[Clinical features and prognosis in 104 colorectal cancer patients with bone metastases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of bone metastases in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: The clinical data of 104 cases of colorectal cancer with bone metastasis were collected and retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Among all the 104 patients included, 45 (43.3%) patients had multiple bone metastases, and 59 (56.7%) patients had single bone metastasis. Pelvis (46.1%) was the most common site, followed by thoracic vertebrae (41.3%), lumbar vertebrae (40.4%), sacral vertebrae (29.8%) and ribs (29.8%). One hundred and two patients (98.1%) were complicated with other organ metastases. The median time from colorectal cancer diagnosis to bone metastasis was 16 months, and the median time from bone metastasis to first skeletal-related events (SREs) was 1 month. The most common skeletal-related events (SREs) were the need for radiotherapy (44.2%), severe bone pain (15.4%) and pathologic fracture (9.6%). The median survival time of patients with bone metastases was 10.0 months, and 8.5 months for patients with SREs. ECOG score, systemic chemotherapy and bisphosphonate therapy were prognostic factors by univariate analysis (all P < 0.05). ECOG score and systemic chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors by Cox multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Bone metastasis in colorectal cancer patients has a poor prognosis and the use of chemotherapy and bisphosphonates may have a benefit for their survival.

Catheterization of PICC through a superficial femoral vein for patients with superior vena cava syndrome using ECG positioning and ultrasound-guided technologies.

OBJECTIVE: We herein demonstrate the efficacy of PICC placement through a superficial femoral vein in patients with superior vena cava syndrome using ultrasound guidance and electrocardiographic localization. The treatment of PICC disconnection was also discussed. METHODS: The study enrolled 51 patients with superior vena cava syndrome. Ultrasound-guided technology and ECG positioning technology are employed to help these patients in catheterization. The puncture time, the number of punctures, and catheter tip position were recorded. The patient was followed up for at least 2 years. The complications and treatment during follow-up were recorded. RESULT: The average puncture time was 32.13 ± 3.91 min. A total of 49 patients were successfully punctured once, while 2 patients failed in the first puncture. The main reason for puncture failure is that the inability of a guide wire to pass through. After the nurse removed the needle and pressed the puncture point until no rebleeding occurred, the puncture above the original puncture point was successful. X-ray examination revealed that the catheter tip was located in the inferior vena cava, above the diaphragm, near the right atrium. The success rate of catheterization was 100%. The visual analog scale (VAS) score was (2.44 ± 0.73) at the time of puncture, which was tolerable during the operation, and the patient did not complain of obvious pain following the operation. One patient developed complications of broken tube half a year after the puncture. Interventional physicians utilized angiography to locate the broken catheter. CONCLUSION: It is safe and feasible to place PICC through a superficial femoral vein under ultrasound combined with ECG positioning technology in patients with superior vena cava syndrome.

Age-dependent genomic characteristics and their impact on immunotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of lung cancer tends to be younger, and adenocarcinoma is the main histological type. Even patients with the same tumor type may have significant differences in clinical features, tumor microenvironment and genomic background at different ages. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown to improve clinical outcomes in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, differences in ICI efficacy between older and younger patients are unknown. Our study aimed to explore the relationship between age and immunotherapy in LUAD. METHODS: In our study, 1313 resected LUAD patients in our hospital were divided into young (age ≤ 50) and old groups (age > 50), and the clinical characteristic differences between them were analyzed. Of these, next-generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on the 311 cases. In addition, immune-related signatures of 508 LUAD patients were analyzed by TCGA RNA expression data. Then, we validated genomic and clinical information of 270 LUAD samples in the MSKCC cohort. RESULTS: ERBB2 and EGFR gene mutations were significantly different between the two groups, and the gene mutation number in the old group was significantly higher than that in the young group. In addition, immune-related signatures of LUAD patients were analyzed by TCGA RNA expression data, which indicated that the patients in the old group might have a better immune microenvironment. Then, we validated the MSKCC cohort and found that the TMB of the old group was significantly higher than that of the young group, and the OS of immunotherapy was longer in the old group. CONCLUSION: Our study was the first to analyze the differences in the genomic landscape and immune-related biomarkers between the young and old groups of LUAD patients and found that the old group had a better efficacy of immunotherapy, providing a reference for the study design and treatment of patients with LUAD.

