Ypsilandrosides U-Y, five new steroidal saponins from Ypsilandra thibetica.

Phytochemical reinvestigation on the whole plants of Ypsilandra thibetica obtained four new spirostanol glycosides, named ypsilandrosides U-X (1-4), and one new cholestanol glycoside, named ypsilandroside Y (5). Their structures have been established by extensive spectroscopic data and chemical methods. Among them, compound 4 is a rare spirostanol glycoside which possesses a novel 5(6 → 7) abeo-steroidal aglycone, while compound 1 is a first spirostanol bisdesmoside attached to C-3 and C-12, respectively, isolated from the genus Ypsilandra.

Parisfargosides A-E, five new cholestane glycosides from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii.

Five new cholestane glycosides, named parisfargosides A-E (1-5), were isolated from the rhizomes of Paris fargesii. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of UV, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR data as well as chemical methods. The structures of all compounds contained α, β-unsaturated ketone unit.

Development and validation of a ferroptosis-related prognostic model in pancreatic cancer.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) associated with the prognosis of pancreatic cancer and to construct a prognostic model based on FRGs.

Methods: Based on pancreatic cancer data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, we established a prognostic model from 232 FRGs. A nomogram was constructed by combining the prognostic model and clinicopathological features.

Feasibility of bile duct as venous graft for venous reconstruction in pancreatic surgery: An animal experimental study.

Objective: Pancreatic cancer is a kind of high malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. The aim is to determine whether the dilated bile duct can be used to reconstruct the vessels.

Methods: An animal model of jugular vein and portal vein reconstruction was established using the bile duct.

Positron-emission tomography for hepatocellular carcinoma: Current status and future prospects.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. Various imaging modalities provide important information about HCC for its clinical management. Since positron-emission tomography (PET) or PET-computed tomography was introduced to the oncologic setting, it has played crucial roles in detecting, distinguishing, accurately staging, and evaluating local, residual, and recurrent HCC.

A Yin-Yang 1/miR-30a regulatory circuit modulates autophagy in pancreatic cancer cells.

Background: Autophagy is a highly regulated biological process that mediates the degradation of intracellular components. It is required for tumor cell metabolism and homeostasis. Yin-Yang 1 (YY1) has been reported to be involved in autophagy in several carcinomas.

PEG10 overexpression induced by E2F-1 promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in pancreatic cancer.

Background: Overexpression of paternally expressed gene-10 (PEG10) is known to promote the progression of several carcinomas, however, its role in pancreatic cancer (PC) is unknown. We investigated the expression and function of PEG10 in PC.

Methods: PEG10 expression and correlation with PC progression was assessed in cancerous tissues and paired non-cancerous tissues.

NIDO, AMOP and vWD domains of MUC4 play synergic role in MUC4 mediated signaling.

MUC4 mucin is well known as an important potential target to overcome pancreatic cancer. Three unique domains (NIDO, AMOP, and vWD) with unclear roles only present in MUC4 but are not found in other membrane-bound mucins. Our previous studies first reported that its splice variant, MUC4/Y can be a model of MUC4 (MUC4 gene fragment is more than 30KB, too huge to clone and eukaryotic express) in pancreatic cancer.

Specific-detection of clinical samples, systematic functional investigations, and transcriptome analysis reveals that splice variant MUC4/Y contributes to the malignant progression of pancreatic cancer by triggering malignancy-related positive feedback loops signaling.

Background: MUC4 plays important roles in the malignant progression of human pancreatic cancer. But the huge length of MUC4 gene fragment restricts its functional and mechanism research. As one of its splice variants, MUC4/Y with coding sequence is most similar to that of the full-length MUC4 (FL-MUC4), together with alternative splicing of the MUC4 transcript has been observed in pancreatic carcinomas but not in normal pancreas.

Elevation of MMP-9 and IDO induced by pancreatic cancer cells mediates natural killer cell dysfunction.

Background: Natural killer (NK) cells play a key role in non-specific immune response in different cancers, including pancreatic cancer. However the anti-tumor effect of NK cells decreases during pancreatic cancer progression. The regulatory pathways by which NK cells facilitate tumor immune escape are unclear, therefore our purpose was to investigate the roles of the contributory factors.

