An intravitreal-injectable hydrogel depot doped borneol-decorated dual-drug-coloaded microemulsions for long-lasting retina delivery and synergistic therapy of wAMD.

Sustained retina drug delivery and rational drug combination are considered essential for enhancing the efficacy of therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) due to the conservative structure of the posterior ocular segment and the multi-factorial pathological mechanism. Designing a drug co-delivery system that can simultaneously achieve deep penetration and long-lasting retention in the vitreous is highly desired, yet remains a huge challenge. In this study, we fabricated Bor/RB-M@TRG as an intravitreal-injectable hydrogel depot for deep penetration into the posterior ocular segment and long-lasting distribution in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer. The Bor/RB-M@TRG consisted of borneol-decorated rhein and baicalein-coloaded microemulsions (Bor/RB-M, the therapy entity) and a temperature-responsive hydrogel matrix (the intravitreal depot). Bor/RB-M exhibited the strongest in vitro anti-angiogenic effects among all the groups studied, which is potentially associated with improved cellular uptake, as well as the synergism of rhein and baicalein, acting via anti-angiogenic and anti-oxidative stress pathways, respectively. Importantly, a single intravitreal (IVT) injection with Bor/RB-M@TRG displayed significant inhibition against the CNV of wAMD model mice, compared to all other groups. Particularly, coumarin-6-labeled Bor/RB-M@TRG (Bor/C6-M@TRG) could not only deeply penetrate into the retina but also stably accumulate in the RPE layer for at least 14 days. Our design integrates the advantages of borneol-decorated microemulsions and hydrogel depots, offering a promising new approach for clinically-translatable retinal drug delivery and synergistic anti-wAMD treatment.

CAR-T cell therapy targeting B cell maturation antigen is effective for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, including cases with poor performance status.

In this open-label, single-arm, phase I/II clinical trial, we evaluated the efficacy of anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell (HDS269B) therapy in 49 relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients, including 20 with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 3-4. After HDS269B infusion (9 × 106 CAR+ cells/kg), 17 patients (34.69%, 11 ECOG 0-2, 6 ECOG 3-4) developed cytokine release syndrome [grade 1-2: 14 patients (28.57%); grade 3: 3 patients (6.12%)]. The objective response rate (ORR) was 77%, with a complete response (CR) achieved in 47%. Ongoing response >12 months occurred in 15 patients, and was extended beyond 38 months in one patient. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10 months (95% CI 5.3-14.7) and 29 months (95% CI 10.0-48.0), respectively. The PFS (12 months) and OS (18 months) rates were 41.64% and 62.76%, respectively. In patients with ECOG 0-2 and 3-4, ORR was 79.31% (23/29) and 75.0% (15/20) and PFS were 15 months (95% CI 5.4-24.6) and 4 months (95% CI 0-11.7), respectively. OS was not reached in ECOG 0-2 patients, but was 10.5 months (95% CI 0-22) in ECOG 3-4 patients. Single-cell sequencing indicated that treatment efficacy might be related to mTORC1 signaling. Thus, HDS269B therapy is safe and effective for RRMM patients, even those with ECOG 3-4.

Highly Efficient Degradation of Persistent Pollutants with 3D Nanocone TiO2-Based Photoelectrocatalysis.

Photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) degradation of organic pollutants into CO2 and H2O is a promising strategy for addressing ever-growing environmental problems. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely studied because of its good performance and environmental benignancy; however, the PEC activity of TiO2 catalyst is substantially limited due to its fast electron-hole recombination. Herein, we report a TiO2 nanocone-based photoelectrocatalyst with superior degradation performance and outstanding durability. The unique conical catalyst can boost the PEC degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) with 99% degradation efficiency and higher than 55% mineralization efficiency at a concentration of 20 ppm. The normalized apparent rate constant of a nanocone catalyst is 5.05 h-1 g-1 m2, which is 3 times that of a nanorod catalyst and 6 times that of an aggregated particle catalyst, respectively. Further characterizations reveal that the conical morphology of TiO2 can make photogenerated charges separate and transfer more efficiently, resulting in outstanding PEC activity. Moreover, computational fluid dynamics simulations indicate that a three-dimensional conical structure is beneficial for mass transfer. This work highlights that tuning the morphology of a photoelectrocatalyst at the nanometer scale not only promotes the charge transfer but also facilitates the mass transportation, which jointly enhance the PEC performance in the degradation of persistent pollutants.

