A net-work meta-analysis of the cardiac safety for next-generation hormonal agents in treating castration-resistant prostate cancer: How to choose drugs appropriately?

BACKGROUND: Researchers have shown that using next-generation hormonal agents (NHA) for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) would lead to increased risk of cardiac adverse effects, making clinician choices more complex. METHODS: We systematically searched Pubmed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for research published before October 2022. Agents were ranked according to their effectiveness based on cardiac adverse effects using the surface under the cumulative ranking curve. RESULTS: A total of 21 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) with 19, 083 patients were included in present study. Our results showed that abiraterone and enzalutamide could lead to a significantly higher hypertension rate compared with placebo; whereas no significant difference was detected between four NHAs and placebo in ischemic heart disease incidence. All four NHAs could significantly increase the risk of cardiotoxicity. CONCLUSIONS: NHAs are generally acceptable in terms of cardiovascular disease compared to placebo in patients with CRPC.

Personalized 125I Seed Interstitial Brachytherapy for Patients Aged 80 Years and Over with Early Primary High-risk Non-melanoma Skin Cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the safety and efficacy of iodine-125 seeds interstitial brachytherapy (PISI-BT) for patients aged 80 and above with early primary high-risk non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). METHODS: In this retrospective single-center study, we collected and analyzed data from patients ≥ 80 years of age with early primary high-risk NMSC treated with PISI-BT between December 2003 and May 2020. Survival status, efficacy, adverse effects (AEs), cosmetic outcomes, and treatment cost were analyzed (data cut-off: November 20th, 2021). RESULTS: Only 9 patients met the inclusion criteria (median age, 86 years (81-90)). Five patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score of 1, and allthe patients had at least one comorbidity. Six patients showed complete responseand three showed partial response, while none had stable or progressive disease. No recurrences, disease persistence, or AEs were detected during the follow-up period. After a median follow-up of 29.3 months (3-99), only two patients were alive, but the cause of death in the remaining patients was not related to NMSC. The cosmetic outcomes were excellent and good in two and four patients, respectively, while they could not be evaluated in three patients. The cost (which was within the scope of medical insurance reimbursement) was acceptable. CONCLUSION: PISI-BT could be an alternative treatment option in patients above 80 years old with early primary high-risk NMSC and comorbidities.

Analysis of the duration of exclusive breastfeeding in premature infants and its influencing factors.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the duration of breastfeeding among preterm infants within the first 12 months after birth and analyzed factors influencing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding. DESIGN AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, premature infants who were hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) premature delivery area of a third-class maternal and child health hospital in Changsha City, Hunan Province, China from October 2020 to January 2021 were selected as the participants for this study. Relevant data of these infants during their hospitalization was obtained from the hospital information system, while the rate of exclusive breastfeeding among preterm infants at a corrected age of 12 months was tracked through telephone follow-up. Univariate analysis of the effects of breastfeeding duration in preterm infants was conducted based on Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test. Multiple linear regression was then applied to determine the factors influencing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding in preterm infants. RESULTS: The median and interquartile range of breastfeeding duration for preterm infants in this study was 4.00 (1.00, 6.00) months. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the duration of exclusive breastfeeding was affected by several factors including how much other family members support breastfeeding, whether the mother returns to work after maternal leave, and whether the infant is a twin (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The duration of exclusive breastfeeding among preterm infants needs to be improved by strengthening health education regarding the benefits of breastfeeding for preterm infants. Medical staff should provide guidance, encourage continuous nursing after discharge, and work with the community to implement targeted intervention measures with the goal of increasing the duration of exclusive breastfeeding among premature infants. IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE: Because breastfeeding is vitally important for premature infants, we should encourage longer breastfeeding duration for premature infants by increasing family support, removing barriers to workplace breastfeeding, enhancing people's confidence in breastfeeding and providing support to mothers with twins. Hopefully, these measure can promote breastfeeding for premature infants.

Application of serum gastric function markers and digestive tumor indices to the diagnosis of early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions.

