Marimastat alleviates oxidative stress induced cellular senescence by activating autophagy.

Marimastat is one of the potent inhibitors of MMP (MMPIs) with few side effects. The impact of marimastat on cellular senescence remains unexplored. Our study evaluated the marimastate effect on oxidative stress-induced cell senescence using NIH3T3 cells. Marimastate administration was found to suppress senescence-ß-galactosidase (SA-ß-gal) activity and development linked with aging. Furthermore, we observed that this effect of marimastat was closely linked with the recovery of autophagy dysfunction and mTOR suppression in H2O2-treated cells. Notably, this study demonstrated the marimastat effect on senescence inhibition for the first time.

The growth pattern of liver metastases on MRI predicts early recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVES: The multicenter study aimed to explore the relationship between the growth pattern of liver metastases on preoperative MRI and early recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) after surgery. METHODS: A total of 348 CRCLM patients from 3 independent centers were enrolled, including 130 patients with 339 liver metastases in the primary cohort and 218 patients in validation cohorts. Referring to the gross classification of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the growth pattern of each liver metastasis on MRI was classified into four types: rough, smooth, focal extranodular protuberant (FEP), and nodular confluent (NC). Disease-free survival (DFS) curve was constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: In primary cohort, 42 (12.4%) of the 339 liver metastases were rough type, 237 (69.9%) were smooth type, 29 (8.6%) were FEP type, and 31 (9.1%) were NC type. Those patients with FEP- and/or NC-type liver metastases had shorter DFS than those without such metastases (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in DFS between patients with rough- and smooth-type liver metastases and those without such metastases. The patients with FEP- and/or NC-type liver metastases also had shorter DFS than those without such metastases in two external validation cohorts. In addition, 40.5% of high-risk-type (FEP and NC) liver metastases converted to low-risk types (rough and smooth) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSION: The FEP- and NC-type liver metastases were associated with early recurrence, which may facilitate the clinical treatment of CRCLM patients. KEY POINTS: • In the primary cohort, patients with FEP- and NC-type metastases had shorter disease-free survival (DFS) and a higher intrahepatic recurrence rate than patients without such metastases in the liver. • In the primary cohort, there were no significant differences in DFS or intrahepatic recurrence rate between patients with rough- and smooth-type metastases and those without such metastases in the liver. • High-risk patients had shorter DFS and a higher intrahepatic recurrence rate than low-risk patients in primary and external validation cohorts.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts impact the clinical outcome and treatment response in colorectal cancer via immune system modulation: a comprehensive genome-wide analysis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the tumour microenvironment are associated with poor prognosis and chemoresistance in multiple solid tumours. However, there is a lack of universal measures of CAFs in colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to assess the utility of a fibroblast-related gene signature (FRGS) for predicting patient outcomes and reveal its relevant mechanism. METHODS: The GSE39582 dataset, which includes 316 CRC patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy was used as a discovery cohort to identify the prognostic fibroblast-related genes (FRGs). A total of 1352 CRC patients were divided into one training cohort (GSE39582, n = 461) and two validation cohorts (TCGA, n = 338; meta-validation, n = 553) for the construction of the FRGS and the verification of its prognostic value in stage II/III CRC patients. Functional annotation and analysis were performed to explore the underlying mechanism. The ability of the FRGS to predict immunotherapy response was further tested in a clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) cohort. RESULTS: An 11-gene signature that had prognostic value for stage II/III CRC patients in both validation cohorts was developed (TCGA cohort: HR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.16-3.12, P < 0.01; meta-validation cohort: HR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.39-2.73, P < 0.001). A high level of CAFs was correlated with worse prognosis in CRC patients who did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy (HR = 3.63, 95% CI 2.24-5.88, P < 0.001). Importantly, patients in the low-risk group were found to be benefit from chemotherapy (P < 0.01), but not in the high CAF group (P > 0.05). Similar results were found in the TCGA cohort. Integrated with clinical characteristics, the FRGS was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor in the multivariate analysis after adjustment for tumour TNM stage (GSE39582 cohort: HR = 3.19, 95% CI 1.88-5.41, P < 0.001; TCGA cohort: HR = 5.00, 95% CI 1.58-15.85, P = 0.007; meta-validation cohort: HR = 2.99, 95% CI 1.44-6.21, P = 0.003). Furthermore, the enrichment analysis found that the antitumour immune response was suppressed and the infiltration of CD4 T cells and M1 macrophages was depressed in the high CAF group. The FRGS was also found to have value in predicting for immunotherapy response in the ccRCC cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The 11-gene FRGS had independent prognostic value for CRC patients, as well as utility in the prediction of benefit from chemotherapy. CAFs in the tumour microenvironment might have an impact on the prognosis of CRC patients via inhibiting immune response.

