Current perspectives in immunotherapy

Since the declaration of the war on cancer in 1971, our ability to effectively treat cancer has been less successful than anticipated. Surgery and radiation therapy remain our most effective treatment modalities, with chemotherapy proving beneficial in only a limited number of tumor types. The reality of this poor response to conventional therapy has prompted a search for other potentially beneficial therapies. The idea of using the immune system to eradicate tumor is not new. Over 100 years ago, William Coley (in 1893) first reported on the ability to induce tumor regressions by nonspecific activation of the immune system in response to bacterial toxins. Despite this early beginning, efforts to reliably manipulate the immune system to promote tumor regression has been universally disappointing. With recent advances in our understanding of the immune system, and the identification and availability of numerous growth promoting and growth-suppression cytokines, the concept of immunotherapy being a useful therapeutic intervention for the treatment of cancer is becoming a reality. Immunology in general, and tumor immunology specifically, are fields foreign to the practicing tumor surgeon. As progress in these fields are made, it will become important for the surgical oncologist to have a better understanding of tumor immunology as it relates to therapy. This paper reviews our current understanding of the immune system as it relates to cancer immunotherapy (using primary intracranial glioma as the tumor model), and then relates this knowledge to recent work in the development of tumor-specific vaccines.

Color Doppler energy and related quantitative analysis of gestational trophoblastic tumors

OBJECTIVE

To assess the reliability of color Doppler energy (CDE) and a related quantitative analysis for detection and follow-up of uterine involvement in gestational trophoblastic tumor.

METHOD

CDE was performed in 19 patients with trophoblastic tumor, in 25 women in early pregnancy and 25 non-pregnant women. The blood flow area ratio (BFAR) in CDE was used as an index representing uterine involvement. In nine of the 19 patients, BFAR was measured before, during and at termination of chemotherapy.

RESULT

The BFAR (mean +/- S.D.) of uterine profiles in 19 patients (39.9 +/- 1.3%) was significantly higher than that in 25 pregnant women (24.6 +/- 10.1%, P = 0.002) and in 25 non-pregnant women (14.8 +/- 5.7%, P = 0.001). In the follow-up of nine patients, when beta-hCG was less than 3.1 ng/ml during the treatment, the BFAR (38.7 +/- 11.9%) decreased below that (44.2 +/- 14.6%) seen prior to treatment (P = 0.009) and was much lower at termination of treatment (27.5 +/- 12.3%, P = 0.048).

CONCLUSION

These data support the use of CDE and the related quantitative analysis as a new method for detecting and follow-up of uterine involvement in patients with trophoblastic tumors.

A transfection method of PS-asODNs targeting ANGPTL4 in multicellular structures of hepatocarcinoma cell line

To find an efficient transfection method for metastatic cancer cells, we established a three-dimensional (3D) growth model for solid tumor cells to mimic the metastatic cancer cells in the vascular system and compared the efficiency of several transfection methods in vitro. We found that it was optimal to transfect two-dimensional cells in vitro and detach them for 3D growth 6 h later. The transfection efficiency of this method was high, and the results were reliable. This method can be used to deliver several types of small molecules into the 3D metastatic cell model. Using this method, we increased our understanding of why drugs that are effective in vitro cannot treat the disease in vivo. If this phenomenon occurs due to the resistance of the cells to the drug, other treatment agents for the disease must be identified. However, if this occurs because the agent cannot reach the cells inside the 3D aggregate, we can improve the delivery efficiency by using methods that target the agent to all cells. Briefly, the method introduced in this study will contribute to future research focusing on the 3D metastatic cell model as well as on drug development for various solid tumors.

Effect of tricyclazole on morphology, virulence and gene expression of Aspergillus aculeatus for management of soft rot disease in peach

AIMS

Aspergillus aculeatus, a pathogen of peaches, can cause soft rot and lead to economic losses in agricultural production. However, studies on the prevention of soft rot caused by A. aculeatus have rarely been reported. Tricyclazole (TCZ) is a fungicide that has been widely used in disease prevention of various crops but the inhibitory mechanism of TCZ on A. aculeatus is unknown. Our aim was to determine the effects of TCZ on A. aculeatus.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In our study, TCZ inhibited the growth of fungal colonies when applied at 0·5-6 mmol l-1 and inhibited the production of melanin at 3 mmol l-1 . Conidia exposed to TCZ were less effective at causing the disease in inoculated samples, and electrical conductivity, divulgation of nucleic acids and proteins rose with increasing concentrations of TCZ. Microscopic results suggest that TCZ damages not only the cell wall but also the cell membrane. Results of qRT-PCR showed that TCZ had no significant effect on the regulation of genes coding for laccase, apoptosis and hypothetical protein; however, it significantly down-regulated genes coding for cellulase, chitinase and sterol.

