RAB31 marks and controls an ESCRT-independent exosome pathway.

Exosomes are generated within the multivesicular endosomes (MVEs) as intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) and secreted during the fusion of MVEs with the cell membrane. The mechanisms of exosome biogenesis remain poorly explored. Here we identify that RAB31 marks and controls an ESCRT-independent exosome pathway.

Impact of SCID mouse gender on tumorigenicity, xenograft growth and drug-response in a large panel of orthotopic PDX models of pediatric brain tumors.

Brain tumor is the leading cause of cancer related death in children. Clinically relevant animals are critical for new therapy development. To address the potential impact of animal gender on tumorigenicity rate, xenograft growth and in vivo drug responses, we retrospectively analyzed 99 of our established patient derived orthotopic xenograft mouse models (orthotopic PDX or PDOX).

Identification of a subpopulation of long-term tumor-initiating cells in colon cancer.

Long-term tumor-initiating cells (LT-TICs) are viewed as a quantifiable target for colon cancer therapy owing to their extensive self-renewal and tumorigenic and metastatic capacities. However, it is unknown which subpopulation of colon cancer cells contains LT-TICs. Here, based on the methods for isolating and identifying cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the functional features of LT-TICs, we aimed to identify a subpopulation of LT-TICs.

Inhibition of leucine-rich repeats and calponin homology domain containing 1 accelerates microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in a rat traumatic spinal cord injury model.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers the primary mechanical injury and secondary inflammation-mediated injury. Neuroinflammation-mediated insult causes secondary and extensive neurological damage after SCI. Microglia play a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of post-SCI neuroinflammation.

Polymorphisms of Drug-Metabolizing Enzymes and Transporters Contribute to the Individual Variations of Erlotinib Steady State Trough Concentration, Treatment Outcomes, and Adverse Reactions in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Background: Erlotinib is presently the first line treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) active mutation. An increasing number of evidences show that the treatment efficacy and toxicities are considerably heterogeneous among individuals. Hence, it is necessary to find biological predictors for further individualized treatment of erlotinib in NSCLC patients.

CD47 Overexpression Is Associated with Epstein-Barr Virus Infection and Poor Prognosis in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Purpose: Little is known about the clinical significance of CD47 expression and its association with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The aim of this study was to clarify the prognostic value and role of CD47 in EBV-associated NPC.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-six cases of non-metastatic NPC were retrospectively reviewed.

Barrier Protection Measures for the Management of Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Pharmacotherapy for allergic rhinitis (AR) still remains unsatisfying regarding its effect and safety. Barrier protection measures may be a good choice for the patients with AR.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of barrier protection measures in the treatment of AR.

Targeting the CK1α/CBX4 axis for metastasis in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma, an aggressive malignant cancer, has a high lung metastasis rate and lacks therapeutic target. Here, we reported that chromobox homolog 4 (CBX4) was overexpressed in osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues. CBX4 promoted metastasis by transcriptionally up-regulating Runx2 via the recruitment of GCN5 to the Runx2 promoter.

Postoperative intensity-modulated radiation therapy reduces local recurrence and improves overall survival in III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer: A single-center, retrospective study.

Purpose: To determine the postoperative effects of radiotherapy (PORT) on the local recurrence-free survival (LRFS) and overall survival (OS) of stage III-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Materials And Methods: 183 patients with resected stage III-pN2 NSCLC from Hunan Cancer Hospital between 2013 and 2016 were divided into two groups for postoperative chemotherapy (POCT) (n = 105) or combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy (POCRT) (n = 78). The LRFS and OS were compared and the factors affecting local recurrence were illustrated in these two groups.

Dual-energy spectral CT quantitative parameters for the differentiation of Glioma recurrence from treatment-related changes: a preliminary study.

Background: Differentiating glioma recurrence from treatment-related changes can be challenging on conventional imaging. We evaluated the efficacy of quantitative parameters measured by dual-energy spectral computed tomographic (CT) for this differentiation.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients were examined by dual-energy spectral CT.

High expression of IGBP1 correlates with poor prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Immunoglobulin binding protein 1 (IGBP1) is an important signal transduction regulator that mediates various functions. However, its expression profile, role, and clinical significance in cancers are uncertain. The purpose of this study was to determine the expression profile and the prognostic significance of IGBP1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

HIF-2α upregulation mediated by hypoxia promotes NAFLD-HCC progression by activating lipid synthesis via the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a relevant risk factor for developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Steatohepatitic HCC (SH-HCC), characterized by HCC with steatosis, is influenced by lipid metabolism disorders. A hypoxic microenvironment is common in HCC and affects lipid metabolism.

