BACKGROUND:Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by the rapid development of therapy resistance, the underlying mechanisms of which remain incompletely understood. The transcription factor NFIB is a recognized oncogene in SCLC, promoting tumor progression by regulating metastasis and proliferation. However, its potential role in mediating chemotherapy resistance is poorly defined. AIMS:This study aimed to elucidate the mechanism by which NFIB regulates chemoresistance in SCLC and to assess the therapeutic potential of co-targeting NFIB and the Notch signaling pathway. METHODS AND RESULTS:Expression of NFIB and associated genes was analyzed in SCLC cell lines and clinical samples using Western blotting, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), immunofluorescence (IF), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Transcriptional regulation was examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and drug sensitivity was measured via CCK-8 assays. We found that NFIB acts as a dual-function regulator, driving oncogenesis and controlling chemoresistance. NFIB knockdown activated the endogenous Notch pathway, which in turn promoted drug resistance. NFIB expression positively correlated with neuroendocrine (NE) markers and contributed to tumor heterogeneity, a process modulated by Notch1. Mechanistically, loss of NFIB relieved its repression of Notch1, leading to suppressed NE gene expression and yielding slow-cycling, chemoresistant cells with activated Notch signaling. Critically, combining Notch pathway inhibition with chemotherapy attenuated intratumoral heterogeneity and reversed this resistance phenotype. CONCLUSIONS:NFIB plays a paradoxical role in SCLC, serving as both an oncogenic driver and a key regulator of chemoresistance via Notch pathway activation. These findings revealed a novel resistance mechanism and propose a promising therapeutic strategy of combined Notch inhibition and chemotherapy for SCLC treatment.

Metabolic alterations and immune dysfunction within the gastric tumor microenvironment critically drive gastric cancer (GC) progression and therapeutic resistance. Although single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has unveiled cellular heterogeneity in GC, the metabolic landscapes of tumor cells and their interplay with immune components remain underexplored. By integrating scRNA-seq data from 35,633 cells across 23 GC tissues (GSE150290), bulk RNA-seq data from UCSC Xena, and two independent microarray cohorts (GSE26899, GSE62254), we systematically characterized metabolic heterogeneity and identified immune-related prognostic biomarkers. Reclustering of malignant epithelial cells revealed distinct metabolic phenotypes, with the citrate cycle and oxidative phosphorylation pathways emerging as key drivers of intratumoral diversity and T cell differentiation. Through machine learning and survival analyses, we discovered a novel risk score model composed of 6 T cell differentiation signatures, which stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups with significant differences in overall survival. Notably, this model outperformed traditional clinicopathological factors in predicting prognosis, validated in both bulk RNA-seq and microarray datasets. Immunohistochemistry further confirmed the prognostic value of key regulatory proteins (RGS1, CXCR4, CTLA4, ARPP19, ZNRF1, and ZNF207). Our findings highlight the metabolic immune crosstalk in GC and provide a promising biomarker panel for precision risk stratification and potential immunotherapeutic targets.

Background Tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) is the most common oral cavity cancer, and p16 immunohistochemistry is an exact and available tool in the prognostic and predictive characterization of squamous cell cancers in the head and neck. Microorganisms have a close relationship with the development of TSCC. However, the association between oral bacteria and p16 status has not been well defined in the case of TSCC. Compared with traditional clinical microbial collection methods, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples have several advantages. Methods To compare the microbiota compositions between p16-positive and p16-negative patients with TSCC, we performed a small pilot study of microbiological studies of TSCC by paraffin tissue. DNA from FFPE tissue blocks were extracted and microbiomes were profiled by sequencing the 16 S-rRNA-encoding gene (V1–V2/V3-V4/V4 regions). Alterations in the functional potential of the microbiome were predicted using PICRUSt, Tax4Fun, and BugBase. Results A total of 60 patients with TSCC were enrolled in the study, however, some challenges associated with DNA damage in FFPE tissues existed, and only 27 (15 p16-positive and 12 p16-negative) passed DNA quality control. Nevertheless, we have tentatively found some meaningful results. The p16 status is associated with microbiota diversity, which is significantly increased in p16-positive patients compared with p16-negative patients. Desulfobacteria, Limnochordia , Phycisphaerae, Anaerolineae , Saccharimonadia and Kapabacteria had higher abundances among participants with p16-positive. Moreover, functional prediction revealed that the increase of these bacteria may enhance viral carcinogenesis in p16-positive TSCC. Conclusions Bacterial profiles showed a significant difference between p16-positive TSCC and p16-negative TSCC. These findings may provide insights into the relationship between p16 status and the microbial taxa in TSCC, and these bacteria may provide new clues for developing therapeutic targets for TSCC.

