Detoxification mechanisms of electroactive microorganisms under toxicity stress : a review

Remediation of environmental toxic pollutants has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Microbial bioremediation has been an important technology for removing toxic pollutants. However, microbial activity is also susceptible to toxicity stress in the process of intracellular detoxification, which significantly reduces microbial activity. Electroactive microorganisms (EAMs) can detoxify toxic pollutants extracellularly to a certain extent, which is related to their unique extracellular electron transfer (EET) function. In this review, the extracellular and intracellular aspects of the EAMs' detoxification mechanisms are explored separately. Additionally, various strategies for enhancing the effect of extracellular detoxification are discussed. Finally, future research directions are proposed based on the bottlenecks encountered in the current studies. This review can contribute to the development of toxic pollutants remediation technologies based on EAMs, and provide theoretical and technical support for future practical engineering applications

Discovery of a novel lipid metabolism-related gene signature to predict outcomes and the tumor immune microenvironment in gastric cancer by integrated analysis of single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing

Abstract Gastric cancer (GC) is a pressing global clinical issue, with few treatment options and a poor prognosis. The onset and spread of stomach cancer are significantly influenced by changes in lipid metabolism-related pathways. This study aimed to discover a predictive signature for GC using lipid metabolism-related genes (LMRGs) and examine its correlation with the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Transcriptome data and clinical information from patients with GC were collected from the TCGA and GEO databases. Data from GC samples were analyzed using both bulk RNA-seq and single-cell sequencing of RNA (scRNA-seq). To identify survival-related differentially expressed LMRGs (DE-LMRGs), differential expression and prognosis studies were carried out. We built a predictive signature using LASSO regression and tested it on the TCGA and GSE84437 datasets. In addition, the correlation of the prognostic signature with the TIME was comprehensively analyzed. In this study, we identified 258 DE-LMRGs in GC and further screened seven survival-related DE-LMRGs. The results of scRNA-seq identified 688 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the three branches. Two critical genes (GPX3 and NNMT) were identified using the above two gene groups. In addition, a predictive risk score that relies on GPX3 and NNMT was developed. Survival studies in both the TCGA and GEO datasets revealed that patients categorized to be at low danger had a significantly greater prognosis than those identified to be at high danger. Additionally, by employing calibration plots based on TCGA data, the study demonstrated the substantial predictive capacity of a prognostic nomogram, which incorporated a risk score along with various clinical factors. Within the high-risk group, there was a noticeable abundance of active natural killer (NK) cells, quiescent monocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and activated CD4 + T cells. In summary, a two-gene signature and a predictive nomogram have been developed, offering accurate prognostic predictions for general survival in GC patients. These findings have the potential to assist healthcare professionals in making informed medical decisions and providing personalized treatment approaches

Efficacy and toxicities of gemcitabine and cisplatin combined with endostar in advanced thymoma and thymic carcinoma

Background Thymoma and thymic carcinoma are rare thymic epithelial tumors. We investigated the efficacy of first‐line gemcitabine and cisplatin (GP) chemotherapy versus gemcitabine and cisplatin chemotherapy combined with the anti‐angiogenic drug endostar (GP + E) in advanced thymoma and thymic carcinoma. Methods The records of 45 patients with invasive metastatic thymomas or thymic carcinomas treated with GP as first‐line therapy between August 2008 and July 2017 at the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute were retrospectively reviewed. Results Eighteen patients (75%) in the GP + E group achieved a partial response and six (25%) had stable disease. In GP only group, nine (42.8%) patients achieved a partial response, 11 (52.4%) had stable disease, and one (4.8%) had progressive disease. The GP + E group had a significantly higher overall response rate (75% vs. 42.9%; P = 0.028), and median progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of 19 and 76 months, respectively. In the GP only group, median PFS and OS were 16 and 29 months, respectively. PFS and OS were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusions GP has moderate efficacy and could represent a suitable first‐line therapy for thymic carcinoma and thymoma. Chemotherapy combined with endostar could improve the overall response rate, but did not prolong PFS or OS

Effects of Local Radiation Combined with Chemotherapy in the treatment of Patients with Extensive-stage Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background and objective Chemotherapy is a highly efficient primary treatment for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). However, patients receiving such treatment are prone to develop drug resistance. Local treatment is palliative and thus can alleviate the local symptoms and improve quality of life, but limited evidence is available for prolonging survival. Hence, this study evaluated the role of local treatment in chemotherapy of patients with ES-SCLC. Methods A total of 302 ES-SCLC cases were enrolled in this retrospective study. Prognostic factors were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate proportional hazards model. Results Median progression-free survival (PFS) and median survival time (MST) of the patients were 4.4 and 10.4 months, respectively. 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 37.8%, 10.2% and 4.4%, correspondingly. The MST of the primary tumor radiotherapy plus chemotherapy group was 14.3 months, whereas that of the chemotherapy group was 8.2 months (P<0.01). The MSTs of multiple-site, single-site, and non-metastasis local treatments were 18.7, 12.3 and 8.9 months, respectively (P<0.01). The MSTs of initiative, passive, and non-metastasis local treatments were 16.0, 10.9 and 9.4 months, correspondingly (P<0.01). The MSTs of patients with prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) and those without PCI were 19.8 and 9.9 months, respectively (P<0.01). Primary tumor radiotherapy, metastasis local treatment, and PCI were independent prognostic factors for ES-SCLC. Conclusion Primary tumor radiotherapy, metastasis local treatment, and PCI can significantly improve survival in patients with ES-SCLC