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It reported that heat generated by near-infrared laser irradiation of gold nanorods (AuNRs) effectively inhibited tumor cells, and the conjugate of epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody (EGFRmAb) and gold nanorods could selectively binded to the surface of cancer cell membrane expressing EGFR. However, there are few research reports on EGFRmAb-AuNRs in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. Therefore, our study aimed to investigate the photothermal effect of EGFRmAb modified AuNRs in inducing tumor cell death in an animal model of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. We showed that the conjugates of EGFRmAb and AuNRs selectively entered laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells. We analyzed the parameters of laser irradiation by controlling the near-infrared to optimize the condition and procedure of targeted treatment in nude mice treated with EGFRmAb and AuNRs. In addition, we examined the safety of the combined therapy. Test results showed that EGFRmAb-AuNRs inhibited the growth of Hep-2 and CNE-2 cells but not normal epithelial cells, and the semi-inhibitor concentration of EGFRmAb in Hep-2 and CNE-2 cells was 4 pmol/ml and 2 pmol/ml, respectively. AuNRs injected into the tumor and irradiated by near-infrared laser effectively inhibited tumor growth in nude mice without toxic effect in mice. We further confirmed that the apoptosis and necrosis rates of tumor cells in mice were highest under 3 W/cm2 near-infrared laser irradiation and AuNRs minimum concentration of 280 μg/kg. In conclusion, we developed a new method of targeting EGFRmAb combined with AuNRs to achieve photothermal effect in the treatment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Lung cancer patients with lymph node metastasis usually had short overall survival and occurred distant metastases at the early stage. However, some of these people did have more prolonged survival. The underlying reason is still unclear. In this study, we found a novel molecule, family with sequence similarity 136, member A gene (FAM136A). First, we performed immunohistochemistry for FAM136A in 177 lung carcinoma tissues. Second, we carried out in vitro studies by using A549 and PC-9. We detected FAM136A immunoreactivity in 79 out of 177 (44.6%) lung carcinoma tissues, and the FAM136A status was significantly associated with tumor T stage, lymph node metastasis, and the Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) staging system in these cases. Importantly, it was significantly associated with the overall survival of the patients with lymph node metastasis, especially FAM136A positive patients, who had worse outcomes. Subsequent in vitro experiments revealed that the proliferation activity and migration property decreased both A549 and PC-9 lung carcinoma cells transfected with siRNA-FAM136A, and apoptosis reduced. Meanwhile, the expression of CDK4 and CDK6 decreased. FAM136A status would be a potent, worse prognostic factor in lung cancer patients with lymph node metastasis. It would play a vital role in the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration properties of A549 and PC-9. In the future, We will focus on the uncovered signal mechanism between FAM136A and lung cancer., Graphical Abstract Abbreviation: FAM136A: family with sequence similarity 136 member A; NSCLC: non-small-cell lung cancer; SCC: squamous cell carcinoma; IHC: immunohistochemistry; PBS: phosphate-buffered saline; CDK: cyclin-dependent kinase.

Background Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide; folk anticancer medicinal plants have applied for cancer treatment. The Maytenus compound tablet as traditional Chinese compound medicine has been approved for alleviating hyperplasia of mammary glands, whether it can inhibit cancer still unknown. The study was to evaluate the anticancer activity of the Maytenus compound tablet. Methods MTS assay evaluated the anti-proliferation effect of the Maytenus compound on H226, A2058, 786O and HeLa cancer cells and two normal epithelial cell lines, namely, 16HBE and Hecate. Nude mouse xenograft tumor model using H226 and HeLa cells examined the drug’s anticancer effect in vivo. Western blot assay studied the possible mechanism. Results The Maytenus compound indicated obvious ability to against proliferation in four strains of cancer cells, particularly against H226 cells by an IC50 of 85.47±10.06 µg/mL and against HeLa cells by an IC50 of 128.74±17.46 µg/mL. However, it had a low cytotoxicity in human normal epithelial cell lines 16HBE with an IC50 of 4,555.86±25.21 µg/mL and Hecate with an IC50 of 833.56±181.88 µg/mL. The Maytenus compound at the 2.45 g/kg oral dosages inhibited the proliferation of H226 cells and HeLa cells in nude mouse with inhibitory rates of 36.06% and 26.45%, respectively, and no organ toxicity. The Maytenus compound could significantly downregulate the expression of pEGFR, pPI3K, pAKT, pGSK3β, β-catenin, and c-MYC and upregulate the protein expression of GSK3β. Conclusions The Maytenus compound has significant anticancer activities against human cancer H226 and HeLa cells both in vitro and in vivo, highlighting it may be an anticancer medicine.

