Construction of a fatty acid metabolism-related gene signature for predicting prognosis and immune response in breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer has the highest incidence among malignant tumors in women, and its prevalence ranks first in global cancer morbidity. Aim: This study aimed to explore the feasibility of a prognostic model for patients with breast cancer based on the differential expression of genes related to fatty acid metabolism. Methods: The mRNA expression matrix of breast cancer and paracancer tissues was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. The differentially expressed genes related to fatty acid metabolism were screened in R language. The TRRUST database was used to predict transcriptional regulators related to hub genes and construct an mRNA-transcription factor interaction network. A consensus clustering approach was used to identify different fatty acid regulatory patterns. In combination with patient survival data, Lasso and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression models were used to establish polygenic prognostic models based on fatty acid metabolism. The median risk score was used to categorize patients into high- and low-risk groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to analyze the survival differences between both groups. The Cox regression analysis included risk score and clinicopathological factors to determine whether risk score was an independent risk factor. Models based on genes associated with fatty acid metabolism were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves. A comparison was made between risk score levels and the fatty acid metabolism-associated genes in different subtypes of breast cancer. The differential gene sets of the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes for screening high- and low-risk populations were compared using a gene set enrichment analysis. Furthermore, we utilized CIBERSORT to examine the abundance of immune cells in breast cancer in different clustering models. Results: High expression levels of ALDH1A1 and UBE2L6 prevented breast cancer, whereas high RDH16 expression levels increased its risk. Our comprehensive assessment of the association between prognostic risk scoring models and tumor microenvironment characteristics showed significant differences in the abundance of various immune cells between high- and low-risk breast cancer patients. Conclusions: By assessing fatty acid metabolism patterns, we gained a better understanding of the infiltration characteristics of the tumor microenvironment. Our findings are valuable for prognosis prediction and treatment of patients with breast cancer based on their clinicopathological characteristics.

A Comprehensive Prognostic and Immune Analysis of Ferroptosis-Related Genes Identifies SLC7A11 as a Novel Prognostic Biomarker in Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is still one of the illnesses with the greatest mortality and morbidity. As a recently identified mode of cellular death, the activation of ferroptosis may promote the effectiveness of antitumor therapies in several types of tumors. However, the expression and clinical significance of Ferroptosis-associated genes in LUAD are still elusive. The RNA sequencing data of LUAD and relevant clinical data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets. Subsequently, potential prognostic biomarkers were determined by the use of biological information technology. The R software package "ggalluvial" was applied to structure Sanguini diagram. Herein, our team screened 14 dysregulated ferroptosis-associated genes in LUAD. Among them, only four genes were associated with clinical outcome of LUAD patients, including ATP5MC3, FANCD2, GLS2, and SLC7A11. In addition, we found that high SLC7A11 expression predicted an advanced clinical progression in LUAD patients. Additionally, 8 immune checkpoint genes and 7 immune cells for LUAD were recognized to be related to the expression of SLC7A11. KEGG assays indicated that high expression of SLC7A11 might participate in the modulation of intestinal immune network for IgA generation and Staphylococcus aureus infection. Overall, our findings revealed that SLC7A11 might become a potentially diagnostic biomarker and SLC7A11 might serve as an independent prognosis indicator for LUAD.

Characterized cantharidin distribution and related gene expression patterns in tissues of blister beetles, Epicauta chinensis.

Cantharidin (CTD), a terpenoid defensive toxin mainly produced by blister beetles, is widely known by its toxicity to both cancer cells and pests. However, little information is known about its biosynthesis in blister beetles. In this study, first we determined the CTD content in various tissues of adult blister beetles on different days after mating, and then detected the temporal and spatial expression patterns of genes related to CTD biosynthesis in Epicauta chinensis. Results revealed that the accessory gland is the source of the highest CTD production. The second highest level was in the fat body in male blister beetles after mating. In females, the highest CTD content was in the reproductive system except the ovary after mating. As revealed by messenger RNA expression level analysis, the highest levels of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutary-CoA reductase (HMGR) and juvenile hormone epoxide hydrolase (JHEH) transcripts of E. chinensis were observed in the fat body in males after mating. However, the highest transcript level of EcHMGR was in the ovary and EcJHEH was maintained at a nearly similar level in females. The transcript level of methyl-farnesoate epoxide was significantly higher in the head and that of CYP4BM1 in the midgut in both male and female E. chinensis. We speculate that the fat body may play a more important role than other tissues on the CTD biosynthesis in male E. chinensis after mating. There may be multiple tissues involved in the process of CTD biosynthesis. These four genes probably play regulatory roles in different tissues in males.

Recurrence of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema and sustained hypotension shock in cystic pheochromocytoma.

Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor which derives from chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland or relevant to sympathetic nerves and ganglia. The clinical features of pheochromocytoma are various. Paroxysmal episodes of serious hypertension, headache, palpitation, and diaphoresis are the typical manifestations (Bravo, 2004). Hypotension shock, pulmonary edema, and acute coronary syndrome induced by pheochromocytoma are uncommon (Malindretos et al., 2008; Batisse-Lignier et al., 2015). In this study, we present a rare case of cystic pheochromocytoma causing recurrent hypotension shock, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, and acute coronary syndrome, and the possible mechanisms are discussed.