Global, regional, and national burden of non-communicable diseases attributable to occupational asbestos exposure 1990-2019 and prediction to 2035: worsening or improving?

Understanding the burden associated with occupational asbestos exposure on a global and regional scale is necessary to implement coordinated prevention and control strategies. By the GBD Study 2019, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of the non-communicable diseases burden attributable to occupational asbestos exposure. In 2019, 239,330 deaths and 4,189,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide due to occupational asbestos exposure occurred. 1990-2019, deaths and DALYs attributed to occupational asbestos exposure increased by 65.65% and 43.66%, respectively. Age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) decreased, with the most rapid declines in high Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) regions, with average annual percent change (AAPC) of - 1.05(95%CI: -1.2, -0.89) and -1.53(95%CI: -1.71, -1.36), respectively. Lung cancer, mesothelioma and ovarian cancer were the top three contributors to the increase in deaths and DALYs, accounting for more than 96%. AAPCs of ASMR and ASDR were positively associated with SDI. Global deaths from occupational asbestos exposure were predicted to increase and ASMR to decrease by 2035, mostly in males. Due consideration should be given to the susceptibility of the elderly, the lag of asbestos onset, and the regional differences, and constantly improve the prevention and control measures of occupational asbestos exposure and related diseases.

MiR-136-5p in cancer: Roles, mechanisms, and chemotherapy resistance.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of gene expression, and the deregulation of their activity has been linked to the onset and progression of a variety of human malignancies. Among these miRNAs, miR-136-5p has attracted significant attention due to its diverse roles in cancer biology. Mostly, miR-136-5p is downregulated in malignancies. It could inhibit viability, proliferation, migration, invasion and promote apoptosis of tumor cells. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of miR-136-5p in different sorts of human cancers: genital tumors, head and neck tumors, tumors from the digestive and urinary systems, skin cancers, neurologic tumors, pulmonary neoplasms and other cancers by discussing its molecular mechanisms, functional roles, and impact in chemotherapies. In conclusion, miR-136-5p could be a promising new biomarker and potential clinical therapeutic target.

Hemorrhagic stroke-induced subtype of inflammatory reactive astrocytes disrupts blood-brain barrier.

Astrocytes undergo disease-specific transcriptomic changes upon brain injury. However, phenotypic changes of astrocytes and their functions remain unclear after hemorrhagic stroke. Here we reported hemorrhagic stroke induced a group of inflammatory reactive astrocytes with high expression of Gfap and Vimentin, as well as inflammation-related genes lipocalin-2 (Lcn2), Complement component 3 (C3), and Serpina3n. In addition, we demonstrated that depletion of microglia but not macrophages inhibited the expression of inflammation-related genes in inflammatory reactive astrocytes. RNA sequencing showed that blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption-related gene matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) was highly upregulated in inflammatory reactive astrocytes. Pharmacological inhibition of MMP3 in astrocytes or specific deletion of astrocytic MMP3 reduced BBB disruption and improved neurological outcomes of hemorrhagic stroke mice. Our study demonstrated that hemorrhagic stroke induced a group of inflammatory reactive astrocytes that were actively involved in disrupting BBB through MMP3, highlighting a specific group of inflammatory reactive astrocytes as a critical driver for BBB disruption in neurological diseases.

CCL5 mediated astrocyte-T cell interaction disrupts blood-brain barrier in mice after hemorrhagic stroke.

