Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis in patients with monoclonal gammopathy and renal damage in central China: a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Renal involvement is common in monoclonal gammopathy (MG); however, the same patient may have both MG and non-paraprotein-associated renal damage. Accordingly, distinguishing the cause of renal damage is necessary because of the different clinical characteristics and associated treatments. In this multicenter retrospective cohort study, we described the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of 703 patients with MG and renal damage in central China. Patients were classified as having MG of renal significance (MGRS), MG of undetermined significance (MGUS), or hematological malignancy. 260 (36.98%), 259 (36.84%), and 184 (26.17%) had MGRS, MGUS, and hematological malignancies, respectively. Amyloidosis was the leading pattern of MGRS (74.23%), followed by thrombotic microangiopathy (8.85%) and monoclonal immunoglobulin deposition disease (8.46%). Membranous nephropathy was the leading diagnosis of MGUS (39.38%). Renal pathological findings of patients with hematological malignancies included paraprotein-associated lesions (84.78%) and non-paraprotein-associated lesions (15.22%). The presence of nephrotic syndrome and an abnormal free light chain (FLC) ratio were independently associated with MGRS. The overall survival was better in patients with MGUS than in those with MGRS or hematological malignancies.

Anoikis-related genes signature development for clear cell renal cell carcinoma prognosis and tumor microenvironment.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most common primary malignancies of the urinary tract, highly heterogeneous, and increasing in incidence worldwide. Anoikis is a specific type of programmed cell death in which solid tumor cells or normal epithelial cells that do not have metastatic properties lose adhesion to the extracellular matrix or undergo inappropriate cell adhesion-induced apoptosis. Anoikis is thought to play a critical role in tumorigenesis, maintenance, and treatment, according to an increasing amount of research. However, there is still some uncertainty regarding the general impact of anoikis-related genes (ARGs) on the prognostic importance, tumor microenvironment characteristics, and treatment reaction of ccRCC patients. For this study, we used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets to access the RNA sequencing results and clinical information from ccRCC patients. 29 ARGs related to survival were found using differential analysis and univariate Cox regression analysis. The samples were then divided into two clusters that had different immune traits via unsupervised cluster analysis using 29 prognosis-associated differently expressed ARGs. Then, to build an ARGs signature, 7 genes (PLAU, EDA2R, AFP, PLG, TUBB3, APOBEC3G, and MALAT1) were found using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator regression analysis. The new ARGs signature demonstrated outstanding prognostic capability for ccRCC patients' overall survival. In conclusion, for ccRCC patients, we created an ARGs signature that strongly connects to immunological traits and therapy response. Clinicians may find this ARGs signature helpful in developing more individualized and detailed treatment strategies for ccRCC patients.

UPK1B promoted the invasion and stem cell characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer cells by modulating c-myc/Sox4 axis.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a malignant tumor with extremely high mortality. Uroplakin1B (UPK1B) promotes the occurrence and development of multiple types of cancer by enhancing the expression of c-myc and Sox4. However, whether UPK1B can modulate the development of NSCLC by regulating c-myc/Sox4 axis is unclear. In this study, UPK1B was overexpressed or knocked down in the non-small cell lung cancer cells (NSCLCs) were. Next, the proliferation and invasion of those cells were detected with the EdU staining and transwell assays. Sphere formation assays was performed to examine the stem cell characteristics of those cells. Then, we overexpressed the Sox4 in UPK1B knockdown cells and determined the proliferation and invasion of those cells. Our results showed that UPK1B promoted the proliferation, invasion and stem cell characteristics of NSCLCs. In addition, UPK1B enhanced the expression of c-myc, Sox4 and stem cell associated proteins in those cells. Overexpression of Sox4 rescued the proliferation and invasion of NSCLCs, which were suppressed by the UPK1B knockdown. In summary, our study suggested that UPK1B enhanced the invasiveness and stem cell characteristics of NSCLCs by activating c-myc/UPK1B axis.

Gold film effect on temperature compensation of a POF sensor with different structures.

