[Study on related factors and characteristics of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province]

From January 2019 to December 2021, overweight and obese children who visited in health outpatient Center of Hunan Children's Hospital were studied to explore and analyze the rate, related factors and patterns of multimorbidity of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children in Hunan Province. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. Association rules (apriori algorithm) were used to explore the multimorbidity patterns of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. A total of 725 overweight and obese children were included in this study. The multimorbidity rate of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children was 46.07% (334/725). Age, waist circumference, the frequency of food consumption such as hamburgers and fries and adding meals before bedtime were multimorbidity-related factors of overweight and obesity-related diseases in children. The multimorbidity associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was relatively common. The patterns with the top three support degrees were "NAFLD+dyslipidemia","NAFLD+hypertension" and "NAFLD+hyperuricemia". The patterns with the top three confidence and elevation degrees were "Hypertension+dyslipidemia => NAFLD","Hyperuricemia => NAFLD" and "NAFLD+hypertension => dyslipidemia".

The association between glucose fluctuation with sarcopenia in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE

Growing evidence shows that sarcopenia is more prevalent in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than in the normal population. However, currently, data on the relationship between blood glucose fluctuation and sarcopenia in elderly patients with T2DM are still limited.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this study, 280 patients ≥ 60 years with T2DM were divided into sarcopenic group and non-sarcopenic group, according to the diagnostic criteria of the 2019 Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia. They wore MeiQi to acquire the indexes including time in range (TIR), time above range (TAR), time below range (TBR), mean amplitude of glycemic excursion (MAGE), coefficient of Variation (CV), blood glucose standard deviation (SD), largest amplitude of glycemic excursions (LAGE) and mean glucose (MG). The prevalence rate of sarcopenia was statistically analyzed and the different indicators of glucose fluctuation between the two groups were compared. We analyzed the indexes of glucose fluctuation and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index (ASMI), handgrip strength, the time of five times sit to stand test (FTSST) with Spearman's correlation analysis. Logistic regression was used to analyze the influence factors for sarcopenia.

RESULTS

The prevalence of sarcopenia was 15.36%. TIR, MG and TAR were correlated with ASMI, handgrip strength, the time of FTSST. MG and TAR were risk factors for sarcopenia, while TIR was the protective factor of sarcopenia. After adjusting mixing factors, logistic regression analysis showed that TIR was an independent protective factor. The result of the Chi-square test showed that the incidence of sarcopenia in different TIR ranges was different: the proportion of patients with sarcopenia was 40.48% (TIR ≤50%), 20.41% (50%<TIR≤70%) and 8.47% (TIR >70%).

CONCLUSIONS

TIR is associated with sarcopenia in elderly T2DM patients. Furtherly, the incidence rate of sarcopenia decreases with the increase of TIR.

Imaging Findings and Clinical Analysis of Primary Intracranial Pure Yolk Sac Tumors in Children and Adolescents: A Retrospective Study from China

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Primary intracranial pure yolk sac tumor is very rare. Our aim was to summarize the characteristics of primary intracranial pure yolk sac tumors from the clinical and imaging aspects in a retrospective study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We studied 5 patients with primary intracranial pure yolk sac tumors in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from January 2015 to June 2021. A comprehensive literature search was performed on the electronic database of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (1990 to June 2021). Clinical data based on age, sex, treatment, CT, and MR imaging findings were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 25 patients were included in the study, 21 boys and 4 girls. Twenty-one patients underwent plain MR imaging and an enhanced examination, 9 patients underwent DWI, and 12 patients underwent plain CT and/or an enhanced examination. The tumors were posterior fossa in 9 cases and supratentorial in 16 cases. All tumors showed marked enhancement after enhanced scanning by MR imaging or CT. The signal on DWI was similar to that of the cerebral cortex, and the ADC map was similar to or slightly higher than that of the cerebral cortex. Among the cases, 13 were followed up from 2 months to 5 years. There was no recurrence or metastasis in 9 patients with postoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed up for 1.5-5 years. Four patients died 2 months to 1.5 years after only an operation, or chemoradiotherapy but no operation.

