Thyroid artery embolization of large solitary symptomatic benign thyroid nodules through transradial approach.

This study investigated the efficacy and safety of transradial access (TRA) thyroid artery embolization (TAE) for patients with large solitary symptomatic benign thyroid nodules. Six patients with a total of six nodules (three men and three women; mean age, 36.3 years; age range, 23-45 years) underwent TRA TAE between October 2021 and June 2022 and were subsequently followed up three months later, and their cases were retrospectively reviewed. The associated complications were recorded during and after TRA TAE. The volume change and nodule-related symptom score on a 10-cm visual analogue scale (VAS) between baseline, 1- and 3-month follow-up was analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The technical success rate of the TRA TAE was 100% without conversion to transfemoral access. The mean volume of the nodules decreased between baseline (84.1 mL; range, 46.1-170.5 mL), 1-month (38.8 mL; range, 17.6-91.5 mL; P=0.028) and 3-month (14.8 mL; range, 3.95-26.4 mL; P=0.068) at follow-up after TRA TAE. The mean volume reduction rate was 54.9% (range, 45.2-71.8%) at 1-month follow-up and 81.8% (range, 62.0-92.0%) at 3-month follow-up. The VAS score was reduced at 1-month (P=0.028) and at 3-month follow up (P=0.068). Radial artery spasm (n=1) was noted during TRA TAE, and neck pain (n=5) and voice change (n=1) occurred within 1 week after the procedure and resolved with conservative treatment. No major complications were reported. TRA TAE may be a promising alternative therapy for the management of large solitary thyroid nodules.

SIRT6 is an epigenetic repressor of thoracic aortic aneurysms via inhibiting inflammation and senescence.

Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAAs) develop asymptomatically and are characterized by dilatation of the aorta. This is considered a life-threating vascular disease due to the risk of aortic rupture and without effective treatments. The current understanding of the pathogenesis of TAA is still limited, especially for sporadic TAAs without known genetic mutation. Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) expression was significantly decreased in the tunica media of sporadic human TAA tissues. Genetic knockout of Sirt6 in mouse vascular smooth muscle cells accelerated TAA formation and rupture, reduced survival, and increased vascular inflammation and senescence after angiotensin II infusion. Transcriptome analysis identified interleukin (IL)-1ß as a pivotal target of SIRT6, and increased IL-1ß levels correlated with vascular inflammation and senescence in human and mouse TAA samples. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed that SIRT6 bound to the Il1b promoter to repress expression partly by reducing the H3K9 and H3K56 acetylation. Genetic knockout of Il1b or pharmacological inhibition of IL-1ß signaling with the receptor antagonist anakinra rescued Sirt6 deficiency mediated aggravation of vascular inflammation, senescence, TAA formation and survival in mice. The findings reveal that SIRT6 protects against TAA by epigenetically inhibiting vascular inflammation and senescence, providing insight into potential epigenetic strategies for TAA treatment.

Interval changes of histogram-derived diffusion indices predict treatment response to induction chemotherapy in head and neck cancer: a feasibility study.

Background: This retrospective study investigated whether the interval change of apparent diffusion coefficient (∆ADC) [baseline and after the first cycle of induction chemotherapy (ICT)] can be used as a valid predictive imaging biomarker of the treatment response to ICT in head and neck cancer (HNC). Methods: A total of 19 consecutive patients with HNC who underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DWI) at baseline and after the first cycle of ICT were included. Whole-tumor ADC histogram parameters (mean, median, kurtosis, skewness, entropy, minimal, maximum, 25th percentile, and 75th percentile) were obtained. The correlations of ∆ADC histogram parameters, volume, T-stage, N-stage, and age with the treatment response were examined using the Mann-Whitney U test. The predictive value of histogram parameters was examined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Responders showed significantly higher values of ∆ADC25 (0.19±0.23) and ∆ADCmin (1.78±2.98) than non-responders (-0.09±0.15 and -0.73±0.36; P=0.035 and 0.009, respectively). When ∆ADC25 and ∆ADCmin were used for predicting the treatment response, the area under the ROC curve was 0.850/0.933 with a sensitivity of 73.3%/80.0% and specificity of 100%/100% (P=0.036 and 0.009, respectively). Conclusions: ∆ADC25 and ∆ADCmin derived from whole-tumor histogram analysis are valuable imaging biomarkers for the early prediction of the ICT response in HNC.

Comprehensive assessment of cellular senescence in the tumor microenvironment.