In this paper, temperature compensation of plastic optical fiber (POF) is studied and gold absorbability is utilized. Gold film is modified on the surface of POF by magnetron sputtering. The temperature output characteristics of different structures such as ordinary (POF-N), side-polished (POF-SP), U-shaped (POF-U), and narrow groove structure (POF-NGS) are tested, and the effects of gold film thickness, polishing area, and sputtering sequence on the temperature output characteristics are also investigated. The power change of the sensor at different temperatures is recorded. The experimental results show that when the temperature is between 25°C and 50°C and the sputtering gold film thickness is 50 nm, the temperature stabilities of POF-N, POF-U, POF-SP, and POF-NGS are 1.02 µW/°C, 0.77 µW/°C, 0.18 µW/°C, and 0.35 µW/°C, respectively. The compensation effect is enhanced as the gold film thickness increases. When the thickness is 100 nm, the temperature stability of POF-NGS is 0.06 µW/°C. The proposed temperature compensation method is competitive and straightforward.

Targeting CD47 as a Novel Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer.

Nowadays, breast cancer has become the most common cancer worldwide with a high mortality rate. Immune checkpoint blockade holds great promise in tumor-targeted therapy, and CD47 blockade as one immune therapy is undergoing various preclinical studies and clinical trials to demonstrate its safety and efficacy in breast cancer. In this review, we summarized different therapeutic mechanisms targeting CD47 and its prognostic role and therapeutic value in breast cancer.

Changes and significance of Treg and Th17 in adult patients with primary membranous nephropathy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes in Treg and Th17 cells and explore the significance of Treg/Th17 balance in adult primary membranous nephropathy (PMN) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 60 PMN patients and 50 healthy adults from June 2013 to October 2016 were enrolled in this study. The levels of Treg, Th17, and related cytokines were assessed. Pearson correlation was used for conducting correlation analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in Th17 frequencies and IL-17 (Th17-related cytokines) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as well as a significant decrease in Treg frequencies and IL-10 (Treg-related cytokines). The IL-17 concentrations in the peripheral blood of PMN patients were positively correlated with urinary protein, while IL-10 levels were negatively correlated with urinary protein. Protein expression of Treg transcription factor (Foxp3) was significantly low in the renal tissues of PMN patients, while the expression of IL-17 was much higher. Th17/Treg imbalance was reversed to normal after effective treatment with tacrolimus in 15 PMN patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggested the existence of Treg/Th17 imbalance in PMN patients, showing the importance of Treg/Th17 imbalance in PMN pathogenesis.

Immunogenicity and protection efficacy of a Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium fnr, arcA and fliC mutant.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a major food-borne pathogen that can cause self-limited gastroenteritis or life-threatening invasive diseases in humans. There is no licensed S. Typhimurium vaccine for humans to date. In this study, we attempted to construct a live attenuated vaccine strain of S. Typhimurium based on three genes, namely, the two global regulator genes fnr and arcA and the flagellin subunit gene fliC. The S. Typhimurium three-gene mutant, named SLT39 (ΔfnrΔarcAΔfliC), exhibited a high level of attenuation with a colonization defect in mouse tissues and approximately 104-fold decreased virulence compared with that of the wild-type strain. To evaluate the immunogenicity and protection efficacy of STL39, mice were inoculated twice with a dose of 107 CFU or 108 CFU at a 28-day interval, and the immunized mice were challenged with a lethal dose of the wild-type S. Typhimurium strain one month post second immunization. Compared with mock immunization, SLT39 immunization with either dose elicited significant serum total IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a and faecal IgA responses against inactivated S. Typhimurium antigens at a comparable level post second immunization, whereas the 108 CFU group induced higher levels of duodenal and caecal IgA than the 107 CFU group. Furthermore, the bacterial loads in mouse tissues, including Peyer's patches, spleen and liver, significantly decreased in the two SLT39 immunization groups compared to those in the control group post challenge. Additionally, all mice in the SLT39 (108 CFU) group and 80% of the mice in the SLT39 (107 CFU) group survived the lethal challenge, suggesting full protection and 80% protection efficacy, respectively. Thus, the S. Typhimurium fnr, arcA and fliC mutant proved to be a potential attenuated live vaccine candidate for prevention of homologous infection.

The Tumor Suppressor Role of the Ras Association Domain Family 10.