CONCLUSIONS

Tricyclazole can influence the pathogenic ability of A. aculeatus by damaging the cell structure of hyphae and conidia, reducing the melanin production, and altering the expression of pathogenic-related gene.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The results explained the potential cause and mechanism TCZ produced in A. aculeatus. Our research offers scientific insights into future research interest relative to using TCZ in the treatment of soft rot caused by A. aculeatus.

Conditions for electron capture by an ultraintense stationary laser beam

We present in this paper a quantitative study of an effect, in which a low-energy free electron is captured and violently accelerated to GeV final kinetic energy by a stationary extra-high-intensity laser beam (Q0 identical witheE/m(e)omegac greater, similar100). The conditions under which this phenomenon can occur, such as the momentum range, incident angle of the incoming electron, the waist width of the laser beam, etc., have been investigated in detail.

Detection of Laribacter hongkongensis using species-specific duplex PCR assays targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ISR)

AIMS

For the rapid detection of Laribacter hongkongensis, which is associated with human community-acquired gastroenteritis and traveller's diarrhoea, we developed a duplex species-specific PCR assay.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Full-length of the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) sequences of 52 L. hongkongensis isolates were obtained by PCR-based sequencing. Two species-specific primer pairs targeting 16S rRNA gene and ISR were designed for duplex PCR detection of L. hongkongensis. The L. hongkongensis species-specific duplex PCR assay showed 100% specificity, and the minimum detectable level was 2.1 × 10(-2) ng μl(-1) genomic DNA which corresponds to 5000 CFU ml(-1).

CONCLUSIONS

The high specificity and sensitivity of the assay make it suitable for rapid detection of L. hongkongensis.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This species-specific duplex PCR method provides a rapid, simple, and reliable alternative to conventional methods to identify L. hongkongensis and may have applications in both clinical and environmental microbiology.

Intralesionally implanted cisplatin plus systemic carmustine for the treatment of brain tumor in rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The benefit of conventional chemotherapy for the treatment of malignant brain tumors, although limited, is real. A major obstacle in the treatment of these lesions is the ability to deliver drug across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Local drug implantation, circumventing the BBB, has been a useful strategy for treatment of intracranial lesions, and may work synergistically with systemic chemotherapy. To test this hypothesis, either intraperitoneal (i.p.) carmustine or cisplatin was combined with the intracranial (i.c.) administration of polymer-delivered cisplatin in rats with intracranial tumors.

METHODS AND RESULTS

9L gliosarcoma tumor cells (5 x 10(3)) were administered through a right frontal lobe cannula in rats 7 days prior to treatments. Cisplatin-loaded biodegradable polymer was then administered via the cannula, with free cisplatin or carmustine injected i.p. Animals were monitored for 60 days post-treatment. In experiment 1, i.c. cisplatin at a dose of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 mg/m2 resulted in a mean survival time of 34 +/- 3, 39 +/- 14, 47 +/- 11, and 31 +/- 20 days (MST +/- SD), respectively, compared to 26 +/- 4 days in the control group and 30 +/- 7 days in the group treated with 50 mg/m2 i.p. free cisplatin. In experiment 2, i.p. free cisplatin at 25, 40, 50, and 100 mg/m2 resulted in a MST of 28 +/- 3, 30 +/- 4, 32 +/- 3, and 14 +/- 8 days, respectively, compared to 26 +/- 1 days in the control group. In experiment 3, the MST in the groups treated with 0.5 mg/m2 of i.c. cisplatin, 25 mg/m2 of i.p. cisplatin, 10 mg/kg of i.p. carmustine, i.c. cisplatin (0.5 mg/m2) plus i.p. cisplatin (25 mg/m2), and i.c. cisplatin (0.5 mg/m2) plus i.p. carmustine (10 mg/kg) was 30 +/- 4 days (P > 0.05), 28 +/- 2 (P > 0.05), 36 +/- 4 (P < 0.01), 32 +/- 3 (P < 0.01), and 50 +/- 11 days (P < 0.01), respectively, compared to the tumor control group (26 +/- 1 days). Long-term survivors (29%) were seen only in the i.c. cisplatin plus i.p. carmustine group. Additive toxicity was not observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Intralesional polymer-delivered (i.c.) cisplatin plus systemic (i.p.) carmustine is highly effective for the treatment of intracranial 9L gliosarcoma in tumors.

