Overexpression of CDCA8 Predicts Poor Prognosis and Promotes Tumor Cell Growth in Prostate Cancer.

Human cell division cycle-related protein 8 (CDCA8) is an essential component of the vertebrate chromosomal passenger complex (CPC). CDCA8 was confirmed to play a role in promoting malignant tumor progression. However, the exact function of CDCA8 in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) remains unclear. In this study, the database GSE69223 was downloaded by the gene expression omnibus (GEO) database, as well as CDCA8 expression differences in multiple tumor tissues and normal tissues were detected by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), TIMER, Oncomine, and Ualcan databases. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression methods were used to analyze the correlation between CDCA8 expression and prognosis in PCa. We confirmed the expression of CDCA8 in PCa tissues by HPA. We also analyzed the association of CDCA8 expression with PCa clinical characteristics in the TCGA database. To further understand the role of CDCA8 in PCa, we assessed the effects of CDCA8 on PCa cell growth, proliferation, and migration in vitro studies. As a result, CDCA8 was significantly overexpressed in PCa cells compared with normal prostate cells. High CDCA8 expression predicts poor prognosis in PCa patients, and CDCA8 expression was higher in high-grade PCa. In addition, silencing of CDCA8 significantly inhibited PCa cell proliferation and migration. In summary, CDCA8 promoted the proliferation and migration of PCa cells.

Successful gamma knife radiosurgery combined with S-1 in an elderly man with local recurrent pancreatic cancer: A case report.

RATIONALE: Pancreatic cancer is common in people older than 40 years, and the incidence peaks at the age of 70 years and older. Chemoradiotherapy has been generally considered a high-risk procedure in elderly patients with local recurrent pancreatic cancer. Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery has the advantage in protecting the surrounding tissues, and providing short-term effects. It has been successfully used in patients with brain metastases.The efficacy of GKSRS in other malignancies has barely been studied.S-1 is one of the key drug against metastatic and local advanced pancreatic cancer. The combination of GKSRS and S-1 in local recurrent pancreatic cancer has hardly been reported. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present a rare case of a 76-year-old man with pancreatic cancer. He complained of recurrent abdominal pain and chronic pain in the right shoulder for more than 3 years. DIAGNOSES: After several examinations, the diagnosis was carcinoma of the pancreas. INTERVENTIONS: A resection of the pancreatic neoplasm was performed on June 21, 2011; he did not receive adjuvant chemotherapy. In April 2014, postoperative recurrence was confirmed in the head of the pancreas. The patient received gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery (GKSRS) combined with S-1 treatment. OUTCOMES: The patient showed complete response after 2 months. He has achieved an overall survival of 76 months with a very good performance status. LESSONS: GKSRS applied to other malignancies has rarely been reported. S-1 is the key drug for adjuvant chemotherapy in resected pancreatic cancer. There are a few studies on this combination in local recurrent pancreatic cancer. GKSRS combined with S-1 seems to be a good option in improving efficacy and prolonging life in elderly patients with locally recurrent pancreatic cancer.

Successful ceritinib treatment in a man with MPE and an ALK fusion gene mutation after multiple treatments.

INTRODUCTION: Ceritinib is a second-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor. It inhibits two of the most common ALK-mutants that confer resistance to crizotinib. Ceritinib was approved by Food and Drug Administration in April 2014. However, the efficacy of ceritinib in Asian patients have not been widely studied. Decrease of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) has been rarely reported after treatment with ceritinib. CASE DESCRIPTION: A 50-year old man diagnosed with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma presented with MPE and an ALK fusion gene mutation. The patient showed partial response to ceritinib after 2-month treatment. Ultrasound showed MPE significantly decreased. DISCUSSION AND EVALUATION: Ceritinib is a good choice, as a targeted therapy, which is more prospect in the advanced cancer patients than the traditional therapy. CONCLUSION: Ceritinib seems to have a good efficacy in reducing MPE in advanced Asian lung adenocarcinoma patients, when other chemotherapy failed.

Nanoparticle networks reduce the flammability of polymer nanocomposites.

Synthetic polymeric materials are rapidly replacing more traditional inorganic materials, such as metals, and natural polymeric materials, such as wood. As these synthetic materials are flammable, they require modifications to decrease their flammability through the addition of flame-retardant compounds. Environmental regulation has restricted the use of some halogenated flame-retardant additives, initiating a search for alternative flame-retardant additives. Nanoparticle fillers are highly attractive for this purpose, because they can simultaneously improve both the physical and flammability properties of the polymer nanocomposite. We show that carbon nanotubes can surpass nanoclays as effective flame-retardant additives if they form a jammed network structure in the polymer matrix, such that the material as a whole behaves rheologically like a gel. We find this kind of network formation for a variety of highly extended carbon-based nanoparticles: single- and multiwalled nanotubes, as well as carbon nanofibres.