Surgical treatment of lung metastasis in patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia: A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: The lungs are the most common site of metastasis in patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. We investigated surgical management and prognostic factors of patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia to assess the value of lung metastasis resection. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The clinical data of patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and lung metastasis treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2005 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Surgical characteristics and survival outcomes were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 213 patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia and lung metastasis were screened, and 148 patients who underwent unilateral lung resection were analyzed. Patients' median age was 32 years. Lobectomy was performed in 65.5% of patients, while wedge resection was performed in 34.5%. The rate of postoperative complications was 12.2%. The pathological rate was 66.2%. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery showed better surgical characteristics than thoracotomy did. Compared with lobectomy, wedge resection had a shorter operative time, shorter duration of chest tube placement, shorter postoperative hospital stay, and fewer postoperative complications. The median follow-up period was 36 months. During follow-up, 90.5% of patients achieved complete remission. The 5-year disease-free and overall survival rates were 80.4% and 92.6%, respectively. More previous chemotherapy courses and failure to achieve normal ß-human chorionic gonadotropin levels postoperatively were predictors of poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of lung metastasis is valuable and safe for patients with refractory gestational trophoblastic neoplasia. The minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic approach and wedge resection are recommended.

KLF8 overexpression promotes the growth of human lung cancer cells by promoting the expression of JMJD2A.

BACKGROUND: Non-small-cell lung cancer (lung cancer) has become one of the leading causes worldwide and the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. The transcriptional factor Kruppel like factor 8 (KLF8) is involved in the initiation, progression, transformation, and metastasis of diverse cancers. However, the roles of KLF8 in human non-small cell lung cancer remain unknown. METHODS: CCK-8 kit and colony formation assay were performed to determine the cell growth of lung cancer cells. Flow cytometry analysis was used to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle of lung cancer cells. Luciferase reporter assay was used to examine the activation of JMJD2A promoter by KLF8. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assay was performed to evaluate the binding of KLF8 to JMJD2A promoter. Western blot and polymerase chain reaction were applied to analyze the expression of interested genes. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein levels of KLF8 in human non-small cell lung cancer tissues were overexpressed compared with the non-cancer tissues. KLF8 was knocked down with lentivirus-mediated short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) in human lung cancer cells (A549 and H1299 cells). The phenotypic results showed that KLF8 knockdown decreased the proliferation rate and colony formation of lung cancer cells. By contrast, lentivirus-mediated KLF8 overexpression promoted the growth of lung cancer cells (A549 and H1299 cells) and non-cancerous bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B. Next, we showed that KLF8 regulated cell cycle at the G0 phase but not regulates cellular apoptosis of lung cancer cells. KLF8 regulated the expression of the cell cycle regulators P21 and CDK4 in a JMJD2A-dependent manner and JMJD2A knockdown significantly blocked the functions of KLF8 in regulating cell cycle and proliferation of lung cancer cells. Finally, we observed that KLF8 bound the promoter of JMJD2A and facilitated the expression of JMJD2A. CONCLUSIONS: Our evidence demonstrated that KLF8 upregulation in human lung cancer promotes the cell proliferation and colony formation of lung cancer cells. KLF8 binds to the promoter of JMJD2A and subsequently regulates the expression of P21 and CDK4, which contributes to the regulation of cell cycle by KLF8. KLF8 may serve as a target for the treatment of human lung cancer.

Downregulation of a novel long noncoding RNA TRPM2-AS promotes apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer is still poor. Recent evidence has proved that long noncoding RNA is involved in tumorigenesis. For non-small cell lung cancer, the expression profile of long noncoding RNA has been studied. Here, we identified a novel long noncoding RNA TRPM2-AS from published dataset and found TRPM2-AS is widely upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer tissues compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Higher expression level of TRPM2-AS was correlated with higher TNM stages and larger tumor size. Patients with high TRPM2-AS expression level had poor survival than those with low TRPM2-AS level. We silenced TRPM2-AS by small interfering RNA and found that cell proliferation was significantly inhibited after knockdown of TRPM2-AS. Annexin V/propidium iodide staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay confirmed that cell apoptosis increased after TRPM2-AS knockdown. Further experiments showed that silence of TRPM2-AS upregulated SHC1 and silence of SHC1 partially reversed cell apoptosis after TRPM2-AS knockdown. In summary, the novel long noncoding RNA TRPM2-AS upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer, and downregulation of TRPM2-AS promotes apoptosis in vitro.

