Multi-omics analysis reveals critical metabolic regulators in bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

The crosstalk between genomic alterations and metabolic dysregulation in bladder cancer is largely unknown. A deep understanding of the interactions between cancer drivers and cancer metabolic changes will provide novel opportunities for targeted therapeutic strategies.

METHODS

Three primary bladder cancer specimens with paired normal tissues or blood samples were subjected to whole-exome sequencing, DNA methylation array and whole-transcriptome sequencing by next-generation sequencing technology. We applied the methods to multi-omics data combining the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) bladder cancer samples, including somatic mutation, DNA copy number, DNA methylation and gene expression profile for validation.

RESULTS

We identified 34 mutated cancer driver genes in bladder cancer. KDM6A was the most significantly mutated cancer driver gene. Metabolic pathways were enriched in both differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and differentially expressed genes. Twenty-nine DMRs in the TSS200 region were highly correlated with the upregulation of gene expression, and 24 DMRs in the genome were highly correlated with the downregulation of gene expression. A total of 201 genes had highly correlated DNA methylation and expression. Thirty-four genes, including the known metabolic genes CXXC5, PRR5, ABCB8 and BAHD1, were further validated in the TCGA cohort. Multi-omics alterations identified two new candidate driver genes, WIPI2 and GFM2, that warrant future studies.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis, focusing on identifying key regulatory factors that may lead to cancer metabolic heterogeneity. Further understanding and verification of the cancer genes driving metabolic reprogramming and their role in the progression of bladder cancer will help to identify new therapeutic targets.

PABPN1 promotes clear cell renal cell carcinoma progression by suppressing the alternative polyadenylation of SGPL1 and CREG1

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an important post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism in cancer development and progression. Poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1) is a gene that encodes abundant nuclear protein, binds with high affinity to nascent poly(A) tails, and is crucial for 3'-UTR (3'-untranslated region) APA. Although PABPN1 has been recently reported as a dominant master APA regulator in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), the underlying functional mechanism remain unclear and the genes subject to PABPN1 regulation that contribute to ccRCC progression have not been identified. Here, we found that PABPN1 is upregulated in ccRCC, and its expression is highly associated with the clinical prognosis of ccRCC patients. PABPN1 promotes ccRCC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and exerts an influence on sphingolipid metabolism and cell cycle. Moreover, PABPN1 depletion significantly suppressed cancer cell growth via induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. In particular, we characterized PABPN1-regulated 3'-UTR APA of sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase 1 (SGPL1) and cellular repressor of E1A stimulated genes 1 (CREG1), which contribute to ccRCC progression. Collectively, our data revealed that PABPN1 promotes ccRCC progression at least in part, by suppressing SGPL1 and CREG1. Thus, PABPN1 may be a potential therapeutic target in ccRCC.

High-performance artificially reeled silkworm silk via a multi-task and high-efficiency centrifugal reeling technique and its application in soft actuators

Silkworm silks show increasing potential in applications of bioengineering, sensors, optics, electronics, and actuators. However, their inherent irregular morphologies, structures, and properties greatly hinder the translation of these technologies to commercial applications. Herein, we report a facile and comprehensive strategy to fabricate high-performance silk materials by spinning silkworms artificially via a multi-task and high-efficiency centrifugal reeling technique. With this strategy, centrifugally reeled silks (CRSs) with long-uniform morphologies, excellent strength (844.83 ± 319.48 MPa), high toughness (121.07 ± 35.31 MJ m^-3), and outstanding Young's modulus (27.72 ± 12.61 GPa) are developed. Remarkably, the maximum strength (1.45 GPa) of CRS is 3 times that of cocoon silk and even comparable to spider silk. Moreover, the centrifugal reeling technique realizes the one-step preparation of centrifugally reeled silk yarn (CRSY) from spinning silkworm, and the CRSYs show higher strength (877.38 ± 377.23 MPa) and superior torsional recovery performances. Furthermore, these CRSY-based soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) exhibit light weight, high-loading capability, easy programmability in strength and motions, and fast responses, and therefore outperform currently reported elastomer-based SPAs, showing promising applications in flexible sensors, artificial muscles, and soft robotics. This work also provides a new guide for producing high-performance silks from silk-secreting insects and arthropods.

Inhibition of Histone H3K18 Acetylation-Dependent Antioxidant Pathways Involved in Arsenic-Induced Liver Injury in Rats and the Protective Effect of Rosa roxburghii Tratt Juice

Arsenic is a common environmental toxicant. Long-term arsenic exposure can induce various types of liver injury, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear, so effective prevention and treatment measures are unknown. This study aims to explore the mechanism of arsenic-induced rat liver injury based on the histone H3K18 acetylation-dependent antioxidant pathway and to identify the role of a medicinal and edible resource, Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice, in combating it. Hepatic steatosis and inflammatory cell infiltration were observed in rats exposed to different doses of NaAsO₂ using histopathological measurement. Increased 8-OHdG and MDA in liver tissue corroborated hepatic oxidative damage. We further found that a reduction in H3K18ac in the liver showed a dose-response relationship, with an increase in the NaAsO₂ treatment dose, and it was remarkably associated with increased 8-OHdG and MDA. The results of ChIP-qPCR identified that the decreased enrichment of H3K18ac in promoters of the Hspa1a and Hspb8 genes culminated in the inhibition of the genes' expression, which was found to be involved in the aggravation of hepatic oxidative damage induced by arsenic. Notably, Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice was found to reduce 8-OHdG and MDA in the liver, thereby alleviating the histopathological lesions induced by arsenic, which was modulated by recovering the H3K18ac-dependent transcriptional activation of the Hspa1a and Hspb8 genes. Taken together, we provide a novel epigenetics insight into clarifying the mechanism of arsenic-induced liver injury and its rescue by Rosa roxburghii Tratt juice.

Lengthening of 3' Untranslated Regions of mRNAs by Alternative Polyadenylation Is Associated With Tumor Progression and Poor Prognosis of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is emerging as a major posttranscriptional mechanism for gene regulation in cancer. A prevailing hypothesis is that shortening of the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) increases oncoprotein expression because of the loss of miRNA-binding sites (MBSs). We showed that the longer 3'UTR is associated with a more advanced tumor stage in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). More surprisingly, 3'UTR shortening is correlated with better overall survival in patients with ccRCC. Furthermore, we identified a mechanism by which longer transcripts lead to increased oncogenic protein and decreased tumor-suppressive protein expression compared to the shorter transcripts. In our model, shortening of 3'UTRs by APA may increase the mRNA stability of the majority of the potential tumor-suppressor genes due to the loss of MBSs and AU-rich elements (AREs). Unlike potential tumor-suppressor genes, the potential oncogenes display much lower MBS and ARE density and globally much higher m6A density in distal 3'UTRs. As a result, 3'UTRs shortening decreases the mRNA stability of potential oncogenes and enhances the mRNA stability of potential tumor-suppressor genes. Our findings highlight the cancer-specific pattern of APA regulation and extend our understanding of the mechanism of APA-mediated 3'UTR length changes in cancer biology.

