Transcriptome Analysis of Solute Carrier-Associated Genes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Friend or Foe?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer, and its treatment remains difficult. Since the early symptoms of HCC are not obvious, many HCC patients are already at an advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Although current targeted therapy and immunotherapy have been initially effective in HCC patients, several patients have shown low response rates or developed drug resistance, which leads to tumor progression and even death. Hence, there is an urgent need for new biomarkers to guide the prognosis and treatment of HCC. In our study, a prognostic signature consisting of nine SLC genes was constructed in HCC by comprehensive analysis. By calculating risk scores, HCC patients could be divided into high-risk and low-risk groups, with the high-risk group having a significantly poorer prognosis. In addition, we found a hub gene, SLC7A11, which is a robust prognostic marker of HCC. In conclusion, our study can serve as a reference for the prognostic evaluation and treatment of HCC.

Pan-cancer analysis revealed the significance of the GTPBP family in cancer

Background: At present, cancer is still one of the principal diseases to represent a serious danger to human health. Although research on the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer is progressing rapidly, the current knowledge on this topic is far from sufficient. Some tumors with poor prognoses lack effective prognostic biomarkers.

Methods: Firstly, the Wilcoxon test was used to analyse the expression of GTPBP1-GTPBP10 in cancerous and normal tissues. Subsequently, we explored the expression of GTPBP1-10 in cancer by way of a paired t-test and plotted the survival curve using KM and univariate Cox regression analysis to explore the relationship between GTPBP1-10 and the prognosis of cancer. We then explored the significance of the GTPBP family in the tumor microenvironment.

Results: The results showed that many members of the GTPBP family are differentially expressed in a variety of cancers and alter the prognosis of a number of cancers. Members of the GTPBP family may serve as novel prognostic markers for these tumors. Moreover, members of the GTPBP family are correlated with the immune microenvironment of tumors, which is valuable in terms of adding to our understanding of the mechanisms of tumor genesis. Finally, we identified drugs showing a high correlation with GTPBP family members, which are therefore conducive to the development of GTPBP family member-based treatment regimens.

Conclusions: The 10 members of the GTPBP family have prognostic value in multiple tumor types and are associated with the immune microenvironment. Our study may provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of tumors.

[Current status of regular exercise and influencing factors in 18-64 year old labor force population in Beijing]

Objective: To understand the regular exercise status and influencing factors in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing, and provide evidences for behavioral intervention. Methods: Data were collected from Beijing Adult Non-communicable and Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors Surveillance Program from August to December, 2017. The stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 13 240 survey subjects throughout the city. The valid sample size included in this study were 11 604 persons aged 18 to 64 years. Questionnaire was used to collection the information about basic demographic characteristics, chronic disease history and physical activity prevalence of the study subjects. The body height and weight were measured by standard methods. Fasting venous blood samples were collected for the detection of fasting blood glucose, blood lipids and other biochemical indicators. Software SPSS 20.0 was used fort complex sampling sample weighting and data analysis. Results: The proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing were 23.74% (95%CI: 21.51%-26.12%) and 64.34% (95%CI: 61.66%-66.94%) respectively; The average daily physical activity time was 23.44 min (95%CI: 21.16-25.71), and the total daily sedentary behavior time was 6.96 hours (95%CI: 6.80-7.13). With the increase of age, the proportions of the study subjects who did regular exercise and never had leisure-time activity increased (P=0.006, P<0.001). With the increase of educational level, the proportion of those who did regular exercise increased (P<0.001), and the proportion of those who never had leisure-time activity decreased (P<0.001); the higher the level of physical activity, the higher the regular exercise proportion (P<0.001); the proportions of employed people who did regular exercise was lower than those in unemployed people (P<0.001); the proportions of women never had leisure-time activity was higher than those in men (P=0.024). The results of multivariate analysis showed that older age and higher education level were positive factors for regular exercise (35- years old: OR=0.653, 95%CI: 0.530-0.804, P<0.001; 50-64 years old: OR=0.695, 95%CI: 0.560-0.864, P=0.001; high school/technical secondary school/technical School: OR=0.679, 95%CI: 0.593-0.777, P<0.001; college graduation: OR=0.478, 95%CI: 0.387-0.590, P<0.001; bachelor degree and above: OR=0.435, 95%CI: 0.347-0.546, P<0.001), while employment (OR=1.631, 95%CI: 1.330-2.000, P<0.001) and married/cohabitation (OR=1.340, 95%CI: 1.093-1.644, P=0.038) were negative factors for regular exercise. Conclusions: The rate of regular exercise in 18-64 year-old labor force population in Beijing needs to be improved. Older age and high educational level were positive factors for regular exercise, while being married and employed were negative factors for it.

