A Red-Emission Fluorescent Probe for Intracellular Biothiols and Hydrogen Sulfide Imaging in Living Cells.

This research centers on the development and synthesis of a longwave fluorescence probe, labeled as 60T, designed for the simultaneous detection of hydrogen sulfide, cysteine/homocysteine, and glutathione. The probe showcases a swift response, good linearity range, and heightened sensitivity, boasting that the detection limits of the probe for Cys, Hcy, GSH and H2S were 0.140, 0.202, 0.259 and 0.396 µM, respectively. Notably, its efficacy in monitoring thiol status changes in live MCF-7 cells is underscored by a substantial decrease in fluorescence intensity upon exposure to the thiol trapping reagent, N-ethyl maleimide (NEM). With an impressive red emission signal at 630 nm and a substantial Stokes shift of 80 nm, this probe exhibits remarkable sensitivity and selectivity for biothiols and H2S, indicating promising applications in the diagnosis and surgical navigation of relevant cancers.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_0008039 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and migration by regulating miR-432-5p/E2F3 axis.

As the development of sequencing technology, more and more circular RNAs (circRNAs) are identified in human cancer tissues. Increasing evidences imply circRNAs are important regulators in tumor progression. Nevertheless, how circRNAs participate in breast cancer development and progression is not well understood. In the present study, we identified a novel circRNA hsa_circ_0008039 with upregulated expression level in breast cancer tissues. By functional experiments, we found that hsa_circ_0008039 depletion significantly suppressed the proliferation, arrested cell-cycle progression and reduced migration in breast cancer. Mechanistic investigations suggested that hsa_circ_0008039 served as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-432-5p. Subsequently, E2F3 was identified as the functional target of miR-432-5p and overexpression of hsa_circ_0008039 elevated E2F3 expression in breast cancer. On the whole, our study indicated that hsa_circ_0008039 exerted oncogenic roles in breast cancer and suggested the hsa_circ_0008039/miR-432-5p/E2F3 axis might be a potential therapeutic target.

Prophylactic octreotide does not reduce the incidence of postoperative chylothorax following lobectomy: Results from a retrospective study.

Chylothorax after lobectomy is common, lacking reliable preventive measures. Octreotide is widely used for treatment of chyle leakage, but its role in preventing chylothorax has not been estimated. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether prophylactic octreotide could reduce the incidence of postoperative chylothorax.Patients who underwent lobectomy for lung cancer from January 2016 to September 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. The cases in prophylactic group received octreotide 1 day before the surgery until removal of chest tubes, while those in the control group did not use it unless the diagnosis of chylothorax.A total of 379 patients were enrolled, with 190 patients in control and 189 cases in prophylactic group. Octreotide was well tolerated in patients who received this agent. No 30-day mortality was indicated. Seven cases in control (3.7%, 7/190) and 3 cases in prophylactic group (1.6%, 3/189) with chylothorax were observed (P = .337). The patients in prophylactic group showed shorter duration of chest drainage ([3.6 ±â€Š1.6] days vs [4.1 ±â€Š2.0] days, P = .006) and reduced drainage volume ([441.8 ±â€Š271.1] mL vs [638.7 ±â€Š463.3] mL, P < .001). In addition, they showed similar stations and numbers of dissected lymph nodes, surgery-related complications, and postoperative hospital stay. Besides, 11 (5.8%, 11/190) patients in control and 6 (3.2%, 6/189) cases in the prophylactic group were readmitted for pleural effusion needing reinsertion of chest tubes (P = .321). Moreover, multivariable logistic analysis showed that induction therapy (odds ratio [OR] =12.03; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.15-46.03, P < .001) was a risk factor, while high-volume experience of the surgeon (OR = 0.23; 95% CI 0.06-0.97, P = .045) was a preventive factor of surgery-related chylothorax. Additionally, prophylactic octreotide (OR = 0.18; 95% CI 0.11-0.28, P < .001) and perioperative low-fat diet (OR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.29-0.73, P = .001) were negatively associated with the drainage volume of pleural effusion. Furthermore, high-volume experience of the surgeon (OR = 6.03; 95% CI 1.30-27.85, P = .021) and induction therapy (OR = 8.87; 95% CI 2.97-26.48, P < .001) were risk factors of unplanned readmission.Prophylactic octreotide does not reduce the incidence of postoperative chylothorax or unplanned readmission following anatomic lobectomy. The routine application of octreotide should not be recommended. High-quality trials are required to validate these findings.

