The present study aimed to investigate the impact of psoralen on miR-196a-5p expression and function, and to reveal the mechanism underlying miR-196a-5p-mediated inhibition and the reversal of cisplatin (DDP) resistance. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 50 patients with gastric cancer (GC), and the association between miR-196a-5p expression and the response to chemotherapy was assessed. A DDP-resistant GC cell line was also established to determine the effects of miR-196a-5p and psoralen on DDP resistance. MGC803 cells were transfected with miR-196a-5p mimic and inhibitor vectors for the overexpression and downregulation of miR-196a-5p, respectively. Results: Clinical data analysis showed that the lower expression levels of miR-196a-5p were significantly associated with chemoresistance in patients with GC. Upregulation of miR-196a-5p significantly enhanced the anti-proliferative effect, apoptosis and sensitivity to DDP by regulating the protein expression levels of HOXB7, HER2, Bcl-2 and G 1 /S-specific cyclin-D1 (CCND1). Furthermore, psoralen reversed miR-196a-5p-induced DDP resistance and reduced the expression levels of HOXB7, HER2, Bcl-2 and CCND1. Conclusion: miR-196a-5p may be a novel biomarker of chemotherapeutic success in patients with GC and may also influence the sensitivity of GC cells to DDP. Moreover, psoralen can increase chemotherapeutic sensitivity by upregulating miR-196a-5p and then downregulating HOXB7-HER2 signaling axis.

Introduction: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common urinary tumors. The risk of metastasis for patients with RCC is about 1/3, among which 30–40% have lymph node metastasis, and the existence of lymph node metastasis will greatly reduce the survival rate of patients. However, the necessity of lymph node dissection is still controversial at present. Therefore, a new predictive model is urgently needed to judge the risk of lymph node metastasis and guide clinical decision making before operation. Method: We retrospectively collected the data of 189 patients who underwent retroperitoneal lymph node dissection or enlarged lymph node resection due to suspected lymph node metastasis or enlarged lymph nodes found during an operation in Tongji Hospital from January 2016 to October 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) regression analyses were used to identify preoperative predictors of pathological lymph node positivity. A nomogram was established to predict the probability of lymph node metastasis in patients with RCC before surgery according to the above independent predictors, and its efficacy was evaluated with a calibration curve and a DCA analysis. Result: Among the 189 patients, 54 (28.60%) were pN1 patients, and 135 (71.40%) were pN0 patients. Three independent impact factors were, finally, identified, which were the following: age (OR = 0.3769, 95% CI = 0.1864–0.7622, p < 0.01), lymph node size according to pre-operative imaging (10–20 mm: OR = 15.0040, 95% CI = 1.5666–143.7000, p < 0.05; >20 mm: OR = 4.4013, 95% CI = 1.4892–7.3134, p < 0.01) and clinical T stage (cT1–2 vs. cT3–4) (OR = 3.1641, 95% CI = 1.0336–9.6860, p < 0.05). The calibration curve and DCA (Decision Curve Analysis) showed the nomogram of this predictive model had good fitting. Conclusions: Low age, large lymph node size in pre-operative imaging and high clinical T stage can be used as independent predictive factors of pathological lymph node metastasis in patients with RCC. Our predictive nomogram using these factors exhibited excellent discrimination and calibration.

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IntroductionWith the shortage of bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, it is important to find an alternative to BCG instillation, which is the most commonly used adjuvant treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients after transurethral resection of bladder tumor treatment (TURBt) to delay tumor recurrence. Hyperthermia intravesical chemotherapy (HIVEC) with mitomycin C (MMC) is a potential treatment choice. We aim to compare HIVEC with BCG instillation for the preventive efficacy of bladder tumor recurrence and progression.MethodsA network meta-analysis (NMA) was taken with MMC instillation and TURBt as the attached comparators. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with NIMBC patients after TURBt were included. Articles with pure BCG unresponsive patients and combined therapies were excluded. The study protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO, CRD42023390363).ResultsIt was found that HIVEC had a non-significant 22% relative reduction in bladder tumor recurrence compared with BCG instillation [HIVEC vs. BCG: HR 0.78, 95% credible interval (CrI) 0.55–1.08] and a nonsignificant higher risk of bladder tumor progression (BCG vs. HIVEC: HR 0.77, 95% CrI 0.22–3.03).DiscussionHIVEC is a potential alternative to BCG, and it is expected to be the standard therapy for NMIBC patients after TURBt during the global shortage of BCG.Systematic Review RegistrationPROSPERO identifier, CRD42023390363