Linking preoperative and early intensive care unit data for prolonged intubation prediction.

Objectives: Prolonged intubation (PI) is a frequently encountered severe complication among patients following cardiac surgery (CS). Solely concentrating on preoperative data, devoid of sufficient consideration for the ongoing impact of surgical, anesthetic, and cardiopulmonary bypass procedures on subsequent respiratory system function, could potentially compromise the predictive accuracy of disease prognosis. In response to this challenge, we formulated and externally validated an intelligible prediction model tailored for CS patients, leveraging both preoperative information and early intensive care unit (ICU) data to facilitate early prophylaxis for PI. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, analyzing adult patients who underwent CS and utilizing data from two publicly available ICU databases, namely, the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care and the eICU Collaborative Research Database. PI was defined as necessitating intubation for over 24 h. The predictive model was constructed using multivariable logistic regression. External validation of the model's predictive performance was conducted, and the findings were elucidated through visualization techniques. Results: The incidence rates of PI in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts were 11.8%, 12.1%, and 17.5%, respectively. We identified 11 predictive factors associated with PI following CS: plateau pressure [odds ratio (OR), 1.133; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.111-1.157], lactate level (OR, 1.131; 95% CI, 1.067-1.2), Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR, 1.166; 95% CI, 1.115-1.219), Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (OR, 1.096; 95% CI, 1.061-1.132), central venous pressure (OR, 1.052; 95% CI, 1.033-1.073), anion gap (OR, 1.075; 95% CI, 1.043-1.107), positive end-expiratory pressure (OR, 1.087; 95% CI, 1.047-1.129), vasopressor usage (OR, 1.521; 95% CI, 1.23-1.879), Visual Analog Scale score (OR, 0.928; 95% CI, 0.893-0.964), pH value (OR, 0.757; 95% CI, 0.629-0.913), and blood urea nitrogen level (OR, 1.011; 95% CI, 1.003-1.02). The model exhibited an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.853 (95% CI, 0.840-0.865) in the training cohort, 0.867 (95% CI, 0.853-0.882) in the testing cohort, and 0.704 (95% CI, 0.679-0.727) in the external validation cohort. Conclusions: Through multicenter internal and external validation, our model, which integrates early ICU data and preoperative information, exhibited outstanding discriminative capability. This integration allows for the accurate assessment of PI risk in the initial phases following CS, facilitating timely interventions to mitigate adverse outcomes.

A prognostic signature of fatty acid metabolism-related genes for predicting survival of gastric cancer patients.

To analyze the expression profile of fatty acid metabolism (FAM)-related genes, identify a prognostic signature, and evaluate its clinical value for gastric cancer (GC) patients. The mRNA expression profiles of 493 FAM-related genes were obtained from TCGA database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between cancer and non-cancer samples were identified, and their relationships with overall survival (OS) of GC patients were evaluated. A prognostic signature of FAM-related genes was identified by the LASSO regression model, and its predictive performance was tested by an independent external cohort. Ninety-three DEGs were identified, of which 44 were downregulated and 49 were upregulated. After optimizing risk characteristics, a prognostic signature of four FAM-related genes (ACBD5, AVPR1A, ELOVL4, and FAAH) were developed. All patients were divided into high-risk (>1.020) and low-risk groups (≤1.020) on the basis of the median risk score. Survival analysis indicated that high-risk patients had a shorter OS than low-risk patients (5-year OS rate, 26.3% vs. 45.0%, p < 0.001). The AUC values for the prediction of 3-year and 5-year OS were 0.664 and 0.624, respectively. In the GSE62254 data set, the 5-year OS rate of high-risk and low-risk patients were 44.7% versus 61.5%, respectively (p = 0.003). The AUC values were 0.632 and 0.627 at 3-year and 5-year prediction. The prognostic signature of FAM-related genes was an independent predictor of OS (hanzard ratio [HR] for TCGA cohort: 1.851, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.394-2.458, p < 0.001; HR for GSE62254: 1.549, 95% CI: 1.098-2.185, p = 0.013). The risk signature of four FAM-related genes was a valuable prognostic tool, and it might be helpful for clinical management and therapeutic decision of gastric cancer patients.

Which is the appropriate surgical procedure for appendiceal adenocarcinoma: appendectomy, partial colectomy or right hemicolectomy?

