Clinicopathological and prognostic value of long noncoding RNA SNHG7 in cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have provided evidence that long noncoding RNA SNHG7 is highly expressed and associated with poor clinical outcomes in cancer patients. The meta-analysis is aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of SNHG7 across various cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible studies about prognosis and clinicopathological features of SNHG7 expression in all kinds of tumors were collected by searching the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library from inception through August 13, 2020. Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from eligible studies were extracted and pooled to investigate the association between SNHG7 and survival or clinicopathology by STATA 16.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies enrolling 1029 cancer patients met the inclusion criteria in this meta-analysis. Based on the results, over-expressed SNHG7 was associated with deeper tumor invasion (OR: 2.76; 95% CI: 1.98-3.86; p: 0.000), earlier lymphatic metastasis (OR: 4.22; 95% CI: 3.04-5.86; p: 0.000), more advanced tumor stage (OR: 3.49; 95% CI: 2.45-4.98; p: 0.000) and poor histologic grade (OR: 2.23; 95% CI: 1.33-3.74; p: 0.002), but not with sex, age, tumor size and distant metastasis. As for prognosis, patients with high expression of SNHG7 were more likely to have shorter overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.38-1.94; p: 0.000) and disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 1.37; 95% CI: 1.09-1.71; p: 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: SNHG7 may serve as a novel biomarker in terms of predicting prognosis and clinicopathological characters in various human cancers.

De novo urothelial carcinoma in kidney transplant patients with end-stage aristolochic acid nephropathy in China.

OBJECTIVE: Aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) is a progressive renal interstitial fibrosis disease that was initially reported among a Belgian cohort of about 50 patients after the intake of diet pills containing the Chinese herb Aristolochia fangchi. In addition to renal disease, foci of AAN show increased incidences of urothelial carcinomas (UC). Immunosuppression is associated with an increased risk for the development of different malignancies. Our aim was to examine the outcomes of UC among patients with AAN after transplantation in China, the cradle of this traditional medicine. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective evaluation of the charts and pathology reports of 1612 renal transplant recipients treated at our 2 institutions. RESULTS: From January 1998 to December 2006, we performed cadaveric kidney transplantations in 17 patients with AAN, all of whom were treated with cyclosporine plus azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil plus prednisone. One-year graft survival was 100%. During the mean follow-up of 57 months (range, 21-108 months), 9 recipients (52.9%) developed UC, compared with a 0.46% prevalence of urinary tract tumors among other Chinese kidney transplant recipients. The age at which the diagnosis was made ranged from 39 to 66 years (mean, 53.6 +/- 6.8 years). Among the 9 patients with UC, 8 cases (88.9%) involved the upper urinary tract: bilateral, 3 cases, 37.5%; unilateral, 5 cases, 62.5%. In 1 patient only a bladder tumor was detected. Two patients showed the bladder, synchronous bilateral ureter, and pelvis to be involved. All patients with UC underwent surgical treatment, recovering uneventfully with functioning grafts after tumor excision, except 1 patient who underwent nephrectomy of the transplanted kidney. Six patients (75%) experienced recurrences during the follow-up period. Three patients died within a mean of 20 months (range, 1-42 months) after tumor excision. CONCLUSIONS: The risk for UC is increased among patients with AAN after transplantation. Regular screening for early detection of malignancy is mandatory. Longer follow-up and results from other transplant centers are needed to further investigate the relationship between AAN and UC among renal transplant patients.

Structure elucidation of glycan of glycoconjugate LbGp3 isolated from the fruit of Lycium barbarum L.

The structure of the repeat unit of the glycan of glycoconjugate LbGp3 with pronounced immunoactivity, isolated from the fruit of Lycium barbarum L. was elucidated based on methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis and 1H, 13C NMR spectroscopy of the original glycan and products of its partial hydrolysis.