Investigation into safflower injection as a prophylactic treatment for retinal vein occlusion in a rabbit model.

The study aimed to assess the effect and mechanism of safflower injection in preventing retinal vein thrombosis in rabbits. Twenty healthy adult pigmented rabbits were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, receiving safflower injection, or the control group, receiving normal saline. After two weeks of treatment, blood samples were collected to analyze platelet adhesion and aggregation rates. Photodynamic therapy was applied to induce occlusion in the target retinal vein. Fundus photography and fluorescein angiography were recorded using a dynamic microscopic monitoring system, and laser speckle imaging was employed to assess blood flow in the affected vein. The experimental group exhibited significantly lower rates of platelet adhesion and aggregation compared to the control group. Following the induction of retinal vein occlusion, the experimental group showed a lower complete occlusion rate of the target retinal vein. Although initial blood flow in the target vein was similar between groups, the blood flow at 1, 3, and 5 min post-occlusion was significantly higher in the experimental group. Safflower injection delayed retinal vein thrombosis formation, preserved blood flow in the affected retinal area, and reduced platelet adhesion and aggregation. These effects facilitated vascular reperfusion within a limited timeframe.

Rice-Magnaporthe oryzae interactions in resistant and susceptible rice cultivars under panicle blast infection based on defense-related enzyme activities and metabolomics.

Rice blast, caused by rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae), is a global threat to food security, with up to 50% yield losses. Panicle blast is a severe form of rice blast, and disease responses vary between cultivars with different genotypes. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated signaling reactions and the phenylpropanoid pathway are important defense mechanisms involved in recognizing and resisting against fungal infection. To understand rice-M. oryzae interactions in resistant and susceptible cultivars, we determined dynamic changes in the activities of five defense-related enzymes in resistant cultivar jingsui 18 and susceptible cultivar jinyuan 899 infected with M. oryzae from 4 to 25 days after infection. We then performed untargeted metabolomics analyses to profile the metabolomes of the cultivars under infected and non-infected conditions. Dynamic changes in the activities of five defense-related enzymes were closely related to panicle blast resistance in rice. Metabolome data analysis identified 634 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs) between resistant and susceptible cultivars following infection, potentially explaining differences in disease response between varieties. The most enriched DAMs were associated with lipids and lipid-like molecules, phenylpropanoids and polyketides, organoheterocyclic compounds, organic acids and derivatives, and lignans, neolignans, and related compounds. Multiple metabolic pathways are involved in resistance to panicle blast in rice, including biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, arachidonic acid metabolism, arginine biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, tryptophan metabolism, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis, lysine biosynthesis, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Efficacy of third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in advanced NSCLC with different T790M statuses tested via digital droplet polymerase chain reaction ddPCR and next-generation sequencing.

OBJECTIVES: We hypothesize that digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) would optimize the treatment strategies in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) relapsed patients. In this study, we compared the efficacy of third-generation TKIs with various T790M statuses via ddPCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS). METHODS: NGS was performed on blood samples of patients progressed from previous EGFR-TKIs for resistance mechanism. T790M-negative patients received further liquid biopsy using ddPCR for T790M detection. RESULTS: A cohort of 40 patients were enrolled, with 30.0% (12/40) T790M-positive via NGS (Group A). In another 28 T790M-negative patients by NGS, 11 (39.3%) were T790M-positive (Group B) and 17 (60.7%) were T790M-negative (Group C) via ddPCR. A relatively longer progression-free survival (PFS) was observed in group A (NR) and group B (10.0 months, 95% CI 7.040-12.889) than in group C (7.0 months, 95% CI 0.000-15.219), with no significant difference across all three groups (p = 0.196), or between group B and C (p = 0.412). EGFR-sensitive mutation correlated with inferior PFS (p = 0.041) and ORR (p = 0.326), and a significantly lower DCR (p = 0.033) in T790M-negative patients via NGS (n = 28). CONCLUSION: This study indicates that ddPCR may contribute as a supplement to NGS in liquid biopsies for T790M detection in EGFR-TKIs relapsed patients and help to optimize the treatment strategies, especially for those without coexistence of EGFR-sensitive mutation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier is NCT05458726.

