Body composition change indices combined with Prognostic Nutritional Index predicts the clinical outcomes of patients with gastric cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of the Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) in conjunction with body composition change indices, namely subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and skeletal muscle index (SMI), with regard to clinical outcomes in patients with gastric cancer (GC) undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) treatment. METHODS: This retrospective investigation encompassed patients with comprehensive clinical and pathological data, inclusive of portal phase enhanced CT images. Continuous variables underwent analysis utilizing the Student t-test or Mann-Whitney U-test, while categorical variables were assessed employing the Pearson chi-squared test or Fisher test. Survival outcomes were evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the Log-rank test. Independent prognostic indicators were determined through Cox regression analysis, and a nomogram predicting survival probability for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) was constructed. RESULTS: Within the PNI-SFA groups, patients in Group 1 exhibited inferior PFS and OS compared to the other two groups. Similarly, among the PNI-SMI groups, Group 1 patients demonstrated poorer PFS and OS. PNI-SMI and Eosi were identified as independent prognostic factors through Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, positive associations with patient prognosis were observed for BMI, SAF, SMI, and PNI. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive consideration of PNI-SFA and PNI-SMI proved to be a superior prognostic predictor for GC patients undergoing ICI treatment.

Preoperative glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio predicts survival in cancer.

Background: Systemic inflammation and glucose metabolism have been closely related to the survival of cancer patients. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate whether preoperative glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio (GLR) can be used to predict the survival of cancer patients. Methods: We retrospectively examined 2172 cancer patients who underwent surgery from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2016. There were 240 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 378 patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), 221 patients with breast cancer (BC), 335 patients with gastric cancer (GC), 270 patients with liver cancer, 233 patients with esophageal cancer (EC), 295 patients with renal cancer, and 200 patients with melanoma. The formula for preoperative GLR calculation was as follows: GLR=glucose/lymphocyte count. The overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The predictive factors for OS were determined using multivariate analysis. Results: The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the median survival time in the high-GLR group was much shorter than that of those in the low-GLR group for different cancers. Cox multivariate regression analysis reveals that preoperative GLR was an independent factor for predicting overall survival in different tumor types. Conclusion: Elevated preoperative GLR was remarkably associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with NSCLC, CRC, breast cancer, gastric cancer, kidney cancer, liver cancer, esophageal cancer, and melanoma. Preoperative GLR promises to be an essential predictor of survival for cancer patients.

Evaluating the influence of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on clinical outcomes in gastric cancer patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor.

BACKGROUND: The development and progression of gastric cancer (GC) are closely linked to the nutritional status of patients. Although immunotherapy has been demonstrated to be clinically effective, the relationships of sarcopenia and myosteatosis with the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with gastric cancer remain to be characterized. AIM: To assess the effects of sarcopenia and myosteatosis on the clinical outcomes of patients with GC undergoing treatment with an ICI. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of patients who were undergoing immunotherapy for GC. For the evaluation of sarcopenia, the optimal cut-off value for the skeletal muscle index was established using receiver operating characteristic analysis of data obtained from pre-treatment computed tomography images at the L3 vertebral level. Myosteatosis was defined using the mean skeletal muscle density (SMD), with a threshold value of < 41 Hounsfield units (HU) for patients with a body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m² and < 33 HU for those with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m². The log-rank test was used to compare progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and a Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify prognostic factors. Nomograms were developed to predict the PFS and OS of patients on the basis of the results of multivariate analyses. RESULTS: We studied 115 patients who were undergoing ICI therapy for GC, of whom 27.4% had sarcopenia and 29.8% had myosteatosis. Patients with sarcopenia or myosteatosis had significantly shorter PFS and OS than those without these conditions. Furthermore, both sarcopenia and myosteatosis were found to be independent predictors of PFS and OS in patients with GC administering an ICI. The prediction models created for PFS and OS were associated with C-indexes of 0.758 and 0.781, respectively. CONCLUSION: The presence of sarcopenia or myosteatosis is a reliable predictor of the clinical outcomes of patients with GC who are undergoing treatment with an ICI.

Evaluation of the peritumoral features using radiomics and deep learning technology in non-spiculated and noncalcified masses of the breast on mammography.

