Potential value of tumor stiffness and sE-cadherin in predicting the response to neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancers.

Background: This prospective study compared the diagnostic value of tumor stiffness and serum soluble E-cadherin (sE-cadherin) expression for predicting response to neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancers. Methods: 112 patients with early or locally advanced HER2-positive breast cancer were enrolled. Maximum stiffness (Emax), mean stiffness (Emean) and their relative changes were assessed at t0 and t2. sE-cadherin levels were analyzed using ELISA. Pathological complete response was defined as no invasive disease in the breast and axilla (ypT0/is, ypN0) after surgery. The ability of tumor stiffness, sE-cadherin and the combination of ΔEmean (the relative change in Emean after the second cycle of neoadjuvant therapy) and sE-cadherin in predicting tumor responses was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curves and the Z-test. Results: Tumor stiffness and sE-cadherin decreased during neoadjuvant therapy. ΔEmean and sE-cadherin revealed the best predictive performance, with areas under the curve (AUCs) of 0.843 and 0.857, respectively. No significant differences in AUCs were reported between ΔEmean and sE-cadherin (p = 0.795). The combined use of ΔEmean and sE-cadherin showed the highest sensitivity and specificity (93.22 and 90.57%, respectively), with an AUC of 0.937. Conclusion: The combination of ΔEmean and sE-cadherin may improve the predictive power of each single factor. Although further verification is required, this study may promote noninvasive prediction of neoadjuvant therapy responses and help personalize the treatment regimen.

HER2 positivity in breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis and shortened overall survival. For patients with HER2-positive early breast cancer, the standard neoadjuvant treatment consists of trastuzumab and pertuzumab plus docetaxel, and produces high response rates. In spite of the success of neoadjuvant therapy, some patients show no response due to drug resistance. An accurate prediction of the response of early HER2-positive breast cancer to neoadjuvant therapy would allow the modification of treatment with a response-guided strategy, thereby improving overall survival. Shear wave elastography and serum soluble E-cadherin may provide useful data on responsiveness to neoadjuvant therapy in breast cancers. This study was conducted to compare the diagnostic value of tumor stiffness and soluble E-cadherin expression for predicting the response to neoadjuvant therapy in HER2-positive breast cancers. Although these results will require further verification with larger studies, this study may promote noninvasive prediction of neoadjuvant therapy responses and help personalize the treatment regimen.

Analysis of related complications of totally implantable venous access ports in children's chemotherapy: Single center experience.

Totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP) has become an important infusion channel for children who need chemotherapy. With the popularization of TIVAP, its related complications have gradually received clinical attention. However, there are few studies on the complications of TIVAP in children. Therefore, this study intends to analyze the risk factors of complications in children's infusion port, so as to provide basis for guiding clinical prevention and intervention. This paper retrospectively analyzed 182 children who received TIVAP implantation in our hospital from January 2018 to January 2021. According to the demographic data, basic disease status and operation related data obtained through Hospital Information System and manual follow-up, the complications and related influencing factors after implantation and implantation were summarized and analyzed. SPSS software was used to analyze the influencing factors between the complication group and the control group. There were 182 cases of children implanted in intravenous infusion port, of which 71 cases had complications, infection was the most common complication in 50 cases, followed by catheter blockage in 23 cases. Among the infection factors, catheter-related blood stream infection accounted for the highest proportion in 31 cases (17.0%), and Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common pathogen. A total of 19 cases were pulled out early, and the unplanned pullout rate of catheter-related blood stream infection was the highest. In the analysis of influencing factors, age had significant differences in catheter-related infection, all complications and no complications (P < .05). The overall incidence of complications in the use of TIVAP in children with chemotherapy is high, and infection is the most common complication, among which catheter-related blood stream infection is the most common cause of unplanned pullout. Lower age may be associated with a higher incidence of complications.

FOXP2 regulates thyroid cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis via transcriptional activation of RPS6KA6.