Effects of RNAi-mediated TUSC3 silencing on radiation-induced autophagy and radiation sensitivity of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 under hypoxic condition.

This study examined the effects of RNAi-mediated TUSC3 silencing on radiation-induced autophagy and radiation sensitivity of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 under hypoxic condition. Different CoCl2 concentrations were used to treat A549 cells and establish a CoCl2-induced hypoxic model of A549 cells. MTT and clone formation assays were used to determine the effects of different concentrations of CoCl2 on the growth and proliferation of A549 cells treated by different doses of X-ray irradiation. The siRNA-expressing vector was transfected by liposomes and for silencing of TUSC3. Flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle changes and apoptosis rate. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay was performed to detect the expression of TUSC3 mRNA. Western blotting was applied to detect the changes of TUSC3, LC3, and p62 proteins under different CoCl2 concentrations and after siRNA silencing of TUSC3. The TUSC3 levels in A549 cells increased under hypoxic conditions in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). Hypoxia inhibited the growth and proliferation of A549 cells and promoted apoptosis (P < 0.05). With an increasing dose of X-ray irradiation, A549 cells showed significantly increased growth and proliferation and decreased apoptosis (P < 0.05). After siRNA-TUSC3 was transfected by liposome, the TUSC3 level was substantially inhibited (P < 0.05). Silencing TUSC3 inhibited A549 cell growth and proliferation after radiotherapy under hypoxic condition, promoted apoptosis, increased G0/G1 phase cells, and reduced S phase cells (all P < 0.05). Hypoxia and radiation along with different CoCl2 concentrations could induce cell autophagy, which increased with concentration and dose, while silencing the TUSC3 gene inhibited autophagy (all P < 0.05). RNAi silencing of TUSC3 inhibited growth and proliferation, while enhanced apoptosis and radiation sensitivity of hypoxic A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Immunophenotypic and prognostic analysis of PAX8 and TTF-1 expressions in neuroendocrine carcinomas of thymic origin: A comparative study with their pulmonary counterparts.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the immunoreactivity of TTF-1 and PAX8 in neuroendocrine carcinoma of thymic (TNEC) and pulmonary origins (PNEC), and whether their immunophenotyping could be used to distinguish between NEC of the two sites, as well as prognosis of patients with TNEC. METHODS: Twenty-two cases of TNEC and 20 cases of PNEC were selected for immunohistochemical analysis using PAX8 and TTF-1. Clinical data and follow-up information were obtained for survival analyses. RESULTS: TTF-1 immunoreactivity was seen in 19 PNEC cases (95%) and 13 TNEC cases (59.1%). PAX8 was negative in all pulmonary tumors while positive in 19 thymic cases (86.4%). TTF-1 positivity was associated with high sensitivity but low specificity for PNEC, and adding PAX8 negativity significantly increased the specificity. PAX8 positivity alone showed essentially 100% specificity and 86.4% sensitivity for TNEC. Survival analysis showed lung metastasis as a significant prognostic factor in TNEC. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that TTF-1/PAX8 immunophenotyping may be helpful for differential diagnosis of NECs of pulmonary and thymic origins. TTF-1+/PAX8- immunophenotyping showed high specificity for PNECs, while PAX8+ alone showed a good diagnostic accuracy for TNEC. Lung metastasis was a predictive factor that associated with survival of TNEC patients. J. Surg. Oncol. 2016;114:697-702. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Intrapulmonary migration of a fractured acupuncture needle: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture, a traditional Chinese medical treatment, has been gaining popularity over the years. However, it also presents certain risks. We report a case of a patient who discovered a foreign body in their lung several years after undergoing acupuncture. CASE PRESENTATION: A middle-aged woman presented to our hospital with chest pain. An X-ray revealed a needle-like foreign body in the middle lobe of her right lung. The patient had previously undergone acupuncture treatment for local pain in her lower back and lower extremities many years prior. Based on the imaging findings and her medical history, we hypothesized that the foreign body in her lung was a result of a dislodged acupuncture needle. Through preoperative 3-dimensional reconstruction and indocyanine green localization, we were able to locate the foreign body in the lateral segment of the right middle lobe. We successfully removed the foreign body via wedge resection, and the patient made a smooth recovery post-surgery. CONCLUSION: Acupuncturists and surgeons should remain vigilant about the potential risks associated with acupuncture.