Effects of electroacupuncture on mitophagy mediated by SIRT3/PINK1/Parkin pathway in Parkinson's disease mice. / ç”µé’ˆå¯¹å¸•é‡‘æ£®ç— å°é¼ SIRT3/PINK1/Parkin通路介导的线粒体自噬的影响.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at "Fengfu"(GV16), "Taichong"(LR3), and "Zusanli"(ST36) on mitophagy mediated by silencing regulatory protein 3 (SIRT3)/ PTEN induced putative kinase 1 (PINK1)/PARK2 gene coding protein (Parkin) in the midbrain substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease (PD) mice, and to explore the potential mechanisms of EA in treating PD. METHODS: C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the control, model, EA, and sham EA groups, with 12 mice in each group. The PD mouse model was established by intraperitoneal injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). The EA group received EA stimulation at GV16, LR3 and ST36, while the sham EA group received shallow needling 1 mm away from the above acupoints without electrical stimulation. The motor ability of mice in each group was evaluated using an open field experiment. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and α-synuclein (α-syn) in the substantia nigra of mice. The ultrastructure of neurons in substantia nigra was observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression of the autophagy marker autophagy-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3). The expression levels of TH, α-syn, SIRT3, PINK1, Parkin, P62, Beclin-1, LC3Ⅱ mRNA and protein were detected by PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, mice in the model group showed a decrease in the total exercise distance, time, movement speed and times of crossing central region (P<0.01)；the positive expressions of TH and LC3 were decreased (P<0.01), while the positive expression of α-syn increased (P<0.01), accompanied by mitochondrial swelling, mitochondrial cristae fragmentation and decrease, and decreased lysosome count；the expression levels of TH, SIRT3, PINK1, Parkin, Beclin-1, and LC3Ⅱ mRNA and protein in the midbrain substantia nigra were decreased (P<0.01), while the expression levels of α-syn and P62 mRNA and protein were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the mice in EA group showed a significant increase in the total exercise distance, time, movement speed and times of crossing central region (P<0.01, P<0.05)；the positive expressions of TH and LC3 were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the positive expression of α-syn was decreased (P<0.01), accompanied by an increase in mitochondrial count, appearance of autophagic va-cuoles, and a decrease in swelling, the expression levels of TH, SIRT3, PINK1, Parkin, Beclin-1 and LC3Ⅱ mRNA and protein in the midbrain substantia nigra were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the mRNA and protein expression levels of α-syn and P62 were decreased (P<0.01)；the sham EA group showed an increase in the total exercise distance and time(P<0.05), with an increase in the positive expression of TH (P<0.05) and a decrease in the positive expression of α-syn (P<0.05)；some mitochondria exhibited swelling, and no autophagic vacuoles were observed；the protein expression levels of TH, SIRT3, Parkin and LC3Ⅱ were increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and the expression levels of P62 mRNA, α-syn mRNA and protein were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), and LC3Ⅱ mRNA expression was increased (P<0.05). In comparison to the sham EA group, the EA group showed an extension in the total exercise time (P<0.01), the positive expression and mRNA expression levels of α-syn were decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05), while the expression levels of TH, SIRT3, PINK1, Parkin mRNA and SIRT3 protein were increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: EA at GV16, LR3, and ST36 can exert neuroprotective function and improve the motor ability of PD mice by activating the SIRT3/PINK1/Parkin pathway to enhance the expression of TH and reduce α-syn aggregation in the substantia nigra of PD mice.

Molybdenum inhibited the growth of Phytophthora nicotiana and improved the resistance of Nicotiana tabacum L. against tobacco black shank.

