Tunability-selective lithium niobate light modulators via high-Q resonant metasurface.

Herein, we propose and demonstrate an efficient light modulator by intercalating the nonlinear thin film into the optical resonator cavities, which introduce the ultra-sharp resonances and simultaneously lead to the spatially overlapped optical field between the nonlinear material and the resonators. Differential field intensity distributions in the geometrical perturbation-assisted optical resonator make the high quality-factor resonant modes and strong field confinement. Multiple channel light modulation is achieved in such layered system, which enables the capability for tunability-selective modulation. The maximal modulation tunability is up to 1.968 nm/V, and the figure of merit (FOM) reaches 65.6 V-1, showing orders of magnitude larger than that of the previous state-of-the-art modulators. The electrical switch voltage is down to 0.015 V, the maximal switching ratio is 833%, and the extinction ratio is also up to 9.70 dB. These features confirm the realization of high-performance modulation and hold potential for applications in switches, communication and information, augmented and virtual reality, etc.

Deep learning-based inverse design of multi-functional metasurface absorbers.

A novel approach-integrating a simulated annealing (SA) algorithm with deep learning (DL) acceleration-is presented for the rapid and accurate development of terahertz perfect absorbers through forward prediction and backward design. The forward neural network (FNN) effectively deduces the absorption spectrum based on metasurface geometry, resulting in an 80,000-fold increase in computational speed compared to a full-wave solver. Furthermore, the absorber's structure can be precisely and promptly derived from the desired response. The incorporation of the SA algorithm significantly enhances design efficiency. We successfully designed low-frequency, high-frequency, and broadband absorbers spanning the 4 to 16 THz range with an error margin below 0.02 and a remarkably short design time of only 10 min. Additionally, the proposed model in this Letter introduces a novel, to our knowledge, method for metasurface design at terahertz frequencies such as the design of metamaterials across optical, thermal, and mechanical domains.

Bryostatin-1 attenuates intestinal ischemia/reperfusion-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress via activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.

Bryostatin-1 (Bryo-1) exerts antioxidative stress effects in multiple diseases, and we confirmed that it improves intestinal barrier dysfunction in experimental colitis. Nevertheless, there are few reports on its action on intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). In this study, we mainly explored the effect of Bryo-1 on intestinal I/R injury and determined the mechanism. C57BL/6J mice underwent temporary superior mesenteric artery (SMA) obturation to induce I/R, on the contrary, Caco-2 cells suffered to oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) to establish the in vitro model. RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS to induce macrophage inflammation. The drug gradient experiment was used to demonstrate in vivo and in vitro models. Bryo-1 ameliorated the intestinal I/R-induced injury of multiple organs and epithelial cells. It also alleviated intestinal I/R-induced barrier disruption of intestines according to the histology, intestinal permeability, intestinal bacterial translocation rates, and tight junction protein expression results. Bryo-1 significantly inhibited oxidative stress damages and inflammation, which may contribute to the restoration of intestinal barrier function. Further, Bryo-1 significantly activated Nrf2/HO-1 signaling in vivo. However, the deletion of Nrf2 in Caco-2 and RAW264.7 cells attenuated the protective functions of Bryo-1 and significantly abolished the anti-inflammatory effect of Bryo-1 on LPS-induced macrophage inflammation. Bryo-1 protects intestines against I/R-induced injury. It is associated with intestinal barrier protection, as well as inhibition of inflammation and oxidative stress partly through Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.

RP11-79H23.3 Inhibits the Proliferation and Metastasis of Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Through Promoting miR-29c.

Evidences indicate that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are closely involved and contributed to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. As a novel lncRNA, RP11-79H23.3 was found to be an anti-oncogene in bladder cancer. However, the essential roles and functions of RP11-79H23.3 in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains to be elucidated. Here, loss of functional assay was applied to gain insights into the functions of RP11-79H23.3 on the proliferation and metastasis capabilities of A549 and H1299 cells. Meantime, Real-time PCR was utilized to measure RP11-79H23.3 and miR-29c expression in NSCLC tissues. Dual-luciferase reporter assay, CCK8, colony formation assay, transwell and Western blot were performed to illustrate the potential molecular basis of RP11-79H23.3 in NSCLC. RP11-79H23.3 downregulation facilitated cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC. The result of dual-luciferase reporter assay represented a direct interaction of RP11-79H23.3 with miR-29c, which suppressed miR-29c expression that showed inversely correlation in NSCLC. Moreover, RP11-79H23.3 siRNA facilitated the progression of NSCLC partially via regulating the expression of miR-29c and the activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Our findings highlighted that RP11-79H23.3, served as an anti-oncogene, accelerated NSCLC progression through sequestering miR-29c, providing a promising therapeutic target for NSCLC.