The crosstalk between reactive astrocytes and infiltrated immune cells plays a critical role in maintaining blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity. However, how astrocytes interact with immune cells and the effect of their interaction on BBB integrity after hemorrhagic stroke are still unclear. By performing RNA sequencing in astrocytes that were activated by interleukin-1α (IL-1α), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and complement component 1q (C1q) treatment, we found CCL5 was among the top upregulated genes. Immunostaining and western blot results demonstrated that CCL5 was increased in mice brain after hemorrhagic stroke. Flow cytometry showed that knockout of astrocytic CCL5 reduced the infiltration of CD8+ but not CD4+ T and myeloid cells into the brain (p < 0.05). In addition, knockout CCL5 in astrocytes increased tight junction-related proteins ZO-1 and Occludin expression; reduced Evans blue leakage, perforin and granzyme B expression; improved neurobehavioral outcomes in hemorrhagic stroke mice (p < 0.05), while transplantation of CD8+ T cells reversed these protective effects. Moreover, co-culture of CD8+ T cells with bEnd.3 cells induced the apoptosis of bEnd.3 cells, which was rescued by inhibiting perforin. In conclusion, our study suggests that CCL5 mediated crosstalk between astrocytes and CD8+ T cells represents an important therapeutic target for protecting BBB in stroke.

Zebrafish functional xenograft vasculature platform identifies PF-502 as a durable vasculature normalization drug.

Tumor vasculature often exhibits disorder and inefficiency. Vascular normalization offers potential for alleviating hypoxia and optimizing drug delivery in tumors. However, identifying effective agents is hindered by a lack of robust screening. We aimed to establish a comprehensive method using the zebrafish functional xenograft vasculature platform (zFXVP) to visualize and quantify tumor vasculature changes. Employing zFXVP, we systematically screened compounds, identifying PF-502 as a robust vascular normalization agent. Mechanistic studies showed PF-502 induces endothelial cell-cycle arrest, streamlines vasculature, and activates Notch1 signaling, enhancing stability and hemodynamics. In murine models, PF-502 exhibited pronounced vascular normalization and improved drug delivery at a sub-maximum tolerated dose. These findings highlight zFXVP's utility and suggest PF-502 as a promising adjunctive for vascular normalization in clinical settings.

Epidemiological characteristics of leukemia in China, 2005-2017: a log-linear regression and age-period-cohort analysis.

BACKGROUND: Leukemia is a threat to human health, and there are relatively few studies on the incidence, mortality and disease burden analysis of leukemia in China. This study aimed to analyze the incidence and mortality rates of leukemia in China from 2005 to 2017 and estimate their age-period-cohort effects, it is an important prerequisite for effective prevention and control of leukemia. METHODS: Leukemia incidence and mortality data from 2005 to 2017 were collected from the Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report. Joinpoint regression model was used to estimate the average annual percentage change (AAPC) and annual percentage change (APC) response time trend. Age-period-cohort model was constructed to analyze the effects of age, period and cohort. RESULTS: The age-standardized incidence rate of leukemia was 4.54/100,000 from 2005 to 2017, showed an increasing trend with AAPC of 1.9% (95% CI: 1.3%, 2.5%). The age-standardized mortality rate was 2.91/100,000, showed an increasing trend from 2005 to 2012 with APC of 2.1% (95%CI: 0.4%, 3.9%) and then a decreasing trend from 2012 to 2017 with APC of -2.5% (95%CI: -5.3%, 0.3%). The age-standardized incidence (mortality) rates of leukemia were not only higher in males than that in females, but also increased more rapidly. The incidence of leukemia in rural areas was lower than in urban areas, but the AAPC was 2.2 times higher than urban areas. Children aged 0-4 years were at higher risk of leukemia. The risk of leukemia incidence and mortality increased with age. The period effect of leukemia mortality risk showed a decreasing trend, while the cohort effect showed an increasing and then decreasing trend with the turning point of 1955-1959. CONCLUSIONS: The age-standardized incidence rate of leukemia in China showed an increasing trend from 2005 to 2017, while the age-standardized mortality rate increased first and then decreased in 2012 as a turning point. Differences existed by gender and region. The risk of leukemia incidence and mortality increased accordingly with age. The risk of mortality due to leukemia gradually decreased from 2005 to 2017. Leukemia remains a public health problem that requires continuous attention.

Research advances in endometriosis-related signaling pathways: A review.