Fabrication of hierarchical porous ethyl cellulose fibrous membrane by electro-centrifugal spinning for drug delivery systems with excellent integrated properties

Drug delivery systems (DDSs) based on micro-and nano- fibrous membrane have been developed for decades, in which great attention has been focused on achieving controlled drug release. However, the study on the integrated performance of these drug-loaded membranes in the use of in-vitro drug delivery dressing is lacking, as clinical medication also needs consideration from the perspectives of wound safety and patient convenience. Herein, a trilayered hierarchical porous ethyl cellulose (EC) fibrous membrane based DDS (EC-DDS) was developed by electro-centrifugal spinning. Significantly, the hierarchical porous structure of the EC-DDSs with high specific surface area (34.3 m²g^-1) and abundant long-regulative micro-and nano- channels demonstrated its merits in improving the hydrophobicity (long-term splash resistance (CA > 130°) and prolonging the drug release (the release time of ~80 % tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) prolonged from 10 min to 24 h). Meanwhile, the trilayered EC-DDS also revealed excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial activity, air permeability, moisture permeability, water absorption capacity, mechanical strength, and flexibility. With these excellent integrated features, the EC-DDS could prevent external fluids, avoid infection, and provide comfort. Furthermore, this work also provides a new guide for the high-efficiency fabrication of porous fibrous membranes.

Comprehensive analysis of alternative polyadenylation regulators of CTLA4 and immune infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common renal cancer. Alternative polyadenylation (APA) plays an important role in the progression and immunity of multiple tumors. Although immunotherapy has emerged as an important treatment option for metastatic renal cell carcinoma, whether APA affects the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in ccRCC remains unclear.

Methods

Patients with ccRCC were classified into two groups by performing a consensus clustering analysis of APA factor expression profiles. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were used to assess the association between APA regulators and ccRCC prognosis. Through the use of the R package, GSVA, the correlation between SNRNP70 expression and tumor immune features were analyzed.

Results

The TCGA data revealed that APA regulators were associated with Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Associated Protein 4 (CTLA4) expression. Cluster 1 exhibited a higher grade and histological tumor stage, as well as a worse prognosis compared to Cluster 2. A ssGSEA analysis demonstrated that Cluster 2 possessed an extensively higher level of immune infiltration. Moreover, high SNRNP70 expression was found to be positively correlated with CTLA4 expression and a poor prognosis in ccRCC. Thus, SNRNP70 might represent a novel immune-related prognostic biomarker in ccRCC. A pan-cancer analysis suggested that SNRNP70 may also play a role in other types of cancer by affecting the TIME.

Conclusions

The data from this study indicate that APA regulators play a key role in immune infiltration in ccRCC. SNRNP70 is a promising prognostic biomarker and a potential target for ccRCC's immunotherapy.

PABPN1 regulates mRNA alternative polyadenylation to inhibit bladder cancer progression

BACKGROUND

About 10-20% of patients with bladder cancer (BC) progress to muscle-invasive diseases, of which the underlying key molecular events have yet to be addressed.

RESULTS

Here, we identified poly(A) binding protein nuclear 1 (PABPN1), a general factor of alternative polyadenylation (APA), was downregulated in BC. Overexpression and knockdown of PABPN1 significantly decreased and increased BC aggressiveness, respectively. Mechanistically, we provide evidence that the preference of PABPN1-bound polyadenylation signals (PASs) depends on the relative location between canonical and non-canonical PASs. PABPN1 shapes inputs converging on Wnt signaling, cell cycle, and lipid biosynthesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Together, these findings provide insights into how PABPN1-mediated APA regulation contributes to BC progression, and suggest that pharmacological targeting PABPN1 might have therapeutic potential in patients with BC.

Circ_0004087 interaction with SND1 promotes docetaxel resistance in prostate cancer by boosting the mitosis error correction mechanism

Background

Acquisition of the chemoresistance to docetaxel (DTX), a microtubule-targeting agent, has been a huge obstacle in treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Recently, strategies targeting the mitosis error correction mechanism including chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) were reported to reverse the resistance to microtubule-targeting anticancer agents. Meanwhile, accumulating evidence indicated the important roles of circRNAs in DTX resistance of prostate cancer (PCa). However, whether circRNAs could regulate DTX chemosensitivity by affecting the mitosis error correction mechanism remains unclear.

Methods

Expression patterns of circ_0004087 and BUB1 were determined through mining the public circRNA datasets and performing western blot and qRT-PCR assays. Agarose gel electrophoresis, Sanger sequencing, and RNase R treatment were conducted to examine the circular characteristics of circ_0004087. CircRNA pull-down, mass spectrometry analysis, Co-IP, and dual-luciferase reporter assays were performed to uncover the interaction among circ_0004087, SND1, and MYB. The effects of circ_0004087 and BUB1 on docetaxel-based chemotherapy were explored by flow cytometry and in vivo drug studies upon xenografted tumor model.

Results

In the present study, we revealed the profound interaction between a novel circRNA, circ_0004087, and the mitosis error correction mechanism. Mechanistically, circ_0004087 binding with transcriptional coactivator SND1 could stimulate the transactivation of MYB and enhance the expression of downstream target BUB1. In turn, elevated BUB1 expression further recruited CPC to centromeres and guaranteed the error-free mitosis of PCa cells. Biologically, the overexpression of circ_0004087 conferred while the knockdown impaired DTX resistance in PCa cells.

Conclusions

Our study uncovered the crucial role of circ_0004087/SND1/MYB/BUB1 axis in modulating the error mitosis correction mechanism and DTX chemoresistance, suggesting that circ_0004087 may serve as a valuable prognostic biomarker and a potential therapeutic target in DTX-resistant PCa patients.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13046-022-02404-3.

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of oropharynx in a 65-year-old male with indolent clinical presentation and unusual morphology

Introduction/Objective

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) is a malignant primitive mesenchymal tumor which commonly affects children and adolescence. Although head and neck area is a common location for ERMS, oropharynx is rarely involved. ERMS in adults often present with stage IV disease and show a relatively poor prognosis. Loss of heterozygosity in 11p15.5 is one of the common genetic findings in sporadic ERMS.

Methods/Case Report

A 65-year-old male with no significant medical history, presented with pharyngodynia and was found to have a polypoid mass originating from the pharyngeal surface of the soft palate and extends into the vallecula. He reported having this mass for a decade and having intermittent episodes of similar oropharyngeal symptoms which were usually resolved with antibiotics.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

Excisional biopsy shows a 2.4 cm polypoid mass with atypical cellular proliferation in submucosa. Tumor cells demonstrate ovoid to round nuclei and eosinophilic cytoplasm. No mitotic figure was found and Ki67 proliferation index was extremely low (<1%). Immunostains showed that the tumor cells are positive for Desmin and MyoD1. Scattered cells are positive for Myogenin. Due to the unusual clinical presentation and low proliferation activity, late onset of fetal rhabdomyoma was also considered in the differential diagnosis. The specimen was sent for chromosomal microarray which showed chromosomal gains and losses including loss of heterozygosity in chromosome 11. This finding together with cytologic atypia are mostly compatible with the diagnosis of ERMS. Post-biopsy MRI and PET-CT did not reveal any residual disease or distant metastasis. Patient has been followed up for 6 months after biopsy with no sign of recurrence.