CONCLUSIONS

There are some relatively specific imaging findings of primary intracranial yolk sac tumors that could assist in their diagnosis. Surgery combined with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy can achieve a better prognosis.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate attenuates acute alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis in a zebrafish model by regulating lipid metabolism and ER stress

Background

Alcoholism is a well-known risk factor for liver injury and is one of the major causes of hepatic steatosis worldwide. Although many drugs have been reported to have protective effects against acute alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity, there is limited available treatment for alcoholic liver disease (ALD), indicating an urgent need for effective therapeutic options. Herein, we first reported the protective effects of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) on acute alcohol-induced hepatic steatosis and its related mechanisms in a zebrafish model.

Methods

Alcohol was administered directly to embryo medium at 5 days post-fertilization (dpf) for up to 32 h. MgIG was given to the larvae 2 h before the administration of alcohol and then cotreated with alcohol starting at 5 dpf. Oil red O staining was used to determine the incidence of steatosis, and pathological features of the liver were assessed by hematoxylin–eosin staining. Biological indexes, total cholesterol (TC) and triacylglycerol (TG) were detected in the livers of zebrafish larvae. Morphological changes in the livers of zebrafish larvae were observed using liver-specific EGFP transgenic zebrafish (Tg(lfabp10a:eGFP)). The expression levels of critical molecules related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and lipid metabolism were detected by qRT–PCR, whole-mount in situ hybridization and western blotting.

Results

Alcohol-treated larvae developed hepatomegaly and steatosis after 32 h of exposure. We found that MgIG improved hepatomegaly and reduced the incidence of steatosis in a dose-dependent manner by oil red O staining and diminished deposits of alcohol-induced fat droplets by histologic analysis. Moreover, MgIG significantly decreased the levels of TC and TG in the livers of zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, the expression levels of critical genes involved in ER stress (atf6, irela, bip, chop) and the key enzymes regulating lipid metabolism (acc1, fasn, hmgcs1 and hmgcra) were significantly higher in the alcohol-treated group than in the control group. However, in the MgIG plus alcohol-treated group, the expression of these genes was markedly decreased compared with that in the alcohol-treated group. Whole-mount in situ hybridization and western blotting also showed that MgIG had an effect on the expression levels of critical genes and proteins involved in lipid metabolism and ER stress. Our results revealed that MgIG could markedly regulate these genes and protect the liver from ER stress and lipid metabolism disorders.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to demonstrate that MgIG could protect the liver from acute alcohol stimulation by ameliorating the disorder of lipid metabolism and regulating ER stress in zebrafish larvae.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12986-022-00655-7.

ATR inhibitor AZD6738 enhances the antitumor activity of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors by potentiating the tumor immune microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Radioimmunotherapy has a promising antitumor effect in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), depending on the regulatory effect of radiotherapy on tumor immune microenvironment. Ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DNA damage repair (DDR) pathway activation leads to the inhibition of immune microenvironment, thus impairing the antitumor effect of radioimmunotherapy. However, it is unclear whether inhibition of the DDR pathway can enhance the effect of radioimmunotherapy. In this study, we aim to explore the role of DDR inhibitor AZD6738 on the combination of radiotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in HCC.

Methods

C57BL/6 mouse subcutaneous tumor model was used to evaluate the ability of different treatment regimens in tumor growth control and tumor recurrence inhibition. Effects of each treatment regimen on the alterations of immunophenotypes including the quantification, activation, proliferating ability, exhaustion marker expression, and memory status were assessed by flow cytometry.