Tobacco black shank (TBS) is a soil-borne fungal disease caused by Phytophthora nicotiana (P. nicotianae), significantly impeding the production of high-quality tobacco. Molybdenum (Mo), a crucial trace element for both plants and animals, plays a vital role in promoting plant growth, enhancing photosynthesis, bolstering antioxidant capacity, and maintaining ultrastructural integrity. However, the positive effect of Mo on plant biotic stress is little understood. This study delves into the inhibitory effects of Mo on P. nicotianae and seeks to unravel the underlying mechanisms. The results showed that 16.32 mg/L of Mo significantly inhibited mycelial growth, altered mycelial morphological structure, damaged mycelial cell membrane, and ultimately led to the leakage of cell inclusions. In addition, 0.6 mg/kg Mo applied in soil significantly reduced the severity of TBS. Mo increased photosynthetic parameters and photosynthetic pigment contents of tobacco leaves, upregulated expression of NtPAL and NtPPO resistance genes, as well as improved activities of SOD, POD, CAT, PPO, and PAL in tobacco plants. Furthermore, Mo could regulate nitrogen metabolism and amino acids metabolism to protect tobacco plants against P. nicotianae infection. These findings not only present an ecologically sound approach to control TBS but also contribute valuable insights to the broader exploration of the role of microelements in plant disease management.

Targeting MDM2 in malignancies is a promising strategy for overcoming resistance to anticancer immunotherapy.

MDM2 has been established as a biomarker indicating poor prognosis for individuals undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment for different malignancies by various pancancer studies. Specifically, patients who have MDM2 amplification are vulnerable to the development of hyperprogressive disease (HPD) following anticancer immunotherapy, resulting in marked deleterious effects on survival rates. The mechanism of MDM2 involves its role as an oncogene during the development of malignancy, and MDM2 can promote both metastasis and tumor cell proliferation, which indirectly leads to disease progression. Moreover, MDM2 is vitally involved in modifying the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) as well as in influencing immune cells, eventually facilitating immune evasion and tolerance. Encouragingly, various MDM2 inhibitors have exhibited efficacy in relieving the TIME suppression caused by MDM2. These results demonstrate the prospects for breakthroughs in combination therapy using MDM2 inhibitors and anticancer immunotherapy.

Secondary organic aerosols from oxidation of 1-methylnaphthalene: Yield, composition, and volatility.

Alkyl-PAHs (APAHs) have been identified worldwide, which could rapidly react with chlorine and OH radicals in the atmosphere. In this study, a comprehensive investigation is conducted for SOA generated by a representative alkyl-naphthalene (1-methyl naphthalene, 1-MN) initiated by Cl, including yield, chemical composition, and volatility of SOA. To better understand 1-MN atmospheric oxidation, reaction mechanisms of 1MN with Cl atoms and OH radicals are proposed and compared under different nitrogen oxides (NOx) conditions. The SOA yields are comparable for Cl-initiated and OH-initiated reactions under high NOx conditions but increased in Cl-initiated reactions under low NOx conditions. The compounds with ten carbons are more abundant in Cl-initiated SOA, while compounds with nine carbons have higher intensity, suggesting that Cl caused ring-retained and alkyl-lost products and OH produces ring-broken and alkyl-retained compounds. The volatility of SOA is remarkably low, and SOA formed from Cl oxidation is slightly higher than that from OH oxidation. These results reveal that 1MN-derived SOA with OH and Cl radicals would have different physical-chemical properties and may play an important role in air quality and health effects.

Nonlinear effect of NOx concentration decrease on secondary aerosol formation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region: Evidence from smog chamber experiments and field observations.

During the COVID-19 lockdown in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region in China, large decrease in nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions, especially in the transportation sector, could not avoid the occurrence of heavy PM2.5 pollution where nitrate dominated the PM2.5 mass increase. To experimentally reveal the effect of NOx control on the formation of PM2.5 secondary components (nitrate in particular), photochemical simulation experiments of mixed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) under various NOx concentrations with smog chamber were performed. The proportions of gaseous precursors in the control experiment were comparable to ambient conditions typically observed in the BTH region. Under relatively constant VOCs concentrations, when the initial NOx concentration was reduced to 40% of that in the control experiment (labelled as NOx,0), the particle mass concentration was not significantly reduced, but when the initial NOx concentration decreased to 20 % of NOx,0, the mass concentration of particles as well as nitrate and organics showed a sudden decrease. A "critical point" where the mass concentration of secondary aerosol started to decline as the initial NOx concentration decreased, located at 0.2-0.4 NOx,0 (or 0.18-0.44 NO2,0) in smog chamber experiments. The oxidation capacity and solar radiation intensity played key roles in the mass concentration and compositions of the formed particles. In field observations in the BTH region in the autumn and winter seasons, the "critical point" exist at 0.15-0.34 NO2,0, which coincided mostly with the laboratory simulation results. Our results suggest that a reduction of NOx emission by >60% could lead to significant reductions of secondary aerosol formation, which can be an effective way to further alleviate PM2.5 pollution in the BTH region.