[Investigation on knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017]

Objective: To explore the knowledge, attitude and behavior of salt reduction in adults of Beijing in 2017. Methods: Based on the monitoring data of chronic diseases and corresponding risk factors in adults of Beijing in 2017, the indicators of salt reduction knowledge, attitude and behavior of 13 240 participants aged 18-79 years old were analyzed. The awareness rate, attitude support rate and behavior rate were calculated by complex weighting method, and compared among different age groups, genders, residential areas, and history of hypertension. The proportion of people taking various salt reduction measures to the total number of people was compared. Results: The awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake, the awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by more salt intake, the attitude support rate and behavior rate of adults were 31.77%, 88.56%, 90.27% and 53.86%, respectively. After weighted adjustment, the awareness rate of recommended daily salt intake was 31.08%, which increased with age (χ²_trend=431.56, P<0.001) and education level (χ²_trend=95.44, P<0.001). The awareness rate of women was higher than that of men (χ²=118.89, P<0.001), and the awareness rate of population in urban areas was higher than that of population in suburban areas (χ²=34.09, P=0.001). The awareness rate of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt was 86.73%. The support rate of salt reduction attitude was 90.45%. The rate of salt-reducing behavior was 54.05%. Among different salt reduction measures, reducing salt when cooking was the most common measure (52.41%), while the least common one (35.22%) was using low sodium salt. Logistic regression model analysis showed that the gender, age, education level, self-reported history of hypertension, awareness of salt recommendation, awareness of hypertension caused or aggravated by eating more salt, and salt reduction attitude were significantly associated with salt reduction behavior. Conclusion: In 2017, adults in Beijing have a basic understanding of the impact of high-salt diet on health and support salt reduction, but the rate of salt reduction behavior is still relatively low. There are obvious gender and age differences, and the salt reduction measure is simple. Targeted measures should be taken to promote the formation of salt reduction behavior.

A Necroptosis-Related Prognostic Model of Uveal Melanoma Was Constructed by Single-Cell Sequencing Analysis and Weighted Co-Expression Network Analysis Based on Public Databases

Background

Uveal melanoma(UVM) is the most common intraocular malignancy and has a poor prognosis. The clinical significance of necroptosis(NCPS) in UVM is unclear.

Methods

We first identified necroptosis genes in UVM by single-cell analysis of the GSE139829 dataset from the GEO database and weighted co-expression network analysis of TCGA data. COX regression and Lasso regression were used to construct the prognostic model. Then survival analysis, immune microenvironment analysis, and mutation analysis were carried out. Finally, cell experiments were performed to verify the role of ITPA in UVM.

Result

By necroptosis-related prognostic model, UVM patients in both TCGA and GEO cohorts could be classified as high-NCPS and low-NCPS groups, with significant differences in survival time between the two groups (P<0.001). Besides, the high-NCPS group had higher levels of immune checkpoint-related gene expression, suggesting that they might be more likely to benefit from immunotherapy. The cell experiments confirmed the role of ITPA, the most significant gene in the model, in UVM. After ITPA was knocked down, the activity, proliferation, and invasion ability of the MuM-2B cell line were significantly reduced.

Conclusion

Our study can provide a reference for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with UVM.

