bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Differential Clinical Associations of Anti–Nuclear Matrix Protein 2 Autoantibodies in Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies
Authors: Yang Hanbo , Lu Xin , Peng Qinglin , Jiang Wei , Shi Jingli , Zhang Yamei , Chen He , Wang Guochun 
Published: March 2018

ObjectiveTo investigate the associations between anti–nuclear matrix protein 2 (anti–NXP‐2) autoantibody levels and disease activity as well as calcinosis severity in patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs).MethodsSerum levels of anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies were determined in 709 patients with IIMs and also serially measured in the patients’ sera with an in‐house enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay using MORC3 recombinant protein. Patients with anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies were divided into 2 subgroups: those with and those without calcinosis. Associations of anti–NXP‐2 autoantibody levels with organ‐specific disease activity (using 10‐cm visual analog scale [VAS] scores), serum creatine kinase (CK) levels, and calcinosis severity were investigated in cross‐sectional and longitudinal analyses.ResultsA cross‐sectional analysis of 56 IIM patients with anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies (38 without calcinosis and 18 with calcinosis) showed that in patients without calcinosis, the levels of anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies were positively correlated with the physician's global assessment of disease activity and muscle VAS scores and serum CK levels, whereas no such association was found in patients with calcinosis. Results of the longitudinal study revealed strong correlations of anti–NXP‐2 antibody levels with the physician's global assessment and constitutional, cutaneous, gastrointestinal, and muscle VAS scores and serum CK levels in patients without calcinosis, but in patients with calcinosis, only a moderate correlation was observed between anti–NXP‐2 antibody levels and the physician's global VAS and constitutional VAS scores. Of note, in patients without calcinosis, anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies were found to disappear during periods of clinical remission, but reappeared with disease relapse. No association between anti–NXP‐2 antibody levels and the severity of calcinosis was observed.ConclusionThese findings indicate that anti–NXP‐2 autoantibodies serve as a useful marker for disease activity in patients with IIMs, especially in the absence of calcinosis. The differential associations observed between anti–NXP‐2 autoantibody levels and disease activity suggest that there may be a phenotypic difference between patients with and those without calcinosis.
Interfacial Materials for Anti‐Icing: Beyond Superhydrophobic Surfaces
Authors: Jin Shenglin , Liu Jie , Lv Jianyong , Wu Shuwang , Wang(s) Jianjun 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe design and fabrication of interfacial materials for anti‐icing is of great importance, since undesired ice accumulation leads to serious economic, energy, and safety issues. Substantial progress on interfacial materials for the passive removal of ice has been achieved in the past three years. The present focus review critically summarizes and analyzes recent breakthroughs in interfacial materials for anti‐icing. In particular, we focus on the effect of surface textures on the timely removal of water droplets, the microscopic mechanism of ice formation, and the effect of an interfacial layer's properties on easy shedding of formed ice with a view towards designing high‐performance and durable interfacial materials for anti‐icing beyond superhydrophobic materials.
Efficient Synthesis of N‐Alkylated 4‐Pyridones by Copper‐Catalyzed Intermolecular Asymmetric Propargylic Amination
Authors: Shao Wen , Wang Ye , Yang Ze‐Peng , Zhang Xiao , You Shu‐Li 
Published: March 2018

AbstractCopper‐catalyzed intermolecular asymmetric propargylic amination with 4‐hydroxypyridines has been realized for the first time. In the presence of Cu complex derived from Pybox ligand, the N‐propargylated 4‐pyridones were obtained under mild reaction conditions with up to 99 % yield and 95 % ee. The Pybox ligand bearing a 4‐F‐phenyl substituent plays a key role for the high enantioselectivity. The products can be easily transformed to the core structure of quinolizidine alkaloids.
Oxidative stress, as assayed by a single test, cannot be used as a diagnostic tool
Authors: Lichtenberg Dov , Pinchuk Ilya , Weber Daniela 
Published: March 2018

