Generation of induced secretome from adipose-derived stem cells specialized for disease-specific treatment:An experimental mouse model

BACKGROUND Recently,the exclusive use of mesenchymal stem cell(MSC)-secreted molecules,named as the secretome,have been evaluated for overcoming the limitations of cell-based therapy while maintaining its advantages.AIM To improve cell-free therapy by adding disease-specificity through stimulation of MSCs using disease-causing materials.METHODS We collected the secretory materials(named as inducers)released from AML12 hepatocytes that had been pretreated with thioacetamide(TAA)and generated the TAA-induced secretome(TAA-isecretome)after stimulating adipose-derived stem cells with the inducers.The TAA-isecretome was intravenously administered to mice with TAA-induced hepatic failure and those with partial hepatectomy.RESULTS TAA-isecretome infusion showed higher therapeutic potential in terms of(1)restoring disorganized hepatic tissue to normal tissue;(2)inhibiting proinflammatory cytokines(interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α);and(3)reducing abnormally elevated liver enzymes(aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase)compared to the naïve secretome infusion in mice with TAA-induced hepatic failure.However,the TAA-isecretome showed inferior therapeutic potential for restoring hepatic function in partially hepatectomized mice.Proteomic analysis of TAA-isecretome identified that antioxidant processes were the most predominant enriched biological networks of the proteins exclusively identified in the TAA-isecretome.In addition,peroxiredoxin-1,a potent antioxidant protein,was found to be one of representative components of TAA-isecretome and played a central role in the protection of TAA-induced hepatic injury.CONCLUSION Appropriate stimulation of adipose-derived stem cells with TAA led to the production of a secretome enriched with proteins,especially peroxiredoxin-1,with higher antioxidant activity.Our results suggest that appropriate stimulation of MSCs with pathogenic agents can lead to the production of a secretome specialized for protecting against the pathogen.This approach is expected to open a new way of developing various specific therapeutics based on the high plasticity and responsiveness of MSCs.

Disease-specific protein corona formed in pathological intestine enhances the oral absorption of nanoparticles

Protein corona(PC)has been identified to impede the transportation of intravenously injected nanoparticles(NPs)from blood circulation to their targeted sites.However,how intestinal PC(IPC)affects the delivery of orally administered NPs are still needed to be elucidated.Here,we found that IPC exerted“positive effect”or“negative effect”depending on different pathological conditions in the gastrointestinal tract.We prepared polystyrene nanoparticles(PS)adsorbed with different IPC derived from the intestinal tract of healthy,diabetic,and colitis rats(H-IPC@PS,D-IPC@PS,C-IPC@PS).Proteomics analysis revealed that,compared with healthy IPC,the two disease-specific IPC consisted of a higher proportion of proteins that were closely correlated with transepithelial transport across the intestine.Consequently,both D-IPC@PS and C-IPC@PS mainly exploited the recycling endosome and ER-Golgi mediated secretory routes for intracellular trafficking,which increased the transcytosis from the epithelium.Together,disease-specific IPC endowed NPs with higher intestinal absorption.D-IPC@PS posed“positive effect”on intestinal absorption into blood circulation for diabetic therapy.Conversely,CIPC@PS had“negative effect”on colitis treatment because of unfavorable absorption in the intestine before arriving colon.These results imply that different or even opposite strategies to modulate the disease-specific IPC need to be adopted for oral nanomedicine in the treatment of variable diseases.

A novel nomogram individually predicting disease-specific survival after D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer

Background:Few studies have shown nomograms that may predict disease-specific survival(DSS)probability after curative D2 gastrectomy for advanced gastric cancer(AGC),particularly among Chinese patients.This study sought to develop an elaborative nomogram that predicts long-term DSS for AGC in Chinese patients.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 6753 AGC patients undergoing D2 gastrectomy between January 1,2000 and December 31,2012 from three large medical hospitals in China.We assigned patients from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center to the training set,and patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University and Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital to two separate external validation sets.A multivariate survival analysis was performed using Cox proportional hazards regression model in a training set,and a nomogram was constructed.Harrell’s C-index was used to evaluate discrimination and calibration plots were used to validate similarities between survival probabilities predicted by the nomogram model and actual survival rates in two validation sets.Results:The multivariate Cox regression model identified age,tumor size,location,Lauren classification,lymphatic/venous invasion,depth of invasion,and metastatic lymph node ratio as covariates associated with survival.In the training set,the nomogram exhibited superior discrimination power compared with the 8th American Joint Com-mittee on Cancer TNM classification(Harrell’s C-index,0.82 vs.0.74;P<0.001).In two validation sets,the nomogram’s discrimination power was also excellent relative to TNM classification(C-index,0.83 vs.0.75 and 0.81 vs.0.74,respec-tively;P<0.001 for both).After calibration,the nomogram produced survival predictions that corresponded closely with actual survival rate.Conclusions:The established nomogram was able to predict 3-,5-,and 10-year DSS probabilities for AGC patients.Validation revealed that this nomogram exhibited excellent discrimination and calibration capacity,suggesting its clinical utility.

Combining lymph node ratio to develop prognostic models for postoperative gastric neuroendocrine neoplasm patients

BACKGROUND Lymph node ratio(LNR)was demonstrated to play a crucial role in the prognosis of many tumors.However,research concerning the prognostic value of LNR in postoperative gastric neuroendocrine neoplasm(NEN)patients was limited.AIM To explore the prognostic value of LNR in postoperative gastric NEN patients and to combine LNR to develop prognostic models.METHODS A total of 286 patients from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database were divided into the training set and validation set at a ratio of 8:2.92 patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in China were designated as a test set.Cox regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between LNR and disease-specific survival(DSS)of gastric NEN patients.Random survival forest(RSF)algorithm and Cox proportional hazards(CoxPH)analysis were applied to develop models to predict DSS respectively,and compared with the 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer(AJCC)tumornode-metastasis(TNM)staging.RESULTS Multivariate analyses indicated that LNR was an independent prognostic factor for postoperative gastric NEN patients and a higher LNR was accompanied by a higher risk of death.The RSF model exhibited the best performance in predicting DSS,with the C-index in the test set being 0.769[95%confidence interval(CI):0.691-0.846]outperforming the CoxPH model(0.744,95%CI:0.665-0.822)and the 8th edition AJCC TNM staging(0.723,95%CI:0.613-0.833).The calibration curves and decision curve analysis(DCA)demonstrated the RSF model had good calibration and clinical benefits.Furthermore,the RSF model could perform risk stratification and individual prognosis prediction effectively.CONCLUSION A higher LNR indicated a lower DSS in postoperative gastric NEN patients.The RSF model outperformed the CoxPH model and the 8th edition AJCC TNM staging in the test set,showing potential in clinical practice.

Estimating prognosis of gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms using machine learning:A step towards precision medicine

Survival rates following radical surgery for gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms(g-NENs)are low,with high recurrence rates.This fact impacts patient prognosis and complicates postoperative management.Traditional prognostic models,including the Cox proportional hazards(CoxPH)model,have shown limited predictive power for postoperative survival in gastrointestinal neuroectodermal tumor patients.Machine learning methods offer a unique opportunity to analyze complex relationships within datasets,providing tools and methodologies to assess large volumes of high-dimensional,multimodal data generated by biological sciences.These methods show promise in predicting outcomes across various medical disciplines.In the context of g-NENs,utilizing machine learning to predict survival outcomes holds potential for personalized postoperative management strategies.This editorial reviews a study exploring the advantages and effectiveness of the random survival forest(RSF)model,using the lymph node ratio(LNR),in predicting disease-specific survival(DSS)in postoperative g-NEN patients stratified into low-risk and high-risk groups.The findings demonstrate that the RSF model,incorporating LNR,outperformed the CoxPH model in predicting DSS and constitutes an important step towards precision medicine.