Cellular senescence (CS), a state of permanent growth arrest, is intertwined with tumorigenesis. Due to the absence of specific markers, characterizing senescence levels and senescence-related phenotypes across cancer types remain unexplored. Here, we defined computational metrics of senescence levels as CS scores to delineate CS landscape across 33 cancer types and 29 normal tissues and explored CS-associated phenotypes by integrating multiplatform data from ~20 000 patients and ~212 000 single-cell profiles. CS scores showed cancer type-specific associations with genomic and immune characteristics and significantly predicted immunotherapy responses and patient prognosis in multiple cancers. Single-cell CS quantification revealed intra-tumor heterogeneity and activated immune microenvironment in senescent prostate cancer. Using machine learning algorithms, we identified three CS genes as potential prognostic predictors in prostate cancer and verified them by immunohistochemical assays in 72 patients. Our study provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating senescence levels and clinical relevance, gaining insights into CS roles in cancer- and senescence-related biomarker discovery.

High migratory propensity constitutes a single stock of an exploited cutlassfish species in the Northwest Pacific: A microsatellite approach.

Cutlassfishes, also known as hairtails, include multiple predatory fishes of the family Trichiuridae. They constitute a top marine fish commodity globally, yet the knowledge about their composition and intraspecific genetic structures is still limited. Trichiurus japonicus accounts for a major amount in the northwest Pacific fishery. Previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA markers reported incongruences in its population structure, hence prompting the need for high-resolution markers and avoiding possible shortcomings in its management. Here we genotyped ten novel de novo-assembled transcriptome-derived microsatellite markers on a total of 150 samples across five major fishing grounds (encompassing latitudes 22-39°N). These markers presented a high number of alleles and heterozygosity compared to other marine fishes, corresponding to the large effective population size of ~20,000 per location and cohort differentiation. Population structuring analyses suggested T. japonicus to be a homogenous well-mixed population. This configuration is likely attributed to the majority of its effective population migrates across locations, and the absence of oceanographic barriers at the continental shelves. Qingdao with reportedly high ocean productivity could be a genetic pseudosink based on the high heterozygosity and migratory preference. Moreover, the results of sign tests suggest that T. japonicus experienced a recent bottleneck likely concurrent with historical glaciation events. Further, we demonstrated satisfactory cross-amplifications of our markers on several congeners, indicating a great promise to use these markers to study the population genetics of trichiurids. Together, our findings will serve as an essential groundwork for enhancing resource conservation and management of cutlassfishes.

Targeting senescent cells for vascular aging and related diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases are a serious threat to human health, especially in the elderly. Vascular aging makes people more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases due to significant dysfunction or senescence of vascular cells and maladaptation of vascular structure and function; moreover, vascular aging is currently viewed as a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor. To emphasize the relationship between senescent cells and vascular aging, we first summarize the roles of senescent vascular cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and immune cells) in the vascular aging process and inducers that contribute to cellular senescence. Then, we present potential strategies for directly targeting senescent cells (senotherapy) or preventively targeting senescence inducers (senoprevention) to delay vascular aging and the development of age-related vascular diseases. Finally, based on recent research, we note some important questions that still need to be addressed in the future.

Variation in global distribution, population structures, and demographic history for four Trichiurus cutlassfishes.

BACKGROUND: Species-specific information on distribution and demographic patterns provides important implications for conservation and fisheries management. However, such information is often lacking for morphologically-similar species, which may lead to biases in the assessments of these species and even decrease effort towards sustainable management. Here, we aimed to uncover the distribution range, population structure and demographic history for four exploited Trichiurus cutlassfishes using genetics. These cutlassfishes contribute substantial global fisheries catch, with a high proportion of catch harvested from the NW Pacific. METHODS: We chose the widely available mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S) as the genetic marker for cutlassfishes. We compiled the 16S sequence data from both the GenBank and a survey of trawler catch samples along the NW Pacific coasts 22-39°N. Genealogical relationships within each species was visualized with haplotype networks and potential population differentiations were further evaluated with AMOVA. Demographic histories were estimated using neutrality test, mismatch analysis, and the Bayesian skyline plot. The reconstructed phylogenetic trees were used to delimit and estimate the divergence time of species and included populations. RESULTS: In each of two cosmopolitan species, T. lepturus and T. nanhaiensis, we observed distinct populations along the coasts of warm oceans; such population differentiation might result from historical geographic barriers in the Pleistocene. In the NW Pacific, four Trichiurus species vary in their distribution habitats, which reflect differential ecological niches among these species. The small-sized T. brevis are primarily found in nearshore habitats; the warm-affiliated T. nanhaiensis are present along the path of the Kuroshio Current; the cold-affiliated T. japonicus spatially diverged from the widely-distributed T. lepturus, with the latter mainly occupy in warmer regions. Despite these differences, a single well-mixing fish stock, thus one management unit, was identified in each of the four species, presumably due to expansion of their population sizes predated the Last Glacial Maximum and a lack of distribution barrier. The most dominant T. japonicus, which have at least one magnitude higher effective population size than the others, show a unique abrupt size expansion event at 75 to 50-kilo years ago when the low sea level occurred during the ice age. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: The demographic history revealed by our genetic analyses advances understanding of the current distribution and population structure for these congeneric species. Moreover, the uncovered population structure provides insight into the assessment and management of these species. Such information complements contemporary knowledge about these species and enables us to forecast their ability to resist future environmental and anthropogenic disturbances.

