Cheng Chen

Mirror-image dextrocardia is a rare congenital cardiovascular disease in which the main part of the heart is located on the right side of the thoracic cavi

Background: CD302 encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in immune regulation via cell–extracellular matrix interactions. Its role in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains unexplored. This study investigates CD302’s expression, clinical relevance, and functional mechanisms in LUAD. Methods: Using public databases and bioinformatics, CD302 expression and clinical significance were analyzed. Validation was performed in 52 paired NSCLC samples from the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University using RT−qPCR and clinical correlation analysis. In vitro CD302 overexpression models in A549 and PC-9 cells were used to assess malignant phenotypes. Results: Database analysis revealed that CD302 exhibited low expression in lung adenocarcinoma tissues, with its expression levels being negatively correlated with T stage, N stage, and TNM stage. Patients with high CD302 expression demonstrated significantly higher overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses identified CD302 expression as an independent prognostic factor for LUAD patients. A nomogram was constructed to predict 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates, and calibration curve analyses confirmed the model’s robust predictive capability. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.912 further suggests that CD302 holds substantial diagnostic potential. Analysis of clinical NSCLC samples validated the low expression of CD302 in lung adenocarcinoma, with expression levels showing a negative correlation with tumor diameter (correlation coefficient = -0.5358). Moreover, using the human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines A549 and PC-9, a CD302 overexpression model was established. Subsequent CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing, and transwell invasion assays demonstrated that CD302 overexpression inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of NSCLC cells. Conclusion: CD302 is expressed at low levels in lung adenocarcinoma tissues, and its expression is negatively correlated with tumor diameter, serving as an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Overexpression of CD302 inhibits the proliferation, migration, and invasion of A549 and PC-9 cells. Therefore, CD302 holds potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for LUAD patients.

Lung cancer is the most widespread and fatal oncological disease, with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) being the predominant subtype, characterized by a poor long-term survival rate. Although the N7-methylguanosone (m7G) genes have been reported to be correlated with the prognosis of lung cancer, m7G gene-associated Long non-coding RNA (lncRNAs) have been poorly studied in LUAD. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of an m7G-related lncRNAs model in LUAD. Transcriptome and clinical data of LUAD patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. Pearson correlation analysis and Cox regression analysis were utilized to identify lncRNAs associated with m7G-related genes and prognosis. Then m7G-related prognostic model was constructed by LASSO regression analysis, with its accuracy and independence were validated by AUC curve, survival analysis and COX regression, respectively. Subsequently, a nomogram, KEGG analysis, GO analysis and immune infiltration analysis were applied successively to reveal potential prognosis of LUAD patients based on prognostic model. Finally, expression level of hub lncRNAs in the mode was detected by RT-qPCR, and the correlation analysis revealed the relationship between hub lncRNAs and clinical information of LUAD patients. The m7G-related lncRNA prognosis model for LUAD, consisting of 6 lncRNAs, stratified patients into high- and low- risk groups. High-risk patients were associated with poor prognosis, and the model’s accuracy was confirmed by ROC curves, with the AUC of all-year approaching 0.737. Expression of AC007128.1 and HNRNPUP1 were higher in tumor tissues compared to normal tissue, while the other lncRNAs showed the opposite state, supporting the model’s signature. Immune infiltration analysis indicated that patients in the low-risk group were closely related to better immune cell infiltration and more highly expressed immune checkpoint genes. The prognosis model of six m7G-related lncRNAs can accurately predict the OS of LUAD patients and provide valuable insights for treatment strategies.

Background: Antifungal therapy is a common treatment option for pulmonary aspergillosis, but its use to prevent recurrence and relieve symptoms in patients with pulmonary aspergillosis remains controversial. This study aimed to explore the short-term efficacy and cost of itraconazole vs. voriconazole in the treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis during the perioperative period.Methods: We retrospectively collected the clinical data of 55 patients with pulmonary aspergillosis who underwent surgery and received itraconazole or voriconazole as antifungal therapy between January 1, 2016, and October 31, 2022, at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University. We analyzed the effects of different antifungal therapies on the incidence of adverse events, short-term efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of pulmonary aspergillosis treatment.Results: Except for the younger average age of patients in the itraconazole group, there were no significant differences in baseline characteristics such as sex, BMI, underlying lung disease, accompanying symptoms, and lesion location between the voriconazole and itraconazole groups. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events or short-term efficacy, including recovery, symptom improvement, and recurrence rates, during the administration of the antifungal regimens between the two groups. Regarding economic cost efficiency, there was no significant difference in the median hospitalization costs between the two groups. However, despite the longer antifungal treatment duration in the itraconazole group, the cost of itraconazole was significantly lower than that of voriconazole.Conclusion: Both itraconazole and voriconazole effectively prevented the recurrence of pulmonary aspergillosis. They are similar in terms of the incidence of adverse events and short-term efficacy; however, itraconazole is more economical.