BACKGROUND:Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) test in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can help physicians provide target therapies for patients harboring ALK gene rearrangement. This study aimed to investigate the real-world test patterns and positive rates of ALK gene rearrangements in advanced NSCLC. METHODS:In this real-world study (ChiCTR2000030266), patients with advanced NSCLC who underwent an ALK rearrangement test in 30 medical centers in China between October 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Interpretation training was conducted before the study was initiated. Quality controls were performed at participating centers using immunohistochemistry (IHC)-VENTANA-D5F3. The positive ALK gene rearrangement rate and consistency rate were calculated. The associated clinicopathological characteristics of ALK gene rearrangement were investigated as well. RESULTS:The overall ALK gene rearrangement rate was 6.7% in 23,689 patients with advanced NSCLC and 8.2% in 17,436 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. The quality control analysis of IHC-VENTANA-D5F3 revealed an intra-hospital consistency rate of 98.2% (879/895) and an inter-hospital consistency rate of 99.2% (646/651). IHC-VENTANA-D5F3 was used in 53.6%, real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 25.4%, next-generation sequencing (NGS) in 18.3%, and fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) in 15.9% in the adenocarcinoma subgroup. For specimens tested with multiple methods, the consistency rates confirmed by IHC-VENTANA-D5F3 were 98.0% (822/839) for FISH, 98.7% (1,222/1,238) for NGS, and 91.3% (146/160) for RT-PCR. The overall ALK gene rearrangement rates were higher in females, patients of ≤ 35 years old, never smokers, tumor cellularity of > 50, and metastatic specimens used for testing in the total NSCLC population and adenocarcinoma subgroup (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:This study highlights the real-world variability and challenges of ALK test in advanced NSCLC, demonstrating a predominant use of IHC-VENTANA-D5F3 with high consistency and distinct clinicopathological features in ALK-positive patients. These findings underscore the need for a consensus on optimal test practices and support the development of refined ALK test strategies to enhance diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic decision-making in NSCLC.

Abstract Background: Small cell lung cancer(SCLC) is a highly aggressive malignant tumor type, characterized by universal acquired therapeutic resistance during rapidly recurrence. However, we have a poor understanding of the mechanisms underlying development of resistance. NFIB is a bona fide oncogene in SCLC with effects on proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis inhibition. Methods: The expression of NFIB and related genes was evaluated in SCLC cells and tissue specimens, by western blot, RT-PCR immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. The relationship between genes was verified by ChIP-PCR experiments. CCK8 assays was used for drug resistance experiments. Results: NFIB is highly correlated with NE markers and may be participated in the generating of tumor heterogeneity mediated in part by Notch1. The suppressive effect of NFIB on Notch1 is relieved and led to NE gene inhibiting when SCLC cells lack of NFIB. These cells are slow growing and also relatively chemoresistant. Importantly, Notch blockade in combination with chemotherapy alleviates the formation of intratumoral heterogeneity and enhances chemosensitivity. Conclusions: NFIB can be both tumor-pro-tumorigenic and chemosensitizing in SCLC. NFIB knockdown results in endogenous activation of the Notch pathway. These results uncover the dual character of oncogene as NFIB in SCLC and offer perspectives for efficacious combination therapies that might also hold promise for treating human SCLC.