Endometriosis (EM) is characterized by the existence of endometrial mucosa outside the uterine cavity, which causesinfertility, persistent aches, and a decline in women's quality of life. Both hormone therapies and nonhormone therapies, such as NSAIDs, are ineffective, generic categories of EM drugs. Endometriosis is a benign gynecological condition, yet it shares a number of features with cancer cells, including immune evasion, survival, adhesion, invasion, and angiogenesis. Several endometriosis-related signaling pathways are comprehensively reviewed in this article, including E2, NF-κB, MAPK, ERK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, YAP, Wnt/ß-catenin, Rho/ROCK, TGF-ß, VEGF, NO, iron, cytokines and chemokines. To find and develop novel medications for the treatment of EM, it is essential to implicitly determine the molecular pathways that are disordered during EM development. Additionally, research on the shared pathways between EM and tumors can provide hypotheses or suggestions for endometriosis therapeutic targets.

A Self-Cleaning TiO2 Bacterial Cellulose Super-Hydrophilic Underwater Super-Oleophobic Composite Membrane for Efficient Oil-Water Separation.

Due to the increasingly serious problem of offshore oil spills, research related to oil-water separation has attracted more and more attention. Here, we prepared a super-hydrophilic/underwater super-oleophobic membrane (hereinafter referred to as BTA) using poly-dopamine (PDA) to adhesive TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of bacterial cellulose, coated with sodium alienate by vacuum-assisted filtration technique. This demonstrates its excellent underwater super-oleophobic property. Its contact angle is about 153°. Remarkably, BTA has 99% separation efficiency. More importantly, BTA still showed excellent anti-pollution property under ultraviolet light after 20 cycles. BTA has the advantages of low cost, environmentally friendliness and good anti-fouling performance. We believe it can play an important role in dealing with problems related to oily wastewater.

RING finger gene 180 inhibits osteosarcoma progression through regulating chromobox homolog 4 ubiquitination.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is still the most common malignant bone tumor whose etiology remains largely unclear. Here, we aimed to investigate the role of a novel E3 ubiquitin ligase RING finger gene 180 (RNF180) in OS progression. RNF180 was significantly down-regulated in both OS tissues and cell lines. We up-regulated RNF180 using over-expression vector and knocked down RNF180 using specific short hairpin RNAs in OS cell lines. RNF180 over-expression inhibited the viability and proliferation yet promoted apoptosis in OS cells, while RNF180 knockdown showed the opposite effects. RNF180 also suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis in mouse model, accompanied with elevated E-cadherin level and decreased ki-67 level. Besides, chromobox homolog 4 (CBX4) was predicted as a substrate of RNF180. RNF180 and CBX4 were both localized mainly in nucleus and their interaction was validated. RNF180 aggravated the decline of CBX4 level after cycloheximide treatment. RNF180 also promoted the ubiquitination of CBX4 in OS cells. Furthermore, CBX4 was significantly up-regulated in OS tissues. RNF180 also up-regulated Kruppel like factor 6 (KLF6) yet down-regulated RUNX family transcription factor 2 (Runx2) in OS, which served as downstream targets of CBX4. In addition, RNF180 inhibited migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in OS cells, which were partially abolished by CBX4 over-expression. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that RNF180 inhibits OS development via regulating CBX4 ubiquitination, and RNF180-CBX4 axis is a potential therapeutic target for OS treatment.

SUMO1-modified DNA methyltransferase 1 induces DNA hypermethylation of VWC2 in the development of colorectal cancer.

Aberrant DNA methylation of genes is closely linked to many aspects of tumor development. This study focuses on the effect of DNA hypermethylation of von Willebrand factor C domain containing 2 (VWC2) on colorectal cancer (CRC) progression and the underpinning mechanism. According to data in the bioinformatic systems, VWC2 had the highest degree of DNA methylation in colonic adenocarcinoma, and it showed DNA hypermethylation in rectal adenocarcinoma as well. CRC and the para-tumorous tissues were collected from 86 patients. VWC2 was expressed at low levels in CRC samples and inversely correlated with tumor stage and tumor biomarker expression. DNA hypermethylation and reduced expression of VWC2 were also detected in CRC cell lines HCT-116 and HT29. VWC2 overexpression suppressed the malignant growth of cells in vitro and in vivo. Co-immunoprecipitation and western blot assays showed that small ubiquitin-like modifier 1 (SUMO1) mediated SUMOylation of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) and strengthened its protein stability, which promoted DNA methylation and suppression of the VWC2 gene. In summary, this study demonstrates that SUMO1-mediated activation of DNMT1 induces DNA methylation and downregulation of VWC2 in CRC to augment cancer development.

