Insights into the history and tendency of glycosylation and digestive system tumor: A bibliometric-based visual analysis.

BACKGROUND: Glycosylation, a commonly occurring post-translational modification, is highly expressed in several tumors, specifically in those of the digestive system, and plays a role in various cellular pathophysiological mechanisms. Although the importance and detection methods of glycosylation in digestive system tumors have garnered increasing attention in recent years, bibliometric analysis of this field remains scarce. The present study aims to identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. AIM: To find and identify the developmental trends and research hotspots of glycosylation in digestive system tumors. METHODS: We obtained relevant literature from the Web of Science Core Collection and employed VOSviewer 1.6.19 and CiteSpace (version 6.1.R6) to perform bibliometric analysis. RESULTS: A total of 2042 documents spanning from 1978 to the present were analyzed, with the research process divided into three phases: the period of obscurity (1978-1990), continuous development period (1991-2006), and the rapid outbreak period (2007-2023). These documents were authored by researchers from 66 countries or regions, with the United States and China leading in terms of publication output. Reis Celso A had the highest number of publications, while Pinho SS was the most cited author. Co-occurrence analysis revealed the most popular keywords in this field are glycosylation, expression, cancer, colorectal cancer, and pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, the Journal of Proteome Research was the most prolific journal in terms of publications, while the Journal of Biological Chemistry had the most citations. CONCLUSION: The bibliometric analysis shows current research focus is primarily on basic research in this field. However, future research should aim to utilize glycosylation as a target for treating tumor patients.

A novel nomogram for predicting cancer-specific survival in women with uterine sarcoma: a large population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Uterine sarcoma (US) is a rare malignant uterine tumor with aggressive behavior and rapid progression. The purpose of this study was to constructa comprehensive nomogram to predict cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients with US-based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. METHODS: A retrospective population-based study was conducted using data from patients with US between 2010 and 2015 from the SEER database. They were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort ata 7-to-3 ratio. Multivariate Cox analysis was performed to identify independent prognostic factors. Subsequently, a nomogram was established to predict patient CSS. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram were evaluated by the concordance index (C-index) and the area under the curve (AUC). Finally, net reclassification improvement (NRI), integrated discrimination improvement (IDI), calibration plotting, and decision-curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the benefits of the new prediction model. RESULTS: A total of 3861 patients with US were included in our study. As revealed in multivariate Cox analysis, age at diagnosis, race, marital status, insurance record, tumor size, pathology grade, histological type, SEER stage, AJCC stage, surgery status, radiotherapy status, and chemotherapy status were found to be independent prognostic factors. In our nomogram, pathology grade had strongest correlation with CSS, followed by age at diagnosis and surgery status. Compared to the AJCC staging system, the new nomogram showed better predictive discrimination with a higher C-index in the training and validation cohorts (0.796 and 0.767 vs. 0.706 and 0.713, respectively). Furthermore, the AUC value, calibration plotting, NRI, IDI, and DCA also demonstrated better performance than the traditional system. CONCLUSION: Our study validated the first comprehensive nomogram for US, which could provide more accurate and individualized survival predictions for US patients in clinical practice.

Colistin resistance gene mcr-1 in gut flora of children.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and transmission mechanism(s) of mcr-1 in the gut flora of children. Faecal samples (n = 173) were obtained from non-diarrhoea patients at the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University (Hangzhou, China). PCR-based analysis indicated that 17 isolates from 9.8% of the samples were positive for mcr-1, comprising 16 Escherichia coli and 1 Citrobacter freundii. Nine mcr-1-bearing isolates co-expressed extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) genes, but plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were not detected. Transconjugation followed by Southern hybridisation analysis revealed that 14 of the E. coli isolates were able to transfer their colistin-resistant phenotype to E. coli EC600. All 14 of these E. coli strains contained a major mcr-1-containing conjugative plasmid with a size of ca. 33 kb or 55 kb. All but two of the E. coli isolates presented distinct pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis revealed 11 sequence types (STs) among the E. coli 16 isolates, with ST117 being the most common. The finding of a high prevalence of mcr-1 in the intestinal flora of children, with the majority of mcr-1-positive isolates being E. coli, highlights the need for more rational use of polymyxins to prevent polymyxin resistance from becoming disseminated among different microbial pathogens. Given the high detection rate of mcr-1 in children, we recommend that polymyxin is no longer used as a last-resort antimicrobial agent and that alternative strategies are developed to treat infections caused by such pathogens.