Low expression of ACLY associates with favorable prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant metabolism is a hallmark of cancer cells. Recently, ATP citrate-lyase (ACLY) expression was demonstrated as an independent predictor of clinical outcome in solid tumors. However, no systematic study was conducted to explore the prognostic impact of ACLY on acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: To assess the prognostic value of ACLY transcript, we conducted a study with a discovery and validation design. We measured ACLY transcript by real-time quantitative PCR in 274 AML patients, and validated the prognostic value in the two independent cohorts using published data. Meta-analysis of gene-expression profile and inhibition ACLY expression in leukemia cell lines were conducted to help us understand the biological insight of low ACLY expression. RESULTS: Low ACLY expression is less common amongst AMLs with DNMT3A mutations, but coexisted in double allele CEBPA mutations. Moreover, low ACLY expression is associated with favorable overall survival in AML patients and is involved in multiple pathways. These results are also validated in two independent cohorts of AML patients. Moreover, ACLY silencing induces proliferation arrest in THP-1 and MOLM-13 leukemia cell lines. CONCLUSION: We found low ACLY expression is associated with favorable overall survival in AML patients.

In Vivo Expansion and Antitumor Activity of Coinfused CD28- and 4-1BB-Engineered CAR-T Cells in Patients with B Cell Leukemia.

Several recent clinical trials have successfully incorporated a costimulatory domain derived from either CD28 or 4-1BB with the original CD3ζ T cell activating domain to form second-generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) that can increase the responsiveness and survival of CAR-engineered T (CAR-T) cells. However, a rigorous assessment of the individual benefits of these costimulatory components relative to the in vivo performance of infused T cells in patients is still lacking. Therefore, we have designed a study that allows us to investigate and compare the impact of different costimulatory signal domains on CAR-T cells in vivo. Patients with B cell leukemia were infused with a mixture of two types of CD19-specific CAR-T cells, individually bearing CD28 (28ζ) and 4-1BB (BBζ) costimulatory signaling domains. We found that such a clinical procedure was feasible and safe. Complete remission (CR) was observed in five of seven enrolled patients, with two patients exhibiting durable CR lasting more than 15 months. The in vivo expansion pattern of 28ζ and BBζ CAR-T cells varied significantly among individual patients. These results confirm a feasible method of comparing different CAR designs within individual patients, potentially offering objective insights that may facilitate the development of optimal CAR-T cell-based immunotherapies.

MiR-362-5p as a novel prognostic predictor of cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs are of special interest in cancer research and hold significant promise as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for malignant disease. MiR-362-5p have been found to exert both oncogenic and tumor suppressive effects depending highly on the cellular context. The aim of this study was to determine whether the expression of miR-362-5p can be served as a prognostic factor for patients with cytogentically normal acute myeloid leukemia (CN-AML). METHODS: We enrolled 224 patients with CN-AML and measured the expression of miR-362-5p by quantitative real time PCR analysis. We classified patients into high and low expression based on the median value. The Cox regression analyses were carried out to assess the prognostic significance of miR-362-5p expression in the context of the well-established predictors. Additionally, microRNA expression profiling were conducted to identify the biological insights between high and low group. RESULTS: High expressers had older age. High expressers obtained shorter overall survival in the univariate analysis. The independent prognostic value of miR-362-5p remained in the context of the well-established clinical and cytogenetic predictors. Moreover, the prognostic value of miR-362-5p was also validated in an independent cohort of CN-AML. Notably, numerous oncomiRs were also high expressed in high miR-362-5p group. CONCLUSION: High miR-362-5p expression was associated with poorer overall survival implicating the oncogenic function in AML development.

Fabrication of Silver Decorated Graphene Oxide Composite for Photocatalytic Inactivation of Escherichia coli.