BackgroundIn clinical applications of CAR T-cell therapy, life-threatening adverse events including cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity can lead to treatment failure. Outcomes of patients treated with anti-CD30 CAR T- cell have been disappointing in relapsing/refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (cHL).MethodsIn order to understand the applicable population of multiple CAR T-cell therapy, we examined the expression of CD19, CD20, and CD30 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 38 paraffin-embedded specimens of cHL. In the past two years, we found only one patient with cHL who is eligible for combined anti-CD19 and CD30 CAR T-cell treatment. This patient’s baseline characteristics were prone to severe adverse events. We treated this patient with low doses and multiple infusions of anti-CD19 and CD30 CAR T-cell.ResultsThe positive expression of CD19+ + CD30+ in Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells is approximately 5.2% (2/38). The patient we treated with combined anti-CD19 and CD30 CAR T-cell did not experience severe adverse events related to CAR T-cell therapy and received long term progression-free survival (PFS).ConclusionFor high risk r/r cHL patients, low doses of CAR T-cell used over different days at different times might be safe and effective. More clinical trials are warranted for CD19 and CD30 CAR T-cell combination therapy.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Maytenus compound on the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro and in vivo and to explore the underlying mechanism. Methods: The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of Maytenus compound in HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells were determined by the MTS assay. HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells were treated with different concentrations of Maytenus compound. MTS assays, colony formation assays and cell cycle analyses were performed to clarify the inhibitory effect of Maytenus compound on the proliferation of HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells in vitro. After subcutaneous injection of HepG2 cells, nude mice were randomly divided into a vehicle control group and a drug intervention group, which were intragastrically administered ddH2O or Maytenus compound, respectively. The inhibitory effect of Maytenus compound on the proliferation of HepG2 cells in vivo was analyzed using subcutaneous tumor growth curves, tumor weight, the tumor growth inhibition rate and the immunohistochemical detection of BrdU-labeled cells in S phase. The organ toxicity of Maytenus compound was initially evaluated by comparing the weight difference and organ index of the two groups of nude mice. The main proteins in the EGFR-PI3K-AKT signaling pathway were detected by Western blot after Maytenus compound intervention in vivo and in vitro. Results: Maytenus compound showed favorable antiproliferation activity against HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells with IC50 values of 79.42±11.71 µg/mL and 78.48±8.87 µg/mL, respectively. MTS assays, colony formation assays and cell cycle analyses showed that Maytenus compound at different concentration gradients within the IC50 concentration range significantly suppressed the proliferation of HepG2 and BEL-7402 cells in vitro and inhibited cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Additionally, Maytenus compound, at an oral dose of 2.45 g/kg, dramatically inhibited, without obvious organ toxicity, the proliferation of subcutaneous tumors formed by HepG2 cells in nude mice. In addition, the tumor growth inhibition rate for Maytenus compound was 66.94%. Furthermore, Maytenus compound inhibited the proliferation of liver orthotopic transplantation tumors in nude mice. Western blot analysis showed that Maytenus compound significantly downregulated the expression of p-EGFR, p-PI3K, and p-AKT and upregulated the expression of p-FOXO3a, p27, and p21 in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion: Maytenus compound significantly inhibited the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro and in vivo. The downregulation of the EGFR-PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and subsequent inhibition of cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase is one of the possible mechanisms. Maytenus compound has a high tumor growth inhibition rate and has no obvious organ toxicity, which may make it a potential anti-HCC drug, but the results from this study need to be confirmed by further clinical trials in HCC patients.

