Visfatin facilitates gastric cancer malignancy by targeting snai1 via the NF-κB signaling

BACKGROUND

Visfatin acts as an oncogenic factor in numerous tumors through a variety of cellular processes. Visfatin has been revealed to promote cell migration and invasion in gastric cancer (GC). Snai1 is a well-known regulator of EMT process in cancers. However, the relationship between visfatin and snai1 in GC remains unclear. The current study aimed to explore the role of visfatin in GC.

METHODS

The RT-qPCR and western blot analysis were used to measure RNA and protein levels, respectively. The cell migration and invasion were tested by Trans-well assays and western blot analysis.

RESULTS

Visfatin showed upregulation in GC cells. Additionally, Visfatin with increasing concentration facilitated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process by increasing E-cadherin and reducing N-cadherin and Vimentin protein levels in GC cells. Moreover, endogenous overexpression and knockdown of visfatin promoted and inhibited migratory and invasive abilities of GC cells, respectively. Then, we found that snai1 protein level was positively regulated by visfatin in GC cells. In addition, visfatin activated the NF-κB signaling to modulate snai1 protein expression. Furthermore, the silencing of snai1 counteracted the promotive impact of visfatin on cell migration, invasion and EMT process in GC.

CONCLUSION

Visfatin facilitates cell migration, invasion and EMT process by targeting snai1 via the NF-κB signaling, which provides a potential insight for the treatment of GC.

Association Between NAT2 Polymorphism and Lung Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide and has a high incidence rate. N-Acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is a polymorphic xenobiotic enzyme, which can catalyze N-acetylation and O-acetylation of various carcinogens such as aromatic, heterocyclic amines and hydrazines. At present, many studies have explored the effects of NAT2 polymorphism on lung cancer, but we found inconsistent results. We researched 18 published studies, involving 4,016 patients and 5,469 controls, to more accurately assess the effects of NAT2 polymorphism on lung cancer risk and to investigate whether smoking is associated. We used STATA software to analyze the extracted data and used STATA for subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and to perform publication bias tests. To determine the correlation, we used the crude odds ratio (ORs) with 95% confidence interval (CIs). Our study was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020159737). The odds ratio was 1.53 (95% CI: 1.21–1.95, I² = 45.2%, P=0.104) for the NAT2 slow + intermediate phenotype versus rapid phenotype. The results suggested that people with NAT2 non-rapid (slow + intermediate) phenotype have a significantly increased risk of lung cancer. In addition, NAT2 rapid phenotype was significantly associated with reduced risk of lung cancer, compared with slow phenotype or intermediate phenotype (slow phenotype vs. rapid phenotype: OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.07–2.42, I²= 50%, P= 0.075; intermediate phenotype vs. rapid phenotype: OR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.15–1.88, I²= 40.3%, P= 0.137).

[Assessment of setup errors of IGRT combined with a six degrees of freedom bed for patients with primary rectal cancer]

Objective: To investigate the effect of six degree of freedom (6-DOF) bed combined with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in the on-line correction of setup errors in patients with primary rectal cancer. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 17 patients with primary rectal cancer in Department of Radiotherapy, Third Hospital of Peking University from July 2013 to January 2014 were collected. There were 14 males and 3 females, a median age of 65 years. The difference of CBCT and 6-DOF bed combined with CBCT online correction of patients with positioning error were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Before position correction, the first CBCT verification of setup errors in the three translation directions including X (left and right), Y (in and out) and Z (up and down) directions were (0.06±0.25) cm, (0.13±0.40) cm and (-0.28±0.31) cm, respectively. The setup errors of RX (rotation pitch), RY(rolling) and RZ (left and right rotation) directions were (0.62±1.15)°, (-0.19±0.99)°, and (-0.34 ± 0.84)°, respectively . After correction of IGRT combined with six freedom of bed, the setup errors of translation X, Y and Z were (0.01±0.09) cm, (-0.01±0.05) cm and (-0.03±0.08) cm, respectively, and the setup errors of rotation RX, RY and RZ directions were (-0.16±0.40)°, (0.36±0.31)°and (-0.01±0.25)°, respectively. There were significant differences in translation direction (X, Y and Z direction) and rotation direction (Rx, RY and RZ) before and after 6-DOF bed combined with CBCT correction (all P<0.05). In the translation direction, the higher frequency range of Z-direction error value was 0.20-0.79 cm. In the rotation direction, the frequency range of error in Rx direction was 0.20°-2.99°. There was no significant difference between bone mode and gray scale model registration (P>0.05). With the progress of radiotherapy, the setup errors of X, Z, Rx, RY and RZ directions increased except Y direction. Conclusions: In radiotherapy, six freedom bed combined with CBCT is helpful to correct the setup errors of patients with primary rectal cancer. Six freedom bed may be used to correct the setup errors of patients with primary rectal cancer online. Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is recommended for bone pattern registration in patients with rectal cancer.

