[Impact of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation on the efficacy of CAR-T treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) on the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) with chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. Methods: A retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 168 patients with RRMM who underwent CAR-T therapy at the Department of Hematology, Xuzhou Medical University Hospital from 3 January 2020 to 13 September 2022 were analyzed. Patients were classified into a transplantation group (TG; n=47) and non-transplantation group (NTG; n=121) based on whether or not they had undergone ASCT previously. The objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and the levels of CD3, CD4, CD8, CD19, CD56 and natural killer (NK) cells before CAR-T infusion were analyzed by χ2 test, Kaplan-Meier method and independent sample t-test. Results: Among 168 patients with RRMM, 98 (58.3%) were male. The median age of onset was 57 (range 30-70) years. After CAR-T therapy, the ORR of patients was 89.3% (92/103) in the NTG and 72.9% (27/73) in the TG. The ORR of the NTG was better than that of the TG (χ2=5.71, P=0.017). After 1 year of CAR-T therapy, the ORR of the NTG was 78.1% (75/96), and that of the TG was 59.4% (19/32). The ORR of the NTG was better than that of the TG (χ2=4.32, P=0.038). The median OS and PFS in the NTG were significantly longer than those in the TG (OS, 30 vs. 20 months; PFS, 26 vs. 12 months; both P<0.05). The CD4 level before CAR-T infusion in the TG was significantly lower than that in the NTG (25.65±13.56 vs. 32.64±17.21; t=-2.15, P=0.034), and there were no significant differences in the counts of CD3, CD8, CD19, CD56, and NK cells between the TG and NTG (all P>0.05). Conclusion: Among patients suffering from RRMM who received CAR-T therapy, patients who did not receive ASCT had significantly better outcomes than those who had received ASCT previously, which may have been related to the CD4 level before receiving CAR-T therapy.

[Clinicopathological features and prognosis of early-onset gastric cancer: a large-scale retrospective real-world study].

Objective: To clarify the clinicopathological features, prognosis, and recurrence pattern of early-onset gastric cancer (EOGC). Methods: Using data from the gastric cancer database of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, we performed a retrospective, large-scale, real-world study of 5046 patients with gastric cancer who had undergone redical or palliative gastrectomy from January 2013 to December 2018, including 425 patients with EOGC (age ≤45 years) and 4621 controls. All those patients were pathologically confirmed adenocarcinoma with complete follow-up of five years. Residue gastric cancer and patients without complete clinical or follow-up data were excluded. We used a combination of outpatient and telephone follow-up, ending in October 2022 (median duration of follow-up 60 months), and compared the clinicopathological features and prognosis of the two groups. Results: The clinicopathological features of EOGC included female predominance (61.1% [262/425 vs. 26.3% [1217/4621], χ2=234.215, P<0.001), fewer comorbidities (31.3% [133/425] vs. 58.5% [2703/4621], χ2=34.378, P<0.001), poorer differentiation (90.6% [385/425] vs. 78.2% [3614/4621], χ2=30.642, P<0.001), higher proportion of diffuse type (53.9% [229/425] vs. 18.3% [846/4621], χ2=274.474, P<0.001), higher proportion of T4 stage (44.7% [190/425] vs. 37.5% [1733/4621], χ2=17.535, P=0.001), more lymph node metastases (60.5% [257/425] vs. 53.9% [2491/4621], χ2=6.764, P=0.009), and higher proportion of pathological stage III/IV (47.5% [202/425] vs. 42.4% [1959/4621], χ2=4.093, P=0.043). The 5-year overall survival rates of the EOGC and control groups were 55.1% and 49.1%, respectively. Overall survival was significantly better in the EOGC than in the control group (P<0.001). According to subgroup analysis, the prognosis of pathological stage I/II/III EOGC was better than that of the control group. Recurrence rates were similar in the two groups, whereas patients with EOGC had a higher proportion of peritoneal recurrence (7.8% [33/425] vs. 3.2% [146/4621], χ2=23.741, P<0.001) and a lower proportion of distant metastasis (4.9% [21/425] vs. 8.3% [385/4621], χ2=6.247, P=0.012). Conclusion: EOGC has unique clinicopathological features and recurrence patterns and resectable EOGC has a better prognosis, suggesting that patients with EOGC should be actively treated with the focus on preventing peritoneal recurrence.

