Publications by authors named "Chun-hua Xu"
Article Synopsis
- The study evaluated the effectiveness of specific echo features from radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (RP-EBUS) in distinguishing between malignant and benign peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) in 336 patients.
- Key findings showed that features like continuous margins, absence of linear air bronchograms, and heterogeneity contributed to varying levels of sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing malignancy.
- The combination of the absence of linear air bronchograms and heterogeneity improved diagnostic accuracy, suggesting that these features are significant indicators of potential malignant tumors in PPLs.
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of two chemotherapy regimens (docetaxel with nedaplatin vs. carboplatin) for treating advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) when standard second-line treatments are lacking.
- - Results showed that the combination of docetaxel and nedaplatin led to a longer progression-free survival (5.3 months) and overall survival (8.5 months) compared to docetaxel with carboplatin (3.8 months and 6.7 months, respectively), although the response rates were comparable.
- - Both treatment groups had similar rates of common side effects, but more patients in the carboplatin group experienced leucopenia,
Expression and prognostic value of Cripto-1 in early non-small cell lung cancer.
Clin Respir J
December 2023
Objective: We aim to explore the expression of Cripto-1 (CR-1) protein in patients with early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: We investigated CR-1 expression status in specimens obtained from 240 patients with resected NSCLC and 30 cases of para-carcinous normal lung tissues.
Results: Compared with normal lung tissue, the positive expression of CR-1 protein in NSCLC was significantly increased (p < 0.
Extracellular vesicle (EV)-encapsulated circRNAs have the potential role in affecting brain disorders. However, the role of circ_0000075 in cerebral ischemic injury remains unclear. Here, we tried to investigate the mechanism of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC)-derived EVs carrying circ_0000075 in the control of cerebral ischemic injury.
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- Humanized mouse models that replicate the human HLA system are critical for studying vaccine development and immune responses to infections, due to significant differences between animal and human immune systems.!* -
- Researchers created a transgenic mouse strain with a modified HLA-A30 monochain that incorporates parts of the human and mouse MHC, allowing them to assess immune responses to the influenza A virus (H1N1).!* -
- The study found that the new transgenic mice displayed a robust immune response similar to regular mice when infected with the H1N1 virus, indicating the effectiveness of the humanized model in immunological research.!*
Gliomas are the most common primary intracranial tumor, accounting for more than 70% of brain malignancies. Studies indicate that highly upregulated in liver cancer (HULC), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), functions as an oncogene in gliomas. However, the underlying mechanism of HULC in gliomas remains under-studied and was subsequently investigated in the current study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Anti-programmed cell death-1 and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitors have been proved to have a significant clinical efficacy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Many studies have demonstrated that immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are significantly correlated with clinical efficacy, but the results are not consistent. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the associations between irAEs and efficacy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[This corrects the article on p. 6632 in vol. 11, PMID: 31737213.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAccumulating evidences have suggested that extracellular vesicles (EVs) are crucial players in the pathogenesis of ischemic brain injury. This study was designed to explore the specific functions of M2 phenotype microglia-derived EVs in ischemic brain injury progression. The expression of microRNA-135a-5p (miR-135a-5p) in M2 microglia-derived EVs was determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), followed by the identification of expression relationship among miR-135a-5p, thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), and nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) by dual luciferase reporter gene assay.
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- The hexametric T7 helicase (gp4) wraps around a DNA strand and works to unwind it, but its exact mechanism for doing this is still not fully understood.* -
- Researchers used advanced techniques to study how gp4 interacts with DNA, especially when there are abasic lesions (missing nucleotides), and found that these lesions slow down but don't completely stop the unwinding process.* -
- The study revealed that gp4 moves back and forth more when encountering lesions and steps forward by one to four nucleotides on normal DNA, suggesting that a specific intermediate state during unwinding might help gp4 navigate around these lesions.*
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE) affects the accuracy of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial lung biopsy with guide sheath (EBUS-GS-TBLB) in diagnosing peripheral lung cancer.
- It compares two groups of 138 lung cancer patients: one receiving EBUS-GS-TBLB with ROSE and the other without, focusing on diagnostic yields, biopsy sites, complications, costs, and procedure times.
- Results showed that the ROSE group had higher diagnostic accuracy (87.8% vs. 78.1%), fewer biopsy procedures, shorter times, lower costs, and fewer complications, indicating ROSE's beneficial role in lung cancer diagnosis
Article Synopsis
- Gliomas are aggressive brain tumors that lead to high mortality rates, primarily due to frequent relapses and challenges like drug resistance and limited treatment options.
- Research indicates that the microRNA miR-181 is significantly downregulated in glioma cells, and its overexpression inhibits the growth of these cells by inducing apoptosis and increasing the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio.
- Additionally, miR-181 enhances the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug temozolomide and reduces glioma cell invasion, primarily by inhibiting Selenoprotein K (SELK), which is found to promote glioma cell proliferation when overexpressed.
microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to affect various cancers, and expression of numerous miRNAs is revealed in glioma. However, the role of microRNA-30b-3p (miR-30b-3p) in glioma remains elusive. Therefore, the present study aims to explore the specific mechanism by which miR-30b-3p influence the development of glioma in relation to the AKT signaling pathway.