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the appropriate surgical procedure and clinical decision for appendiceal adenocarcinoma. Methods A total of 1,984 appendiceal adenocarcinoma patients from 2004 to 2015 were retrospectively identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. All patients were divided into three groups based on the extent of surgical resection: appendectomy (N = 335), partial colectomy (N = 390) and right hemicolectomy (N = 1,259). The clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of three groups were compared, and independent prognostic factors were assessed. Results The 5-year OS rates of patients who underwent appendectomy, partial colectomy and right hemicolectomy were 58.3%, 65.5% and 69.1%, respectively (right hemicolectomy vs appendectomy, P < 0.001; right hemicolectomy vs partial colectomy, P = 0.285; partial colectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.045). The 5-year CSS rates of patients who underwent appendectomy, partial colectomy and right hemicolectomy were 73.2%, 77.0% and 78.7%, respectively (right hemicolectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.046; right hemicolectomy vs partial colectomy, P = 0.545; partial colectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.246). The subgroup analysis based on the pathological TNM stage indicated that there was no survival difference amongst three surgical procedures for stage I patients (5-year CSS rate: 90.8%, 93.9% and 98.1%, respectively). The prognosis of patients who underwent an appendectomy was poorer than that of those who underwent partial colectomy (5-year OS rate: 53.5% vs 67.1%, P = 0.005; 5-year CSS rate: 65.2% vs 78.7%, P = 0.003) or right hemicolectomy (5-year OS rate: 74.2% vs 53.23%, P < 0.001; 5-year CSS rate: 65.2% vs 82.5%, P < 0.001) for stage II disease. Right hemicolectomy did not show a survival advantage over partial colectomy for stage II (5-year CSS, P = 0.255) and stage III (5-year CSS, P = 0.846) appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AU)

Which is the appropriate surgical procedure for appendiceal adenocarcinoma: appendectomy, partial colectomy or right hemicolectomy?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the appropriate surgical procedure and clinical decision for appendiceal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: A total of 1,984 appendiceal adenocarcinoma patients from 2004 to 2015 were retrospectively identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. All patients were divided into three groups based on the extent of surgical resection: appendectomy (N = 335), partial colectomy (N = 390) and right hemicolectomy (N = 1,259). The clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of three groups were compared, and independent prognostic factors were assessed. RESULTS: The 5-year OS rates of patients who underwent appendectomy, partial colectomy and right hemicolectomy were 58.3%, 65.5% and 69.1%, respectively (right hemicolectomy vs appendectomy, P < 0.001; right hemicolectomy vs partial colectomy, P = 0.285; partial colectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.045). The 5-year CSS rates of patients who underwent appendectomy, partial colectomy and right hemicolectomy were 73.2%, 77.0% and 78.7%, respectively (right hemicolectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.046; right hemicolectomy vs partial colectomy, P = 0.545; partial colectomy vs appendectomy, P = 0.246). The subgroup analysis based on the pathological TNM stage indicated that there was no survival difference amongst three surgical procedures for stage I patients (5-year CSS rate: 90.8%, 93.9% and 98.1%, respectively). The prognosis of patients who underwent an appendectomy was poorer than that of those who underwent partial colectomy (5-year OS rate: 53.5% vs 67.1%, P = 0.005; 5-year CSS rate: 65.2% vs 78.7%, P = 0.003) or right hemicolectomy (5-year OS rate: 74.2% vs 53.23%, P < 0.001; 5-year CSS rate: 65.2% vs 82.5%, P < 0.001) for stage II disease. Right hemicolectomy did not show a survival advantage over partial colectomy for stage II (5-year CSS, P = 0.255) and stage III (5-year CSS, P = 0.846) appendiceal adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Right hemicolectomy may not always be necessary for appendiceal adenocarcinoma patients. An appendectomy could be sufficient for therapeutic effect of stage I patients, but limited for stage II patients. Right hemicolectomy was not superior to partial colectomy for advanced stage patients, suggesting omission of standard hemicolectomy might be feasible. However, adequate lymphadenectomy should be strongly recommended.

Identifying a Risk Signature of Methylation-Driven Genes as a Predictor of Survival Outcome for Colon Cancer Patients.

