Early stereotactic body radiation therapy improves progression-free survival of first-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in EGFR-mutated lung cancer: an observational cohort study.

Background: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) exhibits a remarkable therapeutic efficacy. However, its effectiveness in overcoming resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in patients with advanced EGFR mutations (EGFRm) NSCLC remains uncertain.

Objective: We aimed to analyze the effect of SBRT on patients with first-line EGFR-TKIs.

Quality assurance in a phase III, multicenter, randomized trial of POstmastectomy radioThErapy in Node posiTive breast cancer with or without Internal mAmmary nodaL irradiation (POTENTIAL): a planning benchmark case.

Purpose: To report the planning benchmark case results of the POTENTIAL trial-a multicenter, randomized, phase 3 trial-to evaluate the value of internal mammary nodal (IMN) irradiation for patients with high-risk breast cancer.

Methods: All participating institutions were provided the outlines of one benchmark case, and they generated radiation therapy plans per protocol. The plans were evaluated by a quality assurance team, after which the institutions resubmitted their revised plans.

Treatment-Related Pneumonitis of EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Plus Thoracic Radiation Therapy in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Thoracic radiation therapy (RT) for non-small cell lung cancers may overcome resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, the risk of severe treatment-related pneumonitis (TRP) is a major concern, and the results of the combined treatment remain controversial. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review existing publications and provide a meta-analysis of TRP from a combined therapy of thoracic RT and TKIs.

Dual Signal Amplification by Urease Catalysis and Silver Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Colorimetric Detection of Nucleic Acids.

Signal amplification techniques are highly desirable for the analysis of low-level targets that are closely related with diseases and the monitoring of important biological processes. However, it is still challenging to achieve this goal in a facile and economical way. Herein, we developed a novel dual signal amplification strategy by combining urease catalysis with the release of Ag from silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).

F-FDG PET/CT radiomics signature and clinical parameters predict progression-free survival in breast cancer patients: A preliminary study.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of predicting progression-free survival (PFS) in breast cancer patients using pretreatment F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) radiomics signature and clinical parameters.

Methods: Breast cancer patients who underwent F-FDG PET/CT imaging before treatment from January 2012 to December 2020 were eligible for study inclusion. Eighty-seven patients were randomly divided into training (n = 61) and internal test sets (n = 26) and an additional 25 patients were used as the external validation set.

Current status and challenges of immunotherapy in ALK rearranged NSCLC.

Rearrangements of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene account for 5-6% in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). ALK rearranged NSCLC is sensitive to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) but prone to drug resistance. Meanwhile, ALK rearranged NSCLC has poor response to single immunotherapy.

Efficacy and Failure Patterns of Early SBRT to the Primary Tumor in Advanced EGFR-Mutation-Positive Lung Cancer with EFGR-TKI Treatment: A Prospective, Single Arm, Phase II Study.

Early stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the primary tumor combined with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EFGR-TKI) treatment may increase progression-free survival (PFS) by delaying resistance in patients with advanced EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this prospective, single arm, phase II study, patients with advanced NSCLC were treated with EGFR-TKI (icotinib 125 mg tid or gefitinib 250 mg qd) for one month followed by SBRT (40-60 Gy/5-8 F/5-10 d) to the primary tumor with concurrent EGFR-TKI until disease progression. The primary endpoint was PFS and the patterns of failure.

Systemic Immune-inflammation Index (SII) During Induction has Higher Predictive Value Than Preoperative SII in Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Patients Receiving Intravesical Bacillus Calmette -Guerin.

Background: The prognostic value of the systemic immune-inflammation index during induction (ISII) remains unclear in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients receiving Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). We aimed to determine and compare the prognostic value of the ISII, preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (PSII) and their dynamic changes (PISII).

Methods: This study respectively collected data from 362 NMIBC patients receiving BCG treatment in our institution.

