Cyclooxygenase-2 and epithelial growth factor receptor up-regulation during progression of Barrett's esophagus to adenocarcinoma

AIM： To investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2） and epithelial growth factor receptor （EGFR） throughout the progression of Barrett＇s esophagus （BE）. METHODS： COX-2 and EGFR protein expressions were detected by using immunohistochemical method. A detailed cytomorphological changes were determined. Areas of COX-2 and EGFR expression were quantified by using computer Imaging System. RESULTS： The expressions of both COX-2 and EGFR increased along with the progression from BE to esophagus adenocarcinoma （EAC）. A positive correlation was found between COX-2 expression and EGFR expression. CONCLUSION： COX-2 and EGFR may be cooperative in the stepwise progression from BE to EAC, thereby leading to carcinogenesis.

Milk fat globule epithelial growth factorⅧ(MFG-E8)sustains survival of cancer cells by prompting tumor angiogenesis and suppressing host immunities

Milk fat globule epithelial growth factor VIII(MFG-E8) is a novel adhesion protein mainly produced by macrophages and dendritic cells; it is expressed in most of the human tissues and functions to prompt cancer progression and survival. MFG-E8 contains a signal sequence for secretion, two epidermal growth factor(EGF)-like domains at the NH2 terminus and two discoidin domains with blood-clotting factor V/factor Ⅷ(C1 and C2) at the COOH terminus. The second EGF domain contains an arginine-glycine-aspartic(RGD) integrin-binding motif that engages α_vβ_5 integrins to facilitate cell adhesion and induce integrinmediated signal transduction. Integrin α_vβ_3 associates with VEGF receptor 2, engagement of integrins can promote angiogenesis, which plays key roles in growth, proliferation, and survival of cancer cells. VEGF stimulates the expression of α_vβ_3 and α_vβ_5 integrins on angiogenic vasculature, thereby potentiating effects of VEGF receptor engagement. Mice expressing a mutant form of α_vβ_3 integrin are unable to undergo tyrosine phosphorylation, confirming the important role that this integrin plays in pathological angiogenesis and providing important mechanistic insights. The C-terminus discoidin-like domains promote binding to membrane phospholipids, functioning close to VEGF like angiogenesis. MFG-E8 is an opsonin for apoptotic cells, and it acts as a bridging protein between apoptotic cells and phagocytes. It also influences cell immunities by altering CD4^+ and/or CD8^+ cells. Antibody or small peptide works with MFG-E8 at different functional sites or interacts with EGF-like domains and/or discoidin-like domains may play an important role in anti-angiogenesis or immune restoration. Altering the structures and/or functions of MFG-E8 and/or its domains is promising for development of novel anti-cancer strategies.

EDIL3 depletion suppress epithelial-mesenchymal transition of lens epithelial cells via transforming growth factor β pathway

AIM： To study the effect of discoidin I-like domaincontaining protein 3（EDIL3） depletion on the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition（EMT） in human lens epithelial cells（LECs）. METHODS： RNA interference was used to inhibit the expression of EDIL3 in human LECs in vitro. The morphology of cells was observed using an inverted microscope. Cell proliferation was assessed using Ed U kit. Cell migration was investigated using Transwell chamber and EMT of LECs was assessed using confocal microscope and Western blotting. The transforming growth factor β（TGFβ） pathway was investigated using Western blotting. RESULTS： The data showed that silencing EDIL3 expression changed LECs morphology and suppressed LECs proliferation（P〈0.05） and migration（P〈0.01）. Furthermore, the result of Western blotting showed that EDIL3 depletion reduced the expression of α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）（P〈0.001） and vimentin（P〈0.01）, while increased the expression of E-cadherin（P〈0.001）. EDIL3 depletion could suppress the phosphorylation of Smad2（P〈0.01） and Smad3（P〈0.01） and the activation of exracellular signal regulated kinase（ERK）（P〈0.05）. CONCLUSION： The findings indicate that EDIL3 might participate in the proliferation and EMT in LECs via TGFβ pathway and may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of posterior capsule opacification.

