[Research progress on the mechanism of action of mitophagy in the occurrence and development of liver cancer].

Mitophagy, as an important link in maintaining mitochondrial homeostasis and environmental homeostasis in the liver, can remove damaged mitochondria and provide energy through autophagy and other processes. Additionally, it plays a dual role in the occurrence and development of liver cancer and can affect the therapeutic effect of liver cancer through a variety of signaling pathways. This article reviews the relationship between mitophagy and hepatitis B virus infection, liver cancer occurrence and development, liver cancer stem cells, mitochondrial division and fusion, therapeutic resistance and invasiveness of liver cancer, and other aspects.

[Post-tuberculosis lung disease: a neglected disease].

Globally, the number of patients with post-tuberculosis lung disease (PTLD) is huge, with high morbidity and mortality. PTLD is defined as chronic respiratory abnormality that affects large and small airways (bronchiectasis and obstructive lung disease), lung parenchyma, pulmonary vasculature, and pleura and may be complicated, with or without symptoms, attributable at least in part to previous pulmonary tuberculosis. The aforementioned chronic respiratory abnormality may be complicated due to coinfection such as fungi and nontuberculosis mycobacteria. Risk factors for PTLD include multiple episodes of tuberculosis, drug-resistant tuberculosis, delays in diagnosis, smoking, and possible diabetes. Empirical expert opinion advocates preventive anti-tuberculosis treatment for high-risk groups of tuberculosis, early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, surgical treatment for specific groups, pulmonary rehabilitation for patients after tuberculosis treatment, early identification and treatment of co-infection. It is effective to prevent the occurrence of PTLD, improve the treatment effect, and prevent the deterioration of the disease. As a high TB burden country, PTLD has been seriously neglected in China. Internationally, there is currently a lack of epidemiological survey data on post-TB pulmonary disease, and there are few studies on its clinical characteristics, risk factors, prevention, and treatment. With an emerging literature on PTLD, collaborative research is urgently needed to inform our understanding of the natural history, prevention, and treatment of PTLD, and to allow for the development of much needed evidence-based guidelines.

[Association between a novel regulatory genetic variants and lung cancer risk in Chinese: a two-stage case-control study].

Objective: Regulatory quantitative trait loci (regQTL) theory can help to evaluate the regulation function of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on crucial biological signals from a three-dimensional perspective. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of these regQTL-SNPs on the susceptibility of lung cancer. Methods: Based on the regQTL theory, using the database of identified lung cancer regQTL-SNPs, we screened the SNPs that may function as regQTL in the reported susceptible regions of lung cancer by genome-wide association study(GWAS), and a two-stage case-control study was conducted (screening stage: 2 331 lung cancer cases and 3 077 healthy controls; validation stage: 626 lung cancer cases and 667 healthy controls) to definite the association of related regQTL-SNPs with the susceptibility of lung cancer. Results: A total of 8 regQTL-SNPs were screened in the reported susceptible regions of lung cancer by GWAS. Among which, 3 SNPs were significantly associated with the risk of lung cancer (P<0.05) in the screening stage. Further validation results indicated that the variant T allele of rs6998591 in ADRA1A was significantly associated with increased risk of lung cancer (additive model: OR=1.33, 95%CI:1.01-1.74, P=0.040). In addition, the variant G allele of rs11202916 in ACTA2 was significantly associated with decreased risk of lung cancer (recessive model: OR=0.71, 95%CI:0.52-0.96, P=0.026). Stratified analysis indicated that the variant T allele of rs6998591 significantly increased lung squamous cell carcinoma risk (additive model: OR=1.53, 95%CI: 1.01-2.32, P=0.043), while the variant G allele of rs11202916 significantly decreased lung adenocarcinoma risk (additive model: OR=0.83, 95%CI: 0.69-0.98, P=0.031). Gene-environment interaction analysis indicated that the risk of developing lung cancer increased by 235% in smoking individuals carrying rs6998591 variant T allele compared with those non-smoking individuals carrying no rs6998591 variant T allele(OR=3.35,95%CI:2.10-5.34,P<0.001). Conclusion: There are two regQTL-SNPs that could significantly affect the susceptibility of lung cancer in the GWAS reported susceptible regions of lung cancer.

Pralsetinib for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.

