AIM: Niflumic acid (NFA) is known as a kind of inhibitor of calcium-activated chloride channel. The inhibition and mechanism of NFA on the proliferation of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) were investigated. METHODS: Using [ 3H]-TdR incorporation method, we examined the effect of NFA (at concentration of 10 and 50 ?mol/L) on the proliferation of primarily ASMCs from BALB/c mouse. With confocal laser scanning microscope the [Ca 2+ ]i in ASMCs exposed to histamine was observed, and the opposed effects of NFA and nifedipine on histamine were also checked. Finally the effect of NFA on expression of MAPK in ASMCs was examined by indirect immunofluorescent assay. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the proliferation of NFA group was reduced markedly with dependent concentration. Histamine significantly improved the [Ca 2+ ]i in ASMCs, but NFA and nifedipine showed the inhibition on the effect of histamine. NFA reduced the level of MAPK expression in ASMCs. CONCLUSION: It is demonstrated that NFA inhibits the proliferation of ASMCs by reducing [Ca 2+ ]i and the expression level of MAPK. [

Objective:To evaluate the risk factors of hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin <35 g/L) in the maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients.Methods:From January 2011 to December 2018, 915 patients (≥18 years) who underwent MHD programs from 12 hospitals in south China were enrolled in a retrospective analysis. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate the risk factors of hypoalbuminemia in the MHD patients.Results:The MHD patients had poor albumin level in general, with hypoalbuminemia accounting for about 20.55% (188/915). Compared with the patients with normal albumin level, the patients with hypoalbuminemia had older age (61.46 years vs. 55.85 years, P<0.01), the greater incidence of diabetes [29.79%(56/188) vs. 19.39%(141/727), P = 0.002] and the lower application in high flux dialysis [42.55%(80/188) vs. 57.36%(417/727), P<0.01], while the gender, duration of dialysis, dialysis frequencies and the incidence of hepatitis showed no significant difference between 2 groups. In linear correlation analysis, albumin and hemoglobin level were positively correlated ( r = 0.213, P<0.01). In Spearmen correlation analysis, albumin was negatively correlated with age, hypersensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP), alkaline phosphatase, and diabetes ( r = -0.232, -0.176, -0.153 and -0.132; P<0.01); and it was positively correlated with the Kt/V and the application in high flux dialysis ( r = 0.151 and 0.124, P<0.01). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age, diabetes, alkaline phosphatase and hsCRP were the independent risk factors of hypoalbuminemia, while the application of high flux dialysis and hemoglobin were the independent protection factors. Conclusions:The patients undergoing a MHD program have poor albumin level. Diabetes is the independent risk factor of hypoalbuminemia of MHD patients, and the practice of high flux dialysis may reduce the hypoalbuminemia.

