An observational study of apatinib mesylate in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer with unknown driving gene(s).

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of apatinib mesylate (AM) in treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) with wild or unknown epidermal growth factor receptor (w/nEGFR). METHODS: A total of 34 w/nEGFR -aNSCLC patients who failed chemotherapy from August 2015 to April 2017 were administered orally AM (425 mg/d) as primary treatment and observed their progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR), as well as related adverse events. RESULTS: Efficacy was evaluable in 30 cases, with median PFS (mPFS) 3.75 months (95% CI 0.648-6.852), ORR 20%, and DCR 73.33%. The main adverse reactions included hypertension (52.94%), hand-foot syndrome (52.94%), proteinuria (44.12%), and fatigue (41.18%); no drug-related death occurred. The efficacy correlation analysis showed that Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) 0-1 (p=0.008) combined with chemotherapy (p=0.009) were the factors that extended PFS, and combined chemotherapy (p=0.040, HR=3.052, 95% CI 1.052- 8.858) was an independent prognostic factor. CONCLUSIONS: AM has good therapeutic efficacy in treating aNSCLC patients after chemotherapy failure. The side effects can be controlled and it is worth testing it in large-scale clinical studies.

[Association between the level of high sensitivity C-reactive protein and risk of breast cancer among non-diabetic females: a prospective study in Kailuan group].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and breast cancer incidence among the non-diabetic females in a large-scale cohort study in Kailuan group. METHODS: The Kailuan cohort was established on May 1, 2006. Baseline information on demography, lifestyle, medical history, and anthropometry, i.e., body height and weight, were collected during the baseline interview, and breast cancer incidence, mortality and other related outcome information were obtained by follow-up every two years and the related health condition database information were collected every year. Multivariable Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95%CI (confidence interval) between the level of hsCRP at baseline interview and breast cancer incidence adjusted for age group, body mass index (BMI), marital status (married and single) and tobacco smoking (smokers and non-smokers) when appropriate. RESULTS: By Dec 31, 2011, a total of 17 402 females were enrolled in the cohort. There were 85 286 person-years of follow-up with a mean follow-up period of (58.81 ± 4.52) months. A total of 75 incident breast cancer cases were collected. Subjects with the highest level (>3 mg/L) of hsCRP at baseline interview were associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer (adjusted HR = 1.80, 95%CI = 1.03-3.15) compared with those with the lowest level (<1 mg/L). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated levels of hsCRP at baseline interview may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer among non-diabetic females. Further follow-up and etiological exploration will help to evaluate the association between the hsCRP level and the risk of breast cancer more reliably.

Enhanced ammonia removal in tidal flow constructed wetland by incorporating steel slag: Performance, microbial community, and heavy metal release.

Utilizing alkaline solid wastes, such as steel slag, as substrates in tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) can effectively neutralize the acidity generated by nitrification. However, the impacts of steel slag on microbial communities and the potential risk of heavy metal release remain poorly understood. To address these knowledge gaps, this study compared the performance and microbial community structure of TFCWs filled with a mixture of steel slag and zeolite (TFCW-S) to those filled with zeolite alone (TFCW-Z). TFCW-S exhibited a much higher NH4+-N removal efficiency (98.35 %) than TFCW-Z (55.26 %). Additionally, TFCW-S also achieved better TN and TP removal. The steel slag addition helped maintain the TFCW-S effluent pH at around 7.5, while the TFCW-Z effluent pH varied from 3.74 to 6.25. The nitrification and denitrification intensities in TFCW-S substrates were significantly higher than those in TFCW-Z, consistent with the observed removal performance. Moreover, steel slag did not cause excessive heavy metal release, as the effluent concentrations were below the standard limits. Microbial community analysis revealed that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria coexisted in both TFCWs, albeit with different compositions. Furthermore, the enrichment of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacteria in TFCW-S likely contributed to the high NH4+-N removal. In summary, these findings demonstrate that the combined use of steel slag and zeolite in TFCWs creates favorable pH conditions for ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, leading to efficient ammonia removal in an environmentally friendly manner.

Effect of steel slag on ammonia removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in zeolite-based tidal flow constructed wetlands.