The Ras association domain family 10(RASSF10), a tumor suppressor gene, is located on human chromosome 11p15.2, which is one of the members homologous to other N-terminal RASSF families obtained through structural prediction. RASSF10 plays an important role in inhibiting proliferation, invasion, and migration, inducing apoptosis, making cancer cells sensitive to docetaxel, and capturing G2/M phase. Some studies have found that RASSF10 may inhibit the occurrence and development of tumors by regulating Wnt/ß-catenin, P53, and MMP2. Methylation of tumor suppressor gene promoter is a key factor in the development and progression of many tumors. Various methylation detection methods confirmed that the methylation and downregulation of RASSF10 often occur in various tumors, such as gastric cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, and leukemia. The status of RASSF10 methylation is positively correlated with tumor size, tumor type, and TNM stage. RASSF10 methylation can be used as a prognostic factor for overall survival and disease-free survival, and is also a sign of tumor diagnosis and sensitivity to docetaxel chemotherapy. In this review, we mainly elucidate the acknowledged structure and progress in the verified functions of RASSF10 and the probably relevant signaling pathways.

Ethanol Gas Sensitivity Sensor Based on Roughened POF Taper of Modified Polypyrrole Films.

The three polypyrrole (PPy) films with different mixture ratios, namely PPy1, PPy2, and PPy3, were synthesized by chemical oxidation with pyrrole and ferric chloride (FeCl3). The roughened plastic optical fiber (POF) taper assembled PPy films (POF-PPy1, POF-PPy2, and POF-PPy3) were facilely prepared and bentU shape structure for testing ethanol gas at room temperature. The morphologies of the PPy films and the roughened POF taper were studied using electron microscopy. The effect of the three PPy films on the gas response was investigated and the results showed that the POF-PPy2 exhibited a high sensitivity of 5.08 × 10-5 dB/ppm. The detection limit of the sensor was 140 ppm and its response and recovery times were 5 s and 8 s, respectively. The results also showed that as the bending radius decreased, the response and recovery times gradually shortened, while the output power increased. In addition, the proposed sensor has advantages of a low cost and simple structure.

Basal Cell Carcinoma of the External Genitalia: A Population-Based Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) located on the genitalia is rare; data on the clinicopathologic features and survival outcomes are only available through case reports and small case series studies. PURPOSE: This study aimed to explore the epidemiology and identify the prognostic factors of genital BCCs. METHODS: We queried the 18 registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database for patients with primary BCCs of the genital skin from 2000 through 2017. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) and disease specific survival (DSS). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was conducted to assess the impact of clinicopathological variables on OS and DSS. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was performed to evaluate risk factors for OS. RESULTS: A total of 1,607 cases of genital BCCs were identified. The cohort was composed of 1,352 women (84.1%) and 255 men (15.9%). The median (P25, P75) age of the entire cohort was 73(63-82)years. White patients accounted for 87.2% of the cases. For women and men, the most common site of involvement was the labia majora (89.6%) and scrotum (74.5%), respectively. The majority of patients with genital BCC had localized disease (75.5%). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that female genital BCCs experienced better DSS than men (209.1 months vs 194.8 months); for men, BCCs located on the scrotum had better DSS and OS than those on the penis (P < 0.05 for both endpoints). All patients with distant disease died of disease-specific death, and the average survival time was 8.2 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, primary site, and stage were independent determinants of OS for men, while tumor size, histologic subtype, and race were not. For women, factors associated with worse OS included increasing age, tumor size more than 2 cm, and distant disease; factors associated with a decreased risk included "other" and "unknown" races. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of genital BCCs is excellent, while the survival of distant disease is very poor. Despite similar clinicopathologic features and overall survival outcomes, men and women should be treated as two different entities when making survival predictions.

RPL34-AS1 functions as tumor suppressive lncRNA in esophageal cancer.

Ribosomal protein L34 antisense RNA 1 (RPL34-AS1) is novel long non-coding RNA, and was found to be down-regulated in colorectal cancer and gastric cancer. The role of RPL34-AS1 was still unknown in esophageal cancer. In our study, we found RPL34-AS1 expression levels in esophageal cancer tissue and specimens and cell lines were lower than in adjacent normal tissue specimens and normal esophageal cell line, respectively. In addition, esophageal cancer patients with Ⅲ-Ⅳ, T3-T4 or positive lymph node metastasis had lower RPL34-AS1expression levels than esophageal cancer patients with Ⅰ-Ⅱ, T1-T2 or negative lymph node metastasis, respectively. In survival analysis suggested esophageal cancer patients with low RPL34-AS1 expression had short overall survival than those with high RPL34-AS1 expression. Our in vitro experiments suggested RPL34-AS1 inhibits esophageal cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion through down-regulating RPL34 expression. In conclusion, RPL34-AS1 functions as tumor suppressor in esophageal cancer.

