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Tongming Zhu,1,&ast; Junyan Fu,2,&ast; Di Zang,1,3,&ast; Zhe Wang,1,4,&ast; Xiangru Ye,1 Xuehai Wu,1 Jin Hu1 1Department of Neurosurgery, Fudan University Huashan Hospital, National Center for Neurological Disorders, National Key Laboratory for Medical Neurobiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Regeneration, Institutes of Brain Science, MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Medical College-Fudan University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, Fudan University Huashan Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurosurgery, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Medical Imaging Technology, SJTU-Ruijin-UIH Institute for Medical Imaging Technology, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xuehai Wu; Jin Hu, Department of Neurosurgery, Fudan University Huashan Hospital, No. 12, Middle Wulumuqi Road, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, Email wuxuehai2013@163.com; hujin@fudan.edu.cnBackground: The effect of Ommaya reservoirs on the clinical outcomes of patients with intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) remains unclear.Objective: We aimed to determine the effect of combining the Ommaya reservoir and external ventricular drainage (EVD) therapy on IVH and explore better clinical indicators for Ommaya implantation.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients diagnosed with IVH who received EVD-Ommaya drainage between January 2013 and March 2021. The patient population was divided into two groups: the Ommaya-used group, comprising patients in whom the Ommaya drainage system was activated post-surgery, and the Ommaya-unused group, comprising patients in whom the system was not activated. The study analyzed clinical, imaging, and outcome data of the patient population.Results: A total of 123 patients with IVH were included: 75 patients in the Ommaya-used group and 48 patients in the Ommaya-unused group. The patients in the Ommaya-used group showed a lower 3-month GOS than those in the Ommaya-unused group (p< 0.0001). The modified Graeb scale (mGS) in the Ommaya-unused group was significantly lower than that in the Ommaya-used group before the operation (p< 0.01) but not after surgery (p> 0.05). The GCS in the Ommaya-unused group was significantly lower than that in the other group, and there was a close correlation between the GCS and 3-month GOS (p< 0.0001). The GCS score showed significance in predicting the use of Ommaya (p< 0.001).Conclusion: The study demonstrated that combining EVD and Ommaya drainage was a safe and feasible treatment for IVH. Additionally, preoperative GCS was found to predict the use of Ommaya drainage in subsequent treatment, providing valuable information for pre-surgery decision-making.Keywords: intraventricular hemorrhage, Ommaya, external ventricular drainage

Xiaoxia Ding, Yu Wang, Bo Zou, Dongxiao Zang, Yi Hao Department of Ophthalmology, Fushun Eye Hospital, Fushun, Liaoning, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xiaoxia Ding, Fushun Eye Hospital, No. 1 Hupo Street, Xinfu District, Fushun, 113008, People’s Republic of China, Email 791151967@qq.comObjective: To evaluate the efficacy on best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and microvascular structure changes of conbercept intravitreal injection for the treatment of macular edema (ME) secondary to different types of retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and to explore the baseline OCTA parameters which were related to the change of BCVA and CRT after the intravitreal conbercept injection to RVO.Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted involving 67 eyes from 67 patients who were diagnosed with ME secondary to RVO between April 2019 to December 2020. The subjects were divided into branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) according to the involved vessel, subsequently the subjects received intravitreal conbercept treatment. The BCVA and fundus microstructure were measured to identify predictors of effective outcomes.Results: BCVA, central retinal thickness (CRT), fovea avascular zone (FAZ), and foveal vascular density (FVD) in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) were significantly changed from baseline to 6-month follow-up in both CRVO and BRVO. In the BRVO group, age and baseline BCVA were correlated with changes of BCVA, while the baseline CRT, FVD in the DCP, and parafovea vascular density (PFVD) in DCP were associated with changes of CRT (P< 0.05). In the CRVO group, the baseline BCVA was correlated with changes of BCVA, while age, gender, baseline CRT, FVD in DCP, and PFVD in DCP were associated with changes of CRT (P< 0.05). There were no serious adverse events (SAEs) related to the drug or the injection procedure.Conclusion: Intravitreal injections of conbercept can improve BCVA and CRT and change the FVD in SCP effectively both in BRVO and CRVO groups. In addition, the baseline FVD and PFVD in the DCP were related to the change of CRT after intravitreal conbercept treatment.Keywords: conbercept, retinal vein occlusion, macular edema, microvascular structure, best-corrected visual acuity