Protein-protein interaction analysis reveals a novel cancer stem cell related target TMEM17 in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small subpopulation of cells within tumors with stem cell property. Increased evidence suggest that CSCs could be responsible for chemoresistance and recurrence in colorectal cancer (CRC). However, a reliable therapeutic target on CSCs is still lacking. METHODS: Here we describe a two-step strategy to generate CSC targets with high selectivity for colon stem cell markers, specific proteins that are interacted with CSC markers were selected and subsequently validated in a survival analysis. TMEM17 protein was found and its biological functions in CRC cells were further examined. Finally, we utilized the Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to investigate the potential mechanisms of TMEM17 in CRC. RESULTS: By combining protein-protein interaction (PPI) database and high-throughput gene profiles, network analysis revealed a cluster of colon CSCs related genes. In the cluster, TMEM17 was identified as a novel CSCs related gene. The results of in-vitro functional study demonstrated that TMEM17 depletion can suppress the proliferation of CRC cells and sensitize CRC cells to chemotherapy drugs. Enrichment analysis revealed that the expression of TMEM17 is associated with the magnitude of activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway. Further validation in clinical samples demonstrated that the TMEM17 expression was much higher in tumor than normal tissue and was associated with poor survival in CRC patients. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our finding unveils the critical role of TMEM17 in CRC and TMEM17 could be a potential effective therapeutic target for tumor recurrence and chemoresistance in the colorectal cancer (CRC).

Impact of pelvic dimensions on anastomotic leak after anterior resection for patients with rectal cancer.

AIM: The impact of pelvis on the development of anastomotic leak (AL) in rectal cancer (RC) patients who underwent anterior resection (AR) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of pelvic dimensions on the risk of AL. METHODS: A total of 1058 RC patients undergoing AR from January 2013 to January 2016 were enrolled. Pelvimetric parameters were obtained using abdominopelvic computed tomography scans. RESULTS: Univariate analyses showed that pelvic inlet, pelvic outlet, interspinous distance, and intertuberous distance were significantly associated with the risk for AL (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed that pelvic inlet and intertuberous distance were independent risk factors for AL (P < 0.05). Significant factors from multivariate analysis were assembled into the nomogram A (without pelvic dimensions) and nomogram B (with pelvic dimensions). The area under curve (AUC) of nomogram B was 0.72 (95% CI 0.67-0.77), which was better than the AUC of nomogram A (0.69, [95% CI 0.65-0.74]), but didn't reach a statistical significance (P = 0.199). Decision curve supported that nomogram B was better than nomogram A. CONCLUSION: Pelvic dimensions, specifically pelvic inlet and intertuberous distance, seemed to be independent predictors for postoperative AL in RC patients. Pelvic inlet and intertuberous distance incorporated with preoperative radiotherapy, preoperative albumin, conversion, and tumor diameter in the nomogram might provide a clinical tool for predicting AL.

circCAMSAP1 Promotes Tumor Growth in Colorectal Cancer via the miR-328-5p/E2F1 Axis.

Increasing studies indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play important roles in cancer progression. However, the roles of circRNAs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain largely unknown. In this study, we determined the circRNA expression profile by next-generation RNA sequencing from eight CRC and paired non-cancerous matched tissues. circCAMSAP1 (originating from exon 2 to exon 3 of the CAMSAP1 gene, hsa_circ_0001900) was significantly upregulated in CRC tissues. Increased circCAMSAP1 expression was significantly correlated with advanced tumor/node/metastasis (TNM) stage and shortened overall survival. An elevation of circCAMSAP1 expression was detected via droplet digital PCR in the serum of CRC patients prior to surgery. Functionally, circCAMSAP1 promoted the malignant behavior of CRC. Mechanism study of upstream biogenesis of circCAMSAP1 indicated that circCAMSAP1 cyclization in CRC was mediated by splicing factor epithelial-splicing regulatory protein 1. Moreover, circCAMSAP1 acted as a sponge for miR-328-5p and abrogated its suppression on transcription factor E2F1. Taken together, our data indicated an essential role of the circCAMSAP1/miR-328-5p/E2F1 axis in the progression of CRC, which implied that circCAMSAP1 could serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker as well as a potential therapeutic target for CRC.