A cost-effective quasi-distributed liquid leakage sensor based on the polymer optical fiber and flexible lamp belt with LEDs.

A quasi-distributed liquid leakage (QDLL) sensor in local area is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, providing a real-time yet low-cost method than the existing local QDLL sensor. The sensor mainly consists of a flexible lamp belt (FLB) with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a polymer optical fiber (POF) processed with side-coupling structures. The side-coupling structures are illuminated by the LEDs one by one, forming a series of sensing probes. The lights are side-coupled into the POF through the side-coupling structure and pulse sequences are obtained from the power meters connected to the both ends of the POF. Each pulse represents a sensing probe, and the intensity of them increase when the coupling medium changes from air to liquid. The location of the leakage incident can be got by the position of each pulse in its output sequence. The influence of different side-coupling structures on side-coupling ratio are investigated. The experiment results validate the detection and localization abilities of the QDLL sensor along a 1 m-long POF with a spatial resolution of 0.1 m, which can be improved by adjusting the side-coupling structure. Furthermore, the temperature dependence is studied and can be compensated.

Analysis of the correlation between the expression of miR-655 and esophageal cancer prognosis.

The correlation between the expression level of microRNA (miR)-655 in esophageal cancer with proliferation, invasion and prognosis was investigated. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique was used to detect the expression level of miR-655 in esophageal cancer cell lines KYSE410 and EC9706, tumor tissues and normal cancer-adjacent tissues of 63 cases of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The expression of miR-655 was upregulated in ESCC cells through the transfection of miR-655 mimics, and the influence of miR-655 on proliferation and invasion ability of ESCC cells was observed. Combined with the clinical data, the correlation between the expression of miR-655 and the prognosis of esophageal cancer was analyzed. The expression of miR-655 was downregulated in 2 ESCC cell lines and 73.02% of ESCC tissues. The results showed that the increased expression of miR-655 via transfection of mimics inhibited the proliferation and invasion ability of ESCC cells. Combined with clinical data analysis, it was found that the low-expression of miR-655 was related to poorer progression-free survival. In conclusion, the high-expression of miR-655 can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of ESCC, and plays a negative regulation role in the prognosis process of tumor patients. The targeted regulation of miR-655 can be used as a new treatment method of ESCC.

A Cost-Effective Relative Humidity Sensor Based on Side Coupling Induction Technology.

A intensity-modulated optical fiber relative humidity (RH) sensor based on the side coupling induction technology (SCIT) is presented and experimentally demonstrated. The agarose gel and the twisted macro-bend coupling structure are first combined for RH sensing applications. The refractive index (RI) of the agarose gel increases with the increase of the RH and is in linear proportion from 20 to 80%RH. The side coupling power, which changes directly with the RI of the agarose gel, can strip the source noise from the sensor signal and improve the signal to noise ratio substantially. The experiment results show that the sensitivity of the proposed sensor increases while the bend radius decreases. When the bend radius is 8 mm, the sensor has a linear response from 40% to 80% RH with the sensitivity of 4.23 nW/% and the limit of detection of 0.70%. A higher sensitivity of 12.49 nW/% is achieved when RH raises from 80% to 90% and the limit of detection decreases to 0.55%. Furthermore, the proposed sensor is a low-cost solution, offering advantages of good reversibility, fast response time, and compensable temperature dependence.

A Wide-Range Displacement Sensor Based on Plastic Fiber Macro-Bend Coupling.

This paper proposes the strategy of fabricating an all fiber wide-range displacement sensor based on the macro-bend coupling effect which causes power transmission between two twisted bending plastic optical fibers (POF), where the coupling power changes with the bending radius of the fibers. For the sensor, a structure of two twisted plastic fibers is designed with the experimental platform that we constructed. The influence of external temperature and displacement speed shifts are reported. The displacement sensor performance is the sensor test at different temperatures and speeds. The sensor was found to be satisfactory at both room temperature and 70 °C when the displacement is up to 140 mm. The output power is approximately linear to a displacement of 110 mm-140 mm under room temperature and 2 mm/s speed at 19.805 nW/mm sensitivity and 0.12 mm resolution. The simple structure of the sensor makes it reliable for other applications and further utilizations, promising a bright future.