This study aimed to investigate the potential association between white blood cell counts and the risk of lung cancer, including its subtypes, through Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. We conducted a two-sample MR analysis using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for the both exposure traits (eosinophil count, neutrophil count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count, basophil count, and total white blood cell count) and outcome traits (lung cancer and its subtypes). The GWAS dataset for lung cancer included 29,266 cases (11273 lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), 7426 lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), 2664 small cell lung cancer (SCLC)) and 56,450 controls. In MR analysis, we employed methods such as Inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger regression, MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier. MR analysis revealed an elevated total white blood cell (WBC) count significantly increased the risk of LUAD (IVW: OR = 1.484, 95% CI = 1.219–1.749, p = 0.003). The results confirmed a causal relationship between monocyte count and LUAD (IVW: OR = 1.687, 95% CI:1.542–1.830, p < 0.001). An increased total WBC count was associated with a higher risk of LUAD. Additionally, analysis of WBC subtypes counts indicated that monocyte count plays an crucial role in the elevated risk of LUAD.

Background: The long non-coding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate (CASC) has abnormal expression in lung cancer tissues and may correlate with lung cancer prognosis. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the association between CASC expression and the cancer prognosis. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched until April 1, 2023, to obtain the relevant literature. Studies that met the predefined eligibility criteria were included, and their quality was independently assessed by 2 investigators according to the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) score. Detailed information was obtained, such as first author, year of publication, and number of patients. Hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was extracted and grouped to assess the relationship between CASC expression and cancer prognosis. The dichotomous data was merged and shown as the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% CI was extracted to assess the relationship between CASC expression and clinicopathological parameters. Results: A total of 12 studies with 746 patients with lung cancer were included in the meta-analysis. The expression levels of lncRNA CASC2 and CASC7 were decreased, while those of CASC9, 11, 15, and 19 were induced in lung cancer tissues compared with paracancerous tissues. In the population with low CASC expression (CASC2 and CASC7), high CASC expression indicated a good lung cancer prognosis (HR = 0.469; 95% CI, 0.271–0.668). Conversely, in the population with high CASC expression (CASC9, 11, 15, and 19), high CASC expression predicted a poor lung cancer outcome (HR = 1.910; 95% CI, 1.628–2.192). High CASC expression also predicted worse disease-free survival (DFS) (HR = 2.803; 95% CI, 1.804–6.319). Combined OR with 95% CI revealed an insignificant positive association between high CASC expression and advanced TNM stage (OR = 1.061; 95% CI, 0.775–1.454), LNM (OR = 0.962; 95% CI, 0.724–1.277), tumor size (OR = 0.942; 95% CI, 0.667–1.330), and histological grade (OR = 1.022; 95% CI, 0.689–1.517). Conclusion: The CASC expression levels negatively correlate with lung cancer prognosis. Therefore, CASC expression may serve as a prognostic marker and a potential therapeutic target for lung cancer.

CircRNAs, a type of non-coding RNA widely present in eukaryotic cells, have emerged as a prominent focus in tumor research. However, the functions of most circRNAs remain largely unexplored. Known circRNAs exert their regulatory roles through various mechanisms, including acting as microRNA sponges, binding to RNA-binding proteins, and functioning as transcription factors to modulate protein translation and coding. Tumor growth is not solely driven by gene mutations but also influenced by diverse constituent cells and growth factors within the tumor microenvironment (TME). As crucial regulators within the TME, circRNAs are involved in governing tumor growth and metastasis. This review highlights the role of circRNAs in regulating angiogenesis, matrix remodeling, and immunosuppression within the TME. Additionally, we discuss current research on hypoxia-induced circRNAs production and commensal microorganisms’ impact on the TME to elucidate how circRNAs influence tumor growth while emphasizing the significance of modulating the TME.