Objective To compared hemostatic effect of agkistrodon haemocoagulase and other hemostatic agents in hepatectomy,and observe clinical safety.Methods From November 2014 to February 2016,122 patients undergoing hepatectomy of the department of hepatobiliary surgery in the hospital,according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,were randomly divided into three groups,which was group A-haemocoagulase agkistrodon for injection,group B-ferdelance haemocoagulase for injection and group Cdesmopressin acetate injection.After drug administration,according to the clinical research plan,the indexes for therapeutic effectsbleeding time of wound,bleeding volume of wound,postoperative drainage volume for 24 h,preoperative and postoperative safety indices-Routine blood test,clotting function,liver and kidney function were compared among the three groups.Results The general data of the 3 groups were comparable.The bleeding time of wound,bleeding volume of wound,postoperative drainage volume for 24 h showed no significant difference(P＞0.05).Routine blood test,coagulation function,liver and kidney function,pre-admi nistration and post-administration administration of the group on the third day between and within groups were compared and showed no significant difference(P＞0.05).ECG and lower extremity ultrasound examination showed no abnormality in each group.No adverse events happened in the cases of groups for the clinical study.Conclusion Hemostatic effects of haemocoagulase agkistrodon for injection and other hemostatic drugs were similar in hepatectomy.No sinificant adverse effects on postoperative routine blood,coagulation function,liver and kidney function,with good efficacy and safety,being worthy of using widely worth in hepatectomy.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic cryoablation (ECA) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Methods:The clinical data of 9 patients with UTUC treated with ECA from April 2018 to September 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients consisted of 3 males and 6 females, with median age of 76 years old (ranging from 50 to 88 years old). Among the patients, 6 cases had tumors of ureter, 1 case had tumor of renal pelvis and 2 cases had tumors of renal pelvis combined with ureter. Of the 9 patients, two had bilateral UTUC, six were presented with single lesion, three were presented with multiple lesion. The size of tumors were (1.53±0.91)cm. The tumors of all cases were localized (≤stage T 2), and there was no carcinoma or suspicious lymph node/distant metastasis. All patients enrolled in this study had strong will to choose kidney-sparing therapy. Biopsy, resection of intraluminal lesion with laser and cryoablation under ureteroscopy or percutaneous nephroscopy was performed under general aneasthesia.Ureteroscopy was performed 3 months after cryoablation. Perioperative complications and follow-up results were recorded and assessed. Results:Cryoablation was successfully performed in patients under ureteroscopy (n=8) or nephroscopy (n=1). The median cryoablation time was 6 (ranging from 4-16) minutes. The median follow-up was 16 months (ranging from 4-24 months). No tumor recurrence was observed at primary sites during follow-up. Two patients with multiple lesions were observed denovo ureteral neoplasms outside the primary sites 3 months and 6 months after cryoablation and treated with second cryoablation. One case died due to cardiovascular events 4 months after surgery. One patient underwent ureteral stricture during follow-up and received ureteroscopic balloon dilatation. No recurrent stricture was found in this case during the subsequent follow-up of 16 months. The other 5 cases showed no recurrence or complications like stricture during follow-up.Conclusions:ECA could probably be a promising treatment for localized UTUC. No recurrence in primary site and low incidence of ureteral stricture was observed during follow-up. The efficacy and safety of ECA need to be verified with large sample study.

Background and purpose: Sorafenib hepatocellular carcinoma assessment randomized protocol (SHARP) and sorafenib in patients in Asia-Pacific region with hepatocellular carcinoma (ORIENTAL) had indicated that multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib could prolong overall survival (OS) and time to progression (TTP) as well as improve progress free survival (PFS) in patients with advanced stage hepatocellular carcinoma. Drug-related adverse events in the course of treatment restricted its clinical application to a certain degree. This study was aimed to summerize the adverse events as well as the management of sorafenib in our clinic. Methods: Twenty-five cases clinically diagnosed as advanced hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled from January 2008 to October 2009. All the patients who received sorafenib treatment met inclusion criteria as followed: (1) Progression of disease after trans-hepatic arterial chemoembolization therapy; (2) Extensive portal vein cancerous thrombus formation; (3) Portal zone or retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis or multiple remote metastasis, such as lung or bone; (4) Diffused poor blood supply to tumor; (5) Inform consent was obtained. All adverse events with different grade were observed during the beginning 12 weeks, and clinical treatment were carried out relatively. Results: Total of 25 cases were enrolled. Nine patients died of the disease, 3 of them died during the first 12 weeks, 3 patients abandoned sorafenib treatment, among them 2 died before the finish of 12 weeks treatment and 1 patient discontinued 5 months after the sorafenib treatment. Twenty cases finally assigned. Number of patients encountered drug-related adverse events were: HFSR (hand-foot-skin-reaction) 4(4/20), diarrhea 4(4/20), alopecia 5(5/20), rasb 4(4/20), fatigue 8(8/20), leukopenia and Thrombocytopenia 4(4/20), elevated blood pressure 1(1/20) and abdominal pain 1(1/20). After clinical management, 20 patients' sorafenib treatment were eventually not affected by adverse events. Conclusion: Sorafenib was well-tolerated and is a safe option of treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To study the role of Med19 in bladder cancer by analyzing the effects of lentivirus-mediated suppression of Med19 expression on T24 bladder cancer cells in vitro.Methods The lentivirus vectors containing a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) to target Med19 were constructed.After T24 bladder cancer cells were infected,real-time PCR and Western-blotting were used to study the Med19 expressions in the CON group (non-infected cells),the NC group (Lv-NC-infected cells) and the KD group (Lv-shMed19-infected cells).The influence of Med19 on the proliferation of bladder cancer cells were assessed using MTT,BrdU,colony formation assay and tumorigenicity experiment in mice.Cell cycle was analyzed with flow cytometry assay.Results Med19 relative mRNA level (0.35 ± 0.03) and Med19 protein expressing in the KD group were significantly inhibited (P ＜ 0.05).The KD group displayed an increased proportion of cells (77.50 ± 0.29)％ in the G0/G1 phase compared with the CON group (69.81 ± 0.81)％and NC group (67.53 ± 0.67) ％ (P ＜ 0.05).Compared with the CON group and the NC group,the KD group displayed a significant cell proliferation defect by MTT and BrdU assay and the number of colonies (91.33 ± 6.11) was significant decreased (P ＜ 0.05).On the day 24,the tumor volume (596.64 ± 485.36) mm3 and weight (0.57 ± 0.44) g of the KD group mice were decreased after inoculation into nude mice (P ＜ 0.05).Specific lentivirus-mediated knockdown of Med19 significantly impacted the cell cycle and proliferation of bladder cancer cells.Infected T24 cells nearly lost their tumorigenicity when being inoculated into nude mice.Conclusion Our results provide new evidence of an important role for Med19 in the development of bladder cancer,suggesting that lentiviruses delivering shRNA against Med19 may be a promising tool for bladder cancer therapy.

