Prognostic significance of regional lymphadenectomy in T1b gallbladder cancer: Results from 24 hospitals in China.

BACKGROUND: Whether regional lymphadenectomy (RL) should be routinely performed in patients with T1b gallbladder cancer (GBC) remains a subject of debate. AIM: To investigate whether RL can improve the prognosis of patients with T1b GBC. METHODS: We studied a multicenter cohort of patients with T1b GBC who underwent surgery between 2008 and 2016 at 24 hospitals in 13 provinces in China. The log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model were used to compare the overall survival (OS) of patients who underwent cholecystectomy (Ch) + RL and those who underwent Ch only. To investigate whether combined hepatectomy (Hep) improved OS in T1b patients, we studied patients who underwent Ch + RL to compare the OS of patients who underwent combined Hep and patients who did not. RESULTS: Of the 121 patients (aged 61.9 ± 10.1 years), 77 (63.6%) underwent Ch + RL, and 44 (36.4%) underwent Ch only. Seven (9.1%) patients in the Ch + RL group had lymph node metastasis. The 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in the Ch + RL group than in the Ch group (76.3% vs 56.8%, P = 0.036). Multivariate analysis showed that Ch + RL was significantly associated with improved OS (hazard ratio: 0.51; 95% confidence interval: 0.26-0.99). Among the 77 patients who underwent Ch + RL, no survival improvement was found in patients who underwent combined Hep (5-year OS rate: 79.5% for combined Hep and 76.1% for no Hep; P = 0.50). CONCLUSION: T1b GBC patients who underwent Ch + RL had a better prognosis than those who underwent Ch. Hep + Ch showed no improvement in prognosis in T1b GBC patients. Although recommended by both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and Chinese Medical Association guidelines, RL was only performed in 63.6% of T1b GBC patients. Routine Ch + RL should be advised in T1b GBC.

[Development direction of molecular breeding of medicinal plants].

To breed new varieties of medicinal plants with high resistance is the premise to ensure the production of high-quality medicinal materials. Molecular breeding using modern molecular biology and genetic technology can save time and effort and realize rapid and accurate breeding. Here we are trying to summarize the difference of breeding characteristics between medicinal plants and crops such as genetic background and breeding purpose. The strategy of molecular breeding of medicinal plants was summarized, and the four-phases breeding based on high-throughput sequencing and target gene mining was emphasized. We put forward the current molecular breeding of medicinal plants in the condition of four phases breeding is the optimal technological way of breeding, and gene editing breeding is the direction of medicinal plants breeding.

[Molecular genetics of medicinal plants, past achievement, and new era].

Unraveling the genetic basis of medicinal plant metabolism and developmental traits is a long-standing goal for pharmacologists and plant biologists. This paper discusses the definition of molecular genetics of medicinal plants, which is an integrative discipline with medicinal plants as the research object. This discipline focuses on the heredity and variation of medicinal plants, and elucidates the relationship between the key traits of medicinal plants(active compounds, yield, resistance, etc.) and genotype, studies the structure and function, heredity and variation of medicinal plant genes mainly at molecular level, so as to reveal the molecular mechanisms of transmission, expression and regulation of genetic information of medicinal plants. Specifically, we emphasize on three major aspects of this discipline.(1)Individual and population genetics of medicinal plants, this part mainly highlights the genetic mechanism of the domestication, the individual genomics at the species level, and the formation of genetic diversity of medicinal plants.(2)Elucidation of biosynthetic pathways of active compounds and their evolutionary significance. This part summarizes the biosynthesis, diversity and molecular evolution of active compounds in medicinal plants.(3) Molecular mechanisms that shaping the key agronomic traits by internal and external factors. This part focuses on the accumulation and distribution of active compounds within plants and the regulation of metabolic network by environmental factors. Finally, we prospect the future direction of molecular genetics of medicinal plants based on the rapid development of multi-omics technology, as well as the application of molecular genetics in the future strategies to achieve conservation and breeding of medicinal plants and efficient biosynthesis of active compounds.

[Molecular genetics research of medicinal plants].

With the development of various biotechnology,the research on molecular genetics of medicinal plants has gradually deepened. In this paper,the research system of molecular genetics of medicinal plants was proposed for the first time,which was elaborated from the aspects of genetic resources,genome,gene function and research methods. The application fields of medicinal plant mainly contain species identification,molecular breeding and biosynthesis. The research directions of molecular genetics of medicinal plants in genetic resources,model platform,synthetic biology and molecular breeding were put forward,which include 1 000 genome projects of medicinal plants,model species and mutant libraries,gene original libraries of heterologous synthetic systems,construction gene original library and specific chassis cells in heterologous synthesis system of active ingredient,breeding of new varieties of medicinal plants with high active ingredient and high resistance based on molecular markers andtransgenes.

Baicalein inhibits progression of gallbladder cancer cells by downregulating ZFX.

Baicalein, a widely used Chinese herbal medicine, has multiple pharmacological activities. However, the precise mechanisms of the anti-proliferation and anti-metastatic effects of baicalein on gallbladder cancer (GBC) remain poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the anti-proliferation and anti-metastatic effects of baicalein and the related mechanism(s) on GBC. In the present study, we found that treatment with baicalein induced a significant inhibitory effect on proliferation and promoted apoptosis in GBC-SD and SGC996 cells, two widely used gallbladder cancer cell lines. Additionally, treatment with baicalein inhibited the metastasis of GBC cells. Moreover, we demonstrated for the first time that baicalein inhibited GBC cell growth and metastasis via down-regulation of the expression level of Zinc finger protein X-linked (ZFX). In conclusion, our studies suggest that baicalein may be a potential phytochemical flavonoid for therapeutics of GBC and ZFX may serve as a molecular marker or predictive target for GBC.

Effects of oxymatrine on the apoptosis and proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells.

Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common malignancy of the biliary tract and is associated with a very poor outcome. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of oxymatrine (OM) on gallbladder cancer cells and the possible mechanism of its effects. The effects of OM on the proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells (GBC-SD and SGC-996) were investigated using cell counting kit-8 and colony formation assays. Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining was performed to investigate whether OM could induce apoptosis in gallbladder cancer cells. The mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and expression of apoptosis-associated proteins were evaluated to identify a mechanism for the effects of OM. In addition, the RNA expression of relevant genes was measured by qRT-PCR using the SYBR Green method. Finally, a subcutaneous implantation model was used to verify the effects of OM on tumor growth in vivo. We found that OM inhibited the proliferation of gallbladder cancer cells. In addition, Annexin V/propidium iodide double staining showed that OM induced apoptosis after 48 h and the ΔΨm decreased in a dose-dependent manner after OM treatment. Moreover, the activation of caspase-3 and Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2 and nuclear factor κB were observed in OM-treated cells. Finally, OM potently inhibited in-vivo tumor growth following subcutaneous inoculation of SGC-996 cells in nude mice. In conclusion, OM treatment reduced proliferation and induced apoptosis in gallbladder cancer cells, which suggests that this drug may serve as a novel candidate for adjuvant treatment in patients with gallbladder cancer.