Hypoxic tumor microenvironment activates GLI2 via HIF-1α and TGF-ß2 to promote chemoresistance in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer patients often relapse after chemotherapy, owing to the survival of stem or progenitor cells referred to as cancer stem cells (CSCs). Although tumor stromal factors are known to contribute to chemoresistance, it remains not fully understood how CSCs in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment escape the chemotherapy. Here, we report that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs)-secreted TGF-ß2 converge to activate the expression of hedgehog transcription factor GLI2 in CSCs, resulting in increased stemness/dedifferentiation and intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy. Genetic or small-molecule inhibitor-based ablation of HIF-1α/TGF-ß2-mediated GLI2 signaling effectively reversed the chemoresistance caused by the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, high expression levels of HIF-1α/TGF-ß2/GLI2 correlated robustly with the patient relapse following chemotherapy, highlighting a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for chemoresistance in colorectal cancer. Our study thus uncovers a molecular mechanism by which hypoxic colorectal tumor microenvironment promotes cancer cell stemness and resistance to chemotherapy and suggests a potentially targeted treatment approach to mitigating chemoresistance.

A signature of hypoxia-related factors reveals functional dysregulation and robustly predicts clinical outcomes in stage I/II colorectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: The hypoxic tumor microenvironment accelerates the invasion and migration of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a hypoxia gene signature for predicting the outcome in stage I/II CRC patients that have limited therapeutic options. METHODS: The hypoxic gene signature (HGS) was constructed using transcriptomic data of 309 CRC patients with complete clinical information from the CIT microarray dataset. A total of 1877 CRC patients with complete prognostic information in six independent datasets were divided into a training cohort and two validation cohorts. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the prognostic value of HGS. RESULTS: The HGS consisted of 14 genes, and demarcated the CRC patients into the high- and low-risk groups. In all three cohorts, patients in the high-risk group had significantly worse disease free survival (DFS) compared with those in the low risk group (training cohort-HR = 4.35, 95% CI 2.30-8.23, P < 0.001; TCGA cohort-HR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.09-4.21, P = 0.024; meta-validation cohort-HR = 1.91, 95% CI 1.08-3.39, P = 0.024). Compared to Oncotype DX, HGS showed superior predictive outcome in the training cohort (C-index, 0.80 vs 0.65) and the validation cohort (C-index, 0.70 vs 0.61). Pathway analysis of the high- and low-HGS groups showed significant differences in the expression of genes involved in mTROC1, G2-M, mitosis, oxidative phosphorylation, MYC and PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathways (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: Hypoxic gene signature is a satisfactory prognostic model for early stage CRC patients, and the exact biological mechanism needs to be validated further.

Enteral nutrition is associated with a decreased risk of surgical intervention in Crohn's disease patients with spontaneous intra-abdominal abscess.

BACKGROUND: The impact of enteral nutrition (EN) on surgical risk in Crohn's disease (CD) patients suffering from spontaneous intra-abdominal abscess (IAA) was evaluated. METHODS: CD patients diagnosed with spontaneous IAA from 2008 to 2015 were included in the study. The impact of EN on surgical risk was evaluated using both univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: A total of 87 patients were enrolled, 66 (75.9%) were male. The mean age at the development of an abscess was 30.2 ± 10.1 years and the median duration of illness from CD diagnosis until the development of an abscess was three (2-6) years. After a median follow-up of 1.9 (1.1-2.9) years, surgical intervention was performed in 42 patients (48.3%). Patients treated with EN were less likely to require surgical intervention (26.1% vs 56.3%, p = 0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that EN was an independent protective factor for the risk of surgery with a hazard ratio of 0.27 (95% confidence interval: 0.11-0.65, p = 0.004) after adjusting for abdominal pain, history of abdominal surgery, concomitant intestinal stenosis and prior use of antibiotics within three months. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical intervention is common for CD patients with IAA. Appropriate application of EN may help obviate the need for surgical treatment.

