Aptamers combined with immune checkpoints for cancer detection and targeted therapy: A review.

In recent years, remarkable strides have been made in the field of immunotherapy, which has emerged as a standard treatment for many cancers. As a kind of immunotherapy drug, monoclonal antibodies employed in immune checkpoint therapy have proven beneficial for patients with diverse cancer types. However, owing to the extensive heterogeneity of clinical responses and the complexity and variability of the immune system and tumor microenvironment (TME), accurately predicting its efficacy remains a challenge. Recent advances in aptamers provide a promising approach for monitoring alterations within the immune system and TME, thereby facilitating targeted immunotherapy, particularly focused on immune checkpoint blockade, with enhanced antitumor efficiency. Aptamers have been widely used in tumor cell detection, biosensors, drug discovery, and biomarker screening due to their high specificity and high affinity with their targets. This review aims to comprehensively examine the research status and progress of aptamers in cancer diagnosis and immunotherapy, with a specific emphasis on those related to immune checkpoints. Additionally, we will discuss the future research directions and potential therapeutic targets for aptamer-based immune checkpoint therapy, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for targeting immunotherapy molecules and blocking tumor immune escape.

Therapeutic potential of Litsea cubeba essential oil in modulating inflammation and the gut microbiome.

Inflammation, a sophisticated and delicately balanced physiological mechanism, is paramount to the host's immunological defense against pathogens. However, unfettered and excessive inflammation can be instrumental in engendering a plethora of chronic ailments and detrimental health repercussions, notably within the gastrointestinal tract. Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) from bacteria are potent endotoxins capable of instigating intestinal inflammation through the disruption of the intestinal epithelial barrier and the stimulation of a pro-inflammatory immune response. In this study, we sought to investigate the influence of Litsea cubeba essential oil (LCEO) on LPS-induced intestinal inflammation and associated changes in the gut microbiota. We investigated the therapeutic potential of LCEO for gut health, with particular emphasis on its gut protective properties, anti-inflammatory properties and modulation of the gut microbiome. LCEO exhibited protective effects on colonic tissue by protecting crypts and maintaining epithelial integrity, and anti-inflammatory properties by reducing TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß levels in the liver and intestine. Citral, a major component of LCEO, showed robust binding to IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, exerting anti-inflammatory effects through hydrogen bonding interactions. Using community barplot and LEfSe analyses, we detected significant variation in microbial composition, identified discrete biomarkers, and highlighted the influence of essential oils on gut microbial communities. Our research suggests that LCEO may be a promising natural compound for ameliorating diarrhea and intestinal inflammation, with potential implications for modulating the gut microbiome. These observations provide invaluable insight into the potential therapeutic role of LCEO as a natural anti-inflammatory agent for treating intestinal inflammatory disorders, particularly in the setting of a dysregulated immune response and altered gut microbiota. Furthermore, our findings highlight the need to understand the complex interplay between the host, the gut microbiome and natural products in the context of inflammatory diseases.

[Using Quantitative Computed Tomography to Study the Correlation Between Physical Composition and Grip Strength in Young People].

