An Oral Microbial Biomarker for Early Detection of Recurrence of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

Changes in the oral microbiome are associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Oral microbe-derived signatures have been utilized as markers of OSCC. However, the structure of the oral microbiome during OSCC recurrence and biomarkers for the prediction of OSCC recurrence remains unknown. To identify OSCC recurrence-associated microbial biomarkers for the prediction of OSCC recurrence, we performed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing on 54 oral swab samples from OSCC patients. Differences in bacterial compositions were observed in patients with vs without recurrence. We found that Granulicatella, Peptostreptococcus, Campylobacter, Porphyromonas, Oribacterium, Actinomyces, Corynebacterium, Capnocytophaga, and Dialister were enriched in OSCC recurrence. Functional analysis of the oral microbiome showed altered functions associated with OSCC recurrence compared with nonrecurrence. A random forest prediction model was constructed with five microbial signatures including Leptotrichia trevisanii, Capnocytophaga sputigena, Capnocytophaga, Cardiobacterium, and Olsenella to discriminate OSCC recurrence from original OSCC (accuracy = 0.963). Moreover, we validated the prediction model in another independent cohort (46 OSCC patients), achieving an accuracy of 0.761. We compared the accuracy of the prediction of OSCC recurrence between the five microbial signatures and two clinicopathological parameters, including resection margin and lymph node counts. The results predicted by the model with five microbial signatures showed a higher accuracy than those based on the clinical outcomes from the two clinicopathological parameters. This study demonstrated the validity of using recurrence-related microbial biomarkers, a noninvasive and effective method for the prediction of OSCC recurrence. Our findings may contribute to the prognosis and treatment of OSCC recurrence.

Quinoa Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis, Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Regulates the Gut Microbiota in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Rats.

A long-term high-fat diet causes hepatic steatosis, which further leads to oxidative stress and inflammation. In this study, we firstly investigated the regulation effects of different amounts of quinoa on hepatic steatosis, oxidative stress, and inflammation of rats fed a high-fat diet, then the gut microbiota was dynamically determined. Sprague-Dawley (SD, male) rats were randomized into four groups: normal controls (NC, fed standard chow), model groups (HF, fed a high-fat diet), low quinoa intake (HF + LQ), and high quinoa intake (HF + HQ) groups, which were supplemented with 9% and 27% quinoa in the high-fat feed (equivalent to 100 g/day and 300 g/day human intake, respectively). The results showed that quinoa intake significantly inhibited the hepatomegaly and splenomegaly, ameliorated hepatic steatosis pathologically; effectively rescued the decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) and the increase in malondialdehyde (MDA). The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), and leptin in rats of two quinoa groups were close to those of the NC group. Besides, high quinoa intake significantly increased the relative abundance of Akkermansia, and low quinoa intake significantly increased the relative abundance of Blautia at the genus level. The relative abundances of Blautia and Dorea in rats in the HF + HQ group were lower than those in rats in the HF + LQ group. In addition, the relative abundances of Clostridium and Turicibacter of rats in the two quinoa intervention groups were lower than those of rats in the HF group after 12 weeks of intervention. In summary, quinoa exhibits a series of beneficial effects in the prevention of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and is suggested to be a component of a daily diet for the prevention of NAFLD.

Preparation and bioactivity of the rare ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2: An updated review.

Ginseng, an ancient medicinal herb, is used in oriental medicine for the treatment of various diseases. Saponins are the main bioactive components of ginseng, but the multiple glucosyl side chains on its molecules prevent ginsenosides from entering the blood through the intestinal membrane, thus reducing the efficacy. The preparation of rare ginsenosides, which are easy to be absorbed by human body and have higher drug activity, has been widely practiced by removing the sugar group of natural ginsenosides in vitro. Rare ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2 have been approved as drugs or health supplements to improve immune function. This review summarizes the preparation methods of ginsenoside Rg3 and Rh2 in recent years. Ginsenoside Rg3 and Rh2 were prepared by biotransformation of protopanaxadiol type ginsenoside, with the highest conversion rate of 98.19% and 95.89% in the laboratory, respectively. At present, improving the conversion rate and reducing the production cost are still the bottleneck of industrial scale production of Rg3 and Rh2 through the deglycosylation directly from Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc and Rd in the crude extract of ginseng. In addition, ginsenosides Rg3 and Rh2 play anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardiovascular protective, immunomodulatory, neuroprotective, anti-diabetic, anti-fatigue, anti-allergic, anti-aging, antioxidant and other pharmacological effects by activating AMPK, JNK, NF-κB, MAPKs, P13K/AKT/mTOR and other signaling pathways. As potential drugs for prevention and treatment of various diseases, ginsenoside Rg3 and Rh2 need to further clarify other underlying mechanisms of action through in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Risk assessment of human exposure to airborne pesticides in rural greenhouses.

