S100A6 has been implicated in a variety of biological functions as well as tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigated the expression status of S100A6 in relation to the clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with gastric cancer and further explored a possible association of its expression with epigenetic regulation. S100A6 expression was remarkably increased in 67.5% of gastric cancer tissues as compared with matched noncancerous tissues. Statistical analysis demonstrated a clear correlation between high S100A6 expression and various clinicopathological features, such as depth of wall invasion, positive lymph node involvement, liver metastasis, vascular invasion, and tumor-node metastasis stage (P < 0.05 in all cases), as well as revealed that S100A6 is an independent prognostic predictor (P ‫؍‬ 0.026) significantly related to poor prognosis (P ‫؍‬ 0.0004). Further exploration found an inverse relationship between S100A6 expression and the methylation status of the seventh and eighth CpG sites in the promoter/first exon and the second to fifth sites in the second exon/second intron. In addition, the level of histone H3 acetylation was found to be significantly higher in S100A6-expressing cancer cells. After 5-azacytidine or trichostatin A treatment, S100A6 expression was clearly increased in S100A6 low-expressing cells. In conclusion, our results suggested that S100A6 plays an important role in the progression of gastric cancer, affecting patient prognosis, and is up-regulated by epigenetic regulation. (Am J

BackgroundS100A9 was originally discovered as a factor secreted by inflammatory cells. Recently, S100A9 was found to be associated with several human malignancies. The purpose of this study is to investigate S100A9 expression in gastric cancer and explore its role in cancer progression.MethodsS100A9 expression in gastric tissue samples from 177 gastric cancer patients was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The expression of its dimerization partner S100A8 and the S100A8/A9 heterodimer were also assessed by the same method. The effect of exogenous S100A9 on motility of gastric cancer cells AGS and BGC-823 was then investigated.ResultsS100A9 was specifically expressed by inflammatory cells such as macrophages and neutrophils in human gastric cancer and gastritis tissues. Statistical analysis showed that a high S100A9 cell count (> = 200) per 200x magnification microscopic field in cancer tissues was predictive of early stage gastric cancer. High S100A9-positive cell count was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.009) and tumor invasion (P = 0.011). S100A9 was identified as an independent prognostic predictor of overall survival of patients with gastric cancer (P = 0.04). Patients with high S100A9 cell count were with favorable prognosis (P = 0.021). Further investigation found that S100A8 distribution in human gastric cancer tissues was similar to S100A9. However, the number of S100A8-positive cells did not positively correlate with patient survival. The inflammatory cells infiltrating cancer were S100A8/A9 negative, while those in gastritis were positive. Furthermore, exogenous S100A9 protein inhibited migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells.ConclusionsOur results suggested S100A9-positive inflammatory cells in gastric cancer tissues are associated with early stage of gastric cancer and good prognosis.

The MS-based proteomics approach is efficient in identifying differentially expressed proteins in relation to prognosis of advanced gastric cancer patients. These differentially expressed proteins could be potential prognosis-related cancer markers and deserve further validation and functional study.

BackgroundLimited information is available regarding the patient safety culture in Chinese hospitals. This study aims to assess the patient safety culture in Peking University Cancer Hospital and to identify opportunities for improving the organization’s safety culture.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2018 and 2019, respectively. Data on patient safety culture were collected from clinical and administrative staffs using the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC).ResultsTwelve composite dimension variables were hierarchically clustered. Three highest positive response dimensions include ‘Organizational Learning and continuous improvement’ (92.9%), ‘Teamwork within units’ (89.7%), and ‘Hospital management support for patient safety’ (83.7%), while 3 lowest positive response dimensions included ‘Frequency of events reported’ (43.9%), ‘Non-punitive response to error’ (51.1%), ‘Communication openness’ (52.2%), and ‘Staffing’ (53.7%). Compared to the average scores of the United States, the scores of the Peking University Cancer Hospital was significantly lower on ‘Communication openness’ and ‘Frequency of events reported’. After targeted continuous improvement based on results in 2018, all 12 dimensions surprisingly increased in the safety culture conducted in 2019.ConclusionInadequate feedback and communications about error and lack of communication openness are key challenges for patient safety in the delivery of care in this hospital. Results of this baseline survey indicate the need for a modified approach and attention to context when designing interventions aimed at improving the safety culture in this organization.

S100A6 is involved in regulating the progression of cancer. S100A6 can regulate the dynamics of cytoskeletal constituents, cell growth and differentiation by interacting with binding or target proteins. The present study investigated whether S100A6 affects cell proliferation in gastric cancer cells by stimulating several downstream factors. Firstly, the expression and localization of S100A6 were investigated using immunohistochemical staining, an immunoelectron microscopy and laser confocal scanning. A ChIP-Chip assay was performed to determine the downstream factors of S100A6 using promoter Chip analysis, including approximately the −800 to +200 regions around the transcription starting point. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to confirm this. It was found that the intensity of S100A6 staining was markedly higher in the cytoplasm and nucleus, and its expression level correlated with that of the Ki67 protein. The overexpression of S100A6 also promoted cell proliferation in AGS and BGC823 cell lines, detected using a Cell Counting-Kit 8 assay. In cells overexpressing S100A6, the expression levels of interleukin (IL)-8, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)5, CDK4, minichromosome maintenance complex component 7 (MCM7) and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) were noticeably increased. In conclusion, the increased expression of S100A6 promoted cell proliferation by regulating the expression levels of IL-8, CDK5, CDK4, MCM7 and Bcl2 in gastric cancer cells.