Enhancing iron content and growth of cucumber seedlings with MgFe-LDHs under low-temperature stress.

The development of cost-effective and eco-friendly fertilizers is crucial for enhancing iron (Fe) uptake in crops and can help alleviate dietary Fe deficiencies, especially in populations with limited access to meat. This study focused on the application of MgFe-layered double hydroxide nanoparticles (MgFe-LDHs) as a potential solution. We successfully synthesized and characterized MgFe-LDHs and observed that 1-10 mg/L MgFe-LDHs improved cucumber seed germination and water uptake. Notably, the application of 10 mg/L MgFe-LDHs to roots significantly increased the seedling emergence rate and growth under low-temperature stress. The application of 10 mg/L MgFe-LDHs during sowing increased the root length, lateral root number, root fresh weight, aboveground fresh weight, and hypocotyl length under low-temperature stress. A comprehensive analysis integrating plant physiology, nutrition, and transcriptomics suggested that MgFe-LDHs improve cold tolerance by upregulating SA to stimulate CsFAD3 expression, elevating GA3 levels for enhanced nitrogen metabolism and protein synthesis, and reducing levels of ABA and JA to support seedling emergence rate and growth, along with increasing the expression and activity of peroxidase genes. SEM and FTIR further confirmed the adsorption of MgFe-LDHs onto the root hairs in the mature zone of the root apex. Remarkably, MgFe-LDHs application led to a 46% increase (p < 0.05) in the Fe content within cucumber seedlings, a phenomenon not observed with comparable iron salt solutions, suggesting that the nanocrystalline nature of MgFe-LDHs enhances their absorption efficiency in plants. Additionally, MgFe-LDHs significantly increased the nitrogen (N) content of the seedlings by 12% (p < 0.05), promoting nitrogen fixation in the cucumber seedlings. These results pave the way for the development and use of LDH-based Fe fertilizers.

A retrospective study on the efficacy and safety of Envafolimab, a PD-L1 inhibitor, in the treatment of advanced malignant solid tumors.

Envafolimab, a PD-L1 inhibitor, has demonstrated potential in treating advanced malignant solid tumors (AMST). To study its' efficacy and safety in AMST, our retrospective study recruited 64 patients with various AMST, and treated with Envafolimab (400 mg every 3 weeks). We divided the patients into two cohorts: Cohort 1 (25 patients) receiving Envafolimab as first-line therapy, and Cohort 2 (39 patients) receiving it as second-line or subsequent therapy. Our analysis focused on Envafolimab's efficacy and safety. Over a median follow-up of 7.1 months, Cohort I reported a Disease Control Rate (DCR) of 72.0% and an Objective response rate (ORR) of 12.0%, while Cohort II had a DCR of 51.3% and an ORR of 5.1%. Notably, patients with more than four treatment cycles showed higher DCR and longer Progression-Free Survival (PFS) than those with fewer cycles. Adverse events were observed in 68.8% of patients, with severe events (CTCAE grade 3/4) in 14.1%. Most adverse events were mild, leading to treatment discontinuation in only 3.1% of patients, with no life-threatening events reported. In summary, Envafolimab is a safe and effective treatment for AMST, in both initial and later therapy stages, particularly with extended treatment duration, meriting further clinical trials.

Expression changes of ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic breast cancer and its clinical significance.

Objective: To explore the altered expression of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and cell proliferation index (Ki-67) in primary and metastatic breast cancer lesions and the correlation between the primary tumor size, lymph node metastasis, Tumor Node Metastasis (TNM) stage, molecular typing, and disease-free survival (DFS) and their clinical significance. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 130 patients with metastatic breast cancer biopsy admitted to the Cancer Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University in Hefei, China, from 2014-2019. The altered expression of ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic lesions of breast cancer was analyzed with respect to the site of metastasis, size of the primary tumor, lymph node metastasis, disease progression, and prognosis. Results: The inconsistent expression rates of ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic lesions were 47.69%, 51.54%, 28.10%, and 29.23%, respectively. The size of the primary lesion was not, but that accompanied by lymph node metastasis was related to the altered receptor expression. Patients with positive ER and PR expression in both primary and metastatic lesions had the longest DFS, while those with negative expression had the shortest DFS. Also, changes in HER2 expression in primary and metastatic lesions were not associated with DFS. Patients with low expression of Ki-67 in both primary and metastatic lesions had the longest DFS, while patients with high expression had the shortest DFS. Conclusion: Heterogeneity was detected in the expression levels of ER, PR, HER2, and Ki-67 in the primary and metastatic breast cancer lesions, which has a guiding significance for the treatment and prognosis of patients.

Anlotinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine as first-line treatment prolongs survival in patients with unresectable or metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a retrospective cohort.

Background: The timely addition of anlotinib to the nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine regimen may further increase the treatment efficacy for pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which has not yet been reported. Therefore, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of anlotinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine in the first-line treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic PDAC. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort of patients with unresectable or metastatic PDAC performed in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from August 17, 2019 to April 3, 2021. Patients who received anlotinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine treatment were defined as the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group and patients who received nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine were defined as the chemotherapy group. The primary outcomes were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Secondary outcomes were the objective response rate (ORR), the disease control rate (DCR), and toxic side effects. Clinical data and follow-up information were mainly obtained from hospital records or by telephone. Results: A total of 33 patients were included in this study, with 17 cases in the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group and 16 cases in the chemotherapy group. The median PFS (mPFS) of the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group was 5 months while the mPFS of the chemotherapy group was 2.7 months (P=0.0220). The median OS (mOS) of the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group was 9 months while the mOS of the chemotherapy group was 6 months (P=0.0060). The 3-month and 6-month PFS, and the 6- and 12-month OS of the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group were significantly higher than those of the chemotherapy group (P<0.05). The proportion of patients with hematological toxicities in the anlotinib plus chemotherapy group was not significantly higher than that in the chemotherapy group. Conclusions: Anlotinib plus nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine as a first-line treatment regimen is safe and may prolong survival compared with nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine chemotherapy in patients with unresectable or metastatic PDAC. Randomized controlled trials with large sample sizes are warranted to further evaluate the treatment effects of anlotinib in PDAC. Keywords: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC); anlotinib; nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine; progression-free survival (PFS); overall survival (OS).

Safety and efficacy of sintilimab combination therapy for the treatment of 48 patients with advanced malignant tumors.

Background: Sintilimab is a recombinant fully human anti-programmed death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody that blocks the interaction of PD-1 with its ligand. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of sintilimab combined with chemotherapy and targeted therapy in the treatment of advanced malignant tumors. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical data of patients with advanced malignant tumors treated with sintilimab combined with chemotherapy and targeted therapy admitted to the Third Ward of the Department of Medical Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, China, from July 2019 to February 2021. The objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and related adverse reactions were analyzed. Results: A total of 48 patients with advanced malignant tumors treated with sintilimab combined with chemotherapy and targeted therapy. All 48 patients completed 2 courses of treatment, and the ORR and DCR were 20.83% and 81.25%. The median PFS for all patients in this study was 7 months, and the median OS was not yet reached. The median PFS for the first-line and second-line patients was 10 months, and the median OS was not yet reached. The median PFS for third-line and beyond patients was 7 months, and the median OS was 10 months. The differences in PFS and OS were both statistically significant. Adverse events occurred in 24 patients, of which 18 patients had grade I-II adverse events and 6 patients had grade III-IV adverse events. Conclusions: Sintilimab is an inexpensive PD-1 drug produced in China. Sintilimab combination therapy showed good safety in the treatment of advanced malignant tumors, with increases in the treatment efficacy and DCR for advanced tumors. Because of few adverse reactions and proven efficacy, sintilimab combination therapy can be used as an option for the treatment of advanced malignant tumors.

Downregulation of SPARC Expression Decreases Cell Migration and Invasion Involving Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition through the p-FAK/p-ERK Pathway in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is an extracellular glycoprotein overexpressed in various malignancies, including esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and is involved in tumor development and progression. This study was initially designed to investigate the biological roles of SPARC in ESCC cell lines by silencing SPARC expression. Methods: The expression of SPARC was examined in eight human ESCC cell lines. Eca109 and HKESC cell lines with high SPARC expression were selected and transiently transfected with SPARC-targeted small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and subsequently evaluated its impact on cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro, as well as the underlying mechanism. Results: Knockdown of SPARC by the specified siRNAs in Eca109 and HKESC cell lines resulted in dramatically downregulation of SPARC expression, and significantly decreased cell migration and invasion involving epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. Moreover, SPARC-targeted siRNA reduced the activation of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK) and extracellular regulated protein kinase (p-ERK). Furthermore, downregulation of either FAK or SPARC expression with specified siRNAs inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK and inhibited cell migration and invasion. However, decreased SPARC expression showed no impact on cell proliferation, survival or apoptosis of Eca109 and HKESC cells when comparing to control transfected groups. Conclusions: These results demonstrated that downregulation of SPARC could decrease cell migration and invasion involving EMT via the p-FAK/p-ERK pathway that might serve as a novel therapeutic target against ESCC.

