Assessment of Immune Status in Patients with Mismatch Repair Deficiency Endometrial Cancer.

Objective: This study introduced a novel subtype classification method for endometrial cancer (EC) with mismatch repair deficiency (MMRd) by employing immune status and prognosis as the foundational criteria. The goal was to enhance treatment guidance through precise subtype delineation. Methods: Study Cohort: This study encompassed a cohort of 119 patients diagnosed with MMRd-EC between 2015 and 2022. Analyses using t-tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests were performed to assess prognostic markers and peripheral blood immune cell profiles in patients with MutS deficiency (MutS-d) versus those with MutL deficiency (MutL-d). Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent risk factors. Bioinformatics Analysis: An online database was used to assess the prognostic implications, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoint involvement associated with the deficiency of MutS versus MutL in EC. Results: Patients with MutL-d exhibited heightened risk factors, including elevated cancer grade and increased myometrial invasion, leading to poorer prognosis and shorter overall survival and progression-free survival. Regarding systemic immune status, patients with MutL-d demonstrated decreased peripheral blood lymphocyte percentage, lymphocyte count, and CD8+ T cell percentage. For local immunity, the infiltration of natural killer cells, CD8+ T cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor tissue was reduced in patients with MutL-d. Additionally, patients with MutL-d exhibited lower expression of immune checkpoint markers. The composition of immune subtypes and survival outcomes also indicate that patients with MutL-d have a poorer immune status and prognosis than the patients with MutS-d. Conclusion: Patients with MMRd-EC can be subclassified according to MutS or MutL deficiency. Patients with MutS-d exhibited better immune status, prognosis, and immunotherapy benefits than those with MutL-d. These results can help guide patients to a more precise treatment.

Fetal congenital talipes equinovarus: genomic abnormalities and obstetric follow-up results.

OBJECTIVE: The etiology of congenital talipes equinovarus (CTEV) is unknown, and the relationship between chromosome microdeletion/microduplication and fetal CTEV is rarely reported. In this study, we retrospectively analyzed fetal CTEV to explore the relationship among the CTEV phenotype, chromosome microdeletion/microduplication, and obstetric outcomes. METHODS: Chromosome karyotype analysis and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array were performed for the 68 fetuses with CTEV. RESULTS: An SNP array was performed for 68 fetuses with CTEV; pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs) were detected in eight cases (11.8%, 8/68). In addition to one case consistent with karyotype analysis, the SNP array revealed seven additional pathogenic CNVs, including three with 22q11.21 microdeletions, two with 17p12p11.2 microduplications, one with 15q11.2 microdeletions, and one with 7q11.23 microduplications. Of the seven cases carrying pathogenic CNVs, three were tested for family genetics; of these, one was de novo, and two were inherited from either the father or mother. In total, 68 fetuses with CTEV were initially identified, of which 66 cases successfully followed-up. Of these, 9 were terminated, 2 died in utero, and 55 were live births. In 9 cases, no clinical manifestations of CTEV were found at birth; the false-positive rate of prenatal ultrasound CTEVdiagnosis was thus 13.6% (9/66). CONCLUSION: CTEV was associated with chromosome microdeletion/microduplication, the most common of which was 22q11.21 microdeletion, followed by 17p12p11.2 microduplication. Thus, further genomic detection is recommended for fetuses with CTEV showing no abnormalities on conventional karyotype analysis.

An integrated approach of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental verification uncovers kaempferol as the effective modulator of HSD17B1 for treatment of endometrial cancer.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer (EC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies globally, and the development of innovative, effective drugs against EC remains a key issue. Phytoestrogen kaempferol exhibits anti-cancer effects, but the action mechanisms are still unclear. METHOD: MTT assays, colony-forming assays, flow cytometry, scratch healing, and transwell assays were used to evaluate the proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, and invasion of both ER-subtype EC cells. Xenograft experiments were used to assess the effects of kaempferol inhibition on tumor growth. Next-generation RNA sequencing was used to compare the gene expression levels in vehicle-treated versus kaempferol-treated Ishikawa and HEC-1-A cells. A network pharmacology and molecular docking technique were applied to identify the anti-cancer mechanism of kaempferol, including the building of target-pathway network. GO analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were used to identify cancer-related targets. Finally, the study validated the mRNA and protein expression using real-time quantitative PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: Kaempferol was found to suppress the proliferation, promote apoptosis, and limit the tumor-forming, scratch healing, invasion, and migration capacities of EC cells. Kaempferol inhibited tumor growth and promotes apoptosis in a human endometrial cancer xenograft mouse model. No significant toxicity of kaempferol was found in human monocytes and normal cell lines at non-cytotoxic concentrations. No adverse effects or significant changes in body weight or organ coefficients were observed in 3-7 weeks' kaempferol-treated animals. The RNA sequencing, network pharmacology, and molecular docking approaches identified the overall survival-related differentially expressed gene HSD17B1. Interestingly, kaempferol upregulated HSD17B1 expression and sensitivity in ER-negative EC cells. Kaempferol differentially regulated PPARG expression in EC cells of different ER subtypes, independent of its effect on ESR1. HSD17B1 and HSD17B1-associated genes, such as ESR1, ESRRA, PPARG, AKT1, and AKR1C1\2\3, were involved in several estrogen metabolism pathways, such as steroid binding, 17-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (NADP+) activity, steroid hormone biosynthesis, and regulation of hormone levels. The molecular basis of the effects of kaempferol treatment was evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Kaempferol is a novel therapeutic candidate for EC via HSD17B1-related estrogen metabolism pathways. These results provide new insights into the efficiency of the medical translation of phytoestrogens.

