China special issue on gastrointestinal tumors-Radiological features of pathological complete response in mismatch repair deficient colorectal cancer after neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade: A post hoc analysis of the PICC phase II trial

Neoadjuvant programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade exhibits promising efficacy in patients with mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC). However, discrepancies between radiological and histological findings have been reported in the PICC phase II trial (NCT 03926338). Therefore, we strived to discern radiological features associated with pathological complete response (pCR) based on computed tomography (CT) images. Data were obtained from the PICC trial that included 36 tumors from 34 locally advanced dMMR CRC patients, who received neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade for 3 months. Among the 36 tumors, 28 (77.8%) tumors achieved pCR. There were no statistically significant differences in tumor longitudinal diameter, the percentage change in tumor longitudinal diameter from baseline, primary tumor sidedness, clinical stage, extramural venous invasion status, intratumoral calcification, peritumoral fat infiltration, intestinal fistula and tumor necrosis between the pCR and non-pCR tumors. Otherwise, tumors with pCR had smaller posttreatment tumor maximum thickness (median: 10 mm vs 13 mm, P = .004) and higher percentage decrease in tumor maximum thickness from baseline (52.9% vs 21.6%, P = .005) compared to non-pCR tumors. Additionally, a higher proportion of the absence of vascular sign (P = .003, odds ratio [OR] = 25.870 [95% CI, 1.357-493.110]), nodular sign (P < .001, OR = 189.000 [95% CI, 10.464-3413.803]) and extramural enhancement sign (P = .003, OR = 21.667 [2.848-164.830]) was observed in tumors with pCR. In conclusion, these CT-defined radiological features may have the potential to serve as valuable tools for clinicians in identifying patients who have achieved pCR after neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade, particularly in individuals who are willing to adopt a watch-and-wait strategy.     

Silencing KLF16 inhibits oral squamous cell carcinoma cell proliferation by arresting the cell cycle and inducing apoptosis

Krüppel-like factor 16 (KLF16), a member of the Krüppel-like factor (KLF) family, has been extensively investigated in multiple cancer types. However, the role of KLF16 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remains unknown. Thus, we conducted this study to investigate its related mechanism. KLF16 expression in OSCC cell lines was quantified by western blotting. Then, OECM1 and OC3 cells were divided into Blank, siCtrl, siKLF16#1 and siKLF16#2 groups. Subsequently, cell proliferation was detected using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assays, cell migration and invasion were detected with wound healing and Transwell assays, and cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis were detected via flow cytometry. KLF16, p21, CDK4, Cyclin D1 and p-Rb expression was detected by western blotting. Finally, xenograft models were established in nude mice to observe the in vivo effects of KLF16 on OSCC. KLF16 protein expression was upregulated in OSCC cells. Compared to the cells in the Blank group, the OECM1 and OC3 cells in the siKLF16#1 group and siKLF16#2 group exhibited a sharp decrease in proliferation but a remarkable increase in apoptosis. Moreover, the proportion of cells in the G0/G1 phase notably increased and that in the S phase decreased, with evident decreases in cell invasion and migration. Moreover, KLF16, cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), Cyclin D1 and p-Rb protein expression was upregulated, but p21 expression was downregulated. The mice in the siKLF16#1 and siKLF16#2 xenograft model groups exhibited slower tumour growth and smaller tumours with evident downregulation of Ki67 expression compared to the mice in the Blank group. KLF16 expression was upregulated in OSCC cells, and interfering with KLF16 led to cell cycle arrest, inhibited OSCC cell growth and promoted cell apoptosis.     

A Priori Subcell Limiting Approach for the FR/CPR Method on Unstructured Meshes

A priori subcell limiting approach is developed for high-order flux reconstruction/correction procedure via reconstruction (FR/CPR) methods on two-dimensional unstructured quadrilateral meshes. Firstly, a modified indicator based on modal energy coefficients is proposed to detect troubled cells, where discontinuities exist. Then, troubled cells are decomposed into nonuniform subcells and each subcell has one solution point. A second-order finite difference shock-capturing scheme based on nonuniform nonlinear weighted (NNW) interpolation is constructed to perform the calculation on troubled cells while smooth cells are calculated by the CPR method. Numerical investigations show that the proposed subcell limiting strategy on unstructured quadrilateral meshes is robust in shock-capturing.     

Radiomics model based on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced MRI for predicting liver failure

