Safety and efficacy of different anesthetic regimens for parturients with COVID-19 undergoing Cesarean delivery: a case series of 17 patients

Canadian Journal of Anesthesia/Journal canadien d'anesthésie - To assess the management and safety of epidural or general anesthesia for Cesarean delivery in parturients with coronavirus...     

Helicobacter pylori induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition in gastric carcinogenesis via the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a main risk factor for gastric cancer (GC). Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in the development and progression of H. pylori-associated GC. However, the exact molecular mechanism of this process remains unclear. The AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway has been demonstrated to promote EMT in several types of cancer. The present study investigated whether H. pylori infection induced EMT, and promoted the development and metastasis of cancer in the normal gastric mucosa, and whether this process was dependent on AKT activation. The expression levels of the EMT-associated proteins, including E-cadherin and N-cadherin, were determined in 165 gastric mucosal samples of different disease stages by immunohistochemical analysis. The expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, AKT, phosphorylated (p-)AKT (Ser473), GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were further determined in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbil gastric tissues and cells co-cultured with H. pylori by immunohistochemical analysis and western blotting. The results indicated that the expression levels of the epithelial marker E-cadherin were decreased, whereas the expression levels of the mesenchymal marker N-cadherin were increased during gastric carcinogenesis. Their expression levels were associated with H. pylori infection. Furthermore, H. pylori infection resulted in downregulation of E-cadherin expression and upregulation of N-cadherin expression in Mongolian gerbils and GES-1 cells. In addition, an investigation of the associated mechanism of action revealed that p-AKT (Ser473) and p-GSK3β (Ser9) were activated in GES-1 cells following co-culture with H. pylori. Furthermore, following pretreatment of the cells with the AKT inhibitor VIII, the expression levels of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, p-AKT and p-GSK3β did not show significant differences between GES-1 cells that were co-cultured with or without H. pylori. The levels of p-AKT and p-GSK3β were increased in H. pylori-infected Mongolian gerbils. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that H. pylori infection activated AKT and resulted in the phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK3β, which in turn promoted early stage EMT. These effects were AKT-dependent. This mechanism may serve as a prerequisite for GC development.     

热疗对肿瘤免疫微环境中免疫细胞及免疫相关细胞因子的影响

随着对肿瘤热疗和肿瘤免疫微环境(TIME)的深入研究,近年来热疗对TIME的作用越来越受到学者们的重视。本文就目前国内外研究进展,对热疗与TIME中几类主要免疫细胞和免疫相关细胞因子的影响及作用机制作一综述。全面而透彻的了解热疗对TIME的调控作用,有助于为肿瘤治疗提供新的思路和方法。     

Melatonin induces apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells through HDAC4 nuclear import mediated by CaMKII inactivation

Melatonin induces apoptosis in many different cancer cell lines, including colorectal cancer. However, the precise mechanisms involved remain largely unresolved. In this study, we provide evidence to reveal a new mechanism by which melatonin induces apoptosis of colorectal cancer LoVo cells. Melatonin at pharmacological concentrations significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner. The observed apoptosis was accompanied by the melatonin‐induced dephosphorylation and nuclear import of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Pretreatment with a HDAC4‐specific siRNA effectively attenuated the melatonin‐induced apoptosis, indicating that nuclear localization of HDAC4 is required for melatonin‐induced apoptosis. Moreover, constitutively active Ca²⁺/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II alpha (CaMKIIα) abrogated the melatonin‐induced HDAC4 nuclear import and apoptosis of LoVo cells. Furthermore, melatonin decreased H3 acetylation on bcl‐2 promoter, leading to a reduction of bcl‐2 expression, whereas constitutively active CaMKIIα(T286D) or HDAC4‐specific siRNA abrogated the effect of melatonin. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that melatonin‐induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer LoVo cells largely depends on the nuclear import of HDAC4 and subsequent H3 deacetylation via the inactivation of CaMKIIα.     