A seven-immune-genes risk model predicts the survival and suitable treatments for patients with skin cutaneous melanoma.

Background: Skin cutaneous melanoma is characterized by high malignancy and prognostic heterogeneity. Immune cell networks are critical to the biological progression of melanoma through the tumor microenvironment. Thus, identifying effective biomarkers for skin cutaneous melanoma from the perspective of the tumor microenvironment may offer strategies for precise prognosis prediction and treatment selection. Methods: A total of 470 cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas and 214 from the Gene Expression Omnibus were systematically evaluated to construct an optimal independent immune cell risk model with predictive value using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, Cox regression, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator assay. The predictive power of the developed model was estimated through receiver operating characteristic curves and Kaplan-Meier analysis. The association of the model with tumor microenvironment status, immune checkpoints, and mutation burden was assessed using multiple algorithms. Additionally, the sensitivity of immune and chemotherapeutics was evaluated using the ImmunophenScore and pRRophetic algorithm. Furthermore, the expression profiles of risk genes were validated using gene expression profiling interactive analysis and Human Protein Atlas resources. Results: The risk model integrated seven immune-related genes: ARNTL, N4BP2L1, PARP11, NUB1, GSDMD, HAPLN3, and IRX3. The model demonstrated considerable predictive ability and was positively associated with clinical and molecular characteristics. It can be utilized as a prognostic factor for skin cutaneous melanoma, where a high-risk score was linked to a poor prognosis and indicated an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Furthermore, the model revealed several potential target checkpoints and predicted the therapeutic benefits of multiple clinically used drugs. Conclusion: Our findings provide a comprehensive landscape of the tumor immune microenvironment in skin cutaneous melanoma and identify prognostic markers that may serve as efficient clinical diagnosis and treatment selection tools.

Surgical therapy and outcome of descending necrotizing mediastinitis in Chinese: a single-center series.

Background: Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis (DNM) is an acute and often fatal infection that affects the neck and mediastinum. DNM treatment consists of broad-spectrum antibiotics, early diagnosis, and surgical debridement with multidisciplinary cooperation. However, owing to the rarity and complexity of this disease, the mortality rate is high. This retrospective study analyzed a single-center experience of managing DNM in Chinese patients over the last 10 years. Methods: A single-center, retrospective, observational, and descriptive study was conducted on 31 patients with DNM at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 2012 to 2022. Case report forms were used to collect data which were then analyzed with a focus on surgical management and outcomes. Results: This study examined the outcomes of 31 patients diagnosed with DNM at our hospital. The most common comorbidities on admission were hypertension (48%) and diabetes mellitus (42%). The degree of diffusion of DNM according to Endo's classification was classified as follows: type I in 7 patients (22.6%), type IIA in 5 (16.1%), and type IIB in 19 patients (61.3%). Among these patients, 13 (41.9%) were found to have a single microbial infection, while 16 (51.6%) were found to have polymicrobial infections. In all cases, neck drainage was performed via cervicotomy, with multiple drains (64.5%) and vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) (35.5%). Mediastinal drainage was performed via a cervical mediastinotomy (51.6%), video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) (41.9%), or thoracotomy (6.5%). The 30-day mortality rate was 25.8% and 24.0 days of the average length of hospital stay. Conclusion: Early accurate diagnosis and timely intervention have been shown to be correlated with a positive prognosis. Cervicothoracic CT (computed tomography) is essential for the diagnosis, staging, and evaluation of the optimal surgical treatment. Cervicotomy and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with percutaneous drainage is effective, even in advanced cases. Additionally, the application of VSD in cervical incision did not improve prognosis but may shorten the length of ICU (intensive care unit) and hospital stays.