Understanding Medication Nonadherence from Social Media: A Sentiment-Enriched Deep Learning Approach

Medication nonadherence (MNA) causes severe health ramifications and costs the U.S. healthcare systems $290 billion annually. Understanding patients’ MNA reasons is an urgent goal for researchers, practitioners, and the pharmaceutical industry to mitigate those health and economic consequences. Past years have witnessed soaring patient engagement in social media, making it a cost-efficient and rich information source that can complement prior survey studies and deepen the understanding of MNA. Yet, such a dataset is untapped in existing MNA studies due to technical challenges such as negative decision-making in long texts, varied patient vocabulary, and sparse relevant information. In this work, we develop Sentiment-Enriched DEep Learning (SEDEL) to address these challenges and extract MNA reasons. We evaluate SEDEL on 53,180 reviews of about 180 drugs and achieve a precision of 89.25%, a recall of 88.48%, and an F1 score of 88.86%. SEDEL significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art baseline models. Nine categories of MNA reasons are identified and verified by domain experts. This study contributes to IS research in two aspects. First, we devise a novel deep-learning-based approach for reason mining. Second, our results provide direct implications for the health industry and practitioners to design interventions.

[Analysis of the current status and related factors of oral nutritional supplements intake among 18-79 years old in Beijing in 2017]

Objective: To understand the current status of taking nutrient supplements for residents aged 18 to 79 years old in Beijing and its related factors. Methods: Data were gathered from the 2017 Beijing Non-communicable and Chronic Disease Surveillance Program. Multiple classified cluster sampling method was used, and participants aged 18-79 were sampled from 16 districts. The questionnaire included chronic diseases and related risk factors, health knowledge, and oral nutritional supplements within 12 months. Multivariate logistic regression models were established to analyze associated factors that affect the intake of nutrient supplements. Results: The weighted prevalence of supplements use was 13.1% among 12 696 subjects within the past 12 months. The proportions of multivitamins (4.7%), B vitamins (4.5%), and folic acid (3.2%) were higher. The prevalence of supplement use of young people (18-39 years old) and the elderly (60-79 years old) was higher than middle-aged people (40-59 years old) (χ²=54.09, P<0.001). Except for the age group of 70-79 years old, the consumption rate of women was significantly higher than that of men (P<0.05). After adjusting age and sex, among patients with hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia, the control rates of blood pressure, glucose and lipids of patients who take nutrient supplements were higher than those who do not (P<0.05). And participants who took nutrient supplements had a more heightened awareness rate of health knowledge, such as the hazards of smoking and second-hand smoke, and recommended amount of salt per day (P<0.001). The multi-factor logistic analysis found that nutrient supplement-related factors include women, old age, higher education level, living in urban, insufficient physical activity, sleeping problems, active physical examination, blood pressure control among patients, and health knowledge (P<0.05). Conclusions: The factors of nutrient supplements use were related to sex, age, education level, health status, and health literacy. We should pay attention to key populations and guide them to establish the correct concept of taking nutrient supplements.

A novel regulatory mechanism network mediated by lncRNA TUG1 that induces the impairment of spiral artery remodeling in Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with maternal and fetal perinatal morbidity and mortality, which brings tremendous suffering and imposes an economic burden worldwide. The failure of uterine spiral artery remodeling may be related to the abnormal function of trophoblasts and lead to the occurrence and progression of PE. Aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is involved in the failure of uterine spiral artery remodeling. However, the regulation of lncRNA expression in PE is poorly characterized. Here, we reported that hypoxia-induced microRNA (miR)-218 inhibited the expression of lncRNA TUG1 by targeting FOXP1. Further RNA sequencing and mechanism analysis revealed that silencing of TUG1 increased the expression of DNA demethylase TET3 and proliferation-related DUSP family, including DUSP2, DUSP4, and DUSP5, via binding to SUV39H1 in the nucleus. Moreover, TUG1 modulated the DUSP family in vitro through a TET3-mediated epigenetic mechanism. Taken together, our results unmask a new regulatory network mediated by TUG1 as an essential determinant of the pathogenesis of PE, which regulates cell growth and possibly the occurrence and development of other diseases.

A 2-year locomotive exploration and scientific investigation of the lunar farside by the Yutu-2 rover