The contribution of oncogenes to tumor-associated RNA splicing and the relevant molecular mechanisms therein require further elaboration. Here, we show that oncogenic Aurora kinase A (AURKA) promotes breast cancer-related RNA aberrant splicing in a context-dependent manner. AURKA regulated pan-breast cancer-associated RNA splicing events including GOLGA4, RBM4 and UBQLN1. Aberrant splicing of GOLGA4 and RBM4 was closely related to breast cancer development. Mechanistically, AURKA interacted with the splicing factor YBX1 and promoted AURKA-YBX1 complex-mediated GOLGA4 exon inclusion. AURKA binding to the splicing factor hnRNPK promoted AURKA-hnRNPK complex-mediated RBM4 exon skipping. Analysis of clinical data identified an association between the AURKA-YBX1/hnRNPK complex and poor prognosis in breast cancer. Blocking AURKA nuclear translocation with small molecule drugs partially reversed the oncogenic splicing of RBM4 and GOLGA4 in breast cancer cells. In summary, oncogenic AURKA executes its function on modulating breast cancer-related RNA splicing, and nuclear AURKA is distinguished as a hopeful target in the case of treating breast cancer.

内质网是新合成的蛋白质进入分泌途径的细胞器.受多种生理及病理因素影响,细胞的分泌能力被扰乱,导致错误折叠和未折叠蛋白质的积累.进展期肿瘤细胞由于受到各种内外应激因子的刺激出现蛋白质稳态失衡和内质网应激.为了应对这种情况,肿瘤细胞通过激活未折叠蛋白反应维持生存.未折叠蛋白反应及上皮间质转化在肿瘤的发生、发展、转移中起到关键作用.这篇综述中,我们将分析未折叠蛋白反应在肿瘤中的作用,探讨内质网应激、未折叠蛋白反应与上皮间质转化之间的关系.

Background Gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (gDLBCL) related to Helicobacter pylori infection exhibits a wide spectrum of prognosis, and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) affects tumor progression. However, there are few studies on the correlation between prognosis and changes of TIME induced by H. pylori infection in de novo gDLBCL. Methods A retrospective study was performed to determine the prognostic value of TIME related to H. pylori infection in de novo gDLBCL. A total of 252 patients were included and have been treated with standard rituximab to cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy or other similar regimens in addition to H. pylori eradication (HPE). All patients were stratified by H. pylori infection, HPE efficacy, and preliminary TIME evaluation using conventional criteria. Statistical analyses were conducted. To assess the mechanism, 30 subjects were assessed for H. pylori infection. The components and spatial distributions of TIME were analyzed. Results The median follow-up of the 252 patients was 66.6 months (range 0.7–119.2), and the 5-year overall survival (OS) was 78.0%. A total of 109 H . pylori- positive cases with pathological complete remission and high tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (cohort 1) had significantly higher 5-year progression-free survival (88.1% vs 70.5%, p<0.001) and OS (89.2% vs 76.6%, p<0.001) than the other 143 patients (cohort 2). Among 30 patients, 19 were cytotoxin-associated gene A-marked as the cohort 1 subset. Compared with cohort 2, cohort 1 exhibited increased inflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon γ, etc) and decreased immunosuppressive components (PD-L1, PD-1, IL-10, etc). There was reduced NF-kB activation. Cancer-promoting immune cells (PD-1hiTim-3+ CTL, Tregs, M2-like macrophages, etc) occupied a minor spatial distribution, while the antitumor subtypes increased, corresponding to favorable survival. Conclusion H. pylori- evoked inflammatory responses disturb the TIME, causing a differential prognosis in de novo gDLBCL, which can be used to identify patients who could benefit from HPE and immunochemotherapy.

目的:探讨分析睾丸混合性生殖细胞肿瘤(MGCT)的临床病理特征、诊断及鉴别诊断、治疗及预后.方法:回顾性分析我院27例MGCT患者临床病理资料,并结合相关文献进行讨论.结果:MGCT占我院同一时期睾丸生殖细胞肿瘤的33.3％(27/81),患者年龄1～44岁,平均年龄25.8岁,MGCT伴随精原细胞瘤成分的平均年龄31.63岁,MGCT不伴随精原细胞瘤成分的平均年龄17.36岁.MGCT伴精原细胞瘤患者年龄大于MGCT不伴精原细胞瘤患者,二者差异有统计学意义(P<0.05).全部MGCT病例均发生于单侧,左侧13例,右侧14例,左右侧之比0.93:1.睾丸的MGCT可由多种成分构成,其中成分包括精原细胞瘤16例(59.3％),畸胎瘤20例(74.1％),胚胎性癌20例(74.1％),卵黄囊瘤10例(37.0％),绒毛膜癌5例(18.5％),其中,胚胎性癌伴有精原细胞瘤14例(51.9％),是27例MGCT中最常见的成分组合,其次是胚胎性癌伴畸胎瘤13例(48.1％).27例MGCT中,具有2种混合成分15例(55.6％),3种混合成分9例(33.3％),4种和5种混合成分均为1例(3.7％).结论:睾丸MGCT非常少见,好发于青壮年男性,不同的肿瘤成分导致其生物学行为、临床治疗和预后不同,因此准确的病理诊断非常必要,免疫组化标记对病理诊断与鉴别诊断具有重要作用.

