Cellular magnetic resonance imaging: in vivo tracking of gastric cancer cells and detecting of lymph node metastases using microparticles of iron oxide in mice

Intracellular Delivery of Micron-Sized Magnetic Particles through a Virus Infection Pathway

Micron-sized magnetic particles (M-MPs) have low toxicity, strong magnetic signals, and long-term retention capability, which are significant advantages for their application in biomedical imaging. Unfortunately, M-MPs are only internalized by few cell types, such as macrophages and phagocytes, and because of this lack of active intracellular delivery, their applications are restricted. The emergence of self-assembled virus-like particles (VLPs) offers a viable approach to drive M-MPs into cells, although the specific mechanism has not been revealed. In this study, we investigated in detail the intracellular pathway of M-MPs mediated by VLPs using a fluorescence co-localization method. The results indicated that the intracellular movement of M-MPs was consistent with the virus infection pathway, specifically caveolae-dependent endocytosis, transportation through microtubules, and accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum. This study provides experimental support for the active transport of M-MPs into other cell types, thereby further extending their applications.

Comprehensive analysis of competitive endogenous RNAs network reveals potential prognostic lncRNAs in gastric cancer

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are key regulators of a range of human diseases, including various cancers, with multiple previous studies having explored lncRNA dysregulation in the context of gastric cancer (GC). The present study sought to expand upon these previous results by downloading lncRNA, mRNA, and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles derived from 180 GC tissues and 24 normal control tissues within the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. These datasets were then interrogated to identify GC-related differentially expressed (DE) RNAs (|fold change| ≥ 2, FDR< 0.01), leading to the identification of 1946 DE lncRNAs, 123 DE miRNAs, and 3159 DE mRNAs. These results were then used to generate a putative GC-related competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network composed of 131 lncRNAs, 9 miRNAs, and 78 mRNAs. Subsequent survival analyses based upon this network revealed 17 of these lncRNAs to be significantly associated with GC patient survival (P < 0.05). Further multivariable Cox regression and lasso analyses allowed for the construction of an 8-lncRNA risk score that was able to effectively predict GC patient survival with good discriminative ability. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter database further confirmed that network hub genes that were related to these 8 lncRNAs were associated with GC patient prognosis (P < 0.05). As the ceRNA network in the present study was constructed with a focus on both disease stage and differential gene expression, it represents a key resource that will offer valuable insights into the mechanistic roles of ceRNA pathways in GC development and progression.

The role of MRI in the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common malignancies and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with more than 40% of new cases occurring in China. With the advancement of treatment methods, the application of adjuvant therapy and targeted drugs, the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer has been significantly improved. In recent years, more and more studies have reported that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed great value in the clinical application among patients with gastric cancer, including preoperative staging, treatment response evaluation, predicting prognosis and histopathological features, treatment guidance, and molecular imaging. The remarkable research progress of MRI in gastric cancer will provide new evaluation and treatment approaches for clinical diagnosis and treatment. This article aims to review the current status of the application and research progress of MRI in patients with gastric cancer.