Noninvasive assessment of significant liver fibrosis in rabbits by spectral CT parameters and texture analysis.

Purpose: Noninvasive assessment of significant liver fibrosis in rabbits by spectral CT parameters and texture analysis.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-three rabbits were randomly divided into 27 carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis group and 6 control group. Spectral CT contrast-enhanced scan was performed in batches, and the liver fibrosis was staged according to the histopathological results.

Diagnostic performance of radiomics in predicting axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: This study aimed to perform a meta-analysis to evaluate the diagnostic performance of radiomics in predicting axillary lymph node metastasis (ALNM) and sentinel lymph node metastasis (SLNM) in breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Multiple electronic databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published before April 29, 2022: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Data. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool.

COMMD3 Expression Affects Angiogenesis through the HIF1/VEGF/NF-B Signaling Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and .

Background: High expression of copper metabolizing MURR1 domain (COMMD3) is significantly correlated with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Here, we explored the mechanism by which COMMD3 affects HCC angiogenesis through the HIF1/VEGF/NF-B signaling pathway.

Methods: SK-Hep1 and Hep-3B cell lines were transfected by overexpression and RNA interference lentivirus and verified using RT-qPCR and western blotting techniques.

Hierarchical marketing mix models with sign constraints.

Marketing mix models (MMMs) are statistical models for measuring the effectiveness of various marketing activities such as promotion, media advertisement, etc. In this research, we propose a comprehensive marketing mix model that captures the hierarchical structure and the carryover, shape and scale effects of certain marketing activities, as well as sign restrictions on certain coefficients that are consistent with common business sense. In contrast to commonly adopted approaches in practice, which estimate parameters in a multi-stage process, the proposed approach estimates all the unknown parameters simultaneously using a constrained maximum likelihood approach and a Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm.

HIF-1 RNAi Combined with Asparagus Polysaccharide Exerts an Antiangiogenesis Effect on Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Vivo.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main form of primary liver cancer and is one of the most prevalent and life-threatening malignancies globally. Hypoxia activates hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), which is the key factor in promoting angiogenesis in HCC. Currently, there are few studies on the effects of HIF-1-targeted gene therapy combined with traditional Chinese herbal extracts.

Diagnostic rather than prognostic markers-relationship between EpCAM overexpression and lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) is one of the most commonly used markers of cancer stem cells (CSCs). However, the diagnostic and prognostic significance of EpCAM in lung cancer remains largely undetermined. In the present study, we systematically summarized and elucidated the correlation between EpCAM overexpression and lung cancer through a meta-analysis.

Upregulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α mRNA expression was associated with poor prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: HIF1α mRNA expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues and its relationship with the prognosis in HCC patients is still unclear. We performed this study to investigate the expression of HIF1α mRNA and its correlation with the prognosis in HCC patients.

Materials And Methods: GSE14520 and Oncomine database were used to analyse the differential expression of HIF1α mRNA among HCC tissues and corresponding peritumour tissues or normal liver tissues.

Asparagus Polysaccharide Suppresses the Migration, Invasion, and Angiogenesis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Partly by Targeting the HIF-1/VEGF Signalling Pathway In Vitro.

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) plays a key role by triggering the transcriptional activation of a number of genes involved in migration, invasion, and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Thus, suppressing tumour growth by targeting the HIF-1/VEGF signalling pathway represents a promising strategy for the treatment of HCC. In our previous studies, we found that asparagus polysaccharide (ASP) suppressed the proliferation and promoted the apoptosis of HCC cells both in vivo and in vitro.

FABP5 regulates the proliferation of clear cell renal cell carcinoma cells via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been associated with one of the highest mortality rates among all cancers. Fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) are 14‑15 kDa proteins that are highly abundant in the cytosol of most tissues. FABP5, a member of the FABP family, has been observed to promote tumor cell growth in numerous cancer types.

The Prognostic Value of Nanog Overexpression in Lung Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Recent several studies have showed that the nanog overexpression leads to poor prognosis in some kinds of cancer including hepatocellular carcinoma and gastrointestinal luminal cancer. However, the correlations between prognosis and clinic-pathological features and nanog overexpression in lung cancer are still not well-known. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the role of nanog in lung cancer.

Lymph node dissection could bring survival benefits to patients diagnosed with clinically node-negative upper urinary tract urothelial cancer: a population-based, propensity score-matched study.

Objectives: To evaluate the survival benefits that lymph node dissection (LND) brought to clinically node-negative upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients.

Methods: Non-metastatic node-negative UTUC patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. N0 patients were naturally divided as cN0-pNx group (clinically diagnosed as N0 without LND performed) and cNx-pN0 group (pathologically diagnosed as node-negative no matter what clinical node status they have).