Results

AZD6738 further increased radiotherapy-stimulated CD8⁺ T cell infiltration and activation and reverted the immunosuppressive effect of radiation on the number of Tregs in mice xenografts. Moreover, compared with radioimmunotherapy (radiotherapy plus anti-PD-L1 (Programmed death ligand 1)), the addition of AZD6738 boosted the infiltration, increased cell proliferation, enhanced interferon (IFN)-γ production ability of TIL (tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte) CD8⁺ T cells, and caused a decreasing trend in the number of TIL Tregs and exhausted T cells in mice xenografts. Thus, the tumor immune microenvironment was significantly improved. Meanwhile, triple therapy (AZD6738 plus radiotherapy plus anti-PD-L1) also induced a better immunophenotype than radioimmunotherapy in mice spleens. As a consequence, triple therapy displayed greater benefit in antitumor efficacy and mice survival than radioimmunotherapy. Mechanism study revealed that the synergistic antitumor effect of AZD6738 with radioimmunotherapy relied on the activation of cyclic GMP–AMP synthase /stimulator of interferon genes (cGAS/STING) signaling pathway. Furthermore, triple therapy led to stronger immunologic memory and lasting antitumor immunity than radioimmunotherapy, thus preventing tumor recurrence in mouse models.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that AZD6738 might be a potential synergistic treatment for radioimmunotherapy to control the proliferation of HCC cells, prolong survival, and prevent tumor recurrence in patients with HCC by improving the immune microenvironment.

Publication trends and hotspots in enhanced recovery after surgery: 20-year bibliometric analysis

We evaluated enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) research and used bibliometric analysis to quantitatively and qualitatively predict research hotspots through extracting relevant publications from the core collection of the Web of Science database.

[Hsa_circ_0006948 regulates the proliferation, migration and invasion in osteosarcoma by regulation of the expression of miR-490-3p target ATG7]

Objective: To investigate the effect of hsa_circ_0006948 (circ_0006948) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells and the underlying mechanism. Methods: A total of 120 osteosarcoma tissues and 40 adjacent normal tissue samples were collected from patients admitted to the First People's Hospital of Shangqiu City from 2009 to 2015. Microarray analysis was performed to detect the differential expressions of circRNA in Saos-2 cell. The mRNA expressions of circ_0006948, microRNA (miR)-490-3p and autophagy-related protein 7 (ATG7) in osteosarcoma cells, NHOst cells, osteosarcoma tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Cell clone formation assay was used to detect cell proliferation ability, Transwell assay was used to detect cell invasion ability, and cell scratch assay was used to detect cell migration ability. The interactions between circ_0006948 and miR-490-3p, miR-490-3p and ATG7 were detected by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The correlation between miR-490-3p and ATG7 was analyzed by TargetScan database, and the expression levels of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins in cells were detected by western blot. Results: The mRNA expression levels of circ_0006948, miR-490-3p and ATG7 in SAOS-2 cells were significantly different from NHOst cells (P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of circ_0006948, miR-490-3p and ATG7 in osteosarcoma tissues were significantly different from adjacent tissues (P<0.01). The numbers of cell clone, migration and mobility in circ_0006948-siRNA group were (32.78±1.76), (37.58±1.82) and (36.93±1.45)%, respectively, lower than (65.72±1.45), (78.63±1.93) and (65.32±1.74)% in the siRNA NC group (all P<0.01). The numbers of cell clone, migration and mobility in the miR-490-3p mimics group were (20.08±1.54), (30.24±1.78) and (21.15±1.68)%, respectively, lower than (60.36±1.83), (76.93±1.64) and (40.56±1.27)% in the mimics NC group (all P<0.01). The numbers of cell clone, migration and mobility in the miR-490-3p inhibitor+ siRNA NC group were (90.34±1.72), (120.89±2.34) and (70.83±1.93)%, respectively, higher than (61.27±1.73), (75.82±1.82) and (42.38±1.74)% in the inhibitor NC+ siRNA NC group (P<0.01). The numbers of cell clone, migration and mobility in the circ_0006948 siRNA+ miR-490-3p inhibitor group were (58.74±1.98), (73.46±1.04) and (40.35±1.72)%, respectively, lower than (90.34±1.72), (120.89±2.34) and (70.83±1.93)% in the miR-490-3p inhibitor+ siRNA NC group (P<0.01). The numbers of cell clone, migration and mobility in the ATG7 siRNA group were (20.56±1.87), (40.36±1.76) and (20.96±1.73)%, lower than (65.46±1.74), (90.87±2.32) and (40.87±2.03)% in the siRNA NC group (P<0.01). The absorbance of miR-490-3p mimics+ pcDNA-ATG7 group was 0.54±0.11, higher than (0.36±0.08) of miR-490-3p mimics group (P<0.05). The expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 protein in Saos-2 cells of miR-490-3p mimics group were significantly different from mimics NC group (P<0.01). The protein expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 in Saos-2 cells of miR-490-3p mimics + pcDNA-ATG7 group were significantly different from miR-490-3p mimics group (P<0.01). Conclusion: Circ_0006948 regulates ATG7 expression through miR-490-3p, therefore regulates the proliferation, migration and invasion of osteosarcoma cells.

