Anoikis-Related Long Non-Coding RNA Signatures to Predict Prognosis and Immune Infiltration of Gastric Cancer.

Anoikis is a distinct type of programmed cell death and a unique mechanism for tumor progress. However, its exact function in gastric cancer (GC) remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the function of anoikis-related lncRNA (ar-lncRNA) in the prognosis of GC and its immunological infiltration. The ar-lncRNAs were derived from RNA sequencing data and associated clinical information obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Pearson correlation analysis, differential screening, LASSO and Cox regression were utilized to identify the typical ar-lncRNAs with prognostic significance, and the corresponding risk model was constructed, respectively. Comprehensive methods were employed to assess the clinical characteristics of the prediction model, ensuring the accuracy of the prediction results. Further analysis was conducted on the relationship between immune microenvironment and risk features, and sensitivity predictions were made about anticancer medicines. A risk model was built according to seven selected ar-lncRNAs. The model was validated and the calibration plots were highly consistent in validating nomogram predictions. Further analyses revealed the great accuracy of the model and its ability to serve as a stand-alone GC prognostic factor. We subsequently disclosed that high-risk groups display significant enrichment in pathways related to tumors and the immune system. Additionally, in tumor immunoassays, notable variations in immune infiltrates and checkpoints were noted between different risk groups. This study proposes, for the first time, that prognostic signatures of ar-lncRNA can be established in GC. These signatures accurately predict the prognosis of GC and offer potential biomarkers, suggesting new avenues for basic research, prognosis prediction and personalized diagnosis and treatment of GC.

Chemoradiotherapy Is Inferior to Chemotherapy Alone in Adjuvant Setting for Signet Ring Cell Containing Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Signet ring cell containing gastric cancer (SRCGC) is a rare subtype of gastric cancer, and its adjuvant therapy is based on general gastric cancer. However, the effectiveness of radiotherapy for those SRCGC patients remains unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to analyze whether the addition of radiotherapy to adjuvant chemotherapy (CT) can benefit survival in resected SRCGC patients. METHODS: Patients with SRCGC, who underwent D2 gastrectomy followed by adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (CRT), were retrospectively collected. According to the proportion of signet ring cells, patients were histologically classified as pure SRCGC (pSRCGC) containing 100% of signet ring cells, mixed SRCGC (mSRCGC) containing >50% of signet ring cells, and contaminated SRCGC (cSRCGC) containing <50% of signet ring cells. Among the 272 patients, 156 were treated by CT alone and 116 by CRT. The primary endpoint was 3-year overall survival rate (3-year OS rate). RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 80.5 months, the 3-year OS rate was significantly higher in the CT group (70.5% vs. 58.6%, HR = 0.633, P = 0.017) compared with CRT group. Three independent characteristics were predictive of a poor overall survival: CRT treatment (P = 0.019), tumor size ≥5 cm (P < 0.001), and the presence of vessel invasion (P = 0.009). Subgroup analyses showed CRT significantly impaired prognosis in SRCGC patients in the cSRCGC subset, as well as lesions located in lower-middle sites, subtotal gastrectomy, male, <60 year, and no vessel invasion. Peritoneal was the most common recurrence site in SRCGC patients. The adverse events leukopenia and neutropenia were more common in the CRT group (P = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was associated with poor survival compared with adjuvant chemotherapy in SRCGC patients with D2 gastrectomy.

Predictive Risk Factors and Online Nomograms for Synchronous Colon Cancer With Liver Metastasis.

OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate predictive nomograms of cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) for synchronous colon cancer with liver metastasis (SCLM) patients. METHODS: Patients with pathologically diagnosed colon cancer with liver metastasis were retrieved from the SEER database between 2010 and 2015. Only SCLM patients were included. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses were conducted to identify the potential predictors of patients' survival outcomes. The selected variables were integrated to create predictive nomograms via R tools. Furthermore, the concordance index Harrell's C statistic (C-index) was calculated to describe the discrimination of nomograms. Calibration (1000 bootstrap resamples) curves were plotted to compare the predictions of nomograms with the observed outcomes. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curves were performed to evaluate the clinical effects of nomograms. RESULTS: A total of 22,378 SCLM patients were included. The median time of OS and CSS was 13 and 17 months, respectively. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year rate of OS was 50.6, 28.1, and 14.8%, respectively. While the 1-, 2-, and 3-year rate of CSS was 58.7, 36.8, and 22.5%, respectively. SCLM patients with increased age, left primary tumor location, AJCC IVb stage, and no chemotherapy were associated with an obviously reduced OS and CSS. Variables including age, histological grade, T/N/M stage, tumor size, bone/lung metastasis, CEA, surgery of primary site, and chemotherapy were closely related to the prognoses of SCLM patients. Nomograms of OS and CSS were built and displayed online for convenient utilization. The C-index of OS and CSS monograms were 0.74 and 0.73, respectively, indicating relatively good discrimination of the nomograms. The calibration curves suggested a good agreement between the actual observation and the nomogram prediction. DCAs and clinical impact curves reflected favorable potential clinical effects of predictive nomograms. CONCLUSION: Chemotherapy, surgery of primary site, and age were important independent risk factors for the CSS and OS of SCLM patients. We built and validated two reliable nomograms of OS and CSS to predict the prognoses of SCLM patients, which can be accessed online at (https://predictive-tool.shinyapps.io/CSS-DynNomapp/; https://predictive-tool.shinyapps.io/OS-DynNomapp/).