[Clinicopathological and molecular diagnostic features of early-onset gastric cancer: a study based on data from a single-center dedicated gastric cancer database].

Objective: To clarify the clinicopathological, especially molecular, features of early-onset gastric cancer with the aim of informing analysis of treatment strategies. Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, we examined data from a dedicated gastric cancer database in Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University. The original cohort comprised 2506 patients with gastric cancer who had undergone gastrectomy in Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University from July 2020 to October 2021, including 198 with early-onset gastric cancer (aged ≤45 years) and 2,308 with non-early gastric cancer. We used a simple random sampling method to select 396 of the 2,308 patients aged >45 years (ratio of 1:2) as the control group and then compared molecular diagnostic data and clinicopathological features of the two groups. Results: The median age was 39 years in the early-onset gastric cancer group, while 66 years in the control group. The clinicopathological features of early-onset gastric cancer included female predominance (59.1% [117/198] vs. 27.8% [110/396], χ2=54.816, P<0.001), less comorbidity (32.3% [64/198] vs. 57.1% [226/396], χ2=32.355, P<0.001), poorer differentiation (93.9% [186/198] vs. 74.5% [295/396], χ2=30.777, P<0.001) and higher proportion of diffuse type (40.4% [80/198] vs. 15.9% [63/396], χ2=69.639, P<0.001), distant metastasis (7.1% [14/198] vs. 2.8% [11/396], χ2=6.034, P=0.014). Regarding treatment, distal gastrectomy was more commonly performed than proximal gastrectomy (55.1% [109/198] vs. 47.0% [186/396], 1.5% [3/198] vs. 8.3% [33/396], χ2=11.644, P=0.003). Family history of gastric cancer, TNM stage, tumor size, lymph node dissection, nerve invasion, nodes harboring metastases, range of lymph node dissection, digestive tract reconstruction procedure, implementation of laparoscopic surgery, combined resection, and preoperative treatment did not differ significantly between the two groups (all P>0.05). Molecular diagnosis showed there was a smaller percentage of mismatch repair deficiency in the early-onset gastric cancer than in the control group (1.0% [2/198] vs. 10.1% [40/396], χ2=16.301, P<0.001), and a higher rate of positivity for Claudin 18.2 (77.8% [154/198] vs. 53.0% [210/396], χ2=5.442,P<0.001). HER-2 and Epstein-Barr virus positivity rates did not differ significantly between the two groups. Conclusion: Early-onset gastric cancer is a distinct type of gastric cancer with a high degree of malignancy, and treatment targeting Claudin 18.2 may be effective.

[Investigation of familial tendency of endometriosis].

Objective: To investigate the familial heritability of endometriosis and to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with or without a family history of endometriosis. Methods: From January 2020 to June 2022, 850 patients with endometriosis confirmed by laparotomy or laparoscopy in Peking University Third Hospital were included in this study. Clinical data were collected, family history was followed up, and the differences of clinical indicators between patients with and without family history of endometriosis were compared. Results: A total of 850 patients were enrolled, with an average age of (33.8±7.0) years old, 315 (37.1%, 315/850) patients in stage Ⅲ and 496 (58.4%, 496/850) patients in stage Ⅳ. There were 100 patients with family history of endometriosis, accounting for 11.8% (100/850). Most of the 113 relatives involved were mothers, daughters and sisters (76.1%, 86/113), 81.5% (22/27) of the second and third degree relatives were maternal relatives. The median ages of patients with and without family history of endometriosis were 30 and 33 years old respectively at the time of diagnosis. The unmarried rate of patients with family history was higher [42.0% (42/100) vs 26.3% (197/750)]. The percentage of dysmenorrhea patients with family history was higher [89.0% (89/100) vs 55.5% (416/750)]. The medians of dysmenorrhea score in patients with and without family history were 6 and 2, and the median durations of dysmenorrhea were 10 and 1 years. There were significant differences in age, marital status, percentage of dysmenorrhea, dysmenorrhea score and duration (all P<0.001). The median levels of serum cancer antigen (CA) 125 in patients with family history and patients without family history at the time of diagnosis were 57.5 and 46.9 kU/L respectively, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in nationality, bady mass index, menarche age, menstrual cycle, menstrual period, menstrual volume, serum CA19-9 level, cyst location and size, stage, history of adverse pregnancy and childbirth, infertility, adenomyosis and deep infiltrating endometriosis (all P>0.05). By comparing the specific conditions of dysmenorrhea patients with and without family history of endometriosis, there were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of the age of onset of dysmenorrhea, duration of dysmenorrhea, primary and secondary dysmenorrhea, and progressive aggravation of dysmenorrhea (all P>0.05). The difference in the degree of dysmenorrhea in dysmenorrhea patients with family history of endometriosis was significant (P<0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of endometriosis has a familial tendency, and most of the involved relatives are the first degree relatives. Compared with patients without family history of endometriosis, endometriosis patients with family history are diagnosed at an earlier age, with higher percentage of dysmenorrhea, had more severe dysmenorrhea and higher serum CA125 level.

