastric Cancer Growth and Hepatic Metastasis by Reducing Syntenin Expression and STAT3 Phosphorylation.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a common malignant tumor worldwide and poses a serious threat to human health. As a traditional Chinese medicine, Huaier (Trametes robiniophila Murr.) has been used in the clinical treatment of GC. However, the mechanism underlying the anticancer effect of Huaier remains poorly understood. In this study, we used in vivo imaging technology to determine the anticancer effect of the Huaier n-butanol extract (HBE) on orthotopic and hepatic metastasis of GC mouse models. We found that HBE suppressed tumor growth and metastasis without causing apparent host toxicity. Proteomic analysis of GC cells before and after HBE intervention revealed syntenin to be one of the most significantly downregulated proteins after HBE intervention. We further demonstrated that HBE suppressed the growth and metastasis of GC by reducing the expression of syntenin and the phosphorylation of STAT3 at Y705 and reversing the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, we confirmed that syntenin was highly expressed in GC tissue and correlated with metastasis and poor prognosis. In conclusion, our results suggest that Huaier, a clinically used anticancer drug, may inhibit the growth and liver metastasis of GC by inhibiting the syntenin/STAT3 signaling pathway and reversing EMT.