非小细胞肺癌术后并发乳糜胸对患者生活质量影响的研究

目的:探讨非小细胞肺癌术后并发乳糜胸对患者生活质量的影响。方法:采用生活质量测定量表(QLQ-C30)回顾性分析第四军医大学唐都医院胸外科自2013年至2016年中收治的1015例肺癌手术患者的生活质量,发生乳糜胸组记为A组,未发生乳糜胸组记为B组。对比术前和术后1、3、6和12个月的生活质量有无统计学差异。结果:(1)术后1月时,除了社会功能、便秘、腹泻以外,两组生活质量指标评分均显著低于术前,且B组均显著低于A组,有统计学差异(表3,P0.05)。在手术后3月及以后逐渐恢复,至12月时,各组指标与术前基本相同(表3,P0.05);(2)两组术后生活质量相比较,术后1、3月,除社会功能、便秘、腹泻以外,其余生活质量功能指标B组均显著优于A组,有统计学差异(表3,P0.05)。在手术后6月及以后,B组所有指标与A组无统计学差异(表3,P0.05)。结论:肺癌根治术后发生乳糜胸患者生活质量显著低于未发生乳糜胸患者,因此应合理选择手术方式,注意术中操作,降低乳糜胸发生率,提高肺癌患者术后的生活质量。     

不同麻醉方法对食管癌手术患者免疫及认知功能的影响

目的:探讨全麻或全麻复合硬膜外麻醉对食管癌手术患者的T细胞水平及术后认知功能的影响。方法:选择2014年1月至2015年12月于我院择期行开胸手术的食管癌患者100例为研究对象,根据手术时间顺序分为观察组(全麻复合硬膜外麻醉)和对照组(全麻),每组50例,观察记录两组患者诱导前、插管时、术中1 h、拔管后的平均动脉压(MAP)、血氧饱和度(Sp O2)和心率(HR);两组患者术前30 min、术后2 h、术后2 d和术后7 d的T细胞亚群水平,包括CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+;两组患者术前1 d,术后6 h,术后1 d,术后3 d的认知功能;术后认知功能障碍(POCD)发生率。结果:诱导前观察组和对照组患者的MAP、Sp O2和HR比较,差异均不显著(P0.05),插管时、术中1h和拔管后观察组患者的MAP和HR水平均明显低于对照组(P0.05),而Sp O2明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后2 h,观察组和对照组的CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+值均较术前30 min明显降低(P0.05),但两组间各指标值无显著性差异(P0.05);术后2 d,观察组的CD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+值均明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后7 d,两组的T细胞亚群水平均较术前30 min无显著性差异(P0.05)。术后6 h和术后1 d,两组的MMSE评分均较术前1 d明显下降(P0.05),观察组术后1 d、3 d和7 d的MMSE评分均明显高于对照组(P0.05)。术后6 h,观察组的POCD发生率明显低于对照组(P0.05),术后1 d和3 d观察组的POCD发生率低于对照组,但无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:与单凭全麻比较,全麻复合硬膜外麻醉对食管癌手术患者的T细胞水平及术后认知功能的影响较小,术后恢复快。     

腹腔镜与传统开腹手术对胃癌临床疗效、术后并发症及免疫功能的影响比较

目的:探讨腹腔镜与传统开腹手术治疗胃癌的临床疗效、安全性及对患者免疫功能的影响。方法:选择2012年3月至2014年3月在我院行胃癌D2根治术的胃癌患者92例并随机分为两组,开腹组(A组)44例接受传统开腹手术,腹腔镜组(B组)48例接受腹腔镜辅助胃癌根治术,观察和比较两组患者的手术情况以及手术前后患者免疫功能的变化,比较两组患者围术期不良反应的发生情况及临床疗效。结果:B组患者术中切口长度、出血量明显优于A组患者(P0.05),且B组患者较A组患者术后排气时间以及疼痛缓解情况明显较好(P0.05);两组患者接受手术前后,机体的免疫功能有所变化,B组患者术后24hCD3~+、CD4~+、CD8~+、CD4~+/CD8~+以及NK细胞相对活性等细胞免疫指标明显高于A组(P0.05),体液免疫指标IgM、IgG以及IgA等免疫球蛋白明显高于A组;两组患者术中并发症的发生率差异无统计学意义(P0.05),B组患者术后并发症的发生率与A组比较明显降低,且差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:腹腔镜辅助胃癌D2根治术对胃癌患者术中临床疗效有显著改善作用,可降低对机体免疫功能的影响并提高治疗的安全性。     

