Application of electronic nose technology in the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases: a review.

Electronic noses (eNoses) are electronic bionic olfactory systems that use sensor arrays to produce response patterns to different odors, thereby enabling the identification of various scents. Gastrointestinal diseases have a high incidence rate and occur in 9 out of 10 people in China. Gastrointestinal diseases are characterized by a long course of symptoms and are associated with treatment difficulties and recurrence. This review offers a comprehensive overview of volatile organic compounds, with a specific emphasis on those detected via the eNose system. Furthermore, this review describes the application of bionic eNose technology in the diagnosis and screening of gastrointestinal diseases based on recent local and international research progress and advancements. Moreover, the prospects of bionic eNose technology in the field of gastrointestinal disease diagnostics are discussed.

Clinical and imaging characteristics of patients with bronchogenic cysts: a single-center retrospective analysis.

BACKGROUND: Bronchogenic cysts (BCs) are rare and usually asymptomatic malformations detected during imaging examinations. We aimed to investigate the clinical and imaging characteristics of patients with BCs. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated patients who received surgery to remove their BCs from January 2015 to January 2019. Their baseline characteristics, clinical information, and imaging results were reviewed. RESULTS: Our study included 129 patients, with 57 males and 72 females and a mean age of 42.7 years old. The most common location for BCs was the mediastinum (67 patients, 51.9%). Fewer than half of the patients (53 patients, 41.1%) reported clinical symptoms, with chest pain being the most common (16 patients, 30.2%). Neck BCs were more frequently observed in young patients (P = 0.002) and were more often associated with thyroid cancer (P = 0.007). A computed tomography scan was the most commonly used method to diagnose BCs in the lung and mediastinum, whereas ultrasound was the most commonly used diagnostic method for neck BCs. The characteristic images were well-defined, thin-wall cystic lesions in varying densities. A few lesions showed small, calcified spots along the rim or cavities. CONCLUSIONS: Although most BCs were found in the mediastinum, their locations could vary in different sex and age groups. Particular attention should be paid to young patients with BCs in the neck to rule out thyroid cancer.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Colonoscopy for Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted colonoscopy improves polyp detection and characterization in colonoscopy. However, data from large-scale multicenter randomized controlled trials (RCT) in an asymptomatic population are lacking. METHODS: This multicenter RCT aimed to compare AI-assisted colonoscopy with conventional colonoscopy for adenoma detection in an asymptomatic population. Asymptomatic subjects 45-75 years of age undergoing colorectal cancer screening by direct colonoscopy or fecal immunochemical test were recruited in 6 referral centers in Hong Kong, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, Xiamen, and Beijing. In the AI-assisted colonoscopy, an AI polyp detection system (Eagle-Eye) with real-time notification on the same monitor of the endoscopy system was used. The primary outcome was overall adenoma detection rate (ADR). Secondary outcomes were mean number of adenomas per colonoscopy, ADR according to endoscopist's experience, and colonoscopy withdrawal time. This study received Institutional Review Board approval (CRE-2019.393). RESULTS: From November 2019 to August 2021, 3059 subjects were randomized to AI-assisted colonoscopy (n = 1519) and conventional colonoscopy (n = 1540). Baseline characteristics and bowel preparation quality between the 2 groups were similar. The overall ADR (39.9% vs 32.4%; P < .001), advanced ADR (6.6% vs 4.9%; P = .041), ADR of expert (42.3% vs 32.8%; P < .001) and nonexpert endoscopists (37.5% vs 32.1%; P = .023), and adenomas per colonoscopy (0.59 ± 0.97 vs 0.45 ± 0.81; P < .001) were all significantly higher in the AI-assisted colonoscopy. The median withdrawal time (8.3 minutes vs 7.8 minutes; P = .004) was slightly longer in the AI-assisted colonoscopy group. CONCLUSIONS: In this multicenter RCT in asymptomatic patients, AI-assisted colonoscopy improved overall ADR, advanced ADR, and ADR of both expert and nonexpert attending endoscopists. (ClinicalTrials.gov, Number: NCT04422548).

Polymorphism of rs12294045 in EAAT2 gene is potentially associated with schizophrenia in Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that the excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are associated with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the polymorphism of EAAT1 and EAAT2 genes and schizophrenia in Chinese Han population. METHODS: A total of 233 patients with schizophrenia and 342 healthy controls were enrolled. Two SNPs in EAAT1 gene (rs2269272, rs2731880) and four SNPs in EAAT2 gene (rs12360706, rs3088168, rs12294045, rs10836387) were genotyped by SNaPshot. Clinical features were collected using a self-made questionnaire. Psychotic symptoms of patients were measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and patients' cognitive function was assessed by Matrics Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). RESULTS: Significant difference in allelic distributions between cases and controls was confirmed at locus rs12294045 (Ρ = 0.004) of EAAT2 gene. Different genotypes of rs12294045 were associated with family history (P = 0.046), in which patients with CT genotype had higher proportion of family history of psychosis. The polymorphism of rs12294045 was related to working operational memory (LNS: P = 0.016) and verbal learning function (HVLT-R: P = 0.042) in patients in which CT genotype had lower scores. However, these differences were no longer significant after Bonferroni correction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the polymorphism of rs12294045 in EAAT2 gene may be associated with schizophrenia in Chinese Han population. CT genotype may be one of the risk factors for family history and cognitive deficits of patients.

Epigenetic Alterations of the Promoter Region of the POMC Gene in Adolescent Depressive Disorder Patients with Nonsuicidal Self-injury Behaviors.

PURPOSE: The incidence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behavior among adolescents increases year by year. Patients with a history of both depression and NSSI behaviors tend to have greater risk of suicide. At present, the mechanism of adolescent depressive disorder patients with NSSI behaviors is not clear, epigenetic mechanism may be involved. Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) gene may be associated with depressive disorder. The purpose of this study was to investigate DNA methylation of POMC gene promoter region of adolescent depressive disorder patients with NSSI behaviors. METHODS: Bisulfite Sequencing PCR (BSP) was used to test the methylation level of POMC promoter of 15 adolescent depressive disorder patients with NSSI behaviors and 15 healthy controls (HC). Self-made questionnaires were used to collect clinical data of the case group and control group. Hamilton depression scale-24 (HAMD-24), Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA), Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were used to evaluate the characteristics and severity of depressive, anxiety and psychotic symptoms. Adolescent self-injury questionnaire was used to assess NSSI behaviors and its severity. RESULTS: BSP analysis found that the POMC methylation level of cytosine-guanine dinucleotide 1 (CpG1) site was higher in the case group than that of HC (P<0.05). The significance in POMC methylation at CpG1 between case group and HC was gender-independent, and CpG1 methylation level was higher in both male (P<0.05) and female (P<0.05) patients than that in HC. The CpG1 methylation level had a little correlation trends with family history of psychosis (P=0.05). We also found that POMC methylation level at CpG17 in female patients was significantly higher than that of the female HC (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was abnormal methylation in the POMC promoter region of adolescent depressive disorder patients with NSSI behaviors, the methylation of CpG1 may act as epigenetic markers for those adolescents.

Oncogenic effect of PHLDB2 is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and E-cadherin regulation in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pleckstrin Homology Like Domain Family Member 2 (PHLDB2) is an important protein with a PH-domain for interaction with partners to regulate cell migration. However, the role of PHLDB2 in human cancer metastasis, especially in colon cancer, still remains elusive. METHODS: The RNA-seq and clinical data of colorectal cancer patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed for correlations between PHLDB2 and clinical outcomes as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. Wound healing and transwell invasion assays were used to determine the effects of PHLDB2 on cell migration and invasiveness. Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses were employed to detect protein and mRNA changes, respectively. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed to assess protein-protein interaction. RESULTS: In the present report, by following our previous study, we found that PHLDB2 expression is associated with poorer prognosis, including disease-free survival, tumor stage, nodes pathology, as well as lymphatic and vascular invasion through TCGA data analysis. In addition, PHLDB2 expression is highly correlated with multiple epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers involving cell-surface proteins (N-cadherin and OB-cadherin), cytoskeletal markers (α-SMA and Vimentin), ECM proteins (Fibronectin and Laminin 5), and transcription factors (Snail2, ZEB1, and Ets-1). We also demonstrated that PHLDB2 knockdown mediated by siRNA was sufficient to attenuate colon cancer cell migration and invasion, as well as E-Cadherin reduction, by TGF-ß treatment. Interestingly, PHLDB2 expression levels were significantly elevated in response to EMT induction by TGF-ß and EGF. Moreover, we found that PHLDB2 could bind to MDM2 and facilitate MDM2-mediated E-Cadherin degradation. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that PHLDB2 is a downstream effector of EMT pathway and may present as an important biomarker for colon cancer prognosis and a target for colon cancer intervention.