Effects of transforming growth factor β2 and connective tissue growth factor on induction of epithelial mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix synthesis in human lens epithelial cells

AIM:To Investigate the effects of transforming growth factorβ2(TGF-β2)and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)on transdifferentiation of human lens epithelial cells(HLECs)cultured in vitro and synthesis of extracellular matrix(ECM).METHODS:HLECs were treated with TGF-β2(0,0.5,1.0,5,10μg/L)and CTGF(0,15,30,60,100μg/L)for different times(0,24,48,72h)in vitro and the expression ofα-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),the main component of the extracellular matrix typeⅠcollagen(Col-1)and fibronectin(Fn)were measured by using real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and western-blot.RESULTS:TGF-β2 and CTGF significantly increased expression ofα-SMA mRNA and protein(P【0.05,P【0.001),Fn mRNA and protein(P【0.001),Col-1 mRNA and protein(P【0.001).TGF-β2 could induce HLECs expression of CTGF mRNA and protein in dosedependent manner(P【0.05,P【0.001).TGF-β2 and CTGF could induce HLECs to expressα-SMA,Fn and Col-1 in time-dependent manner.Each time of TGF-β2and CTGF induced HELCs expression ofα-SMA,Fn,Col-1 mRNA and protein was significant increase compared with control(P【0.05,P【0.001).CONCLUSION:TGF-β2 and CTGF could induce HLECs epithelial mesenchymal transition and ECM synthesis.

EGFR Mutation and FHIT Methylation: Inverse Relationship in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma and Tuberculosis

Objective:To investigate the genetic correlations between epithelial growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and FHIT methylation in patients diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma(AC)and pulmonary tuberculosis(TB).Methods:The presence of EGFR mutations and the methylation status of the FHIT gene in patients presenting with AC and TB were analyzed.The correlation between TB status and the observed genetic and epigenetic variations was also examined.Results:Among the 90 patients included in the study,38 exhibited EGFR mutations(14 among those with TB and 24 among those without TB),while 29 exhibited FHIT myelination(19 among those with TB and 10 among those without TB).Furthermore,the protein expression levels of EGFR and FHIT were significantly higher in patients diagnosed solely with AC compared to those presenting with both AC and TB.A robust inverse correlation was identified between TB status and the frequency of EGFR mutation(P<0.001).Moreover,significant associations were observed between TB status and FHIT methylation(P<0.01).Conclusion:The findings suggest a correlation between TB and the prevalence of EGFR mutation and FHIT methylation in the pathogenesis of AC.

Effects of exogenous recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-7 on the corneal epithelial mesenchymal transition and fibrosis

AIM：To evaluate the effect of exogenous recombinant human bone morphogenic protein-7（rhBMP-7）on transforming growth factor-β（TGF-β）-induced epithelial mesenchymal cell transition（EMT）and assessed its antifibrotic effect via topical application.METHODS：The cytotoxic effect of rhBMP-7 was evaluated and the EMT of human corneal epithelial cells（HECEs）was induced by TGF-β. HECEs were then cultured in the presence of rhBMP-7 and/or hyaluronic acid（HA）. EMT markers,fibronectin,E-cadherin,α-smooth muscle actin（α-SMA）,and matrix metaloproteinase-9（MMP-9）,were evaluated. The level of corneal fibrosis and the reepithelization rate were evaluated using a rabbit keratectomy model. Expression of α-SMA in keratocytes were quantified following treatment with different concentrations of rhBMP-7.RESULTS：Treatment with rhBMP-7 attenuated TGF-β-induced EMT in HECEs. It significantly attenuated fibronectin secretion（31.6%; P〈0.05）,the α-SMA protein level（72.2%; P〈0.01）,and MMP-9 expression（23.6%,P〈0.05）in HECEs compared with cells grown in the presence of TGF-β alone. E-cadherin expression was significantly enhanced（289.7%; P〈0.01）in the presence of rhBMP-7. Topical application of rhBMP-7 combined with 0.1% HA significantly reduced the amount of α-SMA~＋ cells by 43.18%（P〈0.05）at a concentration of 2.5 μg/mL and by 47.73%（P〈0.05）at 25 μg/mL,compared with the control group,without disturbing corneal reepithelization.CONCLUSION：rhBMP-7 attenuates TGF-β-induced EMT in vitro,and topical application of rhBMP-7 reduces keratocyte myodifferentiation during the early wound healing stages in vivo without hindering reepithelization. Topical rhBMP-7 application as biological eye drops seems to be feasible in diseases involving TGF-β-related corneal fibrosis with corneal reepithelization disorders.