E-cadherin expression pattern in primary colorectal carcinomas and their metastases reflects disease outcome

AIM： To investigate the changes that occur in E-cadherin expression during the process of metastasis in colorectal cancer.METHODS： E-cadherin expression was detected by immunohistochemistry and two indices of expression were calculated which reflected the level of expression and the locations （membrane and cytoplasm）. Univariate and multivariate survival analyses were used to assess the value of these two E-cadherin indices as predictors of both disease-free （DFS） and disease-specific （DSS） survival. RESULTS： E-cadherin membrane index （MI）, but not cytoplasmic index （CI）, was significantly higher in primary tumors than their metastases （P = 0.0001）. Furthermore, both primary tumor MI and CI were higher among the patients who developed subsequent metastasis （P = 0.022 and P = 0.007, respectively）. Interestingly, both indices were higher in liver metastase compared to other anatomic sites （MI, P = 0.034 and CI, P = 0.022）. The CI of the primary tumors was a significant predictor of DFS （P = 0.042, univariate analysis）, with a strong inverse correlation between CI and DFS （P = 0.006, multivariate analysis）. Finally, the MI of primary tumor proved to be a significant independent predictor of DSS, with higher indices being associated with a more favorable outcome （P = 0.016）. CONCLUSION： Examination of E-cadherin expression and distribution in colorectal tumors can be extremely valuable in predicting disease recurrence. The observation that aberrant cytoplasmic expression of E-cadherin can predict disease recurrence is obviously of great importance for both patients and clinicians, and significantly affects decisions concerning the therapy and management of the patients.

Nuclear β-catenin expression as a prognostic factor in advanced colorectal carcinoma

AIM： To investigate the changing pattern of β-catenin expression and its prognostic value in advanced colorectal cancer （CRC）. METHODS： Archival tumor samples were analyzed for β-catenin using immunohistochemistry （IHC） in 95 patients with advanced CRC. RESULTS： Membranous β-catenin expression was found in the normal colorectal epithelium. Almost 100% of CRC cases showed membranous and cytoplasmic expression, and 55 （58%） cases showed nuclear expression. In univariate （Kaplan-Meier） survival analysis, only the nuclear index （NI） was a significant predictor of disease free survival （DFS） （P = 0.023; n = 35）, with a NI above the median associated with longer DFS （34.2 too） than those with a NI below the median （15.5 too） （P = 0.045, ANOVA）. The other indices were not significant predictors of DFS, and none of the three tested indices （for membranous, cytoplasmic, or nuclear expression） predicted diseasespecific survival （DSS）. However, when dichotomized as positive or negative nuclear expression, the former was a significant predictor of more favorable DFS （P = 0.041） and DSS （P = 0.046）. CONCLUSION： Nuclear β-catenin expression provides additional information in predicting patient outcome in advanced CRC.

Ehealth monitoring in irritable bowel syndrome patients treated with low fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols diet

In the present study we report on changes in irritable bowel syndrome-severity scoring system (IBS-SSS) and irritable bowel syndrome-quality of life (IBS-QoL) in 19 IBS patients, aged 18 to 74 years (F/M: 14/5), during 12 wk registering their symptoms on the web-application (www.ibs.constant-care.dk). During a control period of the first 6-wk patients were asked to register their IBS-SSS and IBS-QoL on the web-application weekly without receiving any intervention. Thereafter, low fermentable oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols (FODMAP) diet (LFD) was introduced for the next 6 wk while continuing the registration. Though a small sample size a significant improvement in disease activity (IBS-SSS) was observed during both the control period, median: 278 (range: 122-377), P = 0.02, and subsequently during the LFD period, median: 151 (range: 29-334), P &#x0003c; 0.01. The IBS-QoL solely changed significantly during the LFD period, median: 67 (37-120), P &#x0003c; 0.01. The significant reduction in disease activity during the control period shows a positive effect of the web-application on IBS symptoms when presented as a &#x0201c;traffic light&#x0201d;. However adding the diet reduced IBS-SSS to &#x0003c; 150, inactive to mild symptoms. In the future results from larger scale trials are awaited.