The Number of Intraoperative Intestinal Venous Circulating Tumor Cells Is a Prognostic Factor for Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Purpose: To assess the association between intestinal venous blood (IVB) circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and clinicopathological parameters in stage I-III colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods: Participants were retrospectively retrieved, who were admitted to our hospital or took annual physical exams between December 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. A negative enrichment-immunofluorescence in situ hybridization (NE-imFISH) technique was used to isolate and identify CTCs. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Youden index values were used to determine the critical CTC cutoff value for the diagnosis of CRC. Kaplan-Meier and log-rank methods were used to conduct survival analyses, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were employed for multivariate corrections to comprehensively evaluate the value of CTCs in the diagnosis of CRC. Relationships between IVB CTCs, clinicopathological parameters, and prognosis were then analyzed based upon patient postoperative follow-up data. Results: In total, we retrieved 282 patients including 48 healthy controls, 72 patients with benign colorectal tumors, and 162 CRC patients. CRC patients exhibited significantly higher numbers of CTCs relative to control patients or those with benign disease. CTC numbers in CRC patient peripheral blood (PB) and IVB were closely associated with tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging (P < 0.01), carbohydrate antigen-125 (CA-125) levels (P < 0.001), and KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus oncogene) mutation status (P < 0.001). The disease-free survival (DFS) of patients in the CTC-negative group was significantly longer than that of patients in the CTC-positive group (24.60 ± 13.31 months vs. 18.70 ± 10.19 months, P < 0.05), with the same being true with respect to their overall survival (OS) (30.60 ± 12.44 months vs. 35.25 ± 11.57 months, P < 0.05). A multivariate analysis revealed that the detection ≥2 CTCs/3.2 ml was independently associated with poorer DFS and OS. CTC counts were independently predictive of CRC patients TNM staging, CA-125, and KRAS mutation status in both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses. Conclusion: CTCs are valuable biomarkers that can be monitored to predict CRC patient disease progression.

Clinical Analysis of 17 Cases of Borderline Ovarian Tumors During Pregnancy.

Objective: The study retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics and prognosis of 17 cases of pregnancy complicated by borderline ovarian tumors to provide help for clinical workers. Materials and Methods: The clinicopathological data of 17 patients with ovarian borderline tumors during pregnancy at the Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2015 to June 2021 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. The average age of the patients was 31.82 years (25-45 years), the average number of pregnancies was 2.06 times (1-6 times), and the average number of births was 0.41 times (0-1 time). Results: Among the 17 patients, 4 were diagnosed in the first trimester, 2 in the second trimester, and 11 in the third trimester. Most of the first symptoms were cysts, cyst enlargement, or cyst rupture. Among them, 3 cases (1 in the first trimester and 2 in the second trimester) continued pregnancy after a conservative operation, 9 cases underwent cesarean section and a conservative operation simultaneously, and the mother and child had a good outcome. Two cases underwent conservative operations and induced abortion, and 1 case underwent an ectopic pregnancy operation at the same time. The prognosis of the patients was good without recurrence. Conclusion: Preoperative diagnosis of borderline ovarian tumors in pregnancy is delayed, and imaging and tumor markers are not specific. The coincidence rate between intraoperative frozen pathology and postoperative paraffin pathology was not high. Borderline tumors are mainly treated by surgery, and the prognosis for mothers and infants is good.

