Zhigui Zuo

Background: The Weigao surgical robot system (WG-NST600S) was successfully developed in China. In this study, we presented our single-center experience and the short-term outcomes of gastrointestinal surgeries performed using the WG-NST600S system. Materials and Methods: Between April 2024 and February 2025, consecutive gastrointestinal surgeries were performed using the WG-NST600S system at the participating institution. Clinical characteristics, as well as surgical and short-term postoperative outcomes, were prospectively collected and analyzed. Results: One hundred and six patients were enrolled in the study. Of these, 9 underwent radical gastrectomy, 16 partial gastrectomy, 58 radical resections for rectal cancer, 7 sigmoidectomy, 5 left hemicolectomy, and 11 right hemicolectomy. The median operative times were as follows: 278 min for radical gastrectomy, 137 min for partial gastrectomy, 245.5 min for radical resection of rectal cancer, 242 min for sigmoidectomy, 290 min for left hemicolectomy, and 311 min for right hemicolectomy. The blood loss was 20 mL for radical gastrectomy, 10 mL for partial gastrectomy, 20 mL for radical resection of rectal cancer, 20 mL for sigmoidectomy, 25 mL for left hemicolectomy, and 20 mL for right hemicolectomy. Postoperative complications were 22.22% for radical gastrectomy, 6.25% for partial gastrectomy, 18.97% for radical resection of rectal cancer, 42.86% for sigmoidectomy, 0% for left hemicolectomy, and 27.27% for right hemicolectomy. All procedures were successfully completed without conversion to open surgery or other unplanned interventions. Conclusion: Based on our single-center experience, the WG-NST600S system is a feasible, safe, and effective option for most gastrointestinal surgeries.

Purpose This study analyzed the oncologic outcomes of patients with low rectal cancer undergoing intersphincteric resection (ISR) compared with those underwent APR to evaluate the oncologic safety of ISR. Methods This study enrolled 149 patients undergoing ISR and 166 patients receiving APR for LRC from January 2010 to December 2020. The exclusion criterion included neoadjuvant therapy or other malignant tumors. Moreover, this study used propensity score matching to reduce possible confounding factors. Results After comparing 123 patients from each group, comparable long-run outcomes were observed in both groups. ISR and APR groups showed 5-year disease-free survival rates of 69.8% and 57.2% (p = 0.146), 5-year overall survival rates of 82.8% and 74.4% (p = 0.164), and 5-year local recurrence-free survival rates of 81.8% and 72.0% (p = 0.109), respectively. For paired patients receiving laparoscopic surgery, close outcomes were observed. Moreover, ISR showed comparable oncologic safety for locally advanced cancer to APR. Conclusions In this study, ISR and APR showed close oncological results regardless of the surgery approach for patients with LRC without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(nCRT). In addition, this study suggested that ISR may be safe for locally advanced cancer if circumferential resection margins could be ensured negative.

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the common malignant tumors. Cyanopyridine and aminocyanopyridine having a carbon-nitrogen bond have been shown to have significant anticancer effects. STAT3 is a promising therapeutic target in multiple cancers. However, there are currently no effective STAT3 inhibitors in clinical practice for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Materials and methods: We screened 27 cyanopyridines for their anticancer activity by cell viability. The HCT-116, RKO, and DLD-1 cell lines were used to evaluate the anti-colorectal cancer effect of 3n. Scratch experiments and colony formation assays were used for the assessment of cell migration and proliferation capacity. Phosphorylated STAT3, STAT3, MCL-1, and Survivin levels were assessed by Western blot analysis. Results: In this study, we synthesized 27 cyanopyridines and screened their anticancer activities in three human tumor cells, HCT-116, Hela229, and A375. We found that 2-amino-3-cyanopyridine 3n has better anticancer activity with IC50 values in the low micromolar range. Furthermore, 3n significantly inhibited the migration and colony formation of colorectal cancer cells. Mechanistically, 3n inhibited the expression of STAT3 phosphorylation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Conclusion: 3n is worth of further investigations toward the discovery of STAT3 inhibitor as a drug candidate for cancer therapy.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is an oncogene, which upregulates in approximately 70% of human cancers. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process which maintains cellular homeostasis and eliminates damaged cellular components. Moreover, the STAT3 signaling pathway, which may be triggered by cancer cells, has been implicated in the autophagic process. In this study, we found that the anthelmintic flubendazole exerts potent antitumor activity in three human colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines and in the nude mouse model. The inhibition of cell proliferation in vitro by flubendazole was evaluated using a clonogenic assay and the MTT assay. Western blot analysis, flow cytometry analysis, siRNA growth experiment and cytoplasmic and nuclear protein extraction were used to investigate the mechanisms of inhibiting STAT3 signaling and activation of autophagy induced by flubendazole. Additionally, the expression of STAT3 and mTOR was analyzed in paired colorectal cancer and normal tissues collected from clinical patients. Flubendazole blocked the IL6-induced nuclear translocation of STAT3, which led to inhibition of the transcription of STAT3 target genes, such as MCL1, VEGF and BIRC5. In addition, flubendazole also reduced the expression of P-mTOR, P62, BCL2, and upregulated Beclin1 and LC3-I/II, which are major autophagy-related genes. These processes induced potent cell apoptosis in CRC cells. In addition, flubendazole displayed a synergistic effect with the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of CRC. Taken together, these results indicate that flubendazole exerts antitumor activities by blocking STAT3 signaling and inevitably affects the autophagy pathway. Flubendazole maybe a novel anticancer drug and offers a distinctive therapeutic strategy in neoadjuvant chemotherapy of CRC.