Conclusion

Our case indicates that ERMS in adult can present with an indolent clinical process and low proliferating activity. Diagnosis can be challenging in this scenario. Chromosomal microarray is a useful tool to help confirm the diagnosis.

Comprehensive analysis of alternative polyadenylation regulators concerning CD276 and immune infiltration in bladder cancer

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is emerging as a crucial regulatory mechanism in bladder cancer (BC), while it remains elusive whether APA influences the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in BC. We identified two distinct subtypes of BC by APA-related regulatory genes expression profiles. The two subtypes have different pathological grades, prognostic outcomes, tumor immune infiltration characteristics, and pathway enrichment. Subsequently, CPSF3 was identified as a potential immune infiltration-related gene in BC. Highly expressed CPSF3 was positively correlated with unfavorable prognosis and high CD276 expression in BC. Moreover, we verified the expression of CPSF3 in BC tissues and cell lines by qRT-PCR. In conclusion, the study indicates that APA regulatory factors play an important role in immune infiltration of BC, and that CPSF3 was a potentially prognostic marker and immunotherapy target for BC.

Biodegradable, biomimetic, and nanonet-engineered membranes enable high-flux and highly-efficient oil/water separation

Porous membranes with fascinating super-wettable surface and tunable porous architecture for oil-water separation have been developed rapidly, however, the serious secondary marine pollution caused by the non-degradable defectiveness of membranes themselves is still a thorny problem. Herein, we create an eco-friendly membrane with biomimetic cobweb-like nanostructure via assembling two-dimensional bacterial cellulose nanonets on the starch nanofibrous membrane on a large scale. The obtained novel composite membranes exhibit integrated properties of sub-micron pore size, ultrahigh porosity, superhydrophilicity, and underwater superoleophobicity, stemming from the synergistic effect of the hydrated nanonet-skin-layer and porous starch matrix. By virtue of the narrow-distributed sub-micron pores, ultrahigh porosity, and ultrathin thickness, the resulting membrane shows outstanding performance of excellent separation efficiency (up to 99.996%), high percolation flux (maximum of 15968 L m^-2 h^-1), well surpassing the conventional microfiltration membranes. More significantly, with the advantage of biodegradability and anti-oil-fouling property, the membrane could serve as the robust platform for long-term wastewater remediation.

Comprehensive analysis of lower mitochondrial complex I expression is associated with cell metastasis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma

Background

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by high metastasis potential. It is of great importance to explore the mechanisms underlying ccRCC metastasis and to enable development of potent therapeutics. The mitochondrial complex I (CI) had been considered to play an important role in the development of cancers, but less known in ccRCC.

Methods

We utilized available public databases of ccRCC, including single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data GSE73121 and The Cancer Genome Atlas-kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (TCGA-KIRC). Principal component analysis (PCA) and t-Distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (tSNE) analysis were evaluated the heterogeneity of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) and primary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network identified critical gene. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) performed to explore the potential biologic pathways.

Results

Our study revealed a significant gene expression heterogeneity between pRCC and mRCC. A PPI network based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) identified electron transport chain (ETC), especially mitochondrial CI, as the key network hub. Further analysis revealed that the role of mitochondrial CI is associated with tumor metastasis and immune responds of ccRCC. Although CI had low frequency mutations in ccRCC, CI expression is associated with the high frequency mutated genes. A prognosis model included 7 CI genes, and these had a significant effect on overall survival (OS). The area under the curve at 1, 3, and 5 years was 0.717, 0.685, and 0.728, respectively. Transcription factor analysis predicted that PPARG possibly is a potential transcription activator of CI genes in ccRCC.

Conclusions

Overall, we found that CI expression is associated with ccRCC progress. CI and PPARG may be potential biomarkers for metastatic ccRCC.

Lingual Mucosal Graft Ureteroplasty for Long Proximal Ureteral Stricture: 6 Years of Experience with 41 Cases

BACKGROUND

Management of a long proximal ureteral stricture is challenging. Lingual mucosal graft ureteroplasty (LMGU) is a novel minimally invasive technique for ureteral reconstruction that avoids the morbidity of bowel interposition or autotransplantation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of LMGU for managing long, complex proximal ureteral strictures in a multi-institutional cohort of patients.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This retrospective study involved data for 41 patients treated with LMGU at three centers between June 2015 and January 2021.

SURGICAL PROCEDURE

LMGU was performed using either an onlay ureteroplasty in which the diseased ureter was incised ventrally and repaired with a lingual mucosal graft (LMG) to widen the ureteral lumen, or an augmented anastomotic technique in which the obliterated segment of the ureter was excised and reanastomosed primarily on dorsal side, and an LMG was placed on the ventral side.

MEASUREMENTS

Pre-, intra-, and postoperative variables and outcomes were assessed. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

Of 41patients, 40 were operated with laparoscopic procedures and one with a robot. Twenty-four (59%) patients underwent an onlay ureteroplasty, and 17 (41%) underwent an augmented anastomotic ureteroplasty. The reconstructed ureter was wrapped with omentum in 90% of cases. The median (range) stricture length was 4.8 cm (2.0-8.0), operative time was 166 min (98-306), and estimated blood loss was 65 ml (15-220). No open conversions and intraoperative complications occurred. At a median follow-up of 35 mo (range 13-80), the overall success rate was 97.6% (40/41).

CONCLUSIONS

LMGU is a safe, feasible, and effective long-term technique for managing long, complex proximal ureteral strictures.

PATIENT SUMMARY

We reported a novel technique for long proximal complex ureteral strictures using an onlay lingual mucosal graft (LMG). Our 6-yr outcomes demonstrate that onlay LMG ureteroplasty is a safe, feasible, and effective long-term procedure for ureteral reconstruction.

Association between Serum Triglycerides and Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) among U.S. Males: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003-2010

(1) Background: Increasing evidence indicates that lipid metabolism may influence the concentration of prostate-specific antigen (PSA). However, the association between triglycerides and PSA remains unclear and complicated. Hence, we evaluated the correlation between triglycerides and PSA based on the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. (2) Methods: A total of 2910 participants out of 41,156 participants fit into our study after conducting the screening from the 2003 to 2010 NHANES survey. Serum triglycerides were the independent variable of our study, and PSA was the dependent variable; (3) Results: In our study, the average age of chosen participants was 59.7 years (±12.7). After adjusting for covariates, the result indicated that for each additional unit of serum triglyceride (mg/dL), the PSA concentrations were reduced by 0.0043 ng/mL (−0.0082, −0.0005) with a statistical difference. Furthermore, we used machine learning of the XGBoost model to determine the relative importance of selected variables as well as constructed a smooth curve based on the fully adjusted model to investigate the possible linear relationship between the triglyceride and PSA concentrations. (4) Conclusions: The serum triglyceride is independently and negatively correlated with PSA among American males, which may make it hard to detect asymptomatic prostate cancer and diagnose at an advance stage with higher triglycerides due to detection bias.