Mammography is used to detect breast cancer (BC), but its sensitivity is limited, especially for dense breasts. Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) methylation tests is expected to compensate for the deficiency of mammography. We derived a specific panel of markers based on computational analysis of the DNA methylation profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Through training (n = 160) and validation set (n = 69), we developed a diagnostic prediction model with 26 markers, which yielded a sensitivity of 89.37% and a specificity of 100% for differentiating malignant disease from normal lesions [AUROC = 0.9816 (95% CI: 96.09-100%), and AUPRC = 0.9704 (95% CI: 94.54–99.46%)]. A simplified 4-marker model including cg23035715, cg16304215, cg20072171, and cg21501525 had a similar diagnostic power [AUROC = 0.9796 (95% CI: 95.56–100%), and AUPRC = 0.9220 (95% CI: 91.02–94.37%)]. We found that a single cfDNA methylation marker, cg23035715, has a high diagnostic power [AUROC = 0.9395 (95% CI: 89.72–99.27%), and AUPRC = 0.9111 (95% CI: 88.45–93.76%)], with a sensitivity of 84.90% and a specificity of 93.88%. In an independent testing dataset (n = 104), the obtained diagnostic prediction model discriminated BC patients from normal controls with high accuracy [AUROC = 0.9449 (95% CI: 90.07–98.91%), and AUPRC = 0.8640 (95% CI: 82.82–89.98%)]. We compared the diagnostic power of cfDNA methylation and mammography. Our model yielded a sensitivity of 94.79% (95% CI: 78.72–97.87%) and a specificity of 98.70% (95% CI: 86.36–100%) for differentiating malignant disease from normal lesions [AUROC = 0.9815 (95% CI: 96.75–99.55%), and AUPRC = 0.9800 (95% CI: 96.6–99.4%)], with better diagnostic power and had better diagnostic power than that of using mammography [AUROC = 0.9315 (95% CI: 89.95–96.34%), and AUPRC = 0.9490 (95% CI: 91.7–98.1%)]. In addition, hypermethylation profiling provided insights into lymph node metastasis stratifications (p < 0.05). In conclusion, we developed and tested a cfDNA methylation model for BC diagnosis with better performance than mammography.

Growing evidence has shown the oncogenic role of long non-coding RNA HOXA-AS3 in the progression of several types of cancers, while the effect of HOXA-AS3 on colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unclear. In this study, HOXA-AS3 was significantly over-expressed in CRC clinical samples and human CRC cell lines (SW480, SW620, HCT116, COLO205, and LOVO). HOXA-AS3 knockdown was further achieved by specific siRNAs in COLO205 and LOVO cell lines. The depletion of HOXA-AS3 remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest, and promoted cell apoptosis in CRC cell lines. Additionally, HOXA-AS3 knockdown was determined to facilitate miR-4319 expression and reduce expression level of sphingolipid transporter 2 (SPNS2) in CRC cell lines. The dual luciferase reporter assay suggested that HOXA-AS3 acted as a sponge of miR-4319, and miR-4319 further directly targeted SPNS2 for expression regulation. Besides, HOXA-AS3 was determined to mediate CRC cell proliferation and apoptosis via miR-4319/SPNS2 axis. Moreover, tumorigenesis experiment validated that HOXA-AS3 promoted CRC progression in vivo by regulating miR-4319, SPNS2, and protein kinase B (AKT) signaling. In summary, this study reveals the novel role of HOXA-AS3 in pathogenesis of CRC and provides a candidate for CRC therapeutic target.

