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Background: An increasing number of studies have found that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in carcinogenesis and tumor progression, whereas their molecular mechanisms of function remain largely unknown. Aims: This study was aimed to explore the biological function and underlying mechanism of a new lncRNA LINC00200 in gastric cancer (GC). Methods: qRT-PCR analysis was conducted to examine the LINC00200 expression level in both GC tissues and cell lines. Functional assays were carried out to detect the effect of LINC00200 on GC cell proliferation, invasion and migration. The interaction between LINC00200 and miR-143-3p was confirmed by luciferase reporter assays. Rescue assays were performed to confirm the influence of LINC00200-miR-143-3p-SERPINE1 axis on GC development. Results: LINC00200 was found to be upregulated in GC tissues and cell lines. Moreover, knockdown of LINC00200 suppressed GC cell proliferation, invasion and migration in vitro and inhibited tumorigenesis in mouse xenografts. Finally, mechanism research indicated that LINC00200 functioned as a ceRNA to sponge for miR-143-3p, thus leading to the disinhibition of its target gene SERPINE1. Conclusions: LINC00200 is significantly overexpressed in GC and accelerates GC progression through regulating miR-143-3p/SERPINE1 axis. Our results may provide a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for the management of GC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Immune escape plays an important role in tumor progression. In the present study, the expression of B7-H1, B7-H4 and Foxp3 involved in immune escape in gastric carcinoma was investigated and the corresponding clinical significance was evaluated. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of B7-H1, B7-H4 and Foxp3 in 100 gastric cancer specimens, and 30 paracarcinoma tissues were used as the control. Results: Both B7-H1 and B7-H4 showed high expression levels in gastric cancer tissues (65.0 and 71.0 %, respectively), and the expressions of B7-H1 and B7-H4 were positively correlated with the depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage ( P < 0.05). The number of Foxp3 Tregs was much higher in gastric cancer tissues than control tissues, which was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.05). Similarly, a positive correlation between B7-H1 or B7-H4 expression and the number of Foxp3 Tregs was observed. The median overall survival rate of patients with high expression of B7-H1, B7-H4 and Foxp3 was significantly poorer than that of patients with low expression of these proteins ( P < 0.05). Cox regression multivariate analysis confirmed that lymph node metastasis, AJCC stage, and B7-H1 and Foxp3 overexpression were independent prognostic factors. Conclusion: B7-H1, B7-H4 and Foxp3 were overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues. B7-H1 and Foxp3 are negative prognostic factors for patients with gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Amplification and overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) has been shown in subgroups of gastric cancer, correlated to more aggressive disease and predictive for the treatment with HER-2 antibodies. In this study, we examined the prognostic value of HER-2 expression in primary gastric cancer and in associated lymph node metastases and confirmed the role of HER-2 in tumor angiogenesis by examining vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect HER-2 and VEGF expression in 110 gastric cancer specimens and associated lymph node metastases and in 96 specimens of normal gastric mucosa. Results: The expression level of HER-2 in gastric tissues was significantly higher than in normal tissues (19.1 % vs. 8.3 %; P < 0.05). HER-2 overexpression was homogeneous in primary gastric cancer and metastatic lymph nodes ( P = 0.607). There was a significant positive correlation of HER-2 expression and VEGF expression ( P = 0.007). HER-2 overexpression in primary tumor correlated with lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage. Cox regression multivariate analyses confirmed that tumor size, histological grade, lymph node ratio, AJCC stage, chemotherapy, and HER-2 expression were all prognostic factors. Patients with HER-2 positivity in both primary and metastatic tissues (+/+) had the poorest survival (OS, 12.5 months; DFS, 11.0 months) ( P < 0.01). Conclusions: HER-2 was significantly overexpressed in gastric cancer versus normal tissue and correlated with VEGF expression. HER-2 in tumor or lymph nodes was an independent negative prognostic factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimal sarcoma of pulmonary artery (PAIS) is a rare disease with no characteristic symptoms. No standard therapeutic guidelines have been established so far. A 55-year-old woman who underwent pulmonary endarterectomy in 2005 with a pathological and immunohistochemical result of PAIS was re-admitted to our hospital on August 24, 2009, presenting with cough and dyspnea. The thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a 12.5 cm × 9 cm well-defined mass in the right lobe, considered a local neoplasm recurrence after a 44 month symptom-free period. As surgical resection was not proposed, she received combined chemotherapy consisting of doxorubicin, cisplatin, and ifosfamide for two cycles. Because of intolerable side effects, she received vinorelbine and cisplatin for the next four cycles. CT scans after six cycles showed remarkable regression of the tumor. After that, she began to take oral cyclophosphamide (50 mg t.i.d) everyday as a maintenance therapy. As of the time of writing, 19 months after the onset of the recurrence, she remains stable. Several antineoplastic drugs have been reported to be used in PAIS, with poor effects in most cases. To our knowledge, this is the first case of PAIS that has been successfully treated by a vinorelbine-based regimen used as second-line chemotherapy. Vinorelbine is a promising drug that may be relatively well tolerated in heavily pretreated patients with PAIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), based on peripheral lymphocyte, neutrophil, and platelet counts, was recently investigated as a prognostic marker in several tumors. However, SII has not been reported in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We evaluated the prognostic value of the SII in 916 patients with ESCC who underwent radical surgery. Univariate and multivariate analyses were calculated by the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was used to compare the discrimination ability for OS. PSM (propensity score matching) was carried out to imbalance the baseline characteristics. Our results showed that SII, PLR, NLR and MLR were all associated with OS in ESCC patients in the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. However, only SII was an independent risk factor for OS (HR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.01-1.53, P = 0.042) among these systemic inflammation scores. The AUC for SII was bigger than PLR, NLR and MLR. In the PSM analysis, SII still remained an independent predictor for OS (HR = 1.30, CI 1.05-1.60, P = 0.018). SII is a novel, simple and inexpensive prognostic predictor for patients with ESCC undergoing radical esophagectomy. The prognostic value of SII is superior to PLR, NLR and MLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]