Worm expulsion of Gymnophalloides seoi from C57BL/6 mice: role of metacercarial exosomes in upregulating TLR2 and MUC2 expression in intestinal tissues

Parasitology Research - Gymnophalloides seoi worms were rapidly expelled from C57BL/6 mice within days 3–6 post-infection probably due to operation of mucosal innate immunity. To understand...     

ATG9A overexpression is associated with disease recurrence and poor survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma

ATG9A is an integral membrane protein required for autophagosome formation and a membrane carrier in the autophagy pathways. The present study was designed to investigate the expression of ATG9A in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Clinically annotated tumor specimens from 90 patients with OSCC were subjected to immunohistochemistry using an antibody against ATG9A and immunoreactivity was scored using an immunoreactivity score (IRS). Scores were compared with clinical and pathologic data to assess association with outcome. Overexpression of ATG9A was defined as an IRS of ≥9 by receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and was identified in 25 (28 %) of 90 cases. ATG9A overexpression was associated with disease recurrence and overall survival (OS) in both univariate (p?=?0.030 and 0.025, respectively) and multivariate (p?=?0.026 and 0.038, respectively) Cox analyses. Kaplan–Meier plots also showed that patients with ATG9A overexpression had shorter 3-year OS (p?=?0.017) and time to recurrence (p?=?0.021) than those with low ATG9A expression. These results suggest that the presence of ATG9A in the cytoplasm of tumor cells may be an independent biomarker for disease recurrence and survival in patients with OSCC.     

Immunotherapy of biliary tract cancer

Biliary tract cancers (BTCs), which encompass intra- and extrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas as well as gallbladder carcinomas, are one of the most aggressive malignancies. Although the development of systemic chemotherapy approaches has made progress, the prognosis of BTC remains poor. Chronic inflammation plays an important role in the carcinogenesis of BTC, highlighting the immune etiology of this disease. Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising new modality of treatment for BTC. Here, we summarize the relevant tumor immunology of BTC and recently completed and ongoing clinical trials of immunotherapy for BTC.     

Impact of Postoperative Complications on Long-Term Survival After Resection of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Annals of Surgical Oncology - Controversy exists over the relationship between postoperative complications (POCs) and long-term survival for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after hepatectomy. This...     

Evaluation of Stress Predominant Urinary Incontinence

Urodynamic studies (UDS) have been used to objectively characterize a patient’s complaint of urinary incontinence. Presumably, the clinician can utilize the UDS data to guide treatment options. It is even hoped that UDS can help predict which treatments should be utilized to produce the most effective outcomes. However, is this currently the case? The Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network (UITN) has completed four large randomized clinical trials related to treatments for urinary incontinence. Two trials compared outcomes of different surgeries for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in which standardized UDS protocols were used. Secondary analyses of these UDS data showed that UDS were neither prognostic of treatment outcomes nor correlative with severity of UI symptoms, suggesting limited utility of UDS in the evaluation and management of the uncomplicated SUI patient. A third trial was designed to answer whether a basic office examination is not noninferior to UDS in affecting SUI surgical outcomes. The results of this study are currently in press. A fourth trial examined treatment of urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). Because UDS was not part of this trial, the utility of UDS in management and treatment of UUI could not be assessed. In summary, UDS will need to undergo further refinements to increase its clinical effectiveness in the area of urinary incontinence.     

A review of the safety and clinical utility of contrast echocardiography

There are limitations to the sensitivity and specificity of conventional two-dimensional echocardiograms in making an accurate diagnosis in certain patient populations. This led to the development of specific contrast-enhancing agents with the following characteristics: small enough to cross the pulmonary capillary bed, remain stable throughout the length of the procedure, do not dissolve in blood, and rapidly cleared from the body with low toxicity. Unfortunately, the use of contrast echocardiography has not taken off as expected. The low take-up rate among clinicians can largely be attributed to the black box warning by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2007, after the coincidental occurrence of four patient deaths and about 190 severe cardiopulmonary reactions shortly after contrast agent administration. In this article, we address the clinical safety of contrast agents, share our institution’s experience in using it and elaborate on the clinical indications of contrast echocardiography.