Ultrasound-mediated nanobubbles loaded with STAT6 siRNA inhibit TGF-β1-EMT axis in LUSC cells via overcoming the polarization of M2-TAMs.

M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (M2-TAMs) are closely correlated with metastasis and poor clinical outcomes in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Previous studies have demonstrated that STAT6 is an important signaling molecule involved in the polarization of M2-TAMs, EMT is the main way for TAMs to promote tumor progression. However, little attention has been paid to the effect of STAT6 inhibition on LUSC, and it is difficult to achieve an ideal gene silencing effect in immune cells using traditional gene transfection methods.

Ultrasound-mediated PLGA-PEI Nanobubbles Carrying STAT6 SiRNA Enhances NSCLC Treatment Repolarizing Tumor-associated Macrophages from M2 to M1 Phenotypes.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are crucial for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) development.

Objective: In this study, polylactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)-polyethylenimine (PEI) nanobubbles (NBs) carrying STAT6 siRNA were prepared and combined with ultrasound-mediated nanobubbles destruction (UMND) to silence the STAT6 gene, ultimately repolarizing TAMs from the M2 to the M1 phenotype, treating NSCLC .

Methods: PLGA-PEI NBs-siRNA were prepared and characterised, and their respective ultrasound imaging, biological stabilities and cytotoxicities were detected.

A nine-gene signature as prognostic biomarker in gastric cancer by bioinformatics analysis.

Purpose: The prognosis of advanced gastric cancer (GC) remains poor. It is urgent and necessary to find suitable prognostic markers. miR-619-5p is highly expressed in GC.

axis promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression and energy metabolism reprogramming.

Background: Metabolic reprogramming is an emerging cancer feature that has recently drawn special attention since it promotes tumor cell growth and proliferation. However, the mechanism of the Warburg effect is still largely unknown. This research aimed to reveal the effects of BarH-like homeobox 2 () in regulating tumor progression and glucose metabolism in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD).

Design, Characterization, and Liftoff of an Insect-Scale Soft Robotic Dragonfly Powered by Dielectric Elastomer Actuators.

Dragonflies are agile and efficient flyers that use two pairs of wings for demonstrating exquisite aerial maneuvers. Compared to two-winged insects such as bees or flies, dragonflies leverage forewing and hindwing interactions for achieving higher efficiency and net lift. Here we develop the first at-scale dragonfly-like robot and investigate the influence of flapping-wing kinematics on net lift force production.

Study on the expression of c-Met in gastric cancer and its correlation with preoperative serum tumor markers and prognosis.

Background: Studies have found that c-Met plays a critical role in the progression of solid tumors. This study aimed to investigate the expression of c-Met in gastric cancer (GC) and its correlation with preoperative serum tumor markers and prognosis, in order to provide a more theoretical basis for targeting c-Met in the treatment of GC.

Methods: Ninety-seven patients who underwent curative gastrectomy in our hospital from December 2013 to September 2015 were included in this study.

Association between delta anion gap and hospital mortality for patients in cardiothoracic surgery recovery unit: a retrospective cohort study.

Backgrounds: High level of anion gap (AG) was associated with organic acidosis. This study aimed to explore the relationship between delta AG (ΔAG = AG - AG) during first 3 days after intensive care unit (ICU) admission and hospital mortality for patients admitted in the cardiothoracic surgery recovery unit (CSRU).

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we identified patients from the open access database called Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III (MIMIC III).

An integrated analysis of prognostic and immune infiltrates for hub genes as potential survival indicators in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Objective: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the major subtypes of lung cancer that is associated with poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to identify useful biomarkers to enhance the treatment and diagnosis of LUAD.

Methods: GEO2R was used to identify common up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the GSE32863, GSE40791, and GSE75037 datasets.

Identification of differentially expressed miRNAs derived from serum exosomes associated with gastric cancer by microarray analysis.

Aims: To explore the differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs) in serum exosomes between gastric cancer (GC) patients and healthy people to provide new targets for GC diagnosis and treatment.

Methods: DEMs in serum exosomes were screened by microarray analysis and verified by RT-qPCR. The target genes of DEMs were predicted using Targetscan and miRTarBase databases and then overlapped with the DEGs of STAD in TCGA database to obtain the common target genes.

A High-Lift Micro-Aerial-Robot Powered by Low-Voltage and Long-Endurance Dielectric Elastomer Actuators.

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are a special class of artificial muscles that have been used to construct animal-like soft robotic systems. However, compared with state-of-the-art rigid actuators such as piezoelectric bimorphs and electromagnetic motors, most DEAs require higher driving voltages, and their power density and lifetime remain substantially lower. These limitations pose significant challenges for developing agile and powered autonomous soft robots.

Bioinformatic Evidence Reveals that Cell Cycle Correlated Genes Drive the Communication between Tumor Cells and the Tumor Microenvironment and Impact the Outcomes of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive cancer type with poor prognosis; thus, there is especially necessary and urgent to screen potential prognostic biomarkers for early diagnosis and novel therapeutic targets. In this study, we downloaded target data sets from the GEO database, and obtained codifferentially expressed genes using the limma package and identified key genes through the protein-protein interaction network and molecular modules, and performed GO and KEGG pathway analyses for key genes via the clusterProfiler package and further determined their correlations with clinicopathological features using the Oncomine database. Survival analysis was completed in the GEPIA and the Kaplan-Meier plotter database.

Application of Immunotherapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies globally. It not only has a hidden onset but also progresses rapidly. Most HCC patients are already in the advanced stage of cancer when they are diagnosed, and have even lost the opportunity for surgical treatment.