Aberrant expression of gene is driven by its promoter methylation and is the key molecular basis of carcinogenic processes. This study aimed at identifying a risk signature of methylation-driven (MD) genes and evaluating its prognostic value for colon cancer (CC) patients. The expression profiles of methylation and mRNA in CC samples were obtained from the TCGA database, and the MethylMix algorithm was used to identify MD genes. The relationships between their expression levels and overall survival (OS) of CC patients were analyzed, and a prognostic signature of MD genes was established. The risk score of gene signature was calculated, and the median was used to divide all patients into high (H) and low (L) risk groups. The prognostic value of gene signature was tested by the TCGA cohort and an independent validation cohort (GSE17538 dataset). In total, 69 MD genes were identified, and 7 were associated with OS of CC patients. Ultimately, 4 (TWIST1, LDOC1, EPHX3, and STC2) were screened out to establish a risk signature. The H-risk patients (>0.923) had a worse OS than L-risk patients (≤0.923) in both the TCGA (5-year cumulative survival: 52.9% vs 72.0%, P=0.005) and GSE17538 cohort (49.4% vs 69.3%, P=0.004). The AUC values of MD genes signature for the prediction of 3- and 5-year OS were 0.648 and 0.643 in the TCGA dataset and 0.634 and 0.624 in the GSE17538 dataset, respectively. The risk signature of four MD genes was identified as an independent predictor of OS for CC patients (HR for TCGA dataset: 2.071, 95% CI=1.196-3.586, P=0.009; HR for GSE17538 dataset: 2.021, 95% CI=1.290-3.166, P=0.002). The risk signature of four MD genes might be a useful prognostic tool and help doctors improve the clinical management of CC patients.

A novel miRNA-based signature as predictive tool of survival outcome of colorectal cancer patients.

It is great significance of identifying valuable biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognostic prediction of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. This study aimed at developing and validating a miRNAs-based signature as prognostic tool for CRC patients. The miRNA expression profile of 624 CRC samples (613 tumor tissues and 11 normal tissues) was analyzed, and 523 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs) were identified, in which 191 were downregulated and 332 were upregulated. All patients were randomly divided into a training cohort (N = 308) and an internal validation cohort (N = 200). Using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression model, a prognostic signature of 10 miRNAs (hsa-miR-149-5p, hsa-miR-193b-5p, hsa-miR-193a-3p, hsa-miR-3677-3p, hsa-miR-29a-3p, hsa-miR-200c-5p, hsa-miR-200a-5p, hsa-miR-6854-5p, hsa-miR-216a-5p and hsa-miR-891a-5p) was developed in the training cohort. The risk score was calculated by the product of the expression level and the coefficients of each miRNA. The prognostic value of 10 miRNAs-based signature for CRC patients was tested and validated. Survival analysis indicated that high-risk patients (> 1.10) had a worse overall survival (OS) than low-risk (≤ 1.10) patients (5-year OS rate for training cohort: 59.3% vs. 78.9%, p < .001; validation cohort: 48.3% vs. 69.3%, p = .011). The miRNA-based signature was an independent prognostic factor for CRC patients (HR for training cohort:2.476, 95% CI:1.202-5.098, p = .014; HR for validation cohort:2.050, 95% CI:1.087-3.869, p = .027). The AUC values for 3-year and 5-year OS prediction were 0.718 and 0.784 in the training cohort, 0.659 and 0.614 in the validation cohort, respectively. The 10 miRNAs-based signature provided a proper prognostic stratification for CRC patients, and it might be a promising tool for survival prediction.

Development and validation of a prognostic nomogram for rectal cancer patients who underwent surgical resection.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a nomogram model for the prediction of survival outcome in rectal cancer patients who underwent surgical resection. Methods: A total of 9,919 consecutive patients were retrospectively identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Significant prognostic factors were determined by the univariate and multivariate Cox analysis. The nomogram model for the prediction of cancer-specific survival (CSS) in rectal cancer patients were developed based on these prognostic variables, and its predictive power was assessed by the concordance index (C-index). Calibration curves were plotted to evaluate the associations between predicted probabilities and actual observations. The internal and external cohort were used to further validate the predictive performance of the prognostic nomogram. Results: All patients from the SEER database were randomly split into a training cohort (n = 6,944) and an internal validation cohort (n = 2,975). The baseline characteristics of two cohorts was comparable. Independent prognostic factors were identified as age, pT stage, lymph node metastasis, serum CEA level, tumor size, differentiation type, perineural invasion, circumferential resection margin involvement and inadequate lymph node yield. In the training cohort, the C-index of the nomogram was 0.719 (95% CI: 0.696-0.742), which was significantly higher than that of the TNM staging system (C-index: 0.606, 95% CI: 0.583-0.629). The nomogram had a C-index of 0.726 (95% CI: 0.691-0.761) for the internal validation cohort, indicating a good predictive power. In addition, an independent cohort composed of 202 rectal cancer patients from our institution were enrolled as the external validation. Compared with the TNM staging system (C-index: 0.573, 95% CI: 0.492-0.654), the prognostic nomogram still showed a better predictive performance, with the C-index of 0.704 (95% CI: 0.626-0.782). Calibration plots showed a good consistency between predicted probability and the actual observation in the training and two validation cohorts. Conclusion: The nomogram showed an excellent predictive ability for survival outcome of rectal cancer patients, and it might provide an accurate prognostic stratification and help clinicians determine individualized treatment strategies.

