Study on the Clinical Effects of Liposuction and Small Incision Gland Resection for the Treatment of Gynecomastia.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of liposuction combined with small incision gland resection for treating gynecomastia. Methods: This study included 78 male patients with gynecomastia who received treatment at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, between August 2009 and June 2020. The patients were divided into two groups: the combined group (n = 39) underwent liposuction combined with small incision gland resection, while the open group (n = 39) underwent open surgical resection alone. The two groups were compared in terms of incision length, postoperative complications, postoperative scarring, and patient satisfaction. Results: Both groups showed significant improvements in appearance. However, the combined group had fewer postoperative complications, significantly better incision length, and patient satisfaction than the open group (P < .05). Conclusions: Liposuction combined with small incision gland resection is a precise, less invasive, and less complicated surgical treatment option for gynecomastia, with hidden scars and high patient satisfaction. This approach should be promoted as a preferred treatment method.

Effect of Danggui-Shaoyao-San-Containing Serum on the Renal Tubular Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Diabetic Nephropathy.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS)-containing serum on the renal tubular Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) of Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) in high glucose- induced HK-2 cells and its mechanism. METHODS: 20 rats were randomly divided into four groups: blank control group, DSS low dose group (DSS-L), DSS middle dose group (DSS-M), and DSS high dose group (DSS-H). DSS was administrated to the corresponding group (7g/kg/d, 14g/kg/d and 21g/kg/d) for 7 consecutive days, and the same volume of saline was given to the blank control group by gavage. The rat drug-containing serum was successfully prepared. HK-2 cells were divided into five groups: blank control group, model group, DSS-L, DSS-M, DSS-H, according to the corresponding drug and dose of each treatment group. Protein and mRNA levels of Jagged1, Notch1, Hes5, Notch Intracellular Domain (NICD), E-cadherin, alpha- Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA) and vimentin at 24h, 48h and 72h were detected by Western Blot and RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The protein and mRNA levels of Jagged1, Notch1, Hes5, NICD, α-SMA and vimentin in the treatment groups were remarkably decreased compared with the model group (P<0.05), and the protein and mRNA levels of E-cadherin were notably increased (P<0.05) by Western Blot and RT-qPCR. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that DSS could prevent DN by ameliorating renal tubular EMT through inhibition of the Notch signaling pathway.

Elevated expression of Twinfilin-1 is correlated with inferior prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

AIM: Twinfilin-1 (TWF1) has been implicated in cell motility, invasion and migration. However, its exact role in lung cancer progression is still unclear. In the present study, we explored clinical and prognostic relevance of Twinfilin-1 (TWF1) levels for non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). MAIN METHODS: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was analyzed for possible association between TWF1 expressions in NSCLC tissues and patient prognosis. The meta-analysis data was validated in our clinical study through techniques of immunoblotting, expression analysis and immunohistochemistry. KEY FINDINGS: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) as well as lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) showed significantly elevated expression of TWF1 compared to normal lung tissues. Univariate Cox regression analysis showed high expression of TWF1 to be independent prognostic indicator involved in overall survival (hazard ratio: 1.636; 95% CI: 1.223-2.189) and recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio: 1.551; 95% CI: 1.158-2.077) in LUAD, but not in LUSC. Similar trend was found in our clinical study. LUAD tissues reflected TWF1 overexpression to be positively correlated with grade of tumor, size and lymph node metastasis. Enhanced TWF1 expression was identified to be an independent predictor for the disadvantageous prognosis of LUAD through simultaneously both univariate as well as multivariate Cox regression analyses (both p < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival graphs further corroborated that poor disease prediction in the patients with LUAD was indicated through high TWF1 expression (p = 0.028). SIGNIFICANCE: Robustness and poor prognosis in LUAD correlated with TWF1 levels thus making it a suitable therapeutic target against LUAD.

Serum and urinary procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide as a biomarker of obstructive nephropathy in children.