Pathologically examining a minimum of three lymph nodes could better determine node negativity in patients with non-metastatic chromophobe renal cell carcinoma.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of lymph node (LN) involvement for patients with chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (chRCC) and ascertain the minimum number of LNs that need to be pathologically examined to reliably diagnose a patient with node negative chRCC.

Methods: From 2004 to 2014, non-metastatic chRCC patients receiving radical nephrectomy together with lymphadenectomy were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. The primary outcome was overall survival (OS).

Nomograms to Predict Individual Prognosis of Patients with Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder.

To develop reliable nomograms to estimate individualized overall survival (OS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) for patients with primary small cell carcinoma of the bladder (SCCB) and compare the predictive value with the AJCC stages. 582 eligible SCCB patients identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) dataset were randomly divided into training (n=482) and validation (n=100) cohorts. Akaike information criterion was used to select the clinically important variables in multivariate Cox models when establishing nomograms.

Prognostic value of site-specific metastases and therapeutic roles of surgery for patients with metastatic bladder cancer: a population-based study.

Background: We aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of site-specific metastases in patients with metastatic bladder cancer and analyze the roles that surgeries play in the treatment of this malignancy.

Materials And Methods: A population-based retrospective study using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results dataset was performed and metastatic bladder cancer patients were classified according to the sites of metastases (bone, brain, liver, lung and distant lymph nodes). Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test was used for survival comparisons.

Preliminary study on ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy specimen scores.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in males worldwide and resulted in ~258,000 cases of cancer-associated mortality in 2008. The present study visually determined the pathology scores of PCa specimens by taking into account five characteristics, including the hardness, color, plumpness, transparency and uniformity of specimens. The current study also aimed to identify the association between pathology scores and prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels, in order to reduce the complications caused by punctures and elevate the specimen positive rates.

Atorvastatin enhances radiosensitivity in hypoxia-induced prostate cancer cells related with HIF-1α inhibition.

Hypoxia could enhance radioresistance in prostate cancer cells through up-regulating HIF-1α, which could be inhibited by statins in several cancer cells. However, this effect of statins in prostate cancer remains unclear. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effect of atorvastatin on HIF-1α expression and radiosensitivity in prostate cancer cells.

CIP2A mediates fibronectin-induced bladder cancer cell proliferation by stabilizing β-catenin.

Background: Fibronectin (FN) is associated with tumorigenesis and progression in bladder cancer, however, the underlying mechanisms causing this remain largely unknown. Furthermore, cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) has been shown to play important regulatory roles in cancer proliferation. Here, we investigated whether FN regulates CIP2A expression to promote bladder cancer cell proliferation.

Targeting of growth factors in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: The potentials of polysaccharides.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has become a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality worldwide and is thus of great concern. Although various chemotherapeutic drugs are currently used for the treatment of HCC, severe side effects associated with these treatments have prompted interest in novel therapies, including the use of certain biological macromolecules such as polysaccharides. Several studies have shown that polysaccharides have anticancer and antiproliferative effects on HCC.

Castration impairs erectile organ structure and function by inhibiting autophagy and promoting apoptosis of corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells in rats.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the changes and underlying mechanisms of erectile organ structure and function in castrated rats. In addition, the regulatory effects of an androgen on autophagy and apoptosis in corpus cavernosum smooth muscle cells (CCSMCs), especially the regulatory effect of androgen on the BECN 1-Bcl-2 interaction, were investigated.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups (30/group): control group, castration group, and castration with testosterone supplementation group.

Robotic versus open radical cystectomy: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To critically review the currently available evidence of studies comparing robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with open radical cystectomy (ORC).

Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature from Pubmed, Web of Science and Scopus was performed in April 2014. All relevant studies comparing RARC with ORC were included for further screening.

Asparagus polysaccharide and gum with hepatic artery embolization induces tumor growth and inhibits angiogenesis in an orthotopic hepatocellular carcinoma model.

Liver cancer is one of leading digestive malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for the development of novel therapies for this deadly disease. It has been proven that asparagus polysaccharide, one of the most active derivates from the traditional medicine asparagus, possesses notable antitumor properties.

The dual mTORC1 and mTORC2 inhibitor PP242 shows strong antitumor activity in a pheochromocytoma PC12 cell tumor model.

Objective: To assess the activity of mTOR and downstream effector proteins in the mTOR pathway after treatment with a dual mTOR complex 1 and 2 (mTORC1/2) inhibitor (PP242) compared with that of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) inhibitor (rapamycin) using a xenograft tumor model.

Methods: Pheochromocytoma PC12 cell were xenografted into nude mice. Animals were treated with PP242 and rapamycin.