Apply Graph Signal Processing on NILM: An Unsupervised Approach Featuring Power Sequences.

As a low-cost demand-side management application, non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) offers feedback on appliance-level electricity usage without extra sensors. NILM is defined as disaggregating loads only from aggregate power measurements through analytical tools. Although low-rate NILM tasks have been conducted by unsupervised approaches based on graph signal processing (GSP) concepts, enhancing feature selection can still contribute to performance improvement. Therefore, a novel unsupervised GSP-based NILM approach with power sequence feature (STS-UGSP) is proposed in this paper. First, state transition sequences (STS) are extracted from power readings and featured in clustering and matching, instead of power changes and steady-state power sequences featured in other GSP-based NILM works. When generating graph in clustering, dynamic time warping distances between STSs are calculated for similarity quantification. After clustering, a forward-backward power STS matching algorithm is proposed for searching each STS pair of an operational cycle, utilizing both power and time information. Finally, load disaggregation results are obtained based on STS clustering and matching results. STS-UGSP is validated on three publicly accessible datasets from various regions, generally outperforming four benchmarks in two evaluation metrics. Besides, STS-UGSP estimates closer energy consumption of appliances to the ground truth than benchmarks.

Mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma originating from the appendix and colorectum: a comparative analysis of a large population-based database.

PURPOSE: As a rare gastrointestinal neoplasm, the demographic, clinicopathological, and prognostic characteristics of mixed adenoneuroendocrine carcinoma (MANEC) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate its biological features, survival outcome, and prognostic factors. METHODS: From the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, we retrospectively reviewed clinicopathological and survival data of 513 patients who were histopathologically diagnosed with MANEC of the appendix and colorectum bettween 2004 and 2015. The clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of MANEC located at different anatomical locations were compared, and predictive factors for cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed. RESULTS: In terms of anatomical distribution of MANEC, the appendix (64.5%, 331/513) was more frequently involved, followed by colon (28.1%, 144/513) and rectum (7.4%, 38/513). The MANEC at different anatomical locations had a distinct clinicopathological characteristic, and colorectal MANEC was significantly associated with more aggressive biological features. The survival outcomes of appendiceal MANEC were significantly better than that of colorectal MANEC (3-year CSS rate 73.8% vs 59.4%, P = 0.010; 3-year OS 69.2% vs 48.3%, P < 0.001). In addition, hemicolectomy had a better survival benefit than appendicectomy for patients with appendiceal MANEC, regardless of lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Tumor location, histology grade III, tumor size > 2 cm, T3-T4 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors for patients with MANEC. CONCLUSIONS: Tumor location had an important prognostic significance for MANEC. As an uncommon clinical entity, colorectal MANEC had more aggressive biological features and worse prognosis than its appendiceal counterpart. The standard surgical procedure and clinical management strategy for MANEC need to be established.

Correction: Silence of cancer susceptibility candidate 9 inhibits gastric cancer and reverses chemoresistance.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.14871.].

Manipulating upconversion luminescence intensity in a single crystal particle with a waveguide structure.