Cross-Linking of Centrifugally Spun Starch/Polyvinyl Alcohol (ST/PVA) Composite Ultrafine Fibers and Antibacterial Activity Loaded with Ag Nanoparticles

In this research, centrifugally spun ultrafine composite starch/polyvinyl alcohol (ST/PVA) fibers with high water stability were prepared by cross-linking with a mixture of glutaraldehyde and formic acid in the form of vapor phase. The effect of cross-linking temperature combined with time on the water stability, crystal structure, and thermal properties of fibers was investigated to obtain the optimum parameters. On this basis, we further prepared Ag-loaded ST/PVA fibers with different contents of nano silver. The structure and properties of Ag-loaded fibers, which cross-linked under the optimum parameters, were analyzed. As a result, the Ag-loaded fibers exhibited excellent water stability and mechanical properties and possessed inhibition zone diameters of 3 and 2 mm to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus. aureus, respectively. The antibacterial property of the Ag-loaded ST/PVA fibers provided a new route for developing less costly antibacterial fiber materials in the future.

Unique Cd0.5Zn0.5S/WO3-x direct Z-scheme heterojunction with S, O vacancies and twinning superlattices for efficient photocatalytic water-splitting

Photocatalytic water-splitting employing the Z-scheme semiconductor systems mimicking natural photosynthesis is regarded as a promising way to achieve efficient soalr-to-H₂ conversion. Nevertheless, it still remains a big challenge to design high-performance direct Z-scheme photocatalysts without the use of noble metals as electron mediators. Herein, a unique Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/WO_3-x direct Z-scheme heterojunction was constructed for the first time, which consisted of smaller O-vacancy-decorated WO_3-x nanocrystals anchoring on Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S nanocrystals with S vacancies and zinc blende/wurtzite (ZB/WZ) twinning superlattices. Under visible-light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation, the Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/WO_3-x composites exhibited an outstanding H₂ evolution reaction (HER) activity of 20.50 mmol h^-1 g^-1 (corresponding to the apparent quantum efficiency of 18.0% at 420 nm), which is much superior to that of WO_3-x, Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S, and Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S loaded with Pt. Interestingly, the introduced O and S vacancies contributed to improving the HER activity of Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/WO_3-x significantly. Moreover, the cycling and long-term HER measurements confirmed the robust photocatalytic stability of Cd_0.5Zn_0.5S/WO_3-x for H₂ production. The excellent light harvesting and efficient spatial charge separation induced by the ZB/WZ twinning homojunctions and defect-promoted direct Z-scheme charge-transfer pathway are responsible for the exceptional HER capability. Our study could enlighten the rational engineering and optimization of semiconductor nanostructures for energy and environmental applications.

circNUDT21 promotes bladder cancer progression by modulating the miR-16-1-3p/MDM2/p53 axis

Bladder cancer (BC) is a common genitourinary malignancy. This study investigated the regulatory effects of an exonic circRNA, circNUDT21, in the progression of BC. The circNUDT21 level was overexpressed in BC tissues and cell lines as compared to normal controls. Overexpression and silencing of circNUDT21 promoted and inhibited, respectively, the proliferative and invasive abilities of BC cells. Mechanistical analysis showed that circNUDT21 acted as a miR-16-1-3p sponge and that MDM2 was a potential downstream target of miR-16-1-3p. We further verified that overexpression of circNUDT21 was associated with elevated MDM2 and reduced p53 expression. CircNUDT21 promoted BC progression by acting as a sponge of miR-16-1-3p to activate the miR-16-1-3p/MDM2/p53 axis. These findings suggest that circNUDT21 functions as an oncogenic circRNA and may be a potential therapy target for BC.

Mass-forming chronic invasive fungal sinusitis; an uncommon mimicker of head & neck malignancy

Introduction/Objective

Invasive fungal sinusitis is a progressive infection affecting the nasal cavity and associated sinus spaces. Acute forms affect immunocompromised patients with debilitating systemic diseases while chronic forms usually occur in immunocompetent individuals.

Methods/Case Report

A 26-year-old immunocompetent male with daily Marijuana smoking consulted for acute swelling of the right eye with dull pain, photophobia, loss of vision and pressure of 4 day duration. He reported nasal congestion for approximately one year and over the previous 2 months developed exophthalmos. Imaging demonstrated a 4.9 x 4.3 x 4.1 cm invasive soft tissue mass in the right lamina papyracea with involvement of the paranasal sinus, right orbit, and intracranial space. The mass was presumed to represent a high-grade malignancy.

Biopsy was performed and demonstrated granulomatous invasive fungal sinusitis. The patient underwent right orbitotomy and right extranasal ethmoidectomy. He was begun on empiric amphotericin B. After culture and sequencing identification of Curvularia species, voriconazole was added. Follow up imaging studies after two month of treatment still demonstrated residual mass forming lesion with 10-20% decrease in size. The patient has regained his vision after 4 month of treatment and he is expected to complete a six months course. If the mass forming lesion persists, a second round of surgical debridement will be performed.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

N/A

Conclusion

Curvularia is a dematiaceous fungus most commonly associated with allergic sinusitis, but can rarely become invasive in immunocompetent individuals. Histopathologically large fungal elements are easily recognizable but specific identification requires culture or ribosomal DNA sequencing by PCR. Mass-forming chronic fungal sinusitis overlaps clinically and radiologically with head and neck malignancies. Our report brings attention to this uncommon clinical variant of invasive fungal sinusitis that affects immunocompetent individuals.

Amyloid deposition in oral cavity and larynx, a single institute experience

Introduction/Objective

Amyloidosis is characterized by extracellular accumulation of insoluble amyloid fibril. Amyloid deposition in the head and neck area is rare.

Methods/Case Report

In this study, we reviewed 34 specimens from 26 patients including: 18 specimens from the larynx and/or pharynx (13 patients) and 16 specimens from the oral cavity (13 patients). The clinical presentation, related laboratory results, and pathologic finding were reviewed.

Results (if a Case Study enter NA)

Within the 18 laryngeal specimens were: 10 glottic, 4 supraglottic, 3 nasopharyngeal or pharyngeal wall, and 1 subglottic. Of the 16 cases from oral cavity there were 9 lingual, 3 labial, 2 palatine, 1 tonsillar, and 1 alveolar ridge. Ten out of 13 patients with laryngeal amyloid deposition had protein electrophoresis performed and only 3 of the patients had monoclonal light chain detected. Among these three patients, one had multiple myeloma, one had lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and one had the diagnosis of plasma cell dyscrasia. Interestingly, in the patients with oral cavity amyloidosis, 10 out of 11 patients tested had abnormal findings. Six of the patients had monoclonal light chain, two demonstrated monoclonal peak of IgG kappa, one with IgG lambda and one with IgA lambda. Among these 10 patients, 6 of them had biopsy-proved or history of multiple myeloma, one patient had marginal zone lymphoma, two patients had systematic amyloidosis. Only one patient did not have any malignancy or systematic involvement identified.

Conclusion

In our small cohort, the most common location of amyloid deposition in the larynx is glottis. When it involves the oral cavity, tongue is the most common location. Compared to the larynx, amyloid deposition in the oral cavity tends to be associated with hematopoietic malignancy or systematic involvement, although this finding needs to be confirmed by a larger scale of study.