AbstractThe commonly used term “oxidative stress” (OS) is intuitively defined as an excess of pro‐oxidative compounds, over antioxidants. The redox status is homeostatically controlled because on one hand, pro‐oxidants are essential for normal body function, whereas, on the other hand, pro‐oxidants (and OS) are associated with many diseases due to the risk of oxidative damage. One reason “to monitor the OS” is to identify people under OS and treat people under high OS by antioxidants, because it is believed that people under OS benefit from antioxidant supplementation more than others. This approach led to the production of many assay kits, based on the concentrations of different biomarkers in body fluids. Unfortunately, this expensive approach (evaluated at about a half a billion dollars per year) yields very limited results because: (i) the effect of antioxidants on the OS is not that simple and (ii) OS cannot be quantitated in terms of a universal criterion and the method‐dependent OS yields different groups of people under OS. This conclusion gains strong support from analysis of the results of a previous study of the OS in more than 2000 participants, using many OS assays. The small overlapping between the “people under OS” as assayed by different biomarkers clearly shows that OS cannot be used as a diagnostic tool. © 2018 BioFactors, 44(3):222–223, 2018
Survival following liver transplantation for liver-only colorectal metastases compared with hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Dueland S , Foss A , Solheim J M , Hagness M , Line P-D 
Published: March 2018

Abstract

Background
Liver transplantation is considered the standard of care for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria. Liver transplantation in patients with unresectable colorectal cancer with liver-only disease has been shown to be associated with a 5-year overall survival rate of 56 per cent, compared with 9 per cent in patients receiving standard palliative chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to compare disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survival after liver transplantation in patients with HCC and those with colorectal metastases.

Methods
Data were collected from the SEcondary CAncer (SECA) study database and an institutional (national) database of patients undergoing liver transplantation for HCC; all liver-transplanted patients were included. Patients with colorectal metastases treated by liver transplantation were divided into high- and low-risk groups for mortality based on carcinoembryonic antigen levels, response to chemotherapy, largest lesion at time of transplantation and time from primary surgery to transplantation.

Results
Patients with colorectal metastases had a median of 8 lesions, compared with 1 in patients with HCC within the Milan criteria. DFS was shorter in both the high-risk and the low-risk colorectal cancer groups compared with that in patients with HCC. The 5-year OS rate in the low-risk colorectal cancer group was 75 per cent, compared with 76 per cent in patients with HCC within the Milan criteria. The 5-year OS rate in patients with HCC beyond the Milan criteria was 56 per cent.

Conclusion
The low-risk group of patients with colorectal cancer and unresectable liver-only disease had a 5-year OS rate following liver transplantation similar to that of patients with HCC with lesions within the Milan criteria.
Change in emotional self‐concept following socio‐cognitive training relates to structural plasticity of the prefrontal cortex
Authors: Lumma Anna‐Lena , Valk Sofie L. , Böckler Anne , Vrtička Pascal , Singer Tania 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIntroductionSelf‐referential processing is a key component of the emotional self‐concept. Previous studies have shown that emotional self‐referential processing is related to structure and function of cortical midline areas such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and that it can be altered on a behavioral level by specific mental training practices. However, it remains unknown how behavioral training‐related change in emotional self‐concept content relates to structural plasticity.MethodsTo address this issue, we examined the relationship between training‐induced change in participant's emotional self‐concept measured through emotional word use in the Twenty Statement Test and change in cortical thickness in the context of a large‐scale longitudinal mental training study called the ReSource Project.ResultsBased on prior behavioral findings showing increased emotional word use particularly after socio‐cognitive training targeting perspective‐taking capacities, this study extended these results by revealing that individual differences in the degree to which participants changed their emotional self‐concept after training was positively related to cortical thickness change in right mPFC extending to dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC). Furthermore, increased self‐related negative emotional word use after training was positively associated with cortical thickness change in left pars orbitalis and bilateral dlPFC.ConclusionsOur findings reveal training‐related structural brain change in regions known to be involved in self‐referential processing and cognitive control, and could indicate a relationship between restructuring of the emotional self‐concept content as well as reappraisal of negative aspects and cortical thickness change. As such, our findings can guide the development of psychological interventions targeted to alter specific facets of the self‐concept.
Timing of chemotherapy‐induced neutropenia is a prognostic factor in patients with advanced gastric cancer undergoing first‐line chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and capecitabine: a retrospective study
Authors: Wang Yanrong , Chen Yang , Yin Hongyan , Gu Xiaobin , Shi Yan , Dai Guanghai 
Published: March 2018