Is response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) effective in patient selection for radical resection after neoadjuvant immunotherapy with advanced NSCLC?

BACKGROUND: Neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has been used to treat locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several systems have been developed for response evaluation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (RECIST) and propose modified RECIST (mRECIST). METHODS: Eligible patients received chemotherapy combined with personalized neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Radical resection was subsequently performed for potentially resectable tumors evaluated by RECIST. The resected specimens were evaluated to determine the response to neoadjuvant therapy. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients received radical resection following neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. According to RECIST, four patients had complete remission, 41 had partial remission, and 14 had progressive disease. Postoperative pathological examination showed 31 patients achieved complete pathological remission, and 13 achieved major pathological remission. The final pathological results were uncorrelated with RECIST assessment (p = 0.086). The ycN stage and pN stage were irrelevant (p < 0.001). When the cutoff of sum of diameters (SoD) is 17%, the Youden's index reached its highest value. A correlation was found between mRECIST and final pathological results. Patients with squamous cell lung cancer showed higher proportions in objective response (OR) (p < 0.001) and complete pathological remission (CPR) (p = 0.001). A shorter time to surgery (TTS) was correlated with a better OR (p = 0.014) and CPR (p = 0.010). The decrease in SoD was correlated with better OR (p = 0.008) and CPR (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: mRECIST was effective for patient selection for radical resection after neoadjuvant immunotherapy with advanced NSCLC. Two modifications were suggested for RECIST: (1) the cutoff value was adjusted to 17% for partial remission. (2) Changes in lymph nodes on computed tomography were eliminated. A shorter TTS, a larger decrease in SoD and squamous cell lung cancer (vs. adenocarcinoma) were correlated with better pathological responses.

The impact of segmentectomy versus lobectomy on pulmonary function in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Segmentectomy has been reported as an alternative to lobectomy for small-sized NSCLC without detriment to survival. The long-term benefits of segmentectomy over lobectomy on pulmonary function have not been firmly established. This meta-analysis aims to compare postoperative changes in pulmonary function in NSCLC patients undergoing segmentectomy or lobectomy. METHODS: Medline, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus were searched through March 2021. Statistical comparisons were made when appropriate. RESULTS: Fourteen studies (2412 participants) out of 324 citations were included in this study. All selected studies were high quality, as indicated by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for assessing the risk of bias. Clinical outcomes were compared between segmentectomy and lobectomy. ΔFEV1 [10 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 0.40 (0.29, 0.51)], ΔFVC [4 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 0.16 (0.07, 0.24)], ΔFVC% [4 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 4.05 (2.32, 5.79)], ΔFEV1/FVC [2 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 1.99 (0.90, 3.08)], and ΔDLCO [3 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 1.30 (0.69, 1.90)] were significantly lower in the segmentectomy group than in the lobectomy group. Subgroup analysis showed that in stage IA patients, the ΔFEV1% [3 studies, P < 0.01, WMD = 0.26 (0.07, 0.46)] was significantly lower in the segmentectomy group. The ΔDLCO% and ΔMVV% were incomparable. CONCLUSION: Segmentectomy preserves more lung function than lobectomy. There were significantly smaller decreases in FEV1, FVC, FVC%, FEV1/FVC and DLCO in the segmentectomy group than in the lobectomy group.

A pulmonary nodule mislocated in "dorsal" segment due to tri-lobed left lung.

Background: The left lung has two lobes and one fissure, while the right lung has three lobes and two fissures. Accessory fissures are usually found in imaging examinations and autopsies; however, finding an actual accessory lobe is rare. Case presentation: In a lung nodule resection surgery, a 68-year-old male patient was found with three lobes and two fissures in his left lung. The lung nodule was misdiagnosed as being located in the lower lobe because the accessory fissure was misregarded as the oblique fissure. The lung nodule was found in the upper lobe, and this anatomical variation changed the surgical plan. The pathology of the lung nodule was granulomatous inflammation with caseous necrosis with the positive antacid stain. The patient was eventually diagnosed with tuberculosis. Literature review: Cases involving the lung accessory fissure and lung accessory lobe variants were reviewed. In 10 autopsy and dissection studies, the incidence of accessory fissure in the left lung was 13.5% (79/587, ranging from 2.7% to 50.0%), and in the right lung, it was 7.3% (42/575, ranging from 3.1% to 30.4%). The incidence of accessory lobes in the left lung was 2.0% (11/547, ranging from 0.0% to 7.4%), and in the right lung was 2.6% (14/539, ranging from 0.0% to 17.4%). The incidence of accessory fissures in bilateral lungs identified by chest x-ray or computed tomography ranged from 7.3% to 32.0%. Three surgical case reports inferred accessory lobes, including a left upper lobectomy, left lung transplantation, and an open thoracotomy. Conclusion: This is the first clinical case report that shows that lung accessory lobe caused the mislocation of a lung nodule. Therefore, radiologists and surgeons should be aware of the possibility of an accessory lobe in the lung.

