Nociceptive neurons interact directly with gastric cancer cells via a CGRP/Ramp1 axis to promote tumor progression.

Cancer cells have been shown to exploit neurons to modulate their survival and growth, including through establishment of neural circuits within the central nervous system (CNS) 1-3 . Here, we report a distinct pattern of cancer-nerve interactions between the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and gastric cancer (GC). In multiple GC mouse models, nociceptive nerves demonstrated the greatest degree of nerve expansion in an NGF-dependent manner. Neural tracing identified CGRP+ peptidergic neurons as the primary gastric sensory neurons. Three-dimensional co-culture models showed that sensory neurons directly connect with gastric cancer spheroids through synapse-like structures. Chemogenetic activation of sensory neurons induced the release of calcium into the cytoplasm of cancer cells, promoting tumor growth and metastasis. Pharmacological ablation of sensory neurons or treatment with CGRP inhibitors suppressed tumor growth and extended survival. Depolarization of gastric tumor membranes through in vivo optogenetic activation led to enhanced calcium flux in nodose ganglia and CGRP release, defining a cancer cell-peptidergic neuronal circuit. Together, these findings establish the functional connectivity between cancer and sensory neurons, identifying this pathway as a potential therapeutic target.

Obesity and septic patient outcomes: Shaping the puzzle through age and sex perspectives.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: While obesity has been reported as a protective factor in septic patients, little is known about the potential modifying effects of age and sex. The objective of this study is to investigate age and sex-specific associations between obesity and the prognosis of septic patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of 15,464 septic patients, categorized by body mass index (BMI) into four groups: underweight (<18.5 kg/m2, n = 483), normal (18.5-24.9 kg/m2, n = 4344), overweight (25-29.9 kg/m2, n = 4949) and obese (≥30 kg/m2, n = 5688). Multivariable logistic regression and inverse probability weighting were employed to robustly confirm the protective effect of a higher BMI on 28-day mortality, with normal weight serving as the reference category. Subgroup analyses based on age (young: 18-39, middle-aged: 40-64 and elderly: ≥65) and sex were performed. RESULTS: The findings demonstrate that high BMI independently confers a protective effect against 28-day mortality in septic patients. However, the relationship between BMI and 28-day mortality exhibits a non-linear trend, with a BMI of 34.5 kg/m2 displaying the lowest odds ratio. Notably, the survival benefits associated with a high BMI were not observed in the young group. Moreover, being underweight emerges as an independent risk factor for middle-aged and elderly female patients, while in males it is only a risk factor in the elderly group. Interestingly, being overweight and obese were identified as independent protective factors in middle-aged and elderly male patients, but not in females. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of BMI on mortality in septic patients varies according to age and sex. Elderly individuals with sepsis may derive more prognostic benefits from obesity.

Comprehensive single-cell analysis reveals novel anergic antigen-presenting cell subtypes in human sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition with high mortality. A few studies have emerged utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to analyze gene expression at the single-cell resolution in sepsis, but a comprehensive high-resolution analysis of blood antigen-presenting cells has not been conducted. Methods: All published human scRNA-seq data were downloaded from the single cell portal database. After manually curating the dataset, we extracted all antigen-presenting cells, including dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes, for identification of cell subpopulations and their gene profiling and intercellular interactions between septic patients and healthy controls. Finally, we further validated the findings by performing deconvolution analysis on bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data and flow cytometry. Results: Within the traditional DC populations, we discovered novel anergic DC subtypes characterized by low major histocompatibility complex class II expression. Notably, these anergic DC subtypes showed a significant increase in septic patients. Additionally, we found that a previously reported immunosuppressive monocyte subtype, Mono1, exhibited a similar gene expression profile to these anergic DCs. The consistency of our findings was confirmed through validation using bulk RNA-seq and flow cytometry, ensuring accurate identification of cell subtypes and gene expression patterns. Conclusions: This study represents the first comprehensive single-cell analysis of antigen-presenting cells in human sepsis, revealing novel disease-associated anergic DC subtypes. These findings provide new insights into the cellular mechanisms of immune dysregulation in bacterial sepsis.