[Clinical application of flexible bronchoscopy in the treatment of airway foreign body].

Airway foreign body is the unintentional entry of objects into the larynx, trachea, or bronchi, causing airway obstruction, severe coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulties, or even asphyxiation. It is a common emergency condition in respiratory, critical care, emergency, otolaryngology, and pediatric departments, etc. With the popularization of flexible bronchoscopic techniques, endoscopic foreign body removal has been widely used in adults and children. The combined application of various instruments, such as alligator forceps, mesh baskets, balloons, and cryoprobes could safely and effectively remove foreign body. This article briefly described the treatment modalities for airway foreign body and summarized effective approaches using flexible bronchoscopy in its treatment.

Downregulated FGFR3 Expression Inhibits In Vitro Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Mice with TBXT Gene Mutation.

We studied the effect of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) inhibitor BGJ-398 on the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM MSC) into osteoblasts in wild type (wt) mice and in animals with mutation in TBXT gene (mt) and possible differences in the pluripotency of these cells. Cytology tests showed that the cultured BM MSC could differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. The effect of different BGJ-398 concentrations on the expression of FGFR3, RUNX2, SMAD1, SMAD4, SMAD5, SMAD6, SMAD7, and SMAD8 were studied by quantitative reverse transcription PCR. The expression of RUNX2 protein was evaluated by Western blotting. BM MSC of mt and wt mice did not differ in pluripotency and expressed the same membrane marker antigens. BGJ-398 inhibitor reduced the expression of FGFR3 and RUNX2. In BM MSC from mt and wt mice have similar gene expression (and its changing) in FGFR3, RUNX2, SMAD1, SMAD4, SMAD5, SMAD6, SMAD7, and SMAD8 genes. Thus, our experiments confirmed the effect of decreased expression of FGFR3 on osteogenic differentiation of BM MSC from wt and mt mice. However, BM MSC from mt and wt mice did not differ in pluripotency and are an adequate model for laboratory research.

[Clinical application and progress of airway stent in subglottic stenosis].

Laryngotracheal stenosis is caused by various reasons of laryngotracheal cartilage stent malformation, collapse or defect, laryngotracheal mucosa scar formation or submucosal tissue hyperplasia, eventually resulting in dyspnea. Subglottic stenosis refers to the airway stenosis from subglottic to the lower margin of the cricoid cartilage, which is a special type of laryngotracheal stenosis. The most common cause is iatrogenic injury, such as prolonged tracheal intubation and tracheotomy. Currently, the main treatments include surgical treatment, tracheostomy, endoscope-guided stent implantation and drug therapy. As for the patients who have dyspnea not suitable for surgery or in urgent need of preoperative transitional treatment, stent implantation guided by respiratory endoscopy has become an important treatment. In this paper, we reviewed 51 literatures on stent implantation of subglottic stenosis since 1994 retrieved from PubMed, CBM, CNIT, Wan-fang and VIP databases, focusing on the comparison of the efficacy, complications and prognosis of metal stent, hourglass-shaped DUMON stent, straight-type DUMON stent and Montgomery T tube and investigated the clinical application of endoscope-guided stent implantation in subglottic airway stenosis. Literature studies have shown that compared with DUMON silicone stents and metal stents, T tube has more significant advantages, higher treatment success rate and lower complication rate. Therefore, Montgomery T tube is more suitable for long-term treatment of patients with subglottic stenosis. With the improvement and update of new technology and materials, the vigorous development of new airway stents also provides a new stent treatment mode with better histocompatibility, fewer complications and customized options for the patients with subglottic stenosis.