Kerr nonlinear medium assisted double-face absorbers for differential manipulation via an all-optical operation.

Recently, light absorbers have attracted great attentions due to their promising in applications in functional optoelectronic devices. Herein, we theoretically propose and numerically demonstrate a new absorber platform, which consists of a 280-nm-thick photonic nonlinear waveguide film covering on the metal grating structure. Strong reflection inhibition and absorption enhancement is achieved in both the forward and backward directions, which indicates potential novel performances since the previous reports only achieved absorption in one side due to the using of opaque metal film substrate or the reflective mirror. The anti-reflection bands or the absorption peaks at the shorter and longer wavelength ranges are related to the excitation of the propagating surface plasmon resonance by the slit-assisted grating and the cavity mode by the slit in the metal film. Strong differential manipulation is realized for the double-face absorbers via the all-optical operation. Moreover, the operation wavelengths for the double-face light absorber can be modified strongly via using an asymmetric dielectric medium for the coating films. These new findings pave approaches for subtractive lightwave modulation technology, selective filtering, multiplex sensing and detection, etc.

Magnetic Nanoparticles Detection of C-Reactive Protein Combined with Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio to Predict the Occurrence of Anastomotic Fistula after Rectal Cancer Surgery.

It aimed to explore the effect of C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in the early prediction of anastomotic leakage (AL) after rectal cancer surgery and to improve the prediction accuracy. In this study, gold (Au)/ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles were first synthesized and modified with polyacrylic acid (PAA). After modification, they underwent CRP antibody detection. Then, 120 patients with rectal cancer who underwent Dixon surgery were selected as the research objects to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of CRP combined with NLR in predicting AL. It was found that the diameter of the Au/Fe3O4 nanoparticles prepared in this study was about 45 nm. After adding 60 µg of antibody, the diameter of PAA-Au/Fe3O4 was 226.5 nm, the dispersion coefficient was 0.16, the standard curve between CRP concentration and luminous intensity was y = 8,966.5 x + 2,381.3, and R2 = 0.9944. Besides, the correlation coefficient was R2 = 0.991, and the linear regression equation was y=1.103 x - 0.0022 compared with the nephelometric method. By analyzing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of CRP combined with NLR to predict AL after Dixon surgery, the cut-off point was 0.11 on the first day after the surgery, the area under the curve was 0.896, the sensitivity was 82.5%, and the specificity was 76.67%. The cut-off point on the third day after the surgery was 0.13, the area under the curve was 0.931, the sensitivity was 86.67%, and the specificity was 90%. On the fifth day after the surgery, the cut-off point, the area under the curve, the sensitivity, and the specificity were 0.16, 0.964, 92.5%, and 95.83% in turn. In conclusion, PAA-Au/Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles could be used for clinical examination of patients with rectal cancer, and CRP combined with NLR could improve the prediction accuracy of AL after rectal cancer surgery.

A New Target of the Four-Herb Chinese Medicine for Wound Repair Promoted by Mitochondrial Metabolism Using Protein Acetylation Analysis.

BACKGROUND Wound healing is a dynamic and complex process that is regulated by a variety of factors and pathways. This study sought to identify the mechanisms of the four-herb Chinese medicine ANBP in enhancing wound repair. MATERIAL AND METHODS By comparing the group treated with ANBP for 6 h (Z6h) with the corresponding control group (C6h), we used the new high-throughput differential acetylation proteomics method to explore the mechanism of ANBP treatment and analyse and identify new targets of ANBP for promoting wound healing. RESULTS ANBP promoted skin wound healing in mice; the wound healing process was accelerated and the wound healing time was shortened (P<0.05). The upregulated proteins were distributed mostly in the mitochondria to nuclear respiratory chain complexes and cytoplasmic vesicles. The dominant pathways for upregulated proteins were fatty acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Pdha1 was upregulated with the most acetylation sites, while the downregulated Ncl, and Pfkm were most acetylated. CONCLUSIONS The findings from our study showed that ANBP improved cell aerobic respiration through enhanced glycolysis, pyruvic acid oxidative decarboxylation, and the Krebs cycle to produce more ATP for energy consumption, thus accelerating wound repair of skin.

Assessment of Laying Hens' Thermal Comfort Using Sound Technology.