AbstractChemotherapy‐induced neutropenia (CIN) has been shown to be associated with improved clinical outcomes in patients with various solid tumors. This study retrospectively assessed the association between timing of CIN and prognosis in 321 patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) who finished at least one cycle of chemotherapy with oxaliplatin and capecitabine (XELOX). Primary landmark analyses were restricted to 274 patients who received four cycles of chemotherapy and lived for more than 4 months. CIN was categorized as early‐onset and non‐early‐onset. The correlation between timing of CIN with survival was analyzed by the Kaplan‐Meier method and a Cox proportional hazards model. Relative to patients with non‐early‐onset CIN, those with early‐onset CIN had significantly longer times to disease progression (hazard ratio [HR] 0.574; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.453–0.729, P < 0.001) and death (HR: 0.607; 95% CI: 0.478–0.770, P < 0.001), consistent with results from the landmark group. In conclusion, timing of CIN may be a potential prognostic biomarker in patients with AGC receiving first‐line chemotherapy with XELOX. Early‐onset CIN predicts better survival.
Physical activity across the lifespan and liver cancer incidence in the NIH‐AARP Diet and Health Study cohort
Authors: Arem Hannah , Loftfield Erikka , Saint‐Maurice Pedro F. , Freedman Neal D. , Matthews Charles E. 
Published: March 2018

AbstractWhile liver cancer rates in the United States are increasing, 5‐year survival is only 17.6%, underscoring the importance of prevention. Physical activity has been associated with lower risk of developing liver cancer, but most studies assess physical activity only at a single point in time, often in midlife. We utilized physical activity data from 296,661 men and women in the NIH‐AARP Diet and Health Study cohort to test whether physical activity patterns over the life course could elucidate the importance of timing of physical activity on liver cancer risk. We used group modeling of longitudinal data to create physical activity trajectories using four time points across the life course from teenage years through middle age, identifying seven distinct trajectories. We then used Cox proportional hazards regression to assess the association between the physical activity trajectories and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer. We found that, in adjusted analyses, compared to those with consistently low physical activity patterns, those who maintained activity levels over time had a 26–36% lower risk of liver cancer and those who increased physical activity over time had no associations with risk, while those who decreased activity over time had a nonsignificantly higher risk of liver cancer. Our results suggest that sustained physical activity is associated with lower risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, while increasing physical activity later in life may not yield the same benefit. Future research with larger sample sizes and more detailed data on dose and timing of physical activity may continue to yield insight into this association between physical activity and liver cancer risk.
Association between preoperative serum insulin levels and lymph node metastasis in endometrial cancer—a prospective cohort study
Authors: Mu Nan , Dong Mei , Liu Chunyan , Wang Xiuli , Cong Jianglin , Wang Liqian , Wang Xiaojie , Lakhani Ishan , Liu Xia , Hou Jianqing , Wang Shaoguang , Tse Gary 
Published: March 2018