Association between multiple coagulation-related factors and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Patients with tumors generally present with accompanying activation of the coagulation system, which may be related to tumor stage. To our knowledge, few studies have examined the activation of the coagulation system in reference to lymph node metastasis within gastric cancer. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between multiple coagulation-related factors and lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer after excluding the influence of tumor T stage. Materials and methods: We retrospectively evaluated the relationship between lymph node metastasis and coagulation-related factors in 516 patients with T4a stage gastric cancer. We further analyzed influencing factors for lymph node metastasis and verified the predictive value of maximum amplitude (MA, a parameter of thromboelastography which is widely used to assess the strength of platelet-fibrinogen interaction in forming clots) in reference to lymph node metastasis. Results: Platelet counts (P=0.011), fibrinogen levels (P=0.002) and MA values (P=0.006) were statistically significantly higher in patients with T4a stage gastric cancer presenting with lymph node metastasis than in those without lymph node metastasis. Moreover, tumor N stage was statistically significantly and positively correlated with platelet count (P<0.001), fibrinogen level (P=0.003), MA value (P<0.001), and D-dimer level (P=0.010). The MA value was an independent factor for lymph node metastasis (ß=0.098, 95% CI: 1.020-1.193, P=0.014) and tumor N stage (ß=0.059, 95% CI: 0.015-0.104, P=0.009), and could be used to predict the presence of lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer (sensitivity 0.477, specificity 0.783, P=0.006). The independent influencing factors for MA value mainly included platelet levels, fibrinogen levels, D-dimer and hemoglobin levels; we found no statistically significant correlations with tumor diameter, tumor area, and other evaluated factors. Conclusion: We conclude that MA value is an independent influencing factor for lymph node metastasis and tumor N stage in patients with T4a stage gastric cancer. The MA value has important value in predicting the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer. Clinical trial registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2200064936.

Somatostatin-analog effect on pancreatic fistula after radical gastrectomy: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: Radical gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy can trigger a high incidence of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF), which produces a poor clinical prognosis. We sought to evaluate the effect of somatostatin analogs (SSA) on POPF and clinical prognosis after radical gastrectomy. METHODS: A total of 123 patients with a high risk of POPF after radical gastrectomy (drainage fluid amylase concentration on a postoperative day [POD] 1 > 3 times the upper limit of normal serum amylase value) were randomly divided into the SSA group (n = 61) and the control group (n = 62). The former received continuous intravenous SSA (0.3 mg/8 h) for 3 days from POD1, and the latter normal saline. The primary outcome was the incidence of POPF. RESULTS: The incidence of POPFs in the SSA group was significantly lower than that in the control group (3.3% vs. 14.5%, P = 0.029). The incidence of short-term postoperative complications was significantly lower in the SSA group than in the control group (9.8% vs. 24.2%, P = 0.034). The median white blood cell counts, neutrophil counts, and the percentage of neutrophils on POD4 were significantly lower in the SSA group than in the control group (all P < 0.05). The SSA group had a shorter mean time to the first liquid diet (87.33 ± 17.92 h vs. 93.97 ± 17.29 h, P = 0.039). And the SSA group had less median daily drainage volume (96.33 mL vs. 119.67 mL, P = 0.025) and shorter drainage duration (7.0 days vs. 10.0 days, P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Postoperative treatment with a somatostatin analog reduced the incidence of POPF and short-term complications after radical gastrectomy. (TRN: ChiCTR2200056201, Reg. Date: 2022/2/1).

