Causal relationship between anti-inflammatory drugs and cancer: a pan-cancer study with Mendelian randomization.

Background: Numerous epidemiological studies have elucidated the intricate connection between inflammation and cancer, highlighting how sustained inflammatory responses can fuel carcinogenesis by fostering proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis, while dampening immune responses and sensitivity to chemotherapy. Previous clinical investigations have underscored the potential of anti-inflammatory medications in either preventing or mitigating tumor formation. Here, the causal relationship between anti-inflammatory drugs and cancer was further explored through Mendelian randomization studies. Methods: Employing Mendelian randomization, we scrutinized the causal links between three anti-inflammatory drugs-NSAIDs, Aspirin, and Anilide-and 37 types of cancer. We primarily utilized inverse variance weighting (IVW) as the primary analytical approach to delineate the causal association between these drugs and cancer types. Concurrently, sensitivity analyses were conducted to ascertain the absence of horizontal pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Results: Our investigation revealed a discernible causal relationship between certain anti-inflammatory drugs and a subset of cancers, albeit without a pervasive impact across all cancer types. Specifically, NSAIDs exhibited a risk-reducing effect on non-small cell lung cancer (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.59-0.97, p-value: 0.03) and gastric cancer (OR: 0.57, 95% CI: 0.34-0.98, p-value: 0.04). Conversely, aspirin was associated with an increased risk of oral malignant tumors (OR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.13-4.21, p-value: 0.02). Notably, no statistically significant findings were observed for anilide drugs (p < 0.05). Conclusion: We identified several cancers with potential causal links to NSAIDs, including non-small cell lung cancer and gastric cancer. Despite our extensive analysis, we did not identify a substantial causal relationship between the use of anti-inflammatory drugs and the development of various cancers.

Single-cell sequencing revealed metabolic reprogramming and its transcription factor regulatory network in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in the United States and is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. The incidence of prostate cancer is gradually rising due to factors such as aging demographics and changes in dietary habits. The objective of this study is to investigate the metabolic reprogramming changes occurring in prostate cancer and identify potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: In this study, we utilized single-cell sequencing to comprehensively characterize the alterations in metabolism and the regulatory role of transcription factors in various subtypes of prostate cancer. RESULTS: In comparison to benign prostate tissue, prostate cancer displayed substantial metabolic variations, notably exhibiting heightened activity in fatty acid metabolism and cholesterol metabolism. This metabolic reprogramming not only influenced cellular energy utilization but also potentially impacted the activity of the androgen receptor (AR) pathway through the synthesis of endogenous steroid hormones. Through our analysis of transcription factor activity, we identified the crucial role of SREBPs, which are transcription factors associated with lipid metabolism, in prostate cancer. Encouragingly, the inhibitor Betulin effectively suppresses prostate cancer growth, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic agent for prostate cancer treatment.

Drug-Loaded Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Bacteria for Immuno-Chemo Combo Therapy in Bladder Cancer.

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a well-established strategy for managing high-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC); however, over half of patients still experience disease recurrence or progression. Although the combined intravesical instillation of various chemotherapeutic drugs is implemented in clinical trials to enhance the BCG therapy, the outcome is far from satisfying due to severe irritative effects and treatment intolerance at high doses. Therefore, it is adopted the "biotin-streptavidin strategy" to doxorubicin (DOX)-encapsulated nanoparticles within live BCG bacteria (DOX@BCG) to improve treatment outcomes. Adherence of BCG to the bladder epithelium helps precisely target DOX@BCG to the local tumor cells and simultaneously increases intratumoral transport of therapeutic drugs. DOX@BCG effectively inhibits cancer progression and prolongs the survival of rats/mice with orthotopic bladder cancer owing to synergism between BCG-immunotherapy, DOX-chemotherapy, and DOX-induced immunogenic tumor cell death; furthermore, it exhibits improved tolerance and biosafety, and establishes antitumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore, the drug-loaded live BCG bacterial delivery system holds considerable potential for clinical translation in the intravesical treatment of bladder cancer.

The Impact of Entrepreneurial Spirituality on Business Performance: Based on the Survey of Private Enterprise Executives in Fujian China.

Entrepreneurship is the main engine of economic development. This paper aims to explore the impact of high executives' entrepreneurial spirituality (ES) on the business performance in China under the background of "mass entrepreneurship and innovation." By analyzing the relevant literature of entrepreneurship, the connotation and elements of ES are determined. According to the relevant research, we design the questionnaire of ES and business performance. The questionnaire was distributed to 100 private enterprise entrepreneurs by equidistant sampling, and 74 valid questionnaires were recovered. According to the questionnaire, responsibility has the highest score, followed by innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking. The ES of women is slightly higher than that of men. The entrepreneurs with higher education also have higher score in ES. After analyzing the impact of different elements of ES on enterprise performance using structural equation modeling (SEM) and regression equation model, it is found that: (1) ES has a positive impact on enterprise performance. (2) Different factors of ES have different effects on business performance, and innovation and proactiveness play the greatest role. (3) There is an inverted U-shaped relationship between innovation, risk-taking, and business performance.

Effects of Sports Public Goods on the Health of the Elderly: Empirical Evidence from China.

Sports public service can promote the elderly to participate in sport exercises and have a positive impact on health of the elderly. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of sport public service on the health and to study the meditation effect of physical activity. We conducted a questionnaire survey on sports public service and the health of the elderly in China, and established a mediation effect model to measure the impact of five categories of sports public service on the health of the elderly. The final sample comprised 1089 older adults (548 males and 541 females). Cronbach's α was over 0.7. Sport public service have positive effect on the health of the elderly, but they have meditation effect on both frequency and duration of physical exercise of the elderly. Among which the instruction of physical activity and service of sport exercises are the most significant factors. Sports public service for the elderly in China are not well balanced both in regions and among people, with more goods in towns and cities but less in rural areas. This study clarifies the impact of sports public service on the health of the elderly, and empirically analyses its meditation effect on physical exercise of the elderly. It is emphasized that the provision of sports public service in China is not to build sports facilities, but to provide more instruction and sports public services for residents physical exercise.

Psychological Capital and University Students' Entrepreneurial Intention in China: Mediation Effect of Entrepreneurial Capitals.

The aim of this study was to identify the influences of psychological capital (PC) on students' entrepreneurial intention (EI) in China's universities. The mediating effects of Entrepreneurial Capitals were also examined. Based on the analysis of the traditional capital and PC, the paper proposes that traditional capital is the direct factor to drive the behavior of entrepreneurship, while psychological factors do not directly affect EI, but improve EI by influencing traditional capital. A total of 1914 responses from universities in southeast China were analyzed using the structural equation modeling (SEM) approach to test study hypotheses. Results show that PC has a significant indirect impact on students' EI only through traditional financial, human, and social capital (SC). These results support the mediating role of the traditional entrepreneurial capitals in explaining the relationship between PC and EI. Additionally, the impact of SC on EI is higher than that of financial and human capital (HC). Finally, research limitations and implications are discussed and future research directions are suggested.