Targeted delivery of fat extract by platelet membrane-cloaked nanocarriers for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Our previous studies suggest that human fat extract (FE) contains a variety of angiogenic factors and may provide an alternative treatment option for stroke. However, the therapeutic effect is largely limited due to its short half-life, and inaccurate targeting. RESULTS: Herein, we leverage the targeting abilities of platelets (PLTs) to the lesion area of stroke and Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptides to the angiogenic blood vessels to develop a biomimetic nanocarrier that capable of delivering FE precisely to treat stroke. The biomimetic nanocarriers are comprised of FE-encapsulated PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) core enclosed by RGD peptides decorated plasma membrane of PLTs, namely RGD-PLT@PLGA-FE. We found that RGD-PLT@PLGA-FE not only targeted damaged and inflamed blood vessels but also achieved rapid accumulation in the lesion area of ischemic brain. In addition, RGD-PLT@PLGA-FE kept a sustained release behavior of FE at the lesion site, effectively increased its half-life and promoted angiogenesis and neurogenesis with delivering neurotrophic factors including BDNF, GDNF and bFGF to the brain, that ultimately resulted in blood flow increase and neurobehavioral recovery. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our study provides a new strategy to design a biomimetic system for FE delivery and it is a promising modality for stroke therapy.

Concurrent Benign Metastasizing Leiomyoma in the Abdominal Wall and Pelvic Cavity: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Benign metastatic leiomyoma (BML) is a histologically benign disease with invasive biological behavior. Most patients are women of childbearing age with a history of uterine leiomyoma. The progress of the disease is relatively slow, the prognosis is good, and most patients can survive for a long time. The lung is the common metastatic site, and BML with metastatic lesions outside the lung is very rare. A 37-year-old woman with multiple BML in the abdominal wall and pelvic cavity after uterine leiomyoma surgery was admitted to our hospital. Combined with the clinical data of this case and reviewing the relevant literature, this paper discusses the pathological characteristics, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of BML.

Subserous Cystic Adenomyosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Cystic adenomyosis is a rare type of adenomyosis that often occurs in adolescents or women of childbearing age. Due to the few reports of this case, its clinical characteristics have not been clearly established. Case Presentation: We treated a 32-year-old married patient with cystic adenomyosis that reported persistent abdominal pain and massive vaginal bleeding, so an emergency laparotomy was performed. The intraoperative findings and post-operative pathology proved that the diagnosis was correct. The prognosis of the patient is good, and there is no recurrence within 3 months after surgery. Results: Surgery is the most effective way to treat cystic adenomyosis. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance are the most effective auxiliary examinations for diagnosing the disease. Conclusion: Cystic adenomyosis is a sporadic disease. This article summarizes this condition's clinical manifestations, pathological features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis by reviewing the existing literature and the case presented in this report. It is noteworthy that early diagnosis and individualized treatment strategies can improve patients' quality of life.

