Predictive Value of Machine Learning for Platinum Chemotherapy Responses in Ovarian Cancer: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Machine learning is a potentially effective method for predicting the response to platinum-based treatment for ovarian cancer. However, the predictive performance of various machine learning methods and variables is still a matter of controversy and debate. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to systematically review relevant literature on the predictive value of machine learning for platinum-based chemotherapy responses in patients with ovarian cancer. METHODS: Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, we systematically searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases for relevant studies on predictive models for platinum-based therapies for the treatment of ovarian cancer published before April 26, 2023. The Prediction Model Risk of Bias Assessment tool was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included articles. Concordance index (C-index), sensitivity, and specificity were used to evaluate the performance of the prediction models to investigate the predictive value of machine learning for platinum chemotherapy responses in patients with ovarian cancer. RESULTS: A total of 1749 articles were examined, and 19 of them involving 39 models were eligible for this study. The most commonly used modeling methods were logistic regression (16/39, 41%), Extreme Gradient Boosting (4/39, 10%), and support vector machine (4/39, 10%). The training cohort reported C-index in 39 predictive models, with a pooled value of 0.806; the validation cohort reported C-index in 12 predictive models, with a pooled value of 0.831. Support vector machine performed well in both the training and validation cohorts, with a C-index of 0.942 and 0.879, respectively. The pooled sensitivity was 0.890, and the pooled specificity was 0.790 in the training cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Machine learning can effectively predict how patients with ovarian cancer respond to platinum-based chemotherapy and may provide a reference for the development or updating of subsequent scoring systems.

Icariin as a potential anticancer agent: a review of its biological effects on various cancers.

Numerous chemical compounds used in cancer treatment have been isolated from natural herbs to address the ever-increasing cancer incidence worldwide. Therein is icariin, which has been extensively studied for its therapeutic potential due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidepressant, and aphrodisiac properties. However, there is a lack of comprehensive and detailed review of studies on icariin in cancer treatment. Given this, this study reviews and examines the relevant literature on the chemopreventive and therapeutic potentials of icariin in cancer treatment and describes its mechanism of action. The review shows that icariin has the property of inhibiting cancer progression and reversing drug resistance. Therefore, icariin may be a valuable potential agent for the prevention and treatment of various cancers due to its natural origin, safety, and low cost compared to conventional anticancer drugs, while further research on this natural agent is needed.

Deciphering the Mechanism of Bushen Huoxue Decotion on Decidualization by Intervening Autophagy via AMPK/mTOR/ULK1: A Novel Discovery for URSA Treatment.

Impaired decidualization was recognized as one of the crucial pathomechanisms accounting for unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (URSA). Currently, the exact molecular mechanism and targeted clinical decision are still in exploration. Bushen Huoxue decoction (BSHXD) has previously been proved effective in treating URSA, but its mechanism remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to explore the regulation mechanism of BSHXD in decidualization from its intervention in autophagy so as to rationalize its potential as a novel therapeutic regime for URSA. Decidua tissues were collected from patients with URSA and healthy pregnant women who underwent legal terminations for non-medical reasons at the first trimester. Besides, cell line T-hESCs was utilized to establish induced decidualization model, and were randomly divided into ESC group, DSC group, 3-MA group, AMPK siRNA group, scrambled siRNA group and AMPK siRNA + BSHXD group. Transmission electron microscopy, Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) assay, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence and Western blotting were used to evaluate the level of decidualization, autophagy and activation of AMPK signaling pathway in decidua tissues and cell experiments. Experiments on decidua tissues showed that decidualization was impaired in URSA with inhibited autophagy. Besides, pAMPK T172 and pULK1 S556 were decreased, and pmTOR S2448 and pULK1 S757 were increased. Cell experiments showed that the level of autophagy increased during induced decidualization, but when autophagy was inhibited, decidualization was impaired. In addition, AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 affected decidualization by mediating autophagy, and BSHXD improved decidualization through this mechanism. In conclusion, this study clarified that the inhibition of autophagy mediated by AMPK/mTOR/ULK1 was associated with impaired decidualization, and the intervention of BSHXD on this pathological process may be a vital mechanism for its treatment of URSA. This study laid the foundation for further research and application of BSHXD.