A novel nomogram associated with regulatory T cells infiltration by weighted gene co-expression network analysis for predicting survival in patients with colon cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Traditional diagnostic strategies are unable to accurately discriminate between patients with poor and satisfied prognosis in colon cancer. Therefore, it is urgently recommended to identify new biomarkers in favor of better selection of patients at higher risk of recurrence or poor outcomes, with the aim of early intervention or avoiding overtreatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA), together with the proportion of tumor infiltrating immune cells, were employed to screen the key module related to immune infiltration. Using these genes among the key module, a predictive signature was generated via LASSO and multi-Cox regression method. Moreover, a novel nomogram was further developed by combining important clinical parameters and the predictive signature. RESULTS: Genes among the green module, indicating the highest correlation with regulatory T cells (Tregs), were incorporated into the establishment of predictive model. Then, a Tregs-related risk signature (TRRS) consisting of four genes (NRG1, TEX11, OVOL3 and FCRL2) was established, which performed well in predicting the mortality risk of colon cancer in both internal and external validation groups (p=0.004 for TCGA training set, p=0.016 for TCGA testing set and p=0.03 for GSE39582 dataset). Combining TNM stage and age, we developed a nomogram for 1-, 3-, 5-year OS, presenting a more reliable predictive performance in survival based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and calibration curves (3-year AUC: 0.83 and 0.74 in the TCGA and GEO database, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We constructed a four-gene signature for predicting the prognosis of patients with colon cancer, and further developed the nomogram together with TNM stage and age to improve the predictive efficacy.

Analysis of reproductive damage in earthworms (Amynthas corticis) exposed to cypermethrin.

Cypermethrin contamination was a potential threat to soil organisms. In the present work, reproductive damage in earthworms (Amynthas corticis) exposed to cypermethrin was investigated. It was found that earthworms could absorb and accumulate residual cypermethrin in soil, and also earthworm activities helped accelerate the degradation of cypermethrin in soil. The accumulation of cypermethrin in earthworms induced sperm damage, and cypermethrin not only caused the imbalance of calcium homeostasis in earthworm sperm cells by inhibiting earthworm sperm Ca2+-ATP and Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activities but also caused barriers in acrosome reaction. It also affected sperm energy supply of earthworms by inhibiting the activity of Na+-K+-ATPase and Mg2+-ATPase of earthworm sperm. Meanwhile, the inhibition of acrosome enzyme activity of earthworm sperm by cypermethrin led to hinder fertilization and reduced cocoon production of earthworms, and the damage of cypermethrin to sperm of earthworm was a significant cause of its reproductive toxicity. The results of the evaluation of IBR index showed that reproductive toxicity of cypermethrin to earthworms reduced with the increasing time. The decreased reproductive toxicity of cypermethrin to earthworms at the later stage of exposure (42-56 d) might be due to a combination of reduced absorption of cypermethrin in soil by earthworms, decreased accumulation of cypermethrin in the body, and improved sperm capacitation.

[Diagnosis and treatment status of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms: a multi-center study in Hubei Province].