Chinese Medicine Leptochloa chinensis Inhibits the Malignant Behaviors of Renal Cell Carcinoma 786-O Cells by Regulating the mTOR Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common malignant tumor of the urinary system that seriously threatens human life and health. This study aims to explore the role of the traditional Chinese medicine Leptochloa chinensis in the pathogenesis of RCC. Meanwhile, this study also revealed the molecular biological mechanism of its antitumor activity. METHODS: Human RCC 786-O cells were cultured in the RPMI-1640 medium, which contains different concentrations of Leptochloa chinensis (1,000, 3,000, and 9,000 µg/ml). MTT and flow cytometry assays were used to detect the viability of 786-O cells. Transwell and wound healing assays were used to detect cell metastasis. The protein expression was observed by western blot analysis. RESULTS: Leptochloa can inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in RCC 786-O cells. In addition, Leptochloa can weaken the migration and invasion of 786-O cells. More importantly, Leptochloa can block the mTOR pathway by inhibiting the protein expression of p-mTOR. Moreover, the high concentration of Leptochloa chinensis has a better inhibitory effect on 786-O cells. CONCLUSION: The traditional Chinese medicine Leptochloa chinensis inhibits the viability and metastasis of 786-O cells by blocking the mTOR pathway.

Long Noncoding RNA HCG11 Acts as a Tumor Suppressor in Gastric Cancer by Regulating miR-942-5p/BRMS1 Axis.

The functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been widely investigated in human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC). The purpose of this study was to elucidate the role of lncRNA HCG11 in GC. In this study, mRNA and protein expressions were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assays (RT-qPCR) and Western blot analysis. The proliferation ability of GC cells was examined by (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyl Tetrazolium Bromide) MTT assays. The invasion and migration abilities of GC cells were evaluated by Transwell assays. The binding sites between miR-942-5p and HCG11/BRMS1 were confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. Results showed that LncRNA HCG11 was downregulated in GC cells. Functionally, overexpression of HCG11 inhibited GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, lncRNA HCG11 was found to act as a molecular sponge of miR-942-5p. Furthermore, miR-942-5p promoted GC progression by suppressing lncRNA HCG11 expression. Besides that, BRMS1 was confirmed as a direct target of miR-942-5p. More importantly, breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1) inhibited GC progression by upregulating lncRNA HCG11 and downregulating miR-942-5p. In conclusion, LncRNA HCG11 inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in GC by sponging miR-942-5p and upregulating BRMS1.

Clinical significance of serum cystatin C in early evaluation of renal impairment caused by chemotherapy in elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to discuss the application value of serum cystatin C (Cys C) in detecting early renal function injury in elderly patients with malignant tumors after chemotherapy. METHODS: The data at different chemotherapy time points (before chemotherapy, after two cycles of chemotherapy, and after four cycles of chemotherapy) were analyzed. RESULTS: Serum Cys C was significantly higher after chemotherapy than before chemotherapy in elderly patients with malignant tumors, and the endogenous creatinine clearance rate (CCr) significantly decreased. These were significantly correlated. However, there was no significant change in serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Cys C continued to increase with the prolonged time of chemotherapy. In addition, Cys C was sensitive for detecting renal impairment caused by platinum-based chemotherapy drugs. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic effect of Cys C on early renal function injury after chemotherapy in elderly patients with malignant tumors is better, when compared to traditional renal function test items, such as SCr, BUN and CCr.

[Mixed State and Sources of Fine Particulate Matter in the Summer in Tianjin City Based on Single Particle Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (SPAMS)].

Tianjin is located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Recently, particulate matter pollution has received wide attention; therefore, studying the chemical composition and sources of particulate matter in the atmospheric environment is of great significance. To clarify the mixed state and possible sources of particulate matter in the summer ambient air in Tianjin, this study used single particle aerosol mass spectrometer (SPAMS) to collect 209887 samples. Particle size and complete spectrometry information were collected in July 2017. A total of 369 particle classes were obtained with respect to clustering particles with similarities in mass spectrometry characteristics using ART-2a. Then, according to the similarity in the chemical composition (mass spectrometry) of the categories, 19 particulate matter categories were artificially merged: K-EC (0.20%), K-EC-Sec (0.18%), K-NO3-PO3(12.00%), K-NO3-SiO3(2.98%), K-Sec (0.16%), EC (39.60%), EC-Sec (3.46%), EC-HM-Sec (3.93%), HEC (1.49%), HEC-Sec (1.38%), OC-Amine-Sec (3.58%), OC-Sec (0.36%), OCEC-Sec (0.71%), Dust-HEC (21.35%), Dust-Sec (0.72%), Cl-EC-NO3(1.22%), Na-Cl-NO3(3.20%), HM-Sec (2.58%), and PAH-Sec (0.90%). The obtained particle classes can be attributed to different sources of aerosol particles and different transmission and reaction processes. According to comprehensive analysis, the collected particle contribution sources were found to mainly include motor vehicle emission sources, biomass combustion sources, process sources, dust sources, and secondary processes. Among them, K-EC, EC, HEC, and Dust-HEC particles were mainly from direct emissions of primary sources. K-Sec, OC-Amine-Sec, OC-Sec, OCEC-Sec, Na-Cl-NO3, and PAH-Sec particles mainly undergo different degrees of aging or mixed with secondary components.