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While the prognosis of gastric cancer (GC) remains poor, PD-1 and PD-L1/L2 are promising prognostic biomarkers. We evaluated PD-1 and PD-L1/L2 expression in tumor cells (TCs) and tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). We determined the Helicobacter pylori (Hp) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection status in a GC cohort (n=340), then analyzed the relationship between the expression of PD-1, PD-L1/L2 and GC prognosis. We found that PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 mRNA levels were up-regulated in GC tissues, and were positively correlated with one another (P=0.043, P=0.008 and P=0.035). PD-1 protein expression in TIICs was observed in 22.6% of GC patients. The PD-L1 and PD-L2 positivity rates were 40.3% and 53.8% in TCs, respectively, and 60.0% and 60.9% in TIICs, respectively. PD-L1 was up-regulated in EBV-infected GC patients in both TCs (P=0.009) and TIICs (P=0.003). Hp status was not associated with PD-1 or PD-L1/PD-L2 expression. In TIICs, PD-L1 expression was independently associated with better GC prognosis (HR=0.72, 95%CI: 0.53-0.99). Co-expression of PD-1 and PD-L1, but not PD-L2, was a favorable prognostic marker that indicated a dose effect on the mortality risk of GC patients (P-value for trend=0.005). Comprehensive evaluation of PD-1 and PD-L1 in TCs and TIICs could help predict the prognosis of gastric cancers, as well as reveal patients who might benefit from targeted treatment.

Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a promising target of cancer immune therapy. It not only expressed in tumor cells (TCs) but also up regulated in tumor infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). Although the previous meta-analysis have shown that PD-L1 expression in TCs was a valuable biomarker in predicting cancer prognosis, but few researches systematic evaluated the association between its expression in TIICs and survival of cancer patients. Thus, we performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in TIICs in different types of cancers. Our results are valuable supplements when using PD-L1 expression to predict the survival of cancer patients and to select the beneficial patients from PD-L1 target therapy. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Central Search Library were used to perform our systematic literature search. Overall survival (OS) at 5th years and hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using random effects models. Eighteen studies involving 3674 patients were included. The median positive rate of PD-L1 staining in TIICs was 36.37%. PD-L1 positive expression in TIICs related to a lower risk of death (HR = 0.784, 95%CI: 0.616–0.997, P = 0.047). Subgroup analyses found that PD-L1 positive expression in TIICs indicated a better prognosis especially in breast cancer patients (HR = 0.359, P = 0.041). When using whole tissue section slides, or using ‘any expression in TIICs’ as a cutoff value to assessing the results of IHC staining, PD-L1 expression in TIICs had a good prognostic value in cancer prognosis (HR = 0.587, P = 0.001 and HR = 0.549, P = 0.002). Our findings suggested that PD-L1 expression in TIICs was related to a better survival of cancer. The comprehensive evaluation of tumor cells and tumor infiltrating immune cells are required when evaluating the effect of PD-L1 expression on prognosis of cancer in future research.

BackgroundThis study aim to evaluate surgical procedures for titanium plate internal fixation of sternal fractures with displacement or nonunion.MethodsFrom January 2010 to December 2014, 64 patients with sternal fractures were treated with titanium plate internal fixation in the thoracic surgery department of the Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital. Pain severity scale scores were analyzed preoperatively and postoperatively. All the patients had a 2-month follow-up for treatment evaluation.ResultsThe mean hospital length of stay was 16.89 days. Forty-five patients underwent surgery for combined injuries. A statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between preoperative and postoperative pain severity scores (7.74 ± 0.89 vs. 3.80 ± 0.79, respectively). At follow-up, healing of the nonunion or fracture was confirmed in all the cases.ConclusionThe rigid titanium plate application ensured a safe and easy management of traumatic sternal fractures and nonunion with a good prognosis as compared with other methods.

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Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to participate in the pathogenesis of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, how lncRNA deleted in lymphocytic leukaemia 2 (DLEU2) contributes to NSCLC remains undocumented. The clinical significance of lncRNA DLEU2 and miR‐30a‐5p expression in NSCLC was analysed by using fluorescence in situ hybridization and TCGA cohorts. Gain‐ and loss‐of‐function experiments as well as a NSCLC tumour model were executed to determine the role of lncRNA DLEU2 in NSCLC. DLEU2‐sponged miR‐30a‐5p was verified by luciferase reporter, and RIP assays. Herein, the expression of lncRNA DLEU2 was elevated in NSCLC tissues, and its high expression or low expression of miR‐30a‐5p acted as an independent prognostic factor of poor survival and tumour recurrence in NSCLC. Silencing of lncRNA DLEU2 repressed the tumorigenesis and invasive potential of NSCLC, whereas re‐expression of lncRNA DLEU2 showed the opposite effects. Furthermore, lncRNA DLEU2 harboured a negative correlation with miR‐30a‐5p expression in NSCLC tissues and acted as a sponge of miR‐30a‐5p, which reversed the tumour‐promoting effects of lncRNA DLEU2 by targeting putative homeodomain transcription factor 2 in NSCLC. Altogether, lncRNA DLEU2 promoted the tumorigenesis and invasion of NSCLC by sponging miR‐30a‐5p.

In neurodegenerative diseases, neurodegeneration has been related to several mitochondrial dynamics imbalances such as excessive fragmentation of mitochondria, impaired mitophagy, and blocked mitochondria mitochondrial transport in axons. Mitochondria are dynamic organelles, and essential for energy conversion, neuron survival, and cell death. As mitochondrial dynamics have a significant influence on homeostasis, in this review, we mainly discuss the role of mitochondrial dynamics in several neurodegenerative diseases. There is evidence that several mitochondrial dynamics-associated proteins, as well as related pathways, have roles in the pathological process of neurodegenerative diseases with an impact on mitochondrial functions and metabolism. However, specific pathological mechanisms need to be better understood in order to propose new therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial dynamics that have shown promise in recent studies.