Identifying important microbial biomarkers for the diagnosis of colon cancer using a random forest approach.

Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers, with 30-50 % of patients returning or metastasizing within 5 years of treatment. Increasingly, researchers have highlighted the influence of microbes on cancer malignant activity, while no studies have explored the relationship between colon cancer and the microbes in tumors. Here, we used tissue and blood samples from 67 colon cancer patients to identify pathogenic microorganisms associated with the diagnosis and prediction of colon cancer and evaluate the predictive performance of each pathogenic marker and its combination based on the next-generation sequencing data by using random forest algorithms. The results showed that we constructed a database of 13,187 pathogenic microorganisms associated with human disease and identified 2 pathogenic microorganisms (Synthetic.construct_32630 and Dicrocoelium.dendriticum_57078) associated with colon cancer diagnosis, and the constructed diagnostic prediction model performed well for tumor tissue samples and blood samples. In summary, for the first time, we provide new molecular markers for the diagnosis of colon cancer based on the expression of pathogenic microorganisms in order to provide a reference for improving the effective screening rate of colon cancer in clinical practice and ameliorating the personalized treatment of colon cancer patients.

Noninvasive Nonlinear Optical Computational Histology.

Cancer remains a global health challenge, demanding early detection and accurate diagnosis for improved patient outcomes. An intelligent paradigm is introduced that elevates label-free nonlinear optical imaging with contrastive patch-wise learning, yielding stain-free nonlinear optical computational histology (NOCH). NOCH enables swift, precise diagnostic analysis of fresh tissues, reducing patient anxiety and healthcare costs. Nonlinear modalities are evaluated, including stimulated Raman scattering and multiphoton imaging, for their ability to enhance tumor microenvironment sensitivity, pathological analysis, and cancer examination. Quantitative analysis confirmed that NOCH images accurately reproduce nuclear morphometric features across different cancer stages. Key diagnostic features, such as nuclear morphology, size, and nuclear-cytoplasmic contrast, are well preserved. NOCH models also demonstrate promising generalization when applied to other pathological tissues. The study unites label-free nonlinear optical imaging with histopathology using contrastive learning to establish stain-free computational histology. NOCH provides a rapid, non-invasive, and precise approach to surgical pathology, holding immense potential for revolutionizing cancer diagnosis and surgical interventions.

Immunosuppressive role of SPP1-CD44 in the tumor microenvironment of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma assessed by single-cell RNA sequencing.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the biological function of Secreted Phosphoprotein 1(SPP1) and its immune suppressive role in the progression intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). METHODS: We collected 62,770 cells' published transcriptome data of nine patients whose paired adjacent liver and tumor tissues were both available. We applied differential gene expression analysis to screen potential ICC marker genes, survival analysis to verify the prognostic value of SPP1, and correlation analysis to decipher factors that are related to SPP1 expression. The CellChat was used to distinguish interactions between cancer and T cells. CytoSig was applied to query cytokines that modulate CD44. Further, we established a proliferation score and correlated the score with inhibitory signals to determine the proliferation-suppressive function of SPP1-CD44. RESULTS: SPP1 expression is significantly upregulated in tumoral epitheliums, and patients with higher SPP1 expression have worse survival (P < 0.05). Tumor cells communicate with T cells via SPP1-CD44 interactions. The average expression of SPP1 in malignant cells (SPP1m) and CD44 in T cells (CD44t) is moderately negatively correlated with T cell proliferation score. Immunosuppressive cytokine TGFß-3 identified as an inducer of CD44 and was significantly negatively correlated with proliferation score (R = - 0.88, P < 0.01), and the negative correlation was aggravated in samples with high CD44 expression. CONCLUSION: SPP1 is a prognostic marker of ICC and is associated with the genome heterogeneity. SPP1-CD44 hinders sustained proliferation of T cells, but immunosuppressive T cells in the tumor microenvironment may evade this inhibition by reducing CD44 expression.