Objective: To study with quantitative computed tomography (QCT) the correlation between grip strength and physical composition and waist and hip circumferences in young people with different body mass indexes (BMIs). Methods: A total of 1310 young people who came to West China Hospital, Sichuan University for physical checkups and underwent chest QCT at our hospital from April to July 2021 were included in the study. Their data were collected and their BMIs were calculated. The subjects were divided according to their BMIs into 4 groups, underweight group (BMI<18.5 kg/m 2), normal-weight group (18.5 kg/m 2≤BMI<24 kg/m 2), overweight group (24 kg/m 2≤BMI<28 kg/m 2), and obesity group (BMI≥28 kg/m 2). The raw data were uploaded to QCT Mindways Pro 6.1 software to be processed for measurement of the fat content (area) of the physical components of the L2 vertebral body, including total adipose tissue (TAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and abdominal fat ratio, or VAT/SAT. Grip strength was measured with CAMRY EH101 digital grip dynamometer. Statistical analysis of the data was performed, and the correlations between grip strength and various physical components, waist circumference, and hip circumference in subjects of different BMIs were examined. In addition, stratified analysis of normal-weight and overweight subjects of different age groups was conducted. Results: In the normal-weight group, height, body mass, hip circumference and grip strength were positively correlated with grip strength in males aged 21-40 years, SAT was negatively correlated with grip strength in males aged 36-40 years, and VAT/SAT was positively correlated with grip strength in males aged 36-40 years. In normal-weight females aged 21-25 years, SAT was negatively correlated with grip strength, while VAT and VAT/SAT were positively correlated with grip strength. In normal-weight females aged 26-40 years, height, body mass, and hip circumference were positively correlated with grip strength. In normal-weight females aged 36-40 years, VAT/SAT was positively correlated with grip strength. In overweight males aged 21-25 years, hip circumference and body mass were positively correlated with grip strength. In overweight males aged 26-30 years, TAT, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio were negatively correlated with grip strength. In overweight males aged 31-40 years, height and body mass were positively correlated with grip strength, while waist-to-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio were negatively correlated with grip strength. In addition, hip circumference was positively correlated with grip strength in overweight males aged 31-35 years. In overweight females aged 21-25 years, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-to-height ratio were positively correlated with grip strength. In overweight females aged 26-30 years, height and body mass were positively correlated with grip strength. In overweight females aged 31-35 years, TAT, SAT, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio were negatively correlated with grip strength. In overweight females aged 36-40 years, SAT and waist-to-height ratio were negatively correlated with grip strength, while VAT, VAT/SAT, height and body mass were positively correlated with grip strength. The height and body mass of males and females in the underweight group were positively correlated with grip strength, and the hip circumference of females in the underweight group was also positively correlated with grip strength. In the obesity group, TAT, VAT, and waist-to-height ratio were negatively correlated with grip strength in males, but no such correlation was observed in females. Conclusion: There is a close association between abdominal fat content and grip strength in young people with different BMIs, indicating that young people should control abdominal fat content and hip fat content in order to maintain the strength of corresponding muscles.

Prognostic value of ground glass opacity on computed tomography in pathological stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The clinical role of ground glass opacity (GGO) on computed tomography (CT) in stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients currently remains unclear. AIM: To explore the prognostic value of GGO on CT in lung adenocarcinoma patients who were pathologically diagnosed with tumor-node-metastasis stage I. METHODS: A comprehensive and systematic search was conducted through the PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science databases up to April 3, 2021. The hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were combined to assess the association between the presence of GGO and prognosis, representing overall survival and disease-free survival. Subgroup analysis based on the ratio of GGO was also conducted. STATA 12.0 software was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A total of 12 studies involving 4467 patients were included. The pooled results indicated that the GGO predicted favorable overall survival (HR = 0.44, 95%CI: 0.34-0.59, P < 0.001) and disease-free survival (HR = 0.35, 95%CI: 0.18-0.70, P = 0.003). Subgroup analysis based on the ratio of GGO further demonstrated that the proportion of GGO was a good prognostic indicator in pathological stage I pulmonary adenocarcinoma patients, and patients with a higher ratio of GGO showed better prognosis than patients with a lower GGO ratio did. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis manifested that the presence of GGO on CT predicted favorable prognosis in tumor-node-metastasis stage I lung adenocarcinoma. Patients with a higher GGO ratio were more likely to have a better prognosis than patients with a lower GGO ratio.

S100A4 plays a key role in TRPV3 ion channel expression and its electrophysiological function.

