Upregulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in glioma.

The immune system fails to eradicate established tumors partly due to the induction of immune tolerance within tumor microenvironment. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play critical roles in regulating immune system. In this study, we investigated pDC in the peripheral blood of glioma. CD4 + CD123 + BDCA2+ pDCs were tested from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 40 glioma patients and 40 healthy controls by flow cytometry. The results revealed that proportion of pDCs was significantly increased in cases than in controls (0.52 ± 0.07 versus 0.21 ± 0.02 %, p < 0.001), whereas myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) did not present any obvious difference between patients and healthy donors (0.25 ± 0.04 versus 0.18 ± 0.02 %, p = 0.217). We further studied pDCs in glioma patients with different clinical stages. Data showed that cases with smoking history had elevated level of pDCs than those non-smoker patients (0.91 ± 0.16 versus 0.48 ± 0.06 %, p = 0.004). Interestingly, we observed that patients with aphasia presented significantly elevated pDCs than those without aphasia (0.93 ± 0.12 versus 0.41 ± 0.07 %, p < 0.001). These data suggested that pDCs may be closely involved in the pathogenesis of glioma and may play roles in certain symptoms of the disease.

The effect of adenovirus-conjugated NDRG2 on p53-mediated apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells through attenuation of nucleotide excision repair capacity.

NDRG2 mRNA and protein levels can be upregulated in a p53-dependent manner. NDRG2 enhances p53-mediated apoptosis, whereas overexpression of NDRG2 suppresses tumor cell growth, regardless of whether p53 is mutated. However, the complicated mechanism by which NDRG2 suppresses tumor cell growth and enhances apoptosis mediated by p53 is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrated that Ad-NDRG2 enhanced the apoptosis of HepG2 cells (wild-type p53). Additionally, Ad-NDRG2 combined with rAd-p53 enhanced the apoptosis of Huh7 cells (mutant p53) after chemotherapy, and the expression of the ERCC6 gene (Cockayne syndrome group B protein gene) was suppressed in this process. Ad-NDRG2 combined with rAd-p53 induced the apoptosis of tumor cells (HepG2 and Huh7 cells); however, apoptosis was attenuated after transfection with ERCC6. Our results indicate that Ad-NDRG2 enhances the p53-mediated apoptosis of hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2 and Huh7) by attenuating the nucleotide excision repair capacity (i.e., by downregulating ERCC6), and ERCC6 is a NDRG2-inducible target gene that is involved in the p53-mediated apoptosis pathway.

Palliative surgery for primary sarcoma in the abdominal aorta: A case report and review of the literature.

Primary sarcoma of the aorta is extremely rare and accounts for <1% of all sarcomas. The present study describes the case of a 45-year-old male who presented with lower limb and abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) arteriography revealed a tumor that extended from the infrarenal aorta to the aortic bifurcation. The external and internal iliac arteries were occluded by the tumor incursion. Palliative surgery was performed for the sarcoma since the patient refused a radical resection. To improve the blood supply to the lower limbs, an axillary bifemoral bypass was established. Following the surgery, the pain was significantly reduced. However, the patient succumbed due to extensive metastasis 6 months after this surgery. Aortic sarcoma is an extremely rare disease with a poor prognosis. A diagnosis at a relatively early stage is necessary for a longer survival time. Radical surgery is the most significant treatment. Patients at advanced stages should consider palliative surgery in order to improve their quality of life.

Prognostic significance of USP22 as an oncogene in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22), a novel deubiquitinating enzyme, has been associated with metastasis, therapy resistance, and cell cycle progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression level of USP22 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) samples and to evaluate its clinical significance in PTC patients. USP22 expression was examined in 30 fresh PTC tissues and paired adjacent noncancerous tissues by real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry for USP22 was performed on additional 156 PTC tissues. The clinical significance of USP22 expression was analyzed. We found that the expression levels of USP22 mRNA and protein in PTC tissues were both significantly higher than those in noncancerous tissues. Clinicopathological analysis showed that USP22 expression was significantly correlated with tumor size (p=0.036), extracapsular invasion (p=0.012), multifocality (p=0.014), lymph node metastasis (p=0.022), distant metastasis (p=0.005), and TNM stage (p=0.002). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed that USP22 expression was associated with poor prognosis in PTC patients. USP22 expression was an independent prognostic marker of overall patient survival in a multivariate analysis. Our findings suggest that USP22 is an independent predictor of poor prognosis of PTC patients.

[Combination of recombinant human endostatin and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE: Recombinant human endostatin (rh-Endostatin), a protein modified by an additional nine-amino acid sequence to the N-terminal of endostatin, is a novel antiangiogenesis drug developed in China. The preclinical data suggested that it can inhibit proliferation and migration not only in endothelial cells, but also in some types of tumor cells. Theoretically, antiangiogenesis drugs should also be effective in the therapy of other solid tumors, including breast cancer. Here a prospective, randomized, controlled, phase II trial of combining rh-Endostatin and neoadjuvant chemotherapy was performed to evaluate its efficacy and safety profiles in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: A total of 68 patients with pathologically confirmed breast cancer were randomly assigned to receive the neoadjuvant DE regimen (docetaxel: 75 mg/m(2), d1, epirubicin: 75 mg/m(2), d1) every 3 weeks with or without rh-Endostatin (7.5 mg/m(2), d1-d14). Surgical resection was performed after 3 cycles of neoadjuvant treatment. The primary end-points were objective response rate (ORR) and pathological complete response rate (PCRR) while the secondary end-points quality of life (QOL) and toxicity. RESULTS: Among all of them, 64 were assessable for efficacy and 68 for toxicity. The ORRs were 90.9% (30/33) and 67.7% (21/31) in the combination and control groups respectively (P = 0.021). The stratification analysis showed that rh-Endostatin was more effective in the treatment of pre-menopausal and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) = 0 patients (P < 0.05). The PCRRs were 15.2% (5/33) and 6.5% (2/31) in the combination and control groups respectively (P = 0.428). No significant difference was identified in QOL score and side effects (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with DE regimen alone, the combination of rh-Endostatin with DE chemotherapy may achieve a higher ORR with no increased toxicity in breast cancer patients. Thus it can be utilized safely and effectively in the neoadjuvant treatment of breast cancer.