ACT001 attenuates microglia-mediated neuroinflammation after traumatic brain injury via inhibiting AKT/NFκB/NLRP3 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory response following traumatic brain injury (TBI) is considered as a vital secondary injury factor, which drives trauma-induced neurodegeneration and is lack of efficient treatment. ACT001, a sesquiterpene lactone derivative, is reportedly involved in alleviation of inflammatory response. However, little is known regarding its function in regulating innate immune response of central nervous system (CNS) after TBI. This study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanism of ACT001 in TBI. METHODS: Controlled cortical impact (CCI) models were used to establish model of TBI. Cresyl violet staining, evans blue extravasation, neurobehavioral function assessments, immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy were used to evaluate therapeutic effects of ACT001 in vivo. Microglial depletion was induced by administering mice with colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) inhibitor, PLX5622. Cell-cell interaction models were established as co-culture system to simulate TBI conditions in vitro. Cytotoxic effect of ACT001 on cell viability was assessed by cell counting kit-8 and activation of microglia cells were induced by Lipopolysaccharides (LPS). Pro-inflammatory cytokines expression was determined by Real-time PCR and nitric oxide production. Apoptotic cells were detected by TUNEL and flow cytometry assays. Tube formation was performed to evaluate cellular angiogenic ability. ELISA and western blot experiments were used to determine proteins expression. Pull-down assay was used to analyze proteins that bound ACT001. RESULTS: ACT001 relieved the extent of blood-brain barrier integrity damage and alleviated motor function deficits after TBI via reducing trauma-induced activation of microglia cells. Delayed depletion of microglia with PLX5622 hindered therapeutic effect of ACT001. Furthermore, ACT001 alleviated LPS-induced activation in mouse and rat primary microglia cells. Besides, ACT001 was effective in suppressing LPS-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines production in BV2 cells, resulting in reduction of neuronal apoptosis in HT22 cells and improvement of tube formation in bEnd.3 cells. Mechanism by which ACT001 functioned was related to AKT/NFκB/NLRP3 pathway. ACT001 restrained NFκB nuclear translocation in microglia cells through inhibiting AKT phosphorylation, resulting in decrease of NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and finally down-regulated microglial neuroinflammatory response. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicated that ACT001 played critical role in microglia-mediated neuroinflammatory response and might be a novel potential chemotherapeutic drug for TBI. Video Abstract.

Effects and Mechanism of Oxymatrine Combined with Compound Yinchen Granules on the Apoptosis of Hepatocytes through the Akt/FoxO3a/Bim Pathway.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects and mechanism of oxymatrine (OMT) combined with compound yinchen granules (CYG) on the apoptosis of hepatocytes through the Akt/FoxO3a/Bim pathway in rats with acute liver failure. The rat model of acute liver failure was established using lipopolysaccharide/D-galactosamine (LPS/D-GalN). The expression of proteins in rat liver tissues was detected by western blot analysis. The mRNA expression of FoxO3a, Bim, Bax, Bcl-2, and caspase-3 in rat liver tissues was detected by RT-qPCR. The apoptosis rate of rat hepatocytes was determined by flow cytometry. Western blots showed that when compared with the normal group, the expression of p-Akt and p-FoxO3a in the model group was decreased (P < 0.05), while the expression of Bim was increased (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, the expression of p-Akt and p-FoxO3a in the OMT group and the OMT combined with CYG groups was increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while the expression of Bim was decreased (P < 0.05). The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 protein expression in the model group were significantly higher than those in the normal group (P < 0.01). The Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the expression of caspase-3 protein in the OMT group and the OMT combined with CYG groups were significantly lower than those in the model group (P < 0.01). The results of RT-qPCR were consistent with those of western blot. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of hepatocytes in the OMT group and the OMT combined with CYG groups was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). We concluded that LPS/D-GalN can induce apoptosis of hepatocytes in rats with acute liver failure through the Akt/FoxO3a/Bim pathway. OMT combined with CYG inhibits apoptosis of hepatocytes in rats with acute liver failure via the Akt/FoxO3a/Bim pathway.

Mucin 16 Promotes Colorectal Cancer Development and Progression Through Activation of Janus Kinase 2.

BACKGROUND: Mucin 16 (MUC16), a cell surface-associated mucin, has been implicated to be upregulated in a large repertoire of malignances. However, its function in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is unknown. AIMS: Here, we explored the regulatory role of MUC16 in CRC. METHODS: First, tumor and paracancerous tissues, and serum samples from 162 CRC patients, peripheral blood samples from 48 healthy volunteers and 72 benign colorectal patients were collected. The correlation between the MUC16 expression and the clinical phenotypes of the patients was analyzed. Subsequently, HCT116 and SW480 cells with deletion of MUC16 were established to detect changes in the growth and metastatic capacities of CRC cells. The genes with the highest correlation with MUC16 were predicted by bioinformatics, and their binding relationships were detected by Co-IP and double-labeled immunofluorescence, followed by functional rescue experiments. RESULTS: Overexpression of MUC16 in CRC patients was positively correlated with serum biomarkers and poor prognosis of patients. It was demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo experiments that knocking-down the expression of MUC16 could significantly inhibit the growth and metastasis of CRC cells. MUC16 activated janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) by interacting with JAK2. Further overexpression of JAK2 in cells with poor expression of MUC16 revealed a significant increase in the proliferative and metastatic capacities of CRC cells. CONCLUSIONS: MUC16 contributes to the development and progression of CRC by binding to JAK2, thereby promoting phosphorylation of JAK2 and further activating STAT3 phosphorylation.