Ultrasonic surgical and electrosurgical system (USES) with conventional ultrasonic scalpel (CUS) in gastrectomy: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Harmonic ACE +7 Shears with Advanced Hemostasis is an upgraded ultrasonic device, an ultrasonic surgical and electrosurgical system (USES). The study aimed to evaluate the economic and clinical effectiveness of the USES compared with the conventional ultrasonic scalpel (CUS) in gastrectomy. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective cohort study using the electronic medical records in China. We collected intraoperative and postoperative data from gastric cancer patients who underwent the endoscope-assisted distal gastrectomy from 2018 to June 30, 2019. Procedure-related costs were estimated. We used linear regression by controlling a set of covariates to assess the effect of USES on outcomes. RESULT: Out of 87 eligible patients, the USES group (40 patients) and CUS group (47 patients) were comparable in terms of age, medical history and stages of cancer. Compared with the CUS, the USES saved 4.27 hemoclips per person (95% CI 0.57-7.97, p < 0.05) and 34.18 ml intraoperative blood per person (95% CI 8.74-59.62 ml, p < 0.05), respectively. Postoperative length of stay (LOS) was shorter in the USES group (7.90 ± 1.95 vs. 9.26 ± 2.81 days) but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The USES group was associated with fewer hemoclips use and intraoperative blood loss in patients undergoing laparoscopic gastrectomy at comparable costs.

Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio and C-reactive protein as markers for colorectal polyp histological type.

BACKGROUND: The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) level are markers that have been reported to predict the histological type of various tumors, and here, we evaluated their utility in predicting colorectal polyp histological types. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 172 patients with colorectal polyps who underwent endoscopic polypectomy. The associations between histological type and clinicopathologic parameters were assessed by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The optimal PLR and CRP cut-off values were 113.32 and 0.39, respectively. The PLR (P = 0.002) and CRP (P = 0.009) values were associated with the histological type according to the univariate analysis, whereas low PLR (P ≤ 0.001) and CRP (P = 0.017) values were independent risk factors in the multivariate analysis together with maximum tumor diameter (P ≤ 0.001) and tumor number (P = 0.0014). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative PLR and CRP are correlated with the colorectal polyp histological type.

Role of Gut Microbiome and Microbial Metabolites in Alleviating Insulin Resistance After Bariatric Surgery.

Insulin resistance (IR) is the most common pathophysiological change in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Several recent studies have suggested that the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites are involved in the pathogenesis of IR. Bariatric surgery, as an effective treatment for T2DM, can markedly alleviate IR through mechanisms that have not been elucidated. In this review, we summarize the current evidence on the changes in the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites (including lipopolysaccharide, short-chain fatty acids, branched-chain amino acids, aromatic amino acids, bile acids, methylamines, and indole derivatives) after bariatric surgery. Additionally, we discuss the mechanisms that correlate the changes in microbial metabolites with the postoperative alleviation of IR. Furthermore, we discuss the prospect of bariatric surgery as a treatment for T2DM.

Dexamethasone on postoperative gastrointestinal motility: A placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Following abdominal surgery, patients usually experience a transient episode of impaired gastrointestinal motility. This study aimed to determine whether a single preoperative dose of dexamethasone can promote the recovery of gastrointestinal function in patients following elective gastrointestinal surgery. METHODS: In this single-center, two-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial, we studied 126 patients (aged 18-80 years) who underwent elective open or laparoscopic bowel surgery for malignant or benign pathology. At the induction of anesthesia, a treatment group (n = 64) received a single dose of 8-mg intravenous dexamethasone, and a control group (n = 62) received normal saline. RESULTS: Intravenous administration of 8-mg dexamethasone significantly decreased the time to return of flatus by an average of approximately 8 h (P < 0.05). Abdominal distension was significantly reduced on the third day after surgery in the dexamethasone group (P < 0.05), and the time to tolerance of a liquid diet was shorter in the dexamethasone group (P < 0.01). There were no significant differences in other secondary outcomes, including postoperative pain, complication rates, length of hospital stay, or time to first defecation, between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: A single intravenous dose of 8-mg dexamethasone at induction of anesthesia significantly decreases the time to return of flatus, improves abdominal distension at 72 h, and promotes tolerance of a liquid diet. Although further studies are required to confirm our results, we recommend that dexamethasone should be used more widely in gastrointestinal surgery.