OBJECTIVES: To study the levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 199, CA724, CA242, pepsinogen (PG) I, PGII, gastrin-17 (G-17), the PGI/PGII ratio (PGR), as well as the expression of p27 and Ki67, in patients suffering from early gastric cancer and intraepithelial neoplasia and to provide new markers for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer and precancerous lesions. METHODS: A retrospective study where the blood serum concentration of CEA, CA199, CA724, CA242, PGI, PGII, G-17 and PGR were tested and also the protein expression of p27 and Ki67 was detected in patients tissues by immunohistochemistry in the Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China, from March 2018 to March 2021. RESULTS: Carbohydrate antigen 242 and CA199 levels in tumor tissue significantly differed among the groups. Pepsinogen I levels decreased with increasing disease severity, G-17 levels increased with the aggravation of severity, and p27 expression decreased with the severity. CONCLUSION: The combination of serum gastric function markers (PGI and G-17) and p27 digestive tumor indices can serve as markers for the diagnosis of early gastric cancer and intraepithelial neoplasia.

Correction: Vat photopolymerization-based 3D printing of polymer nanocomposites: current trends and applications.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D2RA06522C.].

Vat photopolymerization-based 3D printing of polymer nanocomposites: current trends and applications.

The synthesis and manufacturing of polymer nanocomposites have garnered interest in recent research and development because of their superiority compared to traditionally employed industrial materials. Specifically, polymer nanocomposites offer higher strength, stronger resistance to corrosion or erosion, adaptable production techniques, and lower costs. The vat photopolymerization (VPP) process is a group of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques that provide the benefit of relatively low cost, maximum flexibility, high accuracy, and complexity of the printed parts. In the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in the understanding of VPP-based processes, such as high-resolution AM methods to print intricate polymer parts. The synergistic integration of nanocomposites and VPP-based 3D printing processes has opened a gateway to the future and is soon expected to surpass traditional manufacturing techniques. This review aims to provide a theoretical background and the engineering capabilities of VPP with a focus on the polymerization of nanocomposite polymer resins. Specifically, the configuration, classification, and factors affecting VPP are summarized in detail. Furthermore, different challenges in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites are discussed together with their pre- and post-processing, where several constraints and limitations that hinder their printability and photo curability are critically discussed. The main focus is the applications of printed polymer nanocomposites and the enhancement in their properties such as mechanical, biomedical, thermal, electrical, and magnetic properties. Recent literature, mainly in the past three years, is critically discussed and the main contributing results in terms of applications are summarized in the form of tables. The goal of this work is to provide researchers with a comprehensive and updated understanding of the underlying difficulties and potential benefits of VPP-based 3D printing of polymer nanocomposites. It will also help readers to systematically reveal the research problems, gaps, challenges, and promising future directions related to polymer nanocomposites and VPP processes.

Curcumol inhibits breast cancer growth via NCL/ERα36 and the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy worldwide. ERα36 (ERα66 variant) is expressed in many breast cancer cells, especially highly expressed in tamoxifen (TAM)-resistant cell lines and triple-negative breast cancer, and our previous work revealed that nucleolin (NCL) is a protein target of curcumol. This study is aimed at investigating the effect and mechanism of curcumol on ERα36 positive breast cancer cells, and the relationship between curcumol's target protein NCL and ERα36. Study design: Application of in vivo and in vitro studies to reveal the mechanism of curcumol in inhibiting BC growth and the relationship between curcumol's target protein NCL and ERα36. Methods: The anti-tumor effect of curcumol was quantified via an MTT assay, colony formation and cycle arrest, respectively. The expressions of ERα36, NCL and the proteins involved in PI3K/AKT signaling were evaluated by western blotting. The interaction between two proteins was detected using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and an immunofluorescence assay. A mouse xenograft model was established to verify the role of ERα36 in breast cancer cells and curcumol's effect on ERα36 positive cancer cells. Results: Curcumol inhibited the cell growth, caused cell cycle arrest, decreased cell cycle related proteins and inactivated the PI3K/AKT pathway in ERα36 positive breast cancer cells. There is a positive correlation between NCL and ERα36 in breast cancer cells. In addition, ERα36 bound to NCL; the two proteins were distributed in the nucleus, cytoplasm and plasma membrane, where their expression was obviously decreased by curcumol. Moreover, NCL silenced by NCL siRNA blocked the cell cycle progress and inhibited the activation of PI3K/AKT in MDA-MB-231 cells, while overexpressed ERα36 increased the expression of NCL, promoted the cell cycle progress and enhanced the activity of PI3K/AKT in MCF-7 cells. NCL knockdown or ERα36 overexpression attenuated the effect of curcumol on breast cancer cells. Conclusion: Curcumol reduced the proliferation of breast cancer cells by targeting NCL/ERα36 and inactivating the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Attribute Feature Classification of English Grammar Entry Base Based on Support Vector Machine Classification Algorithm.