Clinical efficacy analysis of Osimertinib treatment for a patient with leptomeningeal metastasis of EGFR+ non-small cell lung cancer without the T790M mutation.

BACKGROUND: To find the method of therapy of leptomeningeal metastasis (LM) to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient with EGFR mutation (EGFR+) but without T790M mutation. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was reviewed for 5 NSCLC patients with EGFR+ who develop to LM from January 2018 to February 2019 in our hospital. RESULTS: All five NSCLC cases were adenocarcinoma, four cases were verified existed EGFR mutation with 19 exon deletion in the first diagnosed by biopsy tissue, the other tissue was verified 21 exon mutation. Two cases were initially diagnosed with LM, and the other three cases were found metastasis with leptomeningeal respectively after 64, 3 and 4 months when the lung cancer was diagnosed. There were not verified to exist T790M mutation with EGFR+ when all the five cases developed to LM. The major symptom was headache and blurred vision. In the image scanning, two cases were not revealed, but other three cases show that multiple metastatic lesions with brain and meninges. All patients were identified existed adenocarcinoma cells in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Four cases were treated by the first epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) and joint therapy including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the other case was treated by temozolomide and intrathecal chemotherapy in their earlier therapy. The curative effect was significant when they took osimertinib orally 80 mg once a day, for the disease progressing. The neurological symptoms were relieved in patient about 5-10 days after osimertinib treatment. The remission time was 10, 7, 7, 5, 4 months respectively until last following time to June 2019. The survival time was respectively 74, 7, 27, 18, and 4 months. The side effects were not increased. CONCLUSIONS: Whether EGFR+ with T790M mutation was positive or negative, osimertinib is an effective drug and can improve quality of life and prolong the survival for NSCLC patient with EGFR mutation to progress LM.

Oxaliplatin-Based Regimen is Superior to Cisplatin-Based Regimen in Tumour Remission as First-line Chemotherapy for Advanced Gastric Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: This study was initially designed to examine whether oxaliplatin-based regimen was superior to cisplatin-based regimen in tumour remission as first-line chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (GC). Methods: Literature in EMBASE, PUBMED, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) was searched. Only phase II or III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effectiveness and safety between oxaliplatin-based and cisplatin-based regimens as first-line treatment for advanced GC were selected. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. The primary endpoints were complete remission rate (CRR), partial remission rate (PRR), objective response rate (ORR), and disease control rate (DCR). The second endpoint was the toxicity response. Results: 2,140 patients from six phase II or III RCTs were included. Compared to cisplatin-based therapy, subjects who received oxaliplatin-based treatment had significantly higher PRR (OR: 1.25, 95%CI: 1.05-1.48, P=0.01, I2=0%), ORR (OR: 1.21, 95%CI: 1.02-1.44, P=0.03, I2=0%) and DCR (OR: 1.76, 95%CI: 1.31-2.38, P=0.0002, I2=25%), but not CRR (OR: 0.70, 95%CI: 0.37-1.31, P=0.27, I2=0%). In addition, oxaliplatin-based therapy significantly decreased all grades of leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia, febrile neutropenia, nausea, stomatitis, creatinine elevation and thromboembolism, as well as grades 3-4 of leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia and febrile neutropenia than cisplatin-based regimen. However, oxaliplatin-based treatment strikingly increased the risk of thrombocytopenia, sensory neuropathy, diarrhea, fatigue and liver dysfunction. Conclusions: Oxaliplatin-based regimen is superior to cisplatin-based regimen in tumour remission as first-line chemotherapy for advanced GC, and is associated with less toxicity and better tolerability.

Prognostic Value of the Expression of DNA Repair-Related Biomarkers Mediated by Alcohol in Gastric Cancer Patients.