Identification of cardiac stem cells within mature cardiac myocytes

Cardiac stem cells are described in a number of mammalian species including humans. Cardiac stem cell clusters consisting of both lineage-negative and partially committed cells are generally identified between contracting cardiac myocytes. In the present study, c-kit⁺, Sca⁺, and Isl1⁺ stem cells were revealed to be located inside the sarcoplasm of cardiac myocytes in myocardial cell cultures derived from newborn, 20-, and 40-day-old rats. Intracellularly localized cardiac stem cells had a coating or capsule with a few pores that opened into the host cell sarcoplasm. The similar structures were also identified in the suspension of freshly isolated myocardial cells (ex vivo) of 20- and 40-day-old rats. The results from this study provide direct evidence for the replicative division of encapsulated stem cells, followed by their partial cardiomyogenic differentiation. The latter is substantiated by the release of multiple transient amplifying cells following the capsule rupture. In conclusion, functional cardiac stem cells can reside not only exterior to but also within cardiomyocytes.     

Dynamic Lung Tumor Tracking for Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiation Therapy

Physicians considering stereotactic ablative body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the treatment of extracranial cancer targets must be aware of the sizeable risks for normal tissue injury and the hazards of physical tumor miss. A first-of-its-kind SBRT platform achieves high-precision ablative radiation treatment through a combination of versatile real-time imaging solutions and sophisticated tumor tracking capabilities. It uses dual-diagnostic kV x-ray units for stereoscopic open-loop feedback of cancer target intrafraction movement occurring as a consequence of respiratory motions and heartbeat. Image-guided feedback drives a gimbaled radiation accelerator (maximum 15 x 15 cm field size) capable of real-time ±4 cm pan-and-tilt action. Robot-driven ±60° pivots of an integrated ±185° rotational gantry allow for coplanar and non-coplanar accelerator beam set-up angles, ultimately permitting unique treatment degrees of freedom. State-of-the-art software aids real-time six dimensional positioning, ensuring irradiation of cancer targets with sub-millimeter accuracy (0.4 mm at isocenter). Use of these features enables treating physicians to steer radiation dose to cancer tumor targets while simultaneously reducing radiation dose to normal tissues. By adding respiration correlated computed tomography (CT) and 2-[¹⁸F] fluoro-2-deoxy-ᴅ-glucose (¹⁸F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) images into the planning system for enhanced tumor target contouring, the likelihood of physical tumor miss becomes substantially less¹. In this article, we describe new radiation plans for the treatment of moving lung tumors.     

Alterations in the hepatic enzymes following experimental lead poisoning

An investigation on the influence of lead toxicity on some of the hepatic enzymes was studied in rats both after a shorter interval of 15 d and after longer intervals of 60 and 90 d. Three different doses of lead as 5, 10, and 50 mg/kg body wt were administered orally on every alternate day. Whereas significant inhibition of succinic dehydrogenase was seen following lead poisoning, the activity acid and alkaline phosphatase increased with lead intoxication. The histoarchitecture of the liver was grossly intact. Liver accumulated less lead compared to kidney at 60 and 90 d.     