[Effect of Biochar on CH4 and N2O Emissions from Lou Soil].

In order to investigate the effect of biochar on CH4 and N2O emissions from Lou soil, field plot experiments of winter wheat were conducted with five levels of biochar addition (0, 20, 40, 60, and 80 t·hm-2). The fluxes of CH4 and N2O, wheat production, soil organic carbon, soil water content, and temperature of each soil layer were measured. The results showed that the fluxes of CH4 and N2O changed significantly in different growth periods of winter wheat. Compared with the control, the cumulative CH4 uptake under the biochar amendment increased by 12.88%-71.61%. When the biochar addition was ≥ 40 t·hm-2, the cumulative CH4 uptake was significantly higher and the highest uptake was at the level of 40 t·hm-2. Biochar amendment had no significant effect on cumulative N2O emissions and the global warming potential (GDP). The greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI) decreased by 13.24%-22.14%. The wheat yield increased by 1.72%-32.19% after biochar addition. When the applied biochar level was ≥ 40 t·hm-2, the wheat yield increments were significantly higher. The biochar addition of 40 t·hm-2 was the optimal level for increasing the wheat yield. The soil organic carbon and water content under biochar amendment increased by 1.42-2.69 times and 7.08%-11.96%, respectively. The results suggested that Lou soil was the sink of atmospheric CH4 and the emission source of N2O during the winter wheat growth period, and the biochar level of 40 t·hm-2 was the optimal addition amount.

Statistical study to identify the key factors governing ground water recharge in the watersheds of the arid Central Asia.

Understanding the source and recharge of ground waters is of great significance to our knowledge in hydrological cycles in arid environments over the world. Northern Xinjiang in northwestern China is a significant repository of information relating to the hydrological evolution and climatic changes in central Asia. In this study, two multivariate statistical techniques, hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA), were used to assess the ground water recharge and its governing factors, with the principal idea of exploring the above techniques to utilize all available hydrogeochemical variables in the quality assessment, which are not considered in the conventional techniques like Stiff and Piper diagrams. Q-mode HCA and R-mode PCA were combined to partition the water samples into seven major water clusters (C1-C7) and three principal components (PC1-PC3, PC1 salinity, PC2 hydroclimate, PC3 contaminant). The water samples C1 + C4 were classified as recharge area waters (Ca-HCO3 water), C2 + C3 as transitional zone waters (Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4 water), and C5 + C6 + C7 as discharge area waters (Na-SO4 water). Based on the Q-mode PCA scores, three groups of geochemical processes influencing recharge regimes were identified: geogenic (i.e., caused by natural geochemical processes), geomorphoclimatic (caused by topography and climate), and anthropogenic (caused by ground water contamination). It is proposed that differences in recharge mechanism and ground water evolution, and possible bedrock composition difference, are responsible for the chemical genesis of these waters. These will continue to influence the geochemistry of the northern Xinjiang drainage system for a long time due to its steady tectonics and arid climate. This study proved that the chemistry differentiation of ground water can effectively support the identification of ground water recharge and evolution patterns.

[Influence of Biochar on Greenhouse Gases Emissions and Physico-chemical Properties of Loess Soil].