Immunometabolism in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a typical autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation and pathogenic auto-antibodies. Apart from B cells, dysregulation of other immune cells also plays an essential role in the pathogenesis and development of the disease including CD4+T cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and neutrophils. Since metabolic programs control immune cell fate and function, they are critical checkpoints in an effective immune response and are involved in the etiology of autoimmune disease. In addition, mitochondria and oxidative stress are both involved in cellular metabolism and is also essential in immune response. In this review, apart from the disturbed immune system, we will discuss mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, abnormal metabolism (including glucose, lipid and amino acid metabolism) of immune cells as well as epigenetic control of metabolism reprogramming to elucidate the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Life histories determine divergent population trends for fishes under climate warming.

Most marine fish species express life-history changes across temperature gradients, such as faster growth, earlier maturation, and higher mortality at higher temperature. However, such climate-driven effects on life histories and population dynamics remain unassessed for most fishes. For 332 Indo-Pacific fishes, we show positive effects of temperature on body growth (but with decreasing asymptotic length), reproductive rates (including earlier age-at-maturation), and natural mortality for all species, with the effect strength varying among habitat-related species groups. Reef and demersal fishes are more sensitive to temperature changes than pelagic and bathydemersal fishes. Using a life table, we show that the combined changes of life histories upon increasing temperature tend to facilitate population growth for slow life-history populations, but reduce it for fast life-history ones. Within our data, lower proportions (25-30%) of slow life-history fishes but greater proportions of fast life-history fishes (42-60%) show declined population growth rates under 1 °C warming. Together, these findings suggest prioritizing sustainable management for fast life-history species.

Interactions between Intestinal Microflora/Probiotics and the Immune System.

The digestive tract is home to millions of microorganisms and is the main and most important part of bacterial colonization. On one hand, the abundant bacterial community in intestinal tissues may pose potential health challenges such as inflammation and sepsis in cases of opportunistic invasion. Thus, the immune system has evolved and adapted to maintain the symbiotic relationship between host and microbiota. On the other hand, the intestinal microflora also exerts an immunoregulatory function to maintain host immune homeostasis, which cannot be neglected. In addition, the interaction of either microbiota or probiotics with immune system in regard to therapeutic applications is an area of great interest, and novel therapeutic strategies remain to be investigated. The review will elucidate interactions between intestinal microflora/probiotics and the immune system as well as novel therapeutic strategies.

Impact of orthogeriatric care, comorbidity, and complication on 1-year mortality in surgical hip fracture patients: An observational study.

After acute hip surgery, the 1-year mortality rate is high. Therefore, this study evaluated the risk factors for 1-year mortality. The purposes of this study was first to examine the effect of integrated care on 1-year mortality in surgical patients and secondly to explore magnitude of comorbidity and complication on mortality.This retrospective cohort study included 313 patients received surgery for hip fragility fracture. Patients with multiple fractures or combined trauma were excluded. The patients were grouping into integrated (n = 106) and non-integrated care group (n = 207) models. Univariate and multiple Cox regression were used to examine effect of care model, comorbidity, and complication event.One-year mortality in integrated and non-integrated patients was 4.7% and 14.0% respectively. After adjustments, patients in non-integrated care, have 2.89 times (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-7.81) likely to die 1-year after discharged.Patients had elevated comorbidity or postoperative complications contributed to the mortality. Our study found the effect of patients treated by integrated care models, compared with usual model, significantly reduced 1-year mortality rate. Appropriated treatment of comorbidities during hospitalization and after discharge is critical to post-surgical survival. The findings imply that the co-care for hip fracture of hip surgical patients with orthogeriatricians is strongly recommended, particularly for those with >3 comorbidities.

