Factors influencing advanced colorectal neoplasm anatomic site distribution in China: An epidemiological study based on colorectal cancer screening data.

OBJECTIVE: Existing studies indicate that advanced colorectal neoplasms exhibit distinct clinical and biological traits based on anatomical sites. However, in China, especially for advanced colorectal neoplasms, there's limited information available on these traits. Our primary objective is to comprehensively study the characteristics of advanced colorectal neoplasm patients in different anatomical sites in China. METHODS: We selected information from the colorectal cancer screening database in Tianjin, China, since 2010 as the study subject. We chose valid information from 3113 patients with comprehensive data and diagnosed advanced colorectal neoplasms (ANs) from a pool of 19,308 individuals to be included in the study. We then conducted further analysis to examine the correlation between these epidemiological data and tumor location. RESULTS: Among the 3113 patients, neoplasms in the left side of the colon accounted for the largest proportion, while neoplasms in the right side of the colon had the smallest proportion, followed by rectal neoplasms. The highest proportion of advanced colorectal neoplasms was found among men. In the age group of 39-49 years old, the proportion of left late-stage advanced colon neoplasms was equal to that of right late-stage advanced colon neoplasms, while late-stage advanced rectal neoplasms increased with age. Smoking, drinking, and a history of colon cancer in first-degree relatives showed statistically significant associations with the location distribution of advanced colorectal neoplasms. A history of appendicitis, appendectomy, cholecystitis, or cholecystectomy did not significantly affect the location distribution of advanced colorectal neoplasms. However, among patients with such histories, there was a statistically significant relationship between advanced colon neoplasms on the right and those on the left and in the rectum. Similar results were observed for BMI. CONCLUSION: Our research findings demonstrate that advanced colorectal neoplasms display unique epidemiological characteristics depending on their anatomical locations, and these distinctions deviate from those observed in Western populations. These insights contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the topic and offer valuable guidance for future research in China. We advocate for further investigations centered on the anatomical location of colorectal neoplasms to enhance the precision of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and treatment.

Colonoscopy compliance and diagnostic yield in a large population-based colorectal cancer screening programme.

OBJECTIVES: With the intention of providing a reference for secondary prevention, our study provides some insight on diagnostic yield of factors influencing compliance with colonoscopy and the presence of advanced adenomas (AA). METHODS: We conducted large-scale CRC screening among local Tianjin residents aged 40-75 years between 2012 and 2019. A high-risk factor questionnaire (HRFQ) was distributed to each participant, followed by the performance of a fecal immunochemical test (FIT). Participants who tested positively for any of these items were advised to undergo a colonoscopy. Relevant basic information was collected from participants during CRC screening, and the screening data were sorted and analysed. RESULTS: A total of 5,670,924 people participated in CRC screening by the end of 2019, including 275,708 people in the high-risk group, and 74,685 (27.1%) people who underwent colonoscopy. The results of the logistic regression model demonstrated that participants with a history of mucous bloody stool (OR = 8.20, 95% CI: 7.92, 8.50, p < 0.001), chronic diarrhea (OR = 5.73, 95% CI: 5.57, 5.89, p < 0.001), and higher level of education (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.80, 1.93, p < 0.001) were more likely to comply with a colonoscopy. Several factors including age (70-75 years old:OR = 3.72, 95% CI: 2.71, 5.10, p < 0.001), and FIT( +) (OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.42,1.90, p < 0.001) were identified to be associated with the presence of AA. CONCLUSIONS: Increased compliance with colonoscopy is urgently needed. Our findings can inform the design of future effective large-scale population-based CRC screening programmes.

Brain neurometabolites differences in individuals with subjective cognitive decline plus: a quantitative single- and multi-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Subjective cognitive decline plus could be an extremely early phase of Alzheimer's disease; however, changes of N-acetylaspartate, myoinositol, and N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol is still unknown at this stage. This study aimed to explore brain neurometabolic alterations in patients with subjective cognitive decline plus using quantitative single-voxel and multi-voxel 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy. METHODS: A total of 91 participants were enrolled and underwent a GE 3.0-T magnetic resonance imaging, including 33 elderly controls, 27 patients with subjective cognitive decline plus, and 31 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Single-voxel and multi-voxel 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to investigate the differences in neurometabolite levels among the three groups. RESULTS: Compared with elderly controls, patients with subjective cognitive decline plus showed significant decline in N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol values in multiple regions, and amnestic MCI participants demonstrated more significant decreased N-acetylaspartate and N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol levels in multiple regions. The combined concentrations of N-acetylaspartate with myoinositol showed an excellent discrimination between those with subjective cognitive decline plus and elderly controls as compared to that obtained using N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol ratios with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.895 and 0.860, respectively. Likewise, the combined area under the curve for differentiating patients with subjective cognitive decline plus from amnestic MCI was obtained using the combined levels of N-acetylaspartate with myoinositol was 0.892. This was also higher than the combined area under the curve of 0.836 obtained using N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol ratios. Moreover, N-acetylaspartate levels in the left hippocampus and left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was positively related to the Auditory Verbal Learning Test delayed recall scores in patients with subjective cognitive decline plus, whereas only the N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol ratio was positively related to this scale scores in the left hippocampus. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative single-voxel and multi-voxel 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy can provide valuable information to detect alterative brain neurometabolites characteristics in patients with subjective cognitive decline plus. N-acetylaspartate concentrations may be used as one of the earliest neuroimaging markers at this stage, while N-acetylaspartate/myoinositol ratio could be more suitable for monitoring Alzheimer's disease progression.

