Recent advances in the development of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have shown promise in the development of new personalized therapeutic approaches for clinical management of cancer patients. The ...unique physicochemical properties of MNPs endow them with novel multifunctional capabilities for imaging, drug delivery and therapy, which are referred to as theranostics. To facilitate the translation of those theranostic MNPs into clinical applications, extensive efforts have been made on designing and improving biocompatibility, stability, safety, drug-loading ability, targeted delivery, imaging signal and thermal- or photodynamic response. In this review, we provide an overview of the physicochemical properties, toxicity and theranostic applications of MNPs with a focus on magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.
Preprints play an increasingly critical role in academic communities. There are many reasons driving researchers to post their manuscripts to preprint servers before formal submission to journals or ...conferences, but the use of preprints has also sparked considerable controversy, especially surrounding the claim of priority. In this paper, a case study of computer science preprints submitted to arXiv from 2008 to 2017 is conducted to quantify how many preprints have eventually been printed in peer-reviewed venues. Among those published manuscripts, some are published under different titles and without an update to their preprints on arXiv. In the case of these manuscripts, the traditional fuzzy matching method is incapable of mapping the preprint to the final published version. In view of this issue, we introduce a semantics-based mapping method with the employment of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT). With this new mapping method and a plurality of data sources, we find that 66% of all sampled preprints are published under unchanged titles and 11% are published under different titles and with other modifications. A further analysis was then performed to investigate why these preprints but not others were accepted for publication. Our comparison reveals that in the field of computer science, published preprints feature adequate revisions, multiple authorship, detailed abstract and introduction, extensive and authoritative references and available source code.
Evidence regarding the effect of preoperative radiotherapy on anastomotic integrity remains conflicting in rectal cancer surgery. Prospective comparisons with appropriate controls are needed.
This ...study aimed to assess the impact of preoperative radiotherapy on anastomotic leakage and stenosis after rectal cancer resection.
This was a post hoc analysis of a randomized controlled trial (NCT01211210).
Data were retrieved from the leading center of the trial, which is a tertiary hospital.
The full analysis population of 318 patients was included.
Patients were randomly assigned to receive preoperative radiation (50 Gy per 25 fractions) and 5-fluorouracil infusion, alone (arm A) or combined with oxaliplatin (arm B), or preoperative chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin without radiation (arm C).
The rates of anastomotic leakage and stenosis were calculated for each treatment arm. Multivariate analysis was used to verify the effect of preoperative radiotherapy.
The treatment arms were comparable in terms of most baseline characteristics, but more diversions were used in the chemoradiotherapy arms. Anastomotic leakage occurred in 20.2% of patients in arm A, 23.6% of patients in arm B, and 8.5% of patients in arm C (p = 0.007). The corresponding rates of stenosis were 17.0%, 18.9%, and 6.8% (p = 0.02). Multivariate analysis confirmed the correlation between preoperative radiotherapy and clinical leakage (p = 0.02), which was associated with delayed stenosis (p < 0.001). For patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy, radiation proctitis was identified as an independent risk factor for clinical leakage (p = 0.01) and stenosis (p < 0.001).
The main limitations were discrepancies in stoma creation and chemotherapy regimen among the treatment arms.
Preoperative radiotherapy increases the risk of anastomotic leakage and stenosis after rectal cancer resection. Clinical leakage independently contributes to the development of stenosis.
Glioma, the most common primary malignant brain tumour, is a grave health concern associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current treatments, while effective to some extent, are often hindered ...by factors such as the blood-brain barrier and tumour microenvironment. This underscores the pressing need for exploring new pharmacologically active anti-glioma compounds.CONTEXTGlioma, the most common primary malignant brain tumour, is a grave health concern associated with high morbidity and mortality. Current treatments, while effective to some extent, are often hindered by factors such as the blood-brain barrier and tumour microenvironment. This underscores the pressing need for exploring new pharmacologically active anti-glioma compounds.This review synthesizes information from major databases, including Chemical Abstracts, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Springer Link and relevant books. Publications were selected without date restrictions, using terms such as 'Hymenocrater spp.,' 'phytochemical,' 'pharmacological,' 'extract,' 'essential oil' and 'traditional uses.' General web searches using Google and Yahoo were also performed. Articles related to agriculture, ecology, synthetic work or published in languages other than English or Chinese were excluded.METHODSThis review synthesizes information from major databases, including Chemical Abstracts, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Abstracts, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Springer Link and relevant books. Publications were selected without date restrictions, using terms such as 'Hymenocrater spp.,' 'phytochemical,' 'pharmacological,' 'extract,' 'essential oil' and 'traditional uses.' General web searches using Google and Yahoo were also performed. Articles related to agriculture, ecology, synthetic work or published in languages other than English or Chinese were excluded.The marine environment has been identified as a rich source of diverse natural products with potent antitumour properties.RESULTSThe marine environment has been identified as a rich source of diverse natural products with potent antitumour properties.This paper not only provides a comprehensive review of marine-derived compounds but also unveils their potential in treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) based on functional classifications. It encapsulates the latest research progress on the regulatory biological functions and mechanisms of these marine substances in GBM, offering invaluable insights for the development of new glioma treatments.CONCLUSIONSThis paper not only provides a comprehensive review of marine-derived compounds but also unveils their potential in treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) based on functional classifications. It encapsulates the latest research progress on the regulatory biological functions and mechanisms of these marine substances in GBM, offering invaluable insights for the development of new glioma treatments.