免疫检查点是指对于免疫系统进行负性调节的一组因子,与肿瘤的免疫逃逸机制密切相关,免疫检查点抑制剂已成为肿瘤免疫治疗的新策略.头颈肿瘤是当今世界第八大常见恶性肿瘤,约90％为鳞状细胞癌,致死率逐年递增,头颈鳞癌免疫检查点及其抑制剂受到广泛关注并开始被深入研究.近期免疫检查点PD1-PDL1抑制剂已被批准用于治疗晚期头颈鳞癌,同时其他免疫检查点的针对性研究也日益增多,如B7蛋白家族其他成员、CTLA-4、LAG-3等.针对这些免疫检查点的临床试验以及药物开发也在同时进行.这预示着免疫检查点靶向治疗已经成为临床上解决头颈部肿瘤的新趋势,然而当前缺乏对于头颈部肿瘤免疫检查点治疗的概括与总结,因此本文结合当前最新的文献与报道对于头颈部肿瘤的免疫检查点及其相关临床治疗进行了探讨与研究.

Introduction Ciliated muconodular papillary tumors (CMPTs) are rare special peripheral pulmonary nodule composed of different cell proportions, characterized by papillary structures and significant alveolar mucus. Because of their rarity, underrecognized processes, the full range clinical course and histogenesis of CMPTs remains uncertain. Methods Molecular features of 5 CMPTs cases (one case with mucinous adenocarcinoma simultaneously) were observed by whole exon gene detection. The histological features of CMPTs and the development trends of three major constituent cells were studied by immunohistochemistry and PCR. Results NGS revealed 77 gene mutations in the patient’s tumor tissue and 31 mutations in the border tissue. TMB of CMPT tends to TMB of cancer tissues, and both are higher than normal tissues, CMPT share the same phylogenetic tree with cancer tissues. Moreover, PDL1, B7H3, and B7H4 were overexpressed in high columnar cells and eosinophilic ciliated cells of CMPT, tends to cancer tissues, while LAG3 and siglec15 were not found in CMPT. Conclusion The high prevalence of driver gene mutations in CMPTs, similar TMB and phylogenetic tree with cancer tissues indicate their malignant potential. Distinct molecular and immune check point features of each component support the notion that ciliated columnar cells in CMPT are insidious with immune escape.

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of Kin of IRRE-Like Protein 1 (KIRREL) and its clinicopathologic significance in breast cancer. Materials and methods The mRNA and protein expressions of KIRREL in fresh breast cancer tissue specimens and the corresponding noncancerous tissue specimens were examined by western blot analysis (n = 24) and RT-qPCR (n = 48). KIRREL was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using breast cancer tissue microarrays (TMAs) in 302 patients. The prognostic roles and clinicopathologic significances in breast cancer were statistically analyzed. Results Compared with para-carcinoma tissues, KIRREL mRNA and protein were overexpressed in breast cancer tissues. Immunohistochemical results showed that the high expression rate of KIRREL staining in breast cancer was 43.7% (132/302). Moreover, Expression of KIRREL was significantly correlated with Her2 status and survival outcomes of patients. Patients with both positive expression of KIRREL showed shorter overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Additionally, Cox multivariate survival analysis revealed that KIRREL level, age, primary tumor size, tumor stage and distant metastasis were the independent parameter predicting the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Conclusions KIRREL was overexpressed in breast cancer and the overexpression of KIRREL could serve as an independent predictor of poor prognosis in breast cancer patients.

