In nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC), women have a lower incidence and mortality rate than men. Whether sex influences the prognosis of NPC patients remains debatable. We retrospectively examined the influence of sex on treatment-related side effects and prognosis in NPC.Clinical data of 1,462 patients with NPC treated at the Southern Hospital of Southern Medical University from January 2004 to December 2015 were retrospectively examined. Statistical analysis was performed to assess differences in overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), local recurrence-free survival(LRFS), and progression-free survival(PFS), as well as treatment-related adverse effects, including myelosuppression, gastrointestinal responses, and radiation pharyngitis and dermatitis, between men and women.Women had better 5-year OS (81.5% vs. 87.1%, P = 0.032) and DMFS (76.2% vs. 83.9%, P = 0.004) than men. Analysis by age showed that the prognoses of premenopausal and menopausal women were better than those of men, whereas prognoses of postmenopausal women and men were not significantly different. Additionally, women had a better prognosis when stratified by treatment regimen. Furthermore, chemotherapy-related adverse effects were more severe in women than in men; however, the incidences of radiation laryngitis and dermatitis were not significantly different between the sexes. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the female sex was an independent risk factor for severe myelosuppression and gastrointestinal reactions.Chemotherapy-related side effects are more severe but the overall prognosis is better in women with NPC than in men with NPC. Patients may benefit from a personalized treatment approach for NPC.This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Nanfang Hospital of the Southern Medical University (NFEC-201,710-K3).
Abstract Background As one of the most abundant post‐transcriptional mRNA modifications, N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) has attracted extensive attention from scientists. Emerging evidence indicates that m6A modification plays a significant role in cancer‐related signalling pathways. Existing research demonstrates that m6A modifications were also identified in miRNAs and contribute to cancer‐related signalling pathways. Methods A literature retrieval has been performed to collect m6A‐miRNA‐related original articles published in recent years. Later, a systematic analysis has been conducted to abstract and classify the relationships between m6A modification and miRNAs, and their contributions to tumorigenesis and cancer development. Results Accumulating literature provides important insights into multiple relationships between m6A modifications and miRNAs. Mechanically, m6A writer and eraser alter pri‐miRNAs m6A levels, and m6A readers could dually modulate pri‐miRNAs processing and pri‐miRNAs degradation. It is also been demonstrated that miRNAs impair m6A regulators' translation to influence m6A medication function in return. Aberrant expressions of m6A regulators and miRNAs could dysregulate proliferative, apoptosis, cell adhesion‐related, and malignant transformation signalling pathways, and contribute to tumour occurrence and development. Conclusion This review summarizes the interrelationship between m6A modification and miRNAs; highlights the combined effects of each type of m6A regulator and miRNAs in cancers. These findings enhance our understanding of m6A‐miRNAs' multiple interactions and significant modulatory role in tumorigenesis and progression.
ABSTRACT COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 has been spreading worldwide. To date, several vaccine candidates moved into EUA or CA applications. Although DNA vaccine is on phase III clinical trial, it is a promised technology platform with many advantages. Here, we showed that the pGX9501 DNA vaccine encoded the spike full-length protein-induced strong humoral and cellular immune responses in mice with higher neutralizing antibodies, blocking the hACE2-RBD binding against live virus infection in vitro. Importantly, higher levels of IFN-γ expression in CD8+ and CD4+ T cell and specific cytotoxic lymphocyte (CTL) killings effect were also observed in the pGX9501-immunized group. It provided subsequent protection against virus challenges in the hACE2 transgenic mouse model. Overall, pGX9501 was a promising DNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19, inducing strong humoral immunity and cellular immunity that contributed to the vaccine’s protective effects.
To assess the long-term consequences of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among health care workers (HCWs) in China (hereafter surviving HCWs).A total of 303 surviving HCWs were included. Lung (pulmonary function test, 6-min walk test [6MWT], chest CT), physical (St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire [SGRQ], Modified Medical Research Council dyspnea scale [mMRC], and Borg scale), and psychiatric functions (Essen Trauma Inventory) were evaluated during the 1-year follow-up.Surviving HCWs had an abnormal diffusion capacity 1 year post-discharge. Participants with a reduced carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) comprised 43.48%. The proportion of HCWs with a median 6MWT distance below the lower limit of the normal was 19.4%. An abnormal CT pattern was observed in 37.5% of the HCWs. The SGRQ, mMRC, and Borg scores of surviving HCWs, especially those with critical/severe disease, were significantly higher than those in the normal population. Probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was reported in 21.9% of the surviving HCWs. Diffusion capacity impairment was associated with women. Critical/severe illness and nurses were associated with impaired physical function.Most surviving HCWs, especially female HCWs, still had an abnormal diffusion capacity at 1 year. The physical and psychiatric functions of surviving HCWs were significantly worse than those of the healthy population. Long-term follow-up of pulmonary, physical, and psychiatric functions for surviving HCWs is required.