Xiantao Zhang,1,&ast; Bibo Liu,1,&ast; Difan Zang,1 Yilu Li,1 Shuiyuan Xiao,1 Yu Yu1,2 1Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, People’s Republic of China; 2Division of Prevention and Community Research, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yu Yu, Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, Upper Mayuanlin Road 238, Changsha, Hunan, 410008, People’s Republic of China, Tel +1 2037459531, Email yu.yu@yale.eduPurpose: This study examines the preferences for WeChat-based and hospital-based family intervention among caregivers of people living with schizophrenia (PLS) and identify correlates associated with these preferences.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 449 family caregivers of PLS. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect information on socio-demographics, preferences for WeChat-based and hospital-based family intervention, social support, and coping.Results: Over 72.16% of participants endorsed hospital-based family intervention, while 50.11% endorsed WeChat-based family intervention. Endorsement of WeChat-based family intervention was associated with younger age (OR=0.42, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.79), WeChat use (OR=12.90, 95% CI: 7.48, 22.23), and higher social support (OR=1.03, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04). Endorsement of hospital-based family intervention was associated with lower education (OR=0.19– 0.37, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.66) and WeChat use (OR=3.27, 95% CI: 1.91, 5.59).Conclusion: The studies showed a higher endorsement rate for hospital-based family intervention than WeChat-based family intervention and provide implications for developing targeted family intervention programs based on participants’ own unique characteristics.Keywords: preference, WeChat, caregiving, schizophrenia

Xiaoxia Ding,1 Shisong Rong,2 Yu Wang,1 Dong Li,1 Liang Wen,1 Bo Zou,1 Dongxiao Zang,1 Kemi Feng,3 Yuanbo Liang,3 Fenghua Wang,4 Gang Zhai1 1Department of Ophthalmology, Fushun Eye Hospital, Fushun, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Ophthalmology, the Affiliated Eye Hospital, School of Optometry and Ophthalmology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Beijing Tongren Eye Center, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Ophthalmology & Visual Science Key Laboratory, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Gang Zhai, Fushun Eye Hospital, No. 1 Hupo Street, Xinfu District, Fushun, Liaoning, 113008, People’s Republic of China, Email fsgangzhai@163.comAim: To report the prevalence of depression and its association with vision-related quality of life and social support in a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) population.Methods: Patients were recruited from a community-based study, Fushun Diabetic Retinopathy Cohort Study (FS-DIRECT), conducted between July 2012 and May 2013 in China. Depression was assessed using the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Vision-related quality of life was evaluated using the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25). Social support was captured with the Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Generalized linear models were used to estimate the individual and joint association of VFQ-25 composite score (VFQCS) and SSRS score (SSRSS) with depression.Results: A total of 1618 subjects (60.9% female) aged 61.69 ± 8.72 years in an urban district of Jiangjun Street, Fushun City, Liaoning province, Northeast China from July 2012 to May 2013 were recruited, of which, 23.36% (95% CI: 21.30– 25.42%) were identified with depression. Every 14.1 increase in VFQ-25 composite score decreased the risk of depression by half (OR = 0.5; 95% CI: 0.4– 0.6); with the elevation of 10.0 SSRS score the risk of depression decreased by 40% (OR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.5– 0.7). Patients with the VFQCS less than 91.3 and SSRSS less than 38.0 had 5.9 times more risk of depression (OR = 5.9; 95% CI: 3.6– 9.7). Age (over 60 years) (OR = 0.6; 95% CI: 0.4– 0.9) and medical history of cardiovascular disease (OR = 1.7; 95% CI: 1.1– 2.5) were independently correlated with depression symptom.Conclusion: The prevalence of depression is high among patients with T2DM in urban district in northeast China. Vision-related quality of life and social support scores are significantly associated with depression. Measures should be taken to screen depressive symptoms in patients with type 2 diabetes patients. These patients need to be intervened with appropriate and effective treatment as early as possible. Meanwhile, behavioral health specialists should guide the patient to get and use social support sources effectively.Keywords: diabetic retinopathy, depression, quality of vision, Visual Function Questionnaire-25, Social Support Rating Scale

Background: To evaluate the diagnostic potential of joint testing of serum tumor markers containing cytokeratin fragment antigen 21-1 (CYFRA21-1), progastrinreleasing peptide (ProGRP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as well as neuron-specific enolase (NSE) in a variety of lung cancer (LC). Materials and Methods: The LC group comprised 150 LC patients who were diagnosed for the first time and were not treated. During the same period, 120 patients harbored benign lung diseases and 120 healthy subjects were respectively designated as the benign group and control group. Immunochemiluminescence assay was implemented to detect tumor markers in serum from three groups and different types of LC. Results: Levels of four serum tumor markers in LC group were elevated relative to control group. CYFRA21-1 level in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) group was elevated compared to lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) groups. ProGRP and NSE levels in SCLC group increased compared to LSCC and LUAD groups. CEA level in LUAD group was higher compared to LSCC and SCLC groups. The highest positive rate of LSCC was CYFRA21-1, the highest positive rate of LUAD was CEA and the highest positive rates of SCLC were ProGRP and NSE. In terms of single tumor marker detection, CYFRA21-1 possessed the best diagnostic efficiency for LSCC, CEA possessed the best diagnostic efficiency for LUAD, NSE and ProGRP possessed the best diagnostic efficiency for SCLC, respectively. Conclusion: The individual determination of CYFRA21-1, ProGRP, CEA, and NSE has certain clinical application value for the pathological classification of LC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chuang Zhang,1,2,* Ruoxi Yu,1,2,* Zhi Li,1,2 Huicong Song,1,2 Dan Zang,1,2 Mingming Deng,1 Yibo Fan,1,2 Yunpeng Liu,1,2 Ye Zhang,1,2 Xiujuan Qu1,21Key Laboratory of Anticancer Drugs and Biotherapy, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110001, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Medical Oncology, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The chr1p/19q co-deletion is a favorable prognostic factor in patients with lower grade glioma. The aim of this study was to reveal key genes for prognosis and establish prognostic gene signatures based on genes encoded by chr1p/19q.Materials and methods: The data was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lower grade glioma tissue and normal brain were identified. The univariate COX regression, robust likelihood-base survival analysis (rbsurv) and multivariate COX regression analysis were used to establish the 4-gene-signature based on the DEGs. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and the Kaplan-Mere curve were used to verify the prediction accuracy of the signature. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were also performed to explore the reasons for good prognosis in patients with chr1p/19q deletion.Results: A total of 1346 DEGs were identified between lower grade glioma samples and normal brain samples in GSE16011, including 56 up-regulated mRNAs located on chr1p and 20 up-regulated mRNAs located on chr19q. We established a 4-gene-signature that was significantly associated with survival based on the 76 gene. The AUC of the 4-gene-signature for 5-year OS in TCGA and CGGA was 0.837 and 0.876, respectively, which was superior compared to other parameters such as chr1p/19q co-deletion, IDH mutant, WHO grade and histology type, especially in chr1p/19q non-co-deletion patients. GSEA and KEGG analysis suggested that the prolongation of chr1p/19q in patients could be associated with cell cycle and DNA mismatch repairing.Conclusions: We established a robust 4-gene-signature based on the chr1p/19q and we explored the potential function of these newly identified survival-associated genes by bioinformatics analysis. The 4-gene from the signature are promising molecular targets to be used in the future.Keywords: lower grade glioma, prognostic signature, 1p/19q co-deletion, rbsurv

Deng Zang,1,2 Chao Niu,1 Haji Akber Aisa1 1Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Chemistry in Arid Regions, State Key Laboratory Basis of Xinjiang Indigenous Medicinal Plants Resource Utilization, Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China; 2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Background: Melanogenesis, or the biosynthesis of melanin, plays a critical role in the pigmentation of skin, hair, and eyes. Reduced melanogenesis may lead to depigmentation conditions such as vitiligo. Psoralen, a furocoumarin derivative, is closely associated with melanogenesis, and its derivative 8-methoxypsoralen is used in psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy for pigmentation disorders. In a previous study, we synthesized a new series of amine derivatives of furocoumarin, of which 5-(morpholinomethyl)-3-phenyl-7H-furo[3,2-g]chromen-7-one (encoded as D206008) showed a remarkable melanogenic effect in B16 murine cells.Methods: In this study, we examined the effects of D206008 on the melanogenesis-related pathways in B16 cells. D206008 increased melanin production and tyrosinase (TYR) activity, as well as the mRNA and protein expression levels of the melanogenic enzymes TYR, TRP-1 and TRP-2, and the melanogenesis-related transcription factor microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) in a dose-dependent (0–100 µM) and time-dependent (0–48 hours) manner.Results: Mechanistically, D206008 inhibited β-catenin degradation by enhancing the phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), which increased the accumulation of β-catenin in the cytoplasm. Nuclear translocation of β-catenin also increased in response to D206008 treatment.Conclusion: Taken together, these data indicate that D206008 promotes melanin synthesis by stimulating the nuclear translocation of β-catenin, which activates MITF transcription and eventually melanogenesis. Keywords: amine derivatives of furocoumarin, melanogenesis, Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin

Ambient air pollution continues to be a major human health burden around the world. Cities with existing smart data infrastructure, and those with smart city aspirations, would benefit from the integration of real-time data from an air quality sensor network. AirSENCE™ is one such sensor which monitors eight common pollutants at low cost. It has been deployed in Canada in cities of the Greater Toronto Area, e.g. the City of Oshawa, to augment the existing urban data network and study the impacts of traffic flow and land usage on air quality. Results reveal that distributed sensors are highly useful for detecting localized pollution events that would otherwise go undetected, providing policymakers with a valuable, actionable data for protecting public health. Coupling air quality sensors with other smart city data (traffic monitors in this case) was shown to provide a more comprehensive representation of how air pollutant levels are affected by human activity, which can better inform city planning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is a parameter reflecting prognosis for various cancers, including resected lung cancer. However, there were few reports to study the relationship between the PNI and overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced (stage IIIB/IV) non-small lung cancer (NSCLC). In this study, we collected the clinical data of 315 patients with advanced (stage IIIB/IV) NSCLC who had received chemotherapy or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) between January 2010 and June 2011. Survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate prognostic significance of PNI in patients with advanced (stage IIIB/IV) NSCLC. In our analysis, we found that PNI (p=0.001) was significantly associated with OS in patients with advanced (stage IIIB/IV) NSCLC, so was smoking (p<0.001) and disease stage (p=0.005). We demonstrated that PNI could be utilized to predict survival outcomes in patients with advanced (stage IIIB/IV) NSCLC. Patients with a lower PNI may have worse prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives The aim of the study was to detect changes in the levels of ferritin heavy chain ( FHC), ferritin light chain ( FLC), and transferrin in the cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF) and serum of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS) patients and to analyze the correlations between the levels of these proteins and various clinical parameters. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid and serum samples were obtained from 54 ALS patients and 46 non-inflammatory neurological disease control (non- INDC) patients. CSF and serum FHC, FLC, and transferring levels were measured via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent method using a commercial ELISA kit, and the times from onset (durations), ALS functional rating scale-revised ( ALSFRS-r) scores, and disease progression rates ( DPRs) were analyzed by registered neurologists. Statistical analysis was performed via Prism software. Results Compared with controls, ALS patients exhibited significantly increased FHC and FLC levels in CSF, which were positively correlated with DPR and negatively correlated with duration. Serum transferrin levels were significantly increased in ALS patients but were not correlated with disease progression. FHC and FLC in CSF rapidly increased as the disease worsened. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the clinical measurement of FHC and FLC in CSF may be beneficial for disease differentiation and evaluating progression in patients with ALS. Compared with levels in serum, the levels of FHC and FLC in CSF might be more reliable for diagnosing and assessing the progression of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ( ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with complicated pathogenesis. No effective diagnostic test and cure exists for the disease at present. We detected the levels of MIP-1 α in cerebrospinal fluid ( CSF) and serum and then further evaluated whether MIP-1 α levels correlate with the severity and progression of ALS. Methods We used ELISAs to detect MIP-1 α levels from 58 patients with ALS and 45 age- and gender-matched controls. The patients with ALS were also clinically evaluated with the revised ALS functional rating scale ( ALSFRS-r). Moreover, we followed up with 40 cases of ALS by way of call or clinic visit 4 years after enrollment in this study. Finally, we assessed the correlations between MIP-1 α levels and various clinical parameters. Results We found that the levels of MIP-1 α in patients with ALS significantly increased compared to controls and they were positively correlated with duration. MIP-1 α showed negative correlations with disease progression rate and the decrease in ALSFRS-r. Furthermore, the cumulative survival of patients with ALS with high levels of MIP-1 α exceeded patients with low MIP-1 α levels. Conclusions MIP-1 α levels increased in both CSF and serum of patients with ALS, and it may be a potential neuroprotective biomarker in ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective motor neuron loss in the brain and spinal cord. The cause of this selective death of motor neurons is still unclear, but among several pathomechanisms that have been discussed, the loss of neurotrophic factors is one hypothesis. Basic fibroblast growth factor 2 (bFGF) may be a potential neurotrophic factor for slowing various neurodegenerative diseases, but its potential role in the prognosis of ALS is not known. Methods To explore the role of bFGF in ALS, we investigated changes in bFGF in the CSF and serum from patients with sALS and from the control group. Furthermore, we analyzed the correlations between bFGF, disease duration, disease progression rate, ALSFRS-r score and survival. Results The level of bFGF increased in both the CSF and serum in sALS patients. It was higher in patients with longer durations. It was negatively correlated with disease progression rates, especially in the later stages of sALS, but showed no linear correlation with ALSFRS-r. In an analysis of the relationship between bFGF and survival, we found that sALS patients with high levels of bFGF had significantly higher cumulative survival rates than patients with low levels of bFGF. Discussion and Conclusion In conclusion, endogenous bFGF increased both in the CSF and serum of sALS patients and it may be a useful biomarker that could predict disease progression and survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:This phase 3 study evaluated the efficacy of new adjuvant chemotherapy (MFP), which intensified the mitomycin-C (MMC) plus short-term doxifluridine (Mf) for gastric cancer.Patients and methods:A total of 855 patients (424 in Mf, 431 in MFP) with pathological stage II-IV (M0) gastric cancer after D2 gastrectomy were randomly assigned to receive either Mf (MMC 20 mg m−2, followed by oral doxifluridine 460-600 mg m−2 per day for 3 months) or MFP (MMC 20 mg m−2, followed by oral doxifluridine 460-600 mg m−2 per day for 12 months with 6 monthly infusions of 60 mg m−2 of cisplatin) chemotherapy.Results:With a median follow-up of 6.6 years, there was no difference between the two groups in recurrence-free survival (RFS) (5-year RFS 61.1% in Mf and 57.9% in MFP; hazard ratio 1.10 (95% CI 0.89-1.35); P=0.39) and overall survival (OS) (5-year OS 66.5% in Mf and 65.0% in MFP; hazard ratio 1.11 (95% CI 0.89-1.39); P=0.33).Conclusion:Intensification of Mf adjuvant chemotherapy by prolonging the duration of oral fluoropyrimidine and adding cisplatin was safe but not effective to improve the survivals in curatively resected gastric cancer patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the properties (surface pressure, compression and shear moduli, texture) of silica nanoparticle layers at the air-water interface. Particle hydrophobicity or, equivalently, the contact angle between particles, air and water, is the main factor that influences surface organization and surface elastic moduli. The surface layers are denser for particles of higher hydrophobicity. The compression and shear moduli, as well as the yield and melt strains, present a maximum for contact angles around 90°. The dependence of the mechanical properties on particle hydrophobicity is closely related to the foamability and stability of the foams made from dispersions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This randomised multicentre phase II study was conducted to investigate the activity and safety of two oral fluoropyrimidines, capecitabine or S-1, in elderly patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Elderly (>or=65 years) chemo-naive patients with AGC were randomly assigned to receive capecitabine 1250 mg m(-2) two times daily on days 1-14 every 3 weeks or S-1 40-60 mg two times daily according to body surface area on days 1-28 every 6 weeks. Ninety-six patients were enrolled and 91 patients were randomised to capecitabine (N=46) or S-1 (N=45). Overall response rate, the primary end point, was 27.2% (95% CI, 14.1-40.4, 12 of 44 assessable patients) with capecitabine and 28.9% (95% CI, 15.6-42.1, 13 of 45) with S-1. Median times to progression and overall survival in the capecitabine arm (4.7 and 9.5 months, respectively) were similar to those in the S-1 arm (4.2 and 8.2 months, respectively). The incidence of grade 3-4 granulocytopenia was 6.8% with capecitabine and 4.8% with S-1. Grade 3-4 nonhaematologic toxicities were: asthenia (9.1% with capecitabine vs 7.1% with S-1), anorexia (6.8 vs 9.5%), diarrhoea (2.3 vs 0%), and hand-foot syndrome (6.8 vs 0%). Both capecitabine and S-1 monotherapies were active and tolerable as first-line treatment for elderly patients with AGC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful experimentation on acousto-optic Bragg diffraction in a LiNbO3 composite waveguide that consists of an array of parallel but uncoupled channel waveguides directly extended to a single-mode planar waveguide and a titanium-indiffused proton-exchanged (TIPE) microlens array is reported for the first time. A channel-waveguide array, a planar waveguide, a linear TIPE microlens array, a 500-MHz surface acoustic wave transducer, and an integrating lens have all been integrated in a substrate size of 0.2×1.0×2.0 cm to form an integrated acousto-optic Bragg modulator that should find a variety of applications in optical computing, signal processing, and communications. The resulting modulator module has been utilized to perform matrix-vector multiplication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-mode planar waveguide microlenses and microlens arrays in LiNbO3 have been fabricated using a combination of titanium diffusion and proton exchange processes. The lenses have demonstrated properties such as very short focal length, micron focal spot size, and large angular field of view that are desirable for applications in integrated and fiber-optic signal processing and computing as well as communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Aberrant expression of mucins can promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which leads to enhanced tumorigenesis. Carcinogenesis-related pathways involving c-MET and β-catenin involve mucins. Among the mucins, MUC5AC and MUC6 are characteristic for stomach mucins. This study characterized expressions of MET, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC6 EMT signaling in human gastric cancer (GC) cell lines, and further characterized the differential susceptibility of these cell lines to tepotinib. Methods We assessed the antitumor activity of tepotinib in GC cell lines. The effect of tepotinib on cell viability (IC50), apoptotic cell death, the EMT, and c-MET and β-catenin signaling were evaluated by MTS, flow cytometry, western blotting, and qRT-PCR. Antitumor efficacy was assessed in MKN45 xenograft mice. Results Tepotinib treatment showed dose-dependent growth inhibition of c-MET-amplified SNU620, MKN45, and KATO III cells with concomitant induction of apoptosis, but tepotinib treatment did not have an effect on c-MET-reduced MKN28 and AGS cells. Tepotinib treatment also significantly reduced expressions of phosphor-c-MET, total c-MET, phosphor-ERK, total ERK, beta-catenin, and c-MYC protein in SNU620 and MKN45 cells. In contrast, this drug was only slightly active against KATO III cells. Notably, tepotinib significantly reduced the expressions of EMT promotion genes such as MMP7, COX-2, WNT1, MUC5B, and c-MYC in c-MET-expressed GC cells, and increased expressions of EMT suppression genes such as MUC5AC, MUC6, GSK3β, and ECAD. In a murine xenograft model, tumor volumes were significantly reduced in the tepotinib-treated group, when administered by daily oral gavage at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day. Histologically, tepotinib induced more necrosis than in the control group. Conclusions These results are consistent with clinical evaluations of tepotinib in c-MET and MUC5B-expressed GCs. Editorial acknowledgement National R&D Program for Cancer Control, Ministry of Health and Welfare (HA17C0054), the National Research Foundation of Korea grant funded by the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2017R1A2B4005055), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (awarded in 2018, 18183MFDS491) of Korea, the Hallym University Medical Center Research Fund, and the Hallym University Internal Translational Research Fund (No. HURF-2015-38). Legal entity responsible for the study The authors. Funding Has not received any funding. Disclosure All authors have declared no conflicts of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Many patients with refractory or relapsed gastric cancer after first-line chemotherapy have received salvage chemotherapy in routine clinical practice. However, there was no evidence to support this treatment until recent phase III trials demonstrated substantial prolongation of overall survival. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis of these trials and investigated whether second-line chemotherapy was more effective than best supportive care. Patients and methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 1, 2013), MEDLINE (1950 to March week 4, 2013) and EMBASE (1980–2013, week 13). In addition, we searched all abstracts and virtual meeting presentations from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conferences held between 2004 and 2013. Results The search process yielded 578 studies, two of which were randomized phase III trials that compared chemotherapy with supportive care. From the abstracts and virtual meeting presentations of ASCO held between 2004 and 2013, 127 abstracts were identified that evaluated second-line chemotherapy; only one relevant abstract was included in the meta-analysis. Conclusion This meta-analysis demonstrated evidence to support second-line chemotherapy in advanced gastric cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]