The impact of neo/adjuvant treatment choices on prognosis for surgically treated small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix.

Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNCC) is a rare and aggressive tumor with a poor prognosis. Surgical resection followed by adjuvant therapy is the standard treatment for early-stage disease but the influence of different neo/adjuvant treatment approaches remains unclear. Retrospectively, we collected patients' characteristics and treatments in two medical centers. Disease status and survival outcomes were renewed through follow-up. Statistics analysis mainly included Kaplan-Meier methods for survival curve estimation, log-rank test for survival curve comparison, and Cox proportional hazards models for independent prognostic factors prediction. Finally, 51 patients treated by radical surgery between January 2010 and April 2020 were enrolled with a median age of 50 years (range: 32-68). 12 (23.5%) patients were at stage IIIC1 according to the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) 2018 staging systems and the rest were at the early stage. The mean tumor size was 3.6±1.3 cm. Pathological examination found 24 cases with pure SCNCC and 27 cases with admixed SCCC. 29 (56.9%) patients had deep stromal infiltration and 19 (37.3%) patients had lymphovascular space invasion. 34 (66.7%) patients received neo/adjuvant chemotherapy and pelvic radiation was conducted in 41 (80.39%) patients with a median dose of 46 Gy (range: 40-50.4 Gy). The median follow-up time was 25.0 months. The median disease-free survival (DFS) time was 23.0 months. 27 (52.9%) patients developed distant metastasis and 14 (27.5%) experienced local failure. The median overall survival (OS) was 32.0 months. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed neoadjuvant chemotherapy as negative (HR=2.081, 95% CI 1.030-4.203, p=0.041) and adjuvant chemotherapy (HR=0.409, 95% CI 0.213-0.784, p=0.020) as positive independent prognostic factor for DFS. For OS, only lymph node metastasis was confirmed as an independent prognostic factor in both univariate analysis (HR=1.528, 95% CI 1.011-2.308, p=0.044) and multivariate analysis (HR=1.697, 95% CI 1.041-2.768, p=0.034). In conclusion, for surgically treated SCNCC, adjuvant chemotherapy showed a positive influence on DFS while neoadjuvant chemotherapy harmed DFS. OS was unaffected by either treatment choice.

Evaluation of the Effect of Preharvest Melatonin Spraying on Fruit Quality of 'Yuluxiang' Pear Based on Principal Component Analysis.

Melatonin (MT), an indoleamine compound, has a pleiotropic effect on plant growth and development and can regulate the quality of tree fruit. Systematic research on the effect of preharvest MT spraying on pear fruit quality and technical solutions for MT application to regulate pear fruit quality are still lacking. Thus, here we aimed to evaluate the effects of different spraying times, concentrations, and exogenous MT application times on 'Yuluxiang' pear fruit quality. Our results showed that the single fruit weight and vertical and horizontal diameters of pear fruit sprayed with MT twice at 30 and 90 d after full bloom were the largest, and the red and green values of the treatment were the highest. MT-treated pears had higher contents of total soluble solids, soluble sugar, sucrose, sorbitol, fructose, and glucose and lower contents of titratable acid, malic acid, and citric acid. Moreover, exogenous MT treatment increased the pear peel strength. Based on the principal component analysis of 10 fruit quality indices, the suitable periods for MT spraying on 'Yuluxiang' pears were 30 and 90 d after full bloom, the suitable concentration was 100 µmol/L, and the suitable number of times was two. This study provides a theoretical reference for optimizing MT application and improving pear fruit quality.

Transcriptome Analysis of the Effects of Grafting Interstocks on Apple Rootstocks and Scions.

