Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 2-methyl-(1,1'-biphenyl)-pyrimidine conjugates.

Small molecule inhibitors of biphenyl structure as core backbone have shown a significant effect on PD-1/PD-L1 axis, and 2-amino-pyrimidine structure is a promising privileged scaffold in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. We designed by combination principles and synthesized 27 novel compounds with N-((2-methyl-[1,1'-biphenyl]-3-yl)methyl)pyrimidin-2-amine as a basic skeletal structure, and their anti-cancer activity was evaluated. Among compounds, 15a-d and 16b displayed strong anti-cancer effects on 9 tested cancer cell lines, in particular, the 16b did the highest inhibitive activity, but against HepG2 cells, and possessed the lowest IC50 value of 2.08 µΜ towards HT-29 cells.

LRP5 polymorphism-A potential predictor of the clinical outcome in advanced gastric cancer patients treated with EOF regimen.

PURPOSE: Wnt pathways control key biological processes that potentially impact on tumor progression and patient survival. The present study analyzed the polymorphism of lipoprotein-related receptor 5 (LRP5) (gene with key functions in Wnt signaling) and its impact on the response to chemotherapy and survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). METHODS: A total of 107 consecutive patients with AGC treated with first-line chemotherapy of EOF regimen were enrolled in the present retrospective study. The association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of rs3736228 in LRP5 and the clinical outcomes of the patients was studied. RESULTS: The CC genotype of rs3736228 was significantly correlated with a higher disease control rate when compared to the CT and TT genotypes (89.3% and 61.8%, respectively, P<0.001). A univariate survival analysis also showed that the progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for the patients with the TC and TT genotypes of rs3736228 were worse than for the patients with the CC genotype (PFS: 3.3 and 6.7 months, respectively, HR =0.454, P<0.001; OS: 8.1 months and 18.8 months, respectively, HR =3.056, P<0.001). A multivariate Cox model incorporates rs3736228 and clinical features, also identified rs3736228 was significantly associated with the PFS and OS. CONCLUSIONS: Our results firstly highlight the importance of LRP5 gene of Wnt pathway in the treatment of AGC and identify polymorphism of rs3736228 as independent predictor of disease control rate, PFS and OS in AGC patients treated with first-line chemotherapy of EOF regimen in the Chinese Han population.

Randomized phase II study of TX followed by XELOX versus the reverse sequence for chemo-naive patients with metastatic gastric cancer.

This research found that the clinical outcomes (PFS, ORR, OS) of the non-platinum-based doublet regimen (docetaxel capecitabine combination) were similar to those of the platinum-based (oxaliplatin capecitabine combination) when used as first line therapy for MGC patients. Background: Docetaxel, platinum and fluorouracil are the three most important drugs in the treatment of MGC. This study was to compare clinical outcomes of the docetaxel capecitabine combination and the oxaliplatin capecitabine combination as first-line therapy in MGC patients. Methods: In this phase II trial, MGC patients were randomly assigned and treated with either TX (capecitabine 1000 mg/m2/twice daily/1-14 days and docetaxel 60/75 mg/m2 on the 1st day) (because of toxicity, the dose of docetaxel was reduced to 60 mg/m2) or XELOX (capecitabine the same dose with TX and oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 on the 1st day) as first-line therapy. After progression, patients were crossover to the other group as second-line treatment. Results: Total 134 MGC patients were randomized (69 in TX, 65 in XELOX). There was no significant difference between the PFS of the two groups (TX vs XELOX, 4.6 months vs 5.1 months, p=0.359), and the SFS (9.3 months vs 7.5 months, p=0.705), OS (13.1 months vs 9.6 months, p=0.261), and ORR (46.4% vs 46.2%) were also similar. Among patients with ascites, the TX group had significantly longer PFS and OS than the XELOX group. A total of 85 patients (48 in TX, 37 in XELOX) received second-line treatment, with overall survival of second-line chemotherapy (OS2) of 8.0 m and 5.3 m (p=0.046), respectively. Grade 3 to 4 treatment-related adverse events of first line treatment occurred more in TX group than that in XELOX group(60.6% vs 55.4%). Conclusion: TX regimen is an alternative choice of first-line treatment for MGC patients. We still need to explore the large number of cohort to confirm this results.