Coexistence of the BRCA1 and KRAS mutations in a patient with salivary gland carcinoma arising in mediastinal mature teratoma.

Teratoma with malignant transformation is a rare type of malignant teratoma. In the present case, we describe a patient with salivary gland carcinoma (SGC) generating in mediastinal mature teratoma. Next-generation sequencing showed BRCA1 and KRAS somatic mutations, which might be associated with malignant transformation of the mediastinal mature teratomas. To our knowledge, the present case is the first report of coexistence of BRCA1 and KRAS mutations in mature cystic teratoma with malignant transformation to SGC. And the tumor showed a good response to chemotherapy with cisplatin and paclitaxel according to the transformed histology.

14-3-3zeta is involved in the anticancer effect of metformin in colorectal carcinoma.

Metformin is a promising drug for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in the diabetic population. We aimed to test whether 14-3-3zeta affects the anticancer effect of metformin on colorectal carcinoma (CRC). In this study, we confirmed that higher 14-3-3zeta expression was found in CRC tissues than in pericarcinoma tissues, and in CRC tissue of patients with diabetes than in those without diabetes. A knockdown of 14-3-3zeta inhibited CRC proliferation and promoted apoptosis in vitro and in vivo. Then, we created stable cell lines with under-expressed 14-3-3zeta from SW480 and HCT15 cells after infection by a lentiviral vector carrying short hairpin RNA targeting 14-3-3zeta (named LV-sh14-3-3zeta). Of note, metformin induced apoptosis and retarded tumor growth in the CRCs with overexpressed 14-3-3zeta, whereas this action was attenuated when 14-3-3zeta was knocked down. Moreover, either metformin or downregulation of 14-3-3zeta noticeably activated AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, whereas the effect of metformin was attenuated when the 14-3-3zeta expression was decreased. Taken together, our results suggest that 14-3-3zeta may be associated with carcinogenesis and poor prognosis of CRCs associated with diabetes, and metformin may reverse the AMPK inhibition caused by 14-3-3zeta in CRCs in the background of diabetes. Our study should lead to a better understanding of the anticancer activity of metformin and points to possible application of metformin to the treatment of cancers overexpressing 14-3-3zeta.

Diphtheria Toxin/Human B-Cell Activating Factor Fusion Protein Kills Human Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia BALL-1 Cells: An Experimental Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to express a fusion protein of diphtheria toxin and human B cell-activating factor (DT388sBAFF) in Escherichia coli (E. coli) and investigate its activity in human B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia 1 cells (BALL-1). METHODS: A fragment of DT388sBAFF fusion gene was separated from plasmid pUC57-DT388sBAFF digested with Nde I and Xho I, and inserted into the expression vector pcold II digested with the same enzymes. Recombinants were screened by the colony polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction map. The recombinant expression vector was transformed into BL21 and its expression was induced by isopropyl ß-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). The recombinant protein was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot, and then purified by Ni(2+)-NTA affinity chromatography. The expression level of B cell-activating factor receptor (BAFF-R) on BALL-1 cells was assessed by real-time PCR. The receptor binding capacity of recombinant protein was determined by cell fluorescent assay. The specific cytotoxicity of recombinant protein on BALL-1 cells was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: The expression level of recombinant protein was 50% of total bacterial proteins in E. coli, and the recombinant protein could bind to BAFF-R-positive BALL-1 cells and thereby produce a cytotoxic effect on the cells. CONCLUSION: The fusion protein expression vector DT388sBAFF was successfully constructed and the recombinant protein with selective cytotoxicity against BALL-1 cells was obtained, providing foundation for further study of the therapy of human B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.