Objective To investigate the risk factors for postoperative recurrence and metastasis in patients with T1 stageⅢ/Ⅳ clear cell renal cell carcinoma(ccRCC), and to analyze the influence of surgical methods on prognosis, so as to provide prognostic evaluation and treatment guidance for clinical practice. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 398 patients diagnosed with T1 stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ ccRCC who underwent either partial nephrectomy(PN)or radical nephrectomy(RN)at Jiangsu Province Hospital during Jan. 2008 and Sep. 2022. The patients were divided into recurrence group(n=49)and non-recurrence group(n=349)according to whether the tumor recurred during the follow-up period. The general, clinical data and prognosis were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to explore the factors influencing disease-free survival(DFS)and overall survival(OS)after surgery. Subgroup analysis using Kaplan-Meier curves was performed for T1a and T1b patients. Results During the median follow-up of 67(42, 98)months, the recurrence group was characterized by older age, larger tumor diameter, higher proportion of T1b stage, and more complex tumor anatomy. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that age ≥55 years and R.E.N.A.L. score ≥7 were independent risk factors for poorer DFS and OS(P＜0.05). Subgroup analysis revealed that PN or RN did not significantly affect DFS or OS in T1a patients and OS in T1b patients, while RN significantly improved DFS in T1b patients(P＜0.05). Conclusion Age ≥55 years and R.E.N.A.L. score ≥7 are independent risk factors for poor DFS and OS in highgrade T1 ccRCC patients. For T1b patients, RN may improve DFS.

Objective:To investigate the impact of the number of examined lymph nodes (ELN) on survival outcomes in gastric cancer patients with postoperative pathological stage pN3b.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 279 pN3b gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy at Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (September 2008 to April 2023), with 35 patients receiving combination chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 therapy (immunotherapy group) and 244 receiving adjuvant chemotherapy alone (nonimmunotherapy group). Additionally, 422 patients with pN3b from the SEER database (2005 to 2020) were collected as an external validation cohort to determine the optimal cutoff value for the number of lymph nodes examined in the nonimmunotherapy group. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the nonimmunotherapy group of the Nanfang Hospital cohort, stratified by whether the number of examined lymph nodes was above or below the ELN optimal cutoff value. These findings were subsequently validated in the SEER cohort.Results:The optimal ELN cutoff value (34 nodes) was determined using X-tile software and by constructing an ELN-HR fitting model with inflection point identification. In the nonimmunotherapy group, patients with ELN >34 exhibited significantly prolonged survival compared to ELN ≤34 (median OS: 25.0 (95%CI:20.5-29.5) to 17.0 (95%CI:12.7-21.3) months, P=0.004; median RFS: 19.0 (95%CI:15.6-22.4) to 13.0 (95%CI:9.5-16.5) months, P=0.048). Multivariate Cox analysis also showed ELN >34 to be an independent protective factor for both OS (HR=0.576, 95%CI: 0.397-0.836) and RFS (HR=0.701, 95%CI: 0.492-0.998). In the SEER cohort, ELN >34 was associated with a 5-month OS extension (19 to 14 months, P=0.065), with multivariate analysis supporting its independent prognostic significance (HR=0.729, 95%CI: 0.580-0.915, P=0.006). Notably, in the immunotherapy group, patients with ELN >34 ( n=30) achieved a median OS of 41 months, but the median OS had not been reached in the ELN ≤34 group ( n=5) (1 death at 48 months). Conclusion:Higher ELN (>34) correlates with improved survival in nonimmunotherapy-treated pN3b gastric cancer patients. However, in pN3b gastric cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, the optimal ELN threshold requires further exploration to determine.