LCZ696 protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting ferroptosis via AKT/SIRT3/SOD2 signaling pathway activation.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective and widely used anticancer drug but has limited clinical applicability because of its cardiotoxicity. Ferroptosis plays a key role in DOX-induced cardiac damage and cardiomyocyte cell death. The inhibition of ferroptosis reverses DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC).

Variability of Target Volumes and Organs at Risk Delineation in Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy: Quality Assurance Results of the Pretrial Benchmark Case for the POTENTIAL Trial.

Purpose: To estimate the variations in clinical target volumes (CTVs) and organs at risk delineation within the quality assurance (QA) program of the POTENTIAL trial, which is a multicenter, randomized phase 3 trial evaluating postmastectomy radiation therapy (RT), with or without internal mammary nodal irradiation, for patients with high-risk breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: The simulating computed tomography scan data set of a benchmark case was sent to the participating centers, and the delineation of CTVs and organs at risk was required to be completed by the investigators following protocol guidelines. All submitted contours were reviewed and compared with the reference contours created by the QA team, using quantitative geometric analysis regarding volume and the Jaccard Index (JCI), Dice similarity coefficient, Geographic Miss Index, Discordance Index, and mean distance to agreement.

Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Anlotinib Combined with Oral 5-Fluorouracil/S-1 via Inhibiting Src/AKT Signaling Pathway in Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Background: Small-molecule tyrosine inhibitor anlotinib which developed in China has been approved as a third-line treatment for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Our previous clinical study found that anlotinib combined with S-1 has better short-term ORR than the single-agent anlotinib of SCLC and other small-molecule vascular targeted drug therapies in the treatment of SCLC. However, the molecular mechanism of those effect remains unclear.

Ferroptosis and its role in cardiomyopathy.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiomyopathy is a disease characterized by the heart muscle damage, resulting heart in a structurally and functionally change, as well as heart failure and sudden cardiac death. The key pathogenic factor of cardiomyopathy is the loss of cardiomyocytes, but the related molecular mechanisms remain unclear.

The efficacy and safety of intrapleural hyperthermic perfusion in patients with malignant pleural effusion undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery: a single-arm clinical trial.

Background: Patients with malignant pleural effusion (MPE) are usually treated with an indwelling pleural catheter (IPC) or pleurodesis. However, most do not achieve a satisfactory control rate of pleural effusion and have poor prognosis. Distilled water has cytocidal effects of hypotonic shock and can result in the lysis of cancer cells which was used in surgery to eradicate cancer cells.

Fisetin Attenuates Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy and by Inhibiting Ferroptosis Through SIRT1/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway Activation.

Doxorubicin (DOX) is an anthracycline antibiotic that is used extensively for the management of carcinoma; however, its clinical application is limited due to its serious cardiotoxic side effects. Ferroptosis represents iron-dependent and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related cell death and has been proven to contribute to the progression of DOX-induced cardiomyopathy. Fisetin is a natural flavonoid that is abundantly present in fruits and vegetables.

Characterization With KRAS Mutant Is a Critical Determinant in Immunotherapy and Other Multiple Therapies for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a frequent type of cancer, which is mainly characterized clinically by high aggressiveness and high mortality. KRAS oncoprotein is the most common molecular protein detected in NSCLC, accounting for 25% of all oncogenic mutations. Constitutive activation of the KRAS oncoprotein triggers an intracellular cascade in cancer cells, leading to uncontrolled cell proliferation of cancer cells and aberrant cell survival states.

Efficacy of Intraoperative Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Monitoring During Thoracoscopic Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis (RLNP), a severe complication of mini-invasive esophagectomy, usually occurs during lymphadenectomy adjacent to recurrent laryngeal nerve. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of intraoperative nerve monitoring (IONM) in reducing RLNP incidence during mini-invasive esophagectomy. Systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO, Web of Knowledge, and Cochrane Library until June 4, 2021 was performed using the terms "(nerve monitoring) OR neuromonitoring OR neural monitoring OR recurrent laryngeal nerve AND (esophagectomy OR esophageal).

