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Secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine‐like 1 (SPARCL1) belongs to the SPARC family of matricellular proteins. However, underlying functions of SPARCL1 in bladder cancer (BCa) remain understudied. We performed an integrated search for the expression patterns of SPARCL1 in relation to various clinicopathological features of BCa. We then carried out Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Furthermore, we investigated the correlations between SPARCL1 and immunological features, such as tumour mutation burden (TMB), immune activation processes, immune checkpoint expression, tumour immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) scores, and chemotherapeutic sensitivity in BCa. Our analysis revealed that SPARCL1 was downregulated across multiple cancers. In BCa, elevated SPARCL1 was linked with advanced histopathologic stage, higher T and N stage, and poorer prognosis in the clinical cohort. In vitro experiments demonstrated that increased SPARCL1 expression inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, highly expressed SPARCL1 was linked to elevated immune, stromal and ESTIMATE scores, as well as an increase in naive B cells, M2 macrophages, and resting mast cells. We observed a moderate correlation between SPARCL1 expression and CD163, VSIG4 and MS4A4A, which are markers of M2 macrophages. Furthermore, SPARCL1 expression was positively related to TMB, immune activation processes, TIDE scores, immune checkpoint expression, and chemotherapeutic sensitivity in BCa. Our study highlights the potential involvement of SPARCL1 in macrophage recruitment and polarization and suggests its utility as a biomarker for prognosis in BCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this article, we aimed to elaborate on perioperative and complication management in treatment of pheochromocytoma crisis with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Material and methods: We report a case of relatively rare grant paraganglioma-induced pheochromocytoma crisis leading to severe circulatory failure, treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) as a bridge to curative adrenalectomy. Weaning of ECMO was followed by successful surgical removal of the tumor, and patient survival. However, distal ischemia of the cannulated leg occurred during ECMO operation, which eventually led to amputation. In addition, the patient developed new cerebral infarction and left hemiplegia, half a month after paraganglioma resection. Conclusions: We believe that patients with pheochromocytoma crisis, who cannot maintain blood circulation, are eligible for V-A ECMO treatment. Moreover, care should be taken to prevent thrombosis and individualized and precise blood pressure management targets. Early detection and treatment of thrombosis is imperative to long-term prognosis of patients with ECMO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological studies have reported conflicting results between folate intake and bladder cancer risk. We conducted a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies published between 1996 and June 2013 on the relationship between folate intake and bladder cancer. We quantified associations with bladder cancer using meta-analysis of risk estimates (REs) associated to the highest versus the lowest category of folate intake using random effect models. Seven cohort and six case-control studies were eligible for inclusion. A significantly decreased risk with bladder cancer was observed in overall folate intake group (RE = 0.84; 95% CI, 0.72-0.96) and subgroup of case-control studies (RE = 0.73; 95% CI, 0.57-0.89), but not in cohort studies (RE = 0.96; 95% CI, 0.81-1.10) when comparing the highest with the lowest category of folate intake. No heterogeneity and publication bias were observed across studies. Although the current evidence, mainly based on data from case-control studies, supports an inverse association between folate intake and bladder cancer, additional large and well-designed cohort studies are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men. The anthracycline doxorubicin (DOX) is used for the treatment of this disease, but its considerable side effects and non-selectivity are major drawbacks. Simvastatin (Sim), a lipid-lowering agent, holds great promise as a cancer therapeutic, and thus could be used in combination with DOX. Targeted drug-loaded nano-carriers with antibodies for receptors that are overexpressed on tumor cells are promising strategies for decreasing toxicity to normal tissues and enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapies in cancer treatment. Specifically, human epidermal growth factor 2 is overexpressed and constitutively activated in the PC-3 cell line. Within this context, we designed a co-delivery system coated with Herceptin for PCa, performed physicochemical characterizations, and tested the formulations for cytotoxicity and uptake. The targeted liposomes had a mean particle size of 134 nm, and the drug encapsulation efficiency of both Sim and DOX were greater than 80%. We discovered that the drug combination led to the strong inhibition of PCa both in vitro and in vivo , with inhibitory rates of tumor volumes corresponding to 80.36% and 68.77% of Herceptin-coated liposomes and non-targeted liposomes, respectively. We also found that the anti-tumor mechanisms of the DOX and Sim combination were possibly attributed to synergistic anti-angiogenesis. These results reveal that Herceptin-conjugated liposomes co-loaded with DOX and Sim are a potential novel therapeutic strategy for overcoming PCa., Competing Interests: None.