Lanthanide (Ln)-doped upconversion luminescence (UCL) materials have attracted worldwide attention due to their unique photophysical characteristics. However, how to effectively improve their UCL efficiency has always been an important scientific issue. Here, we design and fabricate ß-NaYF4 microtubes (MTs) with a natural hexagonal shape in the cross section and wedge shape on both top vertexes, which can be regarded as an optical waveguide. The UCL property of a single ß-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+(or Tm3+) MT is systematically investigated based on waveguide-excitation modes. It is found that the excitation light can be efficiently coupled in the ß-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+(or Tm3+) MT by modulating the angle between the wedge-shape end plane of MT and the microscope slide. In addition, it is clearly observed that the excitation light can be confined and propagate in the MT by introducing a 633 nm laser, which is mainly due to the natural waveguide structure with a stronger confinement and propagation effect of light, thereby enhancing light-to-MT interactions. The current work provides a powerful solution to build high-efficiency Ln-doped UCL materials, which may have potential applications in the optical communication and biomedical fields.

Study on discharge characteristics of fermentor and oak barrel washing wastewater from typical wineries in Ningxia, China.

Wine wastewater management is critical to the sustainable development of the wine industry. In this study, three wineries were selected with growing wine production scales of Ningxia. The number of fermentors and oak barrels washing wastewater were counted during the production period of 2019. The water quality was analyzed and finally the pollutant production was estimated. The results showed that fermentor (barrel) cleaning method greatly influences wastewater amount. The five-step method during fermentor washing stage produced more wastewater than direct high-pressure washing. However, high-temperature fumigation in the oak barrels washing stage can effectively reduce wastewater. The residue of grape juice in fermentors and oak barrels made the main pollutant of washing fermentor (barrel) wastewater COD, and the unit product of washing oak barrels' wastewater produced more COD than washing fermentor wastewater. COD production of washing fermentor wastewater per unit product was ranked as Winery C (412.5 g·kL-1) > Winery B (331.5 g·kL-1) > Winery A (33.6 g·kL-1), in oak barrels washing stage, Winery C (679.2 g·kL-1) > Winery A (507.2 g·kL-1) > Winery B (350 g·kL-1). The results showed that a good linear relationship between annual wastewater production and COD production of the winery (R2 is 0.9777 and 0.9934, respectively). Compared with the first-level standard of cleaner wine production, the production of fermentors and oak barrels washing wastewater in winery accounts for 11-18% of total wine production wastewater, while COD production accounts for 17-43% of total COD.

Central lymph node metastasis is predictive of survival in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with D2 lymphadenectomy.

BACKGROUND: The number of positive lymph nodes, which was defined as "N stage", is mostly used to predict the survival of D2-resected gastric cancer patients, not the location. A "central lymph node" (CnLN) was defined by Ikoma et al., included common hepatic, celiac and proximal splenic artery LNs. CnLNs located in the extraperigastric area are included in the D2 LN station for gastric cancer. We speculate that CnLNs can be regarded as a predictor of survival. METHODS: Eligible advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent curative resection and D2 lymph node dissection between 2004 and 2012 at our institution were identified. The frequency of CnLN metastases and risk factors affecting DFS were examined. Survival differences were assessed by log-rank tests and Kaplan-Meier curves. RESULTS: The study identified 1178 patients who underwent curative surgery or D2 or more extensive lymphadenectomy. A total of 342 patients had been proven to have CnLN metastasis. Larger tumor size (P < 0.001), more frequent lymphatic vessel invasion (P < 0.001), signet ring cell histology (P = 0.014), and more advanced pathological T stage (P = 0.013) were significantly related to CnLNs metastasis. The patients with CnLN metastasis had a poor prognosis (HR for DFS of 1.366, 95%CI = 1.138-1.640, P = 0.001). For the pN2/3 patients, CnLN metastasis was associated with shorter 5-year DFS (for pN2 patients: 25.9% vs 39.3%, P = 0.017; for pN3 patients: 11.5% vs 23.4%, P = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Gastric cancer patients with CnLN metastasis who underwent D2 resection had a poor prognosis. With the same N stage, the patients with positive CnLNs had shorter survival. CnLNs metastasis could be a supplement to N stage and a predictor of survival in gastric cancer patients. Large sample, multicenter, randomized clinical trials are still needed in the future.

The transformation and outcome of traditional cassava starch processing in Guangxi, China.

To improve the resource utilization, reduce the pollution generation, and increase the economic benefits of enterprises, a cleaner process to produce cassava starch was proposed based on potato starch processing, and it was applied to the transformation of a traditional cassava starch processing factory in the Guangxi Province in China. The transformation involves the implementation of several new techniques/facilities, including a rasper, horizontal centrifuge, and hydrocyclone. Based on the transformation, typical cassava starch factories in Guangxi were evaluated. The results show that, through the application of a series of cleaner techniques/facilities, the starch recovery rate increased to 84.5%. The water consumption, wastewater generation, and chemical oxygen demand generation decreased by 53.8%, 49.0%, and 20.7%, respectively. Based on the cleaner process, the wastewater can be treated to meet the national discharge standard by using common wastewater treatment technology.