Development and Validation of a Contrast-Enhanced CT-Based Radiomics Nomogram for Prediction of Therapeutic Efficacy of Anti-PD-1 Antibodies in Advanced HCC Patients

Background

There is no study accessible now assessing the prognostic aspect of radiomics for anti-PD-1 therapy for patients with HCC.

Aim

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a radiomics nomogram by incorporating the pretreatment contrast-enhanced Computed tomography (CT) images and clinical risk factors to estimate the anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) patients.

Methods

A total of 58 patients with advanced HCC who were refractory to the standard first-line of therapy, and received PD-1 inhibitor treatment with Toripalimab, Camrelizumab, or Sintilimab from 1st January 2019 to 31 July 2020 were enrolled and divided into two sets randomly: training set (n = 40) and validation set (n = 18). Radiomics features were extracted from non-enhanced and contrast-enhanced CT scans and selected by using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method. Finally, a radiomics nomogram was developed based on by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The performance of the nomogram was evaluated by discrimination, calibration, and clinical utility.

Results

Eight radiomics features from the whole tumor and peritumoral regions were selected and comprised of the Fusion Radiomics score. Together with two clinical factors (tumor embolus and ALBI grade), a radiomics nomogram was developed with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.894 (95% CI, 0.797–0.991) and 0.883 (95% CI, 0.716–0.998) in the training and validation cohort, respectively. The calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA) confirmed that nomogram had good consistency and clinical usefulness.

Conclusions

This study has developed and validated a radiomics nomogram by incorporating the pretreatment CECT images and clinical factors to predict the anti-PD-1 treatment efficacy in patients with advanced HCC.

Safety and Efficacy of Camrelizumab Combined with Apatinib for Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

Introduction

Previous trials demonstrated that anti-angiogenesis or anti-programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) monotherapy showed unsatisfied effect in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). No study existed that focus on the effects of camrelizumab and apatinib ("C+A") combination therapy for HCC patients with the location and extent of portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT) as the main variable being assessed. This study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of "C+A" for HCC patients with PVTT.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed patients with advanced HCC and PVTT who underwent "C+A" therapy in a multicenter retrospective cohort from Jan 2019 to July 2020. Outcomes of patients who underwent "C+A" were analyzed by using the Kaplan-Meier method according to types of PVTT: PVTT in the main portal vein (type A), PVTT in the first-order portal vein branch (type B), and PVTT in second- or lower-order portal vein branches (type C).

