Comprehensive analysis of basement membrane-related gene based on single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing data to predict prognosis and evaluate immune characteristics in colorectal cancer.

AIMS: Basement membrane-related genes (BMs) participate in regulating cell polarity, invasion, metastasis, and survival across different tumor types. Nevertheless, the specific functions of BMs in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain uncertain. METHODS: To investigate the clinical relevance of BMs in CRC, we retrieved both gene expression and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) datasets for subsequent analysis. The Kaplan-Meier (K-M) survival curve was employed to evaluate prognosis in high- and low-risk groups. Furthermore, additional analyses, including nomogram construction, functional enrichment, examination of the tumor immune microenvironment, prediction of small-molecule drugs, and more, were conducted to delve into the significance of BM-related signatures in CRC. Single-cell data from seven CRC patients were obtained from the TISCH2 database, and expression validation and cell source exploration of BM-related signatures were performed. Lastly, the expression and function of TIMP1, a key gene in BMs that may play a role in the progression of CRC, was validated in vitro through a series of basic experiments. RESULTS: We constructed a seven BMs-based model to categorize CRC patients into high-risk and low-risk groups. K-M survival analysis indicated a poorer prognosis for high-risk CRC patients. Cox regression analysis further identified the risk score as an independent prognostic factor for CRC patients. The nomogram model exhibited superior discrimination and calibration abilities of CRC patients. Based on the results from GO/KEGG and GSEA, genes in the high-risk subgroup were implicated in immune-related pathways and exhibited a positive correlation with immune checkpoints. In single-cell data, we found that TIMP1 is highly expressed in many cells, especially in malignant tumor cells. We also observed up-regulation of TIMP1 in CRC cell lines, promoting cancer invasion and migration in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: Our study has discovered a novel prognostic index derived from BM-related genes in CRC patients. Specifically, the new model enables patient stratification, improving the selection of individuals likely to benefit from immunotherapy.

Identification of a Novel Tumor Inflammation Signature for Risk Stratification, Prognosis Prediction, and Immune Status in Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Inflammation and immune cell dysfunction have been widely known as an essential role in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Yet, the role of tumor inflammation signature (TIS) associated with CRC prognosis, immune infiltration, and drug resistance remained unknown. Method: The transcriptome sequencing data, as well as clinical data of CRC from the public dataset, were acquired for further investigation. Inflammation-related gene expression patterns were obtained and analyzed. Bioinformatics methods were used to build a prognostic TIS, and its prediction accuracy was verified by using ROC curve analyses. The independent prognostic factors in CRC were identified through multivariable Cox regression analysis. In addition, the specific features of the immunological landscape between low- and high-risk CRC cohorts were analyzed. Results: We firstly screened the differentially expressed inflammation-related genes in CRC and constructed a prognostic TIS. We further classified CRC patients into high or low TIS score groups based on the optimal cutoff of prognostic TIS, and patients with high-risk scores had shorter overall survival (OS) than those in the low-risk cohort. The diagnostic accuracy of TIS was evaluated and confirmed with ROC analysis. The result of the univariate and multivariate analysis found that TIS was directly and independently linked to OS of CRC. Otherwise, an optimal nomogram model based on TIS exhibited a better prognostic accuracy in OS. Finally, the immunological status and immune cell infiltration were observed different in the two-risk cohorts. Conclusion: In summary, the risk model of the TIS in CRC was found to be useful for predicting patient prognosis and guiding individual treatment. This risk signature could also serve as potential biomarkers and immunotherapeutic targets and indicate immunotherapy response for patients with CRC.

Phosphorus immobilization in water and sediment using iron-based materials: A review.

As an essential element for life, phosphorus (P) is very important for organisms. However, excessive P in water and sediment can cause eutrophication, which poses a potential risk to drinking water safety and the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, effective phosphorus-control in water and sediment is the key strategy to control eutrophication. Iron-based materials exhibit high efficiency for P immobilization due to their strong affinity with P, low cost, easy availability, and environmentally friendliness. They are promising materials for controlling P in application. This work comprehensively summarizes the recent advances on P immobilization in water and sediment by different iron-based materials, including iron (hydr)oxides, iron salts, zero-valent iron and iron-loaded materials. This review is focused on the mechanism of the processes and how they are impacted by major influencing factors. The combination of iron-containing materials with other assisting materials is a good strategy to enhance P-fixation efficiency and selectivity. Finally, the current challenges and prospects of P-control technologies based on iron-containing materials are proposed. This review provides a systemic theoretical and experimental foundation for P-immobilization in water and sediment using iron-based materials.