The identification of oncogenic drivers and the subsequent development of targeted therapies have been established as biomarker-based care for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Rearranged during transfection (RET) events have been reported to be oncogenic drivers in NSCLC and were more common in patients who i) were young; ii) had adenocarcinoma histology; and iii) had never smoked. Phase II studies indicated the limited efficacy of multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with NSCLC that have a confirmed RET event. Consequently, there has been ongoing research to develop more potent and specific RET tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Recently, a novel and specific RET inhibitor, pralsetinib (BLU-667), has been reported to have excellent efficacy and low off-target toxicity in RET cancer patients. In this review, we summarize the clinical data regarding the use of pralsetinib in NSCLC patients.

[PD-1/PD-L1 expression and its interaction with interferon-γ in Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice at middle and late pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the dynamic expression of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 at the maternal-fetal interface of mice post-infection with Toxoplasma gondii at early pregnancy and examine its interaction with interferon-γ (IFN-γ). METHODS: A total of 20 mice at day 0 of pregnancy were randomly assigned into 4 groups, including the 12-day pregnancy control group (12 dpn group), 12-day pregnancy and infection group (12 dpi group), 18-day pregnancy control group (18 dpn group) and 18-day pregnancy and infection group (18 dpi group), respectively. On the 6th day of the pregnancy, mice in the 12 dpi and 18 dpi groups were injected intraperitoneally with 150 tachyzoites of the T. gondii PRU strain, while mice in the 12 dpn and 18 dpn groups were injected with the same volume of PBS. All mice in the four groups were sacrificed on 12th and 18th day of the pregnancy, and the number of placenta and fetus was counted and the weight of placenta and fetus was measured. Then, the placental and uterine tissues of the pregnant mice in each group were sampled for pathological examinations. The mRNA expression of PD-1, PD-L1, T. gondii surface antigen SAG-1 and IFN-γ genes was quantified using a quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assay, and the correlation between PD-1 and IFN-γ expression was examined. In addition, the 12 dpn group, 12 dpi group, 18 dpn group, 18 dpi group, PBS negative control of the 12 pdi group and PBS negative control of the 18 dpi group were assigned, and the PD-1 expression was determined in the uterine and placenta tissues of the pregnant mice. RESULTS: Adverse pregnant outcomes were seen in mice in the 12 dpi and 18 dpi groups, including placental dysplasia and fetal maldevelopment, and the placental weights and fetal body weights were significantly lower in mice in the 12 dpi and 18 dpi groups than those in the 12 dpn and 18 dpn groups (t = 5.52, 11.44, 12.63 and 11.67, all P < 0.01). The histopathological examinations showed that the decidua and junctional regions of the placental tissues were loosely connected in the 12 dpi and 18 dpi groups, and a large number of inflammatory cells infiltration and congestion were seen in the placental and uterine tissues. qPCR assay detected significant differences in PD-1, PD-L1, IFN-γ and SAG-1 expression in the placental and uterine tissues among the 12 dpn, 12 dpi, 18 dpn and 18 dpi groups (F = 22.48, 51.23, 9.61, 47.49, 16.08, 21.52, 28.66 and 238.90, all P < 0.05), and the PD-1, PD - L1, IFN - γ and SAG - 1 expression was all significantly higher in the placental and uterine tissues of mice in the 12 dpi group than in the 12 dpn group (all P values < 0.05). The PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was significantly lower in the placental tissues of mice in the 18 dpi group than in the 18 dpn group (all P values < 0.05), and the IFN-γ and SAG-1 expression was significantly higher in the placental and uterine tissues of mice in the 18 dpi group than in the 18 dpn group (all P values < 0.05), while the PD-1 and PD-L1 expression was significantly lower in the placental and uterine tissues of mice in the 18 dpi group than in the 12 dpi group (all P values < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed PD-1 expression in the inflammatory cells of the placental tissues of mice in the 12 dpi group, and no apparent PD-1 expression in the 18 dpi group, while strongly positive PD-1 expression was found in the uterine epithelium of mice in the 12 dpi group, and mildly strong expression was in the 18 dpi group. In addition, the IFN-γ mRNA expression was positively correlated with the PD-1 mRNA expression in placental (rs = 0.99, P < 0.01) and uterine tissues of mice in the 12 dpi group (rs = 0.97, P < 0.01) and in placental (rs = 0.82, P < 0.01) and uterine tissues of mice in the 18 dpi group (rs = 0.81, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Following T. gondii infection at early pregnancy, the PD-1 and PD-L1 expression shows a remarkable rise at middle pregnancy and a reduction at late pregnancy in placental and uterine tissues of mice, which appears the same tendency with IFN-γ expression during the same time period, and PD-1 expression positively correlates with IFN-γ expression. The dynamic expression of PD-1 and PD-L1 on the maternal-fetal interface of mice may be mutually mediated by IFN-γ induced by T. gondii infection.

[Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 in mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression and possible role of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) at the maternal-fetal interface following Toxoplasma gondii infection during early pregnancy. METHODS: Twenty pregnant C57BL/6 mice, each weighing 16 to 20 g, were randomly divided into 4 groups, including the 12-d control group, 12-d infection group, 18-d control group and 18-d infection group. Mice in the 12-d and 18-d infection groups were injected intraperitoneally with 150 tachyzoites of the T. gondii PRU strain on day 6 of pregnancy, while mice in the 12-d control and 18-d control groups were injected with the same volume of phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Mice in the control and infection groups were sacrificed on days 12 and 18 of pregnancy, and the placental and uterine specimens of the pregnant mice in each group were sampled for pathological examinations. The mRNA expression of HIF-1α, HIF-1ß and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was quantified using quantitative fluorescent real-time PCR (qPCR) assay in the placental and uterine specimens, and the correlation between HIF-1α and VEGF mRNA expression was examined. In addition, and the HIF-1α expression was detected using immunohistochemical staining in the placental and uterine specimens of pregnant mice. RESULTS: Compared with the 12-d and 18-d control groups, adverse pregnant outcomes were observed in mice in 12-d and 18-d infection groups, such as teratism and placental dysplasia. HE staining showed swelling and blood stasis of cells, sinusoid reduction and inflammatory cell infiltration in the labyrinth area of the placenta specimens of mice in 12-d and 18-d infection groups relative to 12-d and 18-d control groups, and columnar epithelial cell injury and inflammatory cell infiltration were seen in the mouse uterine specimens in both infection groups. qPCR assay detected significantly higher HIF-1α (F = 132.6, P < 0.05) and HIF-1ß mRNA expression (F = 286.9, P < 0.05) in the placental specimens and lower HIF-1α (F = 111.5, P < 0.05) and HIF-1ß mRNA expression (F = 55.2, P < 0.05) in the uterine specimens in the 12-d infection group than in the 12-day control group, and significantly lower HIF-1α and HIF-1ß mRNA expression was detected in the placental and uterine specimens in the 18-d infection group than in the 18-day control group (F = 215.8, 418.9, 156.8 and 200.1; all P values < 0.05). Significantly lower VEGF-A (F = 426.2, P < 0.05), VEGF-B (F = 104.6, P < 0.05) and VEGF-C mRNA expression (F = 566.9, P < 0.05) in the placental specimens and higher VEGF-A (F = 426.2, P < 0.05), VEGF-B (F = 104.6, P < 0.05) and VEGF-C mRNA expression (F = 566.9, P < 0.05) in the uterine specimens were detected in the 12-d infection group than in the 12-d control group, and higher VEGF-A, VEGF-B and VEGF-C mRNA expression was found in the placental and uterine specimens in the 18-d infection group than in the 18-d control group (F = 521.9, 100.6, 275.9, 224.6, 108.2 and 333.4; all P values < 0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed strongly and mildly positive HIF-1α expression in the mouse placental labyrinth area in the 12-d and 18-d infection groups relative to 12-d and 18-d control groups, while no HIF-1α expression was detected in mouse uterine specimens. CONCLUSIONS: HIF-1α expression appears a tendency towards a rise in the second trimester and a reduction in the third trimester in mice following T. gondii infection during early pregnancy, which is contrary to the changing tendency of VEGF-A, VEGF-B, and VEGF-C expression. It is hypothesized that HIF-1α inhibits placental angiogenesis in mice during pregnancy through suppressing VEGF expression, resulting in adverse pregnant outcomes.

Long noncoding RNA DARS-AS1 acts as an oncogene by targeting miR-532-3p in ovarian cancer.