Cell-free DNA from bile outperformed plasma as a potential alternative to tissue biopsy in biliary tract cancer

BACKGROUND

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are rare and highly heterogenous malignant neoplasms. Because obtaining BTC tissues is challenging, the purpose of this study was to explore the potential roles of bile as a liquid biopsy medium in patients with BTC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Sixty-nine consecutive patients with suspected BTC were prospectively enrolled in this study. Capture-based targeted sequencing was performed on tumor tissues, whole blood cells, plasma, and bile samples using a large panel consisting of 520 cancer-related genes.

RESULTS

Of the 28 patients enrolled in this cohort, tumor tissues were available in eight patients, and plasma and bile were available in 28 patients. Somatic mutations were detected in 100% (8/8), 71.4% (20/28), and 53.6% (15/28) of samples comprising tumor tissue DNA, bile cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and plasma cfDNA, respectively. Bile cfDNA showed a significantly higher maximum allele frequency than plasma cfDNA (P = 0.0032). There were 56.2% of somatic single-nucleotide variant (SNVs)/insertions and deletions (indels) shared between bile and plasma cfDNA. When considering the genetic profiles of tumor tissues as the gold standard, the by-variant sensitivity and positive predictive value for SNVs/indels in bile cfDNA positive for somatic mutations were both 95.5%. The overall concordance for SNVs/indels in bile was significantly higher than that in plasma (99.1% versus 78.3%, P < 0.0001). Moreover, the sensitivity of CA 19-9 combined with bile cfDNA achieved 96.4% in BTC diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrated that bile cfDNA was superior to plasma cfDNA in the detection of tumor-related genomic alterations. Bile cfDNA as a minimally invasive liquid biopsy medium might be a supplemental approach to confirm BTC diagnosis.

[Clinical observation on horizontal penetration needling combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets for migraine without aura in acute stage]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the therapeutic effect of horizontal penetration needling combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets, simple horizontal penetration needling and simple rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets for migraine without aura in acute stage.

METHODS

A total of 99 patients with migraine without aura in acute stage were randomized into an acupuncture plus medication group, an acupuncture group and a western medication group, 33 cases in each one. In the acupuncture group, horizontal penetration needling was applied once at Hanyan (GB 4) to Xuanli(GB 6), Shenting (GV 24) to Yintang (GV 29), Baihui (GV 20) to Qianding (GV 21), etc. for 2 h. In the western medication group, oral rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets for 10 mg were given once. In the acupuncture plus medication group, treatment of acupuncture combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets were given, the application was the same as the acupuncture group and the western medication group. Before treatment and 0.5, 2, 24 h after treatment, the visual analogue scale (VAS) score was observed, the remission rate and the disappearance rate of migraine of 2, 24 h after treatment were compared in the 3 groups.

RESULTS

Compared before treatment, the VAS scores of each time point after treatment were decreased in the 3 groups (P<0.05), and the changes in the acupuncture plus medication group were greater than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group (P<0.05). The remission rates of 24 h after treatment and the disappearance rates of migraine of 2, 24 h after treatment in the acupuncture plus medication group were higher than those in the acupuncture group and the western medication group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Horizontal penetration needling combined with rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets have significant therapeutic effect on rapid analgesia and continuous analgesia for migraine without aura in acute stage, its effect is superior to simple horizontal penetration needling and simple rizatriptan monobenzoate tablets.

Melting centrifugally spun ultrafine poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) fiber and hydrophilic modification

This paper demonstrates that melt centrifugal spinning could be used to effectively fabricate degradable poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) fibers with uniform fiber diameter. The hydrophobic PBAT fibers were modified into hydrophilic fibers using the hyperbranched polyesters (HBP) with three-dimensional molecular chain structures and a large number of functional groups at the chain ends. The structures and properties of the obtained fibers were characterized with SEM, XRD, DSC, contact angle, and tensile strength analyses. Results indicate that fibers with uniform diameters can be conveniently fabricated by designing a spinneret. The obtained fibers showed no apparent change in crystallization compared to PBAT pellets, while the thermal stability and mechanical properties of PBAT/HBP fibers were dependent on the HBP ratio in fibers. More importantly, the obtained fibers gradually changed from hydrophobic to super-hydrophilic with increasing HBP content in fibers up to 30%. The modified hydrophilic PBAT/HBP presents a greatly significant potential for application in biomedical fields.

The PBAT fibers were fabricated by using our own designed melting centrifugal spinning setup, and followed by improving the fiber wettability with hyperbranched polyesters (HBP).

[Expression profile of intervertebral disc degeneration-specific genes: a transcriptome sequencing-based analysis]

OBJECTIVE

To identify new therapeutic targets for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) by analyzing gene variations in IDD.

OBJECTIVE

We analyzed surgical samples of intervertebral disc from 4 patients with IDD and 3 patients with non-IDD using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology to identify significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in IDD. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases were utilized for gene enrichment studies to acquire the key genes and signal pathways during IDD progression. The differential expressions of the identified genes in IDD were validated in clinical samples with qRT-PCR.

OBJECTIVE

The transcriptome profile revealed 512 significant DEGs, which were enriched in terms of keratinization, extracellular matrix (ECM) components, growth factor binding, and inflammatory chemotaxis in GO analysis. The top 10 terms of KEGG enrichment included amoebiasis, viral protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor, ECM-receptor interaction, IL-17 signaling pathway, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, TNF signaling pathway, AGE-RAGE signaling pathway in diabetic complications, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, chemokine signaling pathway and estrogen signaling pathway. Thirteen DEGs selected as the targets for qRT-PCR validation showed significant differential expressions in IDD (P < 0.001), and their expression trends were all consistent with the results of RNA-seq. Among these genes, 10 genes showed significant intergroup fold change (Log2FoldChange>1).

OBJECTIVE

ECM, growth factors, collagen components, inflammatory chemokines and such signal pathways as TNF-α and PI3K-Akt all have important contributions to IDD progression and may thus serve as new therapeutic targets for treatment of IDD.

Downregulation of NUDT21 contributes to cervical cancer progression through alternative polyadenylation

Nudix Hydrolase 21 (NUDT21), an alternative polyadenylation (APA)-regulatory protein, exhibits tumor-suppressive effects. However, its role in cervical cancer (CxCa) remains unknown. In the present study, we found that NUDT21 expression was reduced in CxCa tissues and cells, and NUDT21 levels were highly associated with the clinical prognosis of patients with CxCa. Knockdown of NUDT21 promoted CxCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro, as well as tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vivo. Overexpression of NUDT21 produces the opposite effects. Moreover, we performed polyadenylation site sequencing (PAS-Seq) and identified 457 transcripts with lengthened 3' untranslated regions (3' UTRs) upon NUDT21 overexpression. In particular, NUDT21 modulated the expression of several genes involved in fatty acid metabolism and the Wnt and NF-κB signaling pathways in CxCa development. Taken together, our study demonstrated that the APA regulatory effect of NUDT21 is an important mechanism for CxCa suppression.