Yin Yang-1 suppresses invasion and metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by downregulating MMP10 in a MUC4/ErbB2/p38/MEF2C-dependent mechanism.

Background: Increasing evidence indicates an important role of transcription factor Yin Yang-1 (YY1) in human tumorigenesis. However, its function in cancer remains controversial and the relevance of YY1 to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains to be clarified.

Methods: In this study, we detected YY1 expression in clinical PDAC tissue samples and cell lines using quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blotting.

Comprehensive analysis of the percentage of surface receptors and cytotoxic granules positive natural killer cells in patients with pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, and colorectal cancer.

Background: Digestive malignancies, especially pancreatic cancer (PC), gastric cancer (GC), and colorectal cancer (CRC), still occur at persistently high rates, and disease progression in these cancers has been associated with tumor immunosurveillance escape. Natural killer (NK) cell dysfunction may be responsible for this phenomenon, however, the exact relationship between tumor immunosurveillance escape in digestive malignancies and NK cell dysfunction remains unclear.

Methods: Percentage of the surface receptors NKG2A, KIR3DL1, NKG2D, NKp30, NKp44, NKp46, and DNAM-1, as well as the cytotoxic granules perforin and granzyme B positive NK cells were determined in patients with pancreatic cancer (n=31), gastric cancer (n=31), and CRC (n=32) prior to surgery and healthy controls (n=31) by multicolor flow cytometry.

Aberrant methylation frequency of TNFRSF10C promoter in pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that many tumors are initiated by both epigenetic abnormalities and gene mutations, which promote tumor progression. Epigenetic abnormalities include changes in DNA methylation and in the modification of histones. This study aimed to assess the status of methylation in the CpG island (CGI) of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 10c (TNFRSF10C) with combined bisulfite restriction analysis (COBRA) and to evaluate its role in the progression of pancreatic cancer (PC).

[Pentamer guided HLA-restricted epitope identification for mucoprotein 4 antigen of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma].

Objectives: To identify HLA-restricted epitope of mucoprotein 4 (MUC4) antigen as a tumor associated antigen of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and to validate its natural presentation in PDAC patient peripheral blood.

Methods: Two epitope prediction databases (SYFPEITHI and ProPred-I) were used to predict HLA-A*0201 restricted MUC4 epitope, T2 cell assay was used to determine the peptide binding affinity with HLA-A*0201 molecule. Dendritic cells (DCs) were induced from the HLA-A* 0201-positive healthy individuals' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

The increase in the expression and hypomethylation of MUC4 gene with the progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The MUC4 gene could have a key role in the progression of pancreatic cancer, but the quantitative measurement of its expression in clinical tissue samples remains a challenge. The correlations between MUC4 promoter methylation status in vivo and either pancreatic cancer progression or MUC4 mRNA expression need to be demonstrated. We used the techniques of quantitative real-time PCR and DNA methylation-specific PCR combined microdissection to precisely detect MUC4 expression and promoter methylation status in 116 microdissected foci from 57 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

[Diagnosis and surgical treatment for non-functional islet cell tumor: a retrospective analysis of 44 cases].

Objective: To evaluate the methods of diagnosis and surgical treatment for nonfunctional islet cell tumor (NICT).

Methods: Forty-four patients with non-functional islet cell tumor treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University during January 1968 to June 2008 were analyzed retrospectively. There were 9 males and 35 females, aged from 7- to 70-years-old.

Evaluation of liver functional reserve by combining D-sorbitol clearance rate and CT measured liver volume.

Aim: Our research attempted to evaluate the overall functional reserve of cirrhotic liver by combination of hepatic functional blood flow, liver volume, and Child-Pugh's classification, and to discuss its value of clinical application.

Methods: Ninety two patients with portal hypertension due to hepatic cirrhosis were investigated. All had a history of haematemesis and hematochezia, esophageal and gastric fundus varices, splenomegaly and hypersplenia.

[Evaluating liver functional reserve by combining D-sorbitol with indocyanine green measurement].

Objective: To noninvasively evaluate hepatic functional blood flow, intrahepatic shunt rate and hepatic functional reserve in both normal and cirrhotic liver using D-sorbitol and indocyanine green measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into normal control and cirrhotic group in which the rats were administrated with tetrachloride. Then the isolated perfused liver models were established.