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore HER2 status and characteristics in biopsy specimens of gastric cancer (GC) in Chinese population. Methods and results: A total of 27,787 biopsy specimens of GC from 103 hospitals were obtained. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of HER2 was performed. Overall HER2 IHC positive rate was 11.2 %. HER2 positive rate elevated with the increase of age in total patients and both genders. The rates were 7.1 %, 8.1 %, 9.0 %, 10.9 %, 11.8 %, 12.6 %, and 12.1 % when patient age was <= 30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, and > 80, respectively (P < 0.001). In male, the rates were 6.5 %, 8.4 %, 9.6 %, 11.5 %, 12.4 %, 13.3 %, and 12.1 % (P < 0.001). In female, the rates were 7.4 %, 7.9 %, 8.0 %, 9.0 %, 9.6 %, 10.6 %, and 11.9% (P = 0.128). The changes in male were more dramatic than in female (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the proportion of the intestinal type GCs increased with age in total patients and both genders (P < 0.001), and in male the changes were more dramatic (P < 0.001). While the proportion of the diffuse type showed the opposite tendency to that of the intestinal type (P < 0.001). HER2 IHC positive rate showed a positive correlation with the proportion of the intestinal type (r = 0.986, P < 0.001), and a negative correlation with the proportion of the diffuse type (r = 0.984, P < 0.001). Conclusions: The HER2 IHC positive rate showed age variation in biopsy specimens of GC. In male the variation was more dramatic than in female. The variation of HER2 positive rate can be attributed to the age variation of the Lauren subtypes.

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a high-risk etiological factor for cervical and ovarian carcinomas. p16 protein can be used as a surrogate biomarker for HPV infection in high-risk tumors. A strong correlation between HPV infection and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) protein expression has consistently been reported. Objective Given this background, this study investigates the prevalence, prognostic and clinicopathologic features of HPV-related epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) for the last 10 years in Northeast China to elucidate the involvement of p16 in the PD-L1 protein expression, tumorigenesis, and progression of EOC. Methods Specimens from 310 patients diagnosed with EOC collected from 2006 to 2016 were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for HPV DNA, and overexpression of p16 by immunohistochemistry was also evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed to estimate the significant difference between HPV positive and negative patients, the correlation among HPV state, p16 and PD-L1 expression, and clinical presentation. Results Overexpression of p16 protein and HPV DNA were present in 100 (32.3%) of the 310 cases, and correlated with high PD-L1 expression. There was a good concordance between HPV positivity, p16 protein overexpression and PD-L1 expression. The etiological fraction of HPV in EOC is substantially higher in Northeast China than other cohorts previously reported. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that HPV infection and p16 overexpression is significantly associated with PD-LI expression in EOC, through the cooperative roles of dendritic cells (DCs) and IFN-γ, which may represent a promising strategy for therapeutic intervention in EOC.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a serious form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) occurring worldwide. Although anti-TNF therapy is found to be effective in over 70% of patients with UC, nearly one-third are still deprived of effective treatment. Because glucocorticoids (GC) can effectively inhibit granulocyte-recruitment into the mucosa, cytokine secretion and T cell activation, they are used widely in the treatment of UC. However, remission is observed in only 55% of the patients after one year of steroid use due to a condition known as steroid response. Additionally, it has been noted that 20%-40% of the patients with UC do not respond to GC treatment. Researchers have revealed that the number of dendritic cells (DCs) in patients with UC tends to increase in the colonic mucosa. Many studies have determined that the removal of peripheral DCs through the adsorption and separation of granulocytes and monocytes could improve tolerance of the intestine to its symbiotic flora. Based on these results, further insights regarding the beneficial effects of Adacolumn apheresis in patients subjected to this treatment could be revealed. GC can effectively inhibit the activation of DCs by reducing the levels of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) molecules, which is critical for controlling the recruitment of granulocytes. Therefore, alternative biological and new individualized therapies based on these approaches need to be evaluated to counter UC. In this review, progress in research associated with the regulatory effect of glucocorticoid receptors on DCs under conditions of UC is discussed, thus providing insights and identifying potential targets which could be employed in the treatment strategies against UC.