AbstractEndometrial cancer is a common gynecological malignancy in developed countries. Insulin has been identified as a risk factor for endometrial cancer. However, whether insulin levels are related to the risk of lymph node metastasis (LNM) in endometrial cancer is unknown. We conducted a prospective cohort study in a regional hospital to examine the relationships between insulin levels and risk of LNM in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. A total of 668 patients were recruited. Of these, 206 were premenopausal (mean age: 42.01 ± 10.17) and 462 were postmenopausal (mean age: 62.13 ± 13.85). The incidence of LNM in both premenopausal and postmenopausal groups was comparable at 7% and 8%, respectively. In premenopausal women, multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that insulin levels (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.48–2.85, P < 0.05) were significant predictors of LNM risk. In the same group, insulin levels remained significant predictors of LNM risk (cut‐off: 10.48 μIU/mL) when adjusted for body mass index (BMI) (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 1.42–5.98; P < 0.05) or for waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) (OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.08–2.66; P < 0.05). Similarly, in postmenopausal women, multivariate logistic regression showed that insulin levels (OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.30–2.89; P < 0.05) also significantly predicted LNM risk. This relationship was maintained even after adjustment for BMI (cut‐off: 7.40 μIU/mL, OR: 1.99, 95% CI: 1.01–3.12, P < 0.05) or for WHR (cut‐off: 10.15 μIU/mL, OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.04–2.35; P < 0.05). Insulin levels are significantly associated with LNM risk in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with endometrial cancer. Further prospective studies are needed to examine a potential causal relationship and determine whether its use can offer incremental value for risk stratification in this patient population.
Polymorphism rs2682818 in miR‐618 is associated with colorectal cancer susceptibility in a Han Chinese population
Authors: Chen Yuetong , Du Mulong , Chen Wei , Zhu Lingjun , Wu Congye , Zhang Zhengdong , Wang Meilin , Chu Haiyan , Gu Dongying , Chen Jinfei 
Published: March 2018

AbstractMicroRNAs (miRNAs), endogenous small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), play crucial roles in cancer development. Many studies have demonstrated that miRNAs can serve as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for malignancies. Additionally, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in miRNA functional regions have been reported to be involved in cancer susceptibility. In this study, we investigated the associations between SNPs located in miRNA functional regions and colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility. We systematically screened all candidate miRNAs and their SNPs and then evaluated the relationships between the SNPs and CRC susceptibility in a Han Chinese population including 878 patients with CRC and 884 controls. Genotyping was performed by TaqMan assay. After comprehensively screening the miRNAs and SNPs, we elected to evaluate the association between SNP rs2682818 in miR‐618 and CRC susceptibility. We found that the AA and AC/AA genotypes of rs2682818 were associated with a decreased risk of CRC compared with the CC genotype (odds ratio (OR) = 0.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.37–0.79 for AA vs. CC in codominant model; OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.68–0.99 for AC/AA vs. CC in dominant model). However, we obtained no statically significant results in our subgroup analyses. SNP rs2682818 in miR‐618 has potential as a biomarker for individuals with high CRC susceptibility. Our findings need to be verified in studies including larger samples. Moreover, molecular functional studies of miR‐681 must be performed to confirm its relationship with CRC.
Traditional Chinese Medicine CFF‐1 induced cell growth inhibition, autophagy, and apoptosis via inhibiting EGFR‐related pathways in prostate cancer
Authors: Wu Zhaomeng , Zhu Qingyi , Yin Yingying , Kang Dan , Cao Runyi , Tian Qian , Zhang Yu , Lu Shan , Liu Ping 
Published: March 2018

AbstractTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a combined therapeutic result in cancer treatment by integrating holistic and local therapeutical effects, by which TCM can enhance the curative effect and reduce the side effect. In this study, we analyzed the effect of CFF‐1 (alcohol extract from an anticancer compound Chinese medicine) on prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines and studied in detail the mechanism of cell death induced by CFF‐1 in vitro and in vivo. From our data, we found for the first time that CFF‐1 obviously arrested cell cycle in G1 phase, decreased cell viability and then increased nuclear rupture in a dose‐dependent manner and finally resulted in apoptosis in prostate cancer cells. In molecular level, our data showed that CFF‐1 induced inhibition of EGFR auto‐phosphorylation and inactivation of EGFR. Disruption of EGFR activity in turn suppressed downstream PI3K/AKT and Raf/Erk signal pathways, resulted in the decrease of p‐FOXO1 (Ser256) and regulated the expression of apoptosis‐related and cycle‐related genes. Moreover, CFF‐1 markedly induced cell autophagy through inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and then up‐regulating Beclin‐1 and LC‐3II and down‐regulating phosphorylation of p70S6K. In vivo, CFF‐1‐treated group exhibited a significant decrease in tumor volume compared with the negative control group in subcutaneous xenograft tumor in nude mice via inhibiting EGFR‐related signal pathways. Thus, bio‐functions of Chinese medicine CFF‐1 in inducing PCa cell growth inhibition, autophagy, and apoptosis suggested that CFF‐1 had the clinical potential to treat patients with prostate cancer.
Comparison and validation of the prognostic value of preoperative systemic immune cells in hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy
Authors: Liao Rui , Peng Cong , Li Ming , Li De‐Wei , Jiang Ning , Li Pei‐Zhi , Ding Xiong , Wu Qiao , Du Cheng‐You , Gong Jian‐Ping 
Published: March 2018