Biochar is known to be a good soil amendment to improve soil physical and biochemical characteristics, to increase crop yield, and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from soils. In this study, five addition levels of apple tree branches-derived biochar (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 t·hm-2) were used in field plot test. The effects of biochar on soil temperature, soil aggregates, NO3--N, NH4+-N, microbial biomass carbon and greenhouse gas fluxes were investigated during the whole pepper growth season. The results showed that biochar amendment increased the temperature moderation capability of soil and increased the content of soil macro-aggregates, especially the content of aggregates with sizes >5 mm, 5-2 mm and 1-0.5 mm. As compared with the control, the contents of NO3--N, NH4+-N and microbial biomass carbon increased by 4.9%-33.9%, 9.1%-41.1% and 11.8%-38.5% with the increase of biochar content respectively. Biochar amendment increased CO2 emissions and CH4 uptake by 6.73%-23.35% and 3.62%-14.17%, respectively. N2O emissions and global warming potential (GWP) decreased at biochar levels of 20 and 40 t·hm-2 and increased when the biochar levels were 60 and 80 t·hm-2 as compared with the control. The results suggested that as a soil conditioner, biochar improved soil quality, soil fertility and function of agriculture soil on carbon sequestion and decreased emission cut. In addition, the choice of biochar level is very important.

Enhanced Antiproliferative Effect of Carboplatin in Cervical Cancer Cells Utilizing Folate-Grafted Polymeric Nanoparticles.

Carboplatin (CRB) possesses superior anticancer effect in cervical cancer cells with lower incidence of side effects compared to that of cisplatin. However, CRB suffers from severe side effects due to undesirable tissue distributions which contribute to the low therapeutic efficacy. Here, we report a unique folic acid-conjugated chitosan-coated poly(D-L-lactideco-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (FPCC) prepared for the selective delivery of carboplatin to the cervical cancer cells. The particles were nanosized and spherical shaped with size less than <200 nm. The presence of protective chitosan layer controlled the overall release rate of CRB from chitosan-coated PLGA nanoparticles (PCC) and FPCC. FPCC displayed a higher cellular uptake capacity in HeLa cells than compared to non-targeted nanoparticles. Selective uptake of FPCC was due to an interaction of folic acid (FA) with the folate receptors alpha (FRs-α) which is overexpressed on the HeLa and promoted active targeting. These results indicated that FPCC had a specific affinity for the cancerous, HeLa cells owing to ligand-receptor (FA-FR-α) recognition. Consistently, FPCC showed superior cytotoxic effect than any other formulations. The IC50 (concentration of the drug required to kill 50 % of the cells) value of FPCC was 0.65 µg/ml while it was 1.08, 1.56, and 2.35 µg/ml for PCC, PLGA NP, and free CRB, respectively. Consistent with the cytotoxicity assay, FPCC induced higher fraction of early as well as late apoptosis cells. Especially, FPCC induced nearly 45 % of early apoptosis cells and more than 35 % in late apoptosis. Therefore, we propose that folate-conjugated nanoparticles might have potential applications in cervical cancer therapy.

[Effect of Sox2 on proliferation of cervical squamous cancer cell line SiHa].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect and its mechanism of stem cell related transcription factor Sox2 on the proliferation of cervical squamous carcinoma cell line SiHa. METHODS: Plasmid pIRES-EGFP-Sox2 or empty plasmid (pIRES-EGFP-empty) was stably transfected into SiHa cells. The expression of Sox2 was detected by both RT-PCT and Western blot. The effects of Sox2 on cellular proliferation and cell cycle were studied by MTT assay and flow cytometry (FCM) respectively. The expression of cell cycle related protein CyclinD1 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Compared to SiHa-EGFP cells, the expression of Sox2 was obviously up-regulated in SiHaSox2 cells (P < 0.01). MTT result showed that SiHa-Sox2 cells grew faster than the control cells. The over expression of Sox2 increased the proportion of transfected cells in phase S. The increased expression of CyclinD1 was further detected after the successful expression of Sox2 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Sox2 could enhance the proliferation of cervical squamous cancer cells in the manner of up-regulating CyclinD1 expression.

[Establishment of mouse lens epithelial cell lines with the genotype of Hsf4-/-].