Laparoscopic "reverse 7" ileal ureteral replacement for bilateral extensive ureteral strictures performed completely intracorporeally: the initial experience

PURPOSE

To present our initial experience and evaluate the feasibility of the novel technique of completely intracorporeal laparoscopic "reverse 7" ileal ureteral replacement (IUR).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between December 2018 and September 2019, two patients underwent completely intracorporeal laparoscopic "reverse 7" IUR, which were female patients with bilateral extensive ureteral strictures (BEUS) secondary to radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection for cervical cancer and postoperative radiotherapy. Antegrade pyelography and retrograde pyelography showed BEUS preoperatively.

RESULTS

The novel technique was performed successfully by the same surgeon without conversion to open surgery. The operating time of each patient was 420 min and 410 min, respectively. Meanwhile, the estimated blood loss of each patient was 120 ml and 100 ml, respectively. There were no major complications during the perioperative period. After ureteral stent was removed, antegrade pyelography postoperatively revealed excellent drainage with the resolution of hydronephrosis in both patients. After removing of ureteral stent and nephrostomy tube, no patients have a complaint about the donor site or the onset of flank pain.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, we present the initial experience with completely intracorporeal laparoscopic "reverse 7" IUR. With initial follow-up outcomes, this novel minimally invasive technique appears to be feasible and efficacious in treating BEUS in carefully selected patients.

[Horizontal penetration needling method for headache]

The manipulation and key points of professor FAN Gang-qi 's horizontal penetration needling method for headache were introduced. This acupuncture method selects local acupoints of head, including occipital acupoint group, temporal acupoint group, frontal acupoint group and vertex acupoint group. The needles are shallowly and horizontally inserted at acupoints, with needle end towards the focus or headache site. The needle retaining time is long (6 h). This method is commonly used in the treatment of migraine, cervicogenic headache and tension-type headache. The manipulation is standard with better repeatability.

Nanoparticle-Loaded Polarized-Macrophages for Enhanced Tumor Targeting and Cell-Chemotherapy

Cell therapy is a promising strategy for cancer therapy. However, its therapeutic efficiency remains limited due to the complex and immunosuppressive nature of tumor microenvironments. In this study, the "cell-chemotherapy" strategy was presented to enhance antitumor efficacy. M1-type macrophages, which are therapeutic immune cells with both of immunotherapeutic ability and targeting ability, carried sorafenib (SF)-loaded lipid nanoparticles (M1/SLNPs) were developed. M1-type macrophages were used both as therapeutic tool to provide immunotherapy and as delivery vessel to target deliver SF to tumor tissues for chemotherapy simultaneously. M1-type macrophages were obtained by polarizing macrophages using lipopolysaccharide, and M1/SLNPs were obtained by incubating M1-type macrophages with SLNP. Tumor accumulation of M1/SLNP was increased compared with SLNP (p < 0.01), which proved M1/SLNP could enhance tumor targeting of SF. An increased ratio of M1-type macrophages to M2-type macrophages, and the CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cells and CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cell quantities in tumor tissues after treatment with M1/SLNP indicated M1/SLNP could relieve the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. The tumor volumes in the M1/SLNP group were significantly smaller than those in the SLNP group (p < 0.01), indicating M1/SLNP exhibited enhanced antitumor efficacy. Consequently, M1/SLNP showed great potential as a novel cell-chemotherapeutic strategy combining both cell therapy and targeting chemotherapy.

Charge and Size Dual Switchable Nanocage for Novel Triple-Interlocked Combination Therapy Pattern

Combination therapy is a current hot topic in cancer treatment. Multiple synergistic effects elicited by combined drugs are essential in improving antitumor activity. Herein, a pH-triggered charge and size dual switchable nanocage co-loaded with abemaciclib and IMD-0354 (PA/PI-ND) is reported, exhibiting a novel triple-interlocked combination of chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemoimmunotherapy. The charge reversal polymer NGR-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-lysine)-dimethylmaleic anhydride (NGR-PEG-PLL-DMA, ND) in PA/PI-ND promotes the pH-triggered charge reversal from negative to positive and size reduction from about 180 to 10 nm in an acidic tumor microenvironment, which greatly enhances cellular uptake and tumor tissue deep penetration. With the PA/PI-ND triple-interlocked combination therapy, the chemotherapeutic effect is enhanced by the action of abemaciclib to induce cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, together with the reduction in cyclin D levels caused by IMD-0354. The dual anti-tumor promoting immunotherapy is achieved by abemaciclib selectively inhibiting the proliferation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and by IMD-0354 promoting tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) repolarization from an M2 to M1 phenotype. Furthermore, PA/PI-ND has improved anti-tumor efficiency resulting from the third synergistic effect provided by chemoimmunotherapy. Taken together, PA/PI-ND is a promising strategy to guide the design of future drug delivery carriers and cancer combination therapy.

Small Morph Nanoparticles for Deep Tumor Penetration via Caveolae-Mediated Transcytosis

The tumor penetration of nanomedicines constitutes a great challenge in the treatment of solid tumors, leading to the highly compromised therapeutic efficacy of nanomedicines. Here, we developed small morph nanoparticles (PDMA) by modifying polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers with dimethylmaleic anhydride (DMA). PDMA achieved deep tumor penetration via an active, energy-dependent, caveolae-mediated transcytosis, which circumvented the obstacles in the process of deep penetration. PDMA remained negatively charged under normal physiological conditions and underwent rapid charge reversal from negative to positive under acidic conditions in the tumor microenvironment (pH < 6.5), which enhanced their uptake by tumor cells and their deep penetration into tumor tissues in vitro and in vivo. The deep tumor penetration of PDMA was achieved mainly by caveolae-mediated transcytosis, which could be attributed to the small sizes (5-10 nm) and positive charge of the morphed PDMA. In vivo studies demonstrated that PDMA exhibited increased tumor accumulation and doxorubicin-loaded PDMA (PDMA/DOX) showed better antitumor efficacy. Overall, the small morph PDMA for enhanced deep tumor penetration via caveolae-mediated transcytosis could provide new inspiration for the design of anticancer drug delivery systems.

"Layer peeling" co-delivery system for enhanced RNA interference-based tumor associated macrophages-specific chemoimmunotherapy

RNA interference (RNAi)-based immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. The transport of siRNA and small molecular agents from the tumor vasculature to a separate therapeutic target has been impeded by multiple physiological barriers, which has restricted the development of RNAi-based chemoimmunotherapy. A nanotechnology-based co-delivery system was superior in improving the co-localization of gene and drug in the same tumor cell, while a co-delivery system for chemoimmunotherapy was expected to realize xenotype cell-targeting, which means delivering immunotherapy agents and chemotherapy drugs to immune cells and tumor cells, respectively. A multilayer structure co-delivery system was outstanding in crossing these barriers and targeting different cells in tumor tissue. Herein, a "layer peeling" co-delivery system (CDMPR) was developed with co-loaded IKKβ-siRNA and doxorubicin (DOX), in which IKKβ-siRNA was used for RNAi-based tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) polarization for immunotherapy and DOX was used for chemotherapy. A transwell assay in vitro and an immunofluorescence assay in Hepa1-6 tumor-bearing mice indicated that CDMPR exhibited a pH-sensitive disassembly ability in tumor tissue, IKKβ-siRNA was precisely delivered to M2-type TAMs and DOX was internalized into tumor cells. An M2-type TAMs polarization ability study of CDMPR demonstrated that M2-type TAMs could be polarized to M1-type TAMs by CDMPR in vitro and in vivo. In Hepa1-6 tumor-bearing mice, CDMPR exhibited improved antitumor efficiency with M2-type re-polarization ability by the precise delivery of IKKβ-siRNA and DOX to M2-type TAMs and tumor cells, respectively. Consequently, the combination of RNAi-based TAMs polarization and chemotherapy by the "layer peeling" co-delivery system would achieve an enhanced chemoimmunotherapy effect, which provides a novel strategy to improve cancer therapeutic effects.