Expressions of TGF-β2, bFGF and ICAM-1 in lens epithelial cells of complicated cataract with silicone oil tamponade

AIM： To investigate the expression differences of transforming growth factor-β2（TGF-β2）, basic fibroblast growth factor（b FGF） and intercellular cell-adhesion molecule-1（ICAM-1） in lens epithelial cells（LECs） of complicated cataract with silicone oil tamponade and agerelated cataract. METHODS： Totally 150 eyes of 150 patients（aged 35 to 77y） were investigated, including 75 patients with complicated cataract after silicone oil tamponade and 75 patients with age-related cataract. The central piece of anterior capsules was collected during cataract surgery. TGF-β2, b FGF and ICAM-1 were detected in the 60 specimens of the two groups by immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of the three kinds of messenger ribonucleic acid（m RNA） were determined by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction in the 90 specimens of the two groups.RESULTS： TGF-β2 was detected in the cytomembrane and cytoplasm of the LECs and b FGF was detected in the nucleus. ICAM-1 was positive in the cytomembrane of the LECs and the distribution of positive cells was uneven. The m RNA genes expression of the TGF-β2, b FGF and ICAM-1 was significant differences between the two groups and markedly increased in complicated cataract group（P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION： The up-regulated TGF-β2, b FGF and ICAM-1 maybe associate with the occurrence and development of complicated cataract with silicone oil tamponade.

Clinical antiangiogenic effect of recombinant adenovirus-p53 combined with hyperthermia for advanced cancer

Objective： To assess the safety and clinical antiangiogenic effect of recombinant adenovirus-p53 （rAd-p53） combined with hyperthermia plus or not plus radiotherapy in advanced cancer. Methods： Expression of Vascular epithelial growth factor （VEGF） after intratumoral injection of rAd-p53 was assayed by immunohistochemistry （IHC） imaging. Forty-four patients with advanced cancer were enrolled into this clinical study. The patients were intratumorally injected with rAd-p53 （Gendicine） at a dose of 1×1012 vp once a week, with a total of 4-54 （mean 7.7） times. Total of 4-29 （mean 8.5） times of hyperthermia was given to the patients. Among the 44 patients, 30 patients were concurrently added with radiotherapy of a total dose 30-76 Gy/15-38 f/3-8 w （mean 58 Gy）. Results： Before and after intratumoral injection of rAd-p53, the VEGF IHC positive cell scores were 2.80 and 1.50, respectively （P=0.031）. The treatment of rAd-p53 combined with hyperthermia plus or not plus radiotherapy in advanced cancer achieved CR rate of 13.60% （6/44）, and PR rate of 29.6% （13/44）, and thus the effective rate was 43.2%. In addition to 6 patients with CR, 19 patients （19/38, 50.0%） had low density area （LDA） of more than 50% area on CT image within tumor indicating tumor tissue necrosis. Conclusions： Our data indicate that rAd-p53 inhibits VEGF expression and angiogenesis, and promotes tumor necrosis and shrinkage induced by hyperthermia plus or not plus radiotherapy in advanced cancer.