Objective:To investigate the impact of the number of examined lymph nodes (ELN) on survival outcomes in gastric cancer patients with postoperative pathological stage pN3b.Methods:This retrospective cohort study included 279 pN3b gastric cancer patients who underwent D2 gastrectomy at Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University (September 2008 to April 2023), with 35 patients receiving combination chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 therapy (immunotherapy group) and 244 receiving adjuvant chemotherapy alone (nonimmunotherapy group). Additionally, 422 patients with pN3b from the SEER database (2005 to 2020) were collected as an external validation cohort to determine the optimal cutoff value for the number of lymph nodes examined in the nonimmunotherapy group. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the nonimmunotherapy group of the Nanfang Hospital cohort, stratified by whether the number of examined lymph nodes was above or below the ELN optimal cutoff value. These findings were subsequently validated in the SEER cohort.Results:The optimal ELN cutoff value (34 nodes) was determined using X-tile software and by constructing an ELN-HR fitting model with inflection point identification. In the nonimmunotherapy group, patients with ELN >34 exhibited significantly prolonged survival compared to ELN ≤34 (median OS: 25.0 (95%CI:20.5-29.5) to 17.0 (95%CI:12.7-21.3) months, P=0.004; median RFS: 19.0 (95%CI:15.6-22.4) to 13.0 (95%CI:9.5-16.5) months, P=0.048). Multivariate Cox analysis also showed ELN >34 to be an independent protective factor for both OS (HR=0.576, 95%CI: 0.397-0.836) and RFS (HR=0.701, 95%CI: 0.492-0.998). In the SEER cohort, ELN >34 was associated with a 5-month OS extension (19 to 14 months, P=0.065), with multivariate analysis supporting its independent prognostic significance (HR=0.729, 95%CI: 0.580-0.915, P=0.006). Notably, in the immunotherapy group, patients with ELN >34 ( n=30) achieved a median OS of 41 months, but the median OS had not been reached in the ELN ≤34 group ( n=5) (1 death at 48 months). Conclusion:Higher ELN (>34) correlates with improved survival in nonimmunotherapy-treated pN3b gastric cancer patients. However, in pN3b gastric cancer patients treated with immunotherapy, the optimal ELN threshold requires further exploration to determine.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective:Construct a combined detection model of miR-202-5p and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and explore its diagnostic value for acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Methods:Clinical data of 202 patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD) who were admitted to the Department of Cardiology and Emergency Department of Hebei People's Hospital from August 2020 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed, including 106 AMI patients and 96 non AMI patients. The clinical characteristics and blood levels of miR-202-5p and IL-6 were compared between the two groups, T-test was used for inter group comparison of measurement data that conforms to normal distribution, non parametric rank sum test was used for inter group comparison of measurement data that does not conform to normal distribution, and χ2 test was used for inter group comparison of count data. Binary Logistic regression model was used to determine the independent influencing factors of AMI, and a combined diagnostic model was constructed according to the analysis results, the diagnostic efficacy of miR-202-5p, IL-6 and combined detection for AMI was evaluated by ROC curve, and the clinical diagnostic effect was observed. Results:The expression levels of serum total cholesterol (4.40 (3.71, 5.00) mmol/L), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (2.99 (2.39,3.47) mmol/L), lipoprotein a (276.80 (182.58,390.13) mg/L), interleukin-4(IL-4)(2.69(2.29,3.16) μg/L), IL-6(89.82(68.26,107.16) μg/L) in AMI group were significantly higher than those of non-AMI group (4.04 (3.12, 4.73) mmol/L, 2.75 (2.15, 3.21) mmol/L, 213.45 (146.73, 348.80) mg/L, 2.46 (1.92, 3.01)] μg/L, 45.89 (32.38, 62.83) μg/L, while miR-202-5p(0.33 (0.27,0.38)) was lower than that in the non-AMI group (0.51 (0.36,0.68)), ( H values were 4 167.50, 4 234.00, 4 262.50, 4 228.00, 1 513.00, and 2 098.50, respectively; P values were 0.027, 0.040, 0.047, 0.038, <0.001, <0.001, respectively). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that high levels of IL-6 and low levels of miR-202-5p were independent risk factors for AMI. The joint diagnostic model of IL-6 and miR-202-5p was Logit (P)=-1.046-5.236 × miR-202-5p+0.051 × IL-6, with probability value P as the diagnostic indicator and P=0.45 as the diagnostic threshold. ROC curve results showed that the area under curve (AUC) of IL-6 and miR-202-5p were 0.851 and 0.794, respectively, while the AUC of the combined diagnosis model was 0.894, indicating that the diagnosis accuracy was higher than that of a single index. Compared with isolated detection, the sensitivity, specificity and Kappa value of the IL-6+miR-202-5p collaborative test for AMI prediction were increased, especially the diagnosis results were close to a high degree of agreement with the actual results ( Kappa=0.732). Conclusion:High levels of IL-6 and low levels of miR-202-5p are independent influencing factors for AMI, and the combined diagnosis model of the two has clinical application value.