Heat stress is one of the most important environmental stressors facing poultry production and welfare worldwide. The detrimental effects of heat stress on poultry range from reduced growth and egg production to impaired health. Animal vocalisations are associated with different animal responses and can be used as useful indicators of the state of animal welfare. It is already known that specific chicken vocalisations such as alarm, squawk, and gakel calls are correlated with stressful events, and therefore, could be used as stress indicators in poultry monitoring systems. In this study, we focused on developing a hen vocalisation detection method based on machine learning to assess their thermal comfort condition. For extraction of the vocalisations, nine source-filter theory related temporal and spectral features were chosen, and a support vector machine (SVM) based classifier was developed. As a result, the classification performance of the optimal SVM model was 95.1 ± 4.3% (the sensitivity parameter) and 97.6 ± 1.9% (the precision parameter). Based on the developed algorithm, the study illustrated that a significant correlation existed between specific vocalisations (alarm and squawk call) and thermal comfort indices (temperature-humidity index, THI) (alarm-THI, R = -0.414, P = 0.01; squawk-THI, R = 0.594, P = 0.01). This work represents the first step towards the further development of technology to monitor flock vocalisations with the intent of providing producers an additional tool to help them actively manage the welfare of their flock.

MiR-150 promotes angiogensis and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells in deep venous thrombosis by targeting SRCIN1.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), encompassing deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is the third most common cardiovascular disease. miR-150 is one of important microRNAs which play critical role in various cellular function such as endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). In this study, we investigate the effect of miR-150 on EPCs function ex vivo and thrombus resolution in vivo. We determined miR-150 expression in EPCs isolated from DVT patients and control subjects by RT-PCR. Potential target of miR-150 was confirmed by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter respectively. The angiogenesis and proliferation were tested by MTT and tube formation assay. A murine model of venous thrombosis was developed as in vivo model. Finally, the effect of miR-150 on EPCs with inferior venous thrombosis were evaluated in vivo. Our data showed that miR-150 was downregulated in EPCs from DVT patients. By using miR-150 agomir and antagomir, we found that miR-150 promoted angiogenesis and proliferation of EPCs. Bioinformatics analysis revealed SRCIN1 as a target of miR-150 and SRCIN1 knockdown inhibited function of EPCs. Forced expression of miR-150 contributed thrombus resolution in a murine model of venous thrombosis. In general, miR-150 was downregulated in EPCs from DVT. Upregulation of miR-150 promoted angiogenesis and proliferation of EPCs by targeting SRCIN1 in vitro and thrombus resolution in vivo.

Truncated titanium/semiconductor cones for wide-band solar absorbers.

A truncated Ti and Si cones metasurface has been proposed for wide-band solar absorber (WSA), which produced a high average absorption of 94.7% in the spectral region from 500 to 4000 nm. A maximal enhancement factor of 166.0% was achieved by the WSA in comparison with the absorption of Ti/Si cylinder resonators based absorber. Under the standard solar radiance, a high full-spectrum solar absorption efficiency of 96.1% was obtained for the WSA in the energy range from 0.28 to 4.0 eV. The spectral bandwidth with absorption above 90% is up to 3.402 µm, which shows an enhancement factor of 165.0% than that of the WSA intercalated by the SiO2. Other semiconductors such as Ge, GaAs have been utilized to form the WSA, which also maintained the near-unity absorption in the wide-band spectrum. The plasmonic resonant response of the Ti material and the strong electromagnetic coupling capability of the Si resonator, and the plasmonic near-field coupling by the adjacent truncated cones were the main contributions for the impressive absorption behaviors. These findings pave a new way for achieving full-spectrum solar absorber via combining the Ti material and semiconductors, which could open potential approaches for active optoelectronic devices such as photo-detectors, hot-electron related modulators, and solar cells, etc.