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Long noncoding RNA DARS-AS1 acts as an oncogene by targeting miR-532-3p in ovarian cancer, by K. Huang, W.-S. Fan, X.-Y. Fu, Y.-L. Li, Y.-G. Meng, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (6): 2353-2359. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201903_17379. PMID: 30964159" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17379.

TM4SF1 facilitates non-small cell lung cancer progression through regulating YAP-TEAD pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Transmembrane-4-L- Six-Family-1 (TM4SF1) has been found involved in the development and progression of tumor. This study aims to investigate the effect of TM4SF1 on the proliferation, migration, and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and reveal its underlying mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: qRT-PCR, immunohistochemical analysis, and Western blot were used to evaluate the expression of TM4SF1 in human NSCLC tissues and cells. Cell proliferation was measured by CCK-8 and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry assay. Cell migration and invasion were detected by wound healing and transwell assays. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) assay was used to examine the interactions between proteins. Expression levels of related proteins were determined by Western blot. For in vivo experiment, xenograft tumor models were used. RESULTS: TM4SF1 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines and closely correlated to survival time, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and clinical stage. Gain-of function and loss-of function experiments demonstrated the oncogenic effect of TM4SF1 on NSCLC cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. Notably, mechanism studies showed that TM4SF1 regulated the interaction between YAP and TEAD and the level of downstream target genes. Besides, sh-YAP or Peptide 17 treatment (YAP-TEAD protein-protein interaction inhibitor) reversed the effect of TM4SF1 on NSCLC cells. The in vivo research suggested that the knockdown of TM4SF1 inhibited the growth of xenograft tumor of NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first evidence demonstrating that TM4SF1 could promote proliferation, migration, and invasion in NSCLC, at least partially through a potential YAP-TEAD signaling pathway-dependent mechanism. This study might provide a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NSCLC.

Long noncoding RNA DARS-AS1 acts as an oncogene by targeting miR-532-3p in ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer is one of the most ordinary malignant tumors. Recently, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumor progression has caught attention of numerous researchers. In this research, lncRNA DARS-AS1 was studied to identify how it functions in the development of ovarian cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: DARS-AS1 expression was detected by Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in ovarian cancer tissue samples. Moreover, functional experiments were conducted to detect the effect of DARS-AS1 on the proliferation and metastasis of ovarian cancer. In addition, the underlying mechanism was explored through luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. RESULTS: In this study, DARS-AS1 expression was remarkably higher in ovarian cancer tissues compared with that in adjacent ones. Cell proliferation was inhibited after DARS-AS1 silenced in ovarian cancer cells. Moreover, cell migration and invasion were also inhibited after DARS-AS1 silenced in ovarian cancer cells. Furthermore, results of luciferase assays and RIP assay showed that microRNA-532-3p (miR-532-3p) was a direct target of DARS-AS1 in ovarian cancer. The expression of miR-532-3p was upregulated after DARS-AS1 was knocked down. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that DARS-AS1 enhances cell proliferation and metastasis via sponging miR-532-3p in ovarian cancer.

A regulatory circuit HP1γ/miR-451a/c-Myc promotes prostate cancer progression.

Heterochromatin protein 1γ (HP1γ) has been implicated in carcinogenesis of various cancer types. However, the role of HP1γ in prostate cancer (PCa) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. We found that HP1γ is upregulated in PCa and elevated levels of HP1γ in PCa predict poor outcome. In addition, depletion of HP1γ in PCa cells not only repressed proliferation and induced apoptosis but also impaired tumorigenicity. We also found that c-Myc was capable of upregulating HP1γ by directly binding to the E-box element in the first intron of HP1γ gene, and the upregulated HP1γ, in turn, repressed the expression of miR-451a by enhancing H3K9 methylation at the promoter region of miR-451a. Furthermore, reduction of miR-451a significantly reversed HP1γ loss-induced PCa cell apoptosis, whereas miR-451a overexpression repressed cell survival by targeting and downregulating c-Myc. The association among c-Myc, HP1γ and miR-451a was further confirmed in human clinical samples. Therefore, we propose that an HP1γ/miR-451a/c-Myc regulatory circuitry exists in PCa cells and this circuit has a crucial role in PCa progression.

[MicroRNA-30a inhibits proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells via targeted regulation of forkhead-box protein A1].