液体复苏在高呼吸末正压通气导致的肺泡微循环障碍中的作用

目的明确高呼气末正压（PEEP）条件下肺泡微循环的变化情况以及液体复苏在高PEEP情况下对肺泡微循环的影响。 方法选用北京当地的15条健康成年杂种狗进行实验，分别观察基线（PEEP 5 cmH₂O，1 cmH₂O=0.098 kPa）、高PEEP（平均动脉压下降≥20 mmHg，1 mmHg=0.133 kPa）及液体复苏后的呼吸、系统循环及肺泡微循环情况，肺泡微循环利用旁流暗视野成像（SDF）技术进行观察、留取视频结果，线下利用AVA3.2软件进行分析，不同条件下的实验数据之间的差异利用Wilcoxon秩和检验进行分析。 结果高PEEP可导致中心静脉压（CVP）升高（P=0.001）及心输出量（CO）下降（P=0.002），肺泡微循环表现为总微血管数量（TVDa，P=0.036）、灌注血管数量（PVDa，P=0.002）、灌注血管比例（PPVa，P=0.003）、血流状态（MFIa，P=0.002）显著下降，肺泡周围毛细血管密度下降不明显（TVDs，P=0.319）；液体复苏恢复整体循环后，微循环参数均无显著改善。 结论过高的PEEP水平可导致肺泡微循环的显著恶化，通过液体复苏不能改善由此产生的微循环障碍。     

局部晚期食管鳞癌新辅助放疗剂量与病理完全缓解关系分析

目的 探讨接受新辅助放化疗的局部晚期食管鳞癌患者新辅助放疗剂量与病理完全缓解(pCR)的关系。方法 收集2017-2019年间在四川大学华西医院肿瘤中心经病理确诊为食管鳞癌并接受新辅助放化疗和手术的 116例局部晚期患者临床资料。116例患者中 40~45Gy组 80例,≥45Gy组 36例,分析两组术后pCR率。结果 全组患者的pCR率为38.8%(45/116),40~45Gy组与≥45Gy组的pCR率分别为44%(35/80)和28%(10/36)(P=0.105)。结论 术前新辅助采用较高的放疗剂量不增加局部晚期食管鳞癌的pCR率,有必要进行前瞻性的临床研究确定合适的新辅助放疗剂量。     

Molecular profiling of Chinese R-CHOP treated DLBCL patients: Identifying a high-risk subgroup

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a clinically aggressive and heterogenous disease. Although most patients can be cured by immunochemotherapy, 30% to 40% patient will ultimately develop relapsed or refractory disease. Here, we investigated the molecular landscapes of patients with diverse responses to R-CHOP. We performed capture-based targeted sequencing on baseline samples of 105 DLBCL patients using a panel consisting of 112 lymphoma-related genes. Subsequently, 81 treatment-naïve patients with measurable disease and followed for over 1 year were included for survival analysis. Collectively, the most commonly seen mutations included IGH fusion (69%), PIM1(33%), MYD88 (29%), BCL2 (29%), TP53 (29%), CD79B (25%) and KMT2D (24%). Patients with TP53 mutations were more likely to have primary refractory disease (87.0% vs 50.0%, P = .009). For those with TP53 disruptive mutations, 91.7% patients were in the primary refractory group. Interestingly, BCL-2 somatic hypermutation was only seen in patients without primary refractory disease (P = .014). In multivariate analysis, BCL-2 amplification (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.94, P = .022), B2M mutation (HR = 2.99, P = .017) and TP53 mutation (HR = 3.19, P < .001) were independently associated with shorter time to progression (TTP). Furthermore, TP53 mutations was correlated with worse overall survival (P = .049). Next, we investigated mutation landscape in patients with wild-type (WT) TP53 (n = 58) and found that patients harboring MYD88 L265P had significantly inferior TTP than those with WT or non-265P (P = .046). Our study reveals the mutation spectrum of treatment-naive Chinese DLBCL patients. It also confirms the clinical significance of TP53 mutations and indicates the prognostic value of MYD88 L265P in TP53 WT patients.