Apples are a major horticultural crop worldwide. Grafting techniques are widely utilized in apple production to keep the varieties pure. Interstocks are frequently used in Northern China to achieve intensive apple dwarfing cultivation. High-throughput sequencing was used to investigate differentially expressed genes in the phloem tissues of two different xenograft systems, M ('Gala'/'Mac 9'/Malus baccata (L.) Borkh.) and B ('Gala'/Malus baccata (L.) Borkh.). The results showed that dwarfing interstocks could significantly reduce the height and diameters of apple trees while have few effects on the growth of annual branches. The interstocks were found to regulate the expression of genes related to hormone metabolism and tree body control (GH3.9, PIN1, CKI1, ARP1, GA2ox1 and GA20ox1), these effects may attribute the dwarf characters for apple trees with interstocks. Besides, the interstocks reduce photosynthesis-related genes (MADH-ME4 and GAPC), promote carbon (C) metabolism gene expression (AATP1, GDH and PFK3), promote the expression of nitrogen (N)-metabolism-related genes (NRT2.7, NADH and GDH) in rootstocks, and improve the expression of genes related to secondary metabolism in scions (DX5, FPS1, TPS21 and SRG1). We also concluded that the interstocks acquired early blooming traits due to promotion of the expression of flowering genes in the scion (MOF1, FTIP7, AGL12 and AGL24). This study is a valuable resource regarding the molecular mechanisms of dwarf interstocks' influence on various biological processes and transplantation systems in both scions and rootstocks.

[Effects of different interstocks on the growth, yield, and fruit quality of Hanfu apple]. / ä¸åŒä¸­é—´ç §æœ¨å¯¹å¯’å¯Œè‹¹æžœç”Ÿé•¿ã€äº§é‡å’Œæžœå®žå“è´¨çš„å½±å“.

A field experiment was conducted using Hanfu apple grafted on 10 dwarfing interstocks to evaluate plant growth, yield, and fruit quality of different apple-interstock combinations in Hulu-dao, Liaoning Province, in order to select the most suitable apple-interstock combinations in the study area. The results showed that tree vigor, yield, and fruit quality were largely affected by the interstocks. Among the interstocks evaluated here, plant height, branch numbers, leaf fresh weight, branch fresh weight, root fresh weight, total root volume, average root diameter and total root tip numbers were the largest on GM256, while the highest trunk diameter, branch length, total root length and total root surface area were observed on CX5, the highest fruit firmness, soluble solids and soluble sugar contents were observed on M26, and the highest fruit vertical diameter, transverse diameter and single fruit weight were observed on GM256. The fuzzy evaluation results showed that the comprehensive character scores decreased in order of GM256, CX5, B9, JM7, CG80, Liaozhen 2, M26, Qingzhen 3, SH38 and MD001. Our results indicated that interstock GM256 and CX5 was better for the cold climate region.

Transcription profiles reveal sugar and hormone signaling pathways mediating tree branch architecture in apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) grafted on different rootstocks.

Apple trees grafted on different rootstock types, including vigorous rootstock (VR), dwarfing interstock (DIR), and dwarfing self-rootstock (DSR), are widely planted in production, but the molecular determinants of tree branch architecture growth regulation induced by rootstocks are still not well known. In this study, the branch growth phenotypes of three combinations of 'Fuji' apple trees grafted on different rootstocks (VR: Malus baccata; DIR: Malus baccata/T337; DSR: T337) were investigated. The VR trees presented the biggest branch architecture. The results showed that the sugar content, sugar metabolism-related enzyme activities, and hormone content all presented obvious differences in the tender leaves and buds of apple trees grafted on these rootstocks. Transcriptomic profiles of the tender leaves adjacent to the top buds allowed us to identify genes that were potentially involved in signaling pathways that mediate the regulatory mechanisms underlying growth differences. In total, 3610 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through pairwise comparisons. The screened data suggested that sugar metabolism-related genes and complex hormone regulatory networks involved the auxin (IAA), cytokinin (CK), abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) pathways, as well as several transcription factors, participated in the complicated growth induction process. Overall, this study provides a framework for analysis of the molecular mechanisms underlying differential tree branch growth of apple trees grafted on different rootstocks.

Facile synthesis of rGO-supported AgI-TiO2 mesocrystals with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity.

