Objective:To investigate the expression of programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) pathway in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and its relationship with clinical features and prognosis, and to examine its effect on PD-1-positive natural killer (NK) cells against AML cells in vitro.Methods:The bone marrow samples of 65 AML patients and the peripheral blood of 32 AML patients diagnosed in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2019 to December 2020 were prospectively collected, and the peripheral blood of 24 healthy people was taken as healthy control. The expression level of PD-L1 in bone marrow tumor cells and expression level of PD-1 in peripheral blood NK cells were detected by flow cytometry. The correlations of PD-1 expression in bone marrow tumor cells and PD-1 expression in NK cells with the clinicopathological features, curative effect and prognosis of patients were analyzed. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression level of PD-L1 in AML cell line THP-1 (target cells) and the expression level of PD-L1 in NK cell line NKL (effector cells). THP-1 cells treated with and without 25 μmol/L of PD-L1 inhibitor fraxinellone were used as experimental group and control group, and co-cultured with NKL cells at different effector-to-target ratios. The apoptosis of THP-1 cells and the expression of NKG2D in NKL cells were detected by flow cytometry, the cell proliferation status was detected by CCK-8 and the cell proliferation inhibition rate was calculated; the levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the supernatant of co-culture system were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:The proportion of AML patients with PD-L1-positive expression in bone marrow tumor cells was higher than that in the healthy control group [38.5% (25/65) vs. 8.3% (2/24), P = 0.029]. The proportion of AML patients with PD-1-positive expression in peripheral blood NK cells was higher than that in the healthy control group [40.6% (13/32) vs. 12.5% (3/24), P = 0.035]. There were no statistical differences in sex, age, hemogram, proportion of primordial cells, risk stratification, chromosomal karyotype, gene mutation (except NPM1 gene), fusion gene and French-American-British cooperative group (FAB) typing between patients with PD-L1 positive and negative in bone marrow tumor cells and between patients with PD-1 positive and negative in peripheral blood NK cells (all P > 0.05). In relapsed/refractory patients, the proportion of patients with PD-L1-positive expression in bone marrow tumor cells was higher than that in newly treated patients [58.8% (10/17) vs. 31.2% (15/48), P = 0.045]. There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients with PD-1-positive expression in peripheral blood NK cells between relapsed/refractory patients and newly treated patients [(38.5% (5/13) vs. 42.1% (8/19), P = 0.837]. There was no statistical difference in complete remission (CR) rate between PD-L1 positive and negative patients [69.6% (16/23) vs. 74.3% (26/35), P > 0.05]. There was no statistical difference in CR rate between PD-1 positive and negative patients [66.7% (8/12) vs. 70.6% (12/17), P > 0.05]. There was no statistical difference in recurrence rate after CR between PD-L1 positive and negative patients [12.5% (2/16) vs. 19.2% (5/26), P > 0.05]. There was no statistical difference in recurrence rate after CR between PD-1 positive and negative patients [25.0% (2/8) vs. 16.7% (2/12), P > 0.05]. Flow cytometry showed that the positive rate of PD-1 in NKL cells was (67±6)% and the positive rate of PD-L1 in THP-1 cells was (85±5)%. After co-culture with NKL cells, the apoptotic rate and proliferation inhibition rate of THP-1 cells were higher in the experimental group compared with the control group, the expression of NKG2D on the surface of NKL cells was elevated, and the levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α in the co-culture supernatant were increased. Conclusions:In AML patients, the expression of PD-L1 in bone marrow tumor cells is high, and the expression of PD-1 in peripheral blood NK cells is also high. The expression of PD-L1 in bone marrow tumor cells of relapsed/refractory AML patients is higher than that of newly treated patients. Inhibition of PD-L1 expression in THP-1 cells can enhance the tumor killing activity of NKL cells in vitro. The mechanism may be that inhibition of PD-L1 expression in THP-1 cells up-regulates the expression of NKL cell activated receptor NKG2D and promotes the secretion of IFN- γ and TNF- α.

