Management of retroperitoneal sarcoma involving the iliac artery: Single-center surgical experience.

BACKGROUND: Management of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS) involving the iliac artery is challenging and requires the concerted efforts of multidisciplinary team (MDT) members during surgical treatment. AIM: To summarize the clinicopathologic features of RPS involving the iliac artery and our retroperitoneal soft tissue tumor MDT surgical experience. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 15 patients with RPS involving the iliac artery who underwent surgery at our retroperitoneal soft tissue tumor center from July 2004 to June 2020 were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed by Student's t-test with SPSS 16.0. RESULTS: Complete tumor resection (R0/R1) and iliac artery reconstruction were achieved in all 15 patients. All the operations were successful, with no serious complications or perioperative death. Resection with bilateral iliac artery reconstruction required a higher intraoperative blood transfusion volume than resection with unilateral iliac artery reconstruction. Recurrent cases were more likely to bleed and required a higher blood transfusion volume than primary cases. As of January 2021, 11 patients were alive, and 4 had died. Local recurrence occurred in two patients, one of whom developed liver metastasis. CONCLUSION: Resection of RPS involving iliac vessels is feasible and effective when performed by MDT members. Iliac artery oncovascular resection and reconstruction are key to a successful operation. Adequate blood preparation is important for successful completion of surgery.

Overexpression of DSCR1 prevents proliferation and predicts favorable prognosis in colorectal cancer patients.

OBJECTIVES: Down syndrome critical region 1 (DSCR1) is associated with carcinogenesis and tumor growth in several types of malignancy. However, little is known about the role of DSCR1 in CRC progression. The present study aimed to elucidate the clinicopathological significance, prognostic, and function roles of DSCR1 in CRC. METHODS: Firstly, we analyzed DSCR1 expression in 58 paired CRC samples and Oncomine database. Then, we analyzed DSCR1 expression in two independent CRC cohorts (test cohort: n = 70; validation cohort: n = 58) and tested its overall survival (OS) by Kaplan-Meier survival analyses. Finally, we overexpressed DSCR1 in two CRC cell lines DLD1 and LoVo and analyzed its effect on cell cycle and senescence. RESULTS: DSCR1 expression was significantly decreased in CRC samples and associated with clinicopathologic features of CRC patients, such as tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. CRC patients with low expression of DSCR1 had shorter overall survival (OS). Kaplan-Meier survival analyses showed that the expression of DSCR1 was significant factor for OS in both cohorts. Multiple Cox regression analysis showed that DSCR1 expression was an independent prognostic marker for OS in test cohort. Overexpression of DSCR1 isoform 4 (DSCR1-4) increased p21, p16, p-NFAT1, and p-NFAT2, while decreased CDK2, CDK4, and Cyclin D1 in CRC cells. In addition, overexpression of DSCR1-4 prevented proliferation and colony formation, and induced senescence in vitro. Moreover, overexpression of DSCR1-4 inhibited tumor growth and tumor angiogenesis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found high expression of DSCR1 contributes to favorable prognosis of CRC patients and prevents cell cycle and proliferation of CRC cells, indicating a critical tumor suppressive role in CRC progression.

[Application of "Zoning Method" foraminotomy in posterior cervical endoscopic surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the safety, effectiveness and consistency of "Zoning Method" foraminotomy in posterior cervical endoscopic surgery. METHODS: From March 2016 to October 2018, 21 patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy were enrolled. Endoscopic foraminotomy and nucleus pulposus enucleation were performed in the patients. There were 13 males and 8 females, aged from 35 to 56 years old with an average of (47.3±5.1) years. The surgical segment of 6 cases were C4,5, 10 cases were C5,6 and 5 cases were C6,7. The "Zoning Method" was proposed and used to complete the foraminotomy under endoscope, and then to perform nucleus pulposus removal and nerve root decompression. The operation length, intraoperative bleeding volume and complications were recorded, and NDI, VAS were evaluated before operation, 1 day after the operation and 1 week after the operation. RESULTS: All the operations were successful. The operation length was(46.10±26.39) min, intraoperative bleeding volume was (50.10±18.25) ml, and there were no complications such as nerve injury, dural tear or vertebral artery injury. All 21 patients were followed up for 3 to 9 months, with a median of 6 months. Postoperative VAS and NDI were obvious improved (P<0.05);there was significant difference in VAS between postoperative 1 d and 1 week(P<0.05);and there was no significant difference in NDI between postoperative 1 d and 1 week (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Endoscopic foraminotomy with "Zoning Method" is safe clinically significant, and consistent.