Biogeography of functional trait diversity in the Taiwanese reef fish fauna.

The richness of Taiwanese reef fish species is inversely correlated to latitude as a direct consequence of the abiotic environment and its effects on benthic habitats. However, to date, no studies have investigated the variations in the diversity of traits (FD) linked with the role of these fishes in the ecosystem. FD is usually considered more sensitive than species richness in detecting early changes in response to disturbances, and therefore could serve as an indicator of ecological resilience to environmental changes. Here, we aim to characterize FD in the Taiwanese reef fish fauna and to document its regional variations. Six traits were used to categorize the 1,484 reef fish species occurring in four environmentally contrasted regions around Taiwan. The number of unique trait combinations (FEs), their richness (FRic), their redundancy (FR), their over-redundancy (FOR), and their vulnerability (FV) were compared among these regions. Overall, 416 FEs were identified. Their number decreased from south to north in step with regional species richness but FRic remained similar among regions. FR and FOR were higher to the south. At the local scale, variations in FEs and FRic are in concordance with the worldwide pattern of FD. High-latitude, impoverished fish assemblages, offer a range of trait combinations similar to diversified tropical assemblages. Increasing diversity in the latter mainly contributes to raising FR and supports already over-redundant entities. High vulnerability makes many combinations highly sensitive to species loss, and was higher at intermediate latitudes when using a fine resolution in trait categories. It suggests that the loss of FEs may first be characterized by an increase in their vulnerability, a pattern that could have been overlooked in previous global scale analyses. Overall, this study provides new insights into reef fish trait biogeography with potential ramifications for ecosystem functioning.

Establishment and optimization of a liquid bead array for the simultaneous detection of ten insect-borne pathogens.

BACKGROUND: Insect-borne diseases could induce severe symptoms in human and clinical signs in animals, such as febrility, erythra, arthralgia and hemorrhagic fever, and cause significant economic losses and pose public health threat all over the world. The significant advantages of Luminex xMAP technology are high-throughput, high parallel and automation. This study aimed to establish a liquid bead array based on Luminex xMAP technology that was able to simultaneously detect multiple insect-borne pathogens. METHODS: Specific probes and primers to detect the nucleic acid of 10 insect-borne pathogens were designed. Probes were coupled with fluorescent carboxylated microspheres. The parameters of the system were optimized, including ratio of forward/reverse primers (1:2), hybridization temperature (50 °C) and duration (30 min) and quantity of PCR product (2 µl). The sensitivity and specificity of the system were also evaluated. Moreover mixed nucleic acid of 10 insect-borne pathogens, including Bluetongue virus, Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus of deer, Coxiella burnetii, African swine fever virus, West Nile fever virus, Borrelia burgdorferi, vesicular stomatitis virus, Rift Valley fever virus, Ebola virus and Schmalenberg's disease virus, and 3000 clinical samples were tested for practicability. RESULTS: The optimized detection system showed high sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility. Each probe showed specific fluorescence signal intensity without any cross-hybridization for the other insect-borne pathogens tested, which included dengue virus, tick-borne encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever virus, spotted fever group rickettsiae, ehrlichiae and chikungunya virus. The limit of detection was 10 copies of target gene. Insect-borne pathogens were successfully detected among the 3000 clinical samples, and the results were consistent with those obtained using gold-standard assays or commercial nucleic acid detection kits. CONCLUSIONS: This optimized liquid array detection system was high-throughput and highly specific and sensitive in screening of the insect-borne pathogens. It was promising in detection of these pathogens for molecular epidemiological studies.

Enhanced antiproliferative activity of antibody-functionalized polymeric nanoparticles for targeted delivery of anti-miR-21 to HER2 positive gastric cancer.