Novel Serum Biomarkers Detected by Protein Array in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome with Low Progesterone Level.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), characterized by female infertility and metabolic abnormalities, is one of the most common endocrine disorders. The etiology of PCOS remains unknown. The comprehensive analysis of protein alterations in PCOS patients is meaningful for identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PCOS. Here, we explored the clinical value of serum proteins as novel biomarkers to detect PCOS with low progesterone level. METHODS: A total of 43 patients with PCOS and 30 healthy women were enrolled. Protein array was used to detect the variations of serum proteins between PCOS patients and healthy women. The level of five serum proteins was further confirmed by ELISA and western blot. The human ovarian granulosa cells (KGN) was cultured to examine the underlying mechanism of PCOS. CCK8 assay and western blot were carried out to evaluate the alterations in proliferative ability, TUNEL assay and DAPI staining to detect the apoptosis of KGN cells. RESULTS: Among the 507 proteins, we identified 76 differentially expressed serum proteins (≧1.5 fold), with 40 elevated and 36 decreased proteins. Moreover, 47 proteins were newly reported in PCOS. The alterations in the five significantly decreased proteins (EREG, inhibin ßA, IDE, PDGF-D and KNG1) were further confirmed by ELISA and western blot. The level of these proteins were directly associated with the low progesterone, and the expression could be upregulated by progesterone. EREG and inhibin ßA also promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells. CONCLUSION: The study highlights that serum proteins are differentially expressed in PCOS patients and healthy women, and EREG and inhibin ßA levels are upregulated by progesterone, which are correlated with ovarian functions. The study suggests that EREG and inhibin ßA may be applied as novel potential biomarkers for PCOS with low progesterone level.

Human cancer cells suppress behaviors of endothelial progenitor cells through miR-21 targeting IL6R.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a severe clinical process and has a high rate of fatality. Cancer patients have a high incidence rate of venous thrombosis complication and increase the mortality of cancer patients for 2-8 times. The mechanisms involved in human cancers and venous thrombosis remains unclear. In this study, we determined miR-21 expressed higher in human breast cancer, colon cancer and hepatocellular cancer tissues compared with normal tissues and expressed higher in exosomes of breast cancer and hepatocellular cancer cell lines compared with normal cells. MiR-21 dramatically suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which performed promoting role in thrombus repairment and resolution. High levels of miR-21 in exosomes of human cancers dramatically inhibited behaviors of EPCs, and depletion of miR-21 abrogated the decreased proliferation, migration and invasion of EPCs induced by human cancer cells. Moreover, IL6R (interleukin 6 receptor) was identified to be a direct target of miR-21 and promoted cell proliferation, migration and invasion of EPCs. Therefore, the miR-21-IL6R pathway contributed to behaviors of EPCs and consequently mediated the vein thrombosis in patients with cancer. MiR-21-IL6R pathway based therapeutic methods would be beneficial to decrease the complicated venous thrombosis in cancer patients and promote thrombus resolution.

Monochromatic filter with multiple manipulation approaches by the layered all-dielectric patch array.

Monochromatic filtering with ultra-narrowband and high spectral contrast is desirable for wide applications in display, image, and other optoelectronics. However, owing to the inherent omhic losses in the metallic materials, a broadband spectrum with a low Q-factor down to 10 inevitably limits the device performance. Herein, we for the first time theoretically propose and demonstrate an ultra-narrowband color-filtering platform based on the layered all-dielectric meta-material (LADM), which consists of a triple-layer high/low/high-index dielectrics cavity structure. Owing to the lossless dielectric materials used, sharp resonances with the bandwidth down to sub-10 nm are observed in the sub-wavelength LADM-based filters. A spectral Q-factor of 361.6 is achieved, which is orders of magnitude larger than that of the plasmonic resonators. Moreover, for the other significant factor for evaluation of filtering performance, the spectral contrast reaches 94.5%. These optical properties are the main results of the excitation of the resonant modes in the LADMs. Furthermore, polarization-manipulated light filtering is realized in this LADM. The classical Malus law is also confirmed in the reflective spectrum by tuning the polarization state. More interestingly and importantly, the filtering phenomenon shows novel features of the wavelength-independent and tunable resonant intensity for the reflective spectrum when the LADM-based filter is illuminated under an oblique state. High scalability of the sharp reflective spectrum is obtained by tuning the structural parameters. A single-wavelength reflective filtering window is also achieved in the visible frequencies. These features hold promise for the LADM-based filter with wide applications in color engineering, displaying, imaging, etc.

