Abstract Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an epithelial squamous cell carcinoma arising from the nasopharyngeal mucosal lining. Ribosomal protein S15a (RPS15A) plays vital role in protein translation and was recently reported to be an oncogene in numerous tumor types. However, its biological role in NPC is remain largely unclear. Methods: In this study, we explored the expression of RPS15A in NPC tissues by immunofluorescence histochemical staining (IHC) staining of human tissue microarray. The C666-1 and CNE-2Z NPC cell lines with RPS15A depletion were used to investigate the effects of RPS15A on NPC cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis. In vivo tumor growth of NPC cells was observed by subcutaneous xenograft mice model. The potential mechanism was explored by Human Apoptosis Antibody Array analysis and WB experiments. Results: RPS15A was significantly up-regulated in NPC and RPS15A knockdown remarkably suppressed NPC cells proliferation, migration and induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, RPS15A silencing also impaired tumor growth of xenograft mice. Further Human Apoptosis Antibody Array analysis indicated that depletion of RPS15A could promote several apoptosis-related proteins expression, and results of WB experiments confirmed the inhibition of PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusion: RPS15A knockdown suppressed proliferation, migration and increased apoptosis of NCP cells by inhibiting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. RPS15A may serve as a promising therapeutic target for NPC patients.
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) linked with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is considered to be one of the most prevalent head and neck malignancies in East and Southeast Asia. Although radiotherapy and chemotherapy are effective treatments for NPC, they have immunosuppressive effects. Immunotherapy has got considerable attention of clinicians for cancer treatment in recent years due to proven success of PD-1/PD-L 1 inhibition in solid tumors trials. The distinct immunological environment of EBV-associated NPC presents a reasonable therapeutic target for PD-1/PD-L 1 inhibition. Immune checkpoint blockade therapy targeting the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L 1) receptors have shown efficacy in early phase I clinical trials, with ongoing phase III clinical trials. Herein, we have extensively addressed the role of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in the immunotherapy of EBV-associated NPC. Immunotherapeutic strategies are anticipated to enter mainstream clinical practise and provide long-term remissions in patients with severe NPC.
BACKGROUND Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in children is due to various pathogens. Appropriate diagnosis and early treatment are important for reducing the mortality rate of LRTI. Data on the epidemiology profiles of LRTI are scarce in northern China. The aim of this study was to provide data on the pathogen pattern of LRTI in hospitalized children in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. MATERIAL AND METHODS From July 2019 to June 2020, nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 265 children in Hohhot with LRTI, and pathogens were detected with RT-PCR and PCR. The correlations among procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and white blood cells (WBC) with acute respiratory infections were evaluated. RESULTS The highest prevalence of LRTI was detected in 2- to 6-year-old children (149, 56.2%) in winter. Eleven respiratory pathogens were evaluated, and respiratory syncytial virus, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenza were the most common pathogens in this region. Single viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, and multiple pathogens were identified in 24.2, 15.8, 5.3, and 54.7% of patients, respectively. The mean blood biomarker values of patients with LRTI were significantly different from those of healthy children. Furthermore, The AUCs were 0.90, 0.74, and 0.84 for bacteria, virus, and mycoplasma PCT values, which were significantly higher than that of WBC and CRP. CONCLUSIONS This evaluation of the regional pattern of pathogens in children with acute respiratory infections and the correlation with blood biomarkers provides valuable information for the prevention and treatment of LRTI in children.
Although potato extract, derived from various methods, exhibits anticancer, antiviral and anti-parasite activities in vitro and in vivo, the bioactivity of potato solution remains unclear using the freeze-thaw extraction method granted by the State Intellectual Property Office of China. In the present study, a potato freeze-thaw solution (PFTS) was fed to mice with ascites tumor that were pre-treated with cyclophosphamide. The numbers of peripheral white blood cells (WBCs), macrophage phagocytosis, lymphocyte transformation and survival of mice were measured. While mice injected with cyclophosphamide exhibited decreased counts of peripheral WBCs, treatment of the cyclophosphamide-injected mice with PFTS for 10 days significantly increased the number of peripheral WBCs and reversed WBC counts to the normal level, a comparable effect to that of Ganoderma lucidum. In addition, treatment with PFTS for 20 days significantly enhanced peritoneal macrophage phagocytosis and lymphocyte transformation. Lastly, PFTS was noticed to prolong the survival of tumor-bearing mice when compared with that of control mice. Collectively, these data suggested that PFTS, at least in part, enhances immune function and possesses antitumor activity.