Bisphosphonates (BPs) impact on the survival and cardiovascular safety of osteoporosis patients after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or acute ischemic stroke (AIS) was evaluated.A nationwide epidemiological study was conducted using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from 2000 to 2010. From the 1456 osteoporosis patients with previous ACS or AIS, mortality and cardiovascular safety was compared between 464 patients who used BPs and 464 patients who did not. Primary outcomes included all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular events.The BPs group had a lower risk of all-cause mortality than the control group after the 8-year follow-up (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.46-0.88; P = 0.006). The risks of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular death, hospitalization for heart failure or other causes of mortality were similar across groups. However, there was a higher risk of hospitalization for atrial fibrillation in the BPs group than the control group (HR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.26-2.46; P = 0.001).Among osteoporosis patients after ACS or AIS, BPs use was associated with a reduced risk of all-cause mortality. However, patients with previous cardiovascular disease who received BP treatment should be careful about the risk of atrial fibrillation.
Abstract This retrospective study was designed to compare the treatment response of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) prepared for radioiodine ablation (RIA) with thyroid hormone withdrawal (THW) or recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) stimulation. Patients with DTC were followed‐up retrospectively between 2013 and 2018 in Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan. We compared the excellent response ratios between THW (49.9%) and rhTSH (50.1%) stimulation. Patients were then divided into subgroups, on the basis of age, sex, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and tumor‐node‐metastasis stage, for analysis. In all, 647 patients were followed‐up after RIA. The ratios of THW or rhTSH use in the different subgroups were not statistically significant. In all the patients, the excellent response rate with THW and rhTSH was 80% and 76.5%, respectively, which was not statistically significant. The subgroup analysis, including age, sex, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and tumor‐node‐metastasis stage (low and high risk), showed similar results. Furthermore, the logistic regression analysis revealed no statistically significant differences among the subgroups. The multivariate analysis showed extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and high I 131 dose were the prognostic factors affecting the excellent response rate. In conclusion, the THW and rhTSH preparations for RIA were similar in terms of the excellent response rates and subgroup clinical outcomes.
Abstract Background Since Immune response, nutritional status and Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) DNA status have been confirmed to be relevant to the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), we believe that the combination of these factors is of great value for improving the predictive ability. LA (lymphocytes × albumin), a novel indicator, had not been studied yet in NPC. We combined it with EBV DNA and used nomograms to increase the accuracy of prognosis. Methods A total of 688 NPC patients were retrospectively reviewed and further divided into training and validation cohort randomly. Kaplan–Meier analyses were used to to distinguish the different survival outcomes. Multivariate Cox analyses were used to identify the independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Calibration curves, concordance indexes (C-indexes) and decision curve analyses (DCA) were used to evaluate the nomograms’ predictive value. Results Patients with low LA and positive EBV DNA correlated with poorer 5-year PFS and OS (all P < 0.005). In multivariate Cox analyses, LA and EBV DNA were both confirmed to be independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS (all P < 0.05). Prognostic nomograms incorporating LA and EBV DNA achieved ideal C-indexes of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65–0.73) and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.71–0.82) in the prediction of PFS and OS. Otherwise, the calibration curves and DCA curves also revealed that our nomograms had pleasant predictive power. Conclusions LA is a novel and powerful biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes in NPC. Our nomograms based on LA and EBV DNA can predict individual prognosis more accurately and effectively.
The purpose of the study was to explore the potential risk factors of mortality in patients with severe pneumonia during the omicron pandemic in South China in 2022.
ABSTRACT The COVID-19 disease caused by infection with SARS-CoV-2 and its variants is devastating to the global public health and economy. To date, over a hundred COVID-19 vaccines are known to be under development and the few that have been approved to fight the disease are using the spike protein as the primary target antigen. Although virus neutralizing epitopes are mainly located within the RBD of the spike protein, the presence of T cell epitopes, particularly the CTL epitopes that are likely to be needed for killing infected cells, has received comparatively little attention. In this study, we predicted several potential T cell epitopes with web-based analytic tools, and narrowed them down from several potential MHC-I and MHC-II epitopes by ELIspot and cytolytic assays to a conserved MHC-I epitope. The epitope is highly conserved in current viral variants including the most recent Omicron and compatible with presentation by most HLA alleles worldwide. In conclusion, we identified a CTL epitope suitable for evaluating the CD8+ T cell-mediated cellular response and potentially for addition into future COVID-19 vaccine candidates to maximize CTL responses against SARS-CoV-2.
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