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Is a Risk Factor for the Development of Diabetic Nephropathy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is prevalent in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is also associated with T2DM. However, little is known about the interaction between these conditions in patients with T2DM. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between NAFLD and DN in patients with T2DM. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients seen between January 2006 and July 2014.T2DM patients were divided into two groups based on NAFLD status (with NAFLD = group A; without = group B). The cumulative incidence of DN and chronic kidney disease (CKD) staging were compared between the two groups. Liver fat content was examined in some patients. Associations among NAFLD, other factors,and DN were analyzed by the additive interaction method. RESULTS: Cumulative incidence of DN in patients from group A (58.58%) was higher than in group B (37.22%) (P = 0.005). In both groups, the number of DN patients with CKD stage 1 was greater than the number of patients with stages 2-5. Increased liver fat content was associated with increased occurrence of severe and mild albuminuria and decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR). There were positive correlations between NAFLD and insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), free fatty acids (FFA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), omentin-1, visceral fat area, homocysteine (HCY), and serum uric acid (UA). CONCLUSION: NAFLD might be a risk factor for DN. Elevated liver fat content could be associated with higher DN burden.

[Clinical value of PET in identifying cervical nodal metastases of tongue cancer: a comparison with CT/MRI and clinical palpation in 38 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of PET in the identification of cervical nodal metastases of tongue cancer in comparison with CT/MRI and clinical palpation. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with tongue cancer underwent PET and CT/MRI within 2 weeks before surgery. The results of PET, CT/MRI, and clinical palpation were interpreted separately to assess the regional lymph node status, using histopathological analysis as the golden standard. The differences in the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy among the imaging modalities and clinical palpation were analyzed. RESULTS: The sensitivity of PET for nodal metastasis identification was 11.1% higher than that of CT/MRI (83.3% vs 72.2%, P=0.423) and 16.6% higher than that of clinical palpation (83.3% vs 66.7%, P=0.248). The specificity of PET was 5% higher than that of CT/MRI (80% vs 75%, P=0.703) and 15% higher than that of clinical palpation (80% vs 65%, P=0.288). The accuracy of PET, CT/MRI, and clinical palpation in identifying cervical nodal metastases was 81.6%, 73.7% and 65.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PET for detecting cervical nodal metastases are greater than those of CT/MRI and clinical palpation. Although the results failed to show statistically significant differences, we still recommend that PET be used as a supplementary modality for identifying nodal metastases of tongue cancer.

[Clinical application of positron-emission tomography for the identification of cervical nodal metastases of head and neck cancer compared with CT or MRI and clinical palpation].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of positron-emission tomography (PET) for the identification of cervical nodal metastases of head and neck cancer compared with CT/MRI and clinical palpation. METHODS: Forty patients of head and neck cancer underwent PET and CT/MRI examination 2 weeks before surgery. PET, CT/MRI and clinical palpation were interpreted separately to assess regional lymph node status. Histopathologic analysis was used as the gold standard for assessment of the lymph node involvement. Differences in sensitivity, specificity and accuracy among the imaging modalities and clinical palpation were analyzed. RESULTS: The sensitivity of PET for the identification of nodal metastases was 14.3% higher than that of CT/MRI (P = 0.648) and 14.3% higher than that of clinical palpation (P = 0.648), whereas the specificity of PET was 15.4% higher than that of CT/MRI (P = 0.188) and 7.7% higher than that of clinical palpation (P = 0.482). The accuracy of 18F-FDG PET, CT/MRI, and clinical palpation for the identification of cervical nodal metastases was 85.0%, 70.0% and 75.0% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of PET for the detection of cervical nodal metastases was higher than that of CT/MRI and clinical palpation. Although the results did not show a statistically significant difference, PET can still serve as a supplementary method for the identification of nodal metastases of head and neck cancer.