Results

Sixty-three patients were finally included and the mean duration of follow-up was 12.6 ± 4.5 months. The objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR) for the whole cohort were 44.0% and 75.0%, respectively. The median overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and time to progression (TTP) were 14.8 months, 11.8 months and not yet reached (NR), respectively. Patients with type B (OS, 15.9 months; PFS, 14.0 months; TTP, NR) or type C (OS, 16.0 months; PFS, 14.9 months; NR) PVTT appear to have better survival benefits compared with type A (OS, 5.8 months; PFS, 5.0 months; TTP, 7.0 months). Along with AFP, the absence of main PVTT was an independent predictive factor for survival at uni- and multivariate analysis.

Conclusion

Camrelizumab and apatinib yielded a promising outcome in patients with advanced HCC who developed a tumor thrombus in the first lower-order portal vein branches and was generally safe and had manageable side effects.

Withdrawn: Effectiveness and safety of toripalimab, camrelizumab and sintilimab in a real-world cohort of hepatitis B virus associated hepatocellular carcinoma patients

The above article from British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, published online on July 5, 2020 in Wiley Online Library (http://wileyonlinelibrary.com) has been withdrawn by agreement among the authors and John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the British Pharmacology Society. The withdrawal has been agreed in accordance with the authors' decision to revise their study providing the latest data.

Value of serum collagen triple helix repeat containing-1(CTHRC1) and 14-3-3η protein compared to anti-CCP antibodies and anti-MCV antibodies in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

INTRODUCTION

Serological markers are important in the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other connective tissues diseases This study explored the clinical value of collagen triple helix repeat containing-1 (CTHRC1) and 14-3-3η protein, compared to routine markers, in the diagnosis of RA.

METHODS

We recruited 103 RA patients, 105 non-RA patients (osteoarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic lupus erythematosus) and 59 healthy controls. CTHRC1, 14-3-3η, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (anti-CCP), anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin antibody (anti-MCV), rheumatoid factor and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) levels were measured, and their diagnostic value for RA evaluated and compared.

RESULTS

All laboratory indices were elevated in RA (P < 0.05). Of these, anti-MCV had the highest sensitivity (86.4%) and anti-CCP the highest specificity (94.5%). The areas under the curve (AUC) of CTHRC1, 14-3-3η, anti-CCP, anti-MCV, rheumatoid factor and ESR were 0.84, 0.81, 0.89, 0.91, 0.85 and 0.77 respectively (all P < 0.01). Anti-CCP and anti-MCV were the most valuable in the diagnosis of RA. The combination of anti-CCP and anti-MCV had the maximum Youden index, followed by the combination of anti-CCP and 14-3-3η. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that 14-3-3η had the largest odds ratio value (95% CI) at 5.1 (2.1-12.5) for RA.

CONCLUSION

CTHRC1 and 14-3-3η are promising serological indicators of RA, and when combined with anti-CCP, anti-MCV and ESR, can improve the diagnosis of this disease.

Effectiveness and safety of toripalimab, camrelizumab, and sintilimab in a real-world cohort of hepatitis B virus associated hepatocellular carcinoma patients

BACKGROUND

The clinical significance of programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)-targeted immunotherapy in Chinese patients is understudied. We thus aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of PD-1 inhibitors with toripalimab, camrelizumab or sintilimab for Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in a real-life cohort.

METHODS

We analysed hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated HCC patients treated with toripalimab, camrelizumab, or sintilimab in a retrospective single-center cohort from November 2018 to June 2020. Efficacy was evaluated with objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), time to tumor progression (TTP), and overall survival (OS). Safety data were also recorded.

RESULTS

Seventy patients were finally included in the analysis: 23 were treated with toripalimab, 33 with camrelizumab, and 14 with sintilimab. The mean duration of follow-up was 44.7 (95% CI: 39.9-49.6) weeks and the mean cycles of PD-1 at cutoff were 8.3±8.0 for all patients. The ORR and DCR for the whole cohort were 30% and 72.9%, respectively. Overall, 25 (35.7%) patients had radiological disease progression and 10 (14.3%) patients died during follow-up. Median PFS, median TTP, and median OS had not yet been reached. Most frequent drug-related adverse events (AEs) were rash (27.1%), hypertension (18.6%), fatigue (17.1%), diarrhea (17.1%), paresthesia (15.7%), and nausea (15.7%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that (I) PD-1 targeted immunotherapy with toripalimab, camrelizumab, or sintilimab yielded a promising outcome in Chinese HBV patients with HCC and that (II) immunotherapy was well tolerated generally and had manageable side effects. This approach thus warrants further popularization and application in clinical practice.