In this study, silver decorated graphene oxide (Ag/GO) composite was fabricated through a reduction process in the presence of potassium borohydride solution. Subsequently, physicochemical properties of the resulting Ag/GO composite were studied by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy and UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum. Results indicated that Ag species existed in the form of Ag0, which greatly facilitated the visible light absorbance ability. Furthermore, the performance of Ag/GO was evaluated by PC inactiviation of Escherichia coli under Xenon lamp illumination. It was found that Ag/GO sample could kill the Escherichia coli within 60 min illumination by the non-selective attack of ⋅OH radicals. This study provides a novel and facile strategy to fabricate high-efficient catalyst to kill the bacteria in drinking water treatment.

Prognostic significance of 2-hydroxyglutarate levels in acute myeloid leukemia in China.

The 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG) has been reported to result from mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH1 and IDH2) genes and to function as an "oncometabolite." To evaluate the clinical significance of serum 2-HG levels in hematologic malignancies, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in particular, we analyzed this metabolite in distinct types of human leukemia and lymphoma and established the range of serum 2-HG in appropriate normal control individuals by using gas chromatograph-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Aberrant serum 2-HG pattern was detected in the multicenter group of AML, with 62 of 367 (17%) patients having 2-HG levels above the cutoff value (2.01, log2-transformed from 4.03 µg/mL). IDH1/2 mutations occurred in 27 of 31 (87%) AML cases with very high 2-HG, but were observed only in 9 of 31 (29%) patients with moderately high 2-HG, suggesting other genetic or biochemical events may exist in causing 2-HG elevation. Indeed, glutamine-related metabolites exhibited a pattern in favor of 2-HG synthesis in the high 2-HG group. In AML patients with cytogenetically normal AML (n = 234), high 2-HG represented a negative prognostic factor in both overall survival and event-free survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed high serum 2-HG as a strong prognostic predictor independent of other clinical and molecular features. We also demonstrated distinct gene-expression/DNA methylation profiles in AML blasts with high 2-HG compared with those with normal ones, supporting a role that 2-HG plays in leukemogenesis.

High IDH1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.

The prognostic value of IDH1 mutations has been systematically evaluated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients recently. However, the role of IDH1 expression in AML is still under exploration. To investigate the clinical significance, we analyzed the IDH1/2 expression in 320 patients with cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) by quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. High expression of IDH1 was predominant in patients with FLT3-ITD and DNMT3A mutations and less prevalent in cases with CEBPA double allele mutations. Strong association was observed between high IDH1 expression and low expression of microRNA 181 family. Prognosis was adversely affected by high IDH1 expression, with shorter overall survival and event-free survival in the context of clinical characteristics, including age, WBC count, and gene mutations of NPM1, FLT3-ITD, CEBPA, IDH1, IDH2 and DNMT3A in CN-AML. Moreover, the clinical outcome of IDH1 expression in terms of overall survival, event-free survival and complete remission rate still remained in multivariate models in CN-AML. Importantly, the prognostic value was validated using the published microarray data from 79 adult patients treated according to the German AMLCG-1999 protocol. Our results demonstrated that high IDH1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis of CN-AML.

Anti-BCMA CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease: A case report and review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma (MM) with extramedullary disease (EMD) is rare in clinical practice, and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) CAR-T cell therapy is a novel therapy for hematologic malignancies. Very few reports have been published on the effect of CAR-T-cell therapy in MM with EMD. Here, we report a case of MM with extramedullary lesions treated with BCMA CAR-T therapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 66-year-old female patient presented to our hospital with an enlarged left maxillary gingiva. DIAGNOSIS: Diagnosis of indolent MM stage III (DS staging) and stage III (ISS and R ISS) with extramedullary lesions. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent a clinical trial of humanized anti-BCMA CAR T cell therapy. RESULTS: Symptoms improved; left gingival hyperplasia and swelling resolved; left buccal mass resolved; and neck and submandibular masses resolved. Pathological examination of the exfoliated masses showed necrotic tissue. CONCLUSION: MM with extramedullary lesions often has limited treatment options, and traditional chemotherapy methods are ineffective; however, BCMA CAR-T cell therapy can significantly improve the symptoms of extramedullary lesions in MM.