Cell brain abnormalities in cancer development

Cancer has long been regarded as a genetic disease. Therefore, current theories on cancer development focus on genetic alterations affecting oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. However, the mechanisms through which genetic alterations are induced are largely unknown. In this paper a theory will be developed which interprets cancer as a cell brain illness rather than a genetic disease. The complex comprising the centrosome, normally two centrioles and connecting filaments, was recently termed the 'cell brain', and was found to determine a cell's fate. It is through the cell brain, instead of the genes, that genetic stability and expression are maintained and regulated. Accordingly, the nucleus is regarded as a safe storage for inheriting materials (genes) that primarily act as manufacturing templates. Therefore, cancer should be regarded as a 'brain illness' of a cell, instead of a genetic disease, which is strongly supported by the latest evidence, as discussed in this paper. Such a theory serves to better clarify the confusing observations in cancer development accumulated over the last decades.

LINC01255 combined with BMI1 to regulate human mesenchymal stromal senescence and acute myeloid leukemia cell proliferation through repressing transcription of MCP-1

BACKGROUND

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) govern fundamental biochemical and cellular biology processes, for example, participate in chromatin remodeling, imprinting, splicing, transcriptional regulation and translation. Dysregulation of lncRNA expression is act as a feature of various diseases and cancers, including hematopoietic malignancies. However, the clinical relevance of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia preceded by MDS (MDS-AML) requires further research. Recently, lncRNAs have been demonstrated, which play an important role in hematopoiesis, thus, to further finding more functional lncRNA seemed particularly important.

METHODS

Western blotting, real-time PCR, RNA-pulldown, RIP (RNA immunoprecipitation), Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), cellular compartments extraction assays, SA-β-gal staining, lentivirus transfection, cell viability assay and cell proliferation assays were used to examine the relationship between lncRNA LINC01255 and its regulation of p53-p21 pathway in human mesenchymal stromal and acute myeloid leukemia cells.

RESULTS

LncRNA LINC01255 is highly expressed in bone marrow cells of AML patients, CD34+ cells of MDS-AML patients and AML cell lines and the higher expression of LINC01255 is associated with poor survival rate of AML patients. LINC01255 can interact with BMI1 and repress the transcription of MCP-1 to active p53-p21 pathway, thus inhibiting the senescence of human mesenchymal stromal and proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia cell.

CONCLUSIONS

We discovered a novel functional lncRNA LINC01255, which can regulate the senescence of human mesenchymal stromal and the proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia cell through inhibiting the transcription of MCP-1.

Cell brain: a new focus in the postgenomic era

The centrosome, together with the embedded centrioles and connecting filaments, has come to be regarded as the 'brain' of a cell, analogous to the long known brain of an animal or a human being. It is through the 'brain' that different cellular activities are coordinated as a whole. In this article, comparative studies of the principles of life at varying levels and of the new roles of different cellular organelles in maintaining a healthy life for an organism provide further support to this theory, which is discussed based on the latest findings. Hopefully, this new theory can make a great contribution to break the paradigm of nucleus (or genes) as causes of all problems.

Intralesionally implanted cisplatin cures primary brain tumor in rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Chemotherapy has added little to the overall survival of the patients with primary malignant brain tumors, primarily due to its difficulty penetrating the blood-brain barrier. Use of polymers, releasing high doses of chemotherapy locally over time, is a promising new treatment strategy. Three experiments were conducted to test the effect of cisplatin, released from biodegradable polymer, on rats with 1 week established brain tumor.

METHODS

9L gliosarcoma cells and drug-free or cisplatin-loaded polymer were administered through a right frontal lobe cannula in male Fischer 344 rats. Tumor cells were infused on day 0 and polymer on day 7. Animals were monitored for 60 days.

RESULTS

In experiment one, 0.5 mg/m2 of cisplatin loaded in polymer resulted in a mean survival time (MST) of 51 +/- 14 days with 63% (10/16) rats surviving to day 60. MST for the control group was 24 +/- 4 days (p = 2.5 x 10(-9)). Evidence of clinical or histologic brain toxicity was minimal. In a second experiment, using drug-free polymer (n = 7), MST was 24 +/- 3 days. This was compared against an MST of 24 +/- 4 days in the tumor control group (n = 7) and 49 +/- 7 days in a cisplatin-polymer treated group (n = 6). In a third experiment, two doses of drug-free polymer and three doses of cisplatin-loaded polymer were tested in normal nontumor-bearing rats and found to be well tolerated.

CONCLUSIONS

Intralesional sustained release of cisplatin from biodegradable polymer is safe and effective for the treatment of brain 9L gliosarcoma in rats.

