Phase 0 Study of Vandetanib-Eluting Radiopaque Embolics as a Preoperative Embolization Treatment in Patients with Resectable Liver Malignancies

PurposeTo assess the safety and tolerability of a vandetanib-eluting radiopaque embolic (BTG-002814) for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in patients with resectable liver malignancies.Materials and MethodsThe VEROnA clinical trial was a first-in-human, phase 0, single-arm, window-of-opportunity study. Eligible patients were aged ≥18 years and had resectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Child-Pugh A) or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Patients received 1 mL of BTG-002814 transarterially (containing 100 mg of vandetanib) 7–21 days prior to surgery. The primary objectives were to establish the safety and tolerability of BTG-002814 and determine the concentrations of vandetanib and the N-desmethyl vandetanib metabolite in the plasma and resected liver after treatment. Biomarker studies included circulating proangiogenic factors, perfusion computed tomography, and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsEight patients were enrolled: 2 with HCC and 6 with mCRC. There was 1 grade 3 adverse event (AE) before surgery and 18 after surgery; 6 AEs were deemed to be related to BTG-002814. Surgical resection was not delayed. Vandetanib was present in the plasma of all patients 12 days after treatment, with a mean maximum concentration of 24.3 ng/mL (standard deviation ± 13.94 ng/mL), and in resected liver tissue up to 32 days after treatment (441–404,000 ng/g). The median percentage of tumor necrosis was 92.5% (range, 5%–100%). There were no significant changes in perfusion imaging parameters after TACE.ConclusionsBTG-002814 has an acceptable safety profile in patients before surgery. The presence of vandetanib in the tumor specimens up to 32 days after treatment suggests sustained anticancer activity, while the low vandetanib levels in the plasma suggest minimal release into the systemic circulation. Further evaluation of this TACE combination is warranted in dose-finding and efficacy studies.     

Viral hepatitis: Past,present, and future

Each hepatitis virus—Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, and G—poses a distinct scenario to the patient and clinician alike. Since the discovery of each virus, extensive knowledge regarding epidemiology, virologic properties, and the natural clinical and immunologic history of acute and chronic infections has been generated. Basic discoveries about host immunologic responses to acute and chronic viral infections, combined with virologic data, has led to vaccines to prevent Hepatitis A, B, and E and highly efficacious antivirals for Hepatitis B and C. These therapeutic breakthroughs are transforming the fields of hepatology, transplant medicine in general, and public and global health. Most notably, there is even an ambitious global effort to eliminate chronic viral hepatitis within the next decade. While attainable, there are many barriers to this goal that are being actively investigated in basic and clinical labs on the local, national, and international scales. Herein, we discuss pertinent clinical information and recent organizational guidelines for each of the individual hepatitis viruses while also synthesizing this information with the latest research to focus on exciting future directions for each virus.     

Preoperative comprehensive malignancy risk estimation for thyroid nodules: Development and verification of a network-based prediction model

BackgroundIn order to avoid excessive treatment of thyroid nodules in the clinic, it is necessary to find a simple and practical analysis method to comprehensively and accurately reflect benign or malignant thyroid nodules. This study aimed to construct and validate a comprehensive and reliable network-based predictive model using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria for thyroid nodules to stratify the risk of malignancy prior to surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from patients who underwent surgical treatment for thyroid nodules at the Thyroid and Breast Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Weifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2018 and December 2020. Binary logical regression analysis was performed to predict whether nodules were malignant or benign. The developmental dataset included 457 patients (January 2018–December 2020). The validation set included separate data points (n = 225, January 2018–December 2020).ResultsIn this study, criteria that showed significant predictive value for malignant nodules included TI-RADS: 4b (p = 0.065); Bethesda IV, Bethesda V, Bethesda VI (P < 0.0001); BRAF^V600E mutation (P < 0.0001); Calcitonin>5 pg/ml (p = 0.0037); and FNA-Tg>30 ng/ml (p = 0.0003). A 10-grade risk scoring system was developed. The risk of malignancy risk ranged from 2.06% to 100% and was positively associated with increasing risk grade. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the development and validation sets were 0.972 and 0.946, respectively.ConclusionA simple, comprehensive and reliable web-based predictive model was designed using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria to stratify thyroid nodules by probability of malignancy.     

Cyanidin-3-glucoside protects against high glucose-induced injury in human nucleus pulposus cells by regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling

Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) is a well-known natural anthocyanin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, we explored the role and action mechanism of C3G in high glucose (HG)-induced damage of human nucleus pulposus cells (HNPCs). Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay. TUNEL assay was performed for detecting apoptotic rate. Western blot was performed to determine the expression levels of cl-caspase-3, caspase-3, Bax, Bim, collagen II, aggrecan, MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was analyzed using DCFH-DA staining. The Nrf2 was knocked down or overexpressed in HNPCs through transfection with si-Nrf2 or pcDNA3.0-Nrf2. C3G treatment (12.5, 25, and 50 μM) improved cell viability of HNPCs under HG condition. HG-induced cell apoptosis of HNPCs was attenuated by C3G with decreased apoptotic rate and relative levels of cl-caspase-3/caspase-3, Bax, and Bim. C3G treatment caused significant increase in expression levels of collagen II and aggrecan and decrease in the relative levels of MMP-3, MMP-13, and ADAMTS5. After treatment with C3G, ROS generation in HNPCs was markedly reduced. Treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) reversed HG-induced cell apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. C3G treatment induced the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in HG-induced HNPCs. Moreover, knockdown of Nrf2 reversed the inhibitory effect of C3G on ROS production. Summarily, C3G exerted a protective effect on ROS-mediated cellular damage in HNPCs under HG condition, which was attributed to the induction of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.     