Efficacy of transanal tube placement after anterior resection for rectal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anastomotic leakage is a serious complication that can occur after anterior resection of the rectum. There is a question regarding whether the placement of a transanal tube can decrease the rate of anastomotic leakage. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of transanal tube placement after anterior resection. METHODS: We searched three major databases (PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) up until January 2015 for studies evaluating the benefit of transanal tubes after anterior resection for rectal cancer. The primary outcome measure was the rate of clinical anastomotic leakage. Secondary outcome was the rate of reoperation. Pooled risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained using random effects models. RESULTS: One randomized controlled trial and three observational studies involving 909 patients met inclusion criteria. Clinical anastomotic leakage occurred in 3.49% (14 of 401) of patients with transanal tubes and 12.01% (61 of 508) of patients without transanal tubes. Meta-analysis of the studies showed a lower risk of anastomotic leakage (RR, 0.32; 95% CI 0.18-0.58) and reoperation related to leakage (RR, 0.19; 95% CI 0.08-0.46) when the transanal tube was placed. CONCLUSIONS: While studies are few and mostly observational, the data to date indicate that placement of a transanal tube decreases the rate of clinical anastomotic leakage and reoperation related to leakage. More studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Downregulation of microRNA-409-3p promotes aggressiveness and metastasis in colorectal cancer: an indication for personalized medicine.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs play an essential role in colorectal cancer development and progression. Aberrant miR-409-3p expression has been reported in several cancers. However, the clinical significance and functions of miR-409-3p in human CRC were not entirely clear. METHODS: miR-409-3p expression levels were determined in 45 pairs of primary CRC and their corresponding adjacent non-tumor tissues by qPCR. The effects of ectopic expression of miR-409-3p on CRC cells proliferation, wound healing, metastasis were investigated by CCK-8, transwell assay and peritoneal spreading nude mice model. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of clinical cases revealed that low miR-409-3p expression had inclinations towards lager tumor size and local invasion. Ectopic expression of miRNA mimics suggested that miR-409-3p could inhibits the abilities of proliferation, wound healing, metastasis and invasion in CRC cells. Notably, we found the NLK could be a potential target of miR-409-3p. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that miR-409-3p functions as a tumor suppressor by inhibiting the development and metastasis of CRC, suggesting that miR-409-3p is expected to become a new diagnostic marker and a new target of the treatment of CRC.

Achieving an ultra-narrow multiband light absorption meta-surface via coupling with an optical cavity.

Resonant plasmonic and metamaterial absorbers are of particular interest for applications in a wide variety of nanotechnologies including thermophotovoltaics, photothermal therapy, hot-electron collection and biosensing. However, it is rather challenging to realize ultra-narrow absorbers using plasmonic materials due to large optical losses in metals that inevitably decrease the quality of optical resonators. Here, we theoretically report methods to achieve an ultra-narrow light absorption meta-surface by using photonic modes of the optical cavities, which strongly couple with the plasmon resonances of the metallic nanostructures. Multispectral light absorption with absorption amplitude exceeding 99% and a bandwidth approaching 10 nm is achieved at the optical frequencies. Moreover, by introducing a thick dielectric coupling cavity, the number of absorption bands can be strongly increased and the bandwidth can even be narrowed to less than 5 nm due to the resonant spectrum splitting enabled by strong coupling between the plasmon resonances and the optical cavity modes. Designing such optical cavity-coupled meta-surface structures is a promising route for achieving ultra-narrow multiband absorbers, which can be used in absorption filters, narrow-band multispectral thermal emitters and thermophotovoltaics.

One-process fabrication of metal hierarchical nanostructures with rich nanogaps for highly-sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering.

One-process fabrication of highly active and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates via ion beam deposition is reported. The fabricated metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) hierarchical nanostructure possesses rich nanogaps and a tunable resonant cavity. Raman scattering signals of analytes are dramatically strengthened due to the strong near-field coupling of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and the strong interaction of LSPRs of metal NPs with surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on the underlying metal film by crossing over the dielectric spacer. The maximum Raman enhancement for the highest Raman peak at 1650 cm(-1) is 13.5 times greater than that of a single metal nanoparticle (NP) array. Moreover, the SERS activity can be efficiently tailored by varying the size and number of voids between adjacent metal NPs and the thickness of the dielectric spacer. These findings may broaden the scope of SERS applications of MDM hierarchical nanostructures in biomedical and analytical chemistry.

High Expression Levels of Trigger Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells-1 on Neutrophils Associated with Increased Severity of Acute Pancreatitis in Mice.

