IL-26 promotes the proliferation and survival of human gastric cancer cells by regulating the balance of STAT1 and STAT3 activation.

Interleukin-26 (IL-26) is one of the cytokines secreted by Th17 cells whose role in human tumors remains unknown. Here, we investigated the expression and potential role of IL-26 in human gastric cancer (GC). The expression of IL-26 and related molecules such as IL-20R1, STAT1 and STAT3 was examined by real-time PCR and immunohistochemisty. The effects of IL-26 on cell proliferation and cisplatin-induced apoptosis were analyzed by BrdU cooperation assay and PI-Annexin V co-staining, respectively. Lentiviral mediated siRNA was used to explore its mechanism of action, and IL-26 related signaling was analyzed by western blotting. Human GC tissues showed increased levels of IL-26 and its related molecules and activation of STAT3 signaling, whereas STAT1 activation did not differ significantly between GC and normal gastric tissues. Moreover, IL-26 was primarily produced by Th17 and NK cells. IL-26 promoted the proliferation and survival of MKN45 and SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, IL-20R2 and IL-10R1, which are two essential receptors for IL-26 signaling, were expressed in both cell lines. IL-26 activated STAT1 and STAT3 signaling; however, the upregulation of the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xl and c-myc indicated that the effect of IL-26 is mediated by STAT3 activation. Knockdown of STAT1 and STAT3 expression suggested that the proliferative and anti-apoptotic effects of IL-26 are mediated by the modulation of STAT1/STAT3 activation. In summary, elevated levels of IL-26 in human GC promote proliferation and survival by modulating STAT1/STAT3 signaling

Mapping the bike sharing research published from 2010 to 2018: A scientometric review

Zhao, X ORCiD: 0000-0003-0153-5173An increasing number of studies since 2010 have examined bike sharing from diverse perspectives to provide the best travel practices of “the last mile”. However, few studies have attempted to comprehensively review existing literature over the past decade. The present study aims to map bike sharing research published between 2010 and 2018. A total of 208 relevant articles were collected to conduct scientometric analysis. The results revealed that the most significant contributions in bike sharing research primarily originated from the US, China, Canada, England and Australia. Critical institutions, publications and articles were also identified. The knowledge domains of bike sharing research focus mainly on topic categories of factors & barrier, system optimization, behavior & impact, safety & health, and sharing economy. Evolutionary trends in bike sharing research tend to move from the safety and benefits of bike usage to more complex external impacts, system optimization, design and integration with public transit. Furthermore, increasing interests and outputs in the new generation of dockless bike sharing programs were observed from the research community for the past two years. The present study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on bike sharing by presenting a new, integrated and holistic knowledge map. This study offers valuable guidance and in-depth understanding to researchers, operators and policy makers who wish to promote bike sharing sustainability, as well as for follow-up studies, updates and management

Mitochondrial Proteomics Approach Reveals Voltage-Dependent Anion Channel 1 (VDAC1) as a Potential Biomarker of Gastric Cancer

Background/Aims: Gastric cancer (GC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. Successful early cancer detection is hampered by lack of highly sensitive and specific biomarkers. Mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to an aggressive carcinogenic phenotype of many cancers. We hypothesized that changes in the mitochondrial proteome are required to support development of GC. Methods: TMT method followed by mass spectrometry analysis was utilized to quantify alterations in protein abundance in mitochondria enriched between noncancer and gastric cancer tissues. Results: Of a total data set that included 738 identified proteins, about 40.1% were found to be mitochondrial and associated proteins. Among them, 234 proteins were at least 1.5-fold up- or down-regulated in the gastric cancer compared with the adherent normal tissues. A number of markers (e.g. HSP70, HSP60, HSP90, leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat containing (LRPPRC), SOD2 and cathepsin B) were previously reported as biomarkers of GC. Additionally, several potential biomarkers participated in mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and active fatty acid oxidation were firstly identified differentially expressed in GC samples. Our findings also suggest that VDAC1 may be a novel biomarker for GC. Conclusion: The results show that subcellular proteomics of tumor tissue is feasible and a promising avenue for exploring oncogenesis

A Meta-Analysis of the Diagnostic Accuracy of Circular RNAs in Digestive System Malignancy

Background/Aims: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of noncoding RNAs, have been found to be dysregulated in various cancers. However, the clinical application value of these circRNAs in digestive system cancers remains to be clarified. We aimed to comprehensively explore the potential role of circRNAs as diagnostic indicators in digestive system malignancies. Methods: Relevant studies were systematically retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The data that were required to complete 2 × 2 contingency tables were obtained from the included studies. Stratified analyses by cancer type, sample size and publication year were performed. Results: Thirteen studies with 2,276 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of circRNAs in the diagnosis of digestive system malignancy were 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-0.77] and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.72-0.81), respectively. The overall positive likelihood ratio was 3.09 (95% CI: 2.64-3.62), and the overall negative likelihood ratio was 0.37 (95% CI: 0.31-0.44). The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 8.38 (95% CI: 6.86-10.25), and the overall area under the curve was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.77-0.84), indicating good discriminative ability of circRNAs as biomarkers for digestive system malignancy. Conclusion: circRNAs distinguish patients with digestive system cancer from controls with relatively high diagnostic accuracy. circRNAs may be used as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of digestive system malignancy

Th17 and NK cells are the main sources of IL-26 in human gastric cancer.

<p>a1–a8: A representative case of IL-26 expression in human gastric cancer (GC) tumor infiltrating leukocytes (n = 20) detected by flow cytometry after co-staining with antibodies against CD4, CD8, RORγT, and CD3+CD16+CD56. a9. Comparison of the percentage of IL-26 positive cells in CD3 positive T cells between PBMCs as controls, CD3, CD4, CD8 positive, Th17 and NK cells derived from GC tissues. The experiment was performed in triplicate. a10: A pie chart for the percentage of various components contribute to IL-26 production. b1–b4: Representative CD4+ T cells, <i>in vitro</i> stimulated Th17 cells and isolated NK cells examined by flow cytometry. c1–c8: Flow cytometric analysis of IL-26 expression in Th17 and NK cells stimulated with LPS and <i>H.Pylori</i> lysates. c9: Comparison of IL-26 expression in each group. The experiments were performed in triplicate. Statistical analyses in figure a9 and c9 were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and compared to the control group. **P<0.01.</p