Objective: To assess the significance of peritumoral features based on deep learning in classifying non-spiculated and noncalcified masses (NSNCM) on mammography. Methods: We retrospectively screened the digital mammography data of 2254 patients who underwent surgery for breast lesions in Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January to December 2018. Deep learning and radiomics models were constructed. The classification efficacy in ROI and patient levels of AUC, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were compared. Stratified analysis was conducted to analyze the influence of primary factors on the AUC of the deep learning model. The image filter and CAM were used to visualize the radiomics and depth features. Results: For 1298 included patients, 771 (59.4%) were benign, and 527 (40.6%) were malignant. The best model was the deep learning combined model (2 mm), in which the AUC was 0.884 (P < 0.05); especially the AUC of breast composition B reached 0.941. All the deep learning models were superior to the radiomics models (P < 0.05), and the class activation map (CAM) showed a high expression of signals around the tumor of the deep learning model. The deep learning model achieved higher AUC for large size, age >60 years, and breast composition type B (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Combining the tumoral and peritumoral features resulted in better identification of malignant NSNCM on mammography, and the performance of the deep learning model exceeded the radiomics model. Age, tumor size, and the breast composition type are essential for diagnosis.

Calycosin prevents IL-1ß-induced articular chondrocyte damage in osteoarthritis through regulating the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 pathway.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disorder that is associated with chondrocyte damage under inflammatory environment. Calycosin is an astragalus extract with potential anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities. The purpose of this research is to explore the activity and mechanism of calycosin in interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß)-induced chondrocyte injury. In the present study, the targets of calycosin and OA were analyzed according to HERB, DisGeNet, String, GO terms, and KEGG pathway enrichment assays. Human primary chondrocytes were treated with calycosin, and stimulated with IL-1ß. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. Cell apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry, and caspase-3 activity analyses. Inflammation was analyzed according to inflammatory cytokines levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The proteins associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/forkhead box O1 (FoxO1) signaling pathways were measured using Western blotting. The results showed that total of 25 overlapping targets of calycosin against OA were predicted. These targets might drive the FoxO pathway. Calycosin alone induced little cytotoxicity to chondrocytes, and it alleviated IL-1ß-induced viability inhibition, cell apoptosis, inflammatory cytokine secretion, and ECM degradation in chondrocytes. Calycosin repressed IL-1ß-induced activation of the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 signaling. Activation of the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 signaling mitigated the suppressive effect of calycosin on chondrocyte apoptosis, inflammation, and ECM degradation induced by IL-1ß. As a conclusion, calycosin prevents IL-1ß-induced chondrocyte apoptosis, inflammation, and ECM degradation through inactivating the PI3K/AKT/FoxO1 pathway.

Spatial Heterojunction in Nanostructured TiO2 and Its Cascade Effect for Efficient Photocatalysis.

A highly efficient photoenergy conversion is strongly dependent on the cumulative cascade efficiency of the photogenerated carriers. Spatial heterojunctions are critical to directed charge transfer and, thus, attractive but still a challenge. Here, a spatially ternary titanium-defected TiO2@carbon quantum dots@reduced graphene oxide (denoted as VTi@CQDs@rGO) in one system is shown to demonstrate a cascade effect of charges and significant performances regarding the photocurrent, the apparent quantum yield, and photocatalysis such as H2 production from water splitting and CO2 reduction. A key aspect in the construction is the technologically irrational junction of Ti-vacancies and nanocarbons for the spatially inside-out heterojunction. The new "spatial heterojunctions" concept, characteristics, mechanism, and extension are proposed at an atomic-/nanoscale to clarify the generation of rational heterojunctions as well as the cascade electron transfer.

Interfacial co-existence of oxygen and titanium vacancies in nanostructured TiO2 for enhancement of carrier transport.

The interfacial co-existence of oxygen and metal vacancies in metal oxide semiconductors and their highly efficient carrier transport have rarely been reported. This work reports on the co-existence of oxygen and titanium vacancies at the interface between TiO2 and rGO via a simple two-step calcination treatment. Experimental measurements show that the oxygen and titanium vacancies are formed under 550 °C/Ar and 350 °C/air calcination conditions, respectively. These oxygen and titanium vacancies significantly enhance the transport of interfacial carriers, and thus greatly improve the photocurrent performances, the apparent quantum yield, and photocatalysis such as photocatalytic H2 production from water-splitting, photocatalytic CO2 reduction and photo-electrochemical anticorrosion of metals. A new "interfacial co-existence of oxygen and titanium vacancies" phenomenon, and its characteristics and mechanism are proposed at the atomic-/nanoscale to clarify the generation of oxygen and titanium vacancies as well as the interfacial carrier transport.

Correction: Synthesis of hydrophobic and hydrophilic TiO2 nanofluids for transformable surface wettability and photoactive coating.