BACKGROUND: Ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) is the most common cause of chronic renal failure in children. Rapid diagnosis is important to preserve function and/or to slow down renal injury. This study was to examine serum and urinary procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide (sPIIINP/uPIIINP) protein as potential biomarkers of obstruction in hydronephrosis. METHODS: The study included 29 children with unilateral UPJO who underwent pyeloplasty (Group 1), 30 children with mild, nonobstructive hydronephrosis (Group 2), and 30 healthy children. In Group 1, serum and voided urine samples were obtained at preoperative, 3 days, and 3, 6 and 12 months after pyeloplasty, respectively. Meanwhile, additional urine from the affected pelvis was collected at surgery. Serum and voided urine were evaluated for PIIINP in each group using immunoenzymatic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) commercial kits and were expressed in picograms per milligram creatine (cr.). RESULTS: The preoperative sPIIINP and uPIIINP levels were significantly greater in Group 1 than in other 2 groups. Three months after pyeloplasty, sPIIINP and uPIIINP levels had decreased significantly in Group 1 together with significant improvement of split renal function. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed a good diagnostic profile for uPIIINP/cr. in identifying children with abnormal split renal function (<40%) [area under the curve (AUC) 0.789]. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing uPIIINP levels are associated with worsening obstruction. Additional studies are required to confirm a potential application uPIIINP as a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and progression of congenital obstructive nephropathy.

Association of rs2233678 and rs2233679 polymorphisms in the PIN1 gene with cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

To data, epidemiological studies have assessed the association between peptidyl-propyl-cis/trans isomerase 1 (PIN1) gene polymorphisms and cancer risk, including breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and laryngeal squamous cell cancer. However, the results of these studies remain controversial. We aimed to examine the associations between two SNPs (rs2233678 and rs2233679) of PIN1 gene and cancer risk by conducting a meta-analysis of case-control studies. A total of seven publications were included in this meta-analysis for both rs2233678 and rs2233679. Overall, rs2233678 polymorphism was found to be associated with decreased cancer risk in four genetic models (C-allele vs. G-allele: odd ratio (OR) = 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.60-0.88; CC vs. GG: OR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36-0.84; CC+CG vs. GG: OR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.58-0.90; CC vs. CG+GG: OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.38-0.89). However, the rs2233679 polymorphism of PIN1 gene did not appear to have an influence on caner susceptibility. In the subgroup analysis by cancer type, we observed that the PIN1 rs2233678 polymorphism was significantly associated with decreased breast cancer risk (C-allele vs. G-allele: OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.60-0.89; CC+CG vs. GG: OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.57-0.89). Further subgroup analyses showed that the PIN1 rs2233678 polymorphism was associated with decreased cancer risk among Asian people (C-allele vs. G-allele: OR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.51-0.79; CC vs. GG: OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.25-0.80; CC+CG vs. GG: OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.50-0.79; CC vs. CG+GG: OR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.26-0.86). In conclusion, PIN1 rs2233678 polymorphism might be a potential biomarker for cancer risk among Asians, especially for breast cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.