Autologous ozonized blood transfusion(AOBT) is a therapy of re-transfusion of 100-200 mL of autologous blood after shaking and agitation with appropriate amount of oxygen-ozone in vitro. The oxidation of blood through the strong oxidation of ozone can enhance the non-specific immune response of the body, regulate the internal environment and promote health. This therapy has been increasingly applied in clinical practice, while no unified standard for the operation process in terms of ozone concentration, treatment frequency and treatment course had been established. This operation process of AOBT is primarily explored in order to standardize the operation process and ensure its safety and efficacy.

Peritoneal metastasis is one of the most frequent metastatic patterns of advanced gastric cancer, but the mechanism underlying remains unclear. The 'seed and soil’ theory is now well recognized for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer at present. The combination of various cells, extracellular matrix, and ascites components within the abdominal cavity provide a suitable microenvironment for the plantation, infiltra-tion, growth and metastasis of gastric cancer cells. Fully under-standing of peritoneal microenvironment will help to diagnose the peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer and tumor recurrence, and provide theoretical basis for the development of drugs targeting peritoneal microenvironment. The authors review the main cell formation, ascites and immune microenvironment involved in the formation of the peritoneal microenvironment based on relevant literatures at home and abroad, and investigate the relationship between peritoneal microenvironment and peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The prognosis of advanced GC is extremely poor, characterized by the high recurrence or disease progression rate after the first-line chemotherapy, and the extremely low long-term survival rate. Meanwhile, the options for subsequent treatment are limited. Studies have shown that the third-line therapy can provide significant survival benefits for selected patients with advanced GC. Currently, a series of randomized controlled trials and real-world studies related to chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are conducted. In addition, the explorations of combination therapy, and screening the optimal clinical features or predictive biomarkers for the suitable population who might benefit from the third-line regimens are the hot spots for researchers. This article will provide a detailed overview of the current status and progress of the third-line treatment for advanced GC, and to illustrate the characteristics of Chinese GC treatment.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world. The prognosis of advanced GC is extremely poor, characterized by the high recurrence or disease progression rate after the first-line chemotherapy, and the extremely low long-term survival rate. Meanwhile, the options for subsequent treatment are limited. Studies have shown that the third-line therapy can provide significant survival benefits for selected patients with advanced GC. Currently, a series of randomized controlled trials and real-world studies related to chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are conducted. In addition, the explorations of combination therapy, and screening the optimal clinical features or predictive biomarkers for the suitable population who might benefit from the third-line regimens are the hot spots for researchers. This article will provide a detailed overview of the current status and progress of the third-line treatment for advanced GC, and to illustrate the characteristics of Chinese GC treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the preliminary efficacy and safety of the 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (FOLF-OXIRI) and capecitabine, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin (CAPIRINOX) regimens as first-line therapy for unresectable advanced colorectal cancer. Methods: Between January 2013 and November 2018, 73 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were analyzed. All patients received first-line chemotherapy. Of them, 45 patients were administered FOLFOXIRI, and the remaining 28 patients were ad-ministered CAPIRINOX. The clinical outcomes and safety profiles were evaluated according to the objective response rate (ORR), con-version resection rate, and adverse effects. Results: The ORR, median progression-free survival (mPFS), and R0 resection rate in the FOLFOXIRI group were not statistically different from those in the CAPIRINOX group (60% vs. 57.1%, 7.7 months vs. 9.6 months, 24.4% vs . 17.9% , respectively; P>0.05). No treatment-related deaths occurred. The major adverse events were leukopenia, neutropenia, fa-tigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, alopecia, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase elevation, and neurotoxicity. The to-tal rate of grade 3/4 adverse events in the FOLFOXIRI group was 33.3% (15/45), while the total rate of grade 3/4 adverse events in the CAPIRINOX group was 46.4% (13/28). Toxicities between the two groups were not statistically significant (P=0.263). Conclusions: Both the FOLFOXIRI and CAPIRINOX regimens are effective as first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. The triple-agent chemo-therapy was associated with good efficacy and tolerable toxicity.