Carboxymethyl chitosan and octadecylamine-coated liposome-containing WPTS: design, optimization, and evaluation.

Liposomes (LPs) are a delivery system for stabilizing pharmaceuticals with limited use due to their propensity to congregate and fuse. A proposed method of addressing these problems is polymer coating. In this study, the potential of octadecylamine (ODA)-coated liposomes and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS/ODA-LPs) for enhancing Wacao pentacyclic triterpene saponin (WPTS) transport capacity was investigated. CMCS/ODA-LPs were produced by electrostatic adsorption and thin-film hydration. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to enhance the process and encapsulation efficiency (EE) for optimum drug encapsulation efficiency. The synthesized WPTS-CMCS/ODA-LPs were uniformly dispersed in a circular shape, and during 14 days of storage at 4 °C, the particle size and morphology did not significantly change. Vesicle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index (PDI), and entrapment efficiency (%) were 179.1 ± 7.31 nm, -29.6 ± 1.35 mV, 0.188 ± 0.052, and 75.62 ± 0.43, respectively. The hemolysis test revealed that WPTS-CMCS/ODA-LPs were sufficiently biocompatible. Compared to WPTS-LPs, WPTS-CMCS/ODA-LPs consistently showed a much more significant cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. Early and WPTS-CMCS/ODA-LPs-induced apoptosis resulted in almost seven times more cell death than the control. Compared to physiological pH 7.3, the pH-sensitive CMCS coupled LPs increased drug release at acidic pH 6.5. These findings suggest the efficacy of pH-sensitive CMCS/ODA-LPs as a medication delivery method for WPTS.

Adjuvant and neo-adjuvant immunotherapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): Current status and perspectives.

Surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy is the standard of care for selected patients with early-stage or locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, many of these patients still experience postoperative recurrence at 5 years. At present, peri-operative treatment methods are emerging to prevent early relapse, such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy. Investigation on predictive biomarkers of responses to adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies is also continuously ongoing. Immunotherapy represented by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), either by monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy, has shown benefit in promoting pathological responses and prolonging survival for patients with NSCLC without oncogenic mutations. Exploratory studies have also provided evidence regarding the selection of patients who benefit from ICI-based perioperative treatment. This review focuses on the existing data of current clinical trials of adjuvant and neoadjuvant strategies with ICIs in resectable NSCLC, the exploration of predictive biomarkers, and the perspectives and urgent challenges in the future.

Comparison of Transcriptome between Tolerant and Susceptible Rice Cultivar Reveals Positive and Negative Regulators of Response to Rhizoctonia solani in Rice.