Deciphering tertiary lymphoid structure heterogeneity reveals prognostic signature and therapeutic potentials for colorectal cancer: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLSs) exert a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment (TME), impacting tumor development, immune escape, and drug resistance. Nonetheless, the heterogeneity of TLSs in colorectal cancer (CRC) and their impact on prognosis and treatment response remain unclear. METHODS: We collected genome, transcriptome, clinicopathological information, and digital pathology images from multiple sources. An unsupervised clustering algorithm was implemented to determine diverse TLS patterns in CRC based on the expression levels of 39 TLS signature genes (TSGs). Comprehensive explorations of heterogeneity encompassing mutation landscape, TME, biological characteristics, response to immunotherapy, and drug resistance were conducted using multi-omics data. TLSscore was then developed to quantitatively assess TLS patterns of individuals for further clinical applicability. RESULTS: Three distinct TLS patterns were identified in CRC. Cluster 1 exhibited upregulation of proliferation-related pathways, high metabolic activity, and intermediate prognosis, while Cluster 2 displayed activation of stromal and carcinogenic pathways and a worse prognosis. Both Cluster 1 and Cluster 2 may potentially benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy. Cluster 3, characterized by the activation of immune regulation and activation pathways, demonstrated a favorable prognosis and enhanced responsiveness to immunotherapy. We subsequently employed a regularization algorithm to construct the TLSscore based on 9 core genes. Patients with lower TLSscore trended to prolonged prognosis and a more prominent presence of TLSs, which may benefit from immunotherapy. Conversely, those with higher TLSscore exhibited increased benefits from adjuvant chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: We identified distinct TLS patterns in CRC and characterized their heterogeneity through multi-omics analyses. The TLSscore held promise for guiding clinical decision-making and further advancing the field of personalized medicine in CRC.

Chronic hepatic viral infection could be a protective factor for colorectal cancer liver metastases: analysis in a single institute.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We tested the hypothesis that chronic hepatic virus infection could reduce the occurrence of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CLM) and investigated CLM patients' survival prolonged in positive viral infection. METHODOLOGY: 2868 colorectal cancer patients were divided into positive-infection and non-infection groups. Clinical variables, incidence of liver metastases and survival between the groups were respectively analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of liver metastases in the positive group was much lower than in the control group, but other type distant metastasis was similar in the two groups. Infected group 5-year overall survival (OS) was better than the negative group. Meanwhile, CLM patients in the former group showed longer survival time than the control group (26 months vs. 20 months, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Chronic hepatic viral infection could reduce the occurrence of CLM and improves the survival time of colorectal cancer. It could be a protective factor for CLM patients.

An immune, stroma, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related signature for predicting recurrence and chemotherapy benefit in stage II-III colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Debates exist on the treatment decision of the stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC) due to the insufficiency of the current TNM stage-based risk stratification system. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor microenvironment (TME) have both been linked to CRC progression in recent studies. We propose to improve the prognosis prediction of CRC by integrating TME and EMT. METHODS: In total, 2382 CRC patients from seven datasets and one in-house cohort were collected, and 1640 stage II/III CRC patients with complete survival information and gene expression profiles were retained and divided into a training cohort and three independent validation cohorts. Integrated analysis of 398 immune, stroma, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (ISE)-related genes identified an ISE signature independently associated with the recurrence of CRC. The underlying biological mechanism of the ISE signature and its influence on adjuvant chemotherapy was further explored. RESULTS: We constructed a 26-gene signature which was significantly associated with poor outcome in Training cohort (p < 0.001, HR [95%CI] = 4.42 [3.25-6.01]) and three independent validation cohorts (Validation cohort-1: p < 0.01, HR [95%CI] = 1.70 [1.15-2.51]; Validation cohort-2: p < 0.001, HR [95% CI] = 2.30 [1.67-3.16]; Validation cohort-3: p < 0.01, HR [95% CI] = 2.42 [1.25-4.70]). After adjusting for known clinicopathological factors, multivariate cox analysis confirmed the ISE signature's independent prognostic value. Subgroup analysis found that stage III patients with low ISE score might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (p < 0.001, HR [95%CI] = 0.15 [0.04-0.55]). Hypergeometric test and enrichment analysis revealed that low-risk group was enriched in thr immune pathway while high-risk group was associated with the EMT pathway and CMS4 subtype. CONCLUSION: We proposed an ISE signature for robustly predicting the recurrence of stage II/III CRC and help treatment decision by identifying patients who will not benefit from current standard treatment.