Objective: To investigate the incidence and treatment of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in Hubei Province. Methods: The clinicopathological data of 7 474 patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms in 62 hospitals in 15 cities (state) of Hubei Province in 2019 were collected in the form of network database. There were 4 749 males and 2 725 females. The median age of the patients was 62 years (range: 17 to 96 years). The hemoglobin value of the first time in hospital and the first day after operation was used as the criterion of preoperative anemia and postoperative anemia. Anemia was defined as male hemoglobin <120 g/L and female hemoglobin <110.0 g/L, mild anemia as 90 to normal, moderate anemia as 60 to <90 g/L, severe anemia as <60 g/L. The t test and χ2 test were used for inter-group comparison. Results: The overall incidence of preoperative anemia was 38.60%(2 885/7 474), and the incidences of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 25.09%(1 875/7 474), 11.37%(850/7 474) and 2.14%(160/7 474), respectively. The overall incidence of postoperative anemia was 61.40%(4 589/7 474). The incidence of mild anemia, moderate anemia and severe anemia were 48.73%(3 642/7 474), 12.20%(912/7 474) and 0.47%(35/7 474), respectively. The proportion of preoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 26.86% (775/2 885), and the proportion of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment was 14.93% (685/4 589). The proportions of preoperative anemia patients in grade ⅢA, grade ⅢB, and grade ⅡA hospitals receiving treatment were 26.12% (649/2 485), 32.32% (85/263), and 29.93% (41/137), and the proportions of postoperative anemia patients receiving treatment were 14.61% (592/4 052), 22.05% (73/331), and 9.71% (20/206). The proportion of intraoperative blood transfusion (16.74% (483/2 885) vs. 3.05% (140/4 589), χ²=434.555, P<0.01) and the incidence of postoperative complications (17.78% (513/2 885) vs. 14.08% (646/4 589), χ²=18.553, P<0.01) in the preoperative anemia group were higher than those in the non-anemia group, and the postoperative hospital stay in the preoperative anemia group was longer than that in the non-anemia group ((14.1±7.3) days vs. (13.3±6.2) days, t=5.202, P<0.01). Conclusions: The incidence of perioperative anemia in patients with gastrointestinal neoplasms is high. Preoperative anemia can increase the demand for intraoperative blood transfusion and affect the short-term prognosis of patients. At present, the concept of standardized treatment of perioperative anemia among gastrointestinal surgeons in Hubei Province needs to be improved.

[The composition of ascites lymphocytes in high-grade serous ovarian cancer and its correlation with clinical features].

Objective: To explore the composition of ascites lymphocytes in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) and its correlation with clinical features. Methods: A total of 59 newly-diagnosed HGSOC patients, aged (58±11) years old, who were treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Peking University Third Hospital from July 2019 to December 2020 were included, collecting ascites and peritoneal irrigation fluid respectively. Detect the proportion of T, B, NK cell and its subpopulations by flow cytometry, and analyze its correlation with the clinical characteristics of patients. Results: Among 59 patients, 48 patients (81.4%) had ascites, and 11 patients (18.6%) had no ascites. Compared with the peritoneal irrigation fluid, the CD3+T (70.2%±15.6% vs 78.1%±6.7%, P=0.014), CD8+T (38.3%±11.2% vs 47.7%±10.1%, P=0.014) and CD16-CD56bright NK [2.0% (0.8%, 3.6%) vs 4.2% (1.5%, 7.1%), P=0.026] cells were significantly decreased in the ascites, while the CD16+CD56dim NK cells was significantly increased [6.8% (2.8%, 15.7%) vs 2.6% (1.6%, 4.3%), P=0.008]. In patients with ascites volume ≥1 000 ml, CD16-CD56bright NK cells were significantly increased than those ascites volume<1 000 ml [3.1% (1.2%, 3.9%) vs 0.8% (0.4%, 2.3%), P=0.002]. Age was significantly positively correlated with the level of CD4+T cells (r=0.332, P=0.021) and the ratio of CD4+T/CD8+T (r=0.379, P=0.008) in ascites. In ascites from patients with poor response to treatment, the proportion of CD4+T cells was increased significantly than those with better response (64.7%±4.2% vs 48.3%±11.7%, P=0.002). Conclusion: The formation of ascites in newly diagnosed high-grade serous epithelial ovarian cancer patients would affect the lymphocyte composition in the abdominal cavity microenvironment, which is related to the patient's age, cancer progression and treatment response.