In comparison to an open field, greenhouses utilize much more pesticides. The non-occupational exposure risk caused by pesticide drift is unknown. In this study, within 8 months (from March 2018 to October 2018), air samples were collected from indoor and outdoor houses and public areas near greenhouses in vegetable growing areas (eggplant, leek, garlic, etc.), and qualitative and quantitative analyses of pesticides were carried out. Using a 95% confidence interval, six pesticides (acetamiprid, difenoconazole, thiazophos, isoprocarb, malathion, and pyridaben) were detected. The results of the safety assessment showed that the non-cancer exposure risk of single pesticides for all residents in the agricultural areas was within the acceptable range, and the excess lifetime cancer risk of all residents inhaling difenoconazole exceeded 1E-6, and the agricultural region urgently needs increased cancer regulatory scrutiny. But combined toxicity of six pesticides not evaluated due to lack of suitable data. Comparison with open field scenes, the results show that pesticide levels to airborne are lower in greenhouse regions.

Analysis of the Influencing Factors of Sentinel Lymph Node Metastasis in Breast Cancer.

Objective: To analyze and discuss the influencing factors of sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. Methods: A total of 469 breast cancer patients admitted in the Department of Pathology of Guangdong Women and Children Hospital from October 2016 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The general information, immunohistochemical expression, tumor molecular subtype, tumor size, histological grade, pathological type, and tumor location were collected and the relationship with sentinel lymph node metastasis was analyzed. Results: For patients with different age, Ki-67 and Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) immunohistochemical expression level (invasive cancer), molecular subtype (invasive cancer), tumor size, histological grade (invasive cancer) and pathological type. The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the age was less than or equal to 40 years; the molecular subtype was Luminal B and HER-2 overexpression (invasive cancer); tumor was larger; the histological grade (invasive cancer) was higher; the pathological type was invasive carcinoma, there were independent risk factors for sentinel lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. The sentinel lymph node metastasis rates of invasive lobular carcinoma, invasive micropapillary carcinoma, and metaplastic carcinoma (all met the criteria for squamous cell carcinoma and histological grade III) were higher than 50% in special invasive carcinomas. Conclusion: Age, expression level of Ki 67 and HER-2, molecular typing, tumor volume and histological grade are all high-risk factors related to sentinel lymph node metastasis of breast cancer. When one or more of the above factors are involved in an examination, pathologists should be more cautious in making a sentinel lymph node frozen diagnosis. By standardizing the sampling and increasing the number of frozen sections (slicing more frozen tissue layers), the section quality can be improved. This may be conducive to reducing the false negative rate and reducing the pain and risk of secondary surgery.

A bibliometric analysis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma research from 2001 to 2020.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with the highest incidence, accounting for approximately one-third of NHL cases. Given the accumulated scientific publications related to the DLBCL domain, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive review of DLBCL studies from this millennium using the bibliometric method. With a strict retrieval strategy applied in the Web of Science database, a total of 10,869 publications from 2001 to 2020 were obtained and exported. The temporal and geographical distribution of these publications and the performance of contributing countries, institutions, journals, and authors corresponding to these documents were investigated, as well as an in-depth content analysis through keyword co-occurrence. With regard to the most productive countries, the United States ranks first with 2344 (21.6%) publications and shows the most frequent collaborations with other countries. By contrast, China has demonstrated remarkable performance in