[Relationship between clinical characteristics and myelodysplastic syndrome patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase gene mutations].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and clinical characteristics of isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (IDH 1 and IDH2) gene mutations in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. METHODS: Pretreatment bone marrow specimens were enriched for mononuclear cells in 108 adult patients with de novo MDS from January 2006 to August 2012. Genomic DNA was extracted from mononuclear cells. And PCR and direct sequencing were performed to sequence exon 4 of IDH gene. RESULTS: IDH mutations were discovered in 11 MDS patients (10.19%, 11/108) and all were heterozygous. The frequencies of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations were 5.56% (6/108) and 4.63% (5/108) respectively. Only one type of IDH1 mutation (c.394C→, p.R132C) was identified in our cohort. All IDH2 mutations caused the changes of R140 (c.419G→A, p.R140Q). However IDH2 R172 mutation was not detected. The combined mutations of IDH1 and IDH2 were not simultaneously observed in the same patient. The prevalence of IDH mutation was higher in advanced-stage MDS than those early-stage MDS patients. Mutated and wild-type groups had significantly difference in bone marrow blast percentage (median 12.5% vs 6.0%, P = 0.013) at diagnosis, but not in white blood cell count, hemoglobin level and platelet count, etc. In the normal karyotype group, the frequencies of IDH mutations were as similar as those in the abnormal karyotype group (10.61% (7/66) vs 10.00% (4/40), P > 0.05). The median follow-up time was 472 d, our data indicated that IDH mutations were correlated with poor overall survival (median time 512 vs 740 d, P = 0.017). IDH mutations were also an inferiorly predictive factor in the intermediate-1 group patients of International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) (median survival time 512 d vs not reached, P = 0.038). There was also better efficacies than other treatments in IDH mutation positive patients (median survival time 623 vs 165 d, P = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: IDH mutation is a vital biomarker for better risk stratification of MDS patients with and improving IPSS. Hypomethylation agents may be effective for treating IDH mutation positive patients.

Evaluation of three scoring systems for predicting renal prognosis in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND: Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated glomerulonephritis (AAGN) is characterized by rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, and timely initiation of treatment and evaluation is critical to prevent the progression of renal disease to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The aim of this study was to evaluate predictive value of the renal risk score (RRS), Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS), and renal vascular lesions (RVLs) score for renal prognosis in AAGN. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of ninety-four patients diagnosed with AAGN after renal biopsy was performed. The RRS, BVAS, and RVLs score were evaluated in relation to clinicopathologic features and renal prognosis. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate their renal prognostic value. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 36 months. Thirty-eight patients progressed to ESRD. Survival analysis showed that renal prognosis worsened in the RRS group in order of low, medium, and high RRS (P < 0.05). Within the RVLs group, the renal prognosis of the groups with severe and moderate RVLs was worse than that of the group without RVLs (P = 0.012, P < 0.001), and the group with mild RVLs was close to that of the group without RVLs. ROC analysis showed that the AUC of RRS, BVAS, RVLs score, RVLs score combined with RRS (RVLs score & RRS, RR), RVLs score, and RRS combined with BVAS (RVLs score & RRS & BVAS, RRB) were 0.865, 0.624, 0.763, 0.910, and 0.942, respectively. The predictive power of RRB and RR was comparable and significantly better than the RRS, BVAS, and RVLs score. Based on simplicity and validity, RR was selected as the best predictor, and the relationship between RRS, RVLs score, and RR was calculated using a linear fit, resulting in the linear equation RR = -0.4766 + 0.1231 × RVLs score + 0.395 × RRS (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In AAGN, the predictive power of RR for renal prognosis was superior to that of RRS, BVAS, and RVLs score. RR may serve as a new predictor of renal prognosis in AAGN.

Effervescent cannabidiol solid dispersion-doped dissolving microneedles for boosted melanoma therapy via the "TRPV1-NFATc1-ATF3" pathway and tumor microenvironment engineering.