[Clinical study of dienogest in the treatment of refractory endometriosis-associated pain].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of dienogest (DNG) in the treatment of refractory endometriosis-associated pain (REAP). Methods: In this study, REAP was defined according to the following criteria: (1) the pain duration was ≥12 months and visual analogue scale (VAS)≥60 mm; (2) the previous treatments with over two medicines like oral contraceptives and levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system failed to achieve satisfactory relief of pain, with VAS reduction less than 50%; with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or mifepristone, the pain could be controlled temporarily, but it recurred after discontinuation of medicines; (3) the pain could not be relieved by surgery or even repeated surgeries. In the present study, 48 patients with REAP were treated with DNG 2 mg/day orally and the clinical outcomes were retrospectively analyzed. The VAS scores, levels of CA125, estradiol, FSH, LH and changes in the size of endometriotic lesions before and after treatment were compared respectively. The side effects were also analyzed. Results: The average duration of DNG treatment was (20.1±12.8) months. After 3 months of medication, the VAS score was significantly reduced from (77.9±15.8) mm to (20.8±10.7) mm (P<0.01), and CA125 level was significantly reduced from (95±139) kU/L to (38±45) kU/L (P<0.05). The effects were maintained with continuation of DNG treatment. Endometriotic lesions tended to shrink, after 12 months of DNG treatment, the size of ovarian endometriomas was reduced significantly from (3.1±1.0) cm to (1.9±1.2) cm (P<0.05). The mean level of estradiol was maintained at 124.82-221.04 pmol/L and levels of FSH and LH did not change significantly during the treatment. The major side effect was irregular bleeding (75%, 36/48). Conclusions: DNG could effectively relieve REAP and is a well-tolerated therapy. It may supply an alternative option for patients with REAP.

The detection of SAS1B in serum provides clues for early diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The incidence of thyroid cancer is rising globally. Most patients progress slowly, but some patients develop lymph node and distant metastasis earlier, and their prognosis is poor. Therefore, early diagnosis and warning of malignancy are very meaningful for such patients. SAS1B gene is a newly discovered protein expressed on the surface of mature egg cells and has metalloendopeptidase activity. We aimed at exploring whether SAS1B is involved in the occurrence of thyroid cancer, and at providing evidence for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of thyroid cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this study, a rabbit anti-human SAS1B polyclonal antibody was prepared by gene recombination technology. The indirect ELISA method was used to detect the SAS1B protein expression in the serum of 69 patients with thyroid cancer and 55 normal controls, and the relevant pathological factors were analyzed. Immunohistochemistry and PCR technology were used to investigate the expression levels of SAS1B protein and mRNA in 30 thyroid cancer tissues and 23 control thyroid tissues. RESULTS: The titer of SAS1B recombinant antibody was 1:51200. The expression of SAS1B in the serum of patients with thyroid cancer was higher than that in the normal control group (p<0.01). The antibody had a good sensitivity in serum detection of cancer patients (p=0.008<0.01), the linear regression analysis result was that the expression of SAS1B gene was related to tumor envelope invasion and lymph node metastasis (p=0.003<0.01, p=0.003<0.01), and it was irrelevant to the patient's gender, age, tumor mass size, number of cancer foci, pathological stage, etc. (p>0.05). The results of immunohistochemistry showed that SAS1B protein was mainly located in the cytoplasm and membrane of thyroid cancer cells. The expression intensity in thyroid cancer tissues was higher than that in control tissues (p<0.05), but it was not expressed in normal thyroid tissues. Antibodies showed a good sensitivity that was used to detect thyroid cancer tissues (p=0.000<0.01). The results of ordinary PCR detection using thyroid cancer tissue and control thyroid tissue showed that the amplification products of the three domains (N-terminal, C-terminal and catalytic domain) of the SAS1B gene showed high expression in thyroid cancer tissue. q-PCR results showed that the expression of SAS1B gene in thyroid cancer and control thyroid tissue was higher than that in control group (p<0.05), and the genes of Aurora A and BARD1 related to centrosome replication and DNA replication forks protection during the proliferation were highly expressed in thyroid cancer tissue. The study results suggested that SAS1B was involved in the carcinogenesis of thyroid cancer. The Hum_mPLoc.2.0 software, PSORT Ⅱ software and UniProt software were used to predict that SAS1B protein had secretory protein properties. CONCLUSIONS: The above data indicate that the SAS1B gene is closely related to the process of thyroid cancer and can serve as a good tumor marker that can be used for early diagnosis and early warning of thyroid malignancy.