Different clinicopathologic features and prognostic significance of signet ring cell histology in early and locally advanced gastric cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Although many studies have evaluated the prognostic significance of signet ring cell (SRC) histology for gastric cancer (GC) patients, the results were conflicting. The objective of this study was to compare clinicopathologic characteristics between SRC type and other types, and evaluate its impact on survival outcome. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinicopathologic and survival data of 1891 patients who underwent curative resection for GC. All patients were divided into differentiated, undifferentiated and SRC type according to the histological classification. The prognostic differences between different types were compared and clinicopathologic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: SRC histology type had a poorer disease-free survival (DFS) than differentiated type (5-year DFS, 37.7% vs 52.2%, P<0.001), but there was no prognostic difference between SRC type and undifferentiated type (37.7% vs 41.9%, P>0.05). For early GC patients, SRC type was more frequent in younger, female patients and T1a stage tumors; the 5-year DFS of SRC type was similar to that of any other histology type (P>0.05). SRC type showed more aggressive biological features, including extensive stomach involvement, large tumor size, advanced pTstage and pN stage, than other types for locally advanced GC patients; poorer DFS was observed in SRC type compared with differentiated type. Multivariate analysis indicated that SRC type (HR:1.71, 95%CI:1.10-1.68, P<0.01) and undifferentiated type (HR:1.21, 95%CI:1.04-1.40, P<0.05) were independently associated with poor DFS in locally advanced GC patients. CONCLUSION: There was a significant difference between early and locally advanced GC patients with regard to clinicopathologic features and prognostic significance of SRC histology. SRC type was an independent prognostic factor for locally advanced GC patients, but not for early GC patients.

Nephronectin is a prognostic biomarker and promotes gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignant disease with high incidence and mortality rates worldwide. Nephronectin (NPNT) was found to be dysregulated in some kinds of cancer. The goal of our study was to explore the expression profile of NPNT based on large numbers of GC samples with detailed clinicopathological and prognostic data from our institution and the data from a public database. A total of 117 GC samples and 73 corresponding non-tumorous adjacent tissues (NATs) were obtained from GC patients and used to detect expression of NPNT through immunohistochemistry. Western blot and qRT-PCR were performed to examine expression of NPNT in GC cell lines. Our results found that the positive expression ratio of NPNT in GC tissues is significantly higher than that in NATs (p<0.001). Chi-squared analysis results showed positive expression ratio of NPNT was significantly associated with depth of tumor invasion (p=0.049) and TNM stage (p=0.017). Kaplan-Meier survival and cox analysis results showed that patients with positive NPNT protein expression tend to have poorer prognosis than those with negative NPNT expression (p=0.0032) and NPNT expression was independent prognostic factor. High expression level was seen in GC cell lines. Furthermore, through a series of cancer cell proliferation, invasion and migration associated experiments, we found that NPNT could evidently promote GC cell proliferation, invasion and migration, as well as epithelial-mesenthymal transition. In summary, NPNT was evidently overexpressed in GC and had an oncogenic role. In the future, NPNT could serve as a promising therapeutic target for treating GC patients.

Different prognostic significance of signet ring cell histology for early and advanced gastric cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To review relevant studies and perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic significance of signet ring cell (SRC) histology for gastric cancer (GC) patients. METHODS: Systematic literature search was performed using PubMed and Embase databases. The relevant data were extracted and the association between SRC histology and survival outcome were evaluated using a fixed-effect or random-effect model. RESULTS: A total of 21 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The prevalence of SRC histology varied from 8.7% to 50%. SRC histology type was associated with poorer OS (HR: 1.12, 95%CI: 1.01-1.23, P = 0.034; I2 = 85.1%) and DFS (HR: 1.17, 95%CI: 1.00-1.37, P = 0.040; I2 = 63.6%). The subgroup analysis indicated that SRC type had a better OS than non-SRC type for early GC patients (HR: 0.60, 95%CI: 0.48-0.75, P < 0.001; I2 = 33.7%). However, it was a poor prognostic factor for advanced GC when excluding stage IV patients (HR: 1.18, 95%CI: 1.07-1.29, P < 0.001; I2 = 6.5%). SRC type had a higher risk of peritoneal recurrence than non-SRC type (OR: 1.36, 95%CI: 1.06-1.75, P = 0.017; I2 = 1.3%). CONCLUSION: SRC type had a distinctly different prognostic significance for early and advanced GC patients. SRC type was associated with better survival outcomes in early GC patients, but it was a predictive factor for poor survival in advanced GC patients.

