[Clinical characteristics and prognosis analysis of gastric cancer patients with bone metastasis].

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognosis of bone metastasis of gastric cancer, analyze the influencing factors of bone metastasis and the effects of different treatment methods, and provide a basis for early detection and treatment optimization of bone metastasis of gastric cancer. Methods: A total of 142 gastric cancer patients with bone metastasis admitted to the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2011 to December 2021 were enrolled, including 60 cases of simple bone metastasis and 82 cases of bone metastasis combined with extraosseous metastasis. 142 patients with stage Ⅲgastric cancer without distant metastasis and 142 gastric cancer patients with visceral metastasis admitted to this hospital during the same period were also enrolled for comparison. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the influencing factors of bone metastasis, and the Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to evaluate the influencing factors of overall survival (OS) of patients with bone metastasis. Results: Among the 142 patients with bone metastasis, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was the main type (123 cases), and 45 patients had simultaneous bone metastasis. Rib metastasis (100 cases), spine metastasis (88 cases), and pelvis metastasis (84 cases) were more common. A total of 110 patients had multiple bone metastasis, and 82 patients had extraosseous metastasis. Results of the stage Ⅲ gastric cancer group, the visceral metastasis group, the bone metastasis group, and the bone metastasis with extraosseous metastasis group were compared. There were significant differences in age, degree of differentiation, Borrmann type, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, serum calcium, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase isoenzyme, lymphocyte, hemoglobin, platelet, CEA, CA19-9, and CA724 (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Borrmann type was an independent protective factor of bone metastasis of gastric cancer (type 3: OR=0.07, 95%CI: 0.01-0.64, P=0.018). Alkaline phosphatase (OR=2.54, 95% CI: 1.07-6.01, P=0.034), serum calcium (OR=2.71, 95% CI: 1.15-6.41, P=0.023), creatine kinase isoenzyme (OR=16.33, 95% CI: 1.83-145.58, P=0.012), platelet (OR=10.08, 95% CI:1.89-53.85, P=0.007), and CA19-9 (OR=2.40, 95% CI: 1.14-5.05, P=0.021) were independent risk factors of bone metastasis of gastric cancer. The median OS of the stage Ⅲ gastric cancer group, the visceral metastasis group, the bone metastasis group, and the bone metastasis with extrabony group were 47, 13, 18, and 6 months, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). The median OS of patients with bone metastasis only who underwent primary tumor surgery was 33 months, better than 6 months of patients without surgery (P=0.048). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that extraosseous metastasis (HR=2.45, 95% CI: 1.56-3.85, P<0.001) and decreased hemoglobin (HR=1.54, 95%CI: 1.02-2.34, P=0.042) were independent risk factors of OS of gastric cancer patients with bone metastasis. Conclusions: The prognosis of gastric cancer patients with bone metastasis alone is significantly better than that of other stage Ⅳ patients. For such patients, surgery on the primary site combined with chemotherapy after full evaluation may prolong the survival time.

[A study of immune response to HBsAg mediated by CD4+ memory T lymphocytes in immunized HBV transgenic mice].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of immune response to HBsAg mediated by CD4+ memory T lymphocytes in immunized HBV transgenic (Tg) mice. Methods: Peripheral CD4+ memory T lymphocytes were isolated and collected by magnetic bead sorting from C57BL/6 mice successfully immunized by hepatitis B vaccine. Adoptive immunization was performed for Tg mice by caudal vein injection, and the peripheral blood was collected at 4 and 8 weeks after adoptive immunization. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of HBsAg, anti-HBs, interferon-γ (IFNγ), and interleukin-2 (IL-2), and immunohistochemistry was used to measure the level of HBsAg in the liver. The t-test was used for comparison of continuous data, and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data. Results: Compared with the control group, the experimental group had a significant reduction in HBsAg titer[(243.5±12.4) ng/ml vs 0 ng/ml, t = 3.939, P = 0.011] and significant increases in the levels of anti-HBs [0 ng/ml vs (530.7±17.5) ng/ml, t = 4.414, P = 0.006 9], IFNγ [(12.25±2.9) pg/ml vs (38.8±6.8) pg/ml, t = 2.785, P = 0.049 6], and IL-2 [(11.3±3.5) pg/ml vs (82.3±9.2) pg/ml, t = 2.993, P = 0.040 2]. Conclusion: As for immune response to HBsAg mediated by CD4+ memory T lymphocytes in immunized HBV Tg mice, increases in the levels of IFNγ and IL-2 help to enhance humoral and cellular immunity and mediate the clearance of HBsAg in Tg mice.

[Mutations of genes affecting heart development of Drosophila].

Recent studies suggest that the basic molecular control mechanisms of early heart development are remarkably conserved in Drosophila, vertebrate and human being. Drosophila can be used as a prototype to explore the genetic basis of cardiogenesis in human being. Here, mutations of genes affecting heart development of Drosophila are produced by chemical mutagen methanesulfonicaeid ethyl. With staining of antibody expressed in heart precussor cells of Drosophila, 112 lethal lines were observed to show mutant phenotypes in pericardial cells. Of them, 32 lines differ in their mutant phenotypes from those of known genes. Analysis of cytogenetic mapping shows that they are located in 13 chromosomal regions without known heart-related genes, which implies that these loci contain genes probably involved in the heart development.

The effect of trithiomolybdate and some selenium compounds upon 109Cd labeled rat metallothionein in vitro: the possibilities for cadmium chelation therapy.

The main binding protein for 109Cd was metallothionein after in vitro incubation of various tissue cytosol preparations obtained from rats supplemented with zinc. The exception was heart cytosol where the label was associated with higher molecular weight proteins. The metallothionein-bound 109Cd was sensitive to trithiomolybdate and moved too higher molecular weight proteins, presumably because of the creation of new stronger ligands by the association of thiomolybdate with these proteins. The 109Cd binding was affected by selenate, selenite, and selenide while molybdate, sulphate, and thiosulphate were ineffective. It is proposed that thiomolybdates should be investigated for use in the therapy of in vivo cadmium toxicity because they can remove the accumulated metal from metallothionein.