Objective: To investigate the expression of microRNA-30a (miR-30a) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and related molecular mechanisms in regulating HCC cell proliferation. Methods: A total of 30 pairs of HCC and adjacent tissue samples were collected, and quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot were used to measure the mRNA and protein expression of forkhead-box protein A1 (FOXA1). Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to evaluate the proliferation of HCC cells, luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to verify the target relationship between miR-30a and FOXA1, and MTT assay and Western blot were used to measure the proliferation of HepG2 cells and the protein expression of FOXA1 after miR-30a transfection. The t-test was used for comparison of data between two groups, and a one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of data between multiple groups. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: HCC tissue had significantly lower relative expression of miR-30a than adjacent tissue (1.049 ± 0.380 vs 1.982 ± 1.013, t = 3.985, P < 0.001). At 72 hours after miR-30a overexpression, there was a significant difference in the proliferative capacity of HepG2 cells between the blank control group, the miR-30a-NC group, and the miR-30a group (0.821 ± 0.006 vs 0.816 ± 0.013 vs 0.546 ± 0.020, F = 3.396, P < 0.05), suggesting that miR-30a overexpression significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells. FOXA1 was a target gene of miR-30a and its protein expression was negatively regulated by miR-30a, and there was a significant difference in luciferase activity between wild-type and mutant FOXA1-3'UTR vectors (1.221 ± 0.024 vs 2.658 ± 0.031, F = 6.737, P < 0.05). In HepG2 cells, miR-30a overexpression significantly inhibited the protein expression of FOXA1, and there was a significant difference in the relative expression of FOXA1 between the blank control group, the miR-30a-NC group, and the miR-30a group (1.019 ± 0.016 vs 1.022 ± 0.017 vs 0.227 ± 0.021, F = 45.43, P < 0.05). Upregulating the protein expression of FOXA1 reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-30a on the proliferation of HepG2 cells, and there was a significant difference in the proliferative capacity of HepG2 cells between the miR-30a group and the miR-30a+FOXA1 group (0.524 ± 0.023 vs 0.843 ± 0.019, t = 2.507, P < 0.05). Conclusion: MiR-30a exerts its inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HCC cells by negatively regulating the expression of FOXA1.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor affects metastasis and prognosis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Although endocrine therapy of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by inhibiting thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) has been used for many years, its mechanism of action is not clear. This study aimed to explore the expression and role of TSH receptor (TSHR) in PTC, to provide a theoretical basis for optimization of endocrine treatment options in PTC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Expression of TSHR was tested by immunohistochemistry of tissues from 150 cases of PTC and 21 normal thyroid tissues. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank analyses, and multivariate analysis was done using a Cox model. The regulatory effects of the TSH-TSHR signal transduction pathway on differentiated thyroid carcinoma cells were explored in vitro. RESULTS: The positive expression rate of TSHR in PTC was 68% (102/150). TSHR expression was an independent factor affecting the prognosis of PTC patients aged > 45 years (p = 0.006), and TSHR might have a role in decreasing distant metastasis (p = 0.024). In vitro experiments showed that up-regulation of TSHR promoted apoptosis of thyroid cancer cells and inhibited metastasis significantly. There was no significant regulatory effect of the TSH-TSHR signal transduction pathway on the proliferation of thyroid carcinoma cells. CONCLUSIONS: TSHR expression is an independent factor that affects the prognosis of PTC patients, and might decrease distant metastasis in patient aged > 45 years. Up-regulation of TSHR could inhibit metastasis and promote apoptosis in PTC cells.

[Preparation of folate-targeted magnetic nanocomposites loaded with TFPI-2 plasmid and cisplatin and evaluation of its targeting and inhibitory effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNE-1 cells in vitro].