[Acupuncture combined with smokeless or smoky moxibustion for regulating immune function of experimental chronic rhinosinusitis mice].

Objective: To observe the therapeutic effect of moxa fume in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis（CRS） and the effect of acupuncture plus smokeless moxibustion or smoky moxibustion on the expression of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP) proteins in the sinus mucosal tissue in CRS mice.

Methods: Sixty male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, namely normal control, sham operation, CRS model, medication, acupuncture plus smokeless moxibustion (Acu+smokeless Moxi) and acupuncture plus smoky moxibustion (Acu+smoky Moxi) groups, with 20 mice in each group. The CRS model was established by inserting a piece of polyporous sponge filled with streptococcus pneumoniae into the maxillary sinus after operation.

Pulmonary function after segmentectomy versus lobectomy in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer: a meta-analysis.

Objective: Segmentectomy is widely performed for early-stage lung cancer. However, the effects of segmentectomy versus lobectomy on pulmonary function remain unclear. We performed a meta-analysis with the aim of comparing segmentectomy and lobectomy in terms of preservation of pulmonary function in patients with early-stage non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Genetic Variations in the Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Pathway May Improve Predictive Power for Overall Survival in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), a known immune suppressor, plays an important role in tumor progression and overall survival (OS) in many types of cancers. We hypothesized that genetic variations of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TGF-β1 pathway can predict survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after radiation therapy. Fourteen functional SNPs in the TGF-β1 pathway were measured in 166 patients with NSCLC enrolled in a multi-center clinical trial.

Reduced PHLPP Expression Leads to EGFR-TKI Resistance in Lung Cancer by Activating PI3K-AKT and MAPK-ERK Dual Signaling.

Background: Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) are effective in advanced EGFR-mutation non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but the magnitude of tumor regression varies, and drug resistance is unavoidable. The pleckstrin homology domain leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase (PHLPP) levels are reduced or lost and acts as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. Here, we hypothesized that PHLPP is a key regulator of EGFR-TKI sensitivity and a potential treatment target for overcoming resistance to EGFR-TKI in lung cancer.

Aquaporin-8 is a novel marker for progression of human cervical cancer cells.

Background: Role of aquaporin-8 (AQP8) in cervical cancer has not been fully elucidated.

Objective: We aim to explore the impacts of AQP8 on viability, apoptosis and metastasis in cervical cancer cells.

Methods: AQP8 protein expression in cervical carcinoma specimens and cell lines was detected by IHC and western blot analysis.

Tim-3 suppresses autoimmune hepatitis via the p38/MKP-1 pathway in Th17 cells.

T-cell immunoglobulin- and mucin-domain-containing molecule-3 (Tim-3) mediates T-cell suppression in various autoimmune diseases, such as chronic inflammatory liver disease. However, the regulatory effect of Tim-3 on Th17 cells in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is incompletely understood. Here, we studied the expression and function of Tim-3 in T cells in AIH patients and in a Con A (concanavalin A)-induced mouse AIH model.

Identification and Validation of a Novel DNA Damage and DNA Repair Related Genes Based Signature for Colon Cancer Prognosis.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) with high incidence, has the third highest mortality of tumors. DNA damage and repair influence a variety of tumors. However, the role of these genes in colon cancer prognosis has been less systematically investigated.

Adaptive intensity-modulated radiotherapy with simultaneous integrated boost for stage III non-small cell lung cancer: Is a routine adaptation beneficial?

Purpose: Tumor and anatomical changes during radiotherapy have been observed in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from many previous studies. We hypothesized that a routinely scheduled adaptive radiotherapy would have clinical important dose benefits to lower the risk of toxicities, without increasing the tumor recurrences.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 92 consecutive patients with inoperable stage III NSCLC between November 2017 and March 2019.