Verteporfin fluorescence in antineoplastic-treated pancreatic cancer cells found concentrated in mitochondria

BACKGROUND Traditional treatments for pancreatic cancer(PC)are inadequate.Photodynamic therapy(PDT)is non-invasive,and proven safe to kill cancer cells,including PC.However,the mitochondrial concentration of the photosensitizer,such as verteporfin,is key.AIM To investigate the distribution of fluorescence of verteporfin in PC cells treated with antitumor drugs,post-PDT.METHODS Workable survival rates of PC cells(AsPC-1,BxPC-3)were determined with chemotherapy[doxorubicin(DOX)and gemcitabine(GEM)]and non-chemotherapy[sirolimus(SRL)and cetuximab(CTX)]drugs in vitro,with or without verteporfin,as measured via MTT,flow cytometry,and laser confocal microscopy.Reduced cell proliferation was associated with GEM that was more enduring compared with DOX.Confocal laser microscopy allowed observation of GEM-and verteporfin-treated PC cells co-stained with 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole and MitoTracker Green to differentiate living and dead cells and subcellular localization of verteporfin,respectively.RESULTS Cell survival significantly dropped upon exposure to either chemotherapy drug,but not to SRL or CTX.Both cell lines responded similarly to GEM.The intensity of fluorescence was associated with the concentration of verteporfin.Additional experiments using GEM showed that survival rates of the PC cells treated with 10μmol/L verteporfin(but not less)were significantly lower relative to nil verte-porfin.Living and dead stained cells treated with GEM were distinguishable.After GEM treatment,verteporfin was observed primarily in the mitochondria.CONCLUSION Verteporfin was observed in living cells.In GEM-treated human PC cells,verteporfin was particularly prevalent in the mitochondria.This study supports further study of PDT for the treatment of PC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Research Progress on MTHFR C677T and A1298C Gene Polymorphisms and Gastrointestinal Tumors

Tumours of the digestive system include a number of malignant tumours such as oesophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers, which have the highest incidence and mortality rates in the world. Their occurrence is related to a variety of factors, such as diet, environment and genetics. As a key enzyme in the process of folate metabolism, MTHFR gene polymorphism plays an important role in the pathogenesis and development of gastrointestinal tumours. This paper provides a brief review of the relationship between MTHFR polymorphisms and digestive tumours, with a view to identifying the genetic effects of MTHFR, exploring the pathogenesis of digestive tract tumours and developing more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Correlations of β-catenin,Ki67 and Her-2/neu with gastric cancer

Objective:To study the clinical pathologic characteristics ofβ-catenin,Ki67 and Her-2/neu in gastric cancer and the correlation ofβ-catenin and Ki67 to the protein expression and gene conditions of Her-2/Neu.Methods:The protein expression ofβ-catenin,Ki67 and Her-2/Neu was detected by immunohistochemistry in 101 cases of gastric cancer and the gene conditions of Her-2/Neu by fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH).Results:The protein expression ofβ-catenin,Ki67 and Her-2/Neu had close relationship with the clinical pathologic characteristics of gastric cancer.Theβ-catenin and Ki67 had obvious correlation to the differentiation,infiltration and lymphatic metastasis of the gastric cancer(P<0.05).The Ki67 had close relationship with the tumor-node-metastasis staging staging of gastric cancer(P<0.05).Her-2/Neu had close relationship with the differentiation and tumor-node-metastasis staging of gastric cancer(P<0.05)but had no relationship with the infiltration and lymphatic metastasis of the gastric cancer(P<0.05).The protein expression of Ki67 had significantly positive correlation to the protein expression and gene amplification conditions of Her-2/Neu(r=0.567,P<0.05 for protein;r=0.304,P<0.05 for gene).Conclusions:Combined detection ofβ-catenin,Ki67 and Her-2/Neu can be used as a reliable method to help the observation of biological behavior,diagnosis and prognosis of gastric cancer,and Ki67 can be used to serve the preliminary screening of Her-2/Neu gene state.

Effect of Autophagy Over Liver Diseases

In recent years, increasingly evidences show that autophagy plays an important role in the pathogenesis and development of liver diseases, and the relationship between them has increasingly become a focus of concern. Autophagy refers to the process through which the impaired organelles, misfolded protein, and intruding microorganisms is degraded by lysosomes to maintain stability inside cells. This article states the effect of autophagy on liver diseases （hepatic fibrosis, fatty liver, viral hepatitis, and liver cancer）, which aims to provide a new direction for the treatment of liver diseases.

Onodera's Prognostic Nutritional Index is a novel and useful prognostic marker for gastrointestinal stromal tumors

BACKGROUND Immunoinflammatory markers such as the peripheral blood neutrophil-tolymphocyte ratio(NLR)and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio(PLR)have gained considerable attention as prognostic markers in gastrointestinal stromal tumors(GISTs).AIM To assess the prognostic value of Onodera’s Prognostic Nutritional Index(OPNI)for GISTs.METHODS All patients who had undergone surgical resection for a primary,localized GIST from 2009 to 2016 at our cancer center were initially and retrospectively identified.Recurrence-free survival(RFS)was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test.We used multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models to identify associations with outcome variables.RESULTS A total of 235 GISTs were identified and included for analysis under our inclusion criteria.Univariate and multivariate analyses both identified the OPNI as an independent prognostic marker,and the OPNI was associated with the primary site,tumor size,mitotic index,tumor rupture,necrosis,and modified NIH risk classification.Low OPNI(<51.30;hazard ratio=5.852;95% confidence interval:1.072–31.964;P=0.0414)was associated with worse RFS.The 2-and 5-year RFS rates of the patients with a low OPNI were 92.83% and 76.22%,respectively,whereas 100% and 98.41% were achieved by the patients with a high OPNI.CONCLUSION The preoperative OPNI is a novel and useful prognostic marker for GISTs.