Facile synthesis of novel rGO-supported AgI decorated TiO2 mesocrystals (AgI-TMCs-rGO) and their photocatalytic activity under visible light irradiation are reported. The catalysts were prepared by combining the hydrothermal reaction process and in situ deposition-precipitation method. The structural features and chemical compositions of the prepared catalysts were investigated by HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy), XRD (x-ray powder diffraction), Raman spectra, XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy), UV-vis DRS (UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra), PLS (photoluminescence spectra), and N2 physisorption measurements. The AgI-TMCs-rGO catalysts featured a large surface area, high adsorption capacity, enhanced photo-induced charge separation and strong absorbance of visible light. The intimate contact of various components and the fast transfer of charge carriers effectively suppresses photolysis of AgI and favors the structural stability of AgI-TMCs-rGO. The photocatalytic activity of the catalysts was evaluated by degrading Rhodamine B (RhB) in an aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The highest photocatalytic activity was observed in the sample 20%Ag-TMCs-rGO, attributed to the synergistic effects of a lower band gap and a lowerrecombination rate of the charge carriers, along with the larger surface area of the fabricated sample.

Treatment results of adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy after radical hysterectomy for low-risk Stage IB1-IIA cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present retrospective analysis was to determine the effectiveness of pelvic radiotherapy (RT) as postoperative adjuvant therapy for low-risk cervical cancer. METHODS: Between June 2003 and April 2011, the clinical data of 225 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Stage IB1-IIA cervical cancer patients with low-risk factors were retrospectively reviewed, to analyze the relationship between adjuvant pelvic RT after radical hysterectomy and tumor recurrence or the patients' survival. RESULTS: The 5-year overall survival (OS) of 225 patients was 91.2% and 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 84.5%. The 5-year DFS and local regional disease-free survival was significantly better for patients in the RT group compared with that in the non-RT group (5-year DFS, 91.2% vs. 77.1%, P = 0.006; 5-year local regional disease-free survival 94.6% vs. 79.0%, P = 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the 5-year OS (92.9% vs. 89.4%, P = 0.371) and distant metastasis-free survival (96.4% vs. 96.5%, P = 0.887) between the two groups. Grade 3-4 treatment-related acute and late toxicities were not significantly different between the two groups. Subgroup analysis shows the 5-year DFS of RT alone, chemotherapy (CT) alone, non-RT/CT, RT and CT was, respectively, 90.5%, 62.9%, 81.4%, 92.5% separately (P = 0.002). The 5-year OS was not significantly different (91.6% vs. 78.2% vs. 92.9% vs. 96.9%, P = 0.887) between the four groups. Performing univariate analysis, postoperative CT was the only significant risk factor for DFS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that postoperative adjuvant pelvic RT has a tendency to improve DFS especially local regional disease-free survival for FIGO Stage IB1-IIA cervical cancer patients with low-risk factors, without increased Grade 3-4 treatment-related acute and late toxicities, but non-standard CT is harmful to the prognosis (DFS) of these patients.

Regulatory effects of WRAP53 on radiosensitivity of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: Telomere length is closely associated with cellular radiosensitivity and WRAP53 is required for telomere addition by telomerase. In this research we assessed radiosensitivity of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma Hep-2 cell lines after WRAP53 inhibition, and analyzed the molecular mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: phWRAP53-siRNA and pNeg-siRNA were constructed and transfected into Hep-2 cells with lipofectamine. Expression of WRAP53 was analyzed by RT-PCR and Western-blottin, radiosensitivity of Hep-2 cells was assessed colony formation assay, and the relative length of telomeres was measured by QPCR. RESULTS: The data revealed that the plasmid of phWRAP53-siRNA was constructed successfully, and the mRNA and protein levels of WRAP53 were both obviously reduced in the Hep-2 cell line transfected with phWRAP53-siRNA. After Hep-2 cells were irradiated with X-rays, the D0 and SF2 were 2.481 and 0.472, respectively, in the phWRAP53-siRNA group, much lower than in the control group (D0 and SF2 of 3.213 and 0.592) (P<0.01). The relative telomere length in the phWRAP53-siRNA group was 0.185±0.01, much lower than in the untreated group (0.523±0.06) and the control group (0.435±0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Decreasing the expression of WRAP53 using RNA interference technique can enhance the radiosensitivity of Hep-2 cell lines by influencing the telomere length. WRAP53 is expected to be a new target to regulate the radiosensitization of tumor cells.