Large-Scale Identification of Lysine Crotonylation Reveals Its Potential Role in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Purpose: Lysine crotonylation, an emerging posttranslational modification, has been implicated in the regulation of diverse biological processes. However, its involvement in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains elusive. This study aims to reveal the global crotonylome in OSCC under hypoxic conditions and explore the potential regulatory mechanism of crotonylation in OSCC.

Development and Validation of a Prognostic Signature Based on the Lysine Crotonylation Regulators in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is a newly identified posttranslational modification type regulated by various enzymes and coenzymes, including lysine crotonyltransferase, lysine decrotonylase, and binding proteins. However, the role of Kcr regulators in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unknown. The aim of this study was to establish and validate a Kcr-related prognostic signature of HNSCC and to assess the clinical predictive value of this signature.

HSP90AB1 Promotes the Proliferation, Migration, and Glycolysis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the 6th most common cancer worldwide. Heat shock protein 90 alpha family class B member 1 (HSP90AB1) is highly expressed in a variety of cancers and is associated with poor prognosis, however, its role in HNSCC is still poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the function HSP90AB1 played in HNSCC progression.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts secrete hypoxia-induced serglycin to promote head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Background: The tumor microenvironment (TME) is known to play a prominent role in the pathology of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been reported to regulate tumor progression, and serglycin (SRGN), one of the paracrine cytokines of CAFs, has been reported to play an important role in various signaling pathways. Hypoxia is a distinct feature of the HNSCC TME.

Peroxidase-mimicking evodiamine/indocyanine green nanoliposomes for multimodal imaging-guided theranostics for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Here, evodiamine (EVO) and the photosensitizer indocyanine green (ICG) were integrated into a liposomal nanoplatform for noninvasive diagnostic imaging and combinatorial therapy against oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). EVO, as an active component extracted from traditional Chinese medicine, not only functioned as an antitumor chemotherapeutic agent but was also capable of Ga-chelation, thus working as a contrast agent for positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging. Moreover, EVO could exhibit peroxidase-like catalytic activity, converting endogenous tumor HO into cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), enabling Chemo catalytic therapy beyond the well-known chemotherapy effect of EVO.

Co-expression of HIF-1 and TLR3 is associated with poor prognosis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

This study investigates the prognostic impact of the expression of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 detected by immunohistochemistry in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The study also evaluates the treatment outcome by inhibition of the HIF-1α and TLR 3 pathway (nuclear factor [NF]-κB) in an OSCC transplantation model in nude mice. Statistical analysis of immunohistochemical results with clinical findings that included overall survival outcomes was performed for 90 OSCC patients.

The Management of Head and Neck Sarcoma.

Objective: To describe the incidence, types, features, treatment and outcomes of head and neck sarcoma managed at a treatment center in eastern China.

Methods: Cases of head and neck soft tissue sarcoma and osteogenic sarcoma treated at the Stomatology Hospital of Nanjing University between 2008 and 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Patient characteristics, site of lesion, main presenting symptoms, treatment, histology, local recurrence, development of metastatic disease, duration of follow-up and survival rates are described and compared.

Rh type C-glycoprotein functions as a novel tumor suppressor gene by inhibiting tumorigenicity and metastasis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), a major histologic subtype of head and neck cancer, presents great mortality and morbidity worldwide. The aim of this study is to discover new potential biomarkers closely correlated with HNSCC progression. In this study, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was applied to construct a co-expression network, and the brown module was identified as the most correlated with HNSCC progression.

HOTTIP Functions as a Key Candidate Biomarker in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma by Integrated Bioinformatic Analysis.

Background: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the pivotal role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks for predicting survival and evaluating prognosis in cancer patients. However, the pathogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear, and prognostic biomarkers for HNSCC are still lacking.

Methods: A total of 546 RNA sequencing profiles of HNSCC patients with clinical outcome data were obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, providing a large sample of RNA sequencing data.

Metformin enhances gefitinib efficacy by interfering with interactions between tumor-associated macrophages and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play an important role in drug resistance in many tumors, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, how TAMs interact with HNSCC cells to induce drug resistance, especially under hypoxic conditions, is unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of TAM-induced gefitinib resistance in HNSCC cells and sought for novel therapeutic strategies.

Carrier-free nano-integrated strategy for synergetic cancer anti-angiogenic therapy and phototherapy.

Herein, a nano-integrated strategy was used to combine an anti-angiogenic agent sorafenib and a photosensitizer chlorin e6 to form carrier-free multifunctional nanoparticles (SC NPs) for synergetic anti-angiogenic therapy and phototherapy. SC NPs (diameter, ∼152 nm) presented excellent water dispersity and passive targeting ability towards tumor sites based on the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, which could be monitored by fluorescence imaging. Besides, SC NPs exhibited effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and photothermal conversion abilities for both photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT).

Metformin sensitizes hypoxia-induced gefitinib treatment resistance of HNSCC via cell cycle regulation and EMT reversal.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to explore the mechanisms of metformin sensitization to hypoxia-induced gefitinib treatment in resistant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and evaluate the effects of this combined treatment strategy.

Methods: The effects of gefitinib treatment on HNSCC were measured under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. The relationship between hypoxia and cell cycle and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in tumor cells were analyzed.

Antitumor effect of a Pt-loaded nanocomposite based on graphene quantum dots combats hypoxia-induced chemoresistance of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Tumor microenvironment plays an important role in the chemoresistance of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Hypoxia in the microenvironment is one of the important factors that contributes to OSCC chemoresistance; therefore overcoming hypoxia-mediated chemoresistance is one of the great challenges in clinical practice.

Methods: In this study, we developed a drug delivery system based on Pt-loaded, polyethylene glycol-modified graphene quantum dots via chemical oxidation and covalent reaction.

Prognostic factors of palatal mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a retrospective analysis based on a double-center study.

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the palate is a common malignancy of minor salivary glands. This study was designed to identify the prognostic factors for MEC of the palate. The medical records of patients diagnosed with MEC of the palate who visited the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Nanjing Stomatological Hospital and the Department of Stomatology at Central Hospital of Xuzhou were retrospectively studied.