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the world's most crucial food crops, as it currently supports more than half of the world's population. However, the presence of sheath blight (SB) caused by Rhizoctonia solani has become a significant issue for rice agriculture. This disease is responsible for causing severe yield losses each year and is a threat to global food security. The breeding of SB-resistant rice varieties requires a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved and the exploration of immune genes in rice. To this end, we conducted a screening of rice cultivars for resistance to SB and compared the transcriptome based on RNA-seq between the most tolerant and susceptible cultivars. Our study revealed significant transcriptomic differences between the tolerant cultivar ZhengDao 22 (ZD) and the most susceptible cultivar XinZhi No.1 (XZ) in response to R. solani invasion. Specifically, the tolerant cultivar showed 7066 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), while the susceptible cultivar showed only 60 DEGs. In further analysis, we observed clear differences in gene category between up- and down-regulated expression of genes (uDEGs and dDEGs) based on Gene Ontology (GO) classes in response to infection in the tolerant cultivar ZD, and then identified uDEGs related to cell surface pattern recognition receptors, the Ca2+ ion signaling pathway, and the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) cascade that play a positive role against R. solani. In addition, DEGs of the jasmonic acid and ethylene signaling pathways were mainly positively regulated, whereas DEGs of the auxin signaling pathway were mainly negatively regulated. Transcription factors were involved in the immune response as either positive or negative regulators of the response to this pathogen. Furthermore, our results showed that chloroplasts play a crucial role and that reduced photosynthetic capacity is a critical feature of this response. The results of this research have important implications for better characterization of the molecular mechanism of SB resistance and for the development of resistant cultivars through molecular breeding methods.

Low TP53 variant allele frequency as a biomarker for anti-programmed death (ligand) 1 monotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: TP53 mutation heterogeneity should be considered when using TP53 as a predictive biomarker for anti-programmed death (ligand) 1 (PD-(L)1) monotherapy in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, whether TP53 variant allele frequency (VAF) should also be considered remains unknown. METHODS: Patients with LUAD from both published research and the local cohort were included to discover and validate the relationship between TP53 VAF and the efficacy of PD-(L)1 inhibitors. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) LUAD data were included for genomic, transcriptomic, and tumor microenvironment analysis. RESULTS: Among 159 patients in the discovery cohort, low TP53 VAF patients (VAF ≤ 25%) experienced significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) than both high TP53 VAF (5.4 vs. 3.3 months; p = .021) and TP53-wild-type patients (5.4 vs. 2.5 months; p = .011). Multivariate Cox regression revealed low TP53 VAF as an independent biomarker of better efficacy. Among 50 patients in the combined validation cohort, median PFS of low TP53 VAF patients was also significantly longer than that of high TP53 VAF patients (12.0 vs. 2.1 months; p = .037). Analyzed with 469 TCGA LUAD samples, low TP53 VAF is associated with significantly higher PD-L1 expression, enrichment of gene sets related to T-cell activation, T cell-mediated immunity, and interferon-γ signaling pathways, and independently associated with more tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells compared with both high TP53 VAF and TP53-wild type. CONCLUSIONS: TP53 VAF should also be considered when using TP53 as a predictive biomarker. Only low TP53 VAF is independently associated with better efficacy of anti-PD-(L)1 monotherapy, which may result from higher PD-L1 expression and more tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells.

Evaluation of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro glucaric acid (FGA) as a potential PET tracer for tumor necrosis.

In this study, [18F]FGA was obtained by a one-step oxidation of [18F]FDG using sodium hypochlorite. The conversion from [18F]FDG to [18F]FGA was confirmed by HPLC to be over 95% using the optimal condition. A549-luciferase NSCLC xenografted mice was used for in vivo PET imaging. Prior to either saline or cisplatin treatment, there was no significant difference on tumor uptake of [18F]FGA in all mice, with an average uptake of (0.21 ± 0.16) %ID/g. After treatment, tumor uptake of [18F]FGA was not changed significantly for saline-treated mice, whereas the tumor uptake of [18F]FGA drastically increased for cisplatin-treated mice, with an average uptake of (1.63 ± 0.16) %ID/g. The ratio of tumor uptake between cisplatin-treated vs. saline-treated mice was 7.8 ± 0.2 within one week of treatment. PET imaging results were consistent with ex vivo biodistribution data. BLI showed significant light intensity suppression after treatment, indicating necrosis. Our data indicate that [18F]FGA uptake was related to tumor necrosis. [18F]FGA PET/CT imaging might be a useful tool to monitor treatment response to chemotherapy by imaging tumor necrosis.

Experimental training in molecular pharmacology education based on drug-target interactions.