FGF-receptor substrate 2 functions as a molecular sensor ntegrating external regulatory signals into the FGF pathway

Fibroblast growth factor （FGF） receptor substrate 2a （FRS2α） is the main mediator of signaling in the FGF pathway. Recent studies have shown that mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） phosphorylates serine and threonine residues in FRS2, negatively affecting FGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation （PY） of FRS2. Several kinds of stimuli can induce serine/threonine phosphorylation （PS/T） of FRS2, indicating that FRS2 may be useful for studying crosstalk between growth factor signaling pathways. Here, we report that FGF-induced PY of FRS2 can be attenuated by EGF co-stimulation in PC12cells; this inhibitory effect could be completely reversed by U0126, an inhibitor of MEK. We further identified the ERK1/2-binding motif in FRS2 and generated FRS2-3KL, a mutant lacking MAPK binding and PT upon FGF and/or EGF stimulation. Unlike wild-type （WT） FRS2, FGF-induced PY of FRS2-3KL could not be inhibited by EGF co-stimulation, and FRS2-3KL-expressing PC12 cells exhibited more differentiating potential than FRS2-WT-expressing cells in response to FGF treatment. These results suggest that PS/T of FRS2 mediated by the FRS2-MAPK negative regulatory loop may function as a molecular switch integrating negative regulatory signals from other pathways into FGFR-generated signal transduction.

Evaluation of a rat meibomian gland dysfunction model induced by closure of meibomian gland orifices

AIM： To find a stable, inexpensive, and reliable method to produce a rat meibomian gland dysfunction（MGD） model. METHODS： We inserted slim guidewires into the meibomian gland orifices of twelve Brown Norway rats and fulgurized every guidewire to destroy part of the meibomian gland. We then observed the morphological changes in the eyelid margin, and compared the data of tear breakup time（TBUT）, Schirmer I test, and the corneal fluorescence staining scores at different times（1, 2, 4, and 6 wk）. We observed pathological changes of the cornea, conjunctiva and meibomian gland, and we used real-time polymerase chain reaction to analyze epithelial growth factor（EGF）, interleukin-6（IL-6）, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）, and Ki67. RESULTS： In the fourth week, compared with the control group, the TBUT of the model group began to decreased（P〈0.05）. The tear secretion remained stable（P〉0.05）. The corneal dots were significantly increased in the fourth week when the fusion stain began to appear（P〈0.05）. In the fourth week, partial meibomian gland openings had hoary secretions blocked, orifices were expanded, and there was a partial convex deformation. In the sixth week, the tissue section showed that the number of conjunctival goblet cells was decreased, epithelial cells were irregular, the epithelium was detached and rough, and meibomian glands were lost. The expressions of EGF, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in corneal, conjunctival, and meibomian tissues were highly increased（P〈0.05）, but no statistical difference was found in the expression of Ki67 in corneal and conjunctival tissues（P〉0.05）. CONCLUSION： The MGD rat model, produced via electrocauterization of meibomian gland orifices, matched clinical manifestations and cytokine levels. Our research provides a new method of achieving an MGD animal model.

A Phase Ⅱ Clinical Trial of Celecoxib Combined with Platinum-Based Regimen as First-Line Chemotherapy for Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Cyclooxygenase-2 Positive Expression

Objective： To evaluate the efficacy and safety of celecoxib treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC）, and combined therapy by molecular analysis. plus platinum-doublet as first-line chemotherapy in to determine the subgroup benefiting from celecoxib Methods： A total of 44 treatment-naive patients of advanced NSCLC with positive cyclooxygenase-2 （COX-2） expression confirmed by immunohistochemical （IHC） staining were designed to receive celecoxib plus platinum-doublet chemotherapy （cisplatin plus gemcitabine, novelbine or docetaxol） from February 2005 to May 2007. On 5-7 day before chemotherapy, 400 mg celecoxib was administered twice a day orally until obvious evidence of disease progression or intolerable toxicity was found. Adverse events were recorded according to NCI-CTC criteria. The primary endpoint was overall survival （OS）. The secondary endpoints included progression-free survival （PFS）, 1-year survival rate, response rate （RR） and safety. Additionally, we detected epithelial growth factor receptor （EGFR） status including EGFR gene amplification by real-time PCR and gene mutations by DHPLC followed by sequencing. Results： The response rate was 45% （20/44）, and the disease control rate （DCR） was 59% （26/44）. The median progression-free survival time and median survival time were 6 m and 18 m, respectively. The l-year survival rate was 68%. Chemotherapy cycle numbers and best response were found to be the predictive factors for PFS by COX model analysis （P=0.023 and P=0.000, respectively）. No factor was found to affect OS. The most common toxicities included neutropenia and nausea/vomit. EGFR gene amplification was an independent prognostic factor influencing OS （P=0.0002）. Patients with EGFR mutations （exon 21） had a tendency of disease progression （P=0.041）. Conclusion： Encouraging activities of celecoxib combined with platinum-doublet chemotherapy were demonstrated in treatment-naive patients with advanced NSCLC, with good tolerances. For COX-2 IHC positive patients, positive EGFR amplification and mutation might be related to poor clinical outcomes.