Engineering Thermo-pH Dual Responsive Hydrogel for Enhanced Tumor Accumulation, Penetration, and Chemo-Protein Combination Therapy

Purpose

Combined chemotherapeutic drug and protein drug has been a widely employed strategy for tumor treatment. To realize both tumor accumulation and deep tumor penetration for drugs with different pharmacokinetics, we propose a structure-transformable, thermo-pH dual responsive co-delivery system to co-load granzyme B/docetaxel (GrB/DTX).

Methods

Thermo-sensitive hydrogels based on diblock copolymers (mPEG-b-PELG) were synthesized through ring opening polymerization. GrB/DTX mini micelles (GDM) was developed by co-loading these two drugs in pH-sensitive mini micelles, and the GDM-incorporated thermo-sensitive hydrogel (GDMH) was constructed. The thermo-induced gelation behavior of diblock copolymers and the physiochemical properties of GDMH were characterized. GDMH degradation and deep tumor penetration of released mini micelles were confirmed. The pH-sensitive disassembly and lysosomal escape abilities of released mini micelles were evaluated. In vitro cytotoxicity was studied using MTT assays and the in vivo antitumor efficacy study was evaluated in B16-bearing C57BL/6 mice.

Results

GDMH was gelatinized at body temperature and can be degraded by proteinase to release mini micelles. The mini micelles incorporated in GDMH can achieve deep tumor penetration and escape from lysosomes to release GrB and DTX. MTT results showed that maximum synergistic antitumor efficacy of GrB and DTX was observed at mass ratio of 1:100. Our in vivo antitumor efficacy study showed that GDMH inhibited tumor growth in the subcutaneous tumor model and in the post-surgical recurrence model.

Conclusion

The smart-designed transformable GDMH can facilitate tumor accumulation, deep tumor penetration, and rapid drug release to achieve synergistic chemo-protein therapy.

Circ_0008532 promotes bladder cancer progression by regulation of the miR-155-5p/miR-330-5p/MTGR1 axis

BACKGROUND

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been associated with bladder cancer (BC), but the specific underlying molecular mechanism of their association with BC development has not been fully explored.

METHODS

Levels of Circ_0008532, MTGR1 and miR-155-5p/miR-330-5p in bladder cancer cell lines and tissues were determined with quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting assays. In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to investigate the function of circ_0008532 in tumorigenesis in bladder cancer cells. The relationships of Circ_0008532, MTGR1 and miR-155-5p/miR-330-5p were predicted using bioinformatic tools and verified by RNA-FISH, RIP and luciferase assays. The effects of circ_0008532 on the Notch signaling pathway were determined by GSEA analysis and western blotting assay.

RESULTS

We found that circ_0008532 is upregulated in BC cell lines and tissues. Moreover, overexpression of circ_0008532 promotes, and silencing of circ_0008532 inhibits the capacity for invasive in BC cells. In addition, circ_0008532 can directly interact with miR-155-5p and miR-330-5p as an miRNA sponge which mediates the expression of the miR-155-5p/miR-330-5p target gene MTGR1 and downstream Notch signaling.

CONCLUSIONS

Circ_0008532 may act as an oncogene in BC through a novel circ_0008532/miR-155-5p, miR-330-5p /MTGR1/Notch pathway axis, which in turn may provide potential biomarkers and a therapeutic target for the management of bladder cancer.

RSPO3 promotes the aggressiveness of bladder cancer via Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog signaling pathways

R-spondin 3 (RSPO3) is a secreted protein that associates directly with Wnt/β-catenin signaling. However, its functional contribution and prognostic value in human bladder cancer remain unclear. Here, we showed that RSPO3 is upregulated in bladder cancer tissues and cells, and high expression of RSPO3 correlates with advanced clinicopathological features, poor prognosis and disease progression in bladder cancer patients. Furthermore, we observed that ectopic expression or knockdown of RSPO3 profoundly promoted or inhibited, respectively, the invasive ability of bladder cancer cells. Mechanistically, RSPO3 promoted bladder cancer progression via mediating the Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog signaling pathways. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, that RSPO3 exhibited a tumor-promoting effect in bladder cancer cells through activation of Wnt/β-catenin and Hedgehog signaling pathways. Thus, RSPO3 may be served as a potential therapeutic target for bladder cancer treatment.

NUDT21 inhibits bladder cancer progression through ANXA2 and LIMK2 by alternative polyadenylation

Purpose: Nudix Hydrolase 21 (NUDT21) is a crucial mediator involved in alternative polyadenylation (APA), and this molecule has been reported to be a tumor suppressor in human cancers. However, neither the role NUDT21 plays in bladder cancer (BC) nor the mechanisms which are involved have been investigated.

Methods: Expression levels of NUDT21 in BC were evaluated with real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In vitro and in vivo assays were performed to investigate the function of NUDT21 in tumorigenesis in bladder cancer cells. The TOP/FOP flash reporter assay, western blot, and global APA site profiling analysis were used to identify the pathway which mediates the biologic roles of NUDT21 in BC.

Results: NUDT21 expression is reduced in BC tissue and cells, and BC patients with lower NUDT21 expression have shorter overall and recurrent-free survival than patients with higher NUDT21 expression. NUDT21 ectopic expression or knockdown respectively profoundly inhibited or promoted the capacity of BC cells for proliferation, migration and invasion. We also identified a number of genes with shortened 3'UTRs through modulation of NUDT21 expression, and further characterized the NUDT21-regulated genes ANXA2 and LIMK2. We found NUDT21 modulates the expression of ANXA2 and LIMK2 in the Wnt/β-catenin and NF-κB signaling pathways.

Conclusions: These findings show NUDT21 plays a crucial role in BC progression, at least in part through ANXA2 and LIMK2 which act by alternative polyadenylation. NUDT21 may thus have potential as a diagnostic and therapeutic target in treatment of BC.