BACKGROUND: Conventional dissolving microneedles (DMNs) face significant challenges in anti-melanoma therapy due to the lack of active thrust to achieve efficient transdermal drug delivery and intra-tumoral penetration. METHODS: In this study, the effervescent cannabidiol solid dispersion-doped dissolving microneedles (Ef/CBD-SD@DMNs) composed of the combined effervescent components (CaCO3 & NaHCO3) and CBD-based solid dispersion (CBD-SD) were facilely fabricated by the "one-step micro-molding" method for boosted transdermal and tumoral delivery of cannabidiol (CBD). RESULTS: Upon pressing into the skin, Ef/CBD-SD@DMNs rapidly produce CO2 bubbles through proton elimination, significantly enhancing the skin permeation and tumoral penetration of CBD. Once reaching the tumors, Ef/CBD-SD@DMNs can activate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) to increase Ca2+ influx and inhibit the downstream NFATc1-ATF3 signal to induce cell apoptosis. Additionally, Ef/CBD-SD@DMNs raise intra-tumoral pH environment to trigger the engineering of the tumor microenvironment (TME), including the M1 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and increase of T cells infiltration. The introduction of Ca2+ can not only amplify the effervescent effect but also provide sufficient Ca2+ with CBD to potentiate the anti-melanoma efficacy. Such a "one stone, two birds" strategy combines the advantages of effervescent effects on transdermal delivery and TME regulation, creating favorable therapeutic conditions for CBD to obtain stronger inhibition of melanoma growth in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: This study holds promising potential in the transdermal delivery of CBD for melanoma therapy and offers a facile tool for transdermal therapies of skin tumors.

Polyporus umbellatus polysaccharide iron-based nanocomposite for synergistic M1 polarization of TAMs and combinational anti-breast cancer therapy.

M1 polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is a promising approach to breaking through therapeutic barriers imposed by the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). As a clinically-used immunopotentiator for cancer patients after chemotherapies; however, the immunomodulatory mechanism and potential of polyporus polysaccharide (PPS) remains unclear. Here, we present mannose-decorated PPS-loaded superparamagnetic iron-based nanocomposites (Man/PPS-SPIONs) for synergistic M1 polarization of TAMs and consequent combinational anti-breast cancer therapy. Once internalized by M2-like TAMs, PPS released from Man/PPS-SPIONs induces the M1 polarization via IFN-γ secretion and downstream NF-κB pathway activating. The SPIONs within the nanocomposites mediate a Fenton reaction, producing OH· and activating the subsequent NF-κB/MAPK pathway, further facilitating the M1 polarization. The Man/PPS-SPIONs thereby establish a positive feedback loop of M1 polarization driven by the "IFN-γ-Fenton-NF-κB/MAPK" multi-pathway, leading to a series of anti-tumoral immunologic responses in the TME and holding promising potential in combinational anticancer therapies. Our study offers a new strategy to amplify TME engineering by combinational natural carbohydrate polymers and iron-based materials.

Cytogenetic profile of 1,863 Ph/BCR-ABL-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia patients from the Chinese population.

Cytogenetic analyses of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) have been performed previously in a large number of reports, but systematical research based on large sample sizes from the Chinese population is seldom available. In this study, we analyzed the cytogenetic profiles of 1,863 Philadelphia (Ph)/BCR-ABL-positive CML patients from a research center in China. Of 1,266 newly diagnosed CML patients, the median age was 41 years, which is younger than the median age of diagnosis in western populations. The incidence of additional chromosome abnormalities (ACA) was 3.1% in newly diagnosed chronic phase (CP), 9.1% in CP after therapy, 35.4% in accelerated phase, and 52.9% in blast crisis (BC), reflecting cytogenetic evolution with CML progression. A higher prevalence of ACA was observed in variant Ph translocations than in standard t(9;22) in the disease progression, especially in BC (88.2% vs. 50%, P = 0.002). Moreover, a hyperdiploid karyotype and trisomy 8 were closely correlated with myeloid BC, while a hypodiploid karyotype and monosomy 7 were associated with lymphoid-BC. Among subsets of myeloid-BC, myeloid-BC with minimal differentiation had a higher ACA rate than myeloid-BC with granulocytic differentiation (80% vs. 46.8%, P = 0.009) and myeloid-BC with monocytic differentiation (80% vs. 42.9%, P = 0.006). These data provide novel insights into cytogenetics of CML within the Chinese population.

Homozygous intronic mutation leading to inefficient transcription combined with a novel frameshift mutation in F13A1 gene causes FXIII deficiency.