The ammonia removal performance of tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) requires to be improved under high hydraulic loading rates (HLRs). The pH decrease caused by nitrification may adversely affect the NH4+-N removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) of TFCWs. Herein, TFCWs with zeolite (TFCW_Z) and a mixture of zeolite and steel slag (TFCW_S) were built to investigate the influence of steel slag on NH4+-N removal and AOMs. Both TFCWs were operated under short flooding/drying (F/D) cycles and high HLRs (3.13 and 4.69 m3/(m2 d)). The results revealed that a neutral effluent pH (6.98-7.82) was achieved in TFCW_S owing to the CaO dissolution of steel slag. The NH4+-N removal efficiencies in TFCW_S (91.2 ± 5.1%) were much higher than those in TFCW_Z (73.2 ± 7.1%). Total nitrogen (TN) removal was poor in both TFCWs mainly due to the low influent COD/TN. Phosphorus removal in TFCW_S was unsatisfactory because of the short hydraulic retention time. The addition of steel slag stimulated the flourishing AOMs, including Nitrosomonas (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, AOB), Candidatus_Nitrocosmicus (ammonia-oxidizing archaea, AOA), and comammox Nitrospira, which may be responsible for the better ammonia removal performance in TFCW_S. PICRUSt2 showed that steel slag also enriched the relative abundance of functional genes involved in nitrification (amoCAB, hao, and nxrAB) but inhibited genes related to denitrification (nirK, norB, and nosZ). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) revealed that complete AOB (CAOB) and AOB contributed more to the amoA genes in TFCW_S and TFCW_Z, respectively. Therefore, this study revealed that the dominant AOMs could be significantly changed in zeolite-based TFCW by adding steel slag to regulate the pH in situ, resulting in a more efficient NH4+-N removal performance.

[Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in different breast tissues and clinical significance thereof].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differences in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and microvessel density (MVD) count in breast benign affection, breast atypical hyperplasia, and breast carcinoma in situ and to clarify the association of VEGF expression and MVD with the clinicopathological features of these diseases. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry (SP-method) was used to examine the expression of VEGF and MVD count in 100 samples of breast benign affection (including 35 cases of breast fibroid tumor, 35 cases of breast cystic hyperplasia, and 30 cases of intraductal papilloma), and 15 samples of breast atypical hyperplasia, and 25 samples of breast carcinoma in situ, obtained during operation. RESULTS: The positive rate of VEGF of the breast carcinoma in situ group was 56% , significantly higher than hose of the breast benign affection and breast atypical hyperplasia groups (22% and 33% respectively, P < 0.05). However, there was no significant differences in positive rate of VEGF among breast fibroid tumor, breast cystic hyperplasia, and intraductal papilloma (all P > 0.05). The MVD value of the breast carcinoma in situ group was 20.1 +/- 6.1, significantly higher than those of the breast benign affection group and breast atypical hyperplasia groups (14.3 +/- 3. 5 and 18.5 +/- 3.6 respectively, both P < 0.05). There was no significant differences in MVD value among breast fibroid tumor, breast cystic hyperplasia, and intraductal papilloma (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In breast tumors, angiogenesis is probably mediated mainly by VEGF. The occurrence and progression of breast cancer may be related with the expression of VEGF.

A prospective follow-up study of the relationship between C-reactive protein and human cancer risk in the Chinese Kailuan Female Cohort.

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein (CRP) has been associated with cancer risk in some prospective studies. However, the associations have not been entirely consistent and have not been evaluated in Chinese females. We conducted a large population-based cohort study to investigate whether elevated levels of CRP at baseline are associated with an increased risk of cancer among Chinese females. METHODS: A total of 19,437 women from the Chinese Kailuan Female Cohort were enrolled in the study in July 2006. Levels of high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) were tested at baseline for all subjects. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association between levels of hsCRP and risk of all cancers, including breast cancer, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and other cancers. RESULTS: By December 31, 2011, a total of 322 incident cancer cases accrued. Compared with women with lower hsCRP levels (<1 mg/L), women with higher hsCRP (>3 mg/L) had a significantly increased risk of all incident cancers [HR, 1.62; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.23-2.14; P(trend) = 0.001] and breast cancer (HR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.01-2.97; P(trend) = 0.047). The significant association between hsCRP levels and breast cancer risk was apparent among younger women (<50 years; HR, 2.76; 95% CI, 1.18-6.48). CONCLUSION: Elevated levels of hsCRP at baseline may be associated with an increased risk of cancer, especially breast cancer, and particularly in younger Chinese women. IMPACT: Our findings provide additional evidence for a role of inflammation in carcinogenesis and suggest that CRP may be a potentially useful biomarker of cancer risk in this population.