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The radiotherapy outcomes of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remain poor due to hypoxia. Carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) is a membrane-associated enzyme that induces hypoxia, extracellular acidity, and upregulation of hypoxia-related factors in tumor microenvironment, thereby promoting tumor metastasis. CAIX is upregulated in ESCC tissues compared to normal surrounding tissues. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of CAIX inhibition on the modulation of tumor microenvironment and radiotherapy efficacy in ESCC. Higher CAIX expression was correlated with poorer progression-free survival in ESCC patients. Then, the ethyl N-(4-methylphenyl) sulfonylcarbamate (S4) was used to inhibit CAIX expression in ESCC cells and mice xenografts. The pretreatment of ESCC cells with S4 significantly downregulated CAIX expression, decreased intracellular pH, reduced cell viability, resulting in decreased oxygen consumption and more sensitive response to X-ray irradiation. In mice inoculated with ESCC cells, the combination of X-ray irradiation with S4 further improved survival, delayed tumor growth, decreased hypoxia level, exaggerated DNA damage, and increased apoptosis compared with the groups treated solely with S4 or radiotherapy. In conclusion, our study showed that the inhibition of CAIX by S4 treatment altered hypoxic tumor micro-environment, exaggerated DNA damage, increased apoptosis, and thus enhanced radiotherapy efficacy in ESCC. These findings provided a potential therapeutic strategy for patients with resistant ESCC.

In patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), lymph node (N) metastases are associated with cancer aggressiveness and poor prognosis. Identifying meaningful gene modules and representative biomarkers relevant to the N stage helps predict prognosis and reveal mechanisms underlying tumor progression. The present study used a step‑wise approach for weighted gene co‑expression network analysis (WGCNA). Dataset GSE65858 was subjected to WGCNA. RNA sequencing data of HNC downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and dataset GSE39366 were utilized to validate the results. Following data preprocessing, 4,295 genes were screened, and blue and black modules associated with the N stage of HNC were identified. A total of 16 genes [keratinocyte differentiation associated protein, suprabasin, cornifelin (CNFN), small proline rich protein 1B, desmoglein 1 (DSG1), chromosome 10 open reading frame 99, keratin 16 pseudogene 3, gap junction protein β2, dermokine, LY6/PLAUR domain containing 3, transmembrane protein 79, phospholipase A2 group IVE, transglutaminase 5, potassium two pore domain channel subfamily K member 6, involucrin, kallikrein related peptidase 8] that had a negative association with the N‑stage in the blue module, and two genes (structural maintenance of chromosomes 4 and mutS homolog 6) that had a positive association in the black module, were identified to be candidate hub genes. Following further validation in TCGA and dataset GSE65858, it was identified that CNFN and DSG1 were associated with the clinical stage of HNC. Survival analysis of CNFN and DSG1 was subsequently performed. Patients with increased expression of CNFN displayed better survival probability in dataset GSE65858 and TCGA. Therefore, CNFN was selected as the hub gene for further verification in the Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis database. Finally, functional enrichment and gene set enrichment analyses were performed using datasets GSE65858 and GSE39366. Three gene sets, namely 'P53 pathway', 'estrogen response early' and 'estrogen response late', were enriched in the two datasets. In conclusion, CNFN, identified via the WGCNA algorithm, may contribute to the prediction of lymph node metastases and prognosis, probably by regulating the pathways associated with P53, and the early and late estrogen response.

To build an effective model to train excellent doctors, Nanjing Medical University has proposed a five- plus three-year combined undergraduate-master's clinical medicine degree program. The program integrates undergraduate education, the education of research students, and standardized doctor residency training into a single system, allowing continuous study from undergraduate through the master's level. The present article reviews the background of the program, introduces the outline of detailed program design, including a training system, curriculum design, quality control system, features of the program, feasibility of the proposal, and the expected results.

This study was performed to assess the effect of chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) on the liver, the associated mechanisms and the potential therapeutic roles of adiponectin (Ad). Sixty rats were randomly assigned to four groups: the normal control (NC), NC and Ad supplement (NC + Ad), CIH and CIH and Ad supplement (CIH + Ad) groups. The rats in the CIH and CIH + Ad groups were exposed to a hypoxic environment for 4 months. Rats in the NC + Ad and CIH + Ad groups were also treated with an intravenous injection of Ad (10 ug), twice a week. The plasma levels of hepatic enzymes, serum triglyceride, liver triglyceride, fasting blood glucose and hepatic cell apoptosis in hepatic tissue, were higher in the CIH group than in the NC and NC + Ad groups. However, the Ad supplementation in the CIH + Ad group rescued the hepatic tissue insult by activating the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathway. In conclusion, Ad could protect against CIH-induced hepatic injury partly through the AMPK pathway.

We present a spatial phase-shift digital speckle patterns interferometry (SPS-DSPI) system with the capability of measuring three-dimensional (3-D) deformations under a dynamic loading condition simultaneously using multiple cameras. The Fourier transform method is utilized to calculate the phase difference. The consistency of different cameras is achieved using digital image correlation (DIC) technology. Calibration and calculation programs are compiled to make sure each subset on the measuring surface is uniform. SPS-DSPI and DIC techniques are combined to provide a direct measurement of the 3-D deformation of the entire surface area simultaneously. The theory, application result, and validation experiment are presented.

This paper reviews at first the features of the present information techniques including the telephone, the television, the computer, and the body sensor network briefly. Then, the concept and the construction of microelectronic neural bridges (MENB) are discussed. A special animal experiment in which the signal regeneration and the function rebuilding were realized by using a MENB between two far-separated nervous systems is demonstrated. The applications of presented concept are prospected.