An attribute feature classification method of English grammar vocabulary entry database based on support vector machine classification algorithm is proposed; this method takes news English as the research object and focuses on the classification of attributes and features of the English grammar lexicon database. First, the k-means algorithm is used to cluster the training set, and the one-to-many method is used to train two types of classifiers for the texts that cannot be correctly clustered in each class, that is, the classifiers of the corresponding categories are trained, and then the training set passed through a pair of the classifier generated by multiple SVMs is tested, and the samples that fall in the inseparable area are retrained by a one-to-one method, so as to achieve the purpose of balancing the training samples and reducing the inseparable area. The results show that, compared with the FDAGSVM algorithm, the proposed three multiclass classification algorithms have significantly improved classification speed and classification accuracy, and the macro average accuracy rates are 77.94%, 73.94%, and 72.36%, respectively. While ensuring the classification speed and classification accuracy of the single-label samples, the multiclass classification is realized, and it has high accuracy, recall rate, and value, which better solves the multiclass classification problem and expands the classification capability of the support vector machine. In addition, a comprehensive index based on the SVM classification algorithm is proposed to ensure the specialization of the attribute feature classification.

The accuracy and safety of using the electrocardiogram positioning technique in localizing the peripherally inserted central catheter tip position: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the accuracy and safety of using the electrocardiogram (ECG) positioning technique to localize the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) tip position to provide objective evidence for its clinical application. METHODS: We searched the literature for randomized controlled trials evaluating the diagnostic analysis of using electrocardiograms to localize PICC tip positions in the MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and PsycINFO databases. We used a risk ratio with accompanying 95% confidence interval (CI) to express estimates. Reviewer Manager (RevMan) 5.1.0 was used to complete all statistical analyses. RESULTS: This systematic review identified 9 studies (N = 3,194 patients). Overall, the results of the meta-analysis revealed that, for patients in whom the ECG positioning method was used compared with patients in whom the landmark positioning method was used, the RR for accurate catheter tip positioning was RR = 1.17, and the difference was statistically significant. The RR for the incidence of complications was RR = 0.28, and the difference was statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The application of ECGs in PICC tip positioning can improve the accuracy of catheter tip positioning and reduce the incidence of related complications.

Serum IgE Predicts Difference of Population and Allergens in Allergic Diseases: Data from Weifang City, China.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the most important promoter of allergic inflammation. However, there are few systematic studies on IgE in age range, genders, disease spectrum, and time regularity. AIM: To screen the common allergens, allergen spectrum, and IgE difference between type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases and other allergic diseases in Weifang, China. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed by estimating patients' clinical data suffering from allergic diseases (urticaria, pollinosis, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and bronchial asthma) between May 2019 and April 2020 using an allergen detection kit of Macro-Union Pharmaceutical. RESULTS: 732 of the 1367 patients showed different antigen positive, and the positive rate was 53.5%. The most common allergens were dust mites, mixed fungi, Artemisia pollen, cat/dog dander, and cockroaches. There were 27.0% (369/1367) of the patients with single positive allergen-specific IgE (sIgE), 26.5% (363/1367) with multiple-positive IgE. The total immunoglobulin E (tIgE) levels varied with gender, age, and type of disease. There was a difference in the distribution of allergens between children and adults. A positive correlation between the serum-specific IgE and the corresponding local inhaled allergen density was observed. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that type 2 inflammatory allergic diseases have higher serum IgE and a higher probability of inhaled sIgE positive. According to age, gender, and condition, serological IgE detection of allergens provides new insight into the early diagnosis and prevention of allergic diseases.

TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA Nanocomposite as a Photosensitizer with Targeting Ability for Photocatalytic Killing MCF-7 Cells in Vitro and its Mechanism Exploration.

In the paper, a composite TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA was prepared using the coupling method which is a folic acid-targeted silica-coated titanium dioxide. Their structures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and zeta potential method. The results showed that the average diameter of the prepared TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA composite is 18 nm, which is spherical. Compared with unmodified TiO2 , TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA composite had superior water solubility and dispersion, and enhanced its photokilling activity by folic acid-targeted to FR (+) cells. In addition, photocatalytic TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA arrested cell cycle in G2/M phase of MCF-7 cells, resulting in a significant reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and also made the apoptosis rate, ROS components and intracellular calcium concentration increased. It killed the MCF-7 cells through apoptosis pathway. These results for the TiO2 /SiO2 -NHOC-FA composite can provide a theoretical basis for the photodynamic development of TiO2 .

[Phenylpropanoid glycosides from Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma].

Three phenylpropanoid glycosides were purified by extensive chromatographic techniques including column chromatography over microporous resin, MCI, diol, sephadex LH-20, reverse phase C_(18) from water-extracts of Sophorae Tonkinensis Radix et Rhizoma. Their planar structures were elucidated by combination of various spectroscopic method, such as IR, UV, MS, and NMR. The absolute configuration of aglycone was determined by quantum chemical calculations. Their structures were elucidated as(8R)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-propanol-2-O-ß-D-glucopyranoside(1), kalopanaxin D(2),(E)-4-hydroxycinnamyl alcohol 4-O-[2'-O-ß-D-apiofuranosyl(1″→2')]-ß-D-glucopyranoside(3). Compound 1 was undescribed previously. Compounds 2 and 3 were firstly isolated from Sophora genus.

[Study on chemical constituents from Euphorbia thymifolia].

This work was launched to study on the chemical constituents from Euphorbia thymifolia. Thirteen compounds were isolated from the 95% ethanol extract of the aerial parts of E. thymifolia by column chromatographies on silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, MCI, and ODS, and preparative HPLC, including two thymol derivatives(1-2), four alkaloids(3-6), five isocoumarins(7-11), together with two ellagic acids(12-13). All the compounds are listed as follows:(Z)-8,9-dehydro-9,10-diisobutyryloxythymol(1), 8-hydro-xy-9,10-diisobutyryloxythymol(2), N-(N-benzoyl-L-phenylalanyl)-L-phenylalanol(3), aurantiamide acetate(4), 1-carboethoxy-ß-carboline(5), isoechinulin A(6), ethyl brevifolincarboxylate(7), euphorhirtin B(8), 4,5-didehydro chebulic acid triethyl ester(9), euphorhirtin G(10), pomegranatate(11), 3,3',4'-tri-O-methylellagic acid(12), 3,3'-di-O-methylellagic acid(13). Compound 1 is a new compound. Except for compound 4, the others were isolated from this plant for the first time. All the compounds were screened for anti-neuroinflammatory activity in vitro, and compounds 1-3 and 7 showed significant activity with IC_(50) values of 0.19,12.93,7.29,25.4 µmol·L~(-1).

[Component analysis of Ophiocordyceps lanpingensis polysaccharides and study on alleviation of hepatic fibrosis in mice by polysaccharides].