Sesamin, a lipid-soluble lignin originally isolated from sesame seeds, which induces cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy. In the present study, has been reported that sesamin induces apoptosis via several pathways in human lung cancer cells. However, whether mitophagy is involved in sesamin induced lung cancer cell apotosis remains unclear. This study, the anticancer activity of sesamin in lung cancer was studied by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitophagy. A549 cells were treated with sesamin, and cell viability, migration ability, and cell cycle were assessed using the CCK8 assay, scratch-wound test, and flow cytometry, respectively. ROS levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis were examined by flow cytometric detection of DCFH-DA fluorescence and by using JC-1 and TUNEL assays. The results indicated that sesamin treatment inhibited the cell viability and migration ability of A549 cells and induced G0/G1 phase arrest. Furthermore, sesamin induced an increase in ROS levels, a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis accompanied by an increase in cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9. Additionally, sesamin triggered mitophagy and increased the expression of PINK1 and translocation of Parkin from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria. However, the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine clearly reduced the oxidative stress and mitophagy induced by sesamin. Furthermore, we found that cyclosporine A (an inhibitor of mitophagy) decreased the inhibitory effect of sesamin on A549 cell viability. Collectively, our data indicate that sesamin exerts lethal effects on lung cancer cells through the induction of ROS-mediated mitophagy and mitochondrial apoptosis.

Sesamin, a lipid-soluble lignin originally isolated from sesame seeds, which induces cancer cell apoptosis and autophagy. In the present study, has been reported that sesamin induces apoptosis via several pathways in human lung cancer cells. However, whether mitophagy is involved in sesamin induced lung cancer cell apotosis remains unclear. This study, the anticancer activity of sesamin in lung cancer was studied by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitophagy. A549 cells were treated with sesamin, and cell viability, migration ability, and cell cycle were assessed using the CCK8 assay, scratch-wound test, and flow cytometry, respectively. ROS levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis were examined by flow cytometric detection of DCFH-DA fluorescence and by using JC-1 and TUNEL assays. The results indicated that sesamin treatment inhibited the cell viability and migration ability of A549 cells and induced G0/G1 phase arrest. Furthermore, sesamin induced an increase in ROS levels, a reduction in mitochondrial membrane potential, and apoptosis accompanied by an increase in cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-9. Additionally, sesamin triggered mitophagy and increased the expression of PINK1 and translocation of Parkin from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria. However, the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine clearly reduced the oxidative stress and mitophagy induced by sesamin. Furthermore, we found that cyclosporine A (an inhibitor of mitophagy) decreased the inhibitory effect of sesamin on A549 cell viability. Collectively, our data indicate that sesamin exerts lethal effects on lung cancer cells through the induction of ROS-mediated mitophagy and mitochondrial apoptosis.