Alcohol consumption likely induces gastric carcinogenesis through deregulation of RNA polymerase (Pol) III genes and oxidative damage. Transcription factor IIB-related factor 1 (BRF1) overexpression alleviates RNA Pol III transcription inhibition through breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1). Myeloperoxidase (MPO) involvement in cancer is induced by alcohol-mediated oxidative damage. BRCA1/2 and MPO play key roles in DNA repair. BRCA1 and BRCA2 exert different roles in homologous recombination repair. By using human gastric cancer (GC) biopsies, we investigated the prognostic value of these proteins upon alcohol induction. In total, high expression of BRF1 (P = 0.010) and positive cell infiltration of MPO (P = 0.004) in tumor tissues as well as positive expression of BRCA1 (P < 0.001) in para-tumor tissues were more frequent in GC patients with hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption habits. BRF1 (P = 0.021), BRCA2 (P < 0.001), and MPO (P = 0.039) were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. BRCA1 (P = 0.005) and BRCA2 (P < 0.001) also were identified as independent prognostic factors for overall survival. Furthermore, BRCA2 was an independent unfavorable prognostic factor for disease-free survival and overall survival (P < 0.001) in GC patients who underwent platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy. BRF1, BRCA1/2, and MPO are DNA repair-related biomarkers, induced by alcohol with prognostic value in GC patients.

Sarcoidosis in gastric cancer at the time of diagnosis: A case report.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic inflammatory disease that commonly affects the lungs and lymphatic system and is characterized by the formation of non-caseating granulomas. Although the association between sarcoidosis and malignant diseases has been well described, it remains controversial whether this association is merely a coincidence or the consequence of a common pathophysiological mechanism. The present study reports a rare case of sarcoidosis that was present in a patient with gastric cancer at the time of diagnosis. A 64-year-old female diagnosed with stage I gastric cancer underwent curative surgery, and the postoperative pathology of the lymph nodes revealed non-caseating granulomas. At the 4-year follow-up, the sarcoidosis remained stable, and no recurrence of cancer was identified. The present case revealed that sarcoidosis and gastric cancer may coexist simultaneously and focused on the potential advantages of histological confirmation in patients with cancer and sarcoidosis.

[Study on Trace Water Influence on Electrical Properties of Insulating Oil Based on the Mid-Infrared Spectrum Analysis].

Trace water has a significant impact on the electrical performances of the insulating oil, such as the dielectric loss factor, resistivity. So there is an important significance to investigate the influence of insulating oil by trace water, and monitor its operating status with effective measures. First, it is necessary to prepare the insulating oil samples with different water content and treat them 8 hours with ultrasonic oscillator, and observe microscopic images about the water-oil mixtures in order to study their relative uniformity and stable time, in the way it can be concluded that the relative uniformity can be kept favorable during the 25 min stable time for free water and emulsification water in oil; Based on this conclusion, the dielectric loss factor, resistivity were tested and the electrical performances of insulating oil with different water content in oil can obtained by analyzing these data; Then, the absorbance value of the different water content in oil at the spectral wave number of 1 640, 3 400, 3 450, 3 615 cm(-1), with the mid-infrared spectral scanning and analyzing to the different water content in oil, Therefore, combined the water absorbance values by the mid-infrared spectral scanning and analyzing with the experimental data of dielectric loss factor value, resistivity value of oil samples. The results shows that the absorbance value of the different water content in oil has a significant difference at the spectral wave number of 1 640, 3 400, 3450, 3 615 cm(-1), their correlation coefficient are 0.964 1, 0.984 8, 0.984 5, 0.944 0 between the absorbance value and water content at the spectral wave number of 1 640, 3 400, 3 450, 3 615 cm(-1), it can be obtained that the absorbance value of sample of moisture in the corresponding characteristic wave number can better reflect the change trend of water content; there is the highly relative of water absorbance values at the spectral wave number of 3 400 and 3 450 cm(-1) with the trends of oil dielectric loss factor values, their correlation coefficient are 0.860 6, 0.863 6; and relative of water absorbance values at the spectral wave number of 1 640 and 3 615 cm(-1) with the trends of oil resistivity values, their correlation coefficient is -0.931 5 and -0.968 0, this result can be lay the foundation research for monitoring the trace water in oil.

Thalidomide plus chemotherapy exhibit enhanced efficacy in the clinical treatment of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: A prospective study of 46 cases.