Comparison of patient‐derived high and low phosphatidylserine‐exposing colorectal carcinoma cells in their interaction with anti‐cancer peptides

Current cancer treatment is frequently compromised by severe adverse effects on healthy cells and tissues as well as by the increasing burden of (multi‐)drug resistances. Some representatives of small, amphipathic peptides known as host defense peptides possess the potential to overcome these limitations and to evolve as future anti‐cancer therapeutics. Peptide NK‐2, derived from porcine NK‐lysin, was originally discovered due to its broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activities. Today, also potent anti‐cancer activity is proven and accompanied by low toxicity towards normal human cells. The molecular basis underlying this target selectivity remains rather elusive. Nevertheless, it is presumptive that preferential peptide interactions with surface factors non‐abundant on healthy human cells play a key role. Here, we investigated the cytotoxicity of peptide NK‐2 and structurally improved anti‐cancer variants thereof against two patient‐derived colorectal cancer cell lines, exposing high and low levels of phosphatidylserine on their cell surfaces, respectively. Concluding from a range of in vitro tests involving cellular as well as lipid vesicle‐based methods, it is proposed that the magnitude of the accessible membrane surface charge is not a primarily decisive factor for selective peptide interactions. Instead, it is suggested that the level of membrane surface‐exposed phosphatidylserine is of crucial importance for the activity of peptide NK‐2 and enhanced variants thereof in terms of their cancer cell selectivity, the overall efficacy, as well as the underlying mode of action and kinetics. Copyright © 2017 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Autophagy orchestrates adaptive responses to targeted therapy in endometrial cancer

Targeted therapies in endometrial cancer (EC) using kinase inhibitors rarely result in complete tumor remission and are frequently challenged by the appearance of refractory cell clones, eventually resulting in disease relapse. Dissecting adaptive mechanisms is of vital importance to circumvent clinical drug resistance and improve the efficacy of targeted agents in EC. Sorafenib is an FDA-approved multitarget tyrosine and serine/threonine kinase inhibitor currently used to treat hepatocellular carcinoma, advanced renal carcinoma and radioactive iodine-resistant thyroid carcinoma. Unfortunately, sorafenib showed very modest effects in a multi-institutional phase II trial in advanced uterine carcinoma patients. Here, by leveraging RNA-sequencing data from the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia and cell survival studies from compound-based high-throughput screenings we have identified the lysosomal pathway as a potential compartment involved in the resistance to sorafenib. By performing additional functional biology studies we have demonstrated that this resistance could be related to macroautophagy/autophagy. Specifically, our results indicate that sorafenib triggers a mechanistic MAPK/JNK-dependent early protective autophagic response in EC cells, providing an adaptive response to therapeutic stress. By generating in vivo subcutaneous EC cell line tumors, lung metastatic assays and primary EC orthoxenografts experiments, we demonstrate that targeting autophagy enhances sorafenib cytotoxicity and suppresses tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis progression. In conclusion, sorafenib induces the activation of a protective autophagic response in EC cells. These results provide insights into the unopposed resistance of advanced EC to sorafenib and highlight a new strategy for therapeutic intervention in recurrent EC.     

The impact of hyperglycemia on adhesion between endothelial and cancer cells revealed by single‐cell force spectroscopy

The impact of hyperglycemia on adhesion between lung carcinoma cells (A549) and pulmonary human aorta endothelial cells (PHAEC) was studied using the single‐cell force spectroscopy. Cancer cells were immobilized on a tipless Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) cantilever and a single layer of endothelial cells was prepared on a glass slide. The measured force‐distance curves provided information about the detachment force and about the frequency of specific ligand‐receptor rupture events. Measurements were performed for different times of short term (up to 2 h) and prolonged hyperglycemia (3 h ‐ 24 h). Single‐cell force results were correlated with the expression of cell adhesion molecules (intercellular adhesion molecule, P‐selectin) and with the length and density of the PHAECs glycocalyx layer, which were measured by AFM nanoindentation. For short‐term hyperglycemia, we observed a statistically significant increase of the adhesion parameters that was accompanied by an increase of the glycocalyx length and expression of P‐selectin. Removal of hyaluronic acid from PHAECs glycocalyx significantly decreased the adhesion parameters, which indicates that hyaluronic acid has a strong impact on adhesion in A549/PHAEC system in short term of hyperglycemia. For prolonged hyperglycemia, the most significant increase of adhesion parameters was observed for 24 hours and this phenomenon correlated with the expression of adhesion molecules and a decrease of the glycocalyx length. Taking together, presented data indicate that both mechanical and structural properties of the endothelial glycocalyx strongly modulate the adhesion in the A549/PHAEC system.