Bibliometric and visualized analysis of applying tumor markers in lung cancer diagnosis from 2000 to 2022.

Background: Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Tumor marker (TM) detection can indicate the existence and growth of a tumor and has therefore been used extensively for diagnosing LC. Here, we conducted a bibliometric analysis to examine TM-related publications for LC diagnosis to illustrate the current state and future trends of this field, as well as to identify additional promising TMs with high sensitivity. Methods: Publications regarding TMs in LC diagnosis were downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection. CiteSpace was applied to perform a bibliometric analysis of journals, cocitation authors, keywords, and references related to this field. VOSviewer was used to generate concise diagrams about countries, institutions, authors, and keywords. Changes in the TM research frontier were analyzed through citation burst detection. Results: A total of 990 studies were analyzed in this work. The collaboration network analysis revealed that the People's Republic of China, Yonsei University, and Molina R were the most productive country, institution, and scholar, respectively. Additionally, Molina R was the author with the most citations. The National Natural Science Foundation of China was the largest funding source. "Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as tumor marker in lung cancer" was the top reference with the most citations, Lung Cancer was the core journal, and "serum tumor marker" experienced a citation burst over the past 5 years. Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis of TMs in LC diagnosis presents the current trends and frontiers in this field. We summarized the research status of this field and the methods to improve the diagnostic efficacy of traditional serum TMs, as well as provided new directions and ideas for improving the LC clinical detection rate. Priority should be given to the transformation of computer-assisted diagnostic technology for clinical applications. In addition, circulating tumor cells, exosomes, and microRNAs were the current most cutting-edge TMs.

The value of serum TRAP1 in diagnosing small cell lung cancer and tumor immunity.

This study set out to investigate the clinical significance of serum tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) in diagnosing small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with different clinical stages, and to compare the diagnostic efficiency with neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9). Besides, to analyze the role of serum TRAP1 in tumor immunity. A total of 91 patients with SCLC, 99 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), 102 patients with pulmonary nodules (PN), and 75 healthy people were included. The concentrations of serum TRAP1 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). NSE, CEA, and CA19-9 were detected by chemiluminescence. The results showed that level of TRAP1 in Group SCLC was lower than other three groups (P < 0.01), whereas NSE in SCLC was significantly higher than the others (P < 0.01), and the levels of CEA and CA19-9 were higher than healthy people and PN patients (P < 0.01). There was a significant difference in TRAP1 levels between patients with limited-stage disease SCLC (LD-SCLC) and extensive-stage disease SCLC (ED-SCLC) (P < 0.0001). The sensitivity and specificity of TRAP1 in diagnosing LD-SCLC were 0.964 and 0.560, respectively, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.819. The sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing ED-SCLC were 0.810 and 0.868, respectively, and the AUC was 0.933, which showed high diagnostic value. The AUC of these two groups can be increased to 0.946 and 0.947 in combination of four biomarkers, effectively improving the diagnosis rate of SCLC. Our findings have revealed that serum TRAP1 has high diagnostic value for SCLC and high diagnostic sensitivity for LD-SCLC. It is a potential biomarker for SCLC. Combined detection can effectively improve the diagnosis rate of SCLC. TRAP1 may be secreted into the circulation by mature immune cells and participates in tumor immunity as a carrier of tumor antigens.

Single-incision robotic cholecystectomy versus single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILC) is the result of the ongoing trend to minimally invasive of laparoscopy, but some surgeons thought that the SILC can increase the risk of bile duct injure or bile spillage, and the single-incision robotic cholecystectomy (SIRC) can overcome the drawbacks of SILC. Some articles described that the SIRC had longer operative time and more cost than SILC. The advantages and disadvantages of SIRC have still not been extensively studied. We aimed to investigate the outcomes of SIRC compared to SILC and evaluate the safety and feasibility of SIRC. METHODS: To find relevant studies, the electronic databases PubMed, MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE were searched to seek information in English literature from 2011 to 2017. Studies comparing SIRC to SILC, for any indication, were included in the analysis. This systematic review and meta-analysis were performed with RevMan Version 5.3. RESULTS: Six comparative studies (n = 633 patients) were included in our analysis. The data showed that the SIRC and SILC had equivalent outcomes for operative time [mean difference (MD) = 17.32, 95% confidence interval (CI): -8.93-43.57, P = .20], intraoperative complications [odd ratio (OR) = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.17-1.39, P = .18], postoperative complications (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.21-1.86, P = .39), hospital stay (MD = -0.01, 95% CI: -0.21-0.19, P = .90), readmissions rate (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.09-5.63, P = .74), and conversion rate (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.14-1.96, P = .33), but total cost was statistically significant (MD = 3.7, 95% CI: 3.61-3.79, P < .00001). CONCLUSION: SIRC is a safe and feasible procedure for cholecystectomy, and the operative time is same as SILC, but the total cost of SIRC is significantly higher than SILC.

Repression of COUP-TFI Improves Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Differentiation into Insulin-Producing Cells.

Identifying molecular mechanisms that regulate insulin expression in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (bmMSCs) can provide clues on how to stimulate the differentiation of bmMSCs into insulin-producing cells (IPCs), which can be used as a therapeutic approach against type 1 diabetes (T1D). As repression factors may inhibit differentiation, the efficiency of this process is insufficient for cell transplantation. In this study, we used the mouse insulin 2 (Ins2) promoter sequence and performed a DNA affinity precipitation assay combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to identify the transcription factor, chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter transcriptional factor I (COUP-TFI). Functionally, bmMSCs were reprogrammed into IPCs via COUP-TFI suppression and MafA overexpression. The differentiated cells expressed higher levels of genes specific for islet endocrine cells, and they released C-peptide and insulin in response to glucose stimulation. Transplantation of IPCs into streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice caused a reduction in hyperglycemia. Mechanistically, COUP-TFI bound to the DR1 (direct repeats with 1 spacer) element in the Ins2 promoter, thereby negatively regulating promoter activity. Taken together, the data provide a novel mechanism by which COUP-TFI acts as a negative regulator in the Ins2 promoter. The differentiation of bmMSCs into IPCs could be improved by knockdown of COUP-TFI, which may provide a novel stem cell-based therapy for T1D.

