The expression of Ki67 is strongly associated with tumor cell proliferation and growth, and is widely used in routine pathological investigation as a proliferation marker. The nuclear protein Ki67 (pKi67) is an established prognostic and predictive indicator for the assessment of biopsies from patients with cancer. Clinically, pKi67 has been shown to correlate with metastasis and the clinical stage of tumors. In addition, it has been shown that Ki67 expression is significantly higher malignant tissues with poorly differentiated tumor cells, as compared with normal tissue. According to its predictive role, pKi67 expression identifies subpopulations of patients who are more likely to respond to a given therapy. The Ki67 labeling index is an independent prognostic factor for survival rate, which includes all stages and grade categories. There is a correlation between the ratio of Ki67‑positive malignant cells and patient survival. It has been shown that blocking of Ki67 either by microinjection of antibodies or through the use of antisense oligonucleotides leads to the arrest of cell proliferation. Specifically, antisense oligonucleotides and antibodies against pKi67 have been shown to inhibit the progression of the cell cycle. The Ki67 protein is well characterized at the molecular level and is extensively used as a prognostic and predictive marker for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Increasing evidence indicates that Ki67 may be an effective target in cancer therapy. It therefore merits further development, including testing in more sophisticated in vitro and appropriate in vivo models. This review provides an overview of recent advances in this field.

In China, ages at menarche and menopause are not associated with diabetes. Later menarche and menopause are associated with decreasing CVD risk and earlier menopause with higher osteoporosis risk. Menarche and menopause history may help identify women with increased risk of developing CVD and osteoporosis.

Adoptive chimeric antigen receptor-modified T or NK cells (CAR-T or CAR-NK) offer new options for cancer treatment. CAR-T therapy has achieved encouraging breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological malignancies. However, their therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors is limited. New regimens, including combinations with chemical drugs, need to be studied to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T or NK cells for solid tumors. An epithelial cell adhesion molecule- (EpCAM-) specific second-generation CAR was constructed and transduced into NK-92 cells by lentiviral vectors. Immune effects, including cytokine release and cytotoxicity of the CAR-NK-92 cells against EpCAM-positive colon cancer cells, were evaluated in vitro. Synergistic effects of regorafenib and CAR-NK-92 cells were analyzed in a mouse model with human colorectal cancer xenografts. The CAR-NK-92 cells can specifically recognize EpCAM-positive colorectal cancer cells and release cytokines, including IFN-γ, perforin, and granzyme B, and show specific cytotoxicity in vitro. The growth suppression efficacy of combination therapy with regorafenib and CAR-NK-92 cells on established EpCAM-positive tumor xenografts was more significant than that of monotherapy with CAR-NK-92 cells or regorafenib. Our results provided a novel strategy to treat colorectal cancer and enhance the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-modified immune effector cells for solid tumors.

Sleep durations of 7-8 h/d, 9-10 h/d, and 10 h/d or longer, as well as longer daytime napping times, tend to present higher risks of having osteoporosis, and this tendency is most obvious in postmenopausal women reporting good-quality sleep.

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The quantification of pharmacological parameters at G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is indispensable in drug research but costly and time-consuming when conventional methods are sequentially applied. With neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y(1), Y(2), and Y(5) receptors as model systems, a homogenous flow cytometric method for the simultaneous determination of the affinity, selectivity, and activity of GPCR ligands was developed. Mixtures of cells expressing the receptors of interest and cyanine-labeled NPY as a universal fluorescent Y(1), Y(2), and Y(5) receptor agonist were used. Calcium mobilization was measured in different channels with the aid of fluo-4 and fura red. A combination of dye-loaded HEL-Y(1) and CHO-Y(2)-Galpha(qi5) cells with unloaded HEC-1B-Y(5) cells allowed the simultaneous determination of Y(1), Y(2), and Y(5) receptor selectivity preceded by the Y(1) and Y(2) receptor-mediated response with one and the same sample. The data are in good agreement with those determined by radioligand binding and spectrofluorimetry. The convenient, robust, and inexpensive multiparametric procedure offers a broad range of applications in the pharmacological characterization of GPCR ligands.

These results confirm the existence of nociceptive hypersensitivity at latent MTrPs and provide the first evidence that there exists non-nociceptive hypersensitivity (allodynia) at latent MTrPs. Finally, the occurrence of referred muscle pain is associated with higher pain sensitivity at latent MTrPs.

The chimeric antigen receptor-modified immune effector cell (CAR-T and CAR-NK) therapies are newly developed adoptive treatments of cancers. However, their therapeutic efficacy against solid tumors is limited. Combining CAR-T or CAR-NK cells with chemotherapeutic drugs to treat solid tumor may be a promising strategy. We developed an epidermal growth factor- (EGFR-) specific third-generation CAR. NK-92 cells were modified with the CAR by lentivirus infection. The specific killing ability of the CAR-modified NK-92 cells (CAR-NK-92) against renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell lines was confirmed in vitro. The synergistic effects of cabozantinib and EGFR-specific CAR-NK-92 cells were investigated in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that the CAR-NK-92 cells lyse RCC cells in an EGFR-specific manner. Treatment with cabozantinib could increase EGFR and decrease PD-L1 membrane surface expression in RCC cells and enhance the killing ability of CAR-NK-92 cells against the RCC cells in vitro. Furthermore, the CAR-NK-92 cells show synergistic therapeutic efficacy with cabozantinib against human RCC xenograft models. Our results provided the basis for combination with chemotherapy as a novel strategy for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of CAR-modified immune effector cells for solid tumors.