Gastric cancer is one of the most common malignancies in China and exhibits a poor prognosis. The most significant challenge for gastric cancer treatment is the absence of early diagnostic biomarkers. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which possess clinical value in a number of different types of cancer. The current study identified 13 miRNAs (hsa-miR-22, hsa-miR-545, hsa-let-7i, hsa-miR-15b, hsa-miR-221, hsa-miR-196a, hsa-miR-20a, hsa-miR-196b, hsa-miR-93, hsa-miR-19a, hsa-miR-503, hsa-miR-106b and hsa-miR-18a) that were significantly overexpressed in GC, by analyzing 1,000 GC samples included in four public datasets, including GSE23739, GSE78091, GSE30070 and The Cancer Genome Atlas. Furthermore, it was revealed that the expression levels of these 13 miRNAs were significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues of grades I, II and III compared with normal controls. Gene ontology analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis demonstrated that the differentially expressed miRNAs were involved in regulating transcription, protein amino acid phosphorylation, signal transduction, protein binding, zinc ion binding, the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and focal adhesion. In summary, the present study may provide potential new therapeutic and prognostic targets for gastric cancer.

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ObjectivesTo compare the safety and efficacy of lenvatinib (LEN) combined with camrelizumab plus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE-LEN-C) and TACE combined with LEN (TACE-LEN) in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).MethodsEighty-three patients with uHCC treated with TACE-LEN-C or TACE-LEN from September 2018 to May 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective study. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), local tumor response, and adverse events (AEs) were evaluated. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine the factors affecting survival.ResultsThere were 31 patients in the TACE-LEN-C group and 52 patients in the TACE-LEN group. The median follow-up period was 14.2 months (range 7.2–25.2 months) in the whole study. The combination of triple therapy was found to significantly prolong the PFS (12.5 months vs. 6.6 months, P<0.001) and OS (18.9 months vs. 13.9 months, P<0.001. In terms of tumor response, the combination demonstrated a higher objective response rate (71% vs. 42.3% by the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, P=0.023) without a statistically significant difference in the disease control rate (93.5% in TACE-LEN-C, 80.8% in TACE-LEN, P=0.195). In the multivariate analysis, two independent factors affecting PFS were identified: number of tumors and treatment. Three independent factors affected OS: number of tumors, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage, and treatment. All the AEs were tolerable.ConclusionTACE-LEN-C is a safe and effective treatment for patients with uHCC, and could be a potential treatment option.

BackgroundColorectal cancer (CRC) was one of the most commonly diagnosed malignancies. The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of CRC remain unclear. Accumulating evidences showed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) played key roles in tumorigenesis, cancer progression, and metastasis. Therefore, we aimed to explore the roles of lncRNAs in the progression of CRC.MethodsIn this study, we aimed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in CRC by analyzing a cohort of previously published datasets: GSE64857. GO and KEGG pathway analyses were applied to give us insight in the functions of those lncRNAs and mRNAs in CRC.ResultsTotally, 46 lncRNAs were identified as differentially expressed between stage II and stage III CRC for the first time screening by microarray. GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that differentially expressed lncRNAs were involved in regulating signal transduction, cell adhesion, cell differentiation, focal adhesion, and cell adhesion molecules.ConclusionsWe found three lncRNAs (LOC100129973, PGM5-AS1, and TTTY10) widely co-expressed with differentially expressed mRNAs. We also constructed lncRNA-associated PPI in CRC and found that these lncRNAs may be associated with CRC progression. Moreover, we found that high PGM5-AS1 expression levels were associated with worse overall survival in CRC cancer. We believe that this study would provide novel potential therapeutic and prognostic targets for CRC.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12957-017-1211-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Difficult laparoscopic cholecystectomy (DLC) is difficult to precisely predict before operation. This observational cohort study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of procalcitonin (PCT) for DLC in patients with acute cholecystitis (AC). A total of 115 patients were included in the study from January 2017 to April 2018. Multiple logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) were performed to evaluate the predictive value of PCT levels in DLC. Patients with DLC had significantly higher Tokyo Guidelines 2018 (TG18) grade ( P = 0.002) and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) ( P = 0.007) and PCT ( P < 0.001). The cut-off value of PCT for predicting DLC was 1.50 ng/ml. The sensitivity and specificity were 91.3% (95% CI 78.3–97.1) and 76.8% (95% CI 64.8–85.8), respectively. The area under ROC curve was 92.7% (95% CI 88.2–97.3, P < 0.001). Our results suggested that PCT was a good predictor for DLC in the AC patients, but further research is necessary. Monitoring of PCT trends in AC patients may be useful for preoperative risk assessment.