外伤性晶状体脱位合并周边隐匿性视网膜病变的临床特征及预后分析

目的观察分析眼球钝挫伤合并外伤性晶状体脱位患者周边隐匿性视网膜病变的临床特点及预后。 方法本研究纳入2013年1月至2020年1月在柳州市人民医院眼科住院诊断为眼球钝挫伤合并外伤性晶状体脱位，并行23G微创玻璃体切割联合白内障摘除手术的72例（72眼）患者。根据裂隙灯和超声生物显微镜（UBM）检查，将患者分为晶状体不全脱位组和全脱位组，详细记录2组患者的术中周边视网膜病变情况，并分析其临床特征及疗效。 结果眼球钝挫伤合并外伤性晶状体脱位患者中有周边隐匿性视网膜病变的占72.22%，其中晶状体不全脱位组发生率高达80.95%，显著大于晶状体全脱位组的60.00%（P＜0.05）。2组患者的周边隐匿性视网膜病变均以隐匿性视网膜裂孔、变性和出血为最常见。所有患者术后视网膜情况稳定，视力预后较好。 结论眼球钝挫伤合并外伤性晶状体脱位患者常出现周边隐匿性视网膜病变，最常见的是视网膜裂孔、出血、变性。23G微创玻璃体切割联合白内障摘除手术是有效治疗手段，具有创伤小、并发症少的优势。     

石家庄地区16 490例过敏患儿过敏原分布特征分析

Objective To explore the distribution characteristics of 14 kinds of allergens in children in Shijiazhuang area, and to provide scientific basis for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of children′s allergic diseases.     

Rociletinib (CO-1686) enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in ABCG2-overexpressing cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Overexpression of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding cassette subfamily G member 2 (ABCG2) in cancer cells is known to cause multidrug resistance (MDR), which severely limits the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy. Currently, there is no FDA-approved MDR modulator for clinical use. In this study, rociletinib (CO-1686), a mutant-selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), was found to significantly improve the efficacy of ABCG2 substrate chemotherapeutic agents in the transporter-overexpressing cancer cells in vitro and in MDR tumor xenografts in nude mice, without incurring additional toxicity. Mechanistic studies revealed that in ABCG2-overexpressing cancer cells, rociletinib inhibited ABCG2-mediated drug efflux and increased intracellular accumulation of ABCG2 probe substrates. Moreover, rociletinib, inhibited the ATPase activity, and competed with [¹²⁵I] iodoarylazidoprazosin (IAAP) photolabeling of ABCG2. However, ABCG2 expression at mRNA and protein levels was not altered in the ABCG2-overexpressing cells after treatment with rociletinib. In addition, rociletinib did not inhibit EGFR downstream signaling and phosphorylation of protein kinase B (AKT) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). Our results collectively showed that rociletinib reversed ABCG2-mediated MDR by inhibiting ABCG2 efflux function, thus increasing the cellular accumulation of the transporter substrate anticancer drugs. The findings advocated the combination use of rociletinib and other chemotherapeutic drugs in cancer patients with ABCG2-overexpressing MDR tumors.     

银杏内酯B对肌萎缩侧索硬化细胞模型的保护作用及其机制

目的:探讨银杏内酯B(ginkgolide B,GB)对肌萎缩侧索硬化细胞模型c-Jun氨基末端激酶(JNK)信号通路及细胞凋亡的影响。方法:通过含过表达人突变超氧化物歧化酶1(SOD1)~(G93A)基因(hSOD1~(G93A))和过表达人野生SODWT基因(hSOD1WT)与空质粒的慢病毒感染NSC34细胞,经一定浓度的嘌呤霉素筛选,倒置荧光显微镜下观察慢病毒的转染效率和细胞形态的变化,蛋白免疫印迹法(Western blot)检验感染细胞是否过表达SOD1蛋白,建立hSOD1~(G93A)-NSC34细胞系后给予GB,细胞培养分组为正常组、模型组、不同浓度GB组(25,50,75,100 mg·L-1)组,48 h后噻唑蓝(MTT)比色法检测细胞存活率,筛选出最佳药物浓度,后续实验分组为以正常组,模型组,75 mg?L~(-1) GB组,SP600125组,75 mg?L-1GB+SP600125组,流式细胞术检测各组细胞的凋亡率,蛋白免疫印迹法(Western blot)检测磷酸化(p-)JNK,c-Jun,p-c-Jun,半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶-3(Caspase-3)蛋白的表达。结果:与正常的NSC34细胞比较,hSOD1~(G93A)NSC34组细胞胞体变圆,突触减少、变短,而hSOD1WT NSC34组细胞和空质粒组细胞形态学未发生明显变化,与正常组比较,hSOD1~(G93A)NSC34组,hSOD1WTNSC3组细胞内SOD1蛋白水平显著升高(P0. 01),肌萎缩侧索硬化(ALS)细胞模型成功建立。与正常组比较,模型组细胞存活率显著降低(P0. 01);与模型组比较,给予不同浓度GB后,细胞存活率均显著升高(P0. 01),药物质量浓度为75 mg?L-1时细胞存活率显著升高(P0. 01)。后续实验,与正常组比较,模型组凋亡率,p-JNK,p-c-Jun,cleaved Caspase-3蛋白表达量显著升高(P0. 01);与模型组比较,75 mg?L-1GB组,SP600125组,75 mg?L-1GB+SP600125组凋亡率,p-JNK,p-c-Jun,cleaved Caspase-3蛋白表达明显降低(P0. 05,P0. 01)。结论:GB对肌萎缩侧索硬化细胞模型具有抑制细胞凋亡的保护作用,这种保护作用可能是通过JNK信号通路实现的。