A simple and convenient model combining multiparametric MRI and clinical features to predict tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in breast cancer

AIM

To develop a simple and convenient method based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical features to non-invasively predict tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in breast cancer (BC) and to explore the relationship between TIL levels and disease-free survival (DFS).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 172 BC patients were enrolled between November 2017 and June 2021 in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into high (≥10%) and low (<10%) TIL groups. Clinicopathological data were collected. MRI features were reviewed by two radiologists. Predictors associated with TILs were determined by using multivariable logistic regression analyses. Kaplan-Meier survival curves based on TIL levels were used to estimate DFS.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients with low TILs and 70 patients with high TILs were included in the study. Tumour size (odds ratio [OR], 1.040; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.006, 1.075; p=0.020), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC; OR, 1.003; 95% CI: 1.001, 1.005; p=0.015), clinical axillary lymph node status (CALNS; OR, 3.222; 95% CI: 1.372,7.568; p=0.007), and enhancement pattern (OR, 0.284; 95% CI: 0.143, 0.563; p<0.001) were independently associated with TIL levels. These features were used in the ALSE model (where A is ADC, L is CALNS, S is size, and E is enhancement pattern). High TILs were associated with better DFS (p=0.016).

CONCLUSION

The ALSE model derived from multiparametric MRI and clinical features could non-invasively predict TIL levels in BC, and high TILs were associated with longer DFS, especially in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive BC and triple-negative BC (TNBC).

On deductive databases with incomplete information

In order to extend the ability to handle incomplete information in a definite deductive database, a Horn clause-based system representing incomplete information as incomplete constants is proposed. By using the notion of incomplete constants the deductive database system handles incomplete information in the form of sets of possible values, thereby giving more information than null values. The resulting system extends Horn logic to express a restricted form of indefiniteness. Although a deductive database with this kind of incomplete information is, in fact, a subset of an indefinite deductive database system, it represents indefiniteness in terms of value incompleteness, and therefore it can make use of the existing Horn logic computation rules. The inference rules for such a system are presented, its model theory discussed, and a model theory of indefiniteness proposed. The theory is consistent with minimal model theory and extends its expressive power.

7beta-hydroxycholesterol reduces the extent of reactive gliosis caused by iron deposition in the hippocampus but does not attenuate the iron-induced seizures in rats

7beta-Hydroxycholesterol has been previously demonstrated to inhibit astrocytosis in injured cortex or spinal cord of rats. In this study, we explored the inhibitory effects of the liposome containing 7beta-hydroxycholesterol on the reactive astrocytosis caused by the injection of iron into the hippocampus of rats and furthermore evaluated the involvement of reactive astrocytosis in iron-induced epilepsy. Injection of ferric chloride solution unilaterally into the hippocampus of rats induced spontaneous spiking activity ipsilaterally then developed into bilateral hippocampi and generalized convulsive seizures within the first week post-operation, and spontaneous epileptiform activity and generalized seizures lasted as long as 2 weeks post-operation, whereas none of the rats injected with sodium chloride solution unilaterally into the hippocampus developed generalized seizures. With immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses, apparent reactive astrocytosis in bilateral hippocampi was detected using antibody against glial fibrillary acidic protein 14 days after the injection of ferric chloride solution, but no significant differences were found in the amount of synaptophysin protein, a presynaptic vesicle protein, as compared with the rats injected with sodium chloride solution. Infusion of liposome suspension containing 7beta-hydroxycholesterol into the same site immediately after the injection of ferric chloride solution reduced the extent of the reactive astrocytosis by 50%-55% of the amount of glial fibrillary acidic protein in the hippocampi of both hemispheres, and non-significantly elevated the amount of synaptophysin protein in both sides of hippocampus. However, these effects did not significantly modify the seizure latency and the incidence of generalized seizures in the rats. These findings demonstrate the effects of 7beta-hydroxycholesterol on the inhibition of reactive astrocytosis caused by iron deposition in the hippocampus of rats, and suggest that the reactive astrocytosis may not play a causal role in the development of iron-induced seizures.

[Measurement of blood NO contents using ESR method in rats after thermal injury]

The contents of nitric oxide (NO) in the blood were measured by electron spin resonance (ESR) method in Wistar rats with 35% TBSA III degrees burn. NO is endothelium derived relaxing factor (E-DRF) released by vascular endothelial cells. The results showed that: 1. Blood NO contents were not found to be significantly increased (72 hours postburn); 2. Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS, endotoxin) could induce excessive NO formation in early burns.