Multifunctional Benzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]benzofuran Derivative with High Mobility and Luminescent Properties.

Development of multifunctional materials and devices has garnered enormous attention in the field of organic optoelectronics; nevertheless, achieving high mobility together with strong luminescence in a single semiconductor remains a major bottleneck. Here, a new multifunctional semiconductor molecule, 2,7-diphenylbenzo[4,5]thieno[3,2-b]benzofuran (BTBF-DPh), that integrates high charge transporting [1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene with a strongly emissive furan group, is synthesized and applied in three types of optoelectronic devices, including organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), and organic phototransistors (OPTs). OLEDs based on BTBF-DPh as the emissive layer showed a blue emission with CIE coordinates of (0.151, 0.069) and a maximum current efficiency of 2.96 cd A-1 with an external quantum efficiency of 4.23%. Meanwhile, OFETs fabricated with BTBF-DPh thin film manifested a carrier mobility of 0.181 cm2 V-1 s-1, which is comparable to that of thiophene-based counterparts. Additionally, BTBF-DPh-based OPTs exhibited a maximum responsivity and detectivity of 2.07 × 103 A W-1 and of 5.6 × 1015 Jones, respectively. On the one hand, our rationally designed material, BTBF-DPh, has a dense and close-packed structure with an extended π-conjugation, facilitating charge transport through adjacent molecules. On the other hand, the weakened dipole-dipole interactions between BTBF-DPh molecules that resulted from the unambiguous J-aggregation and reduced spin-orbit coupling caused by replacing sulfur atom significantly suppress the exciton quenching, contributing to the improved photoluminescence performance. These results validate that our newly developed BTBF-DPh is a promising multifunctional organic semiconductor for optoelectronic devices.

Measuring light-induced fungal ethylene production enables non-destructive diagnosis of disease occurrence in harvested fruits.

Pathogenic fungi cause enormous losses to fruits, and ethylene (ET) is associated with disease development in fruit crops. In this study, ET production of several fungal pathogens was enhanced by light, probably through the free radicals produced by photochemical reactions. Real-time gas analysis showed a sharp increase in ET production when fungal cultures were moved from dark-to-light (DTL). Similarly, light accelerated ET production in the Botrytis cinerea-infected Arabidopsis thaliana plants even when pyrazinamide, the inhibitor for plant ET synthesis, was applied, suggesting that the fungus is responsible for ET production during host invasion. Furthermore, a sharp increase in ET production after DTL transition was observed in B. cinerea-infected tomatoes and grapes, but not in healthy or physically wounded fruits. Taken together, these findings indicate that the DTL-induced ET is specific to the plant materials with fungal infection, and thus represents a candidate marker for non-destructive disease diagnosis of harvested fruits.

Self-Assembly of the Second Transmembrane Domain of hCtr1 in Micelles and Interaction with Silver Ion.

Human copper transporter 1 (hCtr1) transports copper and silver by a homotrimer. The protein contains three transmembrane domains in which the second transmembrane domain (TMD2) is a key component lining the central pore of the trimer. The MXXXM motif in the C-terminal end of TMD2 plays a significant role in the function of hCtr1. In this study, we characterized the structure and assembly of isolated TMD2 of hCtr1 in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles and the interaction of the micelle-bound peptide with silver ion using nuclear magnetic resonance, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry and electrophoresis techniques. We detected the formation of a trimer of the isolated hCtr1-TMD2 in SDS micelles and the binding of the trimer to Ag(I) by a chemical stoichiometry of 3:2 of peptide:Ag(I). We showed that either an intensive pretreatment of the TMD2 peptide by 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol solvent or a conversion from methionine to leucine in the MXXXM motif changes the aggregation structure of the peptide and decreases the binding affinity by 1 order of magnitude. Our results suggest that the intrinsic interaction of the second transmembrane domain itself may be closely associated with the formation of hCtr1 pore in cellular membranes, and two methionine residues in the MXXXM motif may be important for TMD2 both in the trimeric assembly and in a higher-affinity binding to Ag(I).