Porphyromonas gingivalis Promotes Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression in an Immune Microenvironment

Increasing evidence has revealed a significant association between microorganisms and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Porphyromonas gingivalis, the keystone pathogen in chronic periodontitis, is considered an important potential etiologic agent of OSCC, but the underlying immune mechanisms through which P. gingivalis mediates tumor progression of the oral cancer remain poorly understood. Our cohort study showed that the localization of P. gingivalis in tumor tissues was related to poor survival of patients with OSCC. Moreover, P. gingivalis infection increased oral lesion multiplicity and size and promoted tumor progression in a 4-nitroquinoline-1 oxide (4NQO)–induced carcinogenesis mouse model by invading the oral lesions. In addition, CD11b+ myeloid cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) showed increased infiltration of oral lesions. Furthermore, in vitro observations showed that MDSCs accumulated when human-derived dysplastic oral keratinocytes (DOKs) were exposed to P. gingivalis, and CXCL2, CCL2, interleukin (IL)–6, and IL-8 may be potential candidate genes that facilitate the recruitment of MDSCs. Taken together, our findings suggest that P. gingivalis promotes tumor progression by generating a cancer-promoting microenvironment, indicating a close relationship among P. gingivalis, tumor progression of the oral cancer, and immune responses.

Demonstration of Controlled-Phase Gates between Two Error-Correctable Photonic Qubits

To realize fault-tolerant quantum computing, it is necessary to store quantum information in logical qubits with error correction functions, realized by distributing a logical state among multiple physical qubits or by encoding it in the Hilbert space of a high-dimensional system. Quantum gate operations between these error-correctable logical qubits, which are essential for implementation of any practical quantum computational task, have not been experimentally demonstrated yet. Here we demonstrate a geometric method for realizing controlled-phase gates between two logical qubits encoded in photonic fields stored in cavities. The gates are realized by dispersively coupling an ancillary superconducting qubit to these cavities and driving it to make a cyclic evolution depending on the joint photonic state of the cavities, which produces a conditional geometric phase. We first realize phase gates for photonic qubits with the logical basis states encoded in two quasiorthogonal coherent states, which have important implications for continuous-variable-based quantum computation. Then we use this geometric method to implement a controlled-phase gate between two binomially encoded logical qubits, which have an error-correctable function.

Multifunctional nanocomposites MGO/FU-MI inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells and enhance the effect of chemoradiotherapy in vivo and in vitro

PURPOSE

The limitation of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer and the rise of the application of nanomaterials in the field of biomedicine have promoted the application of various nanomaterials in the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer. To improve the efficiency of cancer treatment, the multifunctional nanocomposites MGO/FU-MI (MGO/FU-MI NCs) were used for combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy to verify its effectiveness in treating tumors.

METHODS

The proliferation activity of MGO/FU-MI NCs on MC-38 and B16 cells was detected by CCK-8, and the level of apoptosis and reactive oxygen species were detected by flow cytometry. To verify its efficacy in the combination of chemoradiotherapy, different treatment regimens were developed for several groups of tumor-bearing mice.

RESULTS

The MGO/FU-MI NCs can induce apoptosis, stimulate ROS production, and inhibit cell proliferation. In vivo experiments, when MGO/FU-MI NCs are used alone for chemotherapy, have a certain therapeutic effect on mouse tumors. When MGO/FU-MI NCs are combined with radiation, the tumor volume can be significantly reduced and the survival time of mice is significantly prolonged.