OBJECTIVE: To prepare a novel folate-targeted magnetic nanocomposites loaded with tissue facor pathway inhibitor 2 (TFPI-2) and cisplatin (CDDP) and to investigate its targeting ability and anti-tumor effect on nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNE-1 cells in vitro. METHODS: The copolymer folic acid-polyethylene glycol-polyethyleneimine (FA-PEG-PEI) was synthesized through amidation reaction, and then FA-PEG-PEI/ magnetic nanoparticles-CDDP/TFPI-2 (MNP-CDDP/TFPI-2) nanocomposites was obtained by electrostatic adsorption between TFPI-2 plasmid and magnetic nanoparticles loaded with CDDP (MNP-CDDP) with vortex FA-PEG-PEI. (1)H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ((1)H NMR ) was used to determine if FA-PEG-PEI was synthesized. The particle size, zeta potential and morphology were detected by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The content of Fe and CDDP was measured by phenanthroline and o-phenylenediamine (OPDA) colourimetry. Agarose gel electrophoresis was used to analyze the binding ability of FA-PEG-PEI/MNP-CDDP to TFPI-2 plasmid. Molecular targeted uptake of FA-PEG-PEI/ MNP-CDDP/TFPI-2 coupling with green fluorescent protein (GFP) in NPC cells were observed by Prussian-blue iron staining and fluorescence microscope. The levels of TFPI-2 protein expression after transfection were evaluated by Western blot. The effects of nanocomposites on HNE-1 cells proliferation and apoptosis were measured with Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) and flow cytometry. RESULTS: Special peak value of FA, PEG and PEI were showed on (1)H NMR spectrogram. The mean size and zeta potential of FA-PEG-PEI/MNP-CDDP/TFPI-2 were 141.1 nm and 21.5 mV. The nanocomposites showed a good monodispersity and an insufficient size uniformity under TEM. The content of Fe and CDDP were 116.2 µg/ml and 92.88 µg/ml, respectively. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed TFPI-2 could be encapsulated completely and protected from digestion of DNA enzyme as the mass ratio of FA-PEG-PEI/ MNP-CDDP and TFPI-2 plasmid was equal or higher than 1∶1. More blue-stained magnetic granulars and green fluorescence were seen in folate receptor (FR)-positive HNE-1 cells than in FR-negative CNE-2 (P<0.05) under microscope and fluorescence microscope. The level of TFPI-2 protein expression in HNE-1cells increased significantly after transfection by FA-PEG-PEI/ MNP-CDDP/TFPI-2, compared with other control groups (FA-PEG-PEI/MNP-CDDP group and TFPI-2 group), all P<0.05. The nanocomposites inhibitory effect on HNE-1 including cell growth inhibition rate (64.00%) and apoptosis rate (49.61%) were significantly higher than that in FA-PEG-PEI/MNP group (8.19%, 9.26%), FA-PEG-PEI/TFPI-2 group (40.35%, 19.85%) and FA-PEG-PEI/MNP-CDDP group(56.15%, 36.46%)(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: FA-PEG-PEI/MNP-CDDP/TFPI-2 nanocomposites was successfully synthesized using amidation and electrostatic adsorption technology and has a good molecular targeting and inhibitory effect on FR-positive HNE-1cells in vitro.

RUNX1 haploinsufficiency results in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor hypersensitivity.

RUNX1/AML1 is among the most commonly mutated genes in human leukemia. Haploinsufficiency of RUNX1 causes familial platelet disorder with predisposition to myeloid malignancies (FPD/MM). However, the molecular mechanism of FPD/MM remains unknown. Here we show that murine Runx1(+/-) hematopoietic cells are hypersensitive to granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), leading to enhanced expansion and mobilization of stem/progenitor cells and myeloid differentiation block. Upon G-CSF stimulation, Runx1(+/-) cells exhibited a more pronounced phosphorylation of STAT3 as compared with Runx1(+/+) cells, which may be due to reduced expression of Pias3, a key negative regulator of STAT3 signaling, and reduced physical sequestration of STAT3 by RUNX1. Most importantly, blood cells from a FPD patient with RUNX1 mutation exhibited similar G-CSF hypersensitivity. Taken together, Runx1 haploinsufficiency appears to predispose FPD patients to MM by expanding the pool of stem/progenitor cells and blocking myeloid differentiation in response to G-CSF.