Ophiocordyceps lanpingensis is mainly used as an ethnic medicine to treat the diseases of liver, kidney and other diseases, but the pharmacological mechanism is not clear yet. In this study, the components and contents of monosaccharides in the O.lanpingensis polysaccharides(OLP) were analyzed. The results showed that the OLP were composed of mannose, glucose, galactose and arabinose, with mass percentages of 19.1%, 21.8%, 21.1%, and 38.0%, respectively. Based on the hepatic fibrosis model induced by CCl_4 in mice, OLP could significantly relieve the inflammation and fibrosis levels of hepatic tissues, reverse the CCl_4-induced increasing levels of alanine aminotransferase(ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase(AST) in mice serum, and recover the functions of liver to a normal state. This study proved that OLP significantly decreased the mRNA expression levels of fibrotic genes, alpha-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA) and collagen type 1(Col-1), as well as the content of hydroxyproline(HYP) in the liver tissues; meanwhile, the contents of antioxidants superoxide dismutase(SOD) and glutathione(GSH) were enhanced and the production of lipid peroxide malondialdehyde(MDA) was reduced. Moreover, OLP inhibited the gene expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-6(IL-6) and nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB) in the livers of mice. Further study indicated that OLP could restrain the apoptosis of hepatic cells due to the decrease of the apoptosis index and down-regulations of protein expression levels of Bcl-2 associated X protein(Bax), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3(caspase-3) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-9(caspase-9), and the promotion of protein expression level of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2) in livers. To sum up, the mechanism of OLP for alleviating hepatic fibrosis was likely related to the synergy by remitting the oxidative stress of the body, alleviating inflammatory response, anti-apoptosis of hepatic cells, and so on.

[Regulation mechanism of plant hormones on secondary metabolites].

Plant hormones participate in the regulation of plant growth, and have significant physiological activities. Secondary metabolites are important raw materials of pharmaceutical and chemical industry, which have attracted extensive attention due to their economic and medicinal value. With the development of biotechnology, plant hormones have played an important role in regulating the synthesis of secondary metabolites. This paper mainly introduces the synthesis pathway, signal transduction mechanism and regulation of secondary metabolites of auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, ethylene, brassinosteroids and methyl jasmonate in plants. Researching the accumulation of secondary metabolites from a micro aspect is helpful to better understand the formation of plant hormones and their development in the process of secondary metabolism. In additionally, it provides a reference for the rational utilization of plant hormones and the scientific and efficient improvement of the production of secondary metabolites in plants.

Muscle ultrasonography in the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the differences of fasciculations detected by muscle ultrasonography (MUS) among patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), patients with ALS mimics and healthy controls, and to propose a simplified MUS fasciculation score for the diagnosis of ALS.Methods: We included 16 patients with ALS (ALS group), 10 patients with ALS mimics (disease-control group), and 10 healthy adults (healthy control group). Subjects underwent MUS in 11 muscles, including the tongue, and bilateral upper trapezius, biceps brachii, abductor pollicis brevis, rectus femoris, and tibialis anterior.Results: The number of muscles with fasciculations per person was more in the ALS group (6.44 ± 2.56) than in the disease-control group (1.20 ± 1.87, P = 0.001) and healthy control group (0.50 ± 1.08, P < 0.001). Fasciculations in 3 of 11 muscles could predict the ALS diagnosis with high sensitivity (88.2%) and specificity (94.7%).Conclusions: Fasciculations detected by MUS can be a simple and useful diagnostic tool for ALS.

Chronic neck pain and depression: the mediating role of sleep quality and exercise.

Previous researches have found that chronic neck pain was closely related to depression. However, the relation between chronic neck pain, sleep quality, exercise and depression remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the association between these factors, based on the assumption that sleep quality and exercise are potential mediators in the relationship between chronic neck pain and depression. This cross-sectional study enrolled 231 patients with chronic neck pain who were referred to outpatient clinics in department of neurology between July and December 2016. Data analysis was performed using a structural equation model to evaluate the mediating effects of sleep quality and exercise frequency on the relation between chronic neck pain intensity and depression. A positive correlation between neck pain intensity and depression was unveiled. In addition, sleep quality was identified as a significant positive mediator between neck pain intensity and depression, and exercise can help relieve depression. Poor sleep quality leads to an increase of the symptoms of depression for people with high neck pain intensity which can be effectively relieved via additional exercise.