Is radiofrequency ablation equal to surgical re-resection for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma meeting the Milan criteria? A meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with surgical re-resection (SRR) in patients with postoperative recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (RHCC) meeting the Milan criteria. METHODS: A literature search was performed to identify comparative studies addressing outcomes of both RFA and SRR for RHCC meeting the Milan criteria. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using either the fixed effects model or the random effects model. RESULTS: Five nonrandomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. These studies included a total of 543 patients: 243 treated with RFA and 300 treated with SRR. The SRR group had a better 3-year recurrence-free survival rate compared with RFA group (OR 0.44, 95%CI 0.25-0.77, p=0.004). However, there were no obvious differences between RFA and SRR group in overall survival (OS) rates, re-recurrence rate and OS rates with tumors ≤ 3cm. What's more, the RFA group had a safety advantage with less complications of Clavien classification grade II or higher compared with SRR group (OR 0.21, 95%CI 0.05-0.94, p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: RFA seemed to be superior to SRR in the treatment of patients with RHCC meeting the Milan criteria on account of clinical safety. However, these findings have to be carefully interpreted due to the lower level of evidence.

Green tea consumption and risk of esophageal cancer: a meta-analysis of published epidemiological studies.

We performed a meta-analysis to analyze the association of various levels of green tea consumption with risk of esophageal cancer. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for studies of green tea consumption and esophageal cancer and identified 12 observational studies. For esophageal cancer, the pooled relative risk (RR) was 1.09 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.76-1.55] for greatest vs. non/least green tea consumption; however, there was significant heterogeneity across studies (P = 0.00, I(2) = 75.5%). Compared with subjects who drank no/least green tea, the pooled RR was 1.14 (95% CI = 0.97-1.35) for moderate drinkers, 0.94 (95% CI = 0.77-1.13) for those who drank little, and 0.97 (95% CI = 0.77-1.22) for all subjects who had ever drunk green tea. Subgroup analysis showed that the RR was 0.46 (95% CI = 0.29-0.73) for female subjects. The results of the present meta-analysis are that any association between green tea and risk of esophageal cancer remains unclear. Subgroup analyses indicated that greater consumption of green tea might reduce the risk of esophageal cancer in female subjects. However, the results are based on limited research. Further research is needed to confirm the results and clarify the likely biological mechanisms.

Consumption of coffee associated with reduced risk of liver cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies have reported inconsistent results regarding coffee consumption and the risk of liver cancer. We performed a meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies to investigate the association between coffee consumption and liver cancer. METHODS: We searched Medline, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science and the Cochrane library for studies published up to May 2012. We performed a meta-analysis of nine case-control studies and seven cohort studies. RESULTS: The summary odds ratio (OR) for high vs no/almost never drinkers was 0.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.42-0.59), with no significant heterogeneity across studies (Q = 16.71; P = 0.337; I2 = 10.2%). The ORs were 0.50 (95% CI: 0.40-0.63) for case-control studies and 0.48 (95% CI: 0.38-0.62) for cohort studies. The OR was 0.38 (95% CI: 0.25-0.56) in males and 0.60 (95% CI: 0.33-1.10) in females. The OR was 0.45 (95% CI: 0.36-0.56) in Asian studies and 0.57 (95% CI: 0.44-0.75) in European studies. The OR was 0.39 (95% CI: 0.28-0.54) with no adjustment for a history of liver disease and 0.54 (95% CI: 0.46-0.66) after adjustment for a history of liver disease. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggested an inverse association between coffee consumption and liver cancer. Because of the small number of studies, further prospective studies are needed.

Localization of small sized insulinoma by means of combining arteriography with CT: a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: The majority of pancreatic insulinomas are of small size and conventional imaging examinations such as percutaneous ultrasonography (US), Computerized Tomography (CT) and MRI usually fail to reveal the lesion. In this article we describe the potential role of combining arteriography with CT, which is superior to single arteriography or CT. METHODOLOGY: A 45-year-old man who suffered from significant catecholaminergic and neuroglycopenic symptoms, such as hypodynamia, sweating, impaired memory and confusion, was diagnosed with insulinoma by biochemical tests. The serum level of glucose of fast in the morning was as low as 1.2 mmol/L, coincident with the low serum level of glucose; the serum level of insulin was 28.77 mIU/L. The fasting insulin-to-glucose ratio was higher than 0.4. The C-peptide of 1097.62 pmol/L was higher than normal. The lesion was not identified on US, CT scan or arteriography. However the combination of arteriography with CT revealed the small insulinoma located at junction of the body and the tail of the pancreas, about 1.0 x 0.8 cm. RESULTS: Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) verified the lesion which located in the posterior and superior aspect of the pancreas and spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy was performed. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis. After the surgery the patient underwent a good recovery and was discharged two weeks later. He has developed no further episodes of hypoglycemia two years after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Combining arteriography with CT is a valuable examination for insulinoma, and IOUS is helpful to verify the lesion. Entire excision of the lesion is the best way of treatment.