Risk of lymph node metastasis and prognostic outcome in early gastric cancer patients with mixed histologic type.

BACKGROUND: Whether early gastric cancer with mixed histologic type should be considered for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) and prognostic significance for early gastric cancer with mixed histologic type. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinicopathologic and survival data of 302 patients who underwent surgical resection for early gastric cancer. Based on the histologic components, all patients were classified as pure differentiated type, pure undifferentiated type and mixed histologic type. The prognostic differences between different types were compared and predictive factors for LNM were evaluated. RESULTS: Histopathologically, the proportion of mixed histologic type was 12.3% in early gastric cancer. In terms of LNM, mixed histologic type had a more frequent incidence than pure differentiated type (32.4% vs 11.1%, P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference between mixed type and pure undifferentiated type for LNM (32.4% vs 21.1%, P = 0.139). Multivariate analysis revealed that tumor size >2 cm (odds ratio [OR]: 2.153, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.113-4.164, P < 0.05), submucosal invasion (OR: 3.881, 95%CI: 1.832-8.222, P < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (OR: 8.797, 95% CI: 2.643-29.277, P < 0.001), undifferentiated type (OR: 3.146, 95% CI: 1.352-7.320, P < 0.01), and mixed histologic type (OR: 3.635, 95% CI: 1.272-10.390, P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for LNM in early gastric cancer patients. However, mixed histologic type did not affect the survival outcome of these patients (hazard ratio: 0.629, 95% CI: 0.074-5.311, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Mixed histologic type was an independent risk factor for lymph node metastasis in early gastric cancer patients. The decisions regarding endoscopic submucosal dissection for mixed histologic type should be carefully considered.

Delaying adjuvant chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer patients: Risk factors and its impact on survival outcome.

Adjuvant chemotherapy following the curative resection could improve the survival outcome of advanced gastric cancer (GC) patients. However, it is unclear whether delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy had a negative impact on survival outcome in GC patients. The purpose of this study was to review current published literature about the impact of delaying adjuvant chemotherapy on survival outcome and summarize risk factors for delaying adjuvant chemotherapy. Delayed initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy was quite frequent in GC patients who underwent gastrectomy due to postoperative complications, poor nutritional status, comorbid diseases and socioeconomic status. Therefore, it is important for these patients to have a sufficient and smooth transition from surgery to initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy. Based on current available evidence, there is no specific timing interval for the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy in GC patients. Earlier initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy (<4 weeks) may not be mandatory for GC patients who underwent curative resection. However, the patients should be recommended to receive adjuvant chemotherapy within 6-8 weeks if their performance status and nutritional status were deemed to be appropriate. Minimizing postoperative complications and providing requisite nutritional advice may be helpful for timely initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy.

Impact of Lymphovascular Invasion on Survival Outcome in Patients With Gastric Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prognostic significance of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) for patients with gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: A total of 1,720 consecutive patients who underwent curative gastrectomy were retrospectively identified. The association between LVI and clinicopathologic characteristics was determined and its impact on survival outcome was evaluated. RESULTS: LVI was detected in 21.3% of GC patients, 5.9% of patients with early GC, 24.0% of patients with advanced GC, and 6.7% of node-negative patients using H&E staining. Tumor size (odds ratio [OR], 1.509; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.159-1.965; P < .01), differentiated type (OR, 1.817; 95% CI, 1.377-2.398; P < .001), and the depth of tumor invasion (OR, 3.011; 95% CI, 2.174-4.171; P < .001) were independent predictive factors for LVI. LVI-positive patients have a poorer prognosis than LVI-negative patients, irrespective of tumor stage or lymph node metastasis. LVI was an independent prognostic factor for patients with GC (hazard ratio, 1.299; 95% CI, 1.112-1.518; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: LVI provided additional prognostic information for GC patients, and LVI-positive patients should be considered candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy.