Prediction of extracapsular extension in prostate cancer using the Likert scale combined with clinical and pathological parameters.

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the independent clinical, pathological, and radiological factors associated with extracapsular extension in radical prostatectomy specimens and to improve the accuracy of predicting extracapsular extension of prostate cancer before surgery. Methods: From August 2018 to June 2023, the clinical and pathological data of 229 patients with confirmed prostate cancer underwent radical prostatectomy from The Second Hospital of Yinzhou. The patients' multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging data were graded using the Likert scale. The chi-square or independent-sample T-test was used to analyze the related factors for an extracapsular extension. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent factors associated with extracapsular extension in prostate cancer. Additionally, receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to calculate the area under the curve and assess the diagnostic performance of our model. The clinical decision curve was used to analyze the clinical net income of Likert scale, biopsy positive rate, biopsy GG, and combined mode. Results: Of the 229 patients, 52 had an extracapsular extension, and 177 did not. Multivariate analysis showed that the Likert scale score, biopsy grade group and biopsy positive rate were independent risk factors for extracapsular extension in prostate cancer. The area under the curves for the Likert scale score, biopsy grade group, and biopsy positive rate were 0.802, 0.762, and 0.796, respectively. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the diagnostic efficiency for extracapsular extension (P>0.05). However, when these three factors were combined, the diagnostic efficiency was significantly improved, and the area under the curve increased to 0.905 (P<0.05). In the analysis of the decision curve, The clinical net income of the combined model is obviously higher than that of Likert scale, biopsy positive rate, and biopsy GG. Conclusion: The Likert scale, biopsy grade group and biopsy positive rate are independent risk factors for extracapsular extension in prostate cancer, and their combination can significantly improve the diagnostic efficiency for an extracapsular extension.

Atrophic gastritis rather than Helicobacter pylori infection can be an independent risk factor of colorectal polyps: a retrospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is considered the most effective screening method for colorectal polyps. However, the longevity and complexity of the procedure makes it less desirable to screen for colorectal polyps in the general population. Therefore, it is essential to identify other independent risk factors. In this study, we explored the link between Hp infection, atrophic gastritis, and colorectal polyps to identify a new potential risk factors of colorectal polyps. METHODS: In this study, atrophic gastritis and intestinal polyps were diagnosed by endoscopy and pathology. All the 792 patients in this retrospective study were divided into sub-groups based on the presence of colorectal polyps. The correlation between polyps and atrophic gastritis was analyzed using the chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the predictive value for colorectal polyps between Hp infection and atrophic gastritis. Binary logistic regression was utilized to identify independent risk factors for colorectal polyps. RESULTS: Patients with colorectal polyps were primarily male with advanced age, and the number of patients with colorectal polyps had a higher association with smoking, alcohol drinking, and Hp infection than the control group. A positive correlation between the number of colorectal polyps and the severity of atrophic gastritis was observed. ROC analysis showed that atrophic gastritis was a better risk factors for colorectal polyps. Multivariate analysis identified atrophic gastritis as an independent risk factor for colorectal polyps (OR 2.294; 95% CI 1.597-3.296). CONCLUSIONS: Atrophic gastritis confirmed could be an independent risk factors for colorectal polyps.

Duck plague virus pUL15 performs a nonspecial cleavage activity through its C terminal nuclease domain in vitro.

Duck plague virus (DPV), also known as anatid herpesvirus, is a double-stranded DNA virus and a member of α herpesvirus. DPV pUL15 is a homolog of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) pUL15, a terminase large subunit, and plays a key role in the cleavage and packaging of the viral concatemeric genome. However, the sequence similarity between DPV pUL15 and its homologs is low, and it is not sure if DPV pUL15 has the potential to cleave the concatemeric genome as same as its homologs. Here, we expressed the C terminal domain of DPV pUL15 to explore the nuclease function of DPV pUL15. The main results showed that (Ⅰ) DPV pUL15 C-terminal domain possesses nonspecific nuclease activity and lacks the DNA binding ability. (Ⅱ) DPV pUL15 nuclease activity needs to coordinate with divalent metal ions and tends to be more active at high temperatures. (Ⅲ) Even though the structure of DPV pUL15 nuclease domain is relatively conserved, the mutations of conserved amino acids on the nuclease domain do not significantly inhibit the nuclease activity.

[Size changes of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium malariae in thin peripheral blood smears].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the size changes of erythrocytes infected with Plasmodium malariae, so as to improve the basic-level experimenters' microscopy capabilities for P. malariae identification in thin blood smears. METHODS: The microscopic features of erythrocytes infected with P. malariae in thin peripheral blood smears were observed, and a microscope image processing software was used to measure and analyze the diameter changes of the erythrocytes infected with P. malariae. RESULTS: The diameter of erythrocytes infected with P. malariae decreased significantly compared with that of the normal erythrocytes. The three parameters in this study: the diameter of erythrocytes, the value of diameter variation, and the ratio of diameter variation varied at different developmental stages of P. malariae, and the differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.01). The variances of the three parameters grouped by different cases or different developmental stages in different cases were analyzed, all showing statistically significant differences (all P< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: All the developmental stages of P. malariae will cause the decrease of the diameters of infected erythrocytes in peripheral blood smears, but the influence on the diameter of erythrocytes, value of diameter variation, and ratio of diameter variation varies at different developmental stages in different cases.

Hydroxylated polybrominated diphenyl ethers exhibit different activities on thyroid hormone receptors depending on their degree of bromination.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been shown to disrupt thyroid hormone (TH) functions in experimental animals, and one of the proposed disruption mechanisms is direct binding of hydroxylated PBDE (OH-PBDE) to TH receptors (TRs). However, previous data on TH receptor binding and TH activity of OH-PBDEs were very limited and sometimes inconsistent. In the present paper, we examined the binding potency of ten OH-PBDEs with different degrees of bromination to TR using a fluorescence competitive binding assay. The results showed that the ten OH-PBDEs bound to TR with potency that correlated to their bromination level. We further examined their effect on TR using a coactivator binding assay and GH3 cell proliferation assay. Different TR activities of OH-PBDEs were observed depending on their degree of bromination. Four low-brominated OH-PBDEs (2'-OH-BDE-28, 3'-OH-BDE-28, 5-OH-BDE-47, 6-OH-BDE-47) were found to be TR agonists, which recruited the coactivator peptide and enhanced GH3 cell proliferation. However, three high-brominated OH-PBDEs (3-OH-BDE-100, 3'-OH-BDE-154, 4-OH-BDE-188) were tested to be antagonists. Molecular docking was employed to simulate the interactions of OH-PBDEs with TR and identify the structural determinants for TR binding and activity. According to the docking results, low-brominated OH-PBDEs, which are weak binders but TR agonists, bind with TR at the inner side of its binding pocket, whereas high-brominated compounds, which are potent binders but TR antagonists, reside at the outer region. These results indicate that OH-PBDEs have different activities on TR (agonistic or antagonistic), possibly due to their different binding geometries with the receptor.

Dopamine D(4) receptor antagonist 3-(4-[(18)F]fluorobenzyl)-8-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochromeno[3,4-c]pyridin-5-one([(18)F]FMTP): radiosynthesis and in vivo characterization in rats.

We synthesized a novel (18)F-labeled dopamine D(4) receptor antagonist (Ki=4.3 nM), 3-(4-[(18)F]fluorobenzyl)-8-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochromeno[3,4-c]pyridin-5-one ([(18)F]FMTP), which has exhibited high affinity and selectivity. Radiosyntheses were accomplished by the reaction of fluorine-18-labeled intermediate with 8-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrochromeno[3,4-c]pyridin-5-one (1) followed by HPLC purification. The overall radiochemical yield of the radiosynthesis was 19.5% (decay corrected), the specific radioactivity was about 110 GBq/micromol and the radiochemical purity was greater than 99%, the time of synthesis and purification was approximately 110 min. Tissue distribution studies of the [(18)F]FMTP in rats showed that the radioactivity in the brain was concentrated in frontal cortex and medulla, the region that has a high density of D(4) receptors. Pre-treatment with nonradioactive FMTP (1.0mg/kg) produced a significant reduction of radioactivity in all the regions. About 40% of total radioactivity in plasma and 100% in rat brain extract represented unchanged radioligand at 60 min after injection as determined by HPLC. These results indicate that [(18)F]FMTP have some specific binding to the D(4) receptor.