The transcription factor, forkhead box P2 (FOXP2) has tumor-suppressive effects in several types of cancer. However, the regulatory role and underlying mechanism of FOXP2 in thyroid cancer (THCA) is not completely understood. In the present study, the mRNA expression levels of FOXP2 and ribosomal protein S6 kinase A6 (RPS6KA6) were evaluated using the GEPIA database and THCA cell lines. The association between FOXP2 and RPS6KA6 was analyzed using the LinkedOmics, and GEPIA databases. Then, the binding sites of FOXP2 and the RPS6KA6 promotor was predicted using the JASPAR database, and verified using a dual-luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. In addition, functional assays investigating FOXP2 and RPS6KA6 were conducted in the TPC-1 cell line. The data showed that FOXP2 and RPS6KA6 mRNA expression levels were decreased in the THCA tissues, and cell lines. Overexpression of FOXP2 inhibited cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis in the THCA cell lines. Furthermore, RPS6KA6 mRNA expression levels were reduced in THCA and were correlated with FOXP2 expression level. Mechanistic studies revealed that FOXP2 binds directly to the promotor region of RPS6KA6 and modulated the expression level of RPS6KA6 transcriptionally. In addition, rescue experiments showed that knockdown of RPS6KA6 expression reversed the effects of FOXP2 overexpression on THCA cell proliferation and apoptosis, and the regulation of FOXP2/RPS6KA6 may be associated with the PI3K/AKT pathway. In summary, FOXP2 was associated with the proliferation and apoptosis of human THCA cells via the transcriptional activation of RPS6KA6. The FOXP2/RPS6KA6 axis could be a promising target for the treatment of THCA.

Knockdown of miR-194-5p inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in breast cancer by regulating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Breast cancer is a major public health concern, due to its increasing incidence and limited effective treatment. The present study aimed to investigate the expression of microRNA (miR)­194­5p and its roles in breast cancer. The expression levels of miR­194­5p and SRY­box 17 (SOX17) mRNA were detected in breast cancer tissues and cell lines by reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The protein expression levels were determined by western blotting. In addition, MTT, colony formation, scratch and Transwell assays were use to evaluate the characteristics of MCF­7 cells with miR­194­5p knockdown. The target verification of miR­194­5p was determined by luciferase reporter assay. Furthermore, tumor­bearing nude mice with miR­194­5p knockdown were used to assess the effects of miR­194­5p on tumor activity. In breast cancer tissues, miR­194­5p was upregulated, whereas SOX17 was downregulated. In addition, the expression levels of SOX17 and phosphorylated (p)­ß­catenin in the cytosol and nucleus were increased in the miR­194­5p inhibitor group. In addition, cell proliferation, migration and invasion were inhibited in response to miR­194­5p knockdown. The luciferase reporter assay confirmed that SOX17 was a target gene of miR­194­5p. In the mouse studies, knockdown of miR­194­5p suppressed tumor growth and promoted SOX17 expression in nude mice with breast cancer. These findings suggested that knockdown of miR­194­5p may increase the expression of SOX17 and regulate the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway in breast cancer cells; therefore, miR­194­5p may be considered a potential target for breast cancer prevention.

MicroRNA-424 expression predicts tumor recurrence in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma following liver transplantation.

MicroRNA-424 (miR-424) has previously been described as a biomarker of poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In the present study, the clinical significance of miR-424 expression in predicting the rate of tumor recurrence in patients with HCC following liver transplantation (LT) was evaluated. miR-424 expression in HCC samples from 121 patients undergoing LT was examined, and the associations between clinical parameters and patient tumor recurrence were evaluated. The miR-424 expression level in cancer tissues was low compared with that in adjacent noncancerous tissues. Multivariate analyses revealed that low miR-424 expression was an independent prognostic factor for tumor recurrence in patients with HCC following liver transplantation. Patients who no longer met the Milan criteria and had decreased miR-424 expression levels exhibited earlier tumor recurrence following LT. In addition, the upregulation of miR-424 expression significantly reduced the migration, invasion and proliferation of HCC cells. Similarly, the downregulation of miR-424 in HCC cells significantly promoted the migration, invasion and proliferation of HCC cells.