Objective: To investigate application and safety of pediatric interfacility-transport with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in China. Methods: The data of 48 patients transported inter-hospital from February 2016 to May 2018 were collected from the following 4 centers: pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Bayi Children′s Hospital Affiliated to the 7th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, Pediatric Hospital of Fudan University, Henan Provincial People′s Hospital and Children′s Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The data of patients′ characteristics, ECMO mode and wean rate, and mortality were reviewed, which was further compared with the data of 57 compatible inner-hospital ECMO cases with t test, Rank sum test or chi-square test. Results: All the 48 interfacility-transports were accomplished by ambulance on land, with an average transfer distance of (435±422) km. The incidence of ECMO complications was 13% (6 case), without death. There were no significant differences in lactic acid, PaO₂ or SaO₂ before and after transport (4.0 (2.0, 7.5) vs. 3.0 (1.5, 6.0) mmol/L, Z=-1.579, P>0.05; 112(47, 405) vs. 166(122, 240) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa), Z=-0.104, P>0.05; 0.97±0.02 vs. 0.96±0.03, t=1.570, P>0.05). Instead, PaCO₂ and pH were significantly different ((47±8) vs. (42±5) mmHg, t=2.687, P<0.05; 7.3±0.2 vs. 7.5±0.2, t=3.379, P<0.05). The total ECMO weaned rate was 73% (35/48) and the survival rate was 67% (32/48). No significant differences in demographic characteristics, ECMO mode or duration, transport distance or duration, or complications existed between the survival group and the death group (7/25 vs. 2/14, χ²=0.615, P>0.05; 4/28 vs. 2/14, χ²=0, P>0.05; (405±404) vs. (493±465) km, t=0.525, P>0.05; (5±4) vs. (5±5) h, t=0.388, P>0.05; 166 (128, 239) vs. 187(52, 405) h, Z=-0.104, P>0.05; 3/32 vs. 3/16, χ²=0.734, P>0.05). The lowest lactate value in survival group before ECMO transport was significantly lower than that in the death group ((5±5) vs. (8±6) mmol/L, t=2.151, P<0.05). There were neither significant differences in age, ECMO mode or support pattern (9/39 vs. 15/42, χ²=0.845, P>0.05; 6/42 vs. 7/50, χ²=0.001, P>0.05; 29/19 vs. 38/19, χ²=0.441, P>0.05), nor in ECMO weaned rate, survival rate or complications between interfacility-transport group and inner-hospital group (35/48 vs. 37/57, χ²=0.775, P>0.05; 32/48 vs. 35/57, χ²=0.313, P>0.05; 20/48 vs. 22/57, χ²=0.102, P>0.05). Conclusion With appropriate transport equipment and mature teams who handle problems timely during the transport, critically ill children could be safely transported to the destination with ECMO.

OBJECTIVE： To study the mechanism of couplet medicine of Tripterygium hypoglaucum-Spatholobus suberectus in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. METHODS： The RA targets were retrieved and obtained by therapeutic target database （TTD）， DrugBank and DisGeNET databases， and the protein protein interaction （PPI） network was constructed to screen its key targets. Using oral bioavailability（OB）≥30％， drug like（DL）≥0.18 and drug half-life （HL） ≥4 h as index， active components were obtained from couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus by using TCM systematic pharmacological analysis platform （TCMSP） and TCM integrated database （TCMID）， and the targets were predicted. The active component-target network of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus was constructed. Systems Dock Web Site online platform and Genomics platform were used to screen the active component and common targets of RA of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus； KEGG signaling pathways of common targets were analyzed by using Cluego plug-in unit of Cytoscape 3.2.1 software. RESULTS： Totally 1 956 RA targets were retrieved， involving 11 key targets [such as IL-6， TNF， VEGFA]. The couplet medicine contained 30 active components （including luteolin， erythroxanthin， β-sitosterol and triptolide） and 229 targets. There were 37 common targets for couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus and RA （including MMP2， TNF， VEGFA）. KEGG signaling way involved cell apoptosis， IL-17 signaling pathway， Th17 cell differentiation pathway and TNF signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS： The couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus may play a role in the treatment of RA by acting on cell apoptosis， IL-17 signaling pathway and other signaling pathways through MMP2， TNF， and VEGFA target. The results of this study can provide a reference for further study on the mechanism of the effects of couplet medicine of T. hypoglaucum-S. suberectus on RA.