Doxorubicin (DOX) resistance in breast cancer (BC) poses a huge challenge for the therapeutic effect on BC. Lnc KCNQ1OT1 play crucial roles in chemotherapy resistance. However, the role and mechanism ...of lnc KCNQ1OT1 in DOX resistance BC have not been investigated, which merits further exploration. Based on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, MCF-7/DOX and MDA-MB-231/DOX cells were established using gradient concentrations of DOX. IC50 values and cell viability were determined using MTT. Cell proliferation was investigated by colony formation. Flow cytometry was performed to examine cell apoptosis and cell cycle. Gene expression was examined using qRT-PCR and western blot. The interactions among METTL3, lnc KCNQ1OT1, miR-103a-3p, and MDR1 were validated with MeRIP-qPCR, RIP, and dual-luciferase reporter gene assays. The results showed that Lnc KCNQ1OT1 was highly expressed in DOX-resistant BC cells, and lnc KCNQ1OT1 depletion could enhance DOX sensitivity in BC cells and DOX-resistant BC cells. Besides, lnc KCNQ1OT1 was modulated by MELLT3 in the manner of m
6
A modification. MiR-103a-3p could interact with lnc KCNQ1OT1 and MDR1. Overexpression of MDR1 abolished the impacts of lnc KCNQ1OT1 depletion on DOX resistance in BC. In conclusion, our results unveiled that in BC cells and DOX-resistant BC cells, lnc KCNQ1OT1 could be mediated by METTL3 through m
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A modification to elevate and stabilize its expression, further inhibiting
miR-103a-3p/MDR1 axis to promote DOX resistance, which might provide novel thought to overcome DOX resistance in BC.
Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG3) is a highly anticipated immune checkpoint in the context of cancer, exerting regulatory control over immune cell proliferation and function to reinforce the ...advancement of cancers. However, the comprehensive functional analysis of LAG3 across various cancer types remains undisclosed; thus, this study aims to investigate the pan-cancer expression profile of LAG3. We have investigated the expression profile, prognostic significance, and genetic alterations of LAG3 in various cancers while elucidating its characteristic in immune response regulation. Our findings demonstrated that elevated LAG3 expression is significantly associated with favorable prognosis in patients with cutaneous melanoma (SKCM), and it may be a potential biomarker for SKCM. Furthermore, multiple immune algorithms have highlighted the important regulatory role of LAG3 for the tumor-infiltrating immune cells including CD8 + T cells, B cells, dendritic cells (DCs), macrophages, and natural killer (NK) cells. We also examined the distribution of LAG3 at the single-cell level and explored its functional significance. A comprehensive and systematic analysis of LAG3 would facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of LAG3 in cancer biology and provide valuable insights for cancer management.
Alterations of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (MEK1) are commonly associated with tumorigenesis, and MEK1 is thought to be a suitable targeted therapy for various cancers. However, ...abnormal MEK1 alterations and their relevant clinical implications are unknown. Our research comprehensively analyzed the MEK1 alteration spectrum and provided novel insight for targeted therapies. There were 7694 samples covering 32 types of cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. They were used to conduct an integrative analysis of MEK1 expression, alterations, functional impacts and clinical significance. There was a dramatic difference in the alteration frequency and distribution and clinical implications in 32 types of cancer from the TCGA. Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) has the most alterations and has therapeutic targets located in the protein kinase domain, and the growing expression of SKCM is positively related to patient prognosis. MEK1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma (KIRP), esophageal carcinoma (ESCA) and liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) is decreased, which is associated with better prognosis, while MEK1 expression in thymoma (THYM), stomach adenocarcinoma (STAD), kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is increased, which is associated with better prognosis. Mesothelioma (MESO) has the second highest alterations but has no therapy targets. This study provided a great and detailed interpretation of MEK1 expression, alterations and clinical implications in 32 types of cancer and reminded us to fill the gap in MEK1 research from a new perspective.
The diagnosis and treatment of complex anal fistula has been a significant challenge. Unwise incision and excessive exploration will lead to the secondary branch, sinus and perforation. A simple ...fistula may become a surgical problem and result in disastrous consequences. Preoperative accurate diagnosis of anal fistula, including in the internal opening, primary track and location of the fistula, extensions and abscess, is important for anal fistula treatment. In the diagnosis of anal fistula, imaging examination, especially MRI plays a crucial role. Localization and demarcation of anal fistula and the relationship with sphincter are important. MRI has been an indispensable confirmatory imaging examination.
Purpose
Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) plays a crucial role in cumulus expansion and fertilization. The ovarian PTX3 level in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) remains uncertain. In the present study, we ...investigated the follicular PTX3 levels and found the influence of reproductive hormones on ovarian PTX3 concentration.
Methods
This study was based on 204 healthy-weight women (102 PCOS and 102 normal ovulating subjects) undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF). Follicular fluid (FF) was collected during oocyte retrieval. The PTX3 levels and other hormone levels in FF samples were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results
The PTX3 level in the follicle was significantly higher in the healthy-weight PCOS women than controls. Positive correlations were found between ovarian PTX3 level and the existence of PCOS, cycle length, basal LH to FSH ratio and TT in serum, antral follicle count, and ovarian insulin and androgen level, and inverse correlations with the basal serum PRL and ovarian SHBG. In multivariant linear regression analysis, the presence of PCOS diagnosis, participants’ basal LH to FSH ratio, and ovarian androstenedione level were the main predictors of ovarian PTX3 level among the enrolled subjects.
Conclusion
Elevated ovarian PTX3 level supports the low-grade chronic inflammatory state in the follicles of PCOS. The existence of PCOS, disturbed pituitary gland, and ovarian hyperandrogenism might also be related to this state of low-grade chronic inflammation and could be a subject of further study.
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