The lunar nearside has been investigated by many uncrewed and crewed missions, but the farside of the Moon remains poorly known. Lunar farside exploration is challenging because maneuvering rovers with efficient locomotion in harsh extraterrestrial environment is necessary to explore geological characteristics of scientific interest. Chang'E-4 mission successfully targeted the Moon's farside and deployed a teleoperated rover (Yutu-2) to explore inside the Von Kármán crater, conveying rich information regarding regolith, craters, and rocks. Here, we report mobile exploration on the lunar farside with Yutu-2 over the initial 2 years. During its journey, Yutu-2 has experienced varying degrees of mild slip and skid, indicating that the terrain is relatively flat at large scales but scattered with local gentle slopes. Cloddy soil sticking on its wheels implies a greater cohesion of the lunar soil than encountered at other lunar landing sites. Further identification results indicate that the regolith resembles dry sand and sandy loam on Earth in bearing properties, demonstrating greater bearing strength than that identified during the Apollo missions. In sharp contrast to the sparsity of rocks along the traverse route, small fresh craters with unilateral moldable ejecta are abundant, and some of them contain high-reflectance materials at the bottom, suggestive of secondary impact events. These findings hint at notable differences in the surface geology between the lunar farside and nearside. Experience gained with Yutu-2 improves the understanding of the farside of the Moon, which, in return, may lead to locomotion with improved efficiency and larger range.

Single-Cell Sequencing Analysis and Weighted Co-Expression Network Analysis Based on Public Databases Identified That TNC Is a Novel Biomarker for Keloid

Background

The pathophysiology of keloid formation is not yet understood, so the identification of biomarkers for kelod can be one step towards designing new targeting therapies which will improve outcomes for patients with keloids or at risk of developing keloids.

Methods

In this study, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis, weighted co-expression network analysis, and differential expression analysis of keloids based on public databases. And 3 RNA sequencing data from keloid patients in our center were used for validation. Besides, we performed QRT-PCR on keloid tissue and adjacent normal tissues from 16 patients for further verification.

Results

We identified the sensitive biomarker of keloid: Tenascin-C (TNC). Then, Pseudotime analysis found that the expression level of TNC decreased first, then stabilized and finally increased with fibroblast differentiation, suggesting that TNC may play an potential role in fibroblast differentiation. In addition, there were differences in the infiltration level of macrophages M0 between the TNC-high group and the TNC-low group. Macrophages M0 had a higher infiltration level in low TNC- group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Our results can provide a new idea for the diagnosis and treatment of keloid.

[Effect of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated exosomes from human dental pulp stem cells combined with stromal cell-derived factor-1 on dental pulp regeneration]

Objective: To investigate the effect of exosomes from mild-inflammation- stimulated human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSC) combined with stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) on dental pulp regeneration in rats. Methods: Primary hDPSCs were isolated, cultured and then stimulated by using lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The exosomes from the hDPSCs with (L-EXO) or without (N-EXO) LPS were extracted by overspeed differential centrifugation and were identified by transmission electron microscopy and Western blotting. Forty SD rats, aged 6-8 weeks, were equally divided into S group (SDF-1 alone), L+S group (L-EXO combined with SDF-1), N+S group (N-EXO combined with SDF-1) and blank control group (no substance implanted into the root canal) by random number table method. Bilateral mandibular first molars were used as the experimental teeth to establish pulpless root canal models and different contents were implanted into the root canals according to the groups. All rats were over-anesthetized and sacrificed at the 30th day after content implantation. Bilateral mandibular tissues were taken for histological evaluation by means of HE, Masson and immunohistochemical stainings. Results: The HE staining showed new pulp-like tissue in the root canals of all three experimental groups. The amount of new tissues and the number of cells in the tissues were greatest in L+S group and least in S group. Masson staining showed that the mineralized tissue in L+S group was arranged longitudinally along the root canal wall and the collagen fibers were arranged in an orderly fashion, while those in N+S group showed an irregular and disordered distribution. Quantitative analysis of the area of neovascularization in each group showed that the density of vessels in the L+S group [(2.03±0.65)%] was significantly higher than that in the S group [(0.65±0.05)%] and the N+S group [(1.06±0.38)%] respectively (F=5.879, P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed that the expression of CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) was significantly lower in S and L+S groups than in N+S group, with a statistically significant difference (F=8.633, P<0.01). Conclusions: Exosomes secreted by hDPSCs combined with SDF-1 might increase the amount of new tissue in the root canal and the density of blood vessels in the tissue. L-EXO showed a stronger effect than N-EXO did. The combination of L-EXO with SDF-1 might result in more regular arrangement of mineralized tissue and collagen fibers in the regenerative tissues.