High-throughput proteomics profiling-derived signature associated with chemotherapy response and survival for stage II/III colorectal cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) is usually used to reduce the risk of disease relapse and improve survival for stage II/III colorectal cancer (CRC). However, only a subset of patients could benefit from ACT. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify improved biomarkers to predict survival and stratify patients to refine the selection of ACT. We used high-throughput proteomics to analyze tumor and adjacent normal tissues of stage II/III CRC patients with /without relapse to identify potential markers for predicting prognosis and benefit from ACT. The machine learning approach was applied to identify relapse-specific markers. Then the artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted multiplex IHC was performed to validate the prognostic value of the relapse-specific markers and construct a proteomic-derived classifier for stage II/III CRC using 3 markers, including FHL3, GGA1, TGFBI. The proteomics profiling-derived signature for stage II/III CRC (PS) not only shows good accuracy to classify patients into high and low risk of relapse and mortality in all three cohorts, but also works independently of clinicopathologic features. ACT was associated with improved disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in stage II (pN0) patients with high PS and pN2 patients with high PS. This study demonstrated the clinical significance of proteomic features, which serve as a valuable source for potential biomarkers. The PS classifier provides prognostic value for identifying patients at high risk of relapse and mortality and optimizes individualized treatment strategy by detecting patients who may benefit from ACT for survival.

High expression of CD73 as a poor prognostic biomarker in human colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression dynamics of CD73 and its prognostic significance in human colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: CD73 expression dynamics were detected by Western blotting. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of CD73 in CRC tissues from two independent cohorts by tissue microarrays. The optimal cutpoint of CD73 expression was assessed by the X-tile program. RESULTS: Western blotting analysis demonstrated that CD73 expression in CRC was significantly higher than in normal colorectal tissues. According to the X-tile program, the cutpoint for high expression of CD73 in CRC was determined when CD73 expression index was more than 5.9. High expression of CD73 was observed in 44.8% and 50.4% of CRC in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. Overexpression of CD73 was significantly correlated with tumor differentiation, nodal status, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage. Patients with high expression of CD73 had a poorer overall survival rate compared with patients with low expression of CD73 in both cohorts. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, overexpression of CD73 was proven to be an independent prognostic biomarker for CRC. CONCLUSIONS: High expression of CD73 can be an independent and useful biomarker for predicting the poor survival of patients with CRC.

Extraperitoneal vs. intraperitoneal route for permanent colostomy: a meta-analysis of 1,071 patients.

BACKGROUND: Parastomal hernia is a common complication after colostomy construction. Whether an extraperitoneal route for colostomy creation can reduce the risk of parastomal hernia remains controversial. OBJECTIVE: A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the value of extraperitoneal route in the prevention of parastomal hernia and other postoperative complications related to colostomy. DATA SOURCES: A literature search of Medline, Embase, Ovid, and Cochrane databases from the years 1966 to 2010 was performed. STUDY SELECTION: Studies comparing extraperitoneal colostomy with intraperitoneal colostomy were identified. INTERVENTION: Extraperitoneal colostomy was performed to prevent colostomy-related complications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on the following outcomes were sought: incidence of postoperative colostomy complications including parastomal hernia, prolapse, and bowel obstruction. RESULTS: Seven retrospective studies with a combined total of 1,071 patients (250 extraperitoneal colostomy and 821 intraperitoneal colostomy) were identified. There was a significantly lower rate of parastomal hernia (odds ratio, 0.41; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.73, p = 0.002) in the extraperitoneal colostomy group. However, the occurrences of bowel obstruction and prolapse were not significantly different between the two groups. LIMITATIONS: A limitation of the study lies on the meta-analysis of observational studies. CONCLUSION: Extraperitoneal colostomy is associated with a lower rate of postoperative parastomal hernia as compared to intraperitoneal colostomy. Prospective randomized controlled trial is warranted to further determine the role of extraperitoneal route in the prevention of parastomal hernia.

Systemic infusion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of experimental colitis in mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The anti-inflammatory and reparative properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) make them a promising tool for treating immune-mediated and inflammatory disorders. However, whether MSCs can be used for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) still remains unclear. In this study, a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced mouse colitis model was used to test the hypothesis that infused bone marrow-derived MSCs could exert anti-inflammatory effects against experimental colitis. METHODS: DSS-induced colitis mice were injected with 1 × 10(6) MSCs [in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)] via the tail vein. Control colitis mice received PBS alone. To trace the injected cells in vivo, MSCs were labeled with chloromethyl-benzamidodialkylcarbocyanine (CM-DiI). On day 15 of the experiment, the colon was sectioned and examined for histopathological changes. Pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1ß] in the inflamed colon were analyzed by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Serum values of TNF-α in mice were evaluated quantitatively by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) analysis. RESULTS: DSS-induced colitis showed symptoms similar to ulcerative colitis in humans, including body weight loss, bloody diarrhea, mucosal ulceration, and shortening of the colon. Bone marrow-derived MSCs significantly ameliorated the clinical and histopathologic severity of DSS colitis compared with non-MSC control. Pro-inflammatory cytokines in both the inflamed colon (TNF-α, IL-1ß) and serum (TNF-α) were downregulated in MSC-treated mice in contrast to control. CM-DiI-labeled MSCs accumulated in inflamed regions of the colon, mainly in the submucosa. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic infusion of bone marrow-derived MSCs may exert therapeutic efficacy on acute DSS-induced colitis in mice through their anti-inflammatory effects, which demonstrates the feasibility of using bone marrow-derived MSCs to treat IBD.