MiR-21 is an oncogenic miR frequently elevated in gastric cancer. Overexpression of miR-21 decreases the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to trastuzumab, which is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. However, optimization of miRNA or its anti-miRNA oligonucleotides (AMOs) for delivery is a challenge. Receptor-mediated endocytosis plays a crucial role in the delivery of biotherapeutics including AMOs. This study is a continuation of our earlier findings involving poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanoparticles (PEG-PCL NPs), which were coated with trastuzumab to target gastric cancer cells with HER2 receptor over-expression using anti-miRNA-21 antisense oligonucleotides (AMO-21). The antibody conjugates (HER-PEG-PCL NPs) act against target cells via antibody-dependent mechanisms and also based on encapsutalated AMO-21. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy validated the presence of trastuzumab on NP surface. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed a stable antibody expression. The cell line specificity, cellular uptake, AMO-21 delivery, and cytotoxicity of the HER-PEG-PCL NPs were investigated. We found that the antibody conjugates significantly enhanced the cellular uptake of NPs. The HER-PEG-PCL NPs effectively suppressed the target miRNA expression in gastric cancer cells, which further up-regulated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN). As a result, the sensitivity of HER2-expressing gastric cancer cells to trastuzumab was enhanced. The approach enhances the targeting by trastuzumab as well as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of immune effector cells. The antitumor effects of AMO-21-HER-PEG-PCL NPs were compared with trastuzumab in xenograft gastric cancer mice. The results provide insight into the biological and clinical potential of targeted AMO-21 delivery using modified trastuzumab for gastric cancer treatment.

Molecular systematics of the anchovy genus Encrasicholina in the Northwest Pacific.

The anchovy genus Encrasicholina is an important coastal marine resource of the tropical Indo-West Pacific (IWP) region for which insufficient comparative data are available to evaluate the effects of current exploitation levels on the sustainability of its species and populations. Encrasicholina currently comprises nine valid species that are morphologically very similar. Only three, Encrasicholina punctifer, E. heteroloba, and E. pseudoheteroloba, occur in the Northwest Pacific subregion of the northeastern part of the IWP region. These species are otherwise broadly distributed and abundant in the IWP region, making them the most important anchovy species for local fisheries. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogeny of these three species of Encrasicholina within the Engraulidae. We sequenced 10 complete mitochondrial genomes (using high-throughput and Sanger DNA sequencing technologies) and compared those sequences to 21 previously published mitochondrial genomes from various engraulid taxa. The phylogenetic results showed that the genus Encrasicholina is monophyletic, and it is the sister group to the more-diverse "New World anchovy" clade. The mitogenome-based dating results indicated that the crown group Encrasicholina originated about 33.7 million years ago (nearby the limit Eocene/Oligocene), and each species of Encrasicholina has been reproductively isolated from the others for more than 20 million years, despite their morphological similarities. In contrast, preliminary population genetic analyses across the Northwest Pacific region using four mitogenomic sequences revealed very low levels of genetic differentiation within Encrasicholina punctifer. These molecular results combined with recent taxonomic revisions are important for designing further studies on the population structure and phylogeography of these anchovies.

Fishing-induced changes in adult length are mediated by skipped-spawning.

Elucidating fishing effects on fish population dynamics is a critical step toward sustainable fisheries management. Despite previous studies that have suggested age or size truncation in exploited fish populations, other aspects of fishing effects on population demography, e.g., via altering life histories and density, have received less attention. Here, we investigated the fishing effects altering adult demography via shifting reproductive trade-offs in the iconic, overexploited, Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis. We found that, contrary to our expectation, mean lengths of catch increased over time in longline fisheries. On the other hand, mean catch lengths for purse seine fisheries did not show such increasing trends. We hypothesized that the size-dependent energetic cost of the spawning migration and elevated fishing mortality on the spawning grounds potentially drive size-dependent skipped spawning for adult tuna, mediating the observed changes in the catch lengths. Using eco-genetic individual-based modeling, we demonstrated that fishing-induced evolution of skipped spawning and size truncation interacted to shape the observed temporal changes in mean catch lengths for tuna. Skipped spawning of the small adults led to increased mean catch lengths for the longline fisheries, while truncation of small adults by the purse seines could offset such a pattern. Our results highlight the eco-evolutionary dynamics of fishing effects on population demography and caution against using demographic traits as a basis for fisheries management of the Pacific bluefin tuna as well as other migratory species.

Trigeminal Cardiac Reflex Caused by Onyx Embolization of Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistula.

Trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR) is a reflexive response of bradycardia, hypotension and gastric hypermotility which is observed upon mechanical stimulation in the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. Previous articles have described TCR during intracranial operations, ophthalmic surgery, microcompression of the trigeminal ganglion and radiofrequency lesioning of the trigeminal ganglion. TCR may occur during transarterial embolization of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) with Onyx, leading to a significant decrease in heart rate under a standard anesthetic protocol. TCR may also occur due to chemical stimulus of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in transvenous Onyx embolization of dural cavernous sinus fistula. Slow rate of injection may give DMSO enough time to dissipate in the blood stream which is important for the prevention of toxicity. This report confirms that the reflex was blunted by the anticholinergic effects of atropine and there was no harm to patients if stopped immediately.