Background and aims Microvascular invasion (MVI) is a key pathological factor that severely affects the postoperative prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, no MVI classification schemes based on standardized gross sampling protocols of HCC are available at present. Methods 119 HCC specimens were sampled at multiple sites (3-, 7-, and 13 points) for the optimum MVI detection rate. 16,144 resected HCCs were graded as M0, M1 or M2 by adopting three-tiered MVI grading (MVI-TTG) scheme based on the seven-point sampling protocol (SPSP). Survival analyses were performed on 2573 patients to explore the advantages of MVI-TTG. Results The MVI detection rate determined by SPSP was significantly higher than that determined by the 3-point sampling method (34.5% vs. 47.1%, p = 0.048), but was similar to that determined by the 13-point sampling method (47.1% vs. 51.3%, p = 0.517). Among 16,144 resected HCCs, the proportions of M0, M1 and M2 specimens according to SPSP were 53.4%, 26.2% and 20.4%, respectively. Postoperative survival analysis in 2573 HCC patients showed that the 3-year recurrence rates in M0, M1 and M2 MVI groups were 62.5%, 71.6% and 86.1%, respectively (p < 0.001), and the corresponding 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 94.1%, 87.5% and 67.0%, respectively (p < 0.001). M1 grade was associated with early recurrence, while M2 grade was associated with both early and late recurrence. MVI-TTG had a larger area under the curve and net benefit rate than the two-tiered MVI grading scheme for predicting time to recurrence and OS. Conclusions SPSP is a practical method to balance the efficacy of sampling numbers and MVI detection rates. MVI-TTG based on SPSP is a better prognostic predictor than the two-tiered MVI scheme. The combined use of SPSP and MVI-TTG is recommended for the routine pathological diagnosis of HCC.

目的:分析miR-653在乳腺癌细胞及肿瘤组织中的表达变化,研究其对乳腺癌细胞生物学行为的影响,揭示其在乳腺癌中发挥的作用及其相关作用机制.方法:采用qRT-PCR比较miR-653在正常组织、细胞和乳腺癌组织、乳腺癌细胞系中的表达水平;采用CCK8法和Tranwell检测miR-653对细胞的增殖、迁移能力的影响;采用qRT-PCR和Western blot检测NFKBIB在正常组织、细胞和乳腺癌组织、乳腺癌细胞系中的表达水平;采用CCK8法、流式细胞法和Tranwell检测miR-653和NFKBIB对乳腺癌细胞增殖、细胞周期、迁移能力的影响;Western blot检测miR-653对NFKBIB、p65、Livin和Survivin蛋白表达的影响.结果:发现miR-653在乳腺癌肿瘤组织和乳腺癌细胞株中表达明显升高,可以促进乳腺癌细胞的增殖、迁移能力;NFKBIB是miR-653的靶基因,miR-653可以负性调控NFKBIB的mRNA和蛋白表达;转染miR-653可以促进细胞的增殖、迁移能力以及诱导S期阻滞,过表达NFKBIB可以逆转这种促进效果;miR-653可以通过调控NFKBIB激活NF-κB通路调节其下游蛋白Livin和Survivin的表达.结论:本研究揭示了miR-653通过抑制靶基因NFKBIB的表达激活NF-κB,促进乳腺癌细胞的增殖、迁移以及诱导S期阻滞,在乳腺癌中发挥促癌因子的作用.因此miR-653具有成为乳腺癌诊断及治疗新靶点的潜力.

Purpose: Metadherin (MTDH), as an oncogene, is associated with metastasis and poor prognosis. This study investigated MTDH expressions and development of gastric cancer (GC) cell phenotypes and the contribution of MTDH to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Patients and methods: MTDH expression was assayed in human GC cell lines and tumor tissue from 92 GC patients. Functional experiments were performed to characterize MTDH activity. Expressions of EMT-related proteins (vimentin and E-cadherin), phosphorylated beta-catenin and beta-catenin were assayed by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and co-immunoprecipitation, respectively. Results: MTDH expressions were higher in GC tissue than that in gastric mucosa from the same patient. MTDH overexpression was correlated with metastasis and enhanced malignant GC phenotypes, i.e., proliferation, migration, invasiveness, and chemoresistance. MTDH overexpression was associated with expressions of vimentin, E-cadherin and cancer stem-cell biomarkers including CD44, CD133, and Oct4. MTDH complexed with beta-catenin and decreased phosphorylated beta-catenin levels to facilitate beta-catenin translocation into the nucleus and expressions of downstream genes. Conclusion: MTDH overexpression in GC cells is associated with EMT and development of cancer stem cell malignant phenotypes and affects the subcellular translocation of beta-catenin. The results warrant investigation of the prognostic value of MTDH in GC and as a therapeutic target.