Gene-Edited Interleukin CAR-T Cells Therapy in the Treatment of Malignancies: Present and Future.

In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) have been faced with the problems of weak proliferation and poor persistence in the treatment of some malignancies. Researchers have been trying to perfect the function of CAR-T by genetically modifying its structure. In addition to the participation of T cell receptor (TCR) and costimulatory signals, immune cytokines also exert a decisive role in the activation and proliferation of T cells.

Obstacles and Coping Strategies of CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell immunotherapy refers to an adoptive immunotherapy that has rapidly developed in recent years. It is a novel type of treatment that enables T cells to express specific CARs on their surface, then returns these T cells to tumor patients to kill the corresponding tumor cells. Significant strides in CAR-T cell immunotherapy against hematologic malignancies have elicited research interest among scholars in the treatment of solid tumors.

Reactions Related to CAR-T Cell Therapy.

The application of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy as a tumor immunotherapy has received great interest in recent years. This therapeutic approach has been used to treat hematological malignancies solid tumors. However, it is associated with adverse reactions such as, cytokine release syndrome (CRS), immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), off-target effects, anaphylaxis, infections associated with CAR-T-cell infusion (CTI), tumor lysis syndrome (TLS), B-cell dysplasia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)/macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) and coagulation disorders.

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) Actuator With Embedded Liquid Metal Curvature Sensor for Closed-Loop Control.

We introduce a soft robot actuator composed of a pre-stressed elastomer film embedded with shape memory alloy (SMA) and a liquid metal (LM) curvature sensor. SMA-based actuators are commonly used as electrically-powered limbs to enable walking, crawling, and swimming of soft robots. However, they are susceptible to overheating and long-term degradation if they are electrically stimulated before they have time to mechanically recover from their previous activation cycle.

Robotic bariatric surgery for the obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bariatric surgery (BS) in patients with obesity by robotic bariatric surgery (RBS) compared with laparoscopic bariatric surgery (LBS).

Methods: The study was performed through searching in Pubmed, Web of Science, Embase database and Cochrane Library until March 31, 2020 comparing RBS with LBS. Data were calculated on the following endpoints: operative time, length of hospital stay, reoperation within 30 days, overall complications, leak, stricture, pulmonary embolisms, estimated blood loss and mortality.

Prognostic and Predictive Value of Cadherin 11 for Patients with Gastric Cancer and Its Correlation with Tumor Microenvironment: Results from Microarray Analysis.

Gastric cancer is a disease characterized by inflammation, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) both play a vital role in epithelial-driven malignancy. In the present study, we performed an integrated bioinformatics analysis of transcriptome data from multiple databases of gastric cancer patients and worked on a biomarker for evaluating tumor prognosis. We found that cadherin 11 (CDH11) is highly expressed not only in gastric cancer tissues but also in EMT molecular subtypes and metastatic patients.

Could CTSK and COL4A2 be specific biomarkers of poor prognosis for patients with gastric cancer in Asia?-a microarray analysis based on regional population.

Background: In the purpose of identifying reliable biomarkers for evaluating prognosis, monitoring recurrence and exploring new therapeutic targets, it is quite necessary to screen for the genetic changes and potential molecular mechanisms of the occurrence and development of gastric cancer (GC) from the aspects of race and region.

Methods: Target datasets were retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database with "gastric cancer" as the key word, and corresponding data was downloaded. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained by using limma R package, and the Gene Ontology (GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway for DEGs were analyzed in Enirchr database.

Synaptotagmin 12 (SYT12) Gene Expression Promotes Cell Proliferation and Progression of Lung Adenocarcinoma and Involves the Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) Pathway.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to use bioinformatics analysis to compare data from tissue microarrays from patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and normal lung tissue, and human lung adenocarcinoma cells with normal lung epithelial cells in vitro to investigate the role of synaptotagmin 12 (SYT12) gene expression in LUAD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (A549, SPC-A-1, H1299, H1975, and PC9) and the normal HBE cell line were compared, and tumor xenografts were developed in mice. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) tissue microarray data were used to compare SYT12 expression and overall survival (OS).

NOX2-ROS-HIF-1α signaling is critical for the inhibitory effect of oleanolic acid on rectal cancer cell proliferation.

Rectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the western countries and accounts for 10% incidence and mortality of cancer in the whole world. Drug resistance and severe toxicity severely limited the efficiency of chemotherapy of rectal cancer. Oleanolic acid (OA) is a natural triterpenoid and an aglycone of many saponins.

Cyclooxygenase-2 promoter polymorphism -899G/C is associated with hepatitis B-related liver cancer in a Chinese population of Gansu province.

Background: Hepatitis B virus infection is closely related to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is overexpressed in HCC and considered to play a role in hepatic carcinogenesis. In this study, we analyzed the polymorphism of COX-2 promoter -899G/C in healthy controls, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, liver cirrhosis patients, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients, to investigate the relationship between COX-2 -899G/C polymorphism and the risk for hepatitis B-related liver cancer in a Chinese population from Gansu province.

Cyclooxygenase-2 -765 G/C polymorphisms and susceptibility to hepatitis B-related liver cancer in Han Chinese population.

To investigate the relationship of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) polymorphisms [COX-2 -765 G/C (rs 20417)] and susceptibility to hepatitis B-related liver cancer in Han Chinese population. The polymorphisms of COX-2 -765 G/C was detected by polymerase chain reaction based restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 300 patients with hepatitis B, 300 patients with cirrhosis, 300 patients with primary liver carcinoma and 300 health controls. The COX-2 -765 G/C genotypes were GG, GC and CC.