Neoadjuvant Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by low resection and high postoperative recurrence rates, and conventional treatment strategies have failed to meet clinical needs. Neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) is widely employed in the routine management of several solid tumors because it increases resectability and reduces the rate of postoperative recurrence. However, a consensus has not been reached regarding the effects of NAT on HCC. As systemic therapy, particularly targeted therapy and immunotherapy, is given for HCC treatment, accumulating evidence shows that the "spring" of NAT for HCC is imminent. In the future, HCC researchers should focus on identifying biomarkers for treatment response, explore the mechanisms of resistance, and standardize the endpoints of NAT.

Anxiety, Depression and Influencing Factors of the Elderly Disabled Under the Influence of COVID-19 Outbreak: Evidence from China.

BACKGROUND: The elderly disabled have experienced serious negative emotions during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the causes of anxiety and depression are not clear. This study aims to explore changes in mental states and influencing factors of the elderly disabled under the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 253 cases of elderly disabled in Wuhan, China were selected as the research group and observed from April to June 2020. Another 181 cases of elderly disabled in Yichang, China were observed from April to June 2020 and denoted Group A, while 100 cases of elderly disabled in Wuhan were investigated from August to November 2020 and denoted Group B. Another 100 cases of the elderly without disability were chosen as the control group. The Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were used. RESULTS: HAMA and HAMD scores of the research group are higher than those of Groups A and B and the control group. HAMA and HAMD scores of Groups A and B are higher than those of the control group (p<0.05). Solitude; pre-existing diseases; no stable and fixed friends; disability level-3 or -4; unmarried, divorced, or widowed; living in Wuhan; COVID-19 are risk factors for developing anxiety and depression in the elderly disabled after multivariate logistics regression (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence rate of anxiety and depression is very high in the elderly disabled under the influence of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China.

Psychological Endurance, Anxiety, and Coping Style among Journalists Engaged in Emergency Events: Evidence from China.

BACKGROUND: During reports of emergency events, journalists experience psychological crisis and negative emotions aroused by the events. The psychological endurance of journalists, which is induced by high risks of the career, has attracted widespread attention. Emotional state and coping style are important factors that influence the psychological endurance of individuals. This study aimed to analyze the relationship of psychological endurance with anxiety and coping style among journalists engaged in emergency events. METHODS: A total of 296 journalists in Hubei Province of China who participated in reports on emergency events from August to December 2017 were selected. Journalists were assessed using the Psychological Endurance Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, and Simple Coping Style Questionnaire. RESULTS: The total score of the psychological endurance of journalists engaged in emergency events is slightly lower than that of the Chinese norm. Score of anxiety of highly educated journalists is significantly higher than that of lowly educated journalists. Psychological endurance of journalists is negatively correlated with negative coping style and anxiety, but it is positively correlated with positive coping style. Positive coping style of journalists engaged in emergency events partially mediates the effects of psychological endurance on anxiety. CONCLUSION: Among journalists engaged in emergency events, the highly educated group presents obvious anxiety and negative coping style. Psychological endurance indirectly affects through positive coping style and directly affects anxiety of journalists.

Measurements and status of sleep quality in patients with cancers.

Sleep disturbance is identified as a prominent concern in cancer patients with detrimental effect on health outcome, which accompanies a decline in functional status, reduces quality of life, and even accelerates deterioration of disease. Therefore, in order to design safe and effective therapy, and improve the quality of life in cancer patients, it is necessary to seek the optimal measures of sleep quality evaluation, which include the objective assessments (e.g., polysomnography [PSG], the bispectral index [BIS], actigraphy) and subjective assessments (e.g., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI], Insomnia Severity Index [ISI], Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS], Consensus Sleep Diary [CSD]) and understand the status of sleep quality in cancer patients, especially patients with cancers in the breast, lung, head and neck, ovaries, and uterus. This review summarizes the common methods used to measure sleep quality and compares the sensitivity, specificity, and practicability of these methods. In addition, the status of sleep disturbance in patients with cancer is analyzed.