Three common polymorphisms in the IL-4 gene and cancer risk: a meta-analysis involving 5,392 cases and 6,930 controls.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a typical pleiotropic T helper 2 (Th2) cytokine. This cytokine is a critical mediator of the Th1/Th2 balance and apoptosis potential and involved in the process of inflammation-mediated carcinogenesis in human organs. IL-4 gene polymorphisms influence IL-4 transcription and have been implicated in cancer risks. However, current published data show conflicts among of them. To assess the relationship between IL-4 polymorphisms and cancer risks, we performed a meta-analysis which includes 14 studies involving 3,562 cancer cases for IL-4 rs2243250 polymorphism, 6 studies involving 2,052 subjects for IL-4 rs2070874 polymorphism, and 5 studies involving 791 subjects for IL-4 intron-3 polymorphism. As for rs2243250 polymorphism, no significant association of cancer risk was found in the overall analysis. When stratified by cancer type, we observed that the IL-4 rs2243250 polymorphism was significantly associated with decreased oral cancer risk and increased renal cell cancer risk (for oral cancer, TT vs. CC: odds ratio (OR) = 0.40, 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 0.19-0.84, P heterogeneity = 0.662, P = 0.016; TT/CT vs. CC: OR = 0.45, 95 % CI 0.22-0.94, P heterogeneity = 0.407, P = 0.033; and for renal cell cancer, TT vs. CC: OR = 1.98, 95 % CI 1.06-3.69, P heterogeneity = 0.535, P = 0.031; TT vs. CC/CT: OR = 1.43, 95 % CI 1.05-1.95, P heterogeneity = 0.959, P = 0.022). For rs2070874 and intron-3 polymorphisms, no significant association of cancer risk was found in the overall analysis. However, in the subgroup analysis by source of controls and ethnicities, a significant association between cancer risk and rs2070874 polymorphism was found in population-based studies (A allele vs. G allele: OR = 1.18, 95 % CI 1.03-1.35, P heterogeneity = 0.621, P = 0.0172; AA vs. AG/GG: OR = 1.23, 95 % CI 1.03-1.47, P heterogeneity = 0.196, P = 0.024) and Caucasian populations (A allele vs. G allele: OR = 1.24, 95 % CI 1.03-1.48, P heterogeneity = 0.925, P = 0.022), but not in Asian populations. Taken together, our results indicated that IL-4 rs2243250 polymorphism was associated with decreased oral cancer risk in both the homozygote contrasts and the dominant genetic model, as well as increased renal cell cancer risk in both the homozygote contrasts and the recessive genetic model. The A allele of rs2070874 polymorphism in the IL-4 gene may be a risk factor for cancer development among Caucasians. Further larger, preferably prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Current evidence on the relationship between three polymorphisms in the CYP1A2 gene and the risk of cancer.

CYP1A2 is an important cytochrome P450 enzyme that is involved in the metabolism of many clinical drugs and activation of some precarcinogens. Functional CYP1A2 polymorphisms are considered to exert significant effects on the risk of cancer, but the conclusions are inconsistent. Three commonly studied CYP1A2 polymorphisms, namely rs762551 (A>C), rs2069514 (G>A), and rs3569413 (T>delT), were selected to explore their association with the risk of development of cancer by meta-analysis of published case-control studies. Two investigators independently searched the PubMed, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and the Chinese Biomedicine Database. Summary odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for CYP1A2 polymorphisms and the risk of cancer were calculated in a fixed-effects model (the Mantel-Haenszel method) and a random-effects model (the DerSimonian and Laird method) when appropriate. For rs762551, 37 studies were eligible (16 825 cases and 21 513 controls); for rs2069514, 15 studies were eligible (3677 cases and 5127 controls); and for rs3569413, eight studies were eligible (1607 cases and 2043 controls). The results showed that no significant associations with the risk of cancer were found in any model (allele contrast, codominant, dominant, or recessive model) in terms of rs2069514 and rs3569413 when all studies were pooled into a meta-analysis. However, when stratified by cancer type, a statistically significantly elevated risk of cancer was only found in lung cancer for rs3569413 (delT-allele vs. T-allele: OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.16-1.95). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, a significantly increased risk of cancer was found in the Caucasian population for rs3569413 (delT-allele vs. T-allele: OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.01-2.63). With respect to rs762551, we found that carriers of the C-allele showed an increased overall risk of developing cancer compared with A-allele carriers (C-allele vs. A-allele: OR=1.08, 95% CI=1.01-1.16). Further subgroup analyses showed that the rs762551 polymorphism was associated with an increased risk of cancer in the subgroup of Caucasians (C-allele vs. A-allele: OR=1.14, 95% CI=1.00-1.28; dominant model: OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.02-1.37). These results suggest that the rs3569413 polymorphism of the CYP1A2 gene is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and the rs762551 polymorphism of the CYP1A2 gene might be a potential biomarker for the risk of cancer among Caucasians. Further large and well-designed studies are required to confirm this conclusion.