OBJECTIVE: To establish mouse lens epithelial cell lines with the genotype of Hsf4-/-. METHODS: The expended mouse lens epithelial cells, which were generated from P6 Hsf4-deficient mouse lens epithelia, were immortalized with SV40-T-antigen and named MLEC/Hsf4-/- cell. The expression of alpha A-crystallin was immunoblotted. Hsf4b cDNA was reconstituted by transiently transfection. RESULTS: The SV40-immortalized cells were in adherent growth mode with spindle morphology, pseudopodia, clear nuclear boundary membrane and cytoplasm translucent. Immunoblotting results indicated that the lens biomarker protein alpha A-crystallin was expressed in MLEC/Hsf4-/- cells. Reconstitution of Hsf4b into MLEC/Hsf4-/- cells upregulated the expression of Hsp25. CONCLUSIONS: The SV40-immortalized MLEC/Hsf4-/- cells have the lens epithelial characteristics and could be used as a tool for studying the signal transduction in vitro.

[Differential expression of miR-21, miR-126, miR-143, miR-373 in normal cervical tissue, cervical cancer tissue and Hela cell].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the differential expression of miR-21, miR-126, miR-143 and miR-373 in normal cervical tissue, cervical cancer tissue and Hela cell. METHODS: The expressions of miR-21, miR-126, miR-143 and miR-373 were detected by real-time PCR in cervical cancer tissue, cervical tissue of benign uterine tumor and Hela cell. RESULTS: High expression of miR-21 was observed in cervical cancer and Hela cell, while low expression was observed in normal cervical tissue. The relative quantification of miR-21 in cerveical cancer was 11.3196 times that of miR-21 in normal cervical tissue (P < 0.05). The expression levels of miR-143 and miR-373 in cervical cancer and Hela cell were lower than those of normal cervical tissue. The relative quantification of miR-143 in cerveical cancer was 0.1553 times that of normal cervical tissue (P < 0.05), and the relative quantification of miR-373 in cerveical cancer was 0.4907 times that of normal cervical tissue (P < 0.05). The expression of miR-126 had no significant difference among cervical cancer tissue, Hela cell and normal cervical tissue (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: miRNAs are closely related to the occurrence and regulation of cervical cancer. The high expression of miR-21 in cervical cancer and Hela cell indicate that it may play a possible role of oncogenes, while miR-143 and miR-373 with low expression may play the role of tumor suppressor genes.

In vitro-activated tumor-bearing host T cells and the effectiveness of tumor vaccine immunotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Vaccination during periods of lymphopenia may facilitate immune responses to weak self-antigens and enhance antitumor immunity. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of tumor vaccine immunotherapy combined with immune reconstruction using tumor-bearing host immune cells in lymphopenia, and to investigate the role of tumor-bearing host T cells activated in vitro during immunotherapy. DESIGN AND SETTING: Animal study conducted in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from January 2009 to January 2010. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Lymphopenia was induced by cyclophosphamide. A reconstituted immune system with different syngeneic lymphocytes was employed, including lymphocytes from naïve rats (unsensitized group), tumor-bearing rats (tumor-bearing group), and tumor-bearing rats activated in vitro (activated group). All rats were immunized with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-modified NuTu-19 ovarian cancer (GM-CSF/NuTu-19) cells. Tumor vaccine-draining lymph nodes (TVDLNs) were harvested, and then stimulated to induce effector T cells (T(E)). T(E) were then adoptively transferred to rats bearing a 3-day pre-established abdominal tumor (NuTu-19), and the survival rate was calculated. RESULTS: Compared with the unsensitized group, the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) were significantly lower in the tumor-bearing group, whereas that of IL-4 were significantly higher (P<.05). The number of CD4+ T cells secreting interferon-γ and the specific cytotoxicity of CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes were significantly lower (P<.05). The survival was significantly higher in the activated group compared with the other groups. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocytes from tumor-bearing rats activated in vitro can effectively reverse the immunosuppressive effects of tumor-bearing hosts.

[Evaluation of immune reconstitution with in vitro-activated T cells from a tumor-bearing host].