CircRNA: A novel potential strategy to treat thyroid cancer (Review).

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common type of endocrine cancer. Over the last 50 years, the global incidence of TC has been increasing. The survival rate of TC is higher than that of most other types of cancer, but it depends on numerous factors, including the specific type of TC and stage of the disease. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a new class of long noncoding RNA with a closed loop structure that have a critical role in the complex gene regulatory network that controls the emergence of TC. The most important function of circRNAs is their ability to specifically bind to microRNAs. In addition, the biological functions of circRNAs also include interactions with proteins, regulation of the transcription of genes and acting as translation templates. Based on the characteristics of circRNAs, they have been identified as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of tumors. In the present review, the function and significance of circRNAs and their potential clinical implications for TC were summarized. Furthermore, possible treatment approaches involving the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and exosomes derived from MSCs as carriers to load and transport circRNAs were discussed.

Value of Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography in Santorinicele and Wirsungocele.

BACKGROUND: Former studies showed that magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) is useful in diagnosing the presence of santorinicele; however, few studies have evaluated MRCP in diagnosing wirsungocele and the association between pancreatitis and santorinicele or wirsungocele. The purpose of the study was to explore the performance of MRCP in diagnosing santorinicele and wirsungocele and investigate the potential association among pancreatitis, pancreas divisum, and santorinicele or wirsungocele. METHODS: Sixty-five patients (mean age, 55.68 years; range, 11-82 years) with santorinicele or wirsungocele were included and sorted into two groups: the santorinicele group (n = 48) and the wirsungocele group (n = 17). All patients underwent MRCP. The images were evaluated for the appearance and size of santorinicele or wirsungocele. The diagnostic sensitivity of MRCP was assessed. Additionally, whether two groups are correlated with pancreas divisum or pancreatitis were investigated. RESULTS: The sensitivity of MRCP in detecting santorinicele and wirsungocele showed no difference (68.8% and 76.5%, respectively). The proportion of patients who developed pancreatitis in santorinicele and wirsungocele groups were 60.4% and 11.8%, respectively (p < 0.05). Pancreas divisum accounted for 77.1% and 11.8% of the patients in the santorinicele and wirsungocele groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Patients with santorinicele and pancreas divisum tended to be older when they acquired pancreatitis. CONCLUSION: MRCP could be an alternative imaging method to detect cystic dilation of the pancreatic duct. Pancreatitis is more common in patients with santorinicele than in those with wirsungocele. Moreover, santorinicele is more closely associated with pancreatitis than with pancreas divisum.

Microstructural and Cerebral Blood Flow Abnormalities in Subjective Cognitive Decline Plus: Diffusional Kurtosis Imaging and Three-Dimensional Arterial Spin Labeling Study.

Objective: To explore microstructural and cerebral blood flow (CBF) abnormalities in individuals with subjective cognitive decline plus (SCD plus) using diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) and three-dimensional (3D) arterial spin labeling (ASL). Methods: Twenty-seven patients with SCD plus, 31 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and 33 elderly controls (ECs) were recruited and underwent DKI and 3D ASL using a GE 3.0-T MRI. Mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and CBF values were acquired from 24 regions of interest (ROIs) in the brain, including the bilateral hippocampal (Hip) subregions (head, body, and tail), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), precuneus, dorsal thalamus subregions (anterior nucleus, ventrolateral nucleus, and medial nucleus), lenticular nucleus, caput nuclei caudati, white matter (WM) of the frontal lobe, and WM of the occipital lobe. Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationships among the DKI-derived parameters, CBF values, and key neuropsychological tests for SCD plus. Results: Compared with ECs, participants with SCD plus showed a significant decline in MK and CBF values, mainly in the Hip head and PCC, and participants with aMCI exhibited more significant abnormalities in the MK and CBF values than individuals with ECs and SCD plus in multiple regions. Combined MK values showed better discrimination between patients with SCD plus and ECs than that obtained using CBF levels, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.874 and 0.837, respectively. Similarly, the AUC in discriminating SCD plus from aMCI patients obtained using combined MK values was 0.823, which was also higher than the combined AUC of 0.779 obtained using CBF values. Moreover, MK levels in the left Hip (h) and left PCC positively correlated with the auditory verbal learning test-delayed recall (AVLT-DR) score in participants with SCD plus. By contrast, only the CBF value in the left Hip head positively correlated with the AVLT-DR score. Conclusions: Our results provide new evidence of microstructural and CBF changes in patients with SCD plus. MK may be used as an early potential neuroimaging biomarker and may be a more sensitive DKI parameter than CBF at the very early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD).