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•Chemokine receptor 9 (CCR9) and chemokine ligand 25 (CCL-25) interaction mediated immunosuppression microenvironment of gastric cancer.•Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and regulatory t cells (Tregs) were detected in tissue and peripheral blood, respectively.•CCL-25 was over-expressed in carcinoma tissue. CCR9+pDCs and ICOS+tregs were significantly increased in carcinoma tissue and peripheral blood. More CCR9+pDCs were found in later t staging patients and lymph node metastasis and conferred poor prognosis.•CCR9-CCL25 interaction might play an important role in mediating PDC homing to metastatic lymph nodes and carcinoma tissue, which contributed to tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and poor prognosis.

Immunosuppressive lymphocytes, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), play crucial roles in tumor escape. To investigate the roles of Tregs and pDCs in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) plus multinodular non-toxic goiter (MNG), thyroid tissue and blood samples from 30 patients with PTC plus MNG and 30 MNG alone were analyzed for CD4+T cell, CD8+T cell, FoxP3+Treg, ICOS+FoxP3+Treg, and pDC numbers by immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry. Plasma concentration of the cytokines interleukin 10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as well. Both in thyroid tissue and peripheral blood, the numbers of Foxp3+Treg were significantly higher in patients with PTC plus MNG compared to patients with MNG alone; and as a prognostic marker, ICOS+Foxp3+Tregs represent a stronger predictor of disease progression than the total numbers of Foxp3+Tregs. Furthermore, a positive correlation between pDC and ICOS+Foxp3+Treg numbers in tissue of patients with PTC plus MNG was observed, suggesting that PTC-derived pDCs may induce the differentiation of naive CD4+T cells into ICOS+Foxp3+Tregs. This may be one of the mechanisms underlying tumor escape in PTC plus MNG patients. Our results suggest that Tregs and pDCs together contribute to the tumor escape in patients with PTC plus MNG.

Storage-stable polystyrene (PS)-modified asphalt has been successfully prepared in the presence of linear styrene-butadiene-styrene triblock copolymer (SBS) through dynamic vulcanization. The vulcanization characteristics of the asphalt/PS/SBS/sulfur blends were studied using a strain-controlled rheometer. At temperatures from 140 to 180°C, the curing rate of the blends increases significantly with increasing temperature. A suitable processing temperature is between 170 and 180°C for the sake of good mechanical and thermal stability properties. The physical properties, including softening point, penetration, and ductility at low temperature of the modified asphalt through dynamic vulcanization were compared to that of modified asphalt without sulfur. The storage stability of the PS-modified asphalt was effectively improved in the presence of SBS through dynamic vulcanization. The morphology and rheological properties of the modified asphalt were also investigated using an optical microscope and a dynamic shear rheometer, respectively. The morphology was compared between the pure PS-modified asphalt, the PS/SBS-modified asphalt, and the PS/SBS/sulfur-modified asphalt, which indicated that the compatibility and high-temperature storage stability of the PS-modified asphalt were improved significantly in the presence of SBS through dynamic vulcanization.