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- Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, is a significant feature of glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor, and this study investigates the role of the miR-221/222 microRNA cluster in promoting angiogenesis in glioblastoma cells.
- The researchers employed techniques such as microarray analysis and reporter assays to examine how miR-221/222 targets the SOCS3 protein and impacts cell behaviors like invasion, migration, and growth related to angiogenesis.
- Results showed that high levels of miR-221/222 and low levels of SOCS3 are present in glioblastoma; silencing miR-221/222 reduced tumor-promoting factors and inhibited angiogenesis through the JAK/STAT
Reporter genes are widely applied in biotechnology and biomedical research owning to their easy observation and lack of toxicity. Taking advantage of the reporter genes in conjunction with imaging technologies, a large number of reporter mouse models have been generated. Reporter mouse models provide systems that enable the studies of live cell imaging, cell lineage tracing, immunological research and cancers etc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDetecting Single-Molecule Dynamics on Lipid Membranes with Quenchers-in-a-Liposome FRET.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl
April 2019
Article Synopsis
- Tracking how molecules interact with membranes is essential for understanding their functions, but accurately probing these interactions is difficult.
- The newly developed single-molecule method LipoFRET utilizes fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to examine how biomolecules, like α-synuclein, interact with liposomes.
- Findings indicate that the N-terminus of α-synuclein embeds itself in the membrane while its C-terminal tail, influenced by calcium ions, remains in two floating conformations in solution.
It is well established that human marrow stromal cells (hMSCs) can directly migrate towards tumor microenvironments associated with tumor formation and intracellular communication. Gene regulatory networks in tumors may be targeted by microRNAs (miRNAs), especially those derived in exosomes from hMSCs. However, the potential functional roles of hMSCs in glioma cell growth still remain controversial.
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- The study investigates the role of dihydrodiol dehydrogenase 2 (DDH2) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its potential as a diagnostic marker.
- Serum samples from 863 NSCLC patients and 439 healthy individuals were analyzed, revealing significantly higher DDH2 levels in cancer patients.
- Combining DDH2 measurement with other traditional markers improves diagnostic accuracy for lung adenocarcinoma, highlighting its importance in NSCLC diagnosis.
Article Synopsis
- Helicases use energy from nucleotide triphosphate hydrolysis to unwind double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in discrete steps, but how they do this is still not fully understood.
- The study used single-molecule fluorescent resonant energy transfer to analyze the stepping mechanisms of two helicases, E. coli RecQ and ScPif1, revealing they unwind dsDNA in varying step sizes, particularly when tension is applied.
- A proposed universal stepping mechanism suggests helicases break one base pair at a time and hold onto the newly formed nucleotides before releasing them after a random number of breaking events, providing insights into their unwinding patterns.
Article Synopsis
- Cripto-1 (CR-1) is a protein associated with the development of tumors, and this study investigates its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- The research involved analyzing serum from 312 NSCLC patients and 120 healthy individuals, finding that CR-1 levels were significantly higher in cancer patients and linked to more advanced stages of the disease.
- Results showed that a CR-1 level above 1.67 ng/mL could effectively diagnose NSCLC and that low levels were associated with better overall and progression-free survival, emphasizing CR-1 as an independent prognostic factor for these patients.
Article Synopsis
- - The study explored how dihydroartemisinin affects the growth of chemotherapy-resistant C6 rat glioma cells, finding that treatment significantly reduced cell numbers and DNA synthesis after 48 hours.
- - Treatment with 20 µM dihydroartemisinin resulted in a drastic increase in apoptosis rates among the glioma cells, with 54.78% of cells being apoptotic compared to just 2.57% in untreated controls.
- - Additionally, dihydroartemisinin treatment altered the cell cycle, decreasing cells in the G2/M phase and increasing those in the G0/G1 phase, indicating an overall antitumor effect likely through promoting apoptosis, warranting further investigation in animal models.
The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial biopsy with guide-sheath (EBUS-GS-TBB) for the diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs). One hundred and eighty patients, who were diagnosed with SPNs and underwent an endobronchial ultrasound procedure. The diagnostic yield, safety and the associated factors were analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Macrophage inhibitory cytokine-1 (MIC-1), a transforming growth factor-β superfamily cytokine, is involved in tumor pathogenesis, and its measurement can be used as a clinical tool for the diagnosis of a wide range of cancers.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore the diagnostic value of serum MIC-1 in patients with solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs).
Methods: Serum specimens from 158 malignant SPN patients, 110 benign SPN patients, along with 120 healthy volunteers.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the role of serum chemerin levels in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their potential as a prognostic marker.
- It finds that chemerin levels are significantly higher in NSCLC patients compared to healthy individuals, with increased levels linked to advanced cancer stages and worse survival outcomes.
- The results suggest that measuring serum chemerin could serve as a valuable tool for diagnosing and predicting the prognosis of NSCLC.
Article Synopsis
- * Serum periostin levels were found to be significantly higher in NSCLC patients than in both benign lung disease patients and healthy individuals, indicating its potential utility in differentiating NSCLC cases.
- * Higher levels of serum periostin were linked to poorer progression-free and overall survival in NSCLC patients, establishing it as an independent risk factor for prognosis.