High expression of the circadian clock gene NPAS2 is associated with progression and poor prognosis of gastric cancer:A singlecenter study

BACKGROUND The prognostic assessment of patients after surgical resection of gastric cancer(GC)patients is critical.However,the role of the circadian clock gene NPAS2 expression in GC remains unknown.AIM To explore the relationship between NPAS2 and the survival prognosis of GC patients and clarify its role in evaluating GC prognosis.METHODS The tumor tissues and clinical data of 101 patients with GC were collected retrospectively.Immunohistochemical staining(IHC)was used to detect the expression of NPAS2 protein in GC and adjacent tissues.Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to determine the independent prognostic factors of GC,and a nomogram prediction model was established.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve,the ROC area under the curve,the calibration curve,and C-index were used to evaluate the predictive effectiveness of the model.Kaplan Meier analysis was used to compare the risk stratification of subgroups according to the median score in the nomogram model of each patient.RESULTS Microarray IHC analysis showed that the positive rate of NPAS2 protein expression in GC tissues was 65.35%,which was significantly higher than 30.69%in adjacent tissues.The high expression of NPAS2 was correlated with tumor-node-metastasis(TNM)stage(P<0.05),pN stage(P<0.05),metastasis(P<0.05),venous invasion(P<0.05),lymphatic invasion(P<0.05),and lymph node positive(P<0.05)of GC.Kaplan Meier survival analysis showed that the 3-year overall survival(OS)of patients with high NPAS2 expression was significantly shortened(P<0.0001).Univariate and multivariate COX regression analysis showed that TNM stage(P=0.009),metastasis(P=0.009),and NPAS2 expression(P=0.020)were independent prognostic factors of OS in GC patients for 3 years.The nomogram prediction model based on independent prognostic factors has a C-Index of 0.740(95%CI:0.713-0.767).Furthermore,subgroup analysis showed that the 3-year OS time of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group(P<0.0001).CONCLUSION NPAS2 is highly expressed in GC tissues and is closely related to worse OS in patients.Therefore,the evaluation of NPAS2 expression may be a potential marker for GC prognosis evaluation.Notably,the nomogram model based on NPAS2 can improve the accuracy of GC prognosis prediction and assist clinicians in postoperative patient management and decision-making.

Exploring Action Mechanism of Sanzi Yangqin Decoction in Treating Bronchial Asthma Based on Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking

[Objectives]To explore the molecular mechanism of Sanzi Yangqin Decoction in the treatment of bronchial asthma based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.[Methods]The components of Fructus Perillae,Semen Raphani and Semen Sinapis three traditional Chinese medicine-related components and targets of Feiduqing Sanzi Yangqin Decoction were obtained using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP),and the targets of bronchial asthma were obtained using Genecards and OMIM databases.Sanzi Yangqin Decoction"drug-active ingredient-target-disease"network was established with the aid of Cytoscape 3.7.2 software and network topology analysis was carried out.The gene ontology(GO)function enrichment analysis and the KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed by DAVID.The top 3 components and targets in the network topology analysis were respectively molecularly docked.[Results]Through network analysis,4 key active components were obtained,mainly luteolin,arachidonic acid,β-carotene,etc.;5 key targets,mainly NCOA2,PGR,PTGS2,etc.Through GO analysis,523 items(P<0.05)were obtained,including 396 items in biological process(BP),53 items in cell composition(CC),and 74 items in molecular function(MF).KEGG analysis generated 144 signal pathways(P<0.05),involving PI3K-Akt signal pathway,human cytomegalovirus infection,Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus infection,proteoglycans in cancer,prostate cancer,etc.The results of molecular docking showed that core active compounds such as luteolin andβ-carotene in Sanzi Yangqin Decoction had good affinity with NCOA2,PGR,PTGS2 and other target genes,which were similar to clinically recommended chemical drugs.[Conclusions]The active compounds luteolin and carotene in Sanzi Yangqin Decoction may mainly bind to targets such as NCOA2,PGR,PTGS2,and regulate multiple signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt to play a role in treating bronchial asthma.It is intended to provide new ideas for the clinical application and research of Sanzi Yangqin Decoction.

Effect of Huqian Wan on liver-Yin and kidney-Yin deficiency patterns in patients with knee osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE: To observe the curative effect of Huqian Wan on liver and kidney-Yin deficiency knee osteoarthritis(KOA).METHODS: One hundred patients were randomly divided into a treatment(50 patients) and control group(50 patients). In the treatment group, patients orally took the Chinese medicine Huqian Wan. Control group patients orally took Votalin, 75 mg, once a day, for 8 weeks. The visual analog scale(VAS), Western Ontario and Mc Master University Osteoarthritis Index(WOMAC), and Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36-Item Health Survey(SF36) were used to evaluate the curative effect before treatment and after 8 and 16 weeks of treatment.RESULTS: VAS and WOMAC scores significantly decreased and SF 36 scores significantly increased after treatment in both groups compared with before treatment(P < 0.05). There were significant differences in VAS, WOMAC, and SF 36 score changes between the two groups at week 16(P < 0.05).There was a significant increase in VAS and WOMAC scores in the control groups(P < 0.05) between weeks 8 and 16, but no significant difference was found in the treatment group(P > 0.05).CONCLUSION: Huqian Wan could effectively improve the clinical symptoms and quality of life in patients with KOA. It could also have a better and longer lasting curative effect without obvious adverse events compared with Votalin.