Effect of metastasis suppressor 1 on H1299 cells and its clinical significance in non-small cell lung cancer

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of metastasis suppressor 1 (MTSS1) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of human H1299 non-small cell lung cancer cells and its clinical significance in non‑small cell lung cancer. The target gene MTSS1-overexpressing lentivirus (LV-MTSS1) was transfected into H1299 cells and expression of MTSS1 was detected at the mRNA and protein levels. Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing and Transwell assays revealed that the migration and invasion activities were significantly suppressed by MTSS1, but that it had no effect on cell proliferation. In addition, MTSS1 expression in tissue microarrays including samples from 223 cases of non-small cell lung cancer was tested by immunohistochemistry to explore the correlation between MTSS1 and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis. MTSS1 suppressed H1299 cell migration and invasion, and its expression level can be used as a new independent factor for determining the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer.

Association between IL-10 genetic variations and cervical cancer susceptibility in a Chinese population

We conducted an investigation into the role of the IL-10 polymorphisms -592A/C (rs1800872), -819C/T (rs1800871), and -1082A/G (rs1800896) in cervical cancer risk in a Chinese population. A case-control study was carried out, including 165 newly diagnosed cervical cancer patients and 165 control subjects. The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used to genotype the three IL-10 variant loci. Using conditional logistic regression analysis, we observed that homozygous IL-10 -819C/T TT carriers were at significantly increased risk of cervical cancer compared to homozygous CC individuals, with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.23 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 1.16-4.30. Moreover, the CT+TT genotype was significantly associated with cervical cancer in comparison to the wild-type variant (OR = 1.69, 95%CI = 1.04-2.76; P = 0.03). In conclusion, our study suggests that the IL-10 -819C/T genetic variation may contribute to cervical cancer risk in the Chinese population examined.

Distribution of common pathogens in patients with pyogenic liver abscess in China: a meta-analysis

Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) is a potentially life-threatening disease in many parts of the world, especially in Asia. The aim of this study was to quantify the proportion of common pathogens in patients with PLA in China, using a meta-analysis method based on systematic review of published studies. Several electronic databases were searched to identify the studies reporting the pathogens of PLA. We performed a meta-analysis to calculate the pooled proportion of pathogens and subgroup analysis among the included studies using R 3.1.1 software. In total, 183 studies were included in our final analysis, Klebsiella spp (54 %), Escherichia spp (29 %), Enterobacter spp (9 %), Proteus spp (6 %) and Pseudomonas spp (5 %) comprised the major gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria mainly included Staphylococcus spp (13 %), Streptococcus spp (8 %) and Enterococcus spp (7 %). The distribution of pathogens in PLA patients were different in different economic regions in China. The proportion of Klebsiella spp had an upward tendency in recent years compared to other pathogens. In addition, the proportion of common pathogens in PLA patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) were carried out indicating that the dominant pathogens were Klebsiella spp (66 %), Escherichia spp (21 %) and Enterobacter spp (11 %). This meta-analysis showed that the main pathogens of PLA were Klebsiella spp, Escherichia spp, Staphylococcus spp, and Enterobacter spp in China. To ensure a precise estimate of the epidemiology of the pathogens, further large-scale or even a population-based study is needed.

Role of delta-like ligand-4 in chemoresistance against docetaxel in MCF-7 cells

As Notch receptors have been shown to induce chemoresistance, we hypothesized that delta-like ligand-4 (DLL4), a central Notch signalling ligand, might also participate in chemoresistance in breast cancer. To investigate this issue, overexpression of DLL4 was induced by transfection with expression vectors for DLL4 in the human breast cancer cell line Michigan cancer foundation-7 (MCF-7). It was found that DLL4 could be adaptively upregulated by docetaxel (DOC) treatment in a dose-dependent manner, but Notch1 was unaffected. Overexpression of DLL4 could significantly attenuate the cytotoxic effects of DOC by increasing Bcl-2 expression, while decreasing Bax expression, apoptosis rate and DNA damage. The protective effects of DLL4 made cells acquire chemoresistance against DOC and resulted in cancer cell survival. DLL4 is normally regarded as a regulator of vascular development. Our results expanded the understanding of DLL4. Since DLL4 may play an important role in the process of acquiring chemoresistance, it may be a promising target in overcoming chemoresistance in breast cancer.

Potent and selective small-molecule MCL-1 inhibitors demonstrate on-target cancer cell killing activity as single agents and in combination with ABT-263 (navitoclax)

The anti-apoptotic protein MCL-1 is a key regulator of cancer cell survival and a known resistance factor for small-molecule BCL-2 family inhibitors such as ABT-263 (navitoclax), making it an attractive therapeutic target. However, directly inhibiting this target requires the disruption of high-affinity protein-protein interactions, and therefore designing small molecules potent enough to inhibit MCL-1 in cells has proven extremely challenging. Here, we describe a series of indole-2-carboxylic acids, exemplified by the compound A-1210477, that bind to MCL-1 selectively and with sufficient affinity to disrupt MCL-1-BIM complexes in living cells. A-1210477 induces the hallmarks of intrinsic apoptosis and demonstrates single agent killing of multiple myeloma and non-small cell lung cancer cell lines demonstrated to be MCL-1 dependent by BH3 profiling or siRNA rescue experiments. As predicted, A-1210477 synergizes with the BCL-2/BCL-XL inhibitor navitoclax to kill a variety of cancer cell lines. This work represents the first description of small-molecule MCL-1 inhibitors with sufficient potency to induce clear on-target cellular activity. It also demonstrates the utility of these molecules as chemical tools for dissecting the basic biology of MCL-1 and the promise of small-molecule MCL-1 inhibitors as potential therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.

Paradoxical immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome associated with cryptococcal meningitis in China: a 5-year retrospective cohort study

We performed a retrospective cohort study of hospitalised cryptococcal meningitis (CM) patients at a single centre to evaluate the clinical epidemiological features of paradoxical cryptococcal-related immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (CM-IRIS) in a setting in China. A total of 154 AIDS patients with CM were involved, and 17.5% experienced IRIS at a median of 27 days after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Overall, 3 deaths were directly attributed to IRIS. The occurrences of CM-IRIS were independently associated with the pre-ART CD4+count, pre-C-reactive protein level, and the timing of ART initiation.

Correlation research of carotid arterial sclerosis and left ventricular diastolic function in hyperthyroidism

AIM

This study aims to investigate the correlation of carotid arterial sclerosis and left ventricular diastolic function in hyperthyroidism.

METHODS

A total of 70 patients with newly-diagnosed hyperthyroidism, including 32 patients clinically cured or improved after I131 therapy, were compared with 74 healthy cases in the control group. Bilateral carotid ultrasound and echocardiography were performed in all subjects. The carotid sclerosis index B, compliance coefficient CC, pulse wave velocity (PWV) and left ventricular diastolic function parameters (mitral valve diastolic peak velocity ratio E/A, mitral annulus tissue Doppler diastolic peak velocity ratio e/a and E/e) were obtained.

RESULTS

The B, CC, PWV and E/e exhibited correlation. Pre-treatment CC was negatively correlated with E/e (r=-0.325, P<0.01), whereas B and PWV were positively correlated with E/e (r=0.270 and 0.297, P < 0.05). Post-treatment CC was negatively correlated with E/e (r=-0.462, P<0.01), whereas B and PWV were positively correlated with E/e (r=0.513 and 0.479, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Carotid artery function and left ventricular diastolic function of hyperthyroid patients were damaged before the treatment and recovered after the treatment. Thus, a correlation existed between them. The early detection of carotid artery function could help the early detection of cardiovascular disease in the hyperthyroid patients.