[Comparative study of 3D thoracoscopic esophagectomy versus 2D thoracoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and safety of 3D laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy. METHODS: From October 2013 to March 2014, 154 patients with esophageal cancer of clinical stage T3N1M0 undergoing 3D or 2D minimally invasive esophagectomy in lateral prone position in our department were enrolled prospectively, and randomly divided into 3D group (78 cases) and 2D group (76 cases). The esophagus was dissociated by 3D or 2D laparoscope and thoracoscope to the entry of thorax. Stomach was dissociated by same telescopes and cut linearly. After tube stomach shaping was completed, esophagogastric anastomosis was performed in the left neck. The operative safety and short-term efficacy were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The entire procedure was technically successful in 154 patients. The average total operative time in 3D group was shorter than that in 2D group [(176.0±27.7) min vs. (203.0±31.5) min, P<0.05]. No significant differences were observed in blood loss [(124.0±35.8) ml vs. (127.0±25.7) ml], number of harvested lymph node (17.0±8.6 vs. 18.0±3.3), postoperative hospital stay [(11.8±9.3) d vs. (12.6±8.8) d] (all P>0.05), and morbidity of postoperative complication [12.8% (10/78) vs. 14.5% (11/76)]. The median follow-up time was 5.6 (3-8) months and 5.2 (5-7) months in 3D and 2D groups respectively, and no death or relapse cases were found during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: 3D laparoscopic and thoracoscopic esophagectomy under lateral prone position is technically feasible and safe for esophageal carcinoma, as compared to 2D procedure.

Polymer optical fiber twisted macro-bend coupling system for liquid level detection.

The liquid level detection principle of cladding mode frustrated total internal reflection (CMFTIR) effect is proposed. The significant enhancement of CMFTIR effect is realized through macro-bend coupling system in which the dark-field coupling phenomenon between two multimode polymer optic fibers is observed through experiment. Especially twisted macro-bend coupling structure (TMBCS) is adopted to achieve stable coupling of two naked POF. The testing result showed that the dark-filed forward coupling efficiency reached 2‰ and the extinction ratio of the liquid level probe reached 4.18 dB. Compared with existing optical fiber liquid level sensors, the TMBCS probe is simpler, robuster, and cheaper. In addition, the TMBCS has the potential for displacement or stress sensing.

[Comparison of the short-term outcomes of patients with esophageal cancer after subtotal esophagectomy via thoracoscopy in left lateral position and in prone position].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the short-term outcomes in patients with esophageal cancer after subtotal esophagectomy via thoracoscopy in prone position and in left lateral position. METHODS: Between September 2008 and September 2010, thoraco-laparoscopic esophagectomy (TLE) with thoracoscopic mobilization of the esophagus and mediastinal esophagectomy was performed in 41 patients in prone position (group A) and other 41 patients (group B) performed by the same surgeon in left lateral position. RESULTS: Preoperatively, the endoscopic location of the tumor was in the upper third in 5 cases (2 vs. 3), the middle third in 21 cases (12 vs. 9), and the lower third in 56 cases (27 vs. 29). The median operative time was 230 (range 170-310) min in group A and 280 (range 190-380) min in group B (P=0.04). The median intraoperative blood loss was 275 (range 100-320) ml in group A and 360 (range 120-670) ml in group B (P=0.09). The median number of lymph nodes dissected was 8.4 (range 4-23) in group A and 6.9 (range 6-21) in group B (P=0.03). The postoperative complications totaled 6 (14.6%) in group A and 8 (17.1%) in group B (P=0.44). After a median follow-up period of 15.7 (range 2-28) months for group A and 16.3 (range 3-31) months for group B, 19 patients in group A died and 21 patients in group B. CONCLUSIONS: For esophageal cancer under T3N1M0, surgical outcomes are similar between prone thoracoscopic esophageal mobilization and left lateral position. Prone position may be associated with better lymph node dissection.

Surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms using the critical artery reattachment technique.

In the study, we sought to retrospectively analyze the effectiveness and safety of surgical repair of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm using the critical artery reattachment technique. Twenty-three consecutive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm patients were treated using the technique of sequential aortic clamping and critical artery reattachment. The entire procedure was technically successful in all patients. One died of renal failure and the overall hospital mortality was 4.35%. The total incidence of complications was 21.74%. At a median follow-up of 33 months, all patients were alive. We found that the application of critical artery reattachment technique in the management of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm provides excellent short- and mid-term results in most patients. It could markedly increase the curing rate and reduce the morbidity of postoperative complications including paraplegia, ischemia of abdominal viscera, and renal failure.