BI2536, a potent and selective inhibitor of polo-like kinase 1, in combination with cisplatin exerts synergistic effects on gastric cancer cells.

BI2536 is a highly selective and potent inhibitor of polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1). In this study, we aimed to determine whether BI2536 and cisplatin can synergistically inhibit the malignant behavior of gastric cancer cells. For this purpose, the expression of PLK1 in gastric cancer cells was determined. The effects of BI2536, cisplatin, and the combination of BI2536 and cisplatin on gastric cancer cell viability, invasion, cell cycle arrest and apoptosis were assessed. Furthermore, the expression of cell cycle-regulated proteins was examined. Moreover, the differentially expressed proteins between the SGC-7901 and SGC-7901/DDP (cisplatin-resistant) cells, and the enriched signaling pathways were analyzed by protein pathway array following treatment with BI2536 (IC50) for 48 h. Our results revealed that PLK1 was upregulated in the SGC-7901/DDP (cisplatin-resistant) gastric cancer cells compared with the SGC-7901 cells. BI2536 enhanced the inhibitory effect of cisplatin on SGC-7901 cell viability and invasion. BI2536 induced G2/M arrest in SGC-7901 and SGC-7901/DDP cells. BI2536 promoted cisplatin-induced gastric cancer SGC-7901/DDP cell apoptosis. It also induced the differential expression of 68 proteins between the SGC-7901 and SGC-7901/DDP cells, and these differentially expressed proteins were involved in a number of cellular functions and signaling pathways, such as cell death, cell development, tumorigenesis, the cell cycle, DNA duplication/recombination/repair, cellular movement, and the Wnt/ß-catenin and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/ribosomal S6 kinase 1 (RSK1) signaling pathways. On the whole, our findings suggest that BI2536 and cisplatin synergistically inhibit the malignant behavior of SGC-7901/DDP (cisplatin­resistant) gastric cancer cells.

The screening and analysis of protein signatures and signaling associated with chemoresistance based on Protein Pathway Array technology in gastric cancer.

The present study was aimed to identify proteins associated with signaling pathways involved in chemoresistance, and establish a predictive model for chemoresistance in gastric cancer patients after radical surgery. A total of 140 clinically-staged III gastric cancer samples from patients after D2 radical gastrectomy were enrolled in the present study. Protein Pathway Array (PPA) and 286 antibodies were used to assess the protein expression in tumor tissues of patients. The Significance Analysis of Microarray (SAM) software and clustering and discriminant analysis were used to identify differentially expressed proteins between chemosensitive and chemoresistant subsets, and a predictive model for chemoresistance was established using the independent predictive factors. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software was also used to investigate the relationship between proteins and the signaling transduction network. A total of 23 proteins were differentially expressed between 67 chemosensitive and 73 chemoresitant tumor tissues. Six proteins including PLK1 and DACH1 were independent risk factors for chemoresistance. A predictive model for chemoresistance by these proteins was established, and the accuracy, the sensitivity, and the specificity of this modal was 89.3, 90.3 and 88.2%, respectively. In addition, the present study revealed that differentially expressed proteins were closely related to cellular activity, DNA methylation and DNA damage and repair, and also involved in the ERK/MAPK, Wnt/ß-catenin, PI3K/AKT, apoptosis and p53 signaling pathways. In conclusion, the predictive model established by PPA may be an effective detection system for predicting the chemosensitivity of gastric cancer patients after D2 gastrectomy.

Protein profiling of preeclampsia placental tissues.