Neuroprotective effect of deferoxamine on erastininduced ferroptosis in primary cortical neurons.

The iron chelator deferoxamine has been shown to inhibit ferroptosis in spinal cord injury. However, it is unclear whether deferoxamine directly protects neurons from ferroptotic cell death. By comparing the survival rate and morphology of primary neurons and SH-SY5Y cells exposed to erastin, it was found that these cell types respond differentially to the duration and concentration of erastin treatment. Therefore, we studied the mechanisms of ferroptosis using primary cortical neurons from E16 mouse embryos. After treatment with 50 µM erastin for 48 hours, reactive oxygen species levels increased, and the expression of the cystine/glutamate antiporter system light chain and glutathione peroxidase 4 decreased. Pretreatment with deferoxamine for 12 hours inhibited these changes, reduced cell death, and ameliorated cellular morphology. Pretreatment with the apoptosis inhibitor Z-DEVD-FMK or the necroptosis inhibitor necrostain-1 for 12 hours did not protect against erastin-induced ferroptosis. Only deferoxamine protected the primary cortical neurons from ferroptosis induced by erastin, confirming the specificity of the in vitro ferroptosis model. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee at the Institute of Radiation Medicine of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, China (approval No. DWLL-20180913) on September 13, 2018.

Effect of dietary manganese on antioxidant status and expressions of heat shock proteins and factors in tissues of laying broiler breeders under normal and high environmental temperatures.

To investigate the effect of Mn on antioxidant status and on the expressions of heat shock proteins/factors in tissues of laying broiler breeders subjected to heat challenge, we used a completely randomised design (n 6) with a factorial arrangement of 2 environmental temperatures (normal, 21±1°C, and high, 32±1°C)×3 dietary Mn treatments (a Mn-unsupplemented basal diet (CON), or a basal diet supplemented with 120 mg Mn/kg diet, either as inorganic Mn sulphate (iMn) or as organic Mn proteinate (oMn)). There were no interactions (P>0·10) between environmental temperature and dietary Mn in any of the measured indices. High temperature decreased (P<0·003) Mn content, and also tended (P=0·07) to decrease Cu Zn superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) activity in the liver and heart. However, an increased Mn superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity (P<0·05) and a slight increase in malondialdehyde level (P=0·06) were detected in breast muscle. Up-regulated (P<0·05) expressions of heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) and HSF3 mRNA and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA and protein were found in all three tissues. Broiler breeders fed either iMn or oMn had higher tissue Mn content (P<0·0001), heart MnSOD and CuZnSOD activities (P<0·01) and breast muscle MnSOD protein levels (P<0·05), and lower (P<0·05) breast muscle HSP70 mRNA and protein levels compared with those fed CON. Broiler breeders fed oMn had higher (P<0·03) bone Mn content than those fed iMn. These results indicate that high temperature decreases Mn retention and increases HSP70, HSF1 and HSF3 expressions in the tissues of laying broiler breeders. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with Mn in either source may enhance the heart's antioxidant ability and inhibit the expression of HSP70 in breast muscle. Finally, the organic Mn appears to be more available than inorganic Mn for bone in laying broiler breeders regardless of environmental temperatures.

Overexpression of gelsolin reduces the proliferation and invasion of colon carcinoma cells.