Mutated Genes in Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer continues to be a deadly malignancy with still high mortality and poor survival. Little progress has been made on the treatment of advanced pancreatic cancer despite the significant advances in understanding, diagnosis, and access to conventional and novel treatments. Molecular pathology of the lesion is the key of our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of this cancer and will probably help us in earlier diagnosis and better therapeutic results. New treatment strategies and a more careful evaluation of innovative therapies are clearly needed for this disease. In view of many findings pancreatic cancer should be regarded as a systemic disease, and over the last several years, investigators have gained a better understanding of the molecular biology and events that lead to the development of malignancies. We here review the novel developments in the systemic exploring for commonly mutated genes in pancreatic cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinases contribute to kidney fibrosis in chronic kidney diseases

Matrix metalloproteinases(MMPs) are members of the neutral proteinase family. They were previously thought to be anti-fibrotic because of their ability to degrade and remodel of extracellular matrix. However, recent studies have shown that MMPs are implicated in initiation and progression of kidney fibrosis through tubular cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition(EMT) as well as activation of resident fibroblasts, endothelial-mesenchymal transition(Endo MT) and pericyte-myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Interstitial macrophage infiltration has also been shown to correlate with the severity of kidney fibrosis in various chronic kidney diseases. MMPs secreted by macrophages, especially MMP-9, hasbeen shown by us to be profibrotic by induction of tubular cells EMT. EMT is mainly induced by transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β). However, MMP-9 was found by us and others to be up-regulated by TGF-β1 in kidney tubular epithelial cells and secreted by activated macrophages, resulting in EMT and ultimately kidney fibrosis. Therefore, MMP-9 may serve as a potential therapeutic target to prevent kidney fibrosis in chronic kidney disease. This review, by a particular focus on EMT, seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of MMPs, especially MMP-9, in kidney fibrosis.

Mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes ameliorate blue light stimulation in retinal pigment epithelium cells and retinal laser injury by VEGF-dependent mechanism

AIM： To observe the effect of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells（h UCMSCs） on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor-A（VEGF-A） in blue light injured human retinal pigment epithelial（RPE） cells and laser-induced choroidal neovascularization（CNV） in rats.METHODS： Exosomes were isolated from h UCMSCs and characterized by transmission electron microscope and Western blot. MSCs-derived exosomes were cultured with RPE cells exposed to blue light. The m RNA and protein expression of VEGF-A were determined by real time-polymerase chain reaction（PCR） and Western blot, respectively. Immunofluorescence assay was used for the detection of the expression level of VEGF-A. We injected different doses of MSCs-derived exosomes intravitreally to observe and compare their effects in a mouse model of laserinduced retinal injury. The histological structure of CNV in rats was inspected by hematoxylin-eosin（HE） staining and fundus fluorescein angiography. The expression of VEGF-A was detected by immunohistochemistry.RESULTS： Exosomes exhibited the typical characteristic morphology（cup-shaped） and size（diameter between 50 and 150 nm）. The exosomes marker, CD63, and h UCMSCs marker, CD90, showed a robust presence. In vitro, MSCsderived exosomes downregulated the m RNA（Exo-L： t=6.485, 7.959, 9.286; Exo-M： t=7.517, 10.170, 13.413; Exo-H： t=10.317, 12.234, 14.592, P〈0.05） and protein（Exo-L： t=2.945, 4.477, 6.657; Exo-M： t=4.713, 6.421, 8.836; Exo-H：t=6.539, 12.194, 12.783; P〈0.05） expression of VEGF-A in RPE cells after blue light stimulation. In vivo, we found that the MSCs-derived exosomes reduced damage, distinctly downregulated VEGF-A（Exo-H： t=0.957, 1.382; P〈0.05）, and gradually improved the histological structures of CNV for a better visual function（Exo-L： 0.346, Exo-M： 3.382, Exo-H： 8.571; P〈0.05）. CONCLUSION： MSCs-derived exosomes ameliorate blue light stimulation in RPE cells and laser-induced retinal injury via downregulation of VEGF-A.