AbstractIn this study, we aimed to compare and validate the prognostic abilities of preoperative systemic immune cells in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative hepatectomy. We developed two nomograms to predict the postoperative recurrence‐free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) after comparisons of the systemic immune cell prognostic scores. The two nomograms were constructed based on 305 patients who underwent curative hepatectomy for HCC. The predictive accuracy and discriminative ability of the nomograms were compared with six commonly used staging systems for HCC. The results were validated using bootstrap resampling and an internal validation cohort of 142 patients and an external validation cohort of 169 patients. Necroinflammatory activity in peritumoral liver tissues in the primary cohort was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. Neutrophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte ratio (NMLR) had a higher area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) value at both RFS (AUC = 0.603) and OS (AUC = 0.726) compared to that of other systemic immune cell prognostic scores. The independent predictors of RFS or OS, including α‐fetoprotein (AFP), tumor size, tumor number, microvascular invasion, and NMLR, were incorporated into the two nomograms. In the primary cohort, the C‐indexes of the RFS and OS nomograms were 0.705 and 0.797, respectively. The ROC analyses showed that the two nomograms had larger AUC values (0.664 for RFS and 0.821 for OS) than those of the American Joint Commission on Cancer seventh edition, Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer, Cancer of the Liver Italian Program, Japan Integrated Staging Score, Okuda stage, and the Vauthey's system. These results were verified by internal and external validations. The nomogram‐predicted probability of RFS was associated with peritumoral necroinflammatory activity scores (r = 0.304, P < 0.001). The proposed nomograms had accurate prognostic prediction in patients with HCC after curative hepatectomy.
Nutlin‐3a as a novel anticancer agent for adrenocortical carcinoma with CTNNB1 mutation
Authors: Hui Wen , Liu Shenghua , Zheng Jie , Fang Zujun , Ding Qiang , Feng Chenchen 
Published: March 2018

AbstractAdrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy, and CTNNB1 is frequently mutated in ACC. Our study aims to screen for effective agents with antineoplastic activity against ACC with CTNNB1 mutation. In‐silico screening of the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) database was conducted. Drug sensitivity in cells with CTNNB1 mutation was analyzed and further in vitro and in vivo studies were performed using the compound. Only one compound, Nutlin‐3a, an MDM2 inhibitor, was significantly sensitive in 18 cancer cells with CTNNB1 mutation. Further analysis of the 18 cells revealed no significant efficacy between cells with both CTNNB1 and TP53 mutations indicating concomitant TP53 mutation did not impact on drug efficacy. We verified that Nutlin‐3a inhibited cellular proliferation in ACC cell line NCI‐H295R which harbored CTNNB1 mutation but not in SW13 cells which did not. Nutlin‐3a induced cell apoptosis and G1 cell‐cycle arrest in NCI‐H295R cells. Nutlin‐3a also decreased cellular migration and inhibited epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) process in terms of EMT index. Nutlin‐3a resulted in decreased β‐catenin level independent of p53 level in NCI‐H295R but not SW13 cells. We also evaluated the effect of Nutlin‐3a on hormonal secretion of NCI‐H295R cells and found it resulted in decreased levels of cortisol, androgen, and progesterone. Nutlin‐3a treatment inhibited ACC tumor growth with no observed toxicity in mice in vivo. Our study has revealed that Nutlin‐3a potently inhibits ACC with CTNNB1 mutation. How p53/MDM2 axis coordinates with Wnt/beta‐Catenin signaling in ACC warrants further study.