Objective:To assess the clinical efficacy of sequential radical surgery after immune and targeted therapy in downstaging patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:Data were prospectively collected from December 2018 to July 2022 on patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma which were downstaged to undergo sequential surgery after treatment with immune and targeted therapy at the Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital. There were 79 patients, with 69 men and 10 women, aged (53.0±10.9) years, being enrolled into this study. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival rate, and the log-rank test was used for survival rate comparison. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to analyze factors influencing patient prognosis.Results:There were 7 patients (8.9%) with China Liver Cancer Staging (CNLC) Ⅰb, Ⅱa, Ⅱb who had insufficient residual liver volume or tumor rupture before the downstaging therapy, and 38 patients (48.1%) with CNLC Ⅲa and 34 patients (43.0%) with CNLC Ⅲb. These 79 patients underwent R 0 resection after 3-20 cycles (median 5 cycles) of immune and targeted therapy. Based on the modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumor, the results of preoperative imaging assessment were: complete remission in 12 patients (15.2%), partial remission in 50 patients (63.3%), stable disease in 15 patients (19.0%), and disease progression in 2 patients (2.5%). The overall survival rates of patients at 1, 2, and 3 years after diagnosis were 96.1%, 83.5%, and 76.6%; and the recurrence-free survival rates at 1, 2, and 3 years after surgery were 62.1%, 52.9%, and 34.7%, respectively. On multivariate Cox regression analysis, patients with a preoperative alpha-fetoprotein >20 μg/L ( HR=2.816, 95% CI: 1.232-6.432, P=0.014) and a high proportion of pathological residual tumors ( HR=1.015, 95% CI: 1.004-1.026, P=0.006) had a higher risk of postoperative recurrence; and patients with a high proportion of pathological residual tumors ( HR=1.028, 95% CI: 1.007-1.049, P=0.007) and preoperative alpha-fetoprotein >400 μg/L ( HR=4.099, 95% CI: 1.193-14.076, P=0.025) had a higher risk of death. Conclusion:Immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy and sequential surgery for patients with initially unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma provided long-term survival benefits. Elevated preoperative alpha-fetoprotein and a high proportion of pathological residual tumor were independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival and overall survival in this group of patients.

Objective:To analyze the value of alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) in predicting survival of patients who underwent salvage surgery after tumor downstaging therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:The data of 50 patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging (BCLC) C hepatocellular carcinoma treated at the Faculty of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Chinese PLA General Hospital from December 2018 to December 2021 were collected. There were 45 males and 5 females, with the age of (53.0±10.5) years. The patients were divided into two groups based on the serum AFP level after tumor downstaging therapy, AFP normal group ( n=27, AFP≤20 μg/L) and the control group ( n=23, AFP>20 μg/L). Patient survival and tumor recurrence were followed up by outpatient review or telephone follow-up. The survival rate was calculated by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The efficacy of combined immunotargeted therapy were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were carried to analyse the factors influcing prognosis. Results:The median survival time was not reached in both groups. The 1-year and 2-year cumulative survival rates were 95.0% and 88.2% in the normal group and 73.4% and 54.1% in the control group, respectively. The median relapse-free survival time of the normal group was not reached, and the median relapse-free survival time of the control group was 11 months. The 1-year recurrence-free survival rate was 78.1% in the normal group and 39.5% in the control group. The cumulative survival rate and relapse-free survival rate in the normal group were significantly higher than those in the control group (χ 2=7.60, 8.83, P=0.006, 0.003). The complete response, partial response and pathological complete response of tumors in the normal group were significant better than those in the control group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that patients with serum AFP >20 μg/L ( HR=2.952, 95% CI: 1.023-8.517, P=0.045) after immunotherapy combined with targeted therapy had an increased risk of postoperative recurrence. Conclusion:The reduction of serum AFP to normal after downstaging therapy could be used as a prognostic indicator of salvage surgical in patients with BCLC C hepatocellular carcinoma, and AFP was related to the efficacy of downstaging therapy in patients.