This research aimed to analyze the effect of IFITM1 on the radioresistance of oral neoplasm. Using a multi‐group heat map from {"type":"entrez-geo","attrs":{"text":"GSE9716","term_id":"9716"}}GSE9716 analysis of the GEO database, IFITM1 was determined to be a relevant radioresistance gene. The TCGA database was analyzed before the expression of IFITM1 was analyzed. IFITM1 expression was quantified by quantitative RT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry in 19 paired oral neoplasm cases. The effects of time and dose of radiation on IFITM1 expression level in CAL27 and TSCC1 cell lines were tested by quantitative RT‐PCR. Oral neoplasm cells were transfected with siRNA after radiotherapy to disturb IFITM1 expression. After this, the survival rates, cell apoptosis, caspase‐3 viability, expression and γ‐H2AX were detected using colony formation, flow cytometry, western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. Western blot was used for STAT1/2/3/p21‐related protein and phosphorylation changes. Finally, an in vivo nude mice tumor model was established to verify the effect of IFITM1 on oral neoplasm cells radioresistance. Through microarray analysis, the head and neck neoplasm radioresistance‐related gene IFITM1 was found to be overexpressed. IFITM1 overexpression was verified not only using the TCGA database but also in 19 paired cases of oral neoplasm tissues and cells. With increases of dose and time of radiation, the expression of IFITM1 was increased in CAL27 and TSCC1 cell lines. Furthermore, si‐IFITM1 may restrain cell proliferation, DNA damage and cell apoptosis in oral neoplasm cell lines. Finally, pSTAT1/2/p21 was found to be upregulated while pSTAT3/p‐p21 was downregulated due to IFITM1 inhibition after radiotherapy. The evidence suggested that IFITM1 in combination with radiotherapy can inhibit oral neoplasm cells.

Background WD repeat and SOCS box containing protein (WSB) molecules have important roles in tumorigenesis. WSB1 is dysfunctional in many malignancies. However, the effects of WSB2 in tumors, including melanoma, have not been reported. Here, we investigated the effects of WSB2 in melanoma cell proliferation, cycle progression, and migration, and the underlying mechanisms. Methods First, WSB2 expression levels and their association with clinicopathological features were evaluated in human melanoma tissue samples. Then, WSB2 was knocked down, using specific shRNA, in melanoma A375 and G361 cells. Proliferation, cycle progression, and migration of A375 and G361 cells were evaluated by 3-(4,5-diethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-etrazolium, inner salt (MTS), colony formation, 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU), cycle, and transwell assays. The effects of WSB2 knockdown on melanoma in vivo were determined using a xenograft mouse model. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, levels of c-Myc, β-catenin, phosphorylated retinoblastoma (p-Rb), cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and Cyclin D3 proteins were determined by western blotting in melanoma A375 cells with WSB2 knocked down. Furthermore, β-catenin agonism, SKL2001, was used to evaluate the mechanisms by which knockdown of WSB2 regulated cell proliferation. Results WSB2 levels were high and they were associated with clinicopathological features in patients with melanoma. shRNA-mediated knockdown of WSB2 could inhibit proliferation, both in vivo and in vitro. Cycle progression and migration of A375 and G361 cells were also significantly inhibited by WSB2 knockdown. Moreover, down-regulation of WSB2 decreased the levels of c-Myc, β-catenin, p-Rb, Cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and Cyclin D3 in melanoma G361 cells with WSB2 knocked down. Moreover, SKL2001 could effectively rescue WSB2 knockdown-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation in melanoma. Conclusion This is the first report to demonstrate the effects of WSB2 on melanoma cell function. WSB2 has potential to become a new therapeutic target in patients with melanoma.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical prognostic significance of adhesion molecules in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tissues and peripheral blood. Materials and Methods: Flow cytometry assays for the expression levels of CD44v6 and CD62P protein in peripheral blood and tissues from controls and NPC patients were performed. Clinical and pathological features were reported and analyzed, and a survival study was carried out. Results: The expression of CD44v6 and CD62P in NPC tissues and peripheral blood was higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). Expression levels in peripheral blood of stage III/IV NPC patients was markedly higher than that of patients in stage I/II (p < 0.05), while it had no statistically significant difference in tissues (p > 0.05). The expression levels of CD44v6 and CD62P in the lymph gland metastasis and distant metastasis group were higher than groups without such metastasis (p < 0.05), and there was no statistical difference in NPC tissues (p > 0.05). The survival rates of NPC groups with low expression in the peripheral blood were higher than those of high-expression groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Joint detection of CD44v6 and CD62P in the peripheral blood or tissues of NPC patients has diagnostic and prognostic value as a marker of poor clinical outcome.