Long-term cardiac-specific mortality among 44,292 acute myeloid leukemia patients treated with chemotherapy: a population-based analysis.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a common hematological malignancy treated with regimens containing anthracycline, an agent with cardiotoxicity. However, the cardiac-specific mortality in AML patients receiving chemotherapy remains unknown. In this population-based study, patients diagnosed with AML between 1973 and 2015 were identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database.

MicroRNA-18a promotes cancer progression through SMG1 suppression and mTOR pathway activation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

miR-18a has been reported to be upregulated in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues by microarray assays. However, the roles and the underlying mechanisms of miR-18a in NPC remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrated by real-time RT-PCR that miR-18a expression is upregulated in NPC tissues, and positively correlated with tumor size and TNM stage.

THAP7 promotes cell proliferation by regulating the G1/S phase transition via epigenetically silencing p21 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. The THanatos-Associated Proteins (THAP) family plays an essential role in multiple cancers. However, the role of THAP7 in cancers has remained elusive.

Tumor Vasculatures: A New Target for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Immune cells rely on a functional vascular network to enter tissues. In solid tumors, blood vessels are abnormal and dysfunctional and, thus, immune effector cell infiltration is impaired. Although normalizing the tumor vasculature has been shown to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies, recent studies suggest that enhanced immune stimulation also, in turn, improves tumor vascular normalization.

β-Arrestin1-mediated decrease in endoplasmic reticulum stress impairs intestinal stem cell proliferation following radiation.

Gastrointestinal toxicity limits the clinical application of abdominal and pelvic radiotherapy and currently has no effective treatment. Intestinal leucine-rich-repeat-containing GPCR 5 (Lgr5)-positive stem cell depletion and loss of proliferative ability due to radiation may be the primary factors causing intestinal injury following radiation. Here, we report the critical role of β-arrestin1 (βarr1) in radiation-induced intestinal injury.

MicroRNA hsa-miR-623 directly suppresses MMP1 and attenuates IL-8-induced metastasis in pancreatic cancer.

Matrix metalloproteinase‑1 (MMP1) participates in the metastasis of pancreatic cancer, and its expression can be regulated by endogenous microRNAs (miRs/miRNAs) and exogenous inflammatory factors. Whether miRNAs that potentially modulate MMP1 expression can also attenuate the pro‑metastatic effects of its inducer on pancreatic cancer is yet to be completely elucidated. In the present study, a systematic analysis including in silico and bioinformatics analyses, a luciferase reporter assay and an RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), were used to investigate the interaction between miRNAs and MMP1 mRNA.

Clinical features and survival outcomes between ascending and descending types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the intensity-modulated radiotherapy era: A big-data intelligence platform-based analysis.

Purpose: To compare clinical features and survival outcomes in patients with ascending type (type A) and descending type (type D) nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in the intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era.

Materials And Methods: A total of 5194 patients with type A and type D NPC treated at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were randomly selected. Tumors that were mainly advanced local disease (T3-4 stage) with early stage cervical lymph node involvement (N0-1 stage) were determined as type A, while tumors with advanced lymph node disease (N2-3 stage) but early stage local invasion (T1-2 stage) were classified as type D NPC.

miR-429 suppresses cell proliferation, migration and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma by downregulation of TLN1.

Background: miR-429 and TLN1 have been shown to affect the biological behaviours of many carcinomas. However, their effects in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) are not yet clear. Here, we investigated their regulatory relationships and effects on NPC cells.

Identification of gene related to nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on pathway and network-based analyses.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a highly aggressive neoplasm mainly distributed in the eastern and southeastern parts of Asia. NPC has a poor prognosis among head and neck cancers, and molecular-targeted therapies showed limited clinical efficacy.

Methods: We reviewed publications in the PubMed database and extracted genes associated with NPC.

Do all patients with advanced N-stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma benefit from the addition of induction chemotherapy to concurrent chemoradiotherapy?

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits from the addition of induction chemotherapy (IC) to concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) in N2-3 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: A total of 3089 patients with nonmetastatic NPC, staged as N2-3 were retrospectively reviewed. IC contained cisplatin (80 mg/m) with 5-fluorouracil (800 mg/m/day over 120 h), or cisplatin (80 mg/m) with docetaxel (80 mg/m), or cisplatin (60 mg/m) with 5-fluorouracil (600 mg/m over 120 h), and docetaxel (60 mg/m) administered at 3-week intervals for two or three cycles.