Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading malignancies around the world. Identification of novel and efficient biomarkers for GC diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic efficiency could improve the therapeutic strategy in future clinical application. This study aims to evaluate the levels of plasma thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) activity in GC patients to confirm its validity and efficacy in GC diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic efficiency. 923 cases were enrolled in the current study. In the group of GC patients before clinical intervention, plasma TrxR activity [9.09 (7.96, 10.45) U/mL] was significantly higher than in healthy controls [3.69 (2.38, 5.32) U/mL]. The threshold of TrxR activity for GC diagnosis was set at 7.34 U/mL with a sensitivity of 85.5% and a specificity of 97.9%. In GC patients after chemotherapy, plasma TrxR activity was remarkably higher in patients with progressive disease or uncontrolled condition [10.07 (8.19, 11.02) U/mL] compared with patients with complete or partial response [7.12 (6.08, 8.37) U/mL] in response to chemotherapy. TrxR activity displayed the higher efficiency to distinguish between GC patients with two distinct clinical outcomes than carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) and cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Moreover, combination of TrxR, CEA, CA72-4 and CA19-9 was demonstrated to be more effective in both GC diagnosis and evaluation of therapeutic efficiency than was each biomarker individually. Together, plasma TrxR activity was identified as a novel and efficient biomarker of GC, both in diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic efficiency in response to chemotherapy.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic condition resulting from insulin resistance and insufficient β-cell secretion, leading to improper glycaemic regulation. Previous studies have found that excessive fat deposits in organs such as the liver and muscle can cause insulin resistance through lipotoxicity that affects β-cell function. The relationships between fat deposits in pancreatic tissue, the function of β-cells, the method of visceral fat evaluation and T2DM have been sought by researchers. This study aims to elucidate the role of pancreatic fat deposits in the development of T2DM using quantitative computed tomography (QCT), especially their effects on islet β-cell function.

Lung cancer is one of the most fatal malignancies and the leading cause of cancer death worldwide. β-Elemene, a well-known anticancer drug, has drawn a great deal of attention from researchers attributed to its limited side impacts. N⁶-Methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification is the most common RNA modification and plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of multiple tumors. However, the functional link between β-elemene and the m⁶A modification in lung cancer development remains unexplored. In this study, we investigated whether m⁶A modification was responsible for the impacts of β-elemene on lung cancer. Firstly, outcomes suggested that β-elemene restrained the malignant behaviors of A549 together with H1299 cells. Thereafter, we observed that β-elemene markedly regulated METTL3, YTHDF1, and YTHDC1 among various m⁶A modulators. METTL3 was selected for further study because of its oncogenic function in lung cancer. RT-qRCR and western blot assays exhibited that the mRNA and protein expression levels of METTL3 were lessened by the administration of β-elemene. Mechanistically, β-elemene exerted the restrictive impacts on the cell growth of lung cancer in vivo and in vitro through targeting METTL3. More importantly, β-elemene contributed to the augmented PTEN expression via suppressing its m⁶A modification. To sum up, we provided strong clues that β-elemene promoted PTEN expression to retard lung cancer progression by the regulation of METTL3-mediated m⁶A modification.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in the development of human cancers. CircANKS1B has been reported to be increased in breast cancer. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) assay was used to measure expressions of circANKS1B, ANKS1B, and FOXM1. Western blot assay was employed to examine the protein level of FOXM1 and Slug. The abilities of cell migration and invasion were measured by wound-healing and transwell assays. The interaction between circANKS1B and miR-149 was confirmed by site-directed mutagenesis and luciferase assays. Results: The expression of circANKS1B was up-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cells. Additionally, circANKS1B increased the expression of FOXM1. Furthermore, the enhancement of CRC cell migration and invasion by circANKS1B was dependent on FOXM1. However, previous studies have shown that miR-149 can directly target FOXM1 and act as tumor suppressor in CRC. Consequently, our results showed that miR-149 could directly bind to circANKS1B and FOXM1. The inhibition of circANKS1B could reduce FOXM1 and Slug protein levels, thus suppressing CRC cell migration and invasion. Conclusion: Taken together, circANKS1B promotes colorectal cancer cell migration and invasion by acting as a molecular sponge of miR-149 to modulate FOXM1 and Slug protein levels.

Objectives To investigate the clinical and pathological features of multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) cases. Methods The clinical data of 24 105 tumour patients admitted to Jiangsu Cancer Hospital in 2018 were retrospectively reviewed, and 270 patients with MPMNs were selected as the research subjects. Among them, 101 cases of synchronous carcinoma (SC) and 92 cases of metachronous carcinoma (MC) were divided into groups for statistical analysis. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 22.0 software. Results Among 24 105 cases, there was a male-to-female ratio of 1.45:1. Compared with MC cases, SC patients have a higher proportion of male cases. Primary neoplasms in gastric cancer, head and neck cancer, oesophageal cancer and colon cancer occupied most cases in male MPMNs, while primary breast cancer ranked first in female MPMNs. In addition, the leading secondary neoplasms were duodenal carcinoma, lung cancer and male MPMNs and lung cancer in female MPMNs. As for SC MPMNs, primary neoplasms were occupied by lung cancer, gastric cancer and oesophageal cancer, while the secondary neoplasms were mostly consisted of oesophageal cancer and lung cancer. Finally, the MC MPMNs were mostly consisted of breast cancer and gastric cancer as primary neoplasms, while lung cancer and oesophageal cancer as secondary neoplasms. Conclusions Screening for primary cancer should be strengthened over the age of 50 years for male patients with gastric cancer or female patients with breast cancer to reduce or monitor the occurrence of MPMNs.

Background: Immunotherapy has brought clinical benefits for patients with advanced or late-stage gastric cancer. This real-world study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC). Methods: Patients with LAGC (cT2-4bN1-3M0) were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients received either neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy or chemotherapy alone before surgery. The primary endpoint was the pathological complete response (pCR) rate. Results: A total of 111 patients were included in this study, with 49 received neoadjuvant PD-1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy (Group A) and 62 received chemotherapy alone (Group B). pCR rate of Group A was significantly higher than that of Group B (22.4% vs. 4.8%, P = 0.011). Compared with the clinical TNM stage before neoadjuvant therapy, 32 (65.3%) patients in Group A had T downstaging, 27 (55.1%) had N downstaging, and 42 (85.7%) had overall TNM downstaging. There was no significant difference in 1-year OS rate (100% vs. 93.5%; P = 0.195) and 1-year DFS rate (81.6% vs. 75.8%; P = 0.144) between the two groups. 11.7% patients in Group A and 9.8% patients in Group B experienced grade ≥ 3 adverse TRAEs, myelosuppression, elevated ALT/AST, nausea, and decreased appetite. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.240). Conclusions: Here, neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy suggested a potential clinical benefit of the pCR rate, T downstaging, and a favorable safety profile for LAGC. However, further multicenter, large-scale randomized clinical trials are urgently needed to confirm the long-term survival benefit.