1.Adrenal pheochromocytoma impacts three main pathways:cysteine-methionine,pyrimidine,and tyrosine metabolism
LAI CHONG ; YANG QINGLING ; ZHANG YUNUO ; GONG RENJIE ; WANG MAJIE ; LI JIANKANG ; LAI MAODE ; SUN QINGRONG
Journal of Zhejiang University. Science. B 2024;25(5):410-421
Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas(PPGLs)cause symptoms by altering the circulation levels of catecholamines and peptide hormones.Currently,the diagnosis of PPGLs relies on diagnostic imaging and the detection of catecholamines.In this study,we used ultra-performance liquid chromatography(UPLC)/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(Q-TOF MS)analysis to identify and measure the perioperative differential metabolites in the plasma of adrenal pheochromocytoma patients.We identified differentially expressed genes by comparing the transcriptomic data of pheochromocytoma with the normal adrenal medulla.Through conducting two steps of metabolomics analysis,we identified 111 differential metabolites between the healthy group and the patient group,among which 53 metabolites were validated.By integrating the information of differential metabolites and differentially expressed genes,we inferred that the cysteine-methionine,pyrimidine,and tyrosine metabolism pathways were the three main metabolic pathways altered by the neoplasm.The analysis of transcription levels revealed that the tyrosine and cysteine-methionine metabolism pathways were downregulated in pheochromocytoma,whereas the pyrimidine pathway showed no significant difference.Finally,we developed an optimized diagnostic model of two metabolites,L-dihydroorotic acid and vanylglycol.Our results for these metabolites suggest that they may serve as potential clinical biomarkers and can be used to supplement and improve the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma.
2.Towards understandings of serine/arginine-rich splicing factors.
Dianyang LI ; Wenying YU ; Maode LAI
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2023;13(8):3181-3207
Serine/arginine-rich splicing factors (SRSFs) refer to twelve RNA-binding proteins which regulate splice site recognition and spliceosome assembly during precursor messenger RNA splicing. SRSFs also participate in other RNA metabolic events, such as transcription, translation and nonsense-mediated decay, during their shuttling between nucleus and cytoplasm, making them indispensable for genome diversity and cellular activity. Of note, aberrant SRSF expression and/or mutations elicit fallacies in gene splicing, leading to the generation of pathogenic gene and protein isoforms, which highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting SRSF to treat diseases. In this review, we updated current understanding of SRSF structures and functions in RNA metabolism. Next, we analyzed SRSF-induced aberrant gene expression and their pathogenic outcomes in cancers and non-tumor diseases. The development of some well-characterized SRSF inhibitors was discussed in detail. We hope this review will contribute to future studies of SRSF functions and drug development targeting SRSFs.
3.Expression changes of S100 family proteins and their functional significances in renal cancer
Journal of China Pharmaceutical University 2020;51(2):223-230
Renal cell carcinoma is a common type malignant tumor of the urinary system. The global incidence of renal cancer is 2. 2%. S100 proteins are involved in the regulations of proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and Ca2+ homeostasis, etc. S100 proteins are often closely associated with tumor progression. This review lists the expression changes of S100s and their functional significances in renal cancers, providing a new direction for the researches and treatments of renal cancer. The interpretation of S100 in the regulation of VHL/HIF signaling pathways should be a future direction.
4.Deep learning in digital pathology image analysis: a survey.
Shujian DENG ; Xin ZHANG ; Wen YAN ; Eric I-Chao CHANG ; Yubo FAN ; Maode LAI ; Yan XU
Frontiers of Medicine 2020;14(4):470-487
Deep learning (DL) has achieved state-of-the-art performance in many digital pathology analysis tasks. Traditional methods usually require hand-crafted domain-specific features, and DL methods can learn representations without manually designed features. In terms of feature extraction, DL approaches are less labor intensive compared with conventional machine learning methods. In this paper, we comprehensively summarize recent DL-based image analysis studies in histopathology, including different tasks (e.g., classification, semantic segmentation, detection, and instance segmentation) and various applications (e.g., stain normalization, cell/gland/region structure analysis). DL methods can provide consistent and accurate outcomes. DL is a promising tool to assist pathologists in clinical diagnosis.
5.Location and functions of secretagogin protein.