Correction for 'Synthesis of hydrophobic and hydrophilic TiO2 nanofluids for transformable surface wettability and photoactive coating' by Jie Hu et al., Chem. Commun., 2019, 55, 9275-9278.

Synthesis of hydrophobic and hydrophilic TiO2 nanofluids for transformable surface wettability and photoactive coating.

Two modified TiO2 nanofluids were developed, with either hydrophobic or hydrophilic properties. The hydrophobic TiO2 nanofluid, embedded in an organo-silyl salt, could be transformed into a hydrophilic TiO2 nanofluid by exchange of the chloride with an organo-sulphonate ion. Both modified TiO2 nanofluids exhibited high fluidity, thermal stability and photoactivity.

Bilateral cadaveric Achilles tendon graft in reconstruction after Achilles tendon tumor resection.

The standard approach to reconstruction after resection of a diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumor is a local patch with free flaps. However, in cases in which the Achilles tendon involvement is extensive, and the entire tendon must be removed, an autologous flap graft might not be adequate to allow a return to function. We report a case of a 52-year-old female patient who developed bilateral tumors of the Achilles tendon, with a 10-year duration. By the time, she sought medical help, both Achilles tendons required removal. We chose to use Achilles tendon allografts to replace the Achilles tendons. Postoperatively, the patient did well. The allograft shortened the recovery time, and the patient regained full ankle range of motion.

On-chip spectrometer with a circular-hole defect for optical sensing applications.

We propose an optical sensor by integrating a circular-hole defect with an etched diffraction grating spectrometer based on amorphous silicon photonic platforms. There are some superiorities of this device, such as high sensitivity (~10000 nm/RIU), and ability to deliver component analysis from the near-infrared spectrum by using the integrated spectrometer. As application example, the chip is used for distinguishing similar biodiesel types and accurately determining their concentrations in a diesel oil mixture.

Zinc inhibits H(2)O(2)-induced MC3T3-E1 cells apoptosis via MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways.

Zinc has been shown to increase bone mass and promote bone cell proliferation and differentiation. We, therefore, hypothesized that zinc might be cytoprotective for bone cells during oxidative stress. The cells were divided into H(2)O(2), zinc and zinc+H(2)O(2) groups. In the present study, zinc was found to inhibit H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis in MC3T3-E1 cells, as shown by analysis of Annexin V/PI double staining. Western blot data showed that in zinc+H(2)O(2)-treated cells, zinc decreased the levels of AIF, Bax and active caspase-9 and -3, which are pro-apoptotic factors. And zinc inhibited release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol in zinc+H(2)O(2)-treated cells. Further investigation shows that protection is via activation of PI3K/Akt/mTor and MAPK /ERK pathways and inhibition of MAPK/P38 and MAPK/JNK pathways. Protecting osteoblast cells from oxidative damage presents a potential application in the treatment of osteoporosis.

Curcumin improves bone microarchitecture and enhances mineral density in APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis are often observed to co-occur in clinical practice. The present study aimed to evaluate the bone microarchitecture and bone mineral density (BMD) of the proximal tibia in APP/PS1 transgenic mice by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), and to search for evidence that curcumin can be used to reduce bone mineral losses and treat osteoporosis after senile dementia in these transgenic mice. Three-month-old female mice were divided into the following groups (n=9 per group): wild-type mice (WT group); APP/PS1 transgenic mice (APP group); and APP/PS1 transgenic mice with curcumin treatment (APP+Cur group). Between 9 and 12 months of age, the APP+Cur group were administered curcumin orally (600ppm). CT scans of the proximal tibia were taken at 6, 9 and 12 months. At 6 months, there were little differences in the structural parameters. At 9 months, the APP groups displayed loss of bone volume ratio (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (Tb.Th), trabecular number (Tb.N) and connectivity density (Conn.D) and increases in trabecular separation (Tb.Sp) and geometric degree of anisotropy (DA) (P<0.05 or P<0.01), with significant changes in the BMD parameters. At 12 months, curcumin treatment led to constant increases in the trabecular bone mass of the metaphysis and clearly improved the BMD. By the same time, we measured the TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum among the different groups at 6, 9 and 12 months by enzyme-linked immunoassay(ELISA). These results suggest that APP/PS1 transgenic mice are susceptible to osteoporosis, and that curcumin can prevent further deterioration of the bone structure and produce beneficial changes in bone turnover. The change of inflammation cytokine, including TNF-α and IL-6, may play an important role in the mechanisms of action of curcumin, but the detail mechanism remains unknown.