Advanced gastric cancer, characterized by high heterogeneity and poor prognosis, has traditionally been managed with a palliative care-centric comprehensive treatment. The concept of conversion therapy aims to reduce tumor staging and achieve complete tumor resection after comprehensive treatment of initially unresectable tumors, thereby improving patient prognosis. Recent large-scale clinical studies have demonstrated that immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with chemotherapy can significantly increase the objective remission rate and improve the survival of patients with advanced gastric cancer. Meanwhile, with the extensive development of multidisci-plinary teams and the advancement of surgical techniques, conversion therapy has shown great potential in improving the prognosis of advanced gastric cancer. However, due to the complexity of advanced gastric cancer in terms of local staging, metastatic sites, and molecular typing, there are still many controversies and unanswered questions in the field of conversion therapy. The authors systematically elaborate on the research progress of gastric cancer conversion therapy both domes-tically and internationally, and explore the current status and clinical issues of conversion therapy for advanced gastric cancer.

Objective To evaluate the potential of miR-30a-5p as a novel indicator of acute myocardial infarction(AMI)and the underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods AMI-associated microRNAs(miRNAs)and mRNA microarray datasets were downloaded from the GEO database.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)technique was used to detect the level of miRNAs in serum samples;automatic biochemistry was used to detect other biochemical indicators.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis and Spearson correlation analysis were performed to assess the value of miR-30a-5p as a diagnostic AMI marker.The target genes of miR-30a-5p were predicted with the R language multiMiR package,and the protein interaction network was constructed by the STRING database.The results were imported into Cytoscape 3.7.1 software to screen the pivotal genes of the network.The R language clusterProfiler package performed KEGG and GO analyses on the hub genes to explore the clinical significance of miR-30a-5p in AMI and its potential molecular mechanisms.Results Compared with the control group,miR-30a-5p was upregulated significantly in the serum of patients in the AMI group(P＜0.05);miR-30a-5p was positively correlated with the levels of CK-MB,CK,TnT,proBNP and CRP(rs=0.489,P＜0.001;rs=0.347,P＜0.001;rs=0.545,P＜0.001;rs=0.533,P＜0.001;rs=0.206,P＜0.05).The area under the ROC curve was 0.862,with sensitivity of 84.4％and specificity of 74.2％.A total of 780 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were obtained from the two datasets.A total of 1 061 target genes of miR-30a-5p and 61 common genes were identified by taking the intersection set.Among the central genes of PPI,BCL6,FOSL2,JDP2,LYN,PDE4D,SOCS3 and SOX4 scored high and were closely associated with the occurrence of AMI.KEGG and GO enrichment analyses showed that miR-30a-5p might regulate JAK-STAT,NF-kappaB and Wnt signaling pathways,which were involved in inflammatory response,apoptosis,autophagy and post-infarction remodeling,and thus participated in the process of AMI.Conclusion Serum miR-30a-5p is up-regulated in the early stage of AMI,and the study on miR-30a-5p and its regulatory pathways can help with the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial infarction.