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor gene expression by T7-siRNAs in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Background Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells play an important role in the occurrence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a positive regulatory growth factor is produced by the RPE in an autocrine or paracrine manner, promoting CNV development. Duplexes of 21 nt RNAs, known as short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), efficiently inhibit gene expression by RNA interference when introduced into mammalian cells. We searched for an efficient siRNA to interfere with VEGF expression in RPE cells and shed light on the treatment of CNV.Methods Human primary RPE (hRPE) cells were cultured and identified. Three pairs of siRNAs were designed according to the sequence of VEGF 1-5 extrons and synthesized by T7 RNA polymerase transcription in vitro. To evaluate the inhibitory activity of T7-siRNAs, hRPE cells were transfected via siPORT Amine. The interfering effect of T7-siRNAs in hRPE cells was examined by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence. Results Three pairs of T7-siRNAs synthesized by in vitro transcription with T7 RNA polymerase suppressed VEGF gene expression with efficiency from 65% to 90%. T7-siRNA (B), targeted region at 207 nt to 228 nt and double stranded for 21 nt with 2 nt UU 3’ overhangs, was the most effective sequence tested for inhibition of VEGF expression in hRPE cells. Compared with nontransfected cells, the mean fluorescence in hRPE cells transfected with T7-sRNAs was significantly less (P<0.01). siRNA with a single-base mismatch and ssRNA(+) did not show suppressing effect. Furthermore, it was found that siRNAs had a dose dependent inhibitory effect (5 to 10 pmol).Conclusion T7-siRNA can effectively and specifically suppress VEGF expression in hRPE cells and may be a new way to treat CNV.

Synthesis of quaternary 8-(1-acylethene-1-yl)-13-methylcoptisine chlorides and their selective growth inhibitory activity between human cancer cell lines and normal intestinal epithelial cell-6

In this paper, quaternary 8-（1-acylethene-l-yl）-13-methylcoptisine chlorides targeting thioredoxin reductases （TrxRs） were designed to test the growth inhibitory activity against human cancer cell lines and the effect on viability of the normal intestinal epithelial cell-6 （IEC-6） in vitro and to evaluate structure-activity relationship （SAR）. The introduced α, β-unsaturated ketone groups at C-8 consisting of n-alkanoyls possessing five to ten carbons or aroyls or cyclohexylcarbonyl increased the tested activity against the target cancer cell lines. By and large, this type of improvement was increasingly graced by the elongation of the aliphatic chain of the n-alkanoyls in the range of less than ten carbon atoms. The relatively more polar l-acylethene-l-yls displayed no effect on improving the activity. All the explored aroyls showed significant effect on improving the activity of the target compounds against the tested cancer cell lines with no SAR being observed, The findings of this study suggested that oil]water partition coefficient of the test compounds was one of the key factors impacting the target activity against the tested cancer cell lines. At the concentration of 10 μmol/L, except for the compounds with n-all（anoyls possessing seven or more carbons or with α-naphthoyl, none of the other compounds displayed obvious cytotoxicity on normal IEC-6 cell when co-incubated. The survival rate of IEC-6 cell ranged from 75% to 100% for the noncytotoxic compounds.