Multi-organs perioperative immune-related adverse events and postoperative bronchial anastomotic fistula in a patient receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy with NSCLC.

The safety of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy before surgery in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains unclear in the perioperative stage. We describe a case of a 63-year-old man with IIIC stage NSCLC who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy and radical lobectomy. After the second cycle of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy (paclitaxel + carboplatin), the patient was diagnosed with immunologic enterocolitis and relieved by glucocorticoid therapy. Radical lobectomy of the right upper lobe was then performed. On postoperative day 4 (POD 4), the patient suddenly suffered suffocated wheezing during sleep. Interstitial lung disease was, therefore, identified by chest computed tomography scan. Glucocorticoids and mechanical ventilation were applied and the symptoms were relieved. On POD 10, the patient developed a bronchial fistula and underwent emergent repair surgery. This is the first case of multi-organs, multi-time point immune-related adverse events (irAE) in perioperative NSCLC patients who received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy. Clinicians should be on high alert for signs of irAEs in neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy patients, promptly requiring multidisciplinary management.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy followed by surgery with curative intent in 35 patients with advanced NSCLC: the retrospective experiences of a multidisciplinary team.

Background: In recent years, neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has been used to treat locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, no data are available to guide the selection of patients suitable for radical resection. In this paper, we report a clinical mode based on a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients with advanced NSCLC who were treated in our center between 26 December, 2019 and 1 October, 2021. These cases received an MDT assessment first. Eligible patients then received chemotherapy combined with personalized neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Adverse events were recorded. Chest computed tomography (CT) was performed every other cycle for tumor assessment. Radical resection was subsequently performed for potentially resectable tumors. Intraoperative conditions and surgical complications were recorded. The resected specimens were evaluated to determine the response to neoadjuvant therapy. Results: The MDT team selected a total of 35 patients (squamous cell carcinoma: n=26, adenocarcinoma: n=8, adenosquamous carcinoma: n=1) for radical resection following neoadjuvant immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy. According to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) findings, 1 patient had complete remission, 27 had partial remission, 6 had progressive disease, and 1 had stable disease. All participants underwent radical resection, including video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery [VATS; 32 (91.4%)], sleeve resection [7 (20.0%)], and multilobar resection [7 (20.0%)]. A total of 17 patients (48.6%) achieved complete pathological remission, and 10 (28.6%) achieved major pathological remission. After surgery, the pathological grade was reduced in 33 patients (94.2%); the RECIST findings were unrelated to postoperative pathological remission (P=0.15). Conclusions: The MDT mode helps to select suitable patients for radical resection and results in satisfactory pathological remission.

[Expression of orexin receptor 1 in rat pancreatic tissue with alimentary obesity].