The synergistic effect of palmitic acid and glucose on inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated apoptosis in rat Schwann cells

OBJECTIVE

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is a common long-term complication of diabetes mellitus accompanied with hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Both high blood glucose and high blood lipids are key pathogenies for DPN. This research aims to investigate whether the combination of glucose (Glu) and palmitic acid (PA) played a synergistic role in the pathogenesis of DPN.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The proliferation rate of Rat Schwann cell line RSC96 cells stimulated by different concentrations of Glu and PA were analyzed by CCK-8 assay. After the IC50 was detected for each drug, the RSC96 cells were divided into control, Glu, Glu+PA, PA, and BSA groups. The apoptosis of RSC96 cells in different groups were detected by flow cytometry. The effects of Glu and/or PA on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-associated apoptotic signaling pathways were determined by Western blot and qPCR.

RESULTS

Both Glu and PA showed similar inhibition on the proliferation of RSC96 cells in a dose-dependent manner. However, PA induced stronger apoptosis of RSC96 cells than glucose and significantly increased the levels of X-box-binding protein-1 (XBP1), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and eIF2α phosphorylation, which are key proteins regulating endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-associated apoptotic signaling pathways. The combination of Glu and PA induced the strongest apoptosis in RSC96 cells and also activated ER stress-associated apoptotic signaling pathways. These results verified the synergistic effect of Glu and PA on inducing ER stress-associated apoptosis in RSC96 cells, and PA even induced stronger apoptosis in RSC96 cells than Glu.

CONCLUSIONS

The present research indicated that hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia might exert a synergistic damage during the pathogenesis of DPN, suggesting that blood lipid control is as important as blood glucose control for DPN patients.

[Analysis of the imaging characteristics of otosclerosis based on 10 μm otology CT]

Objective: To evaluate the imaging features of otosclerosis based on10 μm otology CT. Methods: Data of 27 patients with otosclerosis (51 sides) in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2020 to July 2021 were retrospectively collected, including 9 males and 18 females age ffrom 22 to 70 (42±12) years. All patients underwent 10 μm otology CT examination and surgical treatment. The types, amounts and involved sites of otosclerosis were analyzed and the sensitivity of 10 μm otology CT in diagnosing otosclerosis were evaluated. Results: Fenestral type accounted for 49.0% (25/51 sides), and diffuse type accounted for 51.0% (26/51 sides),and he retrofenestral type without fenestral lesion was not seen. Single lesions accounted for 45.1% (23/51 sides) and multiple lesions accounted for 54.9% (28/51 sides). The incidence of involvement of the fissula ante fenestram and annular ligaments were both 100%. The incidence of involvement of stapes footplate, vestibule, cochlea, round window, inner auditory canal wall, facial nerve canal, stapes muscle and semicircular canal was 60.8% (31 sides), 33.3% (17/51 sides), 21.6% (11/51 sides), 17.6% (9/51 sides), 13.7% (7/51 sides), 9.8% (5/51 sides), 7.8% (4/51 sides) and 5.9% (3/51 sides), respectively. The sensitivity of 10 μm otology CT in diagnosis of otosclerosis was 100%. Conclusion: 10 μm otology CT can fully display the imaging features of otosclerosis, and has the potential to be an effective routine method for otosclerosis.

Construction and Validation of a Novel Pyroptosis-Related Gene Signature to Predict the Prognosis of Uveal Melanoma

Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor with a poor prognosis. Currently, treatment for UVM is limited, and the development of drug resistance and tumor recurrence are common. Therefore, it is important to identify new prognostic biomarkers of UVM and explore their role in the tumor microenvironment. Pyroptosis is a way of cell programmed death, and related research is in full throttle. However, the role of pyroptosis in UVM is unclear. In this study, we constructed the prognosis model of pyroptosis-related genes of UVM. This model can accurately guide the prognosis of UVM, and different groups differ in immune infiltration. We further verified our results in cell experiments. To some extent, our study can provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of UVM.