Spatiotemporal clustering and meteorological factors affected scarlet fever incidence in mainland China from 2004 to 2017.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic distribution and detect the related meteorological factors of scarlet fever from an ecological perspective, which could provide scientific information for effective prevention and control of this disease. METHODS: The data on scarlet fever cases in mainland China were downloaded from the Data Center of the China Public Health Science, while monthly meteorological data were extracted from the official website of the National Bureau of Statistics. Global Moran's I, local Getis-Ord Gi⁎ hotspot statistics, and Kulldorff's retrospective space-time scan statistical analysis were used to detect the spatial and spatiotemporal clusters of scarlet fever across all settings. A spatial panel data model was conducted to estimate the impact of meteorological factors on scarlet fever incidence. RESULTS: Scarlet fever in China had obvious spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal clustering, high-incidence spatial clusters were located mainly in the north and northeast of China. Nine spatiotemporal clusters were identified. A spatial lag fixed effects panel data model was the best fit for regression analysis. After adjusting for spatial individual effects and spatial autocorrelation (ρ = 0.5623), scarlet fever incidence was positively associated with a one-month lag of average temperature, precipitation, and total sunshine hours (all P-values < 0.05). Each 10 °C, 2 cm, and 10 h increase in temperature, precipitation, and sunshine hours, respectively, was associated with a 6.41% increment and 1.04% and 1.41% decrement in scarlet fever incidence, respectively. CONCLUSION: The incidence of scarlet fever in China showed an upward trend in recent years. It had obvious spatiotemporal clustering, with the high-risk areas mainly concentrated in the north and northeast of China. Areas with high temperature and with low precipitation and sunshine hours tended to have a higher scarlet fever incidence, and we should pay more attention to prevention and control in these places.

Design, synthesis and anti-cancer activity of pyrrole-imidazole polyamides through target-downregulation of c-kit gene expression.

Pyrrole-imidazole polyamide (PIP) can specifically bind in the B-DNA minor groove that has been used in several biological applications, such as anti-cancer activity, gene expression and translation control, and visualization of complex genomic areas. c-kit is a family member of the Tyrosine Kinase (RTK) type III receptor and plays a vital role in tumor growth, proliferation, differentiation, and cell apoptosis; however, its mutations and overexpression induce tumor dysfunction. Here, we designed and synthesized five matched PIPs that can recognize and bind to the DNA sequence in the oncogene c-kit promoter region, and evaluated their anti-cancer activity. The RTCA assay findings revealed that the PIPs would prevent the proliferation of cancer cells A549 and SGC-7901. EMSA assay showed that the PIPs were actively interacting with the c-kit gene target DNA. RT-PCR and Western blot assays have an effect on expression levels of the c-kit gene in the presence of PIPs. Flow cytometry and wound-healing assays showed that PIPs 4, 5 would cause apoptosis of cancer cells and inhibit the migration of cells, respectively. Overall findings indicate that PIP 5 has a relatively significant intracellular and extracellular impact on the target, contributing to migration and proliferation reduction, and cancer cell apoptosis. In addition, PIP has a certain ability to evolve into c-kit gene-targeting drugs.

Mesenchymal stem cells-regulated Treg cells suppress colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have produced controversial results regarding whether mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) promote or inhibit tumor development. Given the dual role of MSCs in inflammation and cancer, in this study the colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) model was used to examine whether umbilical cord tissue-derived MSCs could prevent neoplasm by inhibiting chronic inflammation. METHODS: MSCs were obtained and identified using flow cytometry. Colitis-associated colorectal cancer model was induced using azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and MSCs were injected intravenously twice. Levels of immune cells in mesenteric lymph node including regulatory T (Treg) cells were detected using flow cytometry. Naïve T cells and Jurkat cells were co-cultured with MSCs and the effect of MSCs on Treg cells differentiation was evaluated. RESULTS: After injection through tail vein, MSCs could migrate to colon and suppress colitis-related neoplasm. This tumor suppressive effect was characterized by longer colon length, decreased tumor numbers and decreased expression of Ki-67. Moreover, MSCs alleviated the pathology of inflammation in the colitis stage of CAC model and inhibited inflammation cytokines both in colon and serum. Furthermore, Treg cells were accumulated in mesenteric lymph node of MSCs-treated mice while the percentage of T helper cells 2 (Th2) and Th17 were not changed. Of note, MSCs secreted transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) enhanced the induction of Treg cells from naïve T cells. The conditioned medium of MSCs also activated Smad2 signaling, which has been reported to regulate Treg cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results proved that MSCs could migrate to colon tissues and induce the differentiation of Treg cells via Smad2 as so to inhibit the colitis and suppress the development of CAC.