Evaluation of Three Small Molecular Drugs for Targeted Therapy to Treat Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer

Objective： To guide the optimal selection among first-generation epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors （EGFR-TKIs） in clinical practice.This review attempted to provide a thorough comparison among three first-generation EGFR-TKIs, namely icotinib,erlotinib, and gefitinib, with regard to their molecular structure, pharmacokinetic parameters, clinical data, adverse reactions, and contraindications.Data Sources： An electronic literature search of the PubMed database and Google Scholar for all the available articles regarding gefitinib,icotinib, and erlotinib in the English language from January 2005 to December 2014 was used.Study Selection： The search terms or keywords included but not limited to ＆quot;lung cancer＆quot;, ＆quot;nonsmall cell lung cancer （NSCLC）＆quot;,＆quot;epidemiology＆quot;, ＆quot;EGFR＆quot;, ＆quot;TKIs＆quot;, and ＆quot;optimal selection＆quot;.Results： As suggested by this review, even though the three first-generation EGFR-TKIs share the quinazoline structure, erlotinib had the strongest apoptosis induction activity because of its use of a different side-chain.The pharmacokinetic parameters indicated that both erlotinib and icotinib are affected by food.The therapeutic window of erlotinib is narrow, and the recommended dosage is close to the maximum tolerable dosage.Icotinib enjoys a wider therapeutic window, and its concentration in the blood is within a safe dosage range even if it is administered with food.Based on multiple large-scale clinical trials, erlotinib is universally applied as the first-line treatment.In marked contrast, icotinib is available only in China as the second-or third-line therapeutic approach for treating advanced lung cancer.In addition, it exhibits a similar efficacy but better safety profile than gefitinib.Conclusions： Although there is a paucity of literature regarding whether icotinib is superior to erlotinib, its superior toxicity profile, noninferior efficacy, and lower cost indicate that it is a better alternative for Chinese patients living with advanced NSCLC.

NIR-II emissive dye based polymer nanoparticle targeting EGFR for oral cancer theranostics

Oral cancer is a common malignant tumor of the head and neck,and surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality.However,a positive resection margin that may lead to recurrence after surgery has always been a critical issue to address.Furthermore,radiotherapy and chemotherapy also have shortcomings such as resistance to chemotherapy and radiation,lack of targeting,and severe side effects.Therefore,exploring new methods of tumor surgical navigation and tumor treatment is of great significance for oral cancer.Although,the emerging near-infrared II(NIR-II,1,000–1,700 nm)region fluorescent imaging has revolutionized surgical navigation,a high tumor-targeting fluorescent probe remains lacking.Furthermore,while emerging photothermal therapy(PTT)can overcome chemoradiotherapy’s shortcomings and achieve precise treatment of tumors,its clinical application is still limited by the lack of high photothermal conversion efficiency,high photothermal stability,and highly penetrating materials.Herein,a NIR-II dye SQ890 is developed for tumor imaging and PTT of oral cancer.By assembling into nanoparticles(NPs)and being modified with epithelial growth factor receptor(EGFR)-targeting peptides GE11,SQ890 NPs-Pep can specifically accumulate in tumor sites via active targeting,and realize photoacoustic/NIR-II fluorescence dual-modality imaging-guided PTT of oral cancer.

Mathematical modeling of evolution of cell networks in epithelial tissues

Epithelial cell networks imply a packing geometry characterized by various cell shapes and distributions in terms of number of cell neighbors and areas.Despite such simple characteristics describing cell sheets,the formation of bubble-like cells during the morphogenesis of epithelial tissues remains poorly understood.This study proposes a topological mathematical model of morphogenesis in a squamous epithelial.We introduce a new potential that takes into account not only the elasticity of cell perimeter and area but also the elasticity of their internal angles.Additionally,we incorporate an integral equation for chemical signaling,allowing us to consider chemo-mechanical cell interactions.In addition to the listed factors,the model takes into account essential processes in real epithelial,such as cell proliferation and intercalation.The presented mathematical model has yielded novel insights into the packing of epithelial sheets.It has been found that there are two main states:one consists of cells of the same size,and the other consists of“bubble”cells.An example is provided of the possibility of accounting for chemo-mechanical interactions in a multicellular environment.The introduction of a parameter determining the flexibility of cell shapes enables the modeling of more complex cell behaviors,such as considering change of cell phenotype.The developed mathematical model of morphogenesis of squamous epithelium allows progress in understanding the processes of formation of cell networks.The results obtained from mathematical modeling are of significant importance for understanding the mechanisms of morphogenesis and development of epithelial tissues.Additionally,the obtained results can be applied in developing methods to influence morphogenetic processes in medical applications.