Predicting short-term major postoperative complications in intestinal resection for Crohn's disease: A machine learning-based study.

BACKGROUND: Due to the complexity and numerous comorbidities associated with Crohn's disease (CD), the incidence of postoperative complications is high, significantly impacting the recovery and prognosis of patients. Consequently, additional studies are required to precisely predict short-term major complications following intestinal resection (IR), aiding surgical decision-making and optimizing patient care. AIM: To construct novel models based on machine learning (ML) to predict short-term major postoperative complications in patients with CD following IR. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data derived from a patient cohort that underwent IR for CD from January 2017 to December 2022. The study participants were randomly allocated to either a training cohort or a validation cohort. The logistic regression and random forest (RF) were applied to construct models in the training cohort, with model discrimination evaluated using the area under the curves (AUC). The validation cohort assessed the performance of the constructed models. RESULTS: Out of the 259 patients encompassed in the study, 5.0% encountered major postoperative complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ III) within 30 d following IR for CD. The AUC for the logistic model was 0.916, significantly lower than the AUC of 0.965 for the RF model. The logistic model incorporated a preoperative CD activity index (CDAI) of ≥ 220, a diminished preoperative serum albumin level, conversion to laparotomy surgery, and an extended operation time. A nomogram for the logistic model was plotted. Except for the surgical approach, the other three variables ranked among the top four important variables in the novel ML model. CONCLUSION: Both the nomogram and RF exhibited good performance in predicting short-term major postoperative complications in patients with CD, with the RF model showing more superiority. A preoperative CDAI of ≥ 220, a diminished preoperative serum albumin level, and an extended operation time might be the most crucial variables. The findings of this study can assist clinicians in identifying patients at a higher risk for complications and offering personalized perioperative management to enhance patient outcomes.

The role of the CXCR6/CXCL16 axis in the pathogenesis of fibrotic disease.

CXC chemokine receptor 6 (CXCR6), a seven-transmembrane domain G-protein-coupled receptor, plays a pivotal regulatory role in inflammation and tissue damage through its interaction with CXC chemokine ligand 16 (CXCL16). This axis is implicated in the pathogenesis of various fibrotic diseases and correlates with clinical parameters that indicate disease severity, activity, and prognosis in organ fibrosis, including afflictions of the liver, kidney, lung, cardiovascular system, skin, and intestines. Soluble CXCL16 (sCXCL16) serves as a chemokine, facilitating the migration and recruitment of CXCR6-expressing cells, while membrane-bound CXCL16 (mCXCL16) functions as a transmembrane protein with adhesion properties, facilitating intercellular interactions by binding to CXCR6. The CXCR6/CXCL16 axis is established to regulate the cycle of damage and repair during chronic inflammation, either through modulating immune cell-mediated intercellular communication or by independently influencing fibroblast homing, proliferation, and activation, with each pathway potentially culminating in the onset and progression of fibrotic diseases. However, clinically exploiting the targeting of the CXCR6/CXCL16 axis requires further elucidation of the intricate chemokine interactions within fibrosis pathogenesis. This review explores the biology of CXCR6/CXCL16, its multifaceted effects contributing to fibrosis in various organs, and the prospective clinical implications of these insights.

Identification of the prognostic value of elevated ANGPTL4 expression in gallbladder cancer-associated fibroblasts.

BACKGROUND: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) with different gene profiles from normal fibroblasts (NFs) have been implicated in tumor progression. Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4) has been shown to regulate tumor angiogenesis and metastasis, and predict poor prognosis. However, the ANGPTL4 expression in CAFs, especially in gallbladder CAFs (GCAFs) and its relationship with patient prognosis is unclear. METHODS: Affymetrix gene profile chip analysis in vitro was performed to detect the different gene expression profiles between GCAFs and NFs. RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry, and western blotting were performed to investigate the different expression levels of ANGPTL4 in GCAFs/NFs in vitro and in an in vivo nude mouse model of xenograft tumors. Finally, the ANGPTL4 expression was investigated in the stroma of different lesion tissues of the human gallbladder by immunohistochemistry, especially the expression in GCAFs in vivo by co-immunofluorescence, and their prognostic significance in patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC) was assessed. RESULTS: ANGPTL4 was upregulated in both GCAFs in vitro and in the xenograft stroma of nude mice in vivo, and its expression was also significantly upregulated in human GBC stroma co-localized with the interstitial markers fibroblast secreted protein-1 and α-smooth muscle actin. In addition, the elevated ANGPTL4 expression in GCAFs was correlated with tumor differentiation, liver metastasis, venous invasion and Nevin staging, and GBC patients with an elevated ANGPTL4 expression in GACFs were found to have a lower survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: Increased ANGPTL4 expression in GCAFs correlates with poor patient prognosis, which indicates a potential therapeutic target for human GBCs.

Inhibition of autophagy by chloroquine enhances the antitumor activity of gemcitabine for gallbladder cancer.