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2016;45(1):56-60
Secretagogin (SCGN) is a novel member of EF-hand Ca2+-binding proteins, which was identified in islet β cells by Wagner. SCGN is a six EF-hand Ca2+-binding protein, primarily expressed on the neuroendocrine axis and the central nervous system. The protein has abundant biological functions. A certain concentration of calcium ion can lead to conformation change of SCGN, resulting in the change of intracellular signal transduction. Preliminary studies showed that SCGN would be used to treat stress reaction, such as mental illness (depression), burns or post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic stress reaction caused by pain. In Alzheimer's disease, the expression of SCGN in the hippocampus can boycott neurodegeneration. In neuroendocrine tumors, SCGN presents a good consistency with neuroendocrine markers such as CgA, Syn, and NSE, with a higher overall sensitivity and specificity. In addition, SCGN is released into serum after neural damage in cerebral ischemic diseases, suggesting that SCGN can be used as a marker for brain trauma. In this article, we review the recent research progress of secretagogin, focus on its distribution and functions in various tumorous diseases and non-tumorous diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer Disease
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diagnosis
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Biomarkers
;
analysis
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Brain Ischemia
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diagnosis
;
Calcium
;
metabolism
;
Hippocampus
;
metabolism
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Humans
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Neuroendocrine Tumors
;
diagnosis
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Secretagogins
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physiology
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Signal Transduction
6.Update of pathological diagnosis of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor.
Xiaodong TENG ; Ming ZHAO ; Maode LAI
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2016;45(1):36-44
Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors are common in pathological practice and its pathological classification and histological grading are not exactly the same as that of those in the digestive tract and pancreas. In 2015 edition of World Health Organization classification, pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors are classified as carcinoid tumors (including typical carcinoid and atypical carcinoid), small cell lung carcinoma, large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, and precursor lesion diffuse idiopathic neuroendocrine cell hyperplasia; each category has distinctive morphological and immunohistochemical features. The morphologic features including growth patterns and cytological appearances are keys for the diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumor, and immunohistochemical findings are also critical for its diagnosis. Furthermore, the diagnostic criteria vary for different types of specimen. In this article, we present a concise review and summary of the update of clinicopathological characterizations of pulmonary neuroendocrine tumor, with an emphasis on its diagnostic criteria and differential diagnosis.
Carcinoid Tumor
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diagnosis
;
pathology
;
Diagnosis, Differential
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Humans
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Hyperplasia
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Lung Neoplasms
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
;
Neuroendocrine Tumors
;
classification
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
7.Association of neuroendocrine differentiation with progression and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.
Fangying XU ; Qin LIU ; Fengyan HAN ; Enping XU ; Maode LAI ; Zhongsheng ZHAO
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2016;45(1):24-30
OBJECTIVETo investigate the association of neuroendocrine differentiation with progression and prognosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.
METHODSClinicopathological data of 240 patients with gastric adenocarcinomas were retrospectively analyzed. The expression of chromogranin A, synaptophysin and secrectagogin in cancer tissue was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The association of neuoroendocrine differentiation parameters with disease progression and survival of patients was analyzed.
RESULTSThe expression of synaptophysin was positively correlated with depth of invasion and secretagogin more often expressed in cases with lymph node metastasis. In Lauren diffuse type of cancer, expression of chromogranin A and secretagogin was unfavorable prognostic predictor. In TNM stage II adenocarcinoma, expression of chromogranin A and synaptophysin related to poor survival, and multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that synaptophysin was an independent predictor for poor survival.
CONCLUSIONNeuroendocrine differentiation predicts deeper depth of invasion, more possibility of lymph node metastasis and poor survival in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Secretagogins ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Synaptophysin ; metabolism
8.Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms: concepts and related issues.
Journal of Zhejiang University. Medical sciences 2016;45(1):5-23
The incidence of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) has been gradually increasing and most of NENs are located in gastroenteropancreatic system. With the application of target therapeutic drugs in recent years, the precise pathological diagnosis is required critically for effective clinical treatment: target therapy needs targeted pathological diagnosis. In this article, the definition of NENs, and the century-long evolution of diagnostic terms and grades are reviewed. The eight steps of pathological diagnosis of NENs for clinical needs are described. Four inconsistent concepts in NENs diagnosis are also discussed, that is immunohistochemical biomarkers of pathological diagnosis, subpopulation of neuroendocrine neoplasms with high proliferative activity, general adenocarcinomas with neuroendocrine differentiation and molecular genetics characteristics. To correctly understand these issues would be of great value for diagnosis and treatment of NENs.
Biomarkers, Tumor
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analysis
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Humans
;
Immunohistochemistry
;
Neoplasm Grading
;
Neuroendocrine Tumors
;
diagnosis
;
pathology
;
therapy
;
Treatment Outcome

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