The treatment of T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (T-NHL) remains challenging. There is currently no standard regimen for the treatment of T-NHL in the first- or second-line setting. Thalidomide was previously shown to exert antitumor effects through inhibiting angiogenesis, promoting apoptosis and immunomodulatory activity. However, all the previous studies on the treatment of lymphoma with thalidomide included patient samples of limited size. In the present study, 46 cases of eligible T-NHL patients were randomized into i) the control group (conventional combined chemotherapy, n=22) and ii) the thalidomide group (thalidomide plus combined chemotherapy, n=24). The median dose of thalidomide was 200 mg (range, 150-400 mg) every night, without reported severe side effects. The clinical response to treatment was as follows: Complete response (CR) in 12 cases, partial response (PR) in 7, stable disease (SD) in 1 and progressive disease (PD) in 4 cases in the thalidomide group; and CR in 8 cases, PR in 6, SD in 3 and PD in 5 cases in the control group. The CR rate was 50.0 and 36.4% in the thalidomide and the control groups, respectively (P<0.05). The median progression-free and overall survival were 12 and undefined months, respectively, in the thalidomide group and 6 and 17 months, respectively, in the control group. The toxicity profile was considered acceptable in both groups. Our results indicated that thalidomide plus combined chemotherapy may exhibit enhanced efficacy in the clinical treatment of T-NHL. In addition, this type of treatment may reduce the frequency of adverse gastrointestinal reactions and help alleviate fear of chemotherapy. Therefore, thalidomide plus combined chemotherapy may be a viable option for the clinical treatment of T-NHL.

Expression of COX-2 and Bcl-2 in primary fallopian tube carcinoma: correlations with clinicopathologic features.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of COX-2 and Bcl-2 in primary fallopian tube carcinoma (PFTC), as well as their correlations with clinicopathologic features. We studied a cohort of 33 patients with a pathological diagnosis of PFTC. Thirty normal tubal tissues used for controls were obtained from patients diagnosed with uterine myomas. Expression analysis for COX-2 and Bcl-2 was performed using the immunohistochemical technique. The rate of preoperative diagnosis was 18.2%. With a median survival of 61.0 months (95% CI: 43.2 to 78.8 months), the estimated five-year overall survival rate in the 33 patients was 39.0%. Increased expression of COX-2 and Bcl-2 was observed in tumor specimens compared to normal controls (p = 0.026; p = 0.003). The expression rate of COX-2 in node-positive tumors was significantly higher than that of node-negative tumors (p = 0.024). Moreover, the expression rate of COX-2 was statistically significantly higher in patients with infiltration through the serosa (p = 0.019). Positive significant associations were observed between Bcl-2 staining index and FIGO stage (p = 0.015), and between Bcl-2 staining and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.010). There was a significant correlation between COX-2 expression and Bcl-2 staining index (r = 0.517, p = 0.002). We conclude that COX-2 and Bcl-2 may potentially be useful prognostic markers for PFTC. The exact molecular mechanism for correlations between COX-2 and Bcl-2 remains to be elucidated.

Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil can increase analgesic effect in refractory cancer pain.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the analgesic effects of intravenous flurbiprofen axetil for the refractory pain in cancer patients. METHODS: 2109 patients were screened from the department of medical oncology, the first affiliated hospital of Anhui medical university in China between October of 2007 and October of 2008. Thirty-seven cases of cancer patients who had bad effect from anaesthetic drugs were received administration of intravenous flurbiprofen axetil with dose of 50 mg/5 ml/day. The pain score was evaluated for pre- and post- treatment by Pain Faces Scale criteria, and the side effects were also observed. RESULTS: Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil increased the analgesic effects. The total effective rate was 92%. The side effects, such as abdominal pain, alimentary tract bleeding which were found in using NSAIDs or constipation, nausea, vomit, sleepiness which were found in using opioid drugs did not be found. CONCLUSION: Intravenous flurbiprofen axetil could provide better analgesia effects and few side effects to patients with refractory cancer pain. It could also increase analgesia effects when combining with anesthetic drugs in treatment of moderate or severe pain, especially breakthrough pain, and suit to patients who can not take oral drugs for the reason of constipation and psychosomatic symptoms.

[Effect of shRNA-mediated survivin gene silencing on apoptosis and proliferation of leukemia cell line].