A rare case of Merkel cell carcinoma presenting as a giant intra-thoracic mass: A case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is an aggressive neuroendocrine-derived cutaneous cancer. Ectopic or single metastatic MCC located in thorax is extremely rare; meanwhile, its definite management has not been elucidated yet. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 64-year-old female patient with a giant mass located in her left thorax was presented for stuffy pain of left chest for 6 months and fever for half a month. She underwent radical resection of vulvar MCC 10 years ago. DIAGNOSES: Computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy of the intrathoracic mass revealed a diagnosis of MCC, without synchronous urogenital lesions on pelvic CT images. INTERVENTIONS: This bulky tumor was completely resected via thoracotomy, along with the adjacent pulmonary lobe, pericardium, pleura, and diaphragm. OUTCOMES: The patient survived without local-regional recurrence or distant metastasis during the follow-up of 1 year up to now. LESSONS: Ectopic or single metastatic MCC should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intrathoracic tumors, especially in patients with a history of MCC. Besides, a timely surgery combined with chemotherapy is effective for this disease.

A rare case of cavitary lung cancer complicated with mycotic pneumonia and bullous emphysema: A case report and review of the literature.

RATIONALE: The accurate diagnosis and staging of cavitary lung cancer is challenging but essential for the choice of therapy; therefore, the differential diagnosis of cystic pulmonary lesions needs to be elucidated. PATIENT CONCERNS: A patient was admitted with multifocal thin-walled cystic lesions in chest computed tomography. DIAGNOSES: The patient had been diagnosed as heterogeneous bullous emphysema pathologically about 3 years ago. His diagnosis turned out to be metastatic cavitary lung cancer complicated with fungal pneumonia this time. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent lung volume reduction surgery during his first hospitalization. Concurrent systemic chemotherapy and whole brain radiotherapy were administered after the diagnosis of cystic lung cancer. OUTCOMES: The patient was lost to follow-up after the chemoradiotherapy. LESSONS: Cavitary lung cancer should always be kept in mind during differential diagnosis of pulmonary cystic lesions. Pathological diagnosis by biopsy and surgery could be considered to avoid delayed treatment of malignancy.

Recent perspectives of breast cancer prognosis and predictive factors.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer affecting women worldwide. Although there have been great improvements in treating the disease and at present between 80 and 90% of the women survive ≥5-years after their primary diagnosis. However, due to the high incidence of the disease >450,000 women succumb to breast cancer annually worldwide. The majority of improvements in breast cancer survival may be explained through better knowledge of the development and progression of the disease. Consequently, the treatments employed have become more effective. Furthermore, continuous efforts are being made for the identification of novel and efficient biomarkers for the timely prognosis of breast cancer. The present review aims to examine recent perspectives of breast cancer prognosis and the predictive factors involved.

Breast Cancer: Epidemiology and Etiology.

Breast cancer, the most frequently occurring cancer in women, is a major public health problem, with 1,384,155 estimated new cases worldwide with nearly 459,000 related deaths. Breast cancer is highly heterogeneous in its pathological characteristics, some cases showing slow growth with excellent prognosis, while others being aggressive tumors. Current predictions and statistics suggest that both worldwide incidence of breast cancer and related mortality are on the rise. According to 2012 GLOBOCAN statistics, nearly 1.7 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer with 522,000 related deaths-an increase in breast cancer incidence and related mortality by nearly 18 % from 2008. According to American Cancer Society, one in eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. It has been predicted that the worldwide incidence of female breast cancer will reach approximately 3.2 million new cases per year by 2050. These numbers reflect the magnitude of breast cancer incidence, its effect on society worldwide and the need for urgency for preventive and treatment measures. While technological advances in medical sciences and health care have made it possible to detect the disease early and to start the treatment early on to prevent the progress of the disease into a metastatic state, there are several unanswered questions with regard to the molecular mechanisms that underlie the aggressiveness of certain forms of this disease. Epidemiological studies suggest that addressing socio economical issues is utmost important, so that all women have equal access to medical care from screening to advanced treatment, and only such decisive action can help reduce the worldwide burden of breast cancer.