Investigation on the structure-activity relationship of BaO promoting Pd/CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts for CO, HC and NOx conversions.

Four different synthetic routes (co-precipitation, oxidation-precipitation, citric acid sol-gel and reversed microemulsion) are adopted to prepare barium modified Pd/CeO2-ZrO2 catalysts and their catalytic activity towards CO, HC and NOx conversions is studied. The surface and bulk properties of these catalysts are characterized via XRD, N2 adsorption, XPS, UV-Raman, H2-TPR, and in situ DRIFTS. The catalyst prepared via the co-precipitation method exhibits the optimum three-way catalytic behavior, which is mainly due to its superior redox ability, whereas the oxidation-precipitation synthesis renders the catalyst with the best homogeneity and thermal resistance. However, for the catalyst prepared via the sol-gel route, its worst NOx reduction capacity is verified by the scarce appearance of negatively charged Pd0-N[double bond, length as m-dash]Oδ- species, which is related to the faster dissociation of NO based on in situ DRIFTS, and the abundance of surface CO-Pd+ species reveals its unsatisfactory deep oxidizability of the HC reactant.

C3d deposition in the media of renal arterioles is a useful marker for arteriolosclerosis in IgA nephropathy.

C3d deposition in peritubular capillaries has been demonstrated to indicate antibody-mediated alloresponse during renal transplantation. C3d deposition in renal arterioles in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), however, is poorly documented. Especially, its significance to the pathology of primary glomerulonephritis remains unclear. This retrospective study included 340 patients with IgAN who underwent renal biopsy at our center. C3d strongly positive deposition in arterioles was observed in 123 (36.2%) of the 340 cases, and weakly positive deposition of C3d was observed in 217 cases (63.8%). In the weakly positive group, C3d mainly deposited in the intima of arterioles. In the strongly positive group, C3d deposited in the intima and the media of arterioles, presenting as the medial thickening and sclerosis of varying severities. The prognosis was worse in the C3d strongly positive group than in the weakly positive group during a 2-year follow-up (P = .027). The predictive value of C3d deposition in the media of arterioles in patients with IgAN may be a useful marker for arteriolosclerosis indicating unfavorable clinical outcomes.

The continual presence of C3d but not IgG glomerular capillary deposition in stage I idiopathic membranous nephropathy in patients receiving corticosteroid treatment.

BACKGROUND: Pathologic diagnosis of stage I idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN-I) requires electron microscopy or immunohistochemistry that shows a glomerular capillary staining pattern of IgG and C3. However, it is not uncommon that renal biopsy did not obtain sufficient material for electron microscopy and that IgG and C3 staining in glomeruli largely lost at biopsy due to corticosteroid treatment. Since C3d is one of the final degradation products of C3 that is more stable in vivo, we determine if C3d staining could be used as a novel immunohistochemical marker for MN-I. METHODS AND RESULTS: 74 MN-I patients with electron microscopy proven MN-I were examined by immunoperoxidase staining of C3d. Intensive C3d staining was present in glomerular capillary like the staining pattern of IgG and C3 in MN-I. Importantly, in 40 MN-I patients who underwent corticosteroid treatment at biopsy the intensity and glomerular capillary pattern of C3d staining remained largely intact while the staining for IgG had substantially reduced and the pattern of glomerular capillary staining became unrecognizable. CONCLUSIONS: C3d glomerular capillary staining may be a novel marker for pathologic diagnosis of MN-I that is continuously present at biopsy in patient who has received corticosteroid treatment. VIRTUAL SLIDES: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/2120780075734479.