Two New Compounds Based on Bi-Capped Keggin Polyoxoanions and Cu-Bpy Cations Contain Both CuII and CuI Complexes: Synthesis, Characterization and Properties.

Two inorganic-organic hybrid complexes based on bi-capped Keggin-type cluster, {([CuII(2,2'-bpy)2]2[PMoVI8VV2VIV2O40(VIVO)2])[CuI(2,2'-bpy)]}∙2H2O (1) and {[CuII(2,2'-bpy)2]2[SiMoVI8.5MoV2.5VIVO40(VIVO)2]}[CuI0.5(2,2'-bpy)(H2O)0.5] (2) (bpy = bipyridine), had been hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, TGA, PXRD and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. Compound 1 consists of a novel 1-D chain structure constructed from [CuI(2,2'-bpy)]+ unit linking bi-supported POMs anion {[CuII(2,2'-bpy)2]2[PMoVI8VV2VIV2O40(VIVO)2]}-. Compound 2 is a bi-capped Keggin cluster bi-supported Cu-bpy complex. The main highlights of the two compounds are that Cu-bpy cations contain both CuI and CuII complexes. Furthermore, the fluorescence properties, the catalytic properties, and the photocatalytic performance of compounds 1 and 2 have been assessed, and the results show that both compounds are active for styrene epoxidation and degradation and adsorption of Methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and mixed aqueous solutions.

Serum miRNAs, a potential prognosis marker of loco-regionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients treated with CCRT.

BACKGROUND: Serum miRNA was once found as potential disease survival index,thus we investigated the role of miRNA in predicting prognosis in loco-regionally advanced NPC patients treated with CCRT. METHODS: This study included two phases: (i) We enrolled 3 NPC patients with recurrence or distant metastasis (experimental group, EG) and 3 NPC patients in clinical remission (control group, CG),who were treated with CCRT within 5 years. The paired serum was collected before and after treatment and biomarkers were discovered by LNA-TaqMan Human MicroRNA Arrays. (ii) we used the bioinformatic analysis, marker selection and an independent validation by qRT-PCR to analyse the serums of 29 NPC patients with recurrent disease or distant metastasis and 19 NPC patients in clinical remission treated with CCRT. Using the Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test and Cox regression model to estimate the accuracy of the miRNAs to predict PFS and OS, and identified factors significantly associated with prognosis, respectively. RESULTS: Using fold change≥2.0 or ≤ 0.5 and p ≤ 0.05 as cutoff levels, we identified 1 up-regulated and 6 down-regulated miRNAs, 1 up-regulated and 9 down-regulated miRNAs in EG versus CG before and after CCRT, respectively. After these down-regulated miRNAs were dealed with bioinformatics analysis and normalization, only 5 different miRNAs were significantly reduced, which there were no significant difference in the expression of miRNA-26b, miRNA-29a and miRNA-125b before CCRT, and the expression of miRNA-143 and miRNA-29b after CCRT in the serum samples of 48 NPC patients. Based on this, we calculated a risk score with the expression of miRNA-26b、miRNA-29a、miRNA-125b、miRNA-29b、miRNA-143 and then classified patients as high or low risk group. Cox regression model suggested that combining miRNA-29a and miRNA-125b before CCRT with miRNA-26b after CCRT was independent prognostic factors for PFS (HR = 3.149, 95%CI:1.018-9.115, p = 0.034), whereas combining the former two is independent for OS (HR = 5.146, 95%CI:1.674-15.817, p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: For loco-regionally advanced NPC patients treated with CCRT, especially high-risk patients- serum miRNAs, such as miRNA-29a, miRNA-125b and miRNA-26b etc., play an important role in predicting prognosis factors of PFS and OS, which will contribute to the strategic direction for future research.

Induction chemotherapy with nedaplatin with 5-FU followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with chemotherapy for locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This Phase II study was conducted to evaluate the activity and feasibility of a regimen of nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil as induction chemotherapy, followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with chemotherapy in patients with locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma. METHODS: Patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy comprised two cycles of 5-fluorouracil at 700 mg/m(2)/day administered on days 1-4 as continuous intravenous infusion and nedaplatin (100 mg/m(2) administered i.v. over 2 h) given after the administration of 5-fluorouracil on day 1, repeated every 3 weeks, followed by intensity-modulated radiotherapy concurrent with nedaplatin. During intensity-modulated radiotherapy, nedaplatin was administered at a dose of 100 mg/m(2) intravenous infusion on days 1, 22 and 43, given approximately 60 min before radiation. RESULTS: Fifty-nine (95.8%) of the 60 patients were assessable for response. Thirty-eight cases of complete response and 14 cases of partial response were confirmed after completion of chemoradiation, with the objective response rate of 86.7% (95% CI, 78.1-95.3%). The median follow-up period was 48 months (range, 30-62 months). The 3-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 75.0% (95% CI, 63.0-87.0%) and 85.5% (95% CI, 75.9-95.1%). No patient showed Grade 3 or higher renal dysfunction. The most commonly observed late effect was xerostomia, but the severity diminished over time, and the detectable xerostomia at 24 months was 10.2%. There were no treatment-related deaths during this study. CONCLUSIONS: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with nedaplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by concomitant nedaplatin and intensity-modulated radiotherapy is an effective and safe treatment for Southern China patients affected by locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

[The expression of Tec and the level of its phosphorylation in primary hepatic carcinomas].

OBJECTIVES: To detect the expressions of Tec tyrosine kinase in hepatocellular carcinoma and the levels of phosphorylation of tyrosine kinase in liver cancer tissues, paracancerous tissues and normal liver tissues and to find the significance of their differences. METHODS: 200 specimens of tissues, including liver cancer tissues, surrounding liver tissues not more than 1.5 cm from the cancers, and normal liver tissues were investigated for Tec protein expression and Tec phosphorylation by tissue microarrays and immunohistochemistry (SP method). RESULTS: The positive immunohistochemical stainings of Tec in cancerous tissues and non-cancerous tissues showed no obvious differences, nevertheless, the immunostaining levels in liver cancer tissues were much higher than in non-cancerous tissues and they correlated with the grading of tumors (P < 0.05). The phosphorylation of Tec was significantly expressed in liver cancer tissues (73%) in comparison with other tissues (42%, 10% both P < 0.05), but it did not correlate with any clinicopathological characteristics. CONCLUSION: Overexpression of Tec is associated with the tumorigenesis and development of liver cancer; inhibiting Tec or degrading Tec phosphorylation directly might affect the progression of liver cancer.

Aberrant expression of the p53-inducible antiproliferative gene BTG2 in hepatocellular carcinoma is associated with overexpression of the cell cycle-related proteins.

We previously reported that the abnormal BTG2 expression was related to genesis/development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the BTG2 expression in HCC compared with p53, cyclin D1, and cyclin E. For this purpose, modified diethylnitrosamine (DEN)-induced primary HCC rat model was established. Target proteins and mRNAs were measured by western blot and RT-PCR/northern blot, respectively. In rat liver, expression of BTG2 and other proteins was determined by western blot, and BTG2 mRNA in HCC/normal tissues was detected by high-flux tissue microarray (TMA) and in situ hybridization (ISH). BTG2 mRNA/protein expression was increased in fetal liver, 7701, and LO2 cell lines but decreased in HepG2 cells. BTG2/p53 were expressed early after DEN treatment, peaked at 5 weeks and decreased gradually thereafter. Cyclin-D1/Cyclin-E expression increased significantly with the tumor progression. BTG2 mRNA was expressed in 71.19% HCC by ISH and correlated with differentiation. Expression of p53/cyclin D1/cyclin E was positive in 82.35/94.12/76.47% BTG2 mRNA-negative tissues, respectively. BTG2 protein expression was lost in 32.2% (19/59) HCC tissues, and the mRNA/protein expression correlated significantly with the increasing tumor grade (P < 0.05). In conclusion, BTG2 expression is commonly impaired in HCC which may be a factor involved in deregulation of cyclin-D1/cyclin-E expression during hepatocarcinogenesis.