Cholinergic Receptor Nicotinic Beta 2 Subunit Promotes the Peritoneal Disseminating Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer.

Background: Peritoneal dissemination in colorectal cancer (CRC) is associated with poor prognosis due to limited efficacy of current therapeutic strategies. The cholinergic receptor nicotinic beta 2 subunit (), a component of the acetylcholine receptor, has been implicated in other malignancies, but its role in CRC remains unknown.

Methods: This study evaluated the expression and function of CHRNB2 in CRC.

Overexpression of cat eye syndrome chromosome region, candidate 2 in esophageal squamous carcinoma cell promotes tumor aggressiveness by facilitating NF-κB signaling and inhibition of p53-associated apoptosis.

Purpose: A chromatin remodeling-related gene, cat eye syndrome chromosome region, candidate 2 (CECR2) was identified as candidate gene associated with aggressive phenotypes of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a transcriptome analysis. Here, we aimed to elucidate its role and potential for clinical application.

Methods: We evaluated ESCC cell lines modulating CECR2 expression in vitro.

High Expression of OR1F1 Protein as a Potential Prognostic Biomarker for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aim: In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the identification of biomarkers that enable precise stratification of postoperative prognostic risk is crucial for developing personalized treatment strategies. Biomarker reproducibility across multiple independent cohorts is a key consideration in biomarker discovery.

Materials And Methods: Transcriptome analysis was performed on primary tumor tissues from patients with ESCC who experienced recurrence in distant organs, thus identifying olfactory receptor family 1 subfamily F member 1 (OR1F1) as a candidate biomarker.

The role of CST2 in the pathogenesis and prognosis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: Cystatin SA (CST2) is a cysteine protease inhibitor that is overexpressed in several malignancies; however, its involvement in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has yet to be investigated. This study evaluates CST2 expression, its association with clinicopathological parameters, and its prognostic significance in ESCC. We further investigate the biological functions of CST2 to assess CST2 impact on tumor progression and its potential as a prognostic marker.

Efficacy and safety of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy with oxaliplatin for elderly patients: results from the CCOG-1302 study.

Background: Postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy using oxaliplatin in addition to 5-FU-based anticancer agents has become the standard treatment for colorectal cancer, however, there is insufficient evidence regarding the efficacy and safety of oxaliplatin combination therapy in the elderly patients. In this study, retrospective analysis of the results from the CCOG-1302 study was performed to confirm them.

Methods: The patients in the CAPOX continuous (8 courses of CAPOX) and intermittent (2 courses of CAPOX + 4 courses of capecitabine + 2 courses of CAPOX) treatment arms in the CCOG-1302 study were divided into two groups, namely, the elderly (≥ 70) and non-elderly (< 70 years) groups.

Association of NR0B1 with Malignant Phenotypes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Through Modulation of p53-Independent Cell-Cycle Regulation.

Background: Transcriptome analysis of primary tumor tissues from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients with early postoperative distant metastasis identified nuclear receptor subfamily 0, group B, member 1 (NR0B1) as a novel gene associated with the malignant phenotypes of ESCC. This study aimed to elucidate the oncological functions of NR0B1 in ESCC and assess the significance of its tissue expression.

Methods: We investigated the effects of NR0B1 knockdown on the proliferation, migration, and adhesion capacities, in vivo tumor growth, and intracellular signaling pathways of ESCC cell lines.

Enhances Cancer Cell Activities and Serves as a Prognosticator in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background/aim: Comprehensive transcriptome analysis has revealed SPOC Domain Containing 1 (SPOCD1) as a potential biomarker for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the expression and oncological roles of SPOCD1 in ESCC remains underexplored. We aimed to evaluate the role of SPOCD1 in oncogenesis and prognosis of ESCC and Materials and Methods: The Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) database was utilized to evaluate correlations between SPOCD1 expression and oncogenes in ESCC.

Circulating Pre-microRNA-488 in Blood Is a Potential Prognostic Biomarker in Gastric Cancer.

Background/aim: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been highlighted as non-invasive clinical biomarkers in liquid biopsy. This study aimed to investigate the clinical significance of circulating tumor suppressors, precursor-miR-488 (pre-miR-488) and miR-488-5p, in the blood of patients with gastric cancer (GC).

Materials And Methods: The expression levels of pre-miR-488 and miR-488-5p in tumor tissues and blood were measured using RT-qPCR, and the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of their expression was assessed in patients with GC.

Suppression Decreases 5-Fluorouracil-induced Apoptosis and Is Associated With Poor Prognosis in Gastric Cancer.

Background/aim: The development of new biomarkers to predict cancer patient prognosis is expected to aid in treatment selection, contributing to improved outcomes. In this study, we extracted a candidate gene associated with patient prognosis from a public database and investigated the molecular and biological functions and clinical significance of the gene in gastric cancer.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed The Cancer Genome Atlas database and identified the family with sequence similarity 32 member a (FAM32A) as a candidate gene.

Comparison of Treatment Outcomes Between First-Line Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab for Advanced Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma (Tohoku Gynecologic Cancer Unit: TGCU-RS001A Study).

: The usefulness of bevacizumab (BEV) as first-line chemotherapy for advanced ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) was retrospectively evaluated at Tohoku Gynecologic Cancer Unit institutions. : A total of 81 patients (52 patients without BEV and 29 with BEV) with advanced ovarian CCC who received initial platinum-based chemotherapy were enrolled. We selected 26 patients each without and with BEV according to propensity score matching methods, and compared the platinum-resistant recurrence rate, response rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events between the two groups.

Expression profile and function of secretogranin V, and its effects on the malignant behavior of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is recognized as one of the most aggressive cancers with a poor prognosis. Global expression profiling was conducted on primary ESCC tissues with distant metastases. We investigated the identification of secretogranin V (SCG5) as a promising biomarker for the detection and assessment of ESCC.

Dual-modified antisense oligonucleotides targeting oncogenic protocadherin to treat gastric cancer.

Background: The objective of this study was to develop an innovative treatment strategy utilizing antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that target the gene encoding protocadherin alpha 11 (PCDHA11) and to elucidate the role of PCDHA11 in gastric cancer cells.

Methods: We designed and screened 54 amido-bridged nucleic acid (AmNA)-modified ASOs, selecting them based on PCDHA11-knockdown efficacy, in vitro and in vivo activity, and off-target effects. We assessed the impact of AmNA-modified anti-PCDHA11 ASOs on cellular functions and signaling pathways, and investigated the effects of Pcdha11 deficiency in mice.

The perspective for next-generation lung replacement therapies: functional whole lung generation by blastocyst complementation.

Purpose Of Review: Blastocyst complementation represents a promising frontier in next-generation lung replacement therapies. This review aims to elucidate the future prospects of lung blastocyst complementation within clinical settings, summarizing the latest studies on generating functional lungs through this technique. It also explores and discusses host animal selection relevant to interspecific chimera formation, a challenge integral to creating functional human lungs via blastocyst complementation.

Outcomes of surgical treatment for enterovesical fistula in Crohn's disease.

Enterovesical fistula (EVF) in Crohn's disease (CD) often does not improve with medical treatment and requires surgical treatment. The surgical treatment strategy for EVF in CD is definitive resection of the intestinal tract side, and performing a leak test using dye injection into the bladder after EVF dissection to determine the appropriate surgical procedure for the bladder side. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of surgical treatment for EVF in CD.

Ephrin Forward Signaling Controls Interspecies Cell Competition in Pluripotent Stem Cells.

In the animal kingdom, evolutionarily conserved mechanisms known as cell competition eliminate unfit cells during development. Interestingly, cell competition also leads to apoptosis of donor cells upon direct contact with host cells from a different species during interspecies chimera formation. The mechanisms underlying how host animal cells recognize and transmit cell death signals to adjacent xenogeneic human cells remain incompletely understood.

Generation of salivary glands derived from pluripotent stem cells via conditional blastocyst complementation.

Whole salivary gland generation and transplantation offer potential therapies for salivary gland dysfunction. However, the specific lineage required to engineer complete salivary glands has remained elusive. In this study, we identify the Foxa2 lineage as a critical lineage for salivary gland development through conditional blastocyst complementation (CBC).

Prognostic Impact of Mutations Associated With Smoking and Drinking History in Japanese Digestive Cancers.

Background/aim: Organs of the digestive system are frequent sites of cancer development, and digestive tract cancers are the leading causes of death worldwide, including in Japan. Most of these cancers are associated with smoking or drinking habits. This study focused on the clinical and genomic characteristics of patients with these cancers using the Center for Cancer Genomics and Advanced Therapeutics (C-CAT) database, which comprises a large volume of data on Japanese patients who have undergone tumor profiling gene panel tests.

Therapeutic Potential of Antibody Targeting Neuronal Pentraxin Receptor in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a poor prognosis despite advances in multidisciplinary treatments and immune checkpoint inhibitors. We previously reported that neural pentraxin receptor (NPTXR), a transmembrane protein mainly expressed in the brain and involved in synaptic transmission, is implicated in gastric cancer malignancy. This study evaluated the expression and function of NPTXR in ESCC, the therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibody (mAb) against NPTXR, and its prognostic value in ESCC patients.

Risk Factors for Long-term Body Weight Loss After Proximal Gastrectomy: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background/aim: Proximal gastrectomy (PG) is a therapy for early-stage proximal gastric cancer and offers advantages such as the preservation of food storage capacity and less body weight loss (BWL). Nevertheless, significant BWL following PG may occur, affecting the patient's well-being and survival. In this study, we aimed to identify the relevant factors for BWL following PG by analyzing an institutional database of patients.

Protocol of a phase II study investigating the efficacy and safety of trifluridine/tipiracil plus ramucirumab as a third-line or later treatment for advanced gastric cancer.

In Japan, systemic chemotherapy is the standard treatment for unresectable, advanced, or recurrent gastric cancer. However, numerous patients with gastric cancer do not receive late-line treatment because of the rapid progression of gastric cancer. Additionally, late-line treatments, such as nivolumab, trifluridine tipiracil (FTD/TPI), or irinotecan, have limited effects on improving clinical symptoms and delaying the onset of symptoms associated with cancer progression.

Killer cell lectin-like receptor G2 facilitates aggressive phenotypes of gastric cancer cells via dual activation of the ERK1/2 and JAK/STAT pathways.

Background: Advanced gastric cancer (GC) has a poor prognosis. This study aimed to identify novel GC-related genes as potential therapeutic targets.

Methods: Killer cell lectin-like receptor G2 (KLRG2) was identified as a candidate gene by transcriptome analysis of metastatic GC tissues.