Gelatinases-stimuli nanoparticles encapsulating 5-fluorouridine and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine enhance the sensitivity of gastric cancer cells to chemical therapeutics.

Aberrant methylation of the transcription factor AP-2 epsilon (TFAP2E) has been attributed to 5-fluorouridine (5-FU) sensitivity. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC), an epigenetic drug that inhibits DNA methylation, is able to cause reactive expression of TFAP2E by demethylating activity. This property might be useful in enhancing the sensitivity of cancer cells to 5-FU. However, the effect of DAC is transient because of its instability. Here, we report the use of intelligent gelatinases-stimuli nanoparticles (NPs) to coencapsulate and deliver DAC and 5-FU to gastric cancer (GC) cells. The results showed that NPs encapsulating DAC, 5-FU, or both could be effectively internalized by GC cells. Furthermore, we found that the NPs enhanced the stability of DAC, resulting in improved re-expression of TFAP2E. Thus, the incorporation of DAC into NPs significantly enhanced the sensitivity of GC cells to 5-FU by inhibiting cell growth rate and inducing cell apoptosis. In conclusion, the results of this study clearly demonstrated that the gelatinases-stimuli NPs are an efficient means to simultaneously deliver epigenetic and chemotherapeutic drugs that may effectively inhibit cancer cell proliferation.

Circulating tumour cells predict survival in gastric cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The prognostic value of the detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) in gastric cancer has been studied intensely in recent years. However, the application of different technologies led to inconsistent results between the studies. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies to summarise the evidence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Medline and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched up to March 2013 using "circulating tumor cells" and "gastric cancer" as search terms. Hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for prognostic outcomes and clinical characteristics were extracted from each study. Pooled hazard ratios (HR) and odds ratios (OR) were calculated using random or fixed-effects models. RESULTS: Twelve studies enrolling 774 patients were included. The combined HR estimate for overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were 1.41 (95% CI: 1.28-1.62), 2.99 (95% CI: 2.01-4.45) and 1.64 (95% CI: 1.02-2.62), respectively. Subgroup analysis concerning detection methods and sampling time showed that results of RT-PCR for the OS group and RT-PCR for the DFS group suggest a prognostic significance of CTC detection (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.45 [1.28-1.65], I(2) = 38%, p = 0.13; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I(2) = 0%, p = 0.32). In addition, results of the baseline CTC detection group also indicated a significant prognostic value to predict OS and DFS (pooled HR [95% CI]: 1.47 [1.19-1.82], I(2) = 38%, p = 0.14; 2.99 [2.01-4.45], I(2) = 0%, p = 0.32). We simultaneously found that the detection of CTCs correlated with pathological stage (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.95 [1.65-5.28], I(2) = 56%, p = 0.03), lymph node status (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.26 [1.50-3.41], I(2) = 37%, p = 0.09), the depth of invasion (pooled OR [95% CI]: 3.21 [1.38-7.43], I(2) = 72%, p = 0.002), and distant metastasis (pooled OR [95% CI]: 2.68 [1.25-5.73], I(2) = 43%, p = 0.15). CONCLUSIONS: Detection of CTCs is associated with poorer prognosis in gastric cancer patients.

How to explain the contradiction of microRNA 200c expression and survival in solid tumors? A meta-analysis.

MicroRNA 200c is a microRNA 200 family member that plays an important role in regulation of the epithelial- to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The prognostic value of microRNA 200c in solid tumors remains controversial because of inconsistent data. Here, we report a meta-analysis of the association of microRNA 200c expression and survival in patients with solid tumors. Pubmed was searched up to November 2013 for studies investigating microRNA 200c expression and overall survival (OS) in solid tumors. Hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for OS were extracted from each study. Pooled HR and CIs were calculated using the Mantel- Haenszel fixed-effects models. A total of five studies evaluating colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer and endometrial cancer were included in the analysis. Data were divided into tissue microRNA 200c expression group and serum microRNA 200c expression group. The combined HRs [95%CIs] estimated for OS were 0.62 [0.42-0.91] and 2.16 [1.32-3.52] respectively. Low expression of microRNA 200c in tumor tissue and high expression of microRNA 200c in serum are associated with worse survival in solid tumors. Further study is needed to elucidate this contradiction.