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Background: There is strong evidence that apatinib is effective in the treatment of third- or later-line advanced metastatic gastric cancer (mGC). Hematology prediction index is a convenient and cheap method to predict the prognosis of disease. However, the prognosis of baseline hematological parameters of peripheral blood, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and albumin (ALB) on mGC treated with apatinib have not been identified. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed mGC received apatinib between 1 January 2014 and 30 June 2021. Survival analyses were performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox-proportional hazards model. Results: A total of 117 patients were included in this study. The cutoff value of NLR, CA125 and ALB was 2.25, 19.24 U/ml and 37.60 g/L, respectively. The disease control rates (DCR) in the high and low NLR groups were 52.94% and 73.47% (P=0.024); 48.28% and 74.58% (P=0.003) in high and low CA125 groups; 72.97% and 41.86% (P=0.001) in high and low ALB groups. By survival analysis, increasing NLR (P=0.003), CA125 (P<0.001) and decreasing ALB (P<0.001) predicted a shorter PFS after apatinib. NLR (P=0.015), CA125 (P=0.004) and ALB (P=0.005) were significantly predictors for PFS in mGC treated with aptinib. Conclusion: Increasing NLR, CA125 and decreasing ALB were associated with poorer clinical efficiency and prognosis after apatinib treatment.
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The aim of the present study was to optimize flavonoid extraction from Chrysanthemum morifolium and to study the antitumor effects of flavonoids on human gastric cancer MKN45 cells in vitro. A single factor experiment was designed and the extraction process was optimized using an orthogonal test. MKN45 cells were treated with different concentrations of flavonoid from Chrysanthemum morifolium for 24 and 48 h and the inhibitory effect on the MKN45 cells was evaluated using an MTT assay. Following staining with Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate/propidium iodide, flow cytometry was performed. The optimized flavonoid extraction conditions were as follows: Duration of ultrasonic treatment: 35 min; ethanol concentration: 75%; extraction temperature: 80°Cand liquid-to-solid ratio 25: 1. Under the above conditions, the extraction rate of flavonoids was 5.24%. When compared with a blank control group, flavonoids extracted from Chrysanthemum morifolium inhibited the proliferation of MKN45 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, in cell groups treated with low, moderate and high concentrations of flavonoid, it was observed that the proportion of apoptotic cells increased in a dose-dependent manner. The extraction process optimized by the orthogonal test achieved a high yield and satisfactory extraction efficiency. Additionally, the experiment demonstrated that flavonoids from Chrysanthemum morifolium inhibited the growth of MKN45 cells and induced their apoptosis. Thus, flavonoids from Chrysanthemum morifolium exerted antitumor effects on MKN45 cells, which may be exploited as a potential antitumor therapeutic for gastric cancer.
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Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is a potentially important tumor immunotherapy target. However, whether PD-L1 expression is associated with survival in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains controversial. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between PD-L1 expression and prognosis in NPC. The expression of PD-L1 was assessed in tumor specimens from 120 patients with NPC using immunohistochemistry. Staining was evaluated using the H-score method. The associations between PD-L1 expression and clinical characteristics and prognosis were analyzed. Overall, 78% of the patients had stage I-III and 22% had stage IV disease. The estimated 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates for the entire cohort were 87.5 and 70.1%, respectively. PD-L1 expression was detected in 85 (71%) patients and was localized to the tumor cells. High tumor expression of PD-L1 (median H-score ≥5) was associated with significantly poorer OS (P=0.023) and DFS (P=0.002). Univariate analysis indicated that low PD-L1 expression was associated with better DFS compared with high PD-L1 expression (HR=0.163, 95% CI: 0.044-0.600, P=0.006 for DFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that T stage (HR=8.190, 95% CI: 1.355-18.152; P=0.023) and PD-L1 expression level (HR=0.124, 95% CI: 0.031-0.509; P=0.001) served as independent prognostic factors for DFS. In conclusion, tumor PD-L1 expression was found to be a significant prognostic factor in NPC, and high PD-L1 expression may be of prognostic value for recurrence and metastasis following conventional treatments.
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Allergic asthma is characterized by hyperresponsiveness and inflammation of the airway with increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and overproduction of nitric oxide (NO). Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) has been proved to have antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and other pharmacological effects. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of GSPE on airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of allergic asthma. BALB/c mice, sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA), were intraperitoneally injected with GSPE. Administration of GSPE remarkably suppressed airway resistance and reduced the total inflammatory cell and eosinophil counts in BALF. Treatment with GSPE significantly enhanced the interferon (IFN)- γ level and decreased interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 levels in BALF and total IgE levels in serum. GSPE also attenuated allergen-induced lung eosinophilic inflammation and mucus-producing goblet cells in the airway. The elevated iNOS expression observed in the OVA mice was significantly inhibited by GSPE. In conclusion, GSPE decreases the progression of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness by downregulating the iNOS expression, promising to have a potential in the treatment of allergic asthma.