BACKGROUNDE-cadherin is a subclass of the cadherin family that plays an important role in the maintenance of intercellular junctions in normal epithelium.Decreased expression of E-cadherin might be closely related to invasiveness and dedifferentiation in human cancers.There is increasing evidence that modulation of the E-cadherin-catenin cell-cell adhesion complex is an important step in the initiation and progression of human cancers.The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of E-cadherin mRNA expression and pathological grades and clinical stages of non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).

METHODSRT-PCR was used to measure the level of E-cadherin mRNA expression in 53 specimens of NSCLC,46 of para-cancer lung tissues,5 of benign nodal lung diseases,and the stages of disease was determined according to the results of surgery,pathology and imaging diagnoses.Then analyses were carried out between the level of E-cadherin mRNA expression and the clinical variables.

RESULTS45.3%(24/53) and 45.7%(21/46) specimens of NSCLC and para-cancer lung tissue were positive for E-cadherin mRNA expression respectively(P > 0.05);NSCLC with low differentiation,advanced stages and nodal metastases showed a magnificantly lower expression of E-cadherin mRNA(P < 0.05).The median survival time for E-cadherin mRNA positive and negative patients were 15.5 months and 46 months,respectively,but the expression of E-cadherin mRNA did not correlate with patient's survival(P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSE-cadherin expression is related to the differentiation,lymph node metastasis and pathological staging of NSCLC,but probably does not effectively affect its prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein vaccine as a booster dose.Methods:A new immunogen, namely RBD-sc-trimer, was designed by tandem repeating of single receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein to mimic the trimeric form of RBD presented by the virus. The RBD-sc-trimer protein was expressed as a His-tagged fusion protein using a baculovirus expression system and purified by nickel affinity column. The purified protein was identified by Western blot. Its in vitro binding activity to human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) was analyzed by ELISA. The immunogenicity of RBD-sc-trimer as well as RBD proteins of other forms including RBD dimer (RBD-Fc), RBD monomer (RBD) and S protein trimer (S trimer) as a booster dose was evaluated in BALB/c mice. Results:In terms of both binding and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, RBD-sc-trimer showed an immunogenicity that was superior to that of RBD-Fc and RBD and close to the level of S trimer. The antibody response induced by RBD-sc-trimer was characterized as Th1-biased. Moreover, it displayed a stronger cross-neutralization activity against SARS-CoV-2 Beta, Delta and Omicron variants. The titer of neutralizing antibody against Omicron induced by RBD-sc-trimer only decreased by 9.1 folds relative to the prototype strain, while the antibody response induced by RBD-Fc and S trimer decreased by 68.4 and 70.8 folds, respectively.Conclusions:The recombinant protein, RBD-sc-trimer, which was capable of eliciting stronger humoral response in mice as a booster dose and showed the superiority in raising cross-reactive antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants over non-trimeric RBD forms, should be considered as an optimal immunogen for the development of more effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.

Background::Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and diameter, stiffness, and wave reflections, are independent and important clinical biomarkers and risk predictors for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the present study was to establish nationwide reference values of carotid properties for healthy Chinese adults and to explore potential clinical determinants.Methods::A total of 3053 healthy Han Chinese adults (1922 women) aged 18-79 years were enrolled at 28 collaborating tertiary centers throughout China between April 2021 and July 2022. The real-time tracking of common carotid artery walls was achieved by the radio frequency (RF) ultrasound system. The IMT, diameter, compliance coefficient, β stiffness, local pulse wave velocity (PWV), local systolic blood pressure, augmented pressure (AP), and augmentation index (AIx) were then automatically measured and reported. Data were stratified by age groups and sex. The relationships between age and carotid property parameters were analyzed by Jonckheere-Terpstra test and simple linear regressions. The major clinical determinants of carotid properties were identified by Pearson’s correlation, multiple linear regression, and analyses of covariance.Results::All the parameters of carotid properties demonstrated significantly age-related trajectories. Women showed thinner IMT, smaller carotid diameter, larger AP, and AIx than men. The β stiffness and PWV were significantly higher in men than women before forties, but the differences reversed after that. The increase rate of carotid IMT (5.5 μm/year in women and 5.8 μm/year in men) and diameter (0.03 mm/year in both men and women) were similar between men and women. For the stiffness and wave reflections, women showed significantly larger age-related variations than men as demonstrated by steeper regression slopes (all P for age by sex interaction <0.05). The blood pressures, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride levels were identified as major clinical determinants of carotid properties with adjustment of age and sex. Conclusions::The age- and sex-specific reference values of carotid properties measured by RF ultrasound for healthy Chinese adults were established. The blood pressures, BMI, and triglyceride levels should be considered for clinical application of corresponding reference values.