Aim: To elucidate dynamics and functions in colonic macrophage subsets, and their regulation by Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve) and its associated metabolites in the initiation of colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC).

Neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitor therapy has shown promise in locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), but only a subset of patients achieves major pathological responses. Liquid biopsy, the analysis of tumor-derived biomarkers in readily accessible bodily fluids (primarily blood), offers significant advantages over traditional tissue biopsies for predicting cancer treatment outcomes. The aim of this study is to develop a predictive model for neoadjuvant PD-1 therapy response in HNSCC patients using exclusively liquid biopsy approaches-namely, peripheral blood immune profiling (CyTOF) and plasma cytokine panels (Olink). In a prospective trial involving 50 HNSCC patients treated with neoadjuvant tislelizumab plus chemotherapy, peripheral blood samples were collected pre- and post-treatment. Immune cell subsets were analyzed by mass cytometry (CyTOF), and circulating protein markers were quantified via a 92-plex targeted proteomics panel (Olink). Multimodal features were integrated into a predictive model using logistic regression. Baseline immune profiles differed significantly between responder (RD) and non-responder (NRD): RD showed higher frequencies of CD103−CD8+ central memory T cells (Tcm, c03) and elevated plasma interleukins (IL-5, IL-13), whereas NRD had more CD28−TIGIThighcPARP−CD8+ terminally differentiated effector memory CD45RA+ T cells (Temra, c17) and higher levels of chemokines (CCL3, CCL4) and MMP7. Neoadjuvant therapy reactivated both subsets, evidenced by downregulation of PD-1 and increased expression of activation markers (e.g., CD38) and cytotoxic mediators (e.g., granzyme B and interferon γ). A multimodal predictive model incorporating CD8+T cell subsets (c03, c17) and plasma biomarkers (IL-5, MMP7) demonstrated superior predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.9219). Integrated peripheral immune profiling enables robust, noninvasive prediction of neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade efficacy in HNSCC. The identified immune cell subsets and plasma biomarkers provide a clinically applicable framework for early response stratification and personalized immunotherapy, supporting liquid biopsy as a viable platform for clinical decision-making. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, clinical trial number CHiCTR2200056354, 04 February 2022, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=151364 .

Obesity is linked to an increased cancer risk, and probiotics show promise in weight management. Here, we elucidate the precise mechanisms through which the probiotic Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve) modulates the immune response in obesity-associated tumours utilizing a Hepa1-6 cell-bearing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model sensitive to high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity. HFD-induced obesity expedited HCC progression and fostered an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Treatment with B. breve enhanced cancer control by rescuing the local infiltration of antitumour immune cells. Elevated serum taurocholic acid (TCA) levels were negatively correlated with B. breve levels in obese HCC mice. TCA hindered the infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells into the tumour microenvironment and diminished their antitumour efficacy by blocking ERK phosphorylation. B. breve deconjugated TCA via its type 4 bile salt hydrolase (BSH), and this effect was diminished upon BSH inhibition by AAA-10. These results highlight the potential application of the probiotic B. breve in the multidisciplinary treatment of cancer in obese individuals.

Angiogenesis is extensively involved in embryonic development and requires complex regulation networks, whose defects can cause a variety of vascular abnormalities. Cis-regulatory elements control gene expression at all developmental stages, but they have not been studied or profiled in angiogenesis yet. In this study, we exploited public DNase-seq and RNA-seq datasets from a VEGFA-stimulated in vitro angiogenic model, and carried out an integrated analysis of the transcriptome and chromatin accessibility across the entire process. Totally, we generated a bank of 47,125 angiogenic cis-regulatory elements with promoter (marker by H3K4me3) and/or enhancer (marker by H3K27ac) activities. Motif enrichment analysis revealed that these angiogenic cis-regulatory elements interacted preferentially with ETS family TFs. With this tool, we performed an association study using our WES data of TAPVC and identified rs199530718 as a cis-regulatory SNP associated with disease risk. Altogether, this study generated a genome-wide bank of angiogenic cis-regulatory elements and illustrated its utility in identifying novel cis-regulatory SNPs for TAPVC, expanding new horizons of angiogenesis as well as vascular abnormality genetics.