Purpose To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with camrelizumab (hereafter, TACE-camrelizumab) in the treatment of patients with recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (R-HCC) after curative resection. Patients and methods R-HCC patients who underwent TACE plus camrelizumab or TACE-alone from January 2016 to August 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Patients were assessed for tumor response, progression-free survival, survival rates and adverse events. Results Seventy-one patients were included in this study, including 20 patients in the TACE- camrelizumab group and 51 patients in the TACE-alone group. The objective response rate was 56.9% in the TACE-alone group and 40% in the TACE-camrelizumab group at 3 months (P = 0.201). The disease control rates were 84.3% in TACE-alone group and 80% in TACE-camrelizumab group at 3 months (P = 0.663). The progression-free survival (PFS) of the TACE-alone group was slightly longer than those of the TACE- camrelizumab group (9 months vs. 6 months). However, there were no statistically significant differences in the median PFS (P = 0.586). Similarly, there were no significant differences in the half-year and one-year survival rates (P = 0.304, P = 0.430). Multivariate analysis revealed that Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was associated with PFS significantly. 75% patients developed at least one type of AEs related to camrelizumab in TACE-camrelizumab group, and no patients developed severe AEs. Conclusion Comparing with TACE-Alone, the efficacy of TACE-camrelizumab for patients with R-HCC was similar. Meanwhile, the results of this study also indicated that TACE is still a better choice for patients with R-HCC.

Printing of polymeric composites into desired patterns and shapes has revolutionized small‐scale manufacturing processes. However, high‐resolution printing of adaptive materials that change shape in response to external stimuli remains a significant technical challenge. The article presents a new approach of printing thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) into macroscopic structures that dynamically reconfigure in response to heating and cooling cycles. The printing process is performed using an external laser source, which enables thermal cross‐linking of the polymer ink consisting of monomer, cross‐linker, initiator, and inorganic nanoparticles. It is shown that the addition of silica nanoparticles enhances the mechanical properties of poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) while maintaining its thermoresponsiveness at micrometer‐scale resolution, which otherwise is not feasible by extrusion‐based three‐dimensional printing techniques. It is demonstrated that spatial reconfiguration of the printed monolayers upon increasing temperature is governed by the local geometry, which enables mimicking the reconfiguration of plant leaves in a natural environment. The study lays a foundation for developing a new fabrication platform to print thermoresponsive structures that may find applications in biomedical implants, sensors, and other multi‐responsive materials.

Introduction: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a type of lymphoma common throughout the western countries. However, the detailed mechanisms and special biomarkers of HL remain to be further investigated. Emerging studies have shown that long non-coding RNAs play a key role in human cancers. Material and methods: In the present work, we constructed relapse-related lncRNA-mediated ceRNA networks in HL. Additionally, we constructed co-expression networks for these relapse-related lncRNAs. We also constructed a relapse-related lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA network to study the potential mechanism of these lncRNAs. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis were performed to explore functions of DEGs in Hodgkin lymphoma. Results: A total of 18 lncRNAs were found to be dysregulated between early relapse and late relapse HL. Six lncRNAs (PCBP1-AS1, HCG18, GAS5, PSMD6-AS2, PRKCQ-AS1, SNHG6), 116 mRNAs and 121 miRNAs were included in the ceRNA network. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that these lncRNAs were significantly involved in regulating immune system processes, responses to chemical stimuli and responses to stress. Among them, HCG18 and PCBP1-AS1 were identified as key lncRNAs in HL relapse. Conclusions: Our results for the first time constructed the key relapse-related lncRNA-mediated ceRNA networks in Hodgkin lymphoma progression. We trust that this work will provide a new therapeutic and prognostic target for HL.