Magnetic covalent organic frameworks for extraction and determination of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in beverage and water samples.

BACKGROUND: Phenolic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widespread and easily ingested through the food chain. They pose a serious threat to human health. Magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) is an effective sample pre-treatment technology to determine traces of phenolic EDCs. RESULTS: Magnetic covalent organic framework (COF) (Fe3 O4 @COF) nanospheres were prepared and characterized. The efficient and selective extraction of phenolic EDCs relies on a large specific surface and the inherent porosity of COFs and hydrogen bonding, π-π, and hydrophobic interactions between COF shells and phenolic EDCs. Under optimal conditions, the proposed magnetic solid-phase extraction-high-performance liquid chromatography-ultra violet (MSPE-HPLC-UV) based on the metallic covalent organic framework method for phenolic EDCs shows good linearities (0.002-6 µg mL-1 ), with R2 of 0.995 or higher, and low limits of detection (6-1.200 ng mL-1 ). CONCLUSION: Magnetic covalent organic frameworks (Fe3 O4 @COFs) with good MSPE performance for phenolic EDCs were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The magnetic covalent organic framework-based MSPE-HPLC-UV method was applied successfully to determine phenolic EDCs in beverage and water samples with satisfactory recoveries (90.200%-123%) and relative standard deviations (2.100%-12.100%). © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

High-Dose Static and Dynamic Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy Combined with Chemotherapy for Patients with Locally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Improves Survival and Reduces Brainstem Toxicity.

BACKGROUND Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) is the standard treatment for patients with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC). However, the dose-volume criteria for adjacent anatomically normal organs at risk (OARs) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of higher than conventional doses of static and dynamic IMRT on the locoregional control of NPC, patient survival, and brainstem radiation toxicity. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients (n=186) with stage III and stage IVa NPC underwent high-dose static and dynamic IMRT treatment (68-76.96 Gy) with or without chemotherapy for 34-57 days. Overall survival (OS), the presence of distant metastases, and brainstem toxicity were assessed. One-year, three-year, and five-year follow-up was performed. RESULTS High-dose IMRT alone or in combination with chemotherapy resulted in a 100% objective response rate and significantly improved OS rates, with one-year, three-year, and five-year OS rates of 94.1%, 89.8%, and 88.2%, respectively. The local recurrence rate (17.6%), and distant metastasis to the lung, liver, and bone (17.2%), and mortality (n=22) were reduced. Chemotherapy was the only factor that was significantly correlated with patient survival. Brainstem toxicity was reduced in patients treated with static IMRT (0.07%) and dynamic IMRT (0.08%). There were 26 additional factors that were not found to significantly affect brainstem toxicity. CONCLUSIONS High-dose static or dynamic IMRT combined with chemotherapy improved survival and reduces distal metastasis with a very low occurrence of brainstem toxicity in patients with locally advanced NPC. These findings might provide therapeutic guidance for clinicians when planning optimal dose-volume IMRT parameters.

Fabrication of magnetic covalent organic framework for effective and selective solid-phase extraction of propylparaben from food samples.

Efficient magnetic solid phase extraction using crystalline porous polymers can find important applications in food safety. Herein, the core-shell Fe3O4@COFs nanospheres were synthesized by one-pot method and characterized in detail. The porous COF shell with large surface area had fast and selective adsorption for propylparaben via π-π, hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. The extraction and desorption parameters were evaluated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the extraction equilibrium was reached only in 5 min, the maximum adsorption capacity for propylparaben was 500 mg g-1 and the proposed Fe3O4@DhaTab-based-MSPE-HPLC-UV method afforded good linearity (4-20000 µg mL-1) with R2 (0.997), low limits of detection (0.55 µg L-1) and limits of quantification (1.5 µg L-1). Furthermore, the developed method was applied to determine propylparaben in soft drinks with the recoveries (97.0-98.3%) and relative standard deviations (0.61 to 3.75%). These results revealed the potential of Fe3O4@DhaTab as efficient adsorbents for parabens in food samples.

MicroRNA-320 regulates the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer cells C33AR by targeting ß-catenin.

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide and always has recurrence owing to radioresistance. MicroRNA (miRNA or miR) has been identified to relate to the sensitivity of cancer radiotherapy. Here, we investigated the potential of miRNA-320 as a biomarker for radiosensitivity by targeting ß-catenin in cervical cancer. A radioresistant cervical cancer cell line, C33AR, was established, and the radioresistance of C33AR cells was confirmed by a colony-formation assay. The expression of miRNA-320 was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and compared between C33A and C33AR. ß-catenin, the target of miRNA-320, was determined at the protein level by western blotting after transfecting the inhibitor of miRNA-320. The expression of miRNA-320 was markedly decreased in C33AR cells, which appeared to be more radioresistant, compared with its parental cell line C33A. Target prediction suggested that miRNA-320 negatively regulated the expression of ß-catenin. Knockdown of ß-catenin increased C33AR radiosensitivity, which revealed that the inhibition of ß-catenin could rescue the miRNA-320-mediated cell radioresistance. On the other hand, overexpressing miRNA-320 increased C33AR radiosensitivity. In conclusion, miRNA-320 regulated the radiosensitivity of C33AR cells by targeting ß-catenin. This finding provides evidence that miRNA-320 may be a potential biomarker of radiosensitivity in cervical cancer.