Objectives To investigate the regulatory role of miRNA-224-5p in hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R)-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury.Methods Plasma samples were collected from 160 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 80 healthy controls(HC)to measure miRNA-224-5p levels and other biochemical parameters.In cultured H9c2 cells with H/R injury,the effects of transfection with miR-224-5p mimics or a negative control sequence on cell viability,malondialdehyde(MDA)content,and superoxide dismutase 2(SOD2)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activities were tested.Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to verify the targeting relationship between miR-224-5p and PTEN.Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the potential mechanisms of the target genes.The expression of miRNA-224-5p in the treated cells was detected with qRT-PCR,the protein expressions of PTEN,Bcl-2,Bax,cleaved caspase-3,SOD2,p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Ak and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 were determined using Western blotting,and cell apoptosis was analysed with flow cytometry.Results The levels of blood glucose,C-reactive protein,CK,CK-MB and cTnI were significantly higher in the AMI group compared with the HC group(P<0.05).The expression level of miR-224-5p was significantly lowered in patients with STEMI and NSTEMI and in H9c2 cells with H/R injury.The viability of H9c2 cells decreased time-dependently following H/R injury.PTEN was a target gene of miR-224-5p,and the PI3K/Akt pathway was the most significantly enriched pathway.H9c2 cells with H/R injury showed significantly decreased SOD2 activity,increased LDH activity and MDA content,increased cell apoptosis,decreased protein expression levels of p-PI3K,p-Akt,p-FoxO1,SOD2,and Bcl-2,and increased expressions of PTEN,Bax,and cleaved caspase-3.These changes were obviously attenuated by trasnfection of the cells with miR-224-5p mimics prior to H/R exposure.Conclusion MiR-224-5p overexpression upregulates the expression of the antioxidant gene SOD2 through the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 axis to relieve H/R-induced oxidative stress and reduce apoptosis of H9c2 cells.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objectives To investigate the regulatory role of miRNA-224-5p in hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R)-induced H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury.Methods Plasma samples were collected from 160 patients with acute myocardial infarction and 80 healthy controls(HC)to measure miRNA-224-5p levels and other biochemical parameters.In cultured H9c2 cells with H/R injury,the effects of transfection with miR-224-5p mimics or a negative control sequence on cell viability,malondialdehyde(MDA)content,and superoxide dismutase 2(SOD2)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activities were tested.Dual luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to verify the targeting relationship between miR-224-5p and PTEN.Bioinformatics methods were used to analyze the potential mechanisms of the target genes.The expression of miRNA-224-5p in the treated cells was detected with qRT-PCR,the protein expressions of PTEN,Bcl-2,Bax,cleaved caspase-3,SOD2,p-PI3K/PI3K,p-Akt/Ak and p-FoxO1/FoxO1 were determined using Western blotting,and cell apoptosis was analysed with flow cytometry.Results The levels of blood glucose,C-reactive protein,CK,CK-MB and cTnI were significantly higher in the AMI group compared with the HC group(P<0.05).The expression level of miR-224-5p was significantly lowered in patients with STEMI and NSTEMI and in H9c2 cells with H/R injury.The viability of H9c2 cells decreased time-dependently following H/R injury.PTEN was a target gene of miR-224-5p,and the PI3K/Akt pathway was the most significantly enriched pathway.H9c2 cells with H/R injury showed significantly decreased SOD2 activity,increased LDH activity and MDA content,increased cell apoptosis,decreased protein expression levels of p-PI3K,p-Akt,p-FoxO1,SOD2,and Bcl-2,and increased expressions of PTEN,Bax,and cleaved caspase-3.These changes were obviously attenuated by trasnfection of the cells with miR-224-5p mimics prior to H/R exposure.Conclusion MiR-224-5p overexpression upregulates the expression of the antioxidant gene SOD2 through the PI3K/Akt/FoxO1 axis to relieve H/R-induced oxidative stress and reduce apoptosis of H9c2 cells.