Objective. To explore the differences in clinical characteristics and psychoacoustic indexes of various traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with idiopathic tinnitus. Methods. 312 patients with idiopathic tinnitus in our hospital from December 2017 to March 2020 were selected; divided into the wind evil invasion group (n = 61), the liver fire disturbance group (n = 69), the phlegm fire stagnation group (n = 42), the spleen and stomach weakness group (n = 48), and the kidney essence loss group (n = 92) according to the medical syndrome type and the detailed medical history; and clinical characteristics of patients in each group were compared. Results. The kidney essence loss group’s age and course of disease were older and longer than those of other syndrome groups, and the wind evil invasion group’s disease course was shorter than the liver fire disturbance, phlegm fire stagnation, and spleen and stomach weakness groups ( P<0.05 ). The PSQI score of all patients was higher than 7 points, but there was no obvious difference between the groups ( P>0.05 ). The SAS score of the liver fire disturbance and the phlegm-fire stagnation groups was higher than that of the wind evil invasion, the spleen and stomach weakness, and the kidney essence loss groups, and the SDS score of the spleen and stomach weakness and the kidney essence loss groups was higher than that of the wind evil invasion, the liver fire disturbance, and the phlegm and fire stagnation groups ( P<0.05 ). The kidney essence loss group’s total hearing loss rate (92.39%) was higher than the other syndrome groups, and the wind evil invasion group’s total hearing loss rate (8.19%) was lower than the other syndrome groups ( P<0.05 ); the low to medium frequency tone of tinnitus’s rate in the wind evil invasion group, liver fire disturbance group, and phlegm fire stagnation group was higher than the spleen and stomach weakness group and the kidney essence loss group, but the high frequency tone of tinnitus’s rate was opposite. The tinnitus loudness in these groups was higher than the spleen and stomach weakness and kidney essence loss group ( P<0.05 ). Conclusion. In addition to the wind evil invasion type, most tinnitus patients may have different levels of psychological disorders. So, in the treatment of idiopathic tinnitus, in addition to the disease itself, paying more attention to the psychological status of the patient is one better therapeutic method. Besides, clinical characteristics and the psychoacoustic indexes of patients with idiopathic tinnitus have a certain correlation with the TCM syndromes.
Background: Serum carbohydrate antigen 50 (CA50) is an auxiliary diagnostic marker for various solid tumors, but it remains unclear whether CA50 in pleural fluid can assist in the diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE). This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of pleural fluid CA50 for MPE in pleural effusion patients with undetermined causes. Methods: This study prospectively recruited pleural effusion patients with undetermined causes who visited the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University between September 2018 and July 2021. We measured pleural fluid CA50 level with an electrochemiluminescence assay. We analyzed the diagnostic accuracy of CA50 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for MPE with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The net benefits of CA50 and CEA were analyzed using the decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: We enrolled 66 MPEs and 87 benign pleural effusions (BPEs). MPE patients had significantly higher CA50 and CEA than BPE patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of CA50 was 0.72 (95% CI: 0.63–0.80). CA50 had a sensitivity of 0.30 (95% CI: 0.19–0.41) and a specificity of 1.00 (95% CI: 1.00–1.00) at the threshold of 15 IU/mL. The decision curve of CA50 was above the reference line at the calculated risk probability of between 0.30 and 1.00. Venn diagram indicated that some patients with low CEA (<50 or <150 ng/mL) and/or negative cytology can be identified by positive CA50 (>15 IU/mL). Conclusions: Pleural fluid CA50 has moderate accuracy and net benefit for detecting MPE. CA50 >15 IU/mL can be used to diagnose MPE. The combination of CA50 and CEA improves the diagnostic sensitivity for MPE.
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