Elevated expression of USP9X correlates with poor prognosis in human non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of ubiquitin-specific peptidase 9, X-linked (USP9X) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and to evaluate the relevance of USP9X expression to tumor prognosis. METHODS: Ninety-five patients who underwent surgical resection for clinical stage I-IIIA NSCLC between July 2008 and July 2011 were included in this study. Immunohistochemical analysis of USP9X expression was performed on 95 NSCLC tissues and 32 adjacent normal lung parenchymal tissues from these patients. The Chi-squared test was used to compare the clinicopathological characteristics between different groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and a Cox regression model were used to determine the independent prognostic factors. A P value <0.05 was considered to be significant. RESULTS: The expression of USP9X was found to be significantly higher in NSCLC tissue (44.2%) than in adjacent normal lung parenchymal tissue (6.3%) (P<0.001). High USP9X expression was significantly associated with positive lymph node metastasis (P<0.001), clinical stage (P<0.001) and a reduced overall survival rate (P=0.001) in patients with NSCLC. Based on the multivariate analysis, the elevated expression of the USP9X protein was a significant predictor of poor prognosis for NSCLC patients (HR =2.244, P=0.028). CONCLUSIONS: The current study demonstrated that the expression of USP9X in NSCLC tissue was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissue and that this elevated expression level of USP9X was associated with poor prognosis among NSCLC patients, suggesting that USP9X might serve as a prognostic biomarker for NSCLC.

Involvement of cdc25c in cell cycle alteration of a radioresistant lung cancer cell line established with fractionated ionizing radiation.

Cancer patients often suffer from local tumor recurrence after radiation therapy. Cell cycling, an intricate sequence of events which guarantees high genomic fidelity, has been suggested to affect DNA damage responses and eventual radioresistant characteristics of cancer cells. Here, we established a radioresistant lung cancer cell line, A549R , by exposing the parental A549 cells to repeated γ-ray irradiation with a total dose of 60 Gy. The radiosensitivity of A549 and A549R was confirmed using colony formation assays. We then focused on examination of the cell cycle distribution between A549 and A549R and found that the proportion of cells in the radioresistant S phase increased, whereas that in the radiosensitive G1 phase decreased. When A549 and A549R cells were exposed to 4 Gy irradiation the total differences in cell cycle redistribution suggested that G2-M cell cycle arrest plays a predominant role in mediating radioresistance. In order to further explore the possible mechanisms behind the cell cycle related radioresistance, we examined the expression of Cdc25 proteins which orchestrate cell cycle transitions. The results showed that expression of Cdc25c increased accompanied by the decrease of Cdc25a and we proposed that the quantity of Cdc25c, rather than activated Cdc25c or Cdc25a, determines the radioresistance of cells.

Research progress on humoral rejection after liver transplantation / 解放军医学杂志

Recent studies have shown that humoral rejection,or antibody-mediated rejection (AMR),is an important risk factor for graft failure.Transplant experts have accumulated some experience on the diagnosis and treatment of AMR after kidney transplantation.However,AMR after liver transplantation has not been fully understood until recently,and its pathogenesis,clinical manifestation,diagnosis and treatment are different from AMR after kidney transplantation.In the research progress,the AMR after liver transplantation was classified into hyper acute rejection,acute humoral rejection,chronic humoral rejection and the state of accommodation.The immunity mechanism of AMR after liver transplantation is also described.The different kinds of AMR after liver transplantation were diagnosed by analyzing the clinical manifestations,serum tests and pathological characteristics of the patients.Moreover,the risk factors of them were mentioned in the article.Then we also introduce the different strategies for prevention and treatment of AMR after liver transplantation.Therefore,based on the current research progress on AMR after liver transplantation,we analyze the future direction of progress.

[Clinical study on patients with advanced gastric cancer treated with oxaliplatin combining with hydroxycamptothecine].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Internal and external physiological research showed oxaliplatin could obviously suppress several kinds of tumors in combination with most anti-cancer drugs and help these drugs to kill the tumor cells. This study was designed to investigate the initial curative effects and tolerance of patients with advanced gastric cancer of treatment with combination of oxaliplatin (L-OHP) and hydroxycamptothecine (HCPT). We compared this treatment with traditional chemotherapy. METHODS: In a non-randomized manner, 43 patients with advanced gastric cancer were divided into treatment group (L-OHP plus HCPT) and control group (VP-16 + CF + 5-FU) (ELF). Among these patients, 28 were male and 15 were female. The median age was 59. Karnofsky performance status(KPS) scale was more than 60. We compared the initial curative effects and tolerance between these two groups. RESULTS: The beneficial effects for the treatment group (24 cases) and control group (19 cases) were 58.3% (14/24) and 42.1% (8/19), respectively. Obviously, the beneficial effects to the treatment group were higher than that of the control group (P < 0.05). The side effects of both groups included bone marrow suppression, nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, neuritis, phlebitis, hair loss, and so on. But they were slight (within I and II degree). CONCLUSIONS: The use of L-OHP plus HCPT appears to be a very good treatment for patients with advanced gastric cancer. The patients can tolerate the side effects.