OBJECTIVE: To transfect a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) against survivin gene into human T lymphoblastic leukemia cell line Jurkat, and to explore the effects on apoptosis and proliferation of transfected cells. METHODS: The survivin-shRNA expression vector were constructed and transfected into Jurkat cells. Expression of survivin mRNA and protein were assessed by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis respectively. Apoptosis index of transfected Jurkat cells was quantified by flow cytometry. The potential of cell proliferation was described by cell growth curves. RESULTS: In survivin-shRNA transfected Jurkat cells, survivin mRNA levels were significantly reduced by 66.67% ( transient transfection) and 60.69% ( stable transfection) respectively, compared with that in control-shRNA treated group and PBS treated group (P < 0.05); and the levels of survivin protein were significantly reduced by 63.41% (transient transfection) and 60.18% (stable transfection), compared with that in the two control groups (P < 0.05). Apoptosis index was significantly increased during both transient and stable transfection, respectively [(22. 41 +/- 2.83)% and (20.73 +/- 2.56)% (P < 0.05)]. Survivin-shRNA also inhibited the proliferation of Jurkat cells. CONCLUSIONS: Vector-based survivin-shRNA can effectively reduce the expression of survivin gene, induce apoptosis

Expression of BIRC7 protein and mRNA in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Studies have shown that BIRC7, a new member of inhibitor of the apoptosis protein family, is expressed in fetal tissues and most solid tumors in humans. However, there are no reported data concerning BIRC7 expression in lymphomas. We investigated the expression of BIRC7, survivin, Bcl-2, Bax, p53 and p170 proteins in 167 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 10 cases of non-specific lymphadenitis by tissue microarray-based immunohistochemistry. BIRC7 mRNA in three cell lines and 16 cases of NHL were detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. BIRC7 protein was exhibited in the cytoplasm of cells in 25 (31%) of 80 cases of B-NHLs, 32 (37%) of 87 cases of T-NHLs, and none in non-specific lymphadenitis. The positive rate of BIRC7 was lower than that of survivin in almost all types of NHL with no significant differences, and similar to that of Bcl-2, Bax or p53. There was no correlation of protein expression between BIRC7 and any other detected markers, except p170 in T-NHL (P < 0.001). BIRC7 expression did not correlate with clinic pathologic factors such as sex, age, stage and grade, but overexpression of BIRC7 was positively correlated with aggression of NHL cells (P < 0.05). BIRC7 mRNA expressed in six (38%) of 16 cases of NHLs. BIRC7 mRNA expression was approximately consistent with BIRC7 protein in NHL. Our results indicate that the BIRC7 gene might play a role in the development and aggression of NHL and that the inhibition of BIRC7 expression may be important in NHL treatment.

Knockdown of survivin gene by vector-based short hairpin RNA technique induces apoptosis and growth inhibition in Burkitt's lymphoma Raji cell line.

Survivin is the smallest member of mammalian IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) family. It is ubiquitous during embryonic development but is not expressed in normal post-natal tissues, except the thymus, colonic epithelial cells and CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells. However, its expression is upregulated during neoplastic transformation in both solid organ and hematological malignancies, including leukemia and lymphoma. In this study, we used RNA interference with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) technique to inhibit survivin expression in a Burkitt's lymphoma cell line Raji and validated its effects on apoptosis and cell proliferation. A survivin-shRNA expression vector were constructed and introduced into Raji cells. Expression of survivin mRNA and protein was assessed by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Apoptosis index of transfected cells was quantified by flow cytometry and cell proliferation was enumerated by trypan blue exclusion. In Raji cells treated with survivin-shRNA expression vector, survivin mRNA levels were significantly reduced by 67.14% (transient transfection) and 64.28% (stable transfection) respectively, compared with control-shRNA treated group and PBS treated group (p<0.05). The levels of survivin protein were significantly reduced by 62.50% (transient transfection) and 60.93% (stable transfection), compared with the two control groups (p<0.05). Apoptosis index was significantly increased during transient transfection and stable transfection, respectively 31.20+/-2.45% and 29.40+/-1.72% (p<0.05). Survivin-shRNA inhibited the proliferation of Raji cells of stable transfection. In conclusion, the vector-based survivin-shRNA can effectively reduce the expression of survivin gene and induce apoptosis and growth inhibition of transfected Raji cells. We suggest that survivin can be regarded as an ideal target for new anticancer intervention of NHL.