Synaptophysin-like 2 expression correlates with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis in colorectal cancer patients

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is one of the most common and fatal cancers worldwide.Synaptophysin-like 2(SYPL2)is a neuroendocrine-related protein highly expressed in skeletal muscle and the tongue.The involvement of SYPL2 in CRC,including its level of expression and function,has not been evaluated.AIM To evaluate the correlations of SYPL2 expression with lymph node metastasis(LNM)and prognosis in patients with CRC.METHODS The levels of expression of SYPL2 in CRC and normal colorectal tissues were analyzed in multiple public and online databases.The associations between clinical variables and SYPL2 expression were evaluated statistically,and the associations between SYPL2 expression and prognosis in patients with CRC were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and univariate/multivariate Cox regression analyses.SYPL2 expression was assessed in 20 paired CRC tissue and adjacent normal colorectal tissue samples obtained from Fuyang People’s Hospital,and the associations between SYPL2 expression and the clinical characteristics of these patients were investigated.Correlations between the levels of expression of SYPL2 and key targeted genes were determined by Pearson’s correlation analysis.The distribution of immune cells in these samples was calculated using the CIBERSORT algorithm.Gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed to evaluate the biofunction and pathways of SYPL2 in CRC.RESULTS SYPL2 expression was significantly lower in CRC tissue samples than in normal colorectal tissue samples(P<0.05).High SYPL2 levels in CRC tissues correlated significantly with LNM(P<0.05)and a poorer patient prognosis,including significantly shorter overall survival(OS)[hazard ratio(HR)=1.9,P<0.05]and disease-free survival(HR=1.6,P<0.05).High SYPL2 expression was an independent risk factor for OS in both univariate(HR=2.078,P=0.014)and multivariate(HR=1.754,P=0.018)Cox regression analyses.In addition,SYPL2 expression correlated significantly with the expression of KDR(P<0.0001,r=0.47)and the BRAFV600E mutation(P<0.05).Higher SYPL2 expression was associated with the enrichment of CD8 T-cells and M0 macrophages in the tumor microenvironment.GSEA revealed that SYPL2 was associated with the regulation of epithelial cell migration,vasculature development,pathways in cancer,and several vital tumor-related pathways.CONCLUSION SYPL2 expression was lower in CRC tissue than in normal colorectal tissue.Higher SYPL2 expression in CRC was significantly associated with LNM and poorer survival.

An incident of chloroform poisoning on a university campus

Dear editor,University laboratory-related events include fire,explosion,chemical gas leakage,poisoning related to the loss of toxic reagents,specific pathogen infection,leakage of radioactive material,etc.[1]Chloroform is an important material used frequently in the laboratory,for organic synthesis or used as an organic glass binder and organic matter extractor.[2]As a widely used anesthetic in clinics in the 1950s and the 1960s,[3]chloroform was abandoned because of hepatorenal toxicity.We report a case of a 24-year-old suicidal female student with chloroform poisoning.

Effect of Foot Bath and Massage on Insomnia in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis and Investigation of Nursing Satisfaction

Objective: To observe the effect of foot bath and massage on insomnia in patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: By control design of retrospective nonconcurrent cohort study, 100 insomnia patients with liver cirrhosis admitted and treated in our clinic between October 2011 and September 2012, were recruited in the control group and given routine nursing of internal medicine. A total of 105 insomnia patients with liver cirrhosis, admitted and treated between October 2012 and September 2013, were recruited in the intervention group and given foot bath and massage on the basis of routine nursing of internal medicine. After continuous intervention for 14 d, the clinical effects and the nursing satisfaction were evaluated. Results: There were statistically significant differences in clinical effects and sleeping quality between the two groups(P<0.05, P<0.01). The therapeutic effect was better in the intervention group than in the control group, and the nursing satisfaction was remarkably higher in the intervention group than in the control group(P<0.05). Conclusion: Foot bath and massage can obviously reduce insomnia in the patients with liver cirrhosis, improve the sleeping quality, and effectively elevate the nursing satisfaction of the patients, and are worthy of clinical popularization and application.

A rare presentation of lung squamous cell carcinoma metastasis to the distal phalanx of the little finger:a case report

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide.Early detection is the most important factor that affects the prognosis of lung cancer patients.The distal phalanx is a highly unusual metastatic site of lung cancer,and is often misdiagnosed,especially when accompanied by trauma.Herein,we present the case of a 68‐year‐old male patient who injured his right little finger.We hope this rare case will help clinicians to better diagnosis acral metastases of lung cancer to prolong patient survival.