Selective targeting of tumor cells and tumor associated macrophages separately by twin-like core-shell nanoparticles for enhanced tumor-localized chemoimmunotherapy

Tumor associated macrophage (TAM)-based immunotherapy has been presented as a promising strategy in cancer therapy. The combination of TAM-based immunotherapy with sorafenib (SF) could be conceivably quite more effective in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment. A co-delivery system was superior in improving the co-accumulation of two drugs in tumor tissues for chemoimmunotherapy, while in the case of selective targeting of separated cells such as tumor cells and immune cells, a novel targeted co-delivery strategy was badly required. In this study, twin-like core-shell nanoparticles (TCN) were developed for synchronous biodistribution and separated cell targeting delivery of SF and TAM re-polarization agents IMD-0354 to cancer cells and TAM to enhance tumor-localized chemoimmunotherapy, respectively. First of all, SF loaded cationic lipid-based nanoparticles (SF-CLN) and mannose-modified IMD-0354 loaded cationic lipid-based nanoparticles (M-IMD-CLN) were prepared, respectively. SF on the surface of SF-CLN and mannose on the M-IMD-CLN were regarded as targeting ligands for selective targeting delivery of SF-CLN and M-IMD-CLN to cancer cells and TAM separately. Then, pH-responsive charge reversal polymer O-carboxymethyl-chitosan (CMCS) was coated on the SF-CLN and M-IMD-CLN to obtain twin-like CMCS/SF-CLN and CMCS/M-IMD-CLN, respectively. The results of cellular uptake assay on Hepa1-6 cells and RAW 264.7 cells in vitro, respectively, as well as the results of tumor tissue distribution of SF and IMD-0354 in vivo suggested that CMCS/SF-CLN and CMCS/M-IMD-CLN exhibited similar properties in vitro and synchronous biodistribution in vivo, and were efficient at separated cell targeting delivery. What's more, the results of antitumor efficiency in vivo and phenotype analysis of TAM in tumor tissues proved that CMCS/SF-CLN and CMCS/M-IMD-CLN exhibited superior synergistic antitumor efficacy and M2-type TAM polarization ability compared with SF treatment in Hepa1-6 tumor bearing mice. Consequently, TCN which was the combination of co-administration and nano-drug delivery systems has great potential to be used in tumor-localized chemoimmunotherapy in clinics.

MicroRNA‑122 downregulates Rho‑associated protein kinase 2 expression and inhibits the proliferation of prostate carcinoma cells

MicroRNA‑122 (miR‑122) has been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of several types of malignancies; however, its role in prostate carcinoma remains unknown. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the functionality of miR‑122 in prostate carcinoma. Clinical data of 54 patients with prostate carcinoma who were diagnosed and treated in Union Hospital (Wuhan, China) between January 2011 and January 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. The expression levels of miR‑122 and Rho‑associated protein kinase 2 (ROCK2) in prostate tumor and adjacent healthy tissues of patients, as well as in the serum of prostate carcinoma patients and healthy controls, were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Receiver operating characteristic curve and survival curve analyses were used to examine the diagnostic and prognostic values of serum miR‑122 for prostate carcinoma. In addition, miR‑122 mimic was transfected into prostate carcinoma cells, and the effects on cell proliferation and ROCK2 expression were explored by Cell Counting Kit‑8 and western blot assays, respectively. It was observed that miR‑122 was downregulated and ROCK2 was upregulated in tumor tissues as compared with their levels in adjacent healthy tissues. miR‑122 level in the serum was also markedly lower in prostate carcinoma patients in comparison with that in healthy controls. Furthermore, a low serum level of miR‑122 was found to effectively distinguish the prostate carcinoma patients from healthy controls and to be an indicator of poor survival. In prostate carcinoma cells, miR‑122 overexpression inhibited the proliferation and the expression of ROCK2. Taken together, miR‑122 may inhibit the proliferation of prostate carcinoma cells possibly by downregulating ROCK2 expression.

Prognostic Implication of Urothelial Stem Cell Markers Differs According to Primary Tumour Location in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND/AIMS

This study aimed to validate the value of urothelial stem cell (USC) markers ΔNp63, integrin β4, CD47, and CD44v6 in predicting the prognosis of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) located in different anatomic regions of bladder.

METHODS

The study reviewed the clinicopathologic data of 169 patients with NMIBC. Using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry, the expression of ΔNp63, integrin β4, CD47, and CD44v6 in archived specimens of patients with NMIBC were validated. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards model were used to assess the prognostic impact of USC markers for recurrent-free survival (RFS).

RESULTS

The Real-time PCR data showed that the expression of USC markers were higher in tumors located in the trigone and posterior wall than that in other regions of bladder (P< 0.05). Statistical analysis showed that high expression of ΔNp63 was correlated with tumor stage (P=0.023) and tumor size (P=0.001), that high expression of integrin β4 was correlated with tumor stage (P=0.026), tumor grade (P=0.005) and tumor size (P=0.003), and that high integrin β4, CD47, and CD44v6 expression were significantly associated with tumor recurrence (P=0.032, P=0.010, and P=0.043, respectively). Moreover, high expression of ΔNp63 and integrin β4 was correlated with poor RFS in patients with tumors located in the trigone (P=0.025 and P=0.023, respectively). High expression of integrin β4, CD47, and CD44v6 was correlated with poor RFS in patients with tumors in the posterior wall (P=0.017, P=0.033 and P=0.047, respectively). High expression of integrin β4 and CD47 was correlated with poor RFS in patients with tumors in the trigone/posterior wall area (P=0.002 and P=0.005, respectively).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that USC markers are linked with poor prognosis of NMIBC patients, especially in patients with tumors in the trigone and posterior wall.

Leupaxin Promotes Bladder Cancer Proliferation, Metastasis, and Angiogenesis Through the PI3K/AKT Pathway

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Leupaxin (LPXN) is a member of the paxillin protein family. Several studies have reported that LPXN regulates cancer development; however, the role of LPXN in bladder cancer remains unknown.

METHODS

The expression of LPXN in bladder cancer cells and tissues was determined by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry, respectively. The biological role of LPXN in bladder cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis was explored both in vitro and in vivo.

RESULTS

LPXN expression was elevated in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues and normal urothelial cells. High LPXN expression was correlated with large tumor size, advanced tumor stage, and poor survival in bladder cancer patients. Overexpression of LPXN significantly promoted the proliferation, invasion, and angiogenesis of bladder cancer cells, while suppressing LPXN had the opposite effects. The impact on tumor progression was abolished by inhibiting PI3K/ AKT signaling pathway. We further demonstrated that LPXN probably up-regulated S100P via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

LPXN may facilitate bladder cancer progression by upregulating the expression of S100P via PI3K/AKT pathway. These results provide a novel insight into the role of LPXN in tumorigenesis and progression of bladder cancer and potential therapeutic target of bladder cancer.

H9N2 influenza virus isolated from minks has enhanced virulence in mice

H9N2 is one of the major subtypes of influenza virus circulating in poultry in China, which has a wide host range from bird to mammals. Two H9N2 viruses were isolated from one mink farm in 2014. Phylogenetic analysis showed that internal genes of the H9N2 viruses have close relationship with those of H7N9 viruses. Interestingly, two H9N2 were separated in phylogenetic trees, indicating that they are introduced to this mink farm in two independent events. And further mice studies showed that one H9N2 caused obvious weight loss and 20% mortality in infected mice, while another virus did not cause any clinical sign in mice infected at the same dose. Genetic analysis indicated that the virulent H9N2 contain a natural mutation at 701N in PB2 protein, which was reported to contribute to mammalian adaptation. However, such substitution is absent in the H9N2 avirulent to mice. Circulation of H9N2 in mink may drive the virus to adapt mammals; continual surveillance of influenza virus in mink was warranted.