Preliminary clinical study of personalized neoantigen vaccine therapy for microsatellite stability (MSS)-advanced colorectal cancer.

Immunotherapy based on immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has provided revolutionary results in treating various cancers. However, its efficacy in colorectal cancer (CRC), especially in microsatellite stability-CRC, is limited. This study aimed to observe the efficacy of personalized neoantigen vaccine in treating MSS-CRC patients with recurrence or metastasis after surgery and chemotherapy. Candidate neoantigens were analyzed from whole-exome and RNA sequencing of tumor tissues. The safety and immune response were assessed through adverse events and ELISpot. The clinical response was evaluated by progression-free survival (PFS), imaging examination, clinical tumor marker detection, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing. Changes in health-related quality of life were measured by the FACT-C scale. A total of six MSS-CRC patients with recurrence or metastasis after surgery and chemotherapy were administered with personalized neoantigen vaccines. Neoantigen-specific immune response was observed in 66.67% of the vaccinated patients. Four patients remained progression-free up to the completion of clinical trial. They also had a significantly longer progression-free survival time than the other two patients without neoantigen-specific immune response (19 vs. 11 months). Changes in health-related quality of life improved for almost all patients after the vaccine treatment. Our results shown that personalized neoantigen vaccine therapy is likely to be a safe, feasible and effective strategy for MSS-CRC patients with postoperative recurrence or metastasis.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomal microRNAs target PI3K/Akt signaling pathway to promote the activation of fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Fibroblast plays a major role in tendon-bone healing. Exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can activate fibroblasts and promote tendon-bone healing via the contained microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the underlying mechanism is not comprehensively understood. Herein, this study aimed to identify overlapped BMSC-derived exosomal miRNAs in three GSE datasets, and to verify their effects as well as mechanisms on fibroblasts. AIM: To identify overlapped BMSC-derived exosomal miRNAs in three GSE datasets and verify their effects as well as mechanisms on fibroblasts. METHODS: BMSC-derived exosomal miRNAs data (GSE71241, GSE153752, and GSE85341) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The candidate miRNAs were obtained by the intersection of three data sets. TargetScan was used to predict potential target genes for the candidate miRNAs. Functional and pathway analyses were conducted using the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases, respectively, by processing data with the Metascape. Highly interconnected genes in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were analyzed using Cytoscape software. Bromodeoxyuridine, wound healing assay, collagen contraction assay and the expression of COL I and α-smooth muscle actin positive were applied to investigate the cell proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was applied to determine the cell fibroblastic, tenogenic, and chondrogenic potential. RESULTS: Bioinformatics analyses found two BMSC-derived exosomal miRNAs, has-miR-144-3p and has-miR-23b-3p, were overlapped in three GSE datasets. PPI network analysis and functional enrichment analyses in the GO and KEGG databases indicated that both miRNAs regulated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway by targeting phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). In vitro experiments confirmed that miR-144-3p and miR-23b-3p stimulated proliferation, migration and collagen synthesis of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Interfering with PTEN affected the phosphorylation of Akt and thus activated fibroblasts. Inhibition of PTEN also promoted the fibroblastic, tenogenic, and chondrogenic potential of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: BMSC-derived exosomes promote fibroblast activation possibly through the PTEN and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, which may serve as potential targets to further promote tendon-bone healing.

[Toxoplasma infection in males with sterility in Shenyang, China].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the Toxoplasma gondii (TOX) infection in males with sterility and the effect of the infection on the reproductive function of males. METHODS: Enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect TOX-CAg, TOX-IgG and TOX-IgM in the peripheral blood of male patients with sterility. RESULTS: Among 100 cases of male sterility, 7 were TOX-IgG positive (7%), 16 TOX-IgM positive (16%) and 13 TOX-CAg positive (13%). Among 100 normal males, 7 were TOX-IgG positive (7%), 3 TOX-IgM positive (3%) and 1 TOX-CAg positive (1%). CONCLUSION: TOX infection may affect the fertility of males and cause male sterility. For this reason, males should prevent themselves from TOX infection.

[Susceptibility and immune responses to Pneumocystis carinii infection in different strains of mice by contagious transmission].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the susceptibility of different strains of mice to P. carinii infection and the host immune response to the organism. METHODS: C57BL/6 and BALB/c strains of mice (15 each) were exposed to SCID mice infected with P. carinii by co-housing. Observations were made on the number of parasites in the lungs, level of CD4+ T cell and CD8+ T cell in BALF, and serum IgG at 4, 5 and 6 wk after contagion. RESULTS: The number of P. carinii grew in the lungs of BALB/c mice was found much greater than those in C57BL/6 mice. A few number of P. carinii cysts were detected in the lungs of both strains of mice by 4 wk after co-housing, the number of cysts increased at 5 wk in the lungs of BALB/c mice but not in that of C57BL/6 mice. P. carinii-specific IgG in the sera and high level of CD62low CD4- and CD8-positive T cells in the lungs were found at 5 wk. The parasites were cleared from the lungs at 6 wk in all infected mice, shortly after acquired immune response was initiated. CONCLUSION: BALB/c mice are more susceptible to P. carinii than the C57BL/6 mice by natural transmission, and all the immunocompetent mice can clear the infection of P. carinii by cellular and humoral immune responses.

Comparison of two types of alginate microcapsules on stability and biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo.

Transplantation of encapsulated living cells is a promising approach for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases, especially diabetes. Range-scale application of the technique, however, is hampered by insufficient stability of the capsules. It is difficult to find the optimal membrane to meet all the properties required for cell transplantation. To overcome these difficulties, it is necessary to compare characteristics such as mechanical strength, cell proliferation and biocompatibility of different membranes. We prepared Ca-alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate (APA) and Ba-alginate-poly-L-lysine-alginate (BPA) microcapsules using the electrostatic droplet method. The integrity of the microcapsules was measured by suspending them in a saline buffer and shaking at 150 rpm for 48 h. The microcapsules were cultured in simulated body fluid to analyze the osmotic pressure stability and implanted in the leg muscle pouch of SD rats to test in vivo transplantation stability. The microcapsules were implanted in the intraperitoneal cavity; then the biocompatibility of microcapsules was identified through analyzing fibrosis formation of microcapsules. The proliferation of cells (Cos-7 and HL-60) cultured in the microcapsules was measured by MTT assay. After 48 h shaking at 150 rpm, the percentages of intact microcapsules of BPA and APA microcapsules were 98.5 +/- 0.248% and 95.7 +/- 0.221% (p < 0.05), respectively. The intact percentages of APA and BPA microcapsules were 96.9% and 97.7%, respectively, after being soaked in SBF at 37 degrees C for 15 days. The empty APA and BPA microcapsules were not adhered to the muscle and there was light cellular overgrowth. There is no difference on biocompatibility in implantation into peritoneal cavities. After the cells were cultured in microcapsules, A(490 nm) of the 8th week was significantly higher than that of 1 day, and the 4th week was at the peak of the cell proliferation curve. After culture for 2 to 6 weeks, spheroids started to develop gradually within the beads. The mechanical strength of BPA microcapsules was higher than that of APA microcapsules. However, there was no difference between the two kinds of capsules in biocompatibility. Microencapsulation did not affect cell proliferation or increase the quantity of cells. In conclusion, BPA microcapsules were more suitable for transplantation in vivo.