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Background. Although multiple types of cancers demonstrated favorable outcome after immunotherapy of PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, the specific regulatory mechanism of PD genes in gastric cancer (GC) remains largely unknown. Materials and Methods. Expression of RNA, copy number variants, and clinical parameters of GC individuals from TCGA were analyzed. Coexpressed genes for PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 were selected by correlation analysis and confirmed by STRING. Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway analyses were performed by clusterProfiler. The influence of PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 on immune cell infiltration was investigated by MCP-counter. Results. PD-L2 demonstrated significant relation with clinical stage of GC (P = 0.043). Survival analysis showed that PD-1 expression was correlated with better prognosis of GC patients (HR = 0.70 , P = 0.031), but PD-L2 expression was related with worse survival (HR = 1.42 , P = 0.032). Mutation of PIK3CA could alter the level of PD-1, PD-L1, and PD-L2 (P < 0.001), and TP53 mutation demonstrated significant correlation with PD-L1 (P = 0.015) and PD-L2 (P = 0.014) expression. Enrichment analysis of PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 coexpressed genes indicated a biological process of mononuclear cell proliferation, leukocyte cell-cell adhesion, and lymphocyte activation as well as KEGG pathways including cell differentiation of Th1 and Th2, cell differentiation of Th17, and hematopoietic cell landscape. As for immune infiltration analysis, PD-1 was mainly related with cytotoxic lymphocytes and endothelial cells; PD-L1 were associated with monocytic lineage; PD-L2 showed significant correlation with myeloid dendritic cells. Conclusion. PD-1 expression showed association with better prognosis of GC, and PD-L2 expression was related with worse survival. Mutations of PIK3CA and TP53 significantly correlated with PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 axis. PD-1/PD-L1/PD-L2 coexpressed genes demonstrated enrichment in mononuclear cell proliferation, leukocyte cell-cell adhesion, and lymphocyte activation as well as KEGG pathways including cell differentiation of Th1, Th2, and Th17. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colorectal cancer patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy often exhibit symptoms of depression that in turn may negatively affect outcome. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of telephone-based reminiscence therapy on the depression, anxiety, subjective well-being, and social support of colorectal cancer patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy complicated with depression.Methods: Patients were divided randomly into a control group (CON, n = 45), telephone support group (TS, n = 45), and telephone-based reminiscence therapy group (TBR, n = 45). Patients in TS and TBR groups received six 20-40-min telephone intervention sessions conducted weekly. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 6 weeks. The primary outcomes were changes on the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), which were used to evaluate depression symptoms. Secondary outcomes were changes in Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH), and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) scores, which were used to evaluate anxiety symptoms, subjective well-being, and social support, respectively.Results: After 6 weeks, SDS and HAMD scores were significantly lower than pre-intervention baseline in the TBR group but not in the CON and TS groups (P < 0.05). Both SAS and HAMA scores were significantly reduced in TBR and TS groups but not the CON group (P < 0.05) following intervention; however, there was no significant difference in post-intervention scores between TS and TBR groups (P > 0.05). Neither telephone support nor telephone-based reminiscence therapy improved subjective well-being or social support (P > 0.05).Conclusions: These findings suggest that telephone-based reminiscence therapy can reduce depression symptoms in colorectal cancer patients undergoing postoperative chemotherapy. Telephone-based reminiscence therapy may also improve anxiety, but no better than telephone support. Alternatively, telephone-based reminiscence therapy did not improve subjective well-being or social support. We suggest that clinicians provide appropriate telephone-based reminiscence therapy in long-term care institutions based on patient mental health status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: MicroRNAs are endogenous small noncoding RNAs that aberrantly expressed in various carcinomas. MiR-148a and miR-152, which have the same "seed region", have not been comprehensively investigated in gastrointestinal cancers.Methods: Total RNA was extracted from the tissues of 101 patients with gastric cancer and 101 patients with colorectal cancer as well as their matched nontumor adjacent tissues. After polyadenylation and reverse transcription, the expression of miR-148a and miR-152 was determined using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The protein level of cholecystokinin B receptor, which might be the target gene of miR-148a and miR-152, was analyzed by Western blot in 40 patients with gastric cancer.Results: Expression levels of miR-148a and miR-152 in human gastric (p < 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively, t-test) and colorectal (all p < 0.001) cancers were significantly lower than that in their matched nontumor adjacent tissues. Moreover, their low expression was also found in several gastrointestinal cancer cell lines compared with normal gastric epithelial cell line and normal colorectal tissue, respectively. A strong correlation was found between the expression of miR-148a and miR-152 (all p < 0.001, Pearson's correlation). Furthermore, low expression of miR-152 was correlated with increased tumor size (p = 0.023 and 0.004, respectively, Mann-Whitney U test) and advanced pT stage (p = 0.018 and 0.002, respectively) in gastrointestinal cancers. Low expression of miR-148a was also correlated with increased tumor size (p = 0.045 and 0.018, respectively) in gastrointestinal cancers, but only correlated with advanced pT stage (p = 0.023) in colorectal cancer. We also found the expression of miR-148a (p < 0.001, chi-square test) and miR-152 (p = 0.002) inversely correlated with cholecystokinin B receptor protein in gastric cancer.Conclusion: MiR-148a and miR-152 may be involved in the carcinogenesis of gastrointestinal cancers and might be potential biomarkers in these cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Relatively little is known about preoperative anxiety and its associated factors with colorectal cancer, which is one of the most prevalent cancers. We aimed to investigate preoperative anxiety and its associated social, psychological and coping factors based on the disclosure/nondisclosure of cancer diagnosis.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in consecutive colorectal cancer inpatients (N = 434), whose anxiety was assessed based on semi-structured interview, demographic-clinical variables, social support, self-esteem and coping styles (acceptance-resignation, confrontation, avoidance). Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships between social, psychological, coping factors and preoperative anxiety.Results: There was no significant difference in preoperative anxiety (χ2 = 1.031, p = .31) between the disclosure and nondisclosure groups. Social, psychological and coping factors together accounted for an additional variance of preoperative anxiety (disclosure: 22%; nondisclosure: 20.8%). Social support (β = -0.17, p = .004), self-esteem (β = -0.22, p = .001) and coping styles (acceptance-resignation: β = 0.32, p < .001; confrontation: β = 0.13, p = .06; avoidance: β = -0.17, p = .04) were associated with preoperative anxiety in the nondisclosure group. For the disclosure group, acceptance-resignation was the only significantly associated factor of preoperative anxiety (β = 0.37, p < .001).Conclusions: Coping styles, such as acceptance-resignation and confrontation, could aggravate preoperative anxiety. Avoidance, social support and self-esteem might be helpful in preventing preoperative anxiety. These findings highlight the importance of providing psychological interventions for cancer patients by integrating social support, self-esteem and coping styles when disclosing a cancer diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]