OBJECTIVE: To identify the presence of orexin receptor 1 (OXR1) in obese rat pancreas and clarify its effect and mechanism on body weight and metabolic index in obese rats. METHODS: The obese rat model was established a high-fat diet. And the serum levels of glucose, triglyceride and insulin were measured by Mini-Blood Glucose meter, biochemical enzymatic method and chemiluminescent immunoassay. The pancreatic expression of OX1R protein was identified by immunohistochemistry. After an intracerebroventricular infusion of orexin receptor 1 antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (OX1R-PS-ODNs), the effect on OX1R protein was detected in rat pancreatic tissue with obesity. RESULTS: After feeding for 8 weeks, high-fat diet rats appear alimentary obesity body weight, serum glucose, insulin, triglyceride and cholesterol of high-diet rats were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of OX1R protein was located in the cytoplasm of pancreas Islet ß-cells. The expression of OX1R protein in obese rat pancreas decreased around 16% versus the normal group (P < 0.05). After the obese rats were treated by OX1R-PS-ODNs for 72 hours, the expression of OX1R protein in pancreas declined from 82 ± 6 to 65 ± 4, reduced about 21% compare with control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The expression of OX1R protein is found in pancreas Islet ß-cells. Hypothalamic orexin system can intervene the expression of OX1R protein in rat pancreatic tissue with alimentary obesity. And it may participate in the occurrence of obesity and the metabolic regulation of serum glucose and insulin.

Inhibition of cancer cell growth in cisplatin-resistant human oral cancer cells by withaferin-A is mediated via both apoptosis and autophagic cell death, endogenous ROS production, G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and by targeting MAPK/RAS/RAF signalling pathway.

The Editors of JBUON issue an Expression of Concern to 'Inhibition of cancer cell growth in cisplatin-resistant human oral cancer cells by withaferin-A is mediated via both apoptosis and autophagic cell death, endogenous ROS production, G2/M phase cell cycle arrest and by targeting MAPK/RAS/RAF signalling pathway', by Xuelian Yin, Guang Yang, Dongjie Ma, Zhejun Su, JBUON 2020;25(1):332-337; PMID: 32277651. Following the publication of the above article, readers drew to our attention that part of the data was possibly unreliable. We sent emails to the authors with a request to provide the raw data to prove the originality, but received no reply. Therefore, as we continue to work through the issues raised, we advise readers to interpret the information presented in the article with due caution. We thank the readers for bringing this matter to our attention. We apologize for any inconvenience it may cause.

ZNF280A promotes lung adenocarcinoma development by regulating the expression of EIF3C.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype in non-small cell lung cancer, which is the malignant tumor with the highest mortality and morbidity in the world. Herein, ZNF280A, a member of the zinc finger protein family carrying two consecutive Cys2His2 zinc finger domains, was shown by us to act as a tumor driver in LUAD. The immunohistochemical analysis of ZNF280A in LUAD indicated its positive correlation with tumor grade, pathological stage and lymphatic metastasis, and negative relationship with patients' survival. A loss-of-function study revealed the inhibition of LUAD development by ZNF280A in vitro and in vivo, whereas ZNF280A overexpression induced opposite effects. Statistical analysis of gene expression profiling in LUAD cells with or without ZNF280A knockdown identified EIF3C as a potential downstream of ZNF280A, which possesses similar regulatory effects on phenotypes of LUAD cells with ZNF280A. Moreover, downregulation of EIF3C in ZNF280A-overexpressed cells could attenuate neutralize the ZNF280A-induced promotion of LUAD. In summary, our study demonstrated that ZNF280A may promote the development of LUAD by regulating cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, and cell migration and probably via interacting EIF3C.

Type B thymoma in a patient with HIV infection: A case report with a review of HIV and thymoma coexistence.

HIV infection predisposes people to cancer, including AIDS-defining cancers, such as Kaposi sarcoma, and a broad range of non-AIDS-defining cancers. Here we report a case with rare coexistence of HIV and thymoma, and summarize all the comorbid cases that currently exist. We found that in all the cases reported, thymoma occurred when CD4+ counts were within a normal range, but the immune response in peripheral T-cell repertoire remains unknown. In our case, an overview of the immune system under this complicated situation is given for the first time by showing the lymphocyte subpopulations in the blood and the immune cell distribution of the thymoma. This case expands the scope of non-AIDS-defining cancers, and provides insight into the influence of the immune system under two immunocompromising conditions, HIV infection and thymoma.

Paclitaxel increases the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to lobaplatin via PI3K/Akt pathway.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8086.].

Primary desmoplastic fibroblastoma of diaphragm.

Desmoplastic fibroblastoma is an extremely rare benign soft tissue tumor and desmoplastic fibroblastoma originating from the diaphragm has not been documented previously. In our case, we report the first primary diaphragm desmoplastic fibroblastoma.