BACKGROUND Postoperative liver failure is the most severe complication in cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) after major hepatectomy. Current available clinical indexes predicting postoperative residual liver function are not sufficiently accurate.AIM To determine a radiomics model based on preoperative gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for predicting liver failure in cirrhotic patients with HCC after major hepatectomy.METHODS For this retrospective study, a radiomics-based model was developed based on preoperative hepatobiliary phase gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance images in 101 patients with HCC between June 2012 and June 2018. Sixty-one radiomic features were extracted from hepatobiliary phase images and selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator method to construct a radiomics signature. A clinical prediction model, and radiomics-based model incorporating significant clinical indexes and radiomics signature were built using multivariable logistic regression analysis. The integrated radiomics-based model was presented as a radiomics nomogram. The performances of clinical prediction model, radiomics signature, and radiomics-based model for predicting post-operative liver failure were determined using receiver operating characteristics curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analyses.RESULTS Five radiomics features from hepatobiliary phase images were selected to construct the radiomics signature. The clinical prediction model, radiomics signature, and radiomics-based model incorporating indocyanine green clearance rate at 15 min and radiomics signature showed favorable performance for predicting postoperative liver failure(area under the curve: 0.809-0.894). The radiomics-based model achieved the highest performance for predicting liver failure(area under the curve: 0.894; 95%CI: 0.823-0.964). The integrated discrimination improvement analysis showed a significant improvement in the accuracy of liver failure prediction when radiomics signature was added to the clinical prediction model(integrated discrimination improvement = 0.117, P =0.002). The calibration curve and an insignificant Hosmer-Lemeshow test statistic(P = 0.841) demonstrated good calibration of the radiomics-based model. The decision curve analysis showed that patients would benefit more from a radiomics-based prediction model than from a clinical prediction model and radiomics signature alone.CONCLUSION A radiomics-based model of preoperative gadoxetic acid–enhanced MRI can be used to predict liver failure in cirrhotic patients with HCC after major hepatectomy.     

骨形态发生蛋白2及碱性成纤维生长因子2对大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖和成骨分化的影响

文题释义： 细胞膜片技术：是在体外接种培养高密度的细胞，使其相互融合生长至100%而形成的透明致密膜状物。该技术不需要胰酶消化即可收集细胞，因此保留了大量的胞外基质、细胞间连接以及细胞-基质连接等结构。目前细胞膜片技术已成为组织工程领域的研究热点，已被推广应用于牙周膜、角膜、心脏、软骨、食管等多种组织器官修复。 成骨细胞：主要由内外骨膜和间充质始祖细胞分化而来，在复杂的骨形成过程中发挥着主要的功能，承担着骨基质的合成、分泌和矿化。骨髓间充质干细胞具有多向分化潜能，能定向分化为成骨细胞，其成骨分化过程可受多种因素的影响，如细胞因子的调控、遗传因素和激素水平等。背景：现阶段骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖、成骨分化的影响和作用机制还尚未可知，如何将生长因子与组织工程细胞膜片技术相整合，最终将其用于骨缺损修复具有重要意义。 目的：探讨单独及联合应用骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖和成骨分化的影响。 方法：体外分离培养鉴定SD大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞并构建细胞膜片，选用不同质量浓度的骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2单独及联合诱导骨髓间充质干细胞膜片，CCK-8法结合碱性磷酸酶活性检测确定2种因子促进膜片增殖和成骨分化的最佳有效质量浓度；然后对骨髓间充质干细胞膜片进行成骨诱导，通过大体及显微镜观察、Vonkossa染色、茜素红染色、RT-PCR检测相关成骨标志物来评估诱导效果。 结果与结论：单独应用骨形态发生蛋白2可增强骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的碱性磷酸酶活性，最佳质量浓度为100 μg/L(P < 0.001)，单独应用碱性成纤维生长因子2能加速骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的增殖，最佳质量浓度为20 μg/L(P < 0.001)，而联合应用既可以促进膜片增殖又能提高其碱性磷酸酶活性(P < 0.001)；经成骨诱导后，4组膜片在形态学上无明显差异，均能诱导骨髓间充质干细胞膜片的成骨分化，其中联合组钙结节最明显(P < 0.001)，可显著促进膜片晚期成骨分化并抑制其早期成骨分化，具有明显的协同促进作用(P < 0.001)。结果表明，骨形态发生蛋白2和碱性成纤维生长因子2联合应用时具有协同作用，既可以促进骨髓间充质干细胞膜片增殖，又能显著增强其成骨诱导能力。ORCID: 0000-0003-1918-579X(何惠宇) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞；骨髓干细胞；造血干细胞；脂肪干细胞；肿瘤干细胞；胚胎干细胞；脐带脐血干细胞；干细胞诱导；干细胞分化；组织工程     

Specific alterations in plasma proteins during depressed,manic, and euthymic states of bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a common psychiatric mood disorder affecting more than 1-2% of the general population of different European countries. Unfortunately, there is no objective laboratory-based test to aid BD diagnosis or monitor its progression, and little is known about the molecular basis of BD. Here, we performed a comparative proteomic study to identify differentially expressed plasma proteins in various BD mood states (depressed BD, manic BD, and euthymic BD) relative to healthy controls. A total of 10 euthymic BD, 20 depressed BD, 15 manic BD, and 20 demographically matched healthy control subjects were recruited. Seven high-abundance proteins were immunodepleted in plasma samples from the 4 experimental groups, which were then subjected to proteome-wide expression profiling by two-dimensional electrophoresis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. Proteomic results were validated by immunoblotting and bioinformatically analyzed using MetaCore. From a total of 32 proteins identified with 1.5-fold changes in expression compared with healthy controls, 16 proteins were perturbed in BD independent of mood state, while 16 proteins were specifically associated with particular BD mood states. Two mood-independent differential proteins, apolipoprotein (Apo) A1 and Apo L1, suggest that BD pathophysiology may be associated with early perturbations in lipid metabolism. Moreover, down-regulation of one mood-dependent protein, carbonic anhydrase 1 (CA-1), suggests it may be involved in the pathophysiology of depressive episodes in BD. Thus, BD pathophysiology may be associated with early perturbations in lipid metabolism that are independent of mood state, while CA-1 may be involved in the pathophysiology of depressive episodes.