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3), a non-selective cation ion channel, is regulated by small molecules such as Ca2+ and calmodulin (CaM). Together with S100A4 (S100 calcium-binding protein family), is critical in cell proliferation and progression. Although TRPV3 has been proved to play a role in Ca2+ regulation and participate in Ca2+-related cellular processes, its molecular mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we found that TRPV3 and S100A4 were co-expressed in the same region of the cell, and surprisingly, the protein expression level of TRPV3 significantly increased with the overexpression of S100A4. Moreover, co-immunoprecipitation results showed that these two proteins could bind with each other. Functionally, we found that when S100A4 was simultaneously expressed in cells, more Ca2+ would be transferred into the cells through the TRPV3 ion channel. Consistent with Ca2+ regulation results, electrophysiological recordings demonstrated that S100A4 improved the function of TRPV3 in ions' flux, suggesting that the S100A4 could bind with TRPV3 and simultaneously promoted its expression, thus affecting its functions on related ions' flux. Our findings identified the link between S100A4 and TRPV3 and provided a novel molecular mechanism for TRPV3 regulation.

hucMSCs transplantation promotes locomotor function recovery, reduces apoptosis and inhibits demyelination after SCI in rats.

AIMS: Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause a variety of cells apoptosis, neurodegeneration, and eventually permanent paralysis. This study aimed to examine whether transplanting human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) can promote locomotor function recovery, reduce apoptosis and inhibit demyelination in SCI models. MAIN METHODS: Rats were allocated into Sham group (spinal cord exposure only), SCI + PBS group (spinal cord impact plus phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) injections), SCI + hucMSCs group (spinal cord impact plus hucMSCs injections) groups. Behavioral tests, Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotion scores (BBB scores), were carried out at 0, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 days after SCI surgery. Hematoxylin-eosin staining observed spinal cord morphology. Nissl staining detected the number of nissl bodies. Myelin basic protein (MBP) and oligodendrocyte (CNPase) were examed by immunohistochemical staining. The apoptosis of oligodendrocyte and neurons were detected by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: The 28-day behavioral test showed that the BBB score of rats in the SCI + hucMSCs group increased significantly, comparing to the SCI + PBS group. The numbers of nissl bodies and myelin sheath in the damaged area of SCI + hucMSCs group were also significantly increased compared to the SCI + PBS group. HucMSCs transplanting decreased the expression of protein level of Caspase-3 and Bax and increased the Bcl-2, MBP and CNPase, rescued the apoptosis of neurons and the oligodendrocyte. CONCLUSION: These results showed that hucMSCs can improve motor function, tissue repairing and reducing apoptosis in SCI rats.

Topical use of Jiawei Simiao Yongan Gao to prevent radiodermatitis in patients with head and neck cancer: A retrospective cohort study.

Radiodermatitis is a common side effect of radiotherapy, but currently there is no standard treatment for its prevention. This study aimed to observe the effect of topical application of a paste based on traditional Chinese medicine, Jiawei Simiao Yongan Gao, on radiodermatitis caused by radiotherapy for patients with head and neck cancer.This was a retrospective cohort study of 40 patients with head and neck cancer evaluated during their radiotherapy. Of these, 20 patients were treated with Jiawei Simiao Yongan Gao on the irradiated skin from the beginning of radiotherapy (JSY group). The other 20 patients were given standard nursing (standard group). Acute skin reactions were classified according to the radiation-induced skin reaction assessment scale (RISRAS) and American radiation therapy oncology group (RTOG) acute toxicity grading criteria every 2 weeks, and adverse effects were recorded until the end of the radiotherapy.The two groups showed differences in severity of radiodermatitis. At 0 to 30 Gy, the skin reactions were similar in the two groups, while above 40 Gy the skin reactions were significantly lower grade in the JSY group (P < .05). At 0 to 20 Gy, there was no statistical significance (P > .05); but above 30 Gy they were lower in the JSY group (P < .05).Jiawei Simiao Yongan Gao effectively alleviated acute radiodermatitis caused by radiotherapy of head and neck cancer patients compared with standard nursing.