The enhanced motility of cancer cells via the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton is crucial in the process of cancer cell invasion and metastasis. It was previously demonstrated that gelsolin (GSN) may be involved as a tumor or a metastasis suppressor, depending on the cell lines and model systems used. In the present study, the effect of GSN on the growth and invasion of human colon carcinoma (CC) cells was investigated using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. It was observed that upregulation of the expression of GSN in human CC cells significantly reduced the invasiveness of these cells. The expression levels of GSN were observed to be reduced in CC cells, and the reduced expression level of GSN was often associated with a poorer metastasis­free survival rate in patients with CC (P=0.04). In addition, the overexpression of GSN inhibited the invasion of CC cells in vitro. Furthermore, GSN was observed to inhibit signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3 signaling in CC cells. Together, these results suggested that GSN is critical in regulating cytoskeletal events and inhibits the invasive and/or metastatic potential of CC cells. The results obtained in the present study may improve understanding of the functional and mechanistic links between GSN as a possible tumor suppressor and the STAT3 signaling pathway, with respect to the aggressive nature of CC. In addition, the present study demonstrated the importance of GSN in regulating the invasion and metastasis of CC cells at the molecular level, suggesting that GSN may be a potential predictor of prognosis and treatment success in CC.

Effect of dietary manganese on antioxidant status and expression levels of heat-shock proteins and factors in tissues of laying broiler breeders under normal and high environmental temperatures.

To investigate the effect of Mn on antioxidant status and expression levels of heat-shock proteins/factors in tissues of laying broiler breeders subjected to heat challenge, we used a completely randomised design (n 6) with a factorial arrangement of 2 environmental temperatures (normal, 21 (sem 1)°C and high, 32 (sem 1)°C)×3 dietary Mn treatments (an Mn-unsupplemented basal diet (CON), or a basal diet supplemented with 120 mg Mn/kg diet as inorganic Mn sulphate (iMn) or organic Mn proteinate (oMn)). There were no interactions (P>0·10) between environmental temperature and dietary Mn in all of the measured indices. High temperature decreased (P<0·003) Mn content, and also tended (P=0·07) to decrease copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) activity in the liver and heart. However, an increased manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity (P<0·05) and a slight increase of malondialdehyde level (P=0·06) were detected in breast muscle. Up-regulated (P<0·05) expression levels of heat-shock factor 1 (HSF1) and HSF3 mRNA and heat-shock protein 70 (HSP70) mRNA and protein were found in all three tissues. Broiler breeders fed either iMn or oMn had higher tissue Mn content (P<0·0001), heart MnSOD and CuZnSOD activities (P<0·01) and breast muscle MnSOD protein levels (P<0·05), and lower (P<0·05) breast muscle HSP70 mRNA and protein levels than those fed CON. Broiler breeders fed oMn had higher (P<0·03) bone Mn content than those fed iMn. These results indicate that high temperature decreases Mn retention and increases HSP70 and HSF1, HSF3 expression levels in tissues of laying broiler breeders. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with Mn in either source may enhance heart antioxidant ability and inhibit the expression of HSP70 in breast muscle. Finally, the organic Mn appears to be more available than inorganic Mn for bone in laying broiler breeders regardless of environmental temperatures.

Primary colonic melanoma presenting as ileocecal intussusception: case report and literature review.

Primary malignant melanoma originating in the colon is an extremely rare disease. Herein, we report a case of primary melanoma of the ascending colon. The patient was a 57-year-old male who was admitted to our hospital for persistent abdominal pain and episodes of bloody stool, nausea and vomiting. A computed tomography scan revealed lower intestinal intussusception and enlarged lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneum. During laparoscopic operation, multiple enlarged lymph nodes were found. Several segments of the proximal small intestine were incarcerated into the distal small intestine, forming an internal hernia and obstruction. The necrotic terminal ileum was invaginated into the ascending cecum. Subsequently, adhesive internal hernia reduction and palliative right hemicolectomy were performed. Pathologic examination of the excised specimen revealed a polypoid mass in the ascending colon. Histological examination showed epithelioid and spindle tumor cells with obvious cytoplasmic melanin deposition. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells were positive for S-100, HMB-45 and vimentin, confirming the diagnosis of melanoma. The patient history and a thorough postoperative investigation excluded the preexistence or coexistence of a primary lesion elsewhere in the skin, anus or oculus or at other sites. Thus, we consider our case to represent an aggressive primary colon melanoma presenting as ileocecal intussusception and intestinal obstruction.