AIM: To evaluate the reconstituted immune system with in vitro-activated T cells from tumor-bearing rats coupled with ovarian cancer vaccination. METHODS: Fischer 344 female rats were injected with cyclophosphamide (CY) as a lymphopenia (LP) model. The immune systems of the rats were reconstituted with in vitro-activated T cells from the same individuals. GM-CSF-modified ovarian cancer cells lines (NuTu-19) were injected within 24 h after immune reconstitution. The tumor vaccine draining lymph nodes (TVDLN) were harvested 8-10 days after vaccination and analyzed by FACS. The proliferative capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) was measured by the levels of MHC-II and CD86 molecules. The activation of T cells was monitored by the percentage of FITC-CD4 and PE-CD8 cells. The biological function of DCs such as processing and presenting antigens was assayed by immature DCs' phagocytosis of FITC-Dextran. RESULTS: Immune reconstitution with in vitro-activated T cells produced significantly more DCs, T cells and functionally enhanced immature DCs out of TVDLN. CONCLUSION: Reconstituting immune system with in vitro-activated T cells from a tumor-bearing host coupled with ovarian cancer vaccination during lymphocytopenia may selectively expand and activate particular T cells and DCs, leading to augmentation of anti-tumor immunity.

[Animal experiments of immunotherapy with ovarian tumor vaccine during lymphopenia induced by chemotherapy.].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanisms and effects of adoptive immunotherapy with ovarian cancer vaccine modified by GM-CSF gene which was used after immunologic reconstitution during lymphopenia induced by chemotherapy. METHODS: Lymphopenia was induced by chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide. The immune reconstituted model was built in rats. The tumor vaccine draining lymph nodes were harvested after the ovarian cancer cells NUTU-19 modified by GM-CSF gene were injected. The effector T cells (T(E)) were got after being stimulated and amplified. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the level of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-4 secreted by T(E). Intracellular cytokine staining was used to determine frequency of tumor-specific T(E). Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to detect the special cytotoxicity of T(E) killing target cells. The survival period of rats bearing pre-established abdominal ovariam carcinoma after being adoptively transferred by T(E) was observed. RESULTS: Compared with those in control group, the significant higher levels IL-2 [(65.7 +/- 4.0) pg/ml] and lower levels IL-4 [(277 +/- 49) pg/ml] were observed in chemotherapy-immune reconstitution-vaccine immunization group. The amount of CD(4)(+) T cells secreting interferon-gamma (13.0 +/- 2.1)% were also significantly increased. The rate of the special cytotoxicity of killing T cells (86.5 +/- 1.1)% was markedly improved. The survival period of rats (110 +/- 16) days was increased in chemotherapy-immune reconstitution-vaccine immunization group. CONCLUSIONS: The combined immunotherapy of chemotherapy-immune reconstitution-tumor vaccine immunotherapy may increase the frequency and function of specific tumor T(E). The specific cytotoxicity is increased and the weak reaction of T(E) to tumor is improved, which showed that this therapy can enhance immune reaction.

[Effects of antiarrhythmic drug use on atrial fibrillation recurrence in atrial fibrillation patients post circumferential pulmonary vein ablation].

OBJECTIVE: This prospective and randomize-controlled trial was designed to investigate the effects of antiarrhythmic drug use (AADs) on atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence in atrial fibrillation patients post circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CAPV). METHODS: Seventy-four consecutive AF patients underwent CAPV (41 paroxysmal and 33 drug refractory AF) were randomly assigned to receive placebo (Group A) or AADs (Group B) for 3 months. Monthly standard electrocardiograms (ECG) and Holter monitoring were performed to assess AF recurrences during 17 - 28 months follow-up. RESULTS: CAPV was successful in all patients. The recurrence rate of AF in Group B was significantly lower than that in Group A at 3 months post CAPV (13.5% vs. 37.8%, P < 0.01) and similar thereafter (29.7% vs. 24.3% at 12 months and 8.1% vs. 8.1% at more than 12 months, all P > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in terms of total recurrence rate between the two groups (37.8% vs. 32.4%, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Post CAPV antiarrhythmic drug therapy could only decrease the early AF recurrence rate but was not effective for decreasing AF recurrence rate on later stage.