Two novel mutations, 602-605delAAAG in exon 5 and Int1(+12)C>A, of the F13A1 gene were identified in a Chinese factor XIII (FXIII)-deficient family. The 602-605delAAAG mutation results in the premature termination of translation. To determine the functional effect of the Int1(+12)A mutation, we transiently expressed luciferase reporters in U937 cells. We found that the first 951 bp of F13A1 intron 1 is involved in regulating the expression of the F13A1 gene and that Int1(+12)A results in its reduced expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that Int1(+12)A causes reduced protein binding. An Sp1 site was predicted in the sequence containing Int1(+12)C, which the Int1(+12)A mutation eliminates. Co-transfection of a plasmid expressing Sp1 revealed that Sp1 is involved in regulating the expression of FXIIIA and that Int1(+12)A leads to inefficient transcription. These results provide the first insight into a novel regulatory mechanism involving intron 1 in the F13A1 gene.

[Effects of Sanchinoside R1 on Growth Invasion and Migration of HL-60 Cells and Survival of AML Model Mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of sanchinoside R1 (SR1) on cell growth, invasion and migration of HL-60 cells, as well as survival of AML mice. METHODS: AML mouse models were established by intravenous injection of HL-60 cells. The SR1 of 10, 25 and 50 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected into AML models once a day for 1 week. The survival rate of mice, tumor volume and weight were measured, and protein levels of Caspase-3 and VEGF were determined by immunohistochemistry. And protein levels of p-PI3K, PI3K, p-AKT and AKT were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: SR1 significantly inhibited the growth of tumors (P＜0.01, r=-0.9994, -0.9952) and increased the survival rate of mice (P＜0.01). SR1 significantly increased the protein level of apoptosis-related Caspase-3(P＜0.01, r=0.9855), and decreased the protein level of migration-related protein VEGF (P＜0.01, r=-0.9848). The protein levels of p-PI3K and p-AKT were down-regulated by SR1, Thus, the relative protein levels of p-PI3K/PI3K and p-AKT/AKT were significantly decreased (P＜0.01, r=-0.9372, -0.9953). Above-mentioned effects showed a significant positive/negative correlation with the concentration of SR1. CONCLUSION: SR1 inhibits the growth, invasion and migration of tumor cells, and increas survival of mice through affecting expression of Caspase-3, VEGF, p-PI3K, and p-AKT.

Discovery of candidate gene expression signatures in peripheral blood for the screening of cervical cancer.

Aim: To investigate whether cervical cancer (CC) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) can be screened by analyzing gene expression profiling of peripheral blood. Methods: RNA-sequencing analysis of blood was performed on 11 CC patients, 21 CIN patients and 19 healthy controls (H). Fifty-nine genes were validated by quantitative real-time PCR using blood samples from 46 H, 83 CC and 32 CIN patients. Results: There were significant differences in the expression levels of six genes between CC and H, five genes between CIN and H and four genes between CC and CIN (p < 0.05). Four genes discriminated cervical lesions from H with a sensitivity of 82.61%, a specificity of 87.83% and an area under the curve of 0.8981. Three genes discriminated CC from CIN with a sensitivity of 53.13%, a specificity of 96.39% and an area under the curve of 0.7786. Conclusion: Our findings provided a promising noninvasive quantitative real-time PCR diagnostic assay of CC and CIN.

Prognostic significance of huntingtin interacting protein 1 expression on patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Huntingtin interacting protein 1 (HIP1) is an endocytic protein which is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers and involved in cancer-causing translocation in leukemia. However, the prognostic impact of HIP1 expression on AML remains unclear. In this study, quantification of HIP1 transcript by real-time quantitative PCR in bone marrow blasts was performed in 270 AML patients. As a result, high HIP1 expression was seen more frequently in older patients, M4/M5 morphology and genes of NPM1 and DNMT3A mutations, and underrepresented in favorable karyotype subgroups and CEBPA double allele mutations in our AML patients. We also found high HIP1 expressers showed lower levels of hemoglobin. In addition, overexpression of HIP1 was associated with an inferior overall survival. The prognostic value of HIP1 expression was validated in patients from an independent TCGA cohort. Notably, up-regulation of miR-16, miR-15a, miR-28 and miR-660 were seen in high HIP1 expressers from the two independent cohorts. In vitro, interfereing of HIP1 expression by siRNA suppressed the proliferation of leukemic cells, and downregulation of these miRNAs were seen in THP-1 and Kasumi cell lines after silencing HIP1 expression. In conclusion, the HIP1 gene expression might serve as a reliable predictor for overall survival in AML patients.