Seawater Immersion Aggravates Early Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Increases Neuronal Apoptosis After Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in naval warfare. Due to the unique physiochemical properties of seawater, immersion in it exacerbates TBI and induces severe neural damage and complications. However, the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of seawater-immersed TBI remain unclear. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major cause of TBI-associated brain damage because it leads to oxidative stress, decrease in energy production, and apoptosis. Thus, the present study aimed to further elucidate the current understanding of the pathology of seawater-immersed TBI, particularly the role of mitochondrial dysfunction, using a well-defined rat model of fluid percussion injury and a stretch injury model comprising cultured neurons. The biochemical and pathological markers of brain-related and neuronal injuries were evaluated. Histological analysis suggested that seawater immersion enhanced brain tissue injury and induced a significant increase in apoptosis in rats with TBI. Additionally, lactate dehydrogenase release occurred earlier and at higher levels in stretched neurons at 24 h after seawater immersion, which was consistent with more severe morphological changes and enhanced apoptosis. Furthermore, seawater immersion induced more rapid decreases in mitochondrial membrane potential, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, and H+-ATPase activity in the cortices of TBI rats. In addition, the immunochemical results revealed that seawater immersion further attenuated mitochondrial function in neurons exposed to stretch injury. The increases in neuronal damage and apoptosis triggered by seawater immersion were positively correlated with mitochondrial dysfunction in both in vivo and in vitro models. Thus, the present findings strengthen the current understanding of seawater-immersed TBI. Moreover, because seawater immersion aggravates mitochondrial dysfunction and contributes to post-traumatic neuronal cell death, it is important to consider mitochondria as a therapeutic target for seawater-immersed TBI.

Identification of two novel compound heterozygous CLCN1 mutations associated with autosomal recessive myotonia congenita.

Objectives: Myotonia congenita (MC) is a rare genetic muscular disorder caused by CLCN1 mutations, which codes for skeletal muscle chloride channel CLC1. MC is characterized by impaired muscle relaxation after contraction resulting in muscle stiffness. This study aimed to identify the genetic etiology of a Chinese family affected with recessive MC. Methods: Whole exome sequencing was performed to identify the disease-associated variants. The candidate causal genes discovered by WES were then confirmed by Sanger sequencing and co-segregation analyses were also conducted. Results: Two novel compound heterozygous mutations in CLCN1 gene, p.D94Y (paternal allele) and p.Y206* (maternal allele), were successfully identified as the pathogenic mutations by whole-exome sequencing (WES). The mutations were confirmed with Sanger sequencing in the family members and cosegregated with the MC phenotype. The two mutations have not been reported in the HGMD, dbSNP, 1000 Genomes project, ClinVar database, ExAC, and gnomAD previously. Mutation p.D94Y is predicted to be deleterious by using in silico tools and p.Y206* is a nonsense mutation, causing protein synthesis termination. Conclusions: Molecular genetics analysis offers an accurate method for diagnosing MC. Our results expand the mutational spectrum of recessive MC.

The mediating role of extent of resection in the relationship between the tumor characteristics and survival outcome of glioma.

The prognostic value of tumor characteristics for glioma has been controversial, partly because of a lack of knowledge about how these associations develop. Extent of resection may be factors that mediate the relationship between tumor characteristics and the hazard of death from glioma. Patients and Methods: This consecutive study retrospectively included a group of 393 treatment-naive patients with newly, pathologically confirmed glioma between January 2004 and December 2014. Information on patient age, gender, Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), tumor grade, tumor size, tumor location, presence or absence of contrast enhancement on MRI and extent of tumor resection have all been collected. The discrete-time survival model integrating survival outcomes within structural equation models was employed to develop and evaluate a comprehensive hypothesis regarding the direct and indirect impact of tumor characteristics on the hazard of death from glioma, mediated by the extent of resection. Results: Except for tumor location, the indirect effects of tumor grade, contrast enhancement, and tumor size on PFS of glioma through extent of resection were found significant in the model. Conclusion: This study provides a better understanding of the process through which tumor characteristics is associated with hazard of death from glioma.