Revalidation of a prognostic score model based on complete blood count for nasopharyngeal carcinoma through a prospective study

Objective： In our previous work, we incorporated complete blood count （CBC） into TNM stage to develop a new prognostic score model, which was validated to improve prediction efficiency of TNM stage for nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC）. The purpose of this study was to revalidate the accuracy of the model, and its superiority to TNM stage, through data from a prospective study.Methods： CBC of 249 eligible patients from the 863 Program No. 2006AA02Z4B4 was evaluated. Prognostic index （PI） of each patient was calculated according to the score model. Then they were divided by the PI into three categories： the low-, intermediate-and high-risk patients. The 5-year disease-specific survival （DSS） of the three categories was compared by a log-rank test. The model and TNM stage （Tth edition） were compared on efficiency for predicting the 5-year DSS, through comparison of the area under curve （AUC） of their receiver-operating characteristic curves.Results： The 5-year DSS of the low-, intermediate- and high-risk patients were 96.0%, 79.1% and 62.2%, respectively. The low- and intermediate-risk patients had better DSS than the high-risk patients （P〈0.001 and P〈0.005, respectively）. And there was a trend of better DSS in the low-risk patients, compared with the intermediate-risk patients （P=0.049）. The AUC of the model was larger than that of TNM stage （0.726 vs. 0.661, P：0.023）. Conclusions： A CBC-based prognostic score model was revalidated to be accurate and superior to TNM stage on predicting 5-year DSS of NPC.

A systematic review: How to choose appropriate health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures in routine general practice?

In more recent times, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measurements have formed an important part of as- sessing the quality of routine care in general practice. For a measure to have clinical usefulness it must not only be valid, appro- priate, reliable, responsive, and capable of being interpreted, but it must also be simple, fast to complete, easy to score, and provide useful clinical data. The Two-step method of choosing appropriate measures is introduced. Then through comparison of generic instruments with disease-specific instruments, we can conclude that sometimes a combination of generic and disease-specific HRQOL measures may be more appropriate for monitoring changes in a patient’s health status due to an intervention.

Lack of CD44 variant 6 expression in rectal cancer invasive front associates with early recurrence

AIM: To investigate the prognostic value of CD44 variant 6 (CD44v6), a membranous adhesion molecule, in rectal cancer. METHODS: Altogether, 210 rectal cancer samples from 214 patients treated with short-course radiotherapy (RT, n = 90), long-course (chemo) RT (n = 53) or surgery alone (n = 71) were studied with immunohistochemistry for CD44v6. The extent and intensity of membranous and cytoplasmic CD44v6 staining, and the intratumoral membranous staining pattern, were analyzed.RESULTS: Membranous CD44v6 expression was seen in 84% and cytoplasmic expression in 81% of the cases. In 59% of the tumors with membranous CD44v6 expression, the staining pattern in the invasive front was determined as "front-positive" and in 41% as "front-negative". The latter pattern was associated with narrower circumferential margin (P = 0.01), infiltrative growth pattern (P < 0.001), and shorter disease-free survival in univariate survival analysis (P = 0.022) when compared to the "front-positive" tumors. CONCLUSION: The lack of membranous CD44v6 in the rectal cancer invasive front could be used as a method to identify patients at increased risk for recurrent disease.

Interaction between Rice stripe virus Disease- Specific Protein and Host PsbP Enhances Virus Symptoms

Rice stripe virus （RSV） causes severe diseases in Oryza sativa （rice） in many Eastern Asian countries. Diseasespecific protein （SP） of RSV is a non-structural protein and its accumulation level in rice plant was shown to determine the severity of RSV symptoms. Here, we present evidence that expression of RSV SP alone in rice or Nicotiana benthamiana did not produce visible symptoms. Expression of SP in these two plants, however, enhanced RSV- or Potato virus X （PVX）- induced symptoms. Through yeast two-hybrid screening, GST pull-down, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays, we demonstrated that RSV SP interacted with PsbP, a 23-kDa oxygen-evolving complex protein, in both rice and N. benthamiana. Furthermore, our investigation showed that silencing of PsbP expression in both plants increased disease symptom severity and virus accumulation. Confocal microscopy using N, benthamiana protoplast showed that PsbP accu- mulated predominantly in chloroplast in wild-type N. benthamiana cells. In the presence of RSV SP, most PsbP was recruited into cytoplasm of the assayed cells. In addition, accumulation of SP during RSV infection resulted in alterations of chloroplast structure and function. Our findings shed light on the molecular mechanism underlying RSV disease symptom development.