Immune Cell Infiltration as Signatures for the Diagnosis and Prognosis of Malignant Gynecological Tumors.

Background Malignant gynecological tumors are the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women worldwide and include uterine carcinosarcomas, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. This study aims to determine the association between immune cell infiltration and malignant gynecological tumors and construct signatures for diagnosis and prognosis. Methods We acquired malignant gynecological tumor RNA-seq transcriptome data from the TCGA database. Next, the "CIBERSORT" algorithm calculated the infiltration of 22 immune cells in malignant gynecological tumors. To construct diagnosis and prognosis signatures, step-wise regression and LASSO analyses were applied, and nomogram and immune subtypes were further identified. Results Notably, Immune cell infiltration plays a significant role in tumorigenesis and development. There are obvious differences in the distribution of immune cells in normal, and tumor tissues. Resting NK cells, M0 Macrophages, and M1 Macrophages participated in the construction of the diagnostic model, with an AUC value of 0.898. LASSO analyses identified a risk signature including T cells CD8, activated NK cells, Monocytes, M2 Macrophages, resting Mast cells, and Neutrophils, proving the prognostic value for the risk signature. We identified two subtypes according to consensus clustering, where immune subtype 3 presented the highest risk. Conclusion We identified diagnostic and prognostic signatures based on immune cell infiltration. Thus, this study provided a strong basis for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of malignant gynecological tumors.

Efficacy and Safety of a Combination of Shenmai Injection plus Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To perform a systematic evaluation of the efficacy and safety of combined treatment of Shenmai injection and chemotherapy for lung cancer. METHODS: A literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) describing the treatment of lung cancer by Shenmai injection and chemotherapy or chemotherapy alone was performed using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Value In Paper (VIP), China BioMed, and Wanfang databases. The databases were searched for entries published before September 1, 2019. RESULTS: Thirty-seven RCTs, comprising a total of 2808 cases, were included in the present meta-analysis. Of these, 1428 cases were treated by Shenmai injection plus chemotherapy, and 1380 cases were treated only by chemotherapy. The results of meta-analysis showed that the combined treatment (Shenmai injection plus chemotherapy) increased the short-term efficacy of treatment (relative risk [RR] = 1.183, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.043-1.343, P < 0.01) and improved patients' quality of life (RR = 1.514, 95%CI = 1.211-1.891, P < 0.01) compared with chemotherapy alone. With regard to the adverse effects, the combined treatment markedly reduced the incidence of white blood cell (WBC) reduction (RR = 0.846, 95%CI = 0.760-0.941, P < 0.01), platelet reduction (RR = 0.462, 95% CI = 0.330-0.649, P < 0.01), and hemoglobin reduction (RR = 0.462, 95% CI = 0.330-0.649, P < 0.01) and alleviated drug-induced liver injury (RR = 0.677, 95%CI = 0.463-0.990, P < 0.05). However, it did not offer a significant protective effect (RR = 0.725, 95%CI = 0.358-1.468, P < 0.05). The effect of the combined treatment on the occurrence of vomiting was considerable (RR = 0.889, 95%CI = 0.794-0.996, P < 0.05), and the combined treatment markedly increased the immunity of patients with lung cancer. CONCLUSION: The combined treatment of Shenmai injection plus chemotherapy enhanced the short-term efficacy of chemotherapy, improved the patient quality of life, alleviated the adverse effects of chemotherapeutics, and increased the patient immunity. These results should be confirmed by large-scale, high-quality RCTs.