Small bowel perforation secondary to foreign body ingestion mimicking acute appendicitis: Case report.

RATIONALE: Foreign body ingestion is often encountered in clinical practice; however, intestinal perforation owing to foreign body ingestion is rare. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we present the cases of 2 patients who accidentally swallowed foreign bodies and later presented with pain in the right lower abdominal quadrant. DIAGNOSES: Both patients were initially diagnosed with acute appendicitis and underwent immediate emergency laparotomy. INTERVENTIONS: During the operation, the appendix was found to be only mildly inflamed. On transection of the appendix, the mucosa was found to be inflamed, and yellow-white exudate was noted. We, therefore, decided to explore the entire bowel. The bowel examination revealed small bowel perforations, and palpation of the adjacent bowel revealed a hard, sharp object. The object was removed through the perforation site, the perforation was repaired, and the abdomen was closed in layers. OUTCOME: The postoperative recovery, in both cases, was uneventful. LESSONS: Patients who swallow sharp or large foreign bodies should undergo endoscopy as soon as possible to avoid intestinal perforation. Clinicians should inquire about a history of foreign body ingestion. The preoperative diagnosis of intestinal perforation secondary to foreign body ingestion requires a high degree of clinical suspicion and awareness.

A novel schiff base zinc coordination compound inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of human osteosarcoma cells.

Various kinds of schiff base metal complexes have been proven to induce apoptosis of tumor cells. However, it remains largely unknown whether schiff base zinc complexes induce apoptosis in human cancer cells. Here, we synthesized a novel schiff base zinc coordination compound (SBZCC) and investigated its effects on the growth, proliferation and apoptosis of human osteosarcoma MG-63 cells. A novel SBZCC was synthesized by chemical processes and used to treat MG-63 cells. The cell viability was determined by CCK-8 assay. The cell cycle progression, mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptotic cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The apoptosis-related proteins levels were determined by immunoblotting. Treatment of MG-63 cells with SBZCC resulted in inhibition of cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Moreover, SBZCC significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential and induced apoptosis, accompanied with increased Bax/Bcl-2 and FlasL/Fas expression as well as caspase-3/8/9 cleavage. Our results demonstrated that the synthesized novel SBZCC could inhibit the proliferation and induce apoptosis of MG-63 cells via activating both the mitochondrial and cell death receptor apoptosis pathways, suggesting that SBZCC is a promising agent for the development as anticancer drugs.

Trend of the incidence of lumbar disc herniation: decreasing with aging in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Compelling evidence has shown that the incidence of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) increases with age. In this study, retrospective clinical analysis of 601 cases of LDH has been conducted to investigate the role of age in the incidence of LDH in the elderly. The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the process of aging and the occurrence of LDH in old adults. METHODS: Clinical cases (n = 601) of LDH were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The imaging examination with computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging showed the occurrence of degeneration in LDH patients over 65 years of age. The most common site of LDH is toward the bottom of the spine at L4-L5 and/or L5-S1. The incidence of LDH drops with age in the elderly, especially after the age of 80 years. There is an obvious decrease in LDH in the elderly female. CONCLUSION: A decreasing incidence of LDH with aging occurs in the elderly. This investigation indicates that aging is not a contributor to the performance of LDH in the elderly although the incidence of LDH is proportional to age.