To study the combined transfection of the siRNA target for Hif-lα and Survivin gene to human NPC CNE-2 cell and its effects on the proliferation and cycle of this cell.Combined transfection of the siRNA target for Hif-lα and Survivin gene to human NPC CNE-2 cell, these plasmids were respectively transfected into the same cells. Cell proliferation was detected with MTT assay. The inhibitory effects on target genes were evaluated with RT-PCR and Western Blot at the levels of mRNA and protein, respectively.MTT showed that CNE-2 cell proliferation in multi-gene plasmid group was more significantly inhibited than a single gene. The expression of mRNA and protein of two different genes were both decreased in HS group, and the interference effect of multiple genes was better than the single-gene(P0.01).HS group could restrain cell proliferation and interference the mRNA and protein expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-2 cell, which was better than the other groups.

To evaluate the treatment and prognosis of sinonasal mucosal melanoma (SMM).Clinicopathological data of SMM patients from January 1976 to December 2005 were analyzed retrospectively. Survival analysis was performed and Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare the effect of clinicopathological factors on survival using SPSS 18.0 software. A Cox model was applied for multivariate analysis.The 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of 68 cases of SMM were 36.1% and 29.4%, respectively. The 3-year and 5-year OS of patients who underwent surgery or biotherapy were significantly higher than that of patients who underwent other therapeutic regimens without surgery or without biotherapy, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed the patients with distant metastasis at first present or residual/recurrence had a worse prognosis than that without distant metastasis or residual/recurrence, respectively. Surgery and biotherapy were effective treatments for SMM.SMM has a poor prognosis, especially in the patients with distant metastasis or residual/recurrence. Surgery or biotherapy may improve the prognosis of patients with SMM.

To observe wether pSIREN-survivin/shRNA can induce the apoptosis and inhibit it's growth of nude mice xenograft tumor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell.Subcutaneous tumors in athymic mice were induced by inoculation of NPC and divided into the blank group A, the negative group B,the experimental group C randomly. PBS,the negative and positive pSIREN-survivin/shRNA were injected into the subcutaneous tumors poly site. The inhibition ratio was measured by the tumor size calculation after inoculation. The expression of survivin in the xenograft tumor was observed by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry. The cell apoptosis in tumor tissues was detected by TEM. The liver and kidney function was tested by blood routine test.The inhibition ratio of group C and group B was (52. 11 +/- 1. 03)%, (2. 15 0. 11)% respectively, the inhibition rate in expression level of survivin mRNA was (77. 5+/-2. 03) %, (1. 39+/-0. 14) % respectively. The dyeing of survivin was more shallow in group C, the intensity is also less than group B. Nuclear chromatin was deepened, split into pieces, flake, and nuclear membrane was surrounded to edge. Cytoplasmic color and density were deepened, and organelles such as mitochondria was disappeared, the microscopic changes of cellular apoptosis at the earlier stage were watched, the difference of the function in liver and kidney was not statistically in statistical.The expression of survivin in xenograft tumor was significantly inhibited by pshRNA-survivin/shRNA,the apoptosis of tumor cells was accelerated and the growth speed of NPC cells in xenograft tumor was retarded. The high expression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma's gene could significantly be silenced by using technology of RNAi, the growth of tumors could be inhibited also. Its a novel treatment that have a good prospect.