Integrated analysis of the molecular mechanisms in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Rationale: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is one of the most aggressive forms of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia. Some miRNAs may be associated with IPF and may affect the occurrence and development of IPF in various pathways. Many miRNAs and genes that may be involved in the development of IPF have been discovered using chip and high throughput technologies. Methods: We analyzed one miRNA and four mRNA databases. We identified hub genes and pathways related to IPF using GO, KEGG enrichment analysis, gene set variation analysis (GSVA), PPI network construction, and hub gene analysis. A comprehensive analysis of differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), predicted miRNA target genes, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) led to the creation of a miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in IPF. Results: We found 203 DEGs and 165 DEMs that were associated with IPF. The findings of enrichment analyses showed that these DEGs were mainly involved in antimicrobial humoral response, antimicrobial humoral immune response mediated by antimicrobial peptide, extracellular matrix organization, cell killing, and organ or tissue specific immune response. The VEGFA, CDH5, and WNT3A genes overlapped between hub genes and the miRNA-mRNA regulatory network. The miRNAs including miR-199b-5p, miR-140-5p, miR-199a-5p, miR-125A-5p, and miR-107 that we predicted would regulate the VEGFA, CDH5, and WNT3A genes, which were also associated with IPF or other fibrosis-related diseases. GSVA indicated that metabolic processes of UTP and IMP, immune response, regulation of Th2 cell cytokine production, and positive regulation of NK cell-mediated immunity are associated with the pathogenesis and treatment of IPF. These pathways also interact with VEGFA, CDH5, and WNT3A. Conclusion: These findings provide a new research direction for the diagnosis and treatment of IPF.

Childhood Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Risk of Dementia, Alzheimer's Disease and Stroke in Adulthood: A Prospective Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the associations between secondhand smoke exposure and dementia, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and stroke.

METHODS

This prospective study analyzed Framingham Offspring (FHS-OS) cohort participants with parents in the original Framingham Heart Study (FHS) cohort with known smoking status during offspring childhood. Surveillance for incident events, including dementia and stroke, among offspring participants exposed to parental smoking up to the age of 18 years commenced at examination 9 through 2014 and continued for approximately 30 years.

RESULTS

At baseline, a total of 1683 (56.2%) subjects were not exposed to any secondhand smoke, whereas 670 (22.4%) subjects were exposed to 0-1 packs (20 cigarettes)/day, and 640 (21.4%) were exposed to over 1 pack/day. On follow-up (median: 31 years), 2993 patients developed dementia, including 103 with AD dementia and 315 with stroke. After adjusting for a wide range of established risk factors, participants with the highest exposure to secondhand smoke exhibited increased risks of all dementia, AD dementia and stroke compared with individuals with no exposure [HR 2.86 (2.00-4.09) for dementia; HR 3.13 (1.80-5.42) for AD dementia; HR 1.89 (1.37-2.61) for stroke]. The results remained comparable in the subgroup for individuals with median exposure to secondhand smoke.

CONCLUSION

Exposure to secondhand smoke may be associated with increased risks of dementia, AD dementia and stroke.

