Identification of m6A- and ferroptosis-related lncRNA signature for predicting immune efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation and ferroptosis assist long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in promoting immune escape in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the predictive value of m6A- and ferroptosis-related lncRNAs (mfrlncRNAs) in terms of immune efficacy remains unknown. Method: A total of 365 HCC patients with complete data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were used as the training cohort, and half of them were randomly selected as the validation cohort. A total of 161 HCC patients from the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) database were used as external validation (ICGC cohort). Results: We first identified a group of specific lncRNAs associated with both m6A regulators and ferroptosis-related genes and then constructed prognosis-related mfrlncRNA pairs. Based on this, the mfrlncRNA signature was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis and Cox regression. Notably, the risk score of patients was proven to be an independent prognostic factor and was better than the TNM stage and tumor grade. Moreover, patients with high-risk scores had lower survival rates, higher infiltration of immunosuppressive cells (macrophages and Tregs), lower infiltration of cytotoxic immune cells (natural killer cells), poorer immune efficacy (both immunophenoscore and score of tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion), higher IC50, and enrichment of the induced Treg pathway, which confirmed that the mfrlncRNA signature contributed to survival prediction and risk stratification of patients with HCC. Conclusions: The mfrlncRNA signature, which has great prognostic value, provides new clues for identifying "cold" and "hot" tumors and might have crucial implications for individualized therapy to improve the survival rate of patients with HCC.

Do older patients with stage IB non-small-cell lung cancer obtain survival benefits from surgery? A propensity score matching study using SEER data.

BACKGROUND: Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for Stage IB non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but one-third of patients still do not receive surgery, which might be due to the lack of robust and dedicated studies on the outcomes of surgical treatment in older patients with stage IB NSCLC. This study aims to investigate whether older patients with stage IB NSCLC benefit from surgery. METHODS: Data of patients with NSCLC were downloaded from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database classifications were converted from the 7th edition staging system to the 8th edition staging system, and older patients (aged ≥65 years at diagnosis) with stage IB NSCLC were included. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to balance the distribution proportions of clinical characteristics between the surgery and no surgery groups. RESULTS: After 1:1 propensity score matching, the distribution proportions of clinical characteristics were balanced between the surgery and no surgery groups (all P > 0.05). The overall and disease-specific survival rates of patients in the surgery group were significantly higher than those of patients in the no-surgery group (both P < 0.001). Furthermore, subgroup analysis showed that receiving surgery was a protective factor for overall survival and disease-specific survival of patients in all clinical character-related subgroups. Ultimately, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that sex, tumor size, tumor grade, and tumor classification were independent prognostic factors for overall and disease-specific survival in patients undergoing surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with Stage IB NSCLC can benefit significantly from surgical treatment after eliminating confounding factors, which is expected to provide strong medical evidence for surgical treatment.

Linkages Between Nutrient Resorption and Ecological Stoichiometry and Homeostasis Along a Chronosequence of Mongolian Pine Plantations.

Nutrient resorption is an important strategy for nutrient conservation, particularly under conditions of nutrient limitation. However, changes in nutrient resorption efficiency with stand development and the associated correlations with ecological stoichiometry and homeostasis are poorly understood. In the study, the authors measured carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations in soil and in green and senesced needles along a chronosequence of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations (12-, 22-, 31-, 42-, 52-, and 59-year-old) in Horqin Sandy Land of China, calculated N and P resorption efficiency (NRE and PRE, respectively), and homeostasis coefficient. The authors found that soil organic C and total N concentrations increased, but soil total P and available P concentrations decreased with stand age. Green needle N concentrations and N:P ratios as well as senesced needle C:N ratios, NRE, and PRE exhibited patterns of initial increase and subsequent decline with stand age, whereas green needle C:N ratios and senesced needle N concentrations, and N:P ratios exhibited the opposite pattern. NRE was positively correlated with N concentration and N:P ratio, but negatively correlated with C:N ratio in green needles, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in senesced needles. PRE was negatively correlated with senesced needle P concentration, soil-available N concentration, and available N:P ratio. The homeostatic coefficient of N:P was greater when including all stand ages than when including only those younger than 42 years. These findings indicate that tree growth may change from tending to be N limited to tending to be P limited along the Mongolian pine plantation chronosequence. Nutrient resorption was coupled strongly to tree growth and development, whereas it played a lesser role in maintaining stoichiometric homeostasis across the plantation chronosequence. Therefore, adaptive fertilization management strategies should be applied for the sustainable development of Mongolian pine plantations.

Comparison of C:N:P Stoichiometry in the Plant-Litter-Soil System Between Poplar and Elm Plantations in the Horqin Sandy Land, China.

Afforestation is among the most effective means of preventing and controlling desertification. Silver poplar (Populus alba) is commonly planted tree species for afforestation of the Horqin Sandy Land of China. However, this species has exhibited some drawbacks such as top shoot dieback, premature senescence and mortality, and soil and ecosystems degradation. In contrast, Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) rarely experiences these problems in the same regions. Ecological stoichiometry plays a vital role in exploring ecological processes and nutrient cycle relationships in plant-litter-soil systems. To explore the differences in the carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) balance, the stoichiometry characteristics and stoichiometric homeostasis in elm and poplar plantations in the Horqin Sandy Land, we measured C, N, and P concentrations in leaves, branches, roots, litter, and soils and analyzed N and P resorption efficiencies in the two plantations. The results showed that soil C and N concentrations, C:P, and N:P were greater in the elm plantation than in the poplar plantation. The leaf and root C:P and N:P during summer and litter N and P concentrations were greater, whereas N and P resorption efficiencies were lower, in the elm plantation than in the poplar plantation. Generally, elm exhibited greater N:P homeostasis than poplar. N and N:P homeostasis were greater in roots than in leaves and branches in the elm plantation, but they varied with soil N concentration and N:P in the poplar plantation. These findings indicate that poplar exhibited more developed internal nutrient conservation and allocation strategies but poor nutrient accumulation in soil, which may contribute to degradation of poplar plantation. In contrast, elm tended to return more nutrients to the soil, showing an improved nutrient cycle in the plant-litter-soil system and increased soil C and N accumulation in the elm plantation. Therefore, compared with poplar, elm may be a more suitable afforestation tree species for the Horqin Sandy Land, in terms of promoting the accumulation of soil nutrients and enhancing nutrient cycling in the plant-litter-soil system.

[Needles stable carbon isotope composition and traits of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in sparse wood grassland in south edge of Keerqin Sandy Land under the conditions of different precipitation].

A comparative study was conducted on the needles stable carbon isotope composition (delta13 C), specific leaf area (SLA), and dry matter content (DMC) of 19-year-old Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica trees in a sparse wood grassland in the south edge of Keerqin Sandy Land under the conditions of extreme drought and extreme wetness, aimed to understand the water use of Pinus sylvestris under the conditions of extreme precipitation. The soil water content and groundwater level were also measured. In the dry year (2009), the soil water content in the grassland was significantly lower than that in the wet year (2010), but the delta13C values of the current year-old needles had no significant difference between the two years and between the same months of the two years. The SLA of the current year-old needles was significantly lower in the dry year than in the wet year, but the DMC had no significant difference between the two years. Under the conditions of the two extreme precipitations, the water use efficiency of the trees did not vary remarkably, and the trees could change their needles SLA to adapt the variations of precipitation. For the test ecosystem with a groundwater level more than 3.0 m, extreme drought could have no serious impact on the growth and survival of the trees.