INTRODUCTION: Drug development has been challenged by the dual drawbacks involving unpredictable disease outcomes and drug resistance, which has placed greater demands on pharmacology education. Molecular pharmacology, as a frontier crossover field of pharmacology, focuses on the research of new drugs and targets. However, due to the lack of a systematic experimental training system, molecular pharmacology has not made a corresponding contribution in promoting the training of innovative talent in pharmacology. We aim to establish an experimental training program suitable for molecular pharmacology to improve students' ability to engage in drug development in future. METHODS: Based on the feasibility of drug-target projects, a comprehensive training program containing molecular docking, target stability experiment, and fluorescent probe detection of protein expression in living cells and mice was conducted among 20 pharmacy graduate students. The experimental training was assessed by the experimental training report and the student recognition questionnaires. RESULTS: All 20 students mastered the experimental principles and operations required for the training program. The experimental reports proved that the students were in good command of the experimental principles, operations and applications. The results of the Likert questionnaire indicated that the training program promoted the understanding of the drug research process and increased motivation to learn. CONCLUSION: The designed experimental training program has a positive effect on the training of pharmacology talents, and can be implemented as a part of molecular pharmacology education.

Multi-dimensional characterization of immunological profiles in small cell lung cancer uncovers clinically relevant immune subtypes with distinct prognoses and therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is generally considered a 'homogenous' disease, with little documented inter-tumor heterogeneity in treatment guidance or prognosis evaluation. The precise identification of clinically relevant molecular subtypes remains incomplete and their translation into clinical practice is limited. In this retrospective cohort study, we comprehensively characterized the immune microenvironment in SCLC by integrating transcriptional and protein profiling of formalin-fixation-and-paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples from 29 patients. We identified two distinct disease subtypes: immune-enriched (IE-subtype) and immune-deprived (ID-subtype), displaying heterogeneity in immunological, biological, and clinical features. The IE-subtype was characterized by abundant immune infiltrate and elevated levels of interferon-alpha/gamma (IFNα/IFNγ) and inflammatory response, while the ID-subtype featured a complete lack of immune infiltration and a more proliferative phenotype. These two immune subtypes are associated with clinical benefits in SCLC patients treated with adjuvant therapy, with the IE-subtype exhibiting a more favorable response leading to improved survival and reduced disease recurrence risk. Additionally, we identified and validated a personalized prognosticator of immunophenotyping, the CCL5/CXCL9 chemokine index (CCI), using machine learning. The CCI demonstrated superior predictive abilities for prognosis and clinical benefits in SCLC patients, validated in our institute immunohistochemistry cohort and multicenter bulk transcriptomic data cohorts. In conclusion, our study provides a comprehensive and multi-dimensional characterization of the immune architecture of SCLC using clinical FFPE samples and proposes a new immune subtyping conceptual framework enabling risk stratification and the appropriate selection of individualized therapy.

Influence of PD-L1 expression on the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the influence of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is at variance. METHODS: A single-center retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the influence of PD-L1 expression on the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs for NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation. Clinical information was retrieved from electronic medical records. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to PD-L1 expression level: PD-L1 < 1% (negative), PD-L1 1%-49% and PD-L1 ≥ 50%. The clinicopathological features, overall response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS) and comutation information were collected and compared between the three subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 117 patients were included. For PD-L1 < 1%, PD-L1 1%-49% and PD-L1 ≥ 50% group, there were 39 (33.3%), 51 (43.5%) and 27 (23.0%) patients respectively, and the ORR was 43.2%, 64.0%, and 51.9%, respectively (p = 0.162), and the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 22.0 months (95% CI: 14.0-29.9 months), 15.4 months (95% CI: 8.9-21.8 months) and 13.0 months (95% CI: 10.6-15.3 months), respectively (log-rank, p = 0.01). The mPFS was negatively correlated with PD-L1 expression level (r = -0.264, p = 0.041) and PD-L1 expression was an independent risk factor for worse PFS of EGFR-TKIs in multivariate Cox regression. Patients with concurrent TP53 mutation had shorter PFS (p = 0.039) and the patients harboring both mutant TP53 and positive PD-L1 had the shortest PFS (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of EGFR-TKIs was influenced by the baseline PD-L1 expression. Higher PD-L1 expression was associated with shorter PFS. The combined indicators of TP53 and PD-L1 identified subgroups showing divergent benefits from EGFR-TKIs.