[Curative effect analysis of radical surgery for colon cancer invading duodenum].

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the clinicopathological characteristics and access the immediate- and long-term outcome of radical surgery in patients with colon cancer invading duodenum. METHODS: A retrospective review of 19 patients with colon cancer invading duodenum underwent radical surgery between 1995 and 2010 was performed. There were 7 male and 12 female, age ranged from 36 to 73 years with an average of 56 years. The main manifestations were abdominal pain, loss of weight, change of stool frequency and so on. The tumors located at the hepatic flexure in 15 patients. All of the patients underwent radical surgery, and none of the patients had positive resection margins. One patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with right hemicolectomy (RH). Two patients underwent pylorus preserving pancreaticoduodenectomy combined with RH. One patient underwent duodenectomy combined with RH. Four patients underwent RH. And the other 11 patients underwent lateral duodenectomy combined with RH. RESULTS: There was no postoperative morbidity and mortality, and the 30-day mortality rate was 0. The median overall survival was 5.3 years. Overall 1 and 5 years survival rate were 94.4% and 70.4%, respectively. And 3 patients developed recurrence in 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with colon cancer invading duodenum are lack of specific clinical manifestations. And the radical surgical procedure is safe, which could prolong the survival and improves the prognosis in these patients.

A Transcription Factor Signature Can Identify the CMS4 Subtype and Stratify the Prognostic Risk of Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, and current classification systems are insufficient for stratifying patients with different risks. This study aims to develop a generalized, individualized prognostic consensus molecular subtype (CMS)-transcription factors (TFs)-based signature that can predict the prognosis of CRC. Methods: We obtained differentially expressed TF signature and target genes between the CMS4 and other CMS subtypes of CRC from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. A multi-dimensional network inference integrative analysis was conducted to identify the master genes and establish a CMS4-TFs-based signature. For validation, an in-house clinical cohort (n = 351) and another independent public CRC cohort (n = 565) were applied. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and prediction of immune cell infiltration were performed to interpret the biological significance of the model. Results: A CMS4-TFs-based signature termed TF-9 that includes nine TF master genes was developed. Patients in the TF-9 high-risk group have significantly worse survival, regardless of clinical characteristics. The TF-9 achieved the highest mean C-index (0.65) compared to all other signatures reported (0.51 to 0.57). Immune infiltration revealed that the microenvironment in the high-risk group was highly immune suppressed, as evidenced by the overexpression of TIM3, CD39, and CD40, suggesting that high-risk patients may not directly benefit from the immune checkpoint inhibitors. Conclusions: The TF-9 signature allows a more precise categorization of patients with relevant clinical and biological implications, which may be a valuable tool for improving the tailoring of therapeutic interventions in CRC patients.

Predicting prognosis and immunotherapy response among colorectal cancer patients based on a tumor immune microenvironment-related lncRNA signature.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) remodel the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) by regulating the functions of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. It remains uncertain the way that TIME-related lncRNAs (TRLs) influence the prognosis and immunotherapy response of colorectal cancer (CRC). Aiming at providing survival and immunotherapy response predictions, a CRC TIME-related lncRNA signature (TRLs signature) was developed and the related potential regulatory mechanisms were explored with a comprehensive analysis on gene expression profiles from 97 immune cell lines, 61 CRC cell lines and 1807 CRC patients. Stratifying CRC patients with the TRLs signature, prolonged survival was observed in the low-risk group, while the patients in the high-risk group had significantly higher pro-tumor immune cells infiltration and higher immunotherapy response rate. Through the complex TRLs-mRNA regulation network, immunoregulation pathways and immunotherapy response pathways were found to be differently activated between the groups. In conclusion, the CRC TRLs signature is capable of making prognosis and immunotherapy response predictions, which may find application in stratifying patients for immunotherapy in the bedside.