[Heritability of body mass index based on twin studies: a Meta-analysis]

Objective: To use Meta analysis to understand the prevalence of the heritability of body mass index (BMI) in twins. Methods: All studies on the heritability of the twins' BMI published before December 31, 2020 were retrieved through the China National Knowledge Network, Wanfang, VIP, PubMed and Web of Science databases. The literature quality was evaluated by using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tools. Stata 16.0 was used to perform subgroup analysis on the outcome indicators (heritability, 95%CI) to explore the source of heterogeneity. The local weighted regression method was used to fit the trend of heritability with age. The publication bias test and the sensitivity analysis of included literatures were also performed by using Stata 16.0. Results: A total of 10 articles meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included with 79 twins' independent estimates of heritability for BMI. Meta-analysis showed that the combined value of BMI heritability was 0.69 (95%CI: 0.65-0.71), the combined value of BMI (0.68, 95%CI: 0.65-0.70) in males was lower than that (0.70, 95%CI: 0.68-0.72) in females. The heritability of BMI (0.72, 95%CI: 0.68-0.76) in childhood and adolescence was higher than that (0.68, 95%CI: 0.66-0.70) in adulthood. The gender specific difference in BMI heritability in twins ≤18 years old was even greater, which was lower in males (0.68, 95%CI: 0.61-0.76) than in females (0.75, 95%CI: 0.69-0.81). The heritability increased with age in childhood, reached peak at about 18 years old, and then slowly decreased with age. Conclusions: The heritability of BMI varied with population characteristics, especially age and gender. In view of the high estimated value of BMI heritability in female children and adolescents, more attention should be paid to the start time of health intervention.

Solute carrier transporter superfamily member SLC16A1 is a potential prognostic biomarker and associated with immune infiltration in skin cutaneous melanoma

Melanoma is a type of cancer with a relatively poor prognosis. The development of immunotherapy for the treatment of patients with melanoma has drawn considerable attention in recent years. It is of great clinical significance to identify novel promising prognostic biomarkers and to explore their roles in the immune microenvironment. The solute carrier (SLC) superfamily is a group of transporters predominantly expressed on the cell membrane and are involved in substance transport. SLC16A1 is a member of the SLC family, participating in the transport of lactate, pyruvate, amino acids, ketone bodies, etc. The role of SLC16A1 in tumor immunity has been recently elucidated, while its role in melanoma remains unclear. In this study, bioinformatics analysis was performed to explore the role of SLC16A1 in melanoma. The results showed that high SLC16A1 expression was correlated with decreased overall survival in patients with melanoma. The genes co-expressed with SLC16A1 were significantly enriched in metabolic regulation, protein ubiquitination, and substance localization. Moreover, SLC16A1 was correlated with the infiltration of immune cells. In conclusion, SLC16A1 is a robust prognostic biomarker for melanoma and may be used as a novel target in immunotherapy.

Prognostic Value of SLC16A3(MCT4) in Lung Adenocarcinoma and Its Clinical Significance

Background

Currently, lung adenocarcinoma is the most common form of lung cancer. Although the pathogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma is progressing rapidly, the mortality rate of lung adenocarcinoma is still high. Therefore, it is necessary to search for a new biomarker to guide the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods

The significance of SLC16A3 in lung adenocarcinoma was investigated by multi-database analysis. GEPIA, UALCAN, TIMER, Cbioportal, and R software were used for research.

Results

Our study found that SLC16A3 was highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma and was associated with poor prognosis. Further studies have shown that SLC16A3 is involved in some metabolic pathways. Not only that, SLC16A3 is associated with immune cell infiltration and tumor mutation burden (TMB).

Conclusion

SLC16A3 has good prognostic significance in lung adenocarcinoma, based on which to explore treatment options may improve the prognosis of patients.

Clinical Value for Diagnosis and Prognosis of Signal Sequence Receptor 1 (SSR1) and Its Potential Mechanism in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Comprehensive Study Based on High-Throughput Data Analysis

Objective

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) has the characteristics of high incidence and poor prognosis. However, the underlying mechanism of HCC has not yet been fully elucidated. This study aims to investigate the potential mechanism and clinical significance of signal sequence receptor (SSR1) in HCC through bioinformatics methods.

Methods

Four online (GEPIA, TIMER, TCGA, and GEO) databases were used to explore the expression level of SSR1 in HCC. The summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) analysis and standardized mean difference (SMD) calculation were performed further to detect its diagnostic ability and expression level. The Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database was applied to verify the level of SSR1 protein expression. Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were carried out to determine the clinical relevance of SSR1 expression. KM survival analysis, univariate and multivariate COX regression analyses were employed to explore the prognostic impact of SSR1. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis and Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) were implemented to reveal the underlying mechanism of SSR1. Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (QRT-PCR) was used to verify the expression of SSR1 in HCC.