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM)-1 expression on neutrophils is associated with inflammation and infection. However, the dynamic changes of the TREM-1 expression on neutrophils have not been clarified in inflammatory acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of this study was to longitudinally investigate the TREM-1 expression on peripheral blood and peritoneal neutrophils and its relationship with the levels of plasma cytokines and disease severity in a mouse model of AP following injection with varying doses of L-arginine to induce mild AP (MAP) or severe AP (SAP). The results indicated that induction of MAP or SAP was associated with moderate and severe pancreatic tissue damage and varying levels of serum and peritoneal fluid amylase as well as survival rates in mice. In comparison with that in the healthy controls, significantly increased percentages of peripheral blood and peritoneal fluid CD14-TREM-1(+) neutrophils and higher levels of TREM-1 mRNA transcripts in peripheral blood nuclear cells were detected in the MAP and SAP mice, particularly in the SAP mice. Higher levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), but lower levels of plasma interleukin (IL)-10, were detected in the MAP and SAP mice at varying time points post induction. The percentages of peripheral blood CD14-TREM-1(+) neutrophils were correlated positively with the levels of TNF-α, GM-CSF, and amylase as well as the pathogenic scores, but negatively with the levels of IL-10 in the AP mice. Therefore, TREM-1(+) neutrophils may participate in the pathogenesis of AP and serve as a biomarker for evaluating the severity of AP.

CXC chemokines: Potential biomarker and immunotherapeutic target for uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma.

Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) is one of the most common type of gynecological malignancies. Multiple lines of evidence indicated that CXC chemokines exerted an anti-tumor immunological role in the tumor microenvironment which were critical regulators of cancer immunity. However, the relevance of CXC chemokines in the evaluation of prognosis and immune infiltration of UCEC remains to be explored. This study utilized various online databases, including TCGA, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier Plotter, cBioPortal, TIMER2.0, TISIDB, and MethSurv to perform the analysis. Gene expression data from the TCGA-UCEC dataset indicated decreased expression of CXCL2/12 and increased expression of CXCL14/17. CXCL2/12 expression was negatively whereas CXCL14/17 expression was positively correlated with clinicopathological features of UCEC patients, including cancer stage, patients' age, weight and menopause status. Patients with higher CXCL12/14 expression corresponded with better clinical outcomes, which were not influenced by the genetic alterations. The differential expression of CXCL2/12/14/17 was not only significantly correlated with immune infiltration levels, but also the abundance of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Heatmaps of DNA methylation of CXCL2/12/14/17 were investigated, and 4 CpGs of CXCL2, 16 CpGs of CXCL12, 3 CpGs of CXCL14/17 were identified where altered methylation affected the prognosis of UCEC patients. These findings provided novel insights into the immunologic features of UCEC and might pave the way toward the prognostic evaluation and immunotherapy selection based on CXCL2/12/14/17 expression status.

SERPINC1, a new prognostic predictor of colon cancer, promote colon cancer progression through EMT.

BACKGROUND: Liver metastasis of CRC is still the main cause of poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Previous studies have suggested that serpin family C member 1(SERPINC1) is involved in the development of a variety of tumours, but its effect on colorectal cancer progression has been poorly elucidated. METHODS: Based on the GEO database, this study identifies the core gene SERPINC1 associated with liver metastasis in CRC. We used transcriptomic data and immunohistochemical staining to explore the expression of SERPINC1 in normal, cancer, and liver metastases tissue from CRC patients. Clinical data obtained from our hospital were used to explore the impact of SERPINC1 on the prognosis of colon cancer patients. Mechanistically, the biological functions exerted by SERPINC1 in CRC were predicted by bioinformatics, and the results were validated by the results of the experiments in vitro. Cell lines with knockdown of SERPINC1 were performed a series assay such as trans well, CCK-8 and colony formation assay to explore the relationship between SERPINC1 and proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells. Finally, the effect of SERPINC1 on the sensitivity of colon cancer patients to immune checkpoint therapy was evaluated. RESULTS: In CRC liver metastatic tissues, we found significantly high expression of SERPINC1. Briefly, 212 CRC cohorts showed that SERPINC1 was significantly associated with TNM stage and plasma CA19-9 and CEA in CRC patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox demonstrated that SERPINC1 was significantly associated with 5-year survival after radical surgery for colorectal cancer (p < 0.001). Bioinformatics predicted that SERPINC1 affects metastasis of colon cancer through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Colony formation assay and CCK-8 assay showed that SERPINC1 promotes malignant proliferation of CRC cells, trans well assay showed that SERPINC1 promotes distant migratory behaviour of CRC cells and protein blotting assay showed that SERPINC1 may promote migration by promoting the TGF-ß1-mediated EMT of CRC cells. In addition, several immunotherapy cohorts also reflected that the expression of SERPINC1 reduced the sensitivity of CRC patients to immune checkpoint therapy. CONCLUSION: Our study identified SERPINC1 as a novel liver metastasis-associated gene in CRC. Targeting SERPINC1 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for patients with liver metastases from CRC.