Relationship between vasomotor symptoms and metabolic syndrome in Chinese middle-aged women.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to find the associations between vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Chinese middle-aged women in a cross-sectional study. METHODS: A total of 675 participants were recruited from an urban Chinese community. MetS was defined by the 2009 criteria of the Joint Interim Statement. VMS including hot flashes and sweats, blood pressure, weight, height, waist circumference (WC), serum glucose, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), estradiol, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were collected. RESULTS: The presence of hot flashes was independently associated with the risk of MetS after adjusting for age, menopausal status, FSHlog, estradiollog, and physical activity (odds ratio: 1.98, 95% confidence interval: 1.21-3.24, p = 0.006). Both hot flashes and sweats were also independently associated with WC (for hot flashes, p = 0.016; and for sweats, p = 0.007) and triglycerides (for hot flashes, p = 0.041; and for sweats, p = 0.014) significantly. However, VMS were not significantly associated with blood pressure, glucose, HDL, and LDL. CONCLUSION: Women with hot flashes had a higher risk of MetS. Both hot flashes and sweats were related to a higher amount of central fat indicated by WC and higher triglycerides, but were not related to blood pressure, glucose, and HDL in Chinese women.

Development of a prognostic model based on an immunogenomic landscape analysis of colorectal cancer.

Screening and therapeutic programs for colorectal cancer (CRC) are invasive or not effective and unable to meet patient needs. Major advances in immunogenomics may change this status but need more exploration. Differentially expressed genes and immune-related genes (IRGs) were identified by computational methods. A prognostic model was established and validated based on survival-related IRGs via stepwise multivariate Cox regression analysis. Nine IRGs were selected and identified as survival-related genes. A 7-gene prognostic model could offer a preliminary and valid determination of risk in CRC patients. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic was 0.672. The 7-gene prognostic model might be used as a novel prognostic tool in CRC patients.

LncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 aggravates the malignant development of breast cancer via upregulating JMJD6.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore the expression pattern of long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) ZFPM2-AS1 in breast cancer (BC) tissues, and its biological influence on clinical features and prognosis in BC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: ZFPM2-AS1 levels in 52 paired BC tissues and adjacent normal ones were detected. Then, the relationship between ZFPM2-AS1 level and clinical features in BC patients was analyzed. Regulatory effects of ZFPM2-AS1 on proliferative and migratory abilities in MCF-7 and SKBR3 cells were assessed. In addition, in vivo regulation of ZFPM2-AS1 in nude mice bearing BC was evaluated. Finally, the interaction between ZFPM2-AS1 and JMJD6 and the involvement of ZFPM2-AS1 in the development of BC were illustrated. RESULTS: The results showed that ZFPM2-AS1 was upregulated in BC tissues, and its high level was linked to advanced tumor stage, high rates of lymphatic metastasis, and distant metastasis, as well as poor prognosis in BC. The knockdown of ZFPM2-AS1 suppressed proliferative and migratory abilities in BC cells. In addition, JMJD6 was verified to be the downstream gene binding to ZFPM2-AS1, which was highly expressed in BC tissues and positively regulated by ZFPM2-AS1. In vivo knockdown of ZFPM2-AS1 in nude mice bearing BC showed a smaller tumor volume and lower tumor weight than controls. In addition, JMJD6 was downregulated in BC tumors extracted from mice with silenced ZFPM2-AS1. CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 is upregulated in BC and linked to tumor stage, metastasis, and prognosis in BC patients. It aggravates the malignant development of BC via upregulating JMJD6.

MiR-942-5p alleviates septic acute kidney injury by targeting FOXO3.

OBJECTIVE: Sepsis refers to the systemic inflammatory response caused by infection. Acute kidney injury (AKI) in sepsis is very common, and there are many complicated mechanisms for the occurrence of septic AKI. This article aimed to study the role of miR-942-5p in inflammation and apoptosis of septic AKI and its potential mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real Time-quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect the expression of RNAs. The protein expression was detected using Western blot. The contents of inflammatory factors in the cell supernatant were detected using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was utilized to compare the cell viability of each group. Terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry were used to observe cell apoptosis. RESULTS: MiR-942-5p expression was reduced in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated HK-2 cells. MiR-942-5p mimic could observably increase miR-942-5p expression. The overexpression of miR-942-5p dramatically inhibits the expression of inflammatory factors and Bax, but increase Bcl-2 expression. MiR-942-5p overexpression greatly reversed the LPS-induced decrease in viability of HK-2 cells. In addition, we observed that LPS can markedly increase the number of apoptosis, while miR-942-5p mimic can reduce it. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results demonstrated that miR-942-5p expression was reduced in the LPS-treated HK-2 cells, and miR-942-5p overexpression can inhibit LPS-induced inflammation and apoptosis of HK-2 cells via targeting FOXO3.