Preeclampsia is a multi-system disorder involved in pregnancy without an effective treatment except delivery. The precise pathogenesis of this complicated disorder is still not completely understood. The objective of this study is to evaluate the alterations of protein expression and phosphorylations that are important in regulating placental cell function in preterm and term preeclampsia. Using the Protein Pathway Array, 38 proteins in placental tissues were found to be differentially expressed between preterm preeclampsia and gestational age matched control, while 25 proteins were found to be expressed differentially between term preeclampsia and matched controls. Among these proteins, 16 proteins and their associated signaling pathways overlapped between preterm and term preeclampsia, suggesting the common pathogenesis of two subsets of disease. On the other hand, many proteins are uniquely altered in either preterm or term preeclampsia and correlated with severity of clinical symptoms and outcomes, therefore, providing molecular basis for these two subsets of preeclampsia. Furthermore, the expression levels of some of these proteins correlated with neonatal small for gestational age (PAI-1 and PAPP-A) and adverse outcomes (Flt-1) in women with preterm preeclampsia. These proteins could potentially be used as candidate biomarkers for predicting outcomes of preeclampsia.

Protein profiling of Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric cancer.

Helicobacter pylori infection is an initiating factor in the development of gastric cancer. Gastric cancer can be divided into two groups on the basis of H. pylori serological status; seropositive H. pylori status predicts favorable prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. By using the protein pathway array, we identified 20 differentially expressed proteins in primary gastric cancer tissues between the H. pylori-seropositive and H. pylori-seronegative groups. Our results indicate that both brassinosteroid insensitive 1-associated kinase 1 and calpastatin are favorable prognostic factors in H. pylori-seropositive gastric cancer patients. In contrast, dachshund homolog 1 is a favorable prognostic factor in H. pylori-seronegative gastric cancer patients. Different signaling pathways were found to be altered between H. pylori-seropositive and H. pylori-seronegative gastric cancer, which may account for the different tumorigenesis and outcomes between these two subsets of patients.

Protein predictive signatures for lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer.

Lymph node status remains one of most crucial indicators of gastric cancer prognosis and treatment planning. Current imaging methods have limited accuracy in predicting lymph node metastasis. We sought to identify protein markers in primary gastric cancer and to define a risk model to predict lymph node metastasis. The Protein Pathway Array (PPA) (initial selection) and Western blot (confirmation) were used to assess the protein expression in a total of 190 freshly frozen gastric cancer samples. The protein expression levels were compared between samples with lymph node metastasis (n = 73) and those without lymph node metastasis (n = 57) using PPA. There were 27 proteins differentially expressed between lymph node positive samples and lymph node negative samples. Five proteins (Factor XIII B, TFIIH p89, ADAM8, COX-2 and CUL-1) were identified as independent predictors of lymph node metastasis. Together with vascular/lymphatic invasion status, a risk score model was established to determine the risk of lymph node metastasis for each individual gastric cancer patient. The ability of this model to predict lymph node metastasis was further confirmed in a second cohort of gastric cancer patients (33 with and 27 without lymph node metastasis) using Western blot. This study indicated that some proteins differentially expressed in gastric cancer can be selected as clinically useful biomarkers. The risk score model is useful for determining patients' risk of lymph node metastasis and prognosis.

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava level II involvement: curative resection and reconstruction of renal veins.

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava (IVCL) is a rare retroperitoneal tumor. We report two cases of level II (middle level, renal veins to hepatic veins) IVCL, who underwent en bloc resection with reconstruction of bilateral or left renal venous return using prosthetic grafts. In our cases, IVCL is documented to be occluded preoperatively, therefore, radical resection of tumor and/or right kidney was performed and the distal end of inferior vena cava was resected and without caval reconstruction. None of the patients developed edema or acute renal failure postoperatively. After surgical resection, adjuvant radiation therapy was administrated. The patients have been free of recurrence 2 years and 3 months, 9 months after surgery, respectively, indicating the complete surgical resection and radiotherapy contribute to the better survival. The reconstruction of inferior vena cava was not considered mandatory in level II IVCL, if the retroperitoneal venous collateral pathways have been established. In addition to the curative resection of IVCL, the renal vascular reconstruction minimized the risks of procedure-related acute renal failure, and was more physiologically preferable. This concept was reflected in the treatment of the two patients reported on.