Gemcitabine (GEM), as an anti-metabolic nucleoside analog, has been shown to have anticancer effects in various tumors, but its chemotherapy resistance is still an important factor leading to poor prognosis of cancer patient. A large number of studies in recent years have shown that autophagy plays an important role in the chemotherapy sensitivity of many tumors, including pancreatic, non-small cell lung, and bladder cancer. However, whether GEM causes autophagy in gallbladder cancer (GBC) and whether it is related to chemotherapy resistance is unknown. In the present study, we demonstrated that GEM induced apoptosis and protective autophagy in GBC cells, which may be related to the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, and GEM in combination with autophagy inhibitor chloroquine can strengthen the cytotoxic effect of GEM on GBC in vitro and in vivo. These findings showed that both autophagy and AKT/mTOR signals were engaged in GBC cell death evoked by GEM, GBC patients might benefit from this new treatment strategy, and molecular targeted treatment in combination with autophagy inhibitors shows promise as a treatment improvement.

Upregulated NOX1 expression in gallbladder cancer­associated fibroblasts predicts a poor prognosis.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a lethal aggressive malignant neoplasm of the biliary tract. Potential prognostic markers and therapeutic targets for this disease are urgently required. Cancer­associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a key role in tumorigenesis and the development of cancer. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 1 (NOX1) expression has been reported to be involved in tumorigenesis and useful for tumor prognosis. However, NOX1 expression in the stroma of GBCs, particularly gallbladder cancer­associated fibroblasts (GCAFs), and its prognostic significance in GBC patients remains unclear. In the present study, NOX1 expression in the stroma of human gallbladder lesions in vivo was investigated, as well as in GCAFs and co­cultures of GBC­SD+GCAFs in vitro, and their correlation with clinicopathological parameters and the prognosis of GBC patients were evaluated. The results revealed that NOX1 expression was significantly upregulated in the stroma of GBCs compared with precancerous and benign lesions of the gallbladder; NOX1 expression was localized to gallbladder stromal fibroblasts expressing α­smooth muscle actin and fibroblast secreted protein­1. Furthermore, these observations were confirmed by the fact that NOX1 expression was upregulated in GCAFs as determined by Affymetrix gene profile chip analysis and reverse transcription­quantitative PCR. In addition, overexpression was observed in formed spheroids of GBC­SD+GCAF co­cultures by immunohistochemistry and western blotting in vitro. Thus, it was verified that NOX1 expression was upregulated in GCAFs. Furthermore, upregulated stromal NOX1 expression was correlated with aggressive characteristics such as differentiation degree (P=0.042), venous invasion (P=0.041), resection methods (P=0.002), and a lower survival rate (P=0.025, log­rank test) of patients with GBC. Stromal NOX1 expression (P=0.047) was an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival rate of patients with GBC. GBC patients with upregulated NOX1 expression in GCAFs had a poorer prognosis. These results revealed that stromal NOX1 may be a novel biomarker and/or target, and may contribute to the discovery of new tumor markers and potential targeted therapeutics for human GBCs.

Cancer-associated fibroblast regulation of tumor neo-angiogenesis as a therapeutic target in cancer.

Adequate blood supply is essential for tumor survival, growth and metastasis. The tumor microenvironment (TME) is dynamic and complex, comprising cancer cells, cancer-associated stromal cells and their extracellular products. The TME serves an important role in tumor progression. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are the principal component of stromal cells within the TME, and contribute to tumor neo-angiogenesis by altering the proteome and degradome. The present paper reviews previous studies of the molecular signaling pathways by which CAFs promote tumor neo-angiogenesis and highlights therapeutic response targets. Also discussed are potential strategies for antitumor neo-angiogenesis to improve tumor treatment efficacy.

Ring finger protein 125, as a potential highly aggressive and unfavorable prognostic biomarker, promotes the invasion and metastasis of human gallbladder cancers via activating the TGF- ß1-SMAD3-ID1 signaling pathway.

Human gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a lethal aggressive malignant neoplasm. Identification of potential molecular biomarkers and development of targeted therapeutics for GBC patients is very necessary. In this study, we firstly investigated the correlation between ring finger protein 125 (RNF125) expression and the metastasis and prognosis of GBC, and the underlying molecular mechanism. RNF125 expression in a cohort of GBC tissues was examined; its correlation with clinicopathological and prognostic factors of GBC patients was analyzed. Moreover, the metastasis-related difference expressed genes in highly and lowly aggressive GBC cell lines were identified; and the influence of RNF125 knockdown on the metastatic phenotypes and characteristic EMT markers in highly aggressive GBC NOZ cells was detected. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanism of RNF125 effect was explored. The results showed that RNF125 was highly expressed in GBC tissues and related with aggressive characteristics such as Nevin stage (P = 0.041) etc. and unfavorable prognosis of GBC patients (P = 0.023, log-rank test). And, RNF125 was proved to a positive metastasis-related gene in vitro. RNF125 knockdown inhibited the invasion and migration, enhanced the adhesion, upregulated E-cadherin and ß-catenin expression, and downregulated vimentin and N-cadherin expression (all P < 0.001) of NOZ cells in vitro. RNF125 promoting effect on GBC tumor progression was identified to relate with the activation of TGF-ß1-SMAD3-ID1 signaling pathway. These findings firstly confirm that high RNF125 expression is related with aggressive characteristics and unfavorable prognosis of GBC patients; RNF125 promotes the invasion and metastasis of human GBCs via activating the TGF-ß1-SMAD3-ID1 signaling pathway.