Results

SSR1 was significantly overexpressed in HCC (SMD=1.25, P=0.03) and had the moderate diagnostic ability (AUC=0.84). SSR1 expression was significantly correlated with T stage, Gender, Pathologic stage (All P<0.05). Patients with high SSR1 expression had shorter overall survival (OS). Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that high SSR1 expression was an independent risk factor for poor prognosis. KEGG analysis showed that SSR1-related genes were enriched in the cell cycle, DNA replication, and TGF-beta signaling pathway. GSEA analysis also shows that the high expression of SSR1 is related to the activation of the above three signal pathways. qRT-PCR showed that the SSR1 expression in HCC was significantly higher than the Peri-carcinoma tissue (PHCC) and the corresponding normal liver tissue.

Conclusion

SSR1 expression was significantly up-regulated, and it had the potential as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC. It was very likely to participate in the occurrence and development of HCC by regulating the cell cycle. In summary, our study comprehensively analyzed the clinical value of SSR1 and also conducted a preliminary study on its potential mechanism, which will provide inspiration for the in-depth study of SSR1 in HCC.

Identification of ABCC5 Among ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter Family as a New Biomarker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Based on Bioinformatics Analysis

Purpose

Liver cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer worldwide, and the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family has been widely accepted as a cause of multidrug resistance. This study was conducted to explore the potential value and mechanisms of the ABC transporter gene family in the liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC).

Materials and Methods

Data were collected from different public databases. UALCAN, ONCOMINE, and GEPIA were used to retrieve a selection of differently expressed and pathological stage-related genes among the ABC family. Principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized for grouping, and its prognostic value was evaluated by univariate and multivariate Cox analyses. The co-expression pattern was constructed with UALCAN, and the functional analyses were carried out with DAVID. The correlation between the biomarker and immune infiltration, genetic alteration frequency, and drug sensitivity were explored with TIMER, cBioPortal, GDSC and CTRP, respectively. Finally, tSNE algorithm was used to explore the distribution of ABCC5 expressed cells.

Results

Among the ABC transporter family members, ABCC5 was differently expressed and strongly related to the pathological stage of LIHC. PCA divided patients of LIHC into two groups, and Cox analyses demonstrated that ABCC5 was an independent risk factor of LIHC. Functional analyses indicated that the genes were enriched in the pathways of transmembrane transporter, ATPase activity, and bile secretion. ABCC5 is also associated with immune infiltration of cells like macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells. The genetic alteration frequency of ABCC5 confirmed its potential value in LIHC. In addition, several drugs were explored and found to be relevant to LIHC. The t-SNE showed that expression of ABCC5 was most concentrated in macrophages, followed by hepatocytes.

Conclusion

ABCC5 may facilitate LIHC progression through different mechanisms and be a potential biomarker and target for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of LIHC.

ANXA1 (Annexin A1) regulated by MYC (MYC proto-oncogene) promotes the growth of papillary thyroid carcinoma

Thyroid carcinoma is one of the most common endocrine malignancies, in which papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the main pathotype. ANXA1 plays a significant role in many cancer types, but how it works in PTC has not been identified. MYC is a common transcript factor involved in tumorigenesis, development, invasion, and metastasis. The relation between ANXA1 and MYC has not been proved in PTC. In this study, firstly, we analyzed the expression and prognostic value of ANXA1 in pan-cancer using the data from the UCSC database. Then we explore the role of ANXA1 in PTC, including expression, prognostic value, and immune infiltration. In addition, we evaluated the relation between ANXA1 and the transcription factor MYC. Finally, we identified the expression of ANXA1 and MYC and then evaluated their function associated with proliferation and apoptosis in PTC cell lines by CCK8 proliferation and flow cytometry apoptosis experiment. We found that ANXA1 is up-regulated in PTC comparing with normal patients. High expression of ANXA1 was associated with adverse overall survival of PTC. ANXA1 may be regulated by MYC to promote the proliferation of PTC. MYC may regulate the expression of ANXA and thus affect the proliferation of PTC.