MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as negative regulators of gene expression involved in cancer metastasis. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential roles of miR-218 in non-small cell lung cancer and validate its regulation mechanism. Functional studies showed that miR-218 overexpression inhibited cell migration and invasion, but had no effect on cell viability. Enhanced green fluorescent protein reporter assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis confirmed that miR-218 suppressed the expression of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) by directly targeting its 3 0 -untranslated region. Accordingly, silencing of HMGB1 accorded with the effects of miR-218 on cell migration and invasion, and overexpression of HMGB1 can restore cell migration and invasion which were reduced by miR-218. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that miR-218 functions as a tumor suppressor in lung cancer. Furthermore, miR-218 may act as a potential therapeutic biomarker for metastatic lung cancer patients.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a fast-growing cancer with poor prognosis. Patients with extensive-stage SCLC are generally treated with chemotherapy. Thus, it is essential to identify a predictor of efficacy and prognosis for SCLC. Angiopoietin-2 promotes vascular remodeling and angiogenesis. Increasing evidence reveals that angiopoietin-2 is preferentially expressed in cancer cells, and elevated angiopoietin-2 expression is related to invasive and metastatic phenotypes in various cancers. However, serum angiopoietin-2 level and its prognostic potential in SCLC have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of angiopoietin-2 level as a predictor of efficacy and prognosis for SCLC. This study consisted of sixty patients with SCLC. Each patient received four cycles of cisplatin-etoposide chemotherapy, and was followed for 36 months. Serum angiopoietin-2 levels were measured by Enzymelinked immunosorbent assays. The angiopoietin-2 levels were significantly higher in SCLC patients than those in healthy subjects (P < 0.001). The patients were divided into high-level group (32 patients, 2,923.9 ± 294.7 pg/ml) and low-level group (28 patients, 1,789.5 ± 355.1 pg/ml) according to the mean value of the angiopoietin-2 level (2,400 pg/ml). Compared with the patients in the high-level group, the patients in the low-level group showed remarkably survival advantage (P = 0.002). During chemotherapy, the patients in the low-level group showed better treatment response than the patients in the high-level group (P < 0.05). Therefore, angiopoietin-2 might be useful as a prognostic factor for SCLC and for predicting SCLC response to chemotherapy.

With the background that ILLLI can lower the viscosity of blood, improve the microcirculation, we investigated and compared the therapeutic effect of conventional drug therapy and ILLLI combined drug therapy for brain trauma. We found that ILLLI combined drug therapy could effectively alleviate some symptoms such as headache, vertigo, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, anorexia caused by brain trauma. The therapeutic effect of treated group was prior to control group.