Nivolumab is an anti-programmed cell death (anti-PD-1) monoclonal antibody, which is a new drug for tumor immunotherapy. A 73-year-old female patient with colorectal cancer 3 years after surgery was treated in the Endocrinology Department of Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, who developed severe hypothyroidism resulting from treatment with nivolumab. After 4 months treatment of nivolumab, this patient presented with symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, jaundice and palpebral edema, with decreased levels of FT3 and FT4 and elevated levels of TSH. Subsequently, nivolumab treatment was terminated. This patient's symptoms were relieved and thyroid function returned to normal after thyroxine replacement therapy. The clinical diagnosis was considered to be nivolumab-induced autoimmune thyroid damage, which was an immune-related adverse reaction in the treatment.
Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; chemically induced ; Nivolumab ; adverse effects ; Thyroxine

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the biological behavior characteristics of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) with PDGFRA mutation and the patients' survival, and elucidate the efficacy of imatinib therapy. METHODS: Patients with PDGFRA D842V and non-D842V mutations were screened from a database of 1163 patients with GIST who were treated at Peking University Cancer Hospital from 2003 to 2018. Clinicopathological data of these patients were collected, including gender, age, tumor size, mitotic phase, primary position, metastatic site, and expressions of CD117, CD34, DOG-1. The association of gene mutations with biological behavior of GIST, prognosis of patients, and efficacy of imatinib therapy was examined. Fisher's exact test was used to compare the clinical characteristics of the two groups. Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze overall survival and recurrence-free survival. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients with PDGFRA mutations were screened, among whom the D842V mutation was 1.6%(19/1 163), and the rate of non-D842V mutation was 0.7%(8/1 163). There were 11 male patients and 8 female patients of D842V mutation with male to female ratio of 1.38:1 and median age of 56 (35-72) years. There were 4 male patients and 4 female patients of non-D842V mutations with male to female ratio of 1:1 and median age of 51.5 (34-82) years. The primary lesions of D824V mutation were located in stomach for 18 cases and in parenteral area for 1 case. The primary lesions of non-D842V mutation were located in stomach for 6 cases, in jejunoileum for 1 case and in colorectum for 1 case. The proportion of nuclear fission <5/50 HPF in PDGFRA mutation GIST was 17/27. Among D842V mutation patients, mitotic phase <5/50 HPF accounted for 11/19, mitotic phase >10/50 HPF accounted for 3/19, and 5-10/50 HPF accounted for 5/19. Among non-D842V mutation patients, mitotic phase <5/50 HPF accounted for 6/8, 5-10/50 HPF accounted for 2/8. Of D842V mutation patients, positive CD117 was found in 15 cases(15/19); positive DOG-1 was found in 15 cases(15/19); positive CD34 was found in 16/17 cases. Among patients with non-D842V mutation, 7 patients were positive for CD117(7/8); only 5 patients were tested for CD34, and all 5 patients were positive(5/5); only 3 patients were tested for DOG-1, and all 3 cases were positive (3/3). The 3-year recurrence-free survival rate after radical resection in D842V mutation patients was 51.9%, and that in non-D842V mutation patients was 62.5% without significant difference(P=0.380). Recurrence-free rate did not decreased in patients with D842V mutation after adjuvant imatinib treatment and the benefit rate of first-line treatment with imatinib in patients with advanced disease was zero. CONCLUSIONS The PDGFRA gene mutation rate is low, mostly derived from gastric GIST. D842V and non-D842V mutations present inert biological behavior. D842V mutation GIST is resistant to imatinib, and non-D842V mutation GIST can obtain benefit from imatinib treatment.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Humans ; Imatinib Mesylate ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; genetics ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; genetics ; Prognosis ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; genetics ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha ; genetics