Small-molecule inhibitors targeting the DNA-binding domain of STAT3 suppress tumor growth, metastasis and STAT3 target gene expression in vivo.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is constitutively activated in malignant tumors and has important roles in multiple aspects of cancer aggressiveness. Thus targeting STAT3 promises to be an attractive strategy for treatment of advanced metastatic tumors. Although many STAT3 inhibitors targeting the SH2 domain have been reported, few have moved into clinical trials. Targeting the DNA-binding domain (DBD) of STAT3, however, has been avoided due to its 'undruggable' nature and potentially limited selectivity. In a previous study, we reported an improved in silico approach targeting the DBD of STAT3 that resulted in a small-molecule STAT3 inhibitor (inS3-54). Further studies, however, showed that inS3-54 has off-target effect although it is selective to STAT3 over STAT1. In this study, we describe an extensive structure and activity-guided hit optimization and mechanistic characterization effort, which led to identification of an improved lead compound (inS3-54A18) with increased specificity and pharmacological properties. InS3-54A18 not only binds directly to the DBD and inhibits the DNA-binding activity of STAT3 both in vitro and in situ but also effectively inhibits the constitutive and interleukin-6-stimulated expression of STAT3 downstream target genes. InS3-54A18 is completely soluble in an oral formulation and effectively inhibits lung xenograft tumor growth and metastasis with little adverse effect on animals. Thus inS3-54A18 may serve as a potential candidate for further development as anticancer therapeutics targeting the DBD of human STAT3 and DBD of transcription factors may not be 'undruggable' as previously thought.

p16 expression in patients with cervical cancer and its prognostic significance: meta-analysis of published literature.

OBJECTIVES: p16, a tumour suppressor, is unable to express its suppressive effects following interaction with E7-retinoblastoma protein. Previous reports have suggested that p16 immunostaining allows precise identification of cervical intra-epithelial neoplasia and cervical cancer lesions in biopsies. The prognostic value of p16 expression in cervical cancers has been evaluated for several years, but the results remain controversial. As such, the authors undertook a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing the impact of p16 expression on overall survival and disease-free survival. STUDY DESIGN: Medline, Embase and China National Knowledge Infrastructures were searched to identify studies on the prognostic impact of p16 expression in patients with cervical cancer. In total, 1070 patients from 10 eligible studies were included in the analysis. Pooled risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. RESULTS: A significant association was found between p16 expression and increased disease-free survival (RR 0.60; 95% CI 0.44-0.82; p=0.001). However, no significant association was found between p16 and overall survival. CONCLUSION: p16 expression may be predictive of a favourable prognosis in patients with cervical cancer. However, large-scale, multicentre and well-matched cohort studies are warranted to confirm this finding.

SKLB-287, a novel oral multikinase inhibitor of EGFR and VEGFR2, exhibits potent antitumor activity in LoVo colorectal tumor model.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third common cancer and most of the chemotherapies of CRC currently used often suffer limited efficacy and large side effects. Targeted small-molecule by anti-tumor drugs are thought a promising strategy for improving the efficacy and reducing the side effects. In this investigation, we report a novel multikinase inhibitor, termed SKLB-287, which was discovered by us recently. SKLB-287 could efficiently inhibit the activation of endothelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2). It displayed very good anti-proliferative activity against LoVo CRC cells and considerable antiangiogenic potency in transgenic zebrafish embryos. Oral administration of SKLB-287 resulted in dose-dependent suppression of tumor growth in LoVo xenograft mouse model. Immunohistochemistry was adopted to examine the in vivo anti-tumor mechanism of action of SKLB-287.

Health-related quality of life of trauma patients after intensive care: a 2-year follow-up study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in trauma patients 2 years after discharge from an intensive care unit (ICU) in Zunyi, China, and to investigate the possible determinants of HRQOL. METHODS: A total of 436 trauma patients treated in the ICU were followed up for 2 years. The Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) was used to measure the quality of life 1 and 2 years after their discharge. RESULTS: After a 2-year follow-up, there were, in total, 347 (79.6%) survivors. From 1 to 2 years after discharge, the HRQOL improved in one physical health domain and three mental health domains. Logistic regression showed that female patients had lower mental component summary (MCS) scores (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2-3.0). Patients older than 40 years had lower scores in the physical component summary (PCS) (OR = 1.7, 95% CI: 1.1-2.7). Patients who stayed in the ICU for longer than 7 days had lower PCS scores (OR = 1.6, 95% CI: 1.0-2.5). The association between head injury and low MCS scores was statistically significant (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1-2.9). Patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 24 had lower scores in the PCS (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-3.1). CONCLUSIONS: The HRQOL of a group of Chinese trauma patients after ICU treatment improved from 1 to 2 years after discharge. Age, sex, length of ICU stay, ISS, and existence of head injury were associated with physical or mental HRQOL after discharge. Further studies with more measurements and larger sample sizes are still warranted.