[Serum level of MMP-2 in early breast cancer and its correlation with circulating tumor cells].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the serum levels of MMP-2 in early breast cancer and its clinical significance and correlation with the circulating tumor cells in the patients. METHODS: The serum levels of MMP-2 in breast fibroadenoma (n = 10) and breast cancer (n = 72) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). And CK19 mRNA was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in blood as an index of circulating tumor cells in the patients. RESULTS: The serum level of MMP-2 in breast cancer was significantly higher than that in breast fibroadenoma (12.24 vs 2.21 µg/L, P = 0.003). Subgroup analysis showed that the serum levels of MMP-2 were higher in HER-2 positive patients than those in HER-2 negative ones (16.77 vs 10.02 µg/L, P = 0.022). CK19 mRNA was found in blood samples from 30 cases of breast cancer and the positive rate was 41.7%. However, it was not detected in the patients with breast fibroadenoma. The mean levels of serum MMP-2 were (15.48 ± 2.02) and (7.16 ± 1.55) µg/L in CK19 positive and negative patients respectively. Significant difference existed between two groups (P = 0.013). CONCLUSION: The serum level of MMP-2 in early breast cancer is closely correlated with blood micrometastasis. And its high level may be an important contributing factor for the metastasis of breast cancer.

Application of colour Doppler in encircling constriction of the superficial femoral vein in primary deep venous insufficiency of the lower limbs.

1. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical value of colour Doppler application in encircling constriction of the superficial femoral vein in deep vein insufficiency. 2. A total of 87 patients with primary deep venous insufficiency (PDVI) using ascending venography were randomly divided into group A (44 patients) and group B (43 patients). All patients underwent encircling constriction of the superficial femoral vein, high ligation and ablation of the great saphenous vein and perforator vein. The duration of venous reflux at operation was monitored with colour Doppler in group A (but not group B) to evaluate the immediate effects. Clinical grading and scoring of the clinical, etiological, anatomical, pathophysiological (CEAP) classification system were used to evaluate the follow-up curative effect. 3. In four cases from group A, completely destroyed valves were identified at the time of operation and autografting of the vein segment with a valve was carried out. The intraoperative examination of colour Doppler in group A showed a much shorter duration of vein reflux after the encircling constriction procedure than the presurgery condition. According to the results of CEAP grading, the success rate of group A (95.0%, 38/40) was significantly higher than that of group B (76.7%, 33/43). Postoperative clinical scores were markedly lower than preoperative scores in both groups A and B. 4. In conclusion, our data suggest that application of colour Doppler in encircling constriction of superficial femoral vein might enhance surgical pertinence and improve surgical effect for PDVI.

Prospective study on combination of electrical impedance scanning and ultrasound in estimating risk of development of breast cancer in young women.

Based on cost-effective ratio, there has not yet been imaging methods suitable for breast cancer screening in young women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the combination of electrical impedance scanning (EIS) and ultrasound in identifying breast cancer for young women, to calculate relative risks, and to determine whether there has been some more accurate imaging method used in early detection of breast cancer in young women. A prospective and multicenter clinical study was conducted in young women aged 45 years and under. The young women (583 cases) scheduled for mammary biopsy underwent EIS and ultrasound, respectively. EIS and ultrasound results were compared with final histopathology results. Study end points included sensitivities and specificities of EIS, ultrasound and the combination method, as well as relative probability of breast cancer of positive patients detected by the combination of EIS and ultrasound. Of the 583 cases, 143 were diagnosed with breast cancer. The sensitivities of EIS, ultrasound and the combination method were 86.7% (124/143), 72% (103/143), and 93.7% (134/143); the specificities were 72.9% (321/440), 82.5% (363/440), and 64.1% (282/440), and the relative possibilities of breast cancer for the positive young women detected by EIS, ultrasound, and the combination method were 8.67, 5.77, and 14.84, respectively. The combination of EIS and ultrasound is likely to become an applicable method for early detection of breast cancer in young women.

[Expression and activation of MAPK pathway signaling molecules in human breast cancer cell lines].

AIM: To detect the expression and status of extracellular regulatory kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and its upstream kinase MEK1/2 proteins in four breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, Bcap-37, SK-BR-3 and T47D and study the effects of cyclophosphamide and epirubicin on the growth of the cell lines and on the expression and status of the signaling molecules. METHODS: Western blot was used to examine the expression and status of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 proteins in these cells and the effects of these two drugs on them. The effects of the two drugs on the proliferation of these breast cancer cell lines were detected by MTT colorimetry. RESULTS: The levels of expression and phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 proteins in four breast cancer cell lines increased notably as compared with those in MCF-10 cells. Both drugs could inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells. And the levels of expression and phosphorylation of MEK1/2 and ERK1/2 proteins in breast cancer cell lines treated with the drugs were markedly lower than those in untreated breast cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Overexpression and phosphorylation of MEK and ERK may play an important role in the generation and development of human breast cancer. The inhibitory effect of cyclophosphamide and epirubicin on proliferation of the breast cancer cells may be by means of inhibiting expression and phosphorylation of MEK and ERK.