Clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in predicating the outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Relapse and metastasis of patients with Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the major obstacle to the long-term life of patients. Its mechanisms remain defined. METHODS: A total of 48 CRC patients were enrolled and 68 samples were obtained from the peripheral blood of patients before or after treatments in this study. Twenty non-cancer patients were also detected as a negative control. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), including Epithelial CTCs (eCTCs), Mesenchymal (MCTCs), and epithelial/mesenchymal mixed phenotypes (mixed CTCs), were identified by CanPatrolTM CTC enrichment and RNA in situ hybridization. The relationship between CTCs number and Progression-Free Survival (PFS) or Overall Survival (OS) was evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-four of 48 patients (70.8%) were found to have positive CTCs. Total CTCs and MCTCs in the post-treatment had a significant correlation PFS and OS. When total CTCs or MCTCs in 5 mL blood of patients were more than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs, PFS of the patients was significantly shorter (p < 0.05) than that in patients with less than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs. The patients with > 5 CTCs count changes were found to exhibit poor PFS and OS rates (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Total CTCs and MCTCs number detection in patients with colorectal cancer was very useful biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients. Higher CTCs or MCTCs had poorer PFS and OS rates.

Clinical significance of circulating tumor cells in predicating the outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer

Abstract Background: Relapse and metastasis of patients with Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the major obstacle to the long-term life of patients. Its mechanisms remain defined. Methods: A total of 48 CRC patients were enrolled and 68 samples were obtained from the peripheral blood of patients before or after treatments in this study. Twenty non-cancer patients were also detected as a negative control. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), including Epithelial CTCs (eCTCs), Mesenchymal (MCTCs), and epithelial/ mesenchymal mixed phenotypes (mixed CTCs), were identified by CanPatrolTM CTC enrichment and RNA in situ hybridization. The relationship between CTCs number and Progression-Free Survival (PFS) or Overall Survival (OS) was evaluated. Results: Thirty-four of 48 patients (70.8%) were found to have positive CTCs. Total CTCs and MCTCs in the post-treatment had a significant correlation PFS and OS. When total CTCs or MCTCs in 5 mL blood of patients were more than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs, PFS of the patients was significantly shorter (p < 0.05) than that in patients with less than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs. The patients with > 5 CTCs count changes were found to exhibit poor PFS and OS rates (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Total CTCs and MCTCs number detection in patients with colorectal cancer was very useful biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients. Higher CTCs or MCTCs had poorer PFS and OS rates.

Mediating Effects of Maternal Blood Triglycerides on the Relationship between Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Fetal Macrosomia.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the association of prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) with fetal macrosomia is mediated through maternal circulating lipid concentrations during pregnancy. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective cohort, 3011 eligible pregnant women were enrolled. Information on demographic characteristics were collected using questionnaires, and anthropometrics and laboratory tests were performed at 24 weeks of gestation and before delivery. Macrosomia was defined as birth weight ≥4000 g. Logistic regression and multivariable linear regression, adjusted for age, fetal sex, education, gestational weight gain, fasting blood glucose, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, gestational age at delivery, delivery mode, and parity, were used to assess the mediation path between prepregnancy BMI, maternal serum lipids, and fetal macrosomia. RESULTS: A total of 2454 participants with completed records were included in the final analyses. Among the maternal circulating lipid biomarkers, only triglyceride was significantly associated with both prepregnancy BMI and fetal macrosomia risk, adjusting for potential confounders. Mediation analyses demonstrated that the direct effect of prepregnancy BMI on fetal macrosomia was 0.0085 (95% CI, 0.0003-0.018; P < .05), the indirect effect mediated through maternal serum triglycerides was 0.0016 (95% CI, 0.0007-0.0029; P < .001), and the estimated proportion of mediated effect was 15.7% (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Maternal circulating triglycerides mediate the association of prepregnancy BMI with the risk of fetal macrosomia.

Methylophiopogonanone A, an Ophiopogon homoisoflavonoid, alleviates high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia: assessment of its potential mechanism.

Methylophiopogonanone A (MO-A), a homoisoflavonoid extracted from Ophiopogon japonicus, has been shown to attenuate myocardial apoptosis and improve cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the hypolipidemic effects remain unknown. This study was performed to investigate a potential hypolipidemic effect of MO-A in hyperlipidemia rats, as well as its underlying mechanism of action. A rat model of hyperlipidemia was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Animals were randomly divided into three groups (n=8/group): normal control group (NC), HFD group, and HFD+MO-A (10 mg·kg-1·d-1) treatment group. The effects of MO-A on serum lipids, body weight, activity of lipoprotein metabolism enzyme, and gene expression of lipid metabolism were evaluated in HFD-induced rats. In HFD-induced rats, pretreatment with MO-A decreased the body weight gain and reduced serum and hepatic lipid levels. In addition, pretreatment with MO-A improved the activities of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in serum and liver, down-regulated mRNA expression of acetyl CoA carboxylase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, and up-regulated mRNA expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α in the liver. Our results indicated that MO-A showed strong ability to ameliorate the hyperlipidemia in HFD-induced rats. MO-A might be a potential candidate for prevention of overweight and dyslipidemia induced by HFD.

A Review on Linking the Medicinal Functions of Mushroom Prebiotics with Gut Microbiota.

In recent years, gut microbiota have been linked to prevention and treatment of human diseases. Mushrooms are a source of potentially useful prebiotics because they contain polysaccharides, terpenoids, and other bioactive compounds. In the present review, we have summarized the prebiotic effects of mushrooms on gut microbiota in the context of immunological, metabolic, neurological, and cancer-related diseases in the last five years. We propose that mushrooms can not only change the composition of gut microbiota, but also promote secretion of beneficial metabolites. In addition, we point to the effects of host mRNA expression in gut microbiota as a direction of further study. Overall, these provide a background for further studies on the mechanisms of regulation of gut microbiota by mushrooms.

Methylophiopogonanone A, an Ophiopogon homoisoflavonoid, alleviates high-fat diet-induced hyperlipidemia: assessment of its potential mechanism

Methylophiopogonanone A (MO-A), a homoisoflavonoid extracted from Ophiopogon japonicus, has been shown to attenuate myocardial apoptosis and improve cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the hypolipidemic effects remain unknown. This study was performed to investigate a potential hypolipidemic effect of MO-A in hyperlipidemia rats, as well as its underlying mechanism of action. A rat model of hyperlipidemia was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Animals were randomly divided into three groups (n=8/group): normal control group (NC), HFD group, and HFD+MO-A (10 mg·kg-1·d-1) treatment group. The effects of MO-A on serum lipids, body weight, activity of lipoprotein metabolism enzyme, and gene expression of lipid metabolism were evaluated in HFD-induced rats. In HFD-induced rats, pretreatment with MO-A decreased the body weight gain and reduced serum and hepatic lipid levels. In addition, pretreatment with MO-A improved the activities of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in serum and liver, down-regulated mRNA expression of acetyl CoA carboxylase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, and up-regulated mRNA expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α in the liver. Our results indicated that MO-A showed strong ability to ameliorate the hyperlipidemia in HFD-induced rats. MO-A might be a potential candidate for prevention of overweight and dyslipidemia induced by HFD.