CONCLUSION

The MGO/FU-MI NCs are very effective in the treatment of tumors when combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and have the potential to be a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

[Spatio-temporal distribution of Oncomelania hupensis snails along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the spatio-temporal characteristics of Oncomelania hupensis snails along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, so as to provide scientific evidence for the dynamic assessment of the risk of snail spread in this region.

METHODS

O. hupensis snail status was collected in the plain regions with waterway networks in the study area from 2012 to 2017. The spatio-temporal variations of snail distribution were investigated along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal using buffer zone analysis, spatial autocorrelation, hotspot analysis and standard deviational ellipse with the geographical information system (GIS) tools.

RESULTS

The number of snail habitats showed a tendency towards a rise in the study area from 2012 to 2017, and snail habitats were predominantly distributed in the 1 000 m long buffer zone of the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, notably along the Jiuqu River at the junction between the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal. The distribution of snail habitats appeared spatial autocorrelations in 2014, 2016 and 2017, and the hotspot areas were mainly identified at the junction between the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In addition, the overall distribution of snail habitats was located in the northeastern-southwestern part of the study aera, and gradually shifted to the southern and northern parts with the time.

CONCLUSIONS

The spatial distribution of O. hupensis snails is complex along the Danyang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and the Danyang-Jintan-Liyang Canal, and there is a risk of snail spread from the upper reaches to the lower reaches, where snail control needs to be intensified.

Genetic variants in the folate metabolic pathway genes predict cutaneous melanoma-specific survival

BACKGROUND

Folate metabolism plays an important role in DNA methylation and nucleic acid synthesis and thus may function as a regulatory factor in cancer development. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cutaneous melanoma-specific survival (CMSS), but no SNPs were found in genes involved in the folate metabolic pathway.

OBJECTIVES

To examine associations between SNPs in folate metabolic pathway genes and CMSS.

METHODS

We comprehensively evaluated 2645 (422 genotyped and 2223 imputed) common SNPs in folate metabolic pathway genes from a published GWAS of 858 patients from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and performed the validation in another GWAS of 409 patients from the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, in which 95/858 (11·1%) and 48/409 (11·7%) patients died of cutaneous melanoma, respectively.

RESULTS

We identified two independent SNPs (MTHFD1 rs1950902 G>A and ALPL rs10917006 C>T) to be associated with CMSS in both datasets, and their meta-analysis yielded an allelic hazards ratio of 1·75 (95% confidence interval 1·32-2·32, P = 9·96 × 10^-5 ) and 2·05 (1·39-3·01, P = 2·84 × 10^-4 ), respectively. The genotype-phenotype correlation analyses provided additional support for the biological plausibility of these two variants' roles in tumour progression, suggesting that variation in SNP-related mRNA expression levels is likely to be the mechanism underlying the observed associations with CMSS.

CONCLUSIONS

Two possibly functional genetic variants, MTHFD1 rs1950902 and ALPL rs10917006, were likely to be independently or jointly associated with CMSS, which may add to personalized treatment in the future, once further validated. What is already known about this topic? Existing data show that survival rates vary among patients with melanoma with similar clinical characteristics; therefore, it is necessary to identify additional complementary biomarkers for melanoma-specific prognosis. A hypothesis-driven approach, by pooling the effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a specific biological pathway as genetic risk scores, may provide a prognostic utility, and genetic variants of genes in folate metabolism have been reported to be associated with cancer risk. What does this study add? Two genetic variants in the folate metabolic pathway genes, MTHFD1 rs1950902 and ALPL rs10917006, are significantly associated with cutaneous melanoma-specific survival (CMSS). What is the translational message? The identification of genetic variants will make a risk-prediction model possible for CMSS. The SNPs in the folate metabolic pathway genes, once validated in larger studies, may be useful in the personalized management and treatment of patients with cutaneous melanoma.