Frequency of somatic and germline variants of predisposition genes in young Chinese women with breast cancer.

Purpose: Age stratification influences the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of breast cancer. We aimed to understand the effect of age on gene variants in young Chinese women with breast cancer compared with those from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

Methods: Enrolled patients ≤ 40 years old (N = 370) underwent germline or somatic genetic testing using a 32-gene hereditary cancer panel at Fujian Union Hospital.

Association of inflammatory blood markers and pathological complete response in HER2-positive breast cancer: a retrospective single-center cohort study.

Introduction: The association between inflammatory blood markers (IBMs) (monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio [MLR], neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio [NLR], and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio [PLR]) and breast cancer has been extensively studied. However, the predictive role of IBMs in the neoadjuvant response of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer remains unclear.

Methods: This study included 744 patients with HER2 positive breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant therapy.

Spectrum and characteristics of germline PALB2 pathogenic variants in 1556 early-onset breast cancer patients in China.

Purpose: Limited data are available regarding the partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2) in Chinese patients with early breast cancer. This study aimed to assess the spectrum and characteristics of germline PALB2 pathogenic variants in this population.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples were collected from 1556 patients diagnosed with BRCA1/2-negative early-onset breast cancer.

Rare-earth nanoparticles induce depression, anxiety-like behavior, and memory impairment in mice.

Rare-earth nanoparticles have been widely studied for disease diagnosis, in vivo optical imaging, biosensing, and drug delivery. However, the effects of rare-earth nanoparticles on a central nervous system remain unclear. Here, we report that the continuous exposure to rare-earth nanoparticles in mice can cause behavioral alterations including cognitive deficits, anxiety, and depression-like behavior.

Construction and characterization of two versions of bifunctional EGFP-sTRAIL fusion proteins.

The extracellular portion (amino acids 95-281 or 114-281) of the human tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (sTRAIL) was genetically linked to the C terminus of the fluoresce-enhanced green fluorescent protein variant (EGFP) to generate two versions of EGFP-sTRAIL fusion proteins, designated EGFP-sTR95 and EGFP-sTR114, respectively. The two versions of EGFP-sTRAIL fusion proteins both induce extensive apoptosis in lymphoid as well as nonlymphoid tumor cell lines. In addition, the two versions of fusion proteins retain similar fluorescence spectra to those of EGFP and have shown the specific binding to TRAIL receptor-positive cells; thus, the stained cells could be analyzed with flow cytometry.