[Epidemiological characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou]

Objective: To understand the epidemiological characteristics of imported COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou and provide scientific basis for the prevention and control of the disease. Methods: The data of imported COVID-19 in Guangzhou reported as of April 1, 2020 were collected from National Notifiable Disease Report System of China. The software Excel 2010 and SPSS 19.0 were applied for data cleaning and statistical analysis. Results: As of April 1, 2020, a total of 103 imported COVID-19 cases had been reported in Guangzhou, in which 92 were confirmed cases and 11 were asymptomatic infection cases. The number of the confirmed imported cases accounted for 11.4% (92/806) in of the total in China at the same time. The male to female ratio of the cases was 1.58∶1 (63∶40). The median age of the cases was 31 years (P(25)-P(75):22-40 years), range of age was 11-63 years. The main occupational distributions of the cases were business services (41/103, 39.8%) and students (36/103, 35.0%). The imported cases whose destinations were 19 provinces and municipalities rather than Guangdong after entering the country accounted for 43.7%. The main source countries of infections were the United Kingdom (27/103, 26.2%), the Philippines (13/103, 12.6%), the United States (13/103, 12.6%) and Nigeria (7/103, 6.8%). There were 34 inbound flights from which the imported COVID-19 cases were detected, in which 10 flights (10/34, 29.4%) were found to carry more than 3 cases, with an average voyage time of (11.14±0.53) hours. A total of 29 imported cases(28.2%) showed symptoms before entering the country, and 65 cases (63.1%) had been isolated before the onset of the disease. The mean free activity time of the isolated cases after the onset was (6.76±0.79) days. The average number of the imported cases' close contacts was 53. There were 13 clusters of COVID-19 caused by the imported cases, involving 36 cases (including 1 imported associated case). Conclusions: The sources of the imported COVID-19 cases in Guangzhou were widely distributed, and no cases had been found to be infected on the flights. In the early stage of the imported epidemic, there was high risk for the spread of the epidemic. Strengthened prevention and control of imported COVID-19 effectively reduced the of transmission risk of COVID-19 in communities.

Haplotype of receptor for advanced glycation end products is associated with arterial stiffness in essential hypertension

Background

What causes us to age has been extensively explored. The receptor for AGEs (RAGE) expression is up-regulated in atherosclerotic plaques and its activation leads to oxidative stress, cytokine and adhesion molecule formation, activation of nuclear factor-κB and cell apoptosis. We hypothesized that genetic variation in the RAGE receptor may be associated with arterial stiffness.

Methods

309 untreated hypertensive subjects were tested for genotypes of –374T&gt;A and –429T&gt;C polymorphisms with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Arterial stiffness was measured as pulse wave velocity (PWV), augmentation index (AIx) and central aortic blood pressure (BP). Data was analysed using JMP Version 13 (SAS for Windows).

Results

Both polymorphisms were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The –374A A allele carriers had significantly lower aortic systolic BP (143±2 vs. 154±1, p&lt;0.001) while –429C allele carriers had lower aortic systolic BP (151±1 vs. 157±2, p&lt;0.01) compared with T carriers. –429C allele carriers had lower PWV compared to 429TT individuals (8.86±1 vs. 10.70±2.5). –374A allele carriers had lower PWV compared to 374TT individuals (9.7±1.43 vs. 10.65±2.6). Subjects with the AC haplotype had the lowest and those with the TT haplotype the highest PWV and aortic BP than any of the other haplotypes containing one or more of the at-risk alleles.

Conclusions

The combined effect of the two genotypes was additive with AA homozygotes of –374T&gt;A and C allele carriers of –429T&gt;C and the haplotype AC, associated with lowest aortic BP and arterial stiffness.

PWV & RAGE haplotypes

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Gastric cancer nodal tumour-stroma ratios influence prognosis

This study showed that nodal tumour-stroma ratio (NTSR) is an independent prognostic factor for overall and disease-free survival of patients with gastric cancer. Both relative stroma-rich primary tumour-stroma ratio (PTSR) and NTSR were independent negative prognostic factors for overall survival in gastric cancer. This study supports assessment of tumour-stroma ratio in the routine pathological diagnosis of gastric cancer. validated in node-positive disease.

Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Surveillance after (Chemo)Radiotherapy in Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer: Beyond the PET-NECK Protocol

AIMS

To evaluate the implementation of 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (FDG PET-CT) surveillance after (chemo)radiotherapy, to compare outcomes for those who achieved a complete (CR), equivocal (EQR) and incomplete (ICR) nodal response on 12-week PET-CT according to their human papillomavirus (HPV) status, and to assess the safety of ongoing surveillance beyond 12 weeks in the HPV-positive EQR group.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients with node-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) treated with (chemo)radiotherapy between January 2013 and September 2017 were identified. PET-CT responses were classified as CR, ICR or EQR. Patient outcomes were obtained from electronic records.

RESULTS

In total, 236 patients with a minimum of 2 years of follow-up were identified. The mean age was 59 years; 79.3% had N2 disease; 77.1% of patients had oropharyngeal cancer and 10.1% had squamous cell carcinoma of unknown primary, of whom 82.0% (169) were HPV positive; 78.0% received chemoradiotherapy. The median time from the end of radiotherapy to PET-CT was 91 days. Of the HPV-related HNSCC, 60.4% achieved CR, 29.0% EQR and 10.6% ICR. With a median follow-up of 41.7 months, there was no difference in survival between patients with HPV-related HNSCC achieving CR and EQR (median overall survival not reached for both, P = 0.67) despite the omission of immediate neck dissection in 98.0% of the EQR group.

CONCLUSION

Patients with HPV-positive HNSCC who have achieved EQR have comparable survival outcomes to those who achieved a CR despite the omission of immediate neck dissections; this shows the safety of ongoing surveillance beyond 12 weeks in this group of patients.

Microbiota Imbalance Contributes to COPD Deterioration by Enhancing IL-17a Production via miR-122 and miR-30a

The changes of microbiota in lungs could change interleukin-17a (IL-17a) expression by altering microRNAs (miRNAs) profile, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this study, we aimed to study molecular mechanisms’ underlying effect of microbiota imbalance on COPD deterioration. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed to analyze expression of miRNAs and IL-17a mRNA. ELISA was used to evaluate abundance of IL-17a in plasma, peripheral blood monocyte, and sputum of COPD mice and patients. Luciferase assay was performed to explore underlying molecular mechanisms. The expression of miR-122, miR-30a, and miR-99b were remarkably decreased in COPD mice, while the expression of IL-17a was notably increased in plasma, peripheral blood monocytes, and lung tissues of COPD mice. The levels of Lactobacillus/Moraxella and IL-17a expression were significantly enhanced in sputum of exacerbated COPD patients, along with notably decreased expression of miR-122 and miR-30a. Luciferase assay confirmed that miR-122 and miR-30a played an inhibitory role in IL-17a expression. We identified miR-122 and miR-30a as differentially expressed miRNAs in sputum and plasma of COPD patients in exacerbation-month12 group. Furthermore, downregulated miR-122 and miR-30a expression associated with microbiota imbalance may contribute to COPD deterioration by enhancing IL-17a production.

HOXD-AS1: a novel oncogenic long intergenic non-coding RNA in humans

OBJECTIVE

Long non-coding RNAs are an emerging special class of regulatory RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides that play vital roles in gene regulation, metabolism, drug resistance, cell differentiation, and other processes. These RNAs were also reported to be dysregulated in human disease, especially malignant tumors. However, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. HOXD cluster antisense RNA 1 (HOXD-AS1), a recently discovered long non-coding RNA, is overexpressed in many cancers. We now review recent advances in understanding the function, role, regulation, and oncogenic properties of HOXD-AS1.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic literature review in PubMed of HOXD-AS1 and cancer-related articles in English, published until June 2018, was conducted.

RESULTS

The literature suggests that HOXD-AS1 is an oncogene that regulates diverse physiological and cellular processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, migration, invasion, metastasis, chemoresistance, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and stem cell formation by interacting with various regulatory proteins and sequestering several microRNAs such as miR-608, miR-130a, and miR-217.

CONCLUSIONS

HOXD-AS1 may be a prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for various tumor diagnosis and treatment.