Front-line therapy for brain metastases and non-brain metastases in advanced epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer: a network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The brain is a common metastatic site in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), resulting in a relatively poor prognosis. Systemic therapy with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is recommended as the first-line treatment for EGFR -mutated, advanced NSCLC patients. However, intracranial activity varies in different drugs. Thus, brain metastasis (BM) should be considered when choosing the treatment regimens. We conducted this network meta-analysis to explore the optimal first-line therapeutic schedule for advanced EGFR -mutated NSCLC patients with different BM statuses. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials focusing on EGFR-TKIs (alone or in combination) in advanced and EGFR -mutant NSCLC patients, who have not received systematic treatment, were systematically searched up to December 2021. We extracted and analyzed progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). A network meta-analysis was performed with the Bayesian statistical model to determine the survival outcomes of all included therapy regimens using the R software. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to compare intervention measures, and overall rankings of therapies were estimated under the Bayesian framework. RESULTS: This analysis included 17 RCTs with 5077 patients and 12 therapies, including osimertinib + bevacizumab, aumolertinib, osimertinib, afatinib, dacomitinib, standards of care (SoC, including gefitinib, erlotinib, or icotinib), SoC + apatinib, SoC + bevacizumab, SoC + ramucirumab, SoC + pemetrexed based chemotherapy (PbCT), PbCT, and pemetrexed free chemotherapy (PfCT). For patients with BM, SoC + PbCT improved PFS compared with SoC (HR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.17-0.95), and osimertinib + bevacizumab was most likely to rank first in PFS, with a cumulative probability of 34.5%, followed by aumolertinib, with a cumulative probability of 28.3%. For patients without BM, osimertinib + bevacizumab, osimertinib, aumolertinib, SoC + PbCT, dacomitinib, SoC + ramucirumab, SoC + bevacizumab, and afatinib showed superior efficacy compared with SoC (HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.20-0.90; HR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.31-0.68; HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34-0.77; HR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.38-0.66; HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.43-0.89; HR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.44-0.94; HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.48-0.76; HR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.50-1.00), PbCT (HR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.74; HR = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.15-0.62; HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.17-0.69; HR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.18-0.64; HR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.21-0.82; HR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22-0.87; HR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.22-0.74; HR = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.31-0.75), and PfCT (HR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.32; HR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.09-0.26; HR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.09-0.29; HR = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.10-0.26; HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12-0.35; HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12-0.39; HR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12-0.31; HR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.16-0.34) in terms of PFS. And, SoC + apatinib showed relatively superior PFS when compared with PbCT (HR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.22-0.92) and PfCT (HR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12-0.39), but similar PFS to SoC (HR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.42-1.03). No statistical differences were observed for PFS in patients without BM between PbCT and SoC (HR = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.84-2.64), but both showed favorable PFS when compared with PfCT (PfCT vs. SoC, HR = 3.09, 95% CI: 2.06-4.55; PbCT vs. PfCT, HR = 0.14, 95% CI: 0.06-0.32). For patients without BM, osimertinib + bevacizumab was most likely to rank the first, with cumulative probabilities of 47.1%. For OS, SoC + PbCT was most likely to rank first in patients with and without BM, with cumulative probabilities of 46.8%, and 37.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Osimertinib + bevacizumab is most likely to rank first in PFS in advanced EGFR -mutated NSCLC patients with or without BM, and SoC + PbCT is most likely to rank first in OS.

PacBio full-length transcriptome analysis provides new insights into transcription of chloroplast genomes.

Chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA (cpDNA and mtDNA) are apart from nuclear DNA (nuDNA) in a eukaryotic cell. The transcription system of chloroplasts differs from those of mitochondria and eukaryotes. In contrast to nuDNA and animal mtDNA, the transcription of cpDNA is still not well understood, primarily due to the unresolved identification of transcription initiation sites (TISs) and transcription termination sites (TTSs) on the genome scale. In the present study, we characterized the transcription of chloroplast (cp) genes with greater accuracy and comprehensive information using PacBio full-length transcriptome data from Arabidopsis thaliana. The major findings included the discovery of four types of artifacts, the validation and correction of cp gene annotations, the exact identification of TISs that start with G, and the discovery of polyA-like sites as TTSs. Notably, we proposed a new model to explain cp transcription initiation and termination at the whole-genome level. Four types of artifacts, degraded RNAs and splicing intermediates deserve the attention from researchers working with PacBio full-length transcriptome data, as these contaminant sequences can lead to incorrect downstream analysis. Cp transcription initiates at multiple promoters and terminates at polyA-like sites. Our study provides new insights into cp transcription and new clues to study the evolution of promoters, TISs, TTSs and polyA tails of eukaryotic genes.

Detection of MET Polysomy by Next-generation Sequencing and Its Clinical Relevance for MET Inhibitors.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has failed to detect mesenchymal epithelial transition factor gene (MET) polysomy in previous studies. We included three non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cohorts in this retrospective study to establish new criteria for detecting MET polysomy and to explore the clinical relevance of MET polysomy. Cohort 1 included 53 patients whose tissues were available for both FISH and NGS assays. Paired plasma and tissue samples were obtained from 261 patients with NSCLC as cohort 2. Cohort 3 included 46 patients with metastatic NSCLC, who presented with MET copy-number gain assessed by NGS. ROC analysis demonstrated that a cut-off point of 2.3 copies achieved the maximum Youden index in discriminating polysomy from normal copy number. Compared with the FISH test for MET polysomy, the sensitivity, specificity, and agreement of NGS were 90%, 90%, and 96.2%, respectively. Following optimization using maximum somatic allele frequency, the sensitivity and specificity of NGS for defining polysomy using plasma samples according to different circulating tumor DNA mutation frequencies were 42% and 63%. The concordance rate between tissue and plasma samples for detecting polysomy was 85%. Regarding the response to MET inhibitor, the median progression-free survival (PFS) of the MET amplification group was significantly higher than that of the polysomy group. The median PFS was similar between the polysomy and normal groups. Our results indicated that NGS may serve as an alternative method for detecting MET polysomy in NSCLC tissues. Moreover, patients with MET polysomy may not benefit from MET inhibitors. Significance: In this study, we established a methodology to differentiate polysomy from normal copy numbers and amplification using NGS. Moreover, this study suggests that it is critical to discriminate MET polysomy from amplification, for the former may dilute the clinical benefit of MET inhibitors.

Alteration of the gut microbiome and correlated metabolism in a rat model of long-term depression.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the composition and function of the gut microbiome in long-term depression using an 8-week chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model. Materials and methods: Animals were sacrificed after either 4 weeks or 8 weeks under CUMS to mimic long-term depression in humans. The gut microbiome was analyzed to identify potential depression-related gut microbes, and the fecal metabolome was analyzed to detect their functional metabolites. The correlations between altered gut microbes and metabolites in the long-term depression rats were explored. The crucial metabolic pathways related to long-term depression were uncovered through enrichment analysis based on these gut microbes and metabolites. Results: The microbial composition of long-term depression (8-week CUMS) showed decreased species richness indices and different profiles compared with the control group and the 4-week CUMS group, characterized by disturbance of Alistipes indistinctus, Bacteroides ovatus, and Alistipes senegalensis at the species level. Additionally, long-term depression was associated with disturbances in fecal metabolomics. D-pinitol was the only increased metabolite in the 8-week CUMS group among the top 10 differential metabolites, while the top 3 decreased metabolites in the long-term depression rats included indoxyl sulfate, trimethylaminen-oxide, and 3 alpha,7 alpha-dihydroxy-12-oxocholanoic acid. The disordered fecal metabolomics in the long-term depression rats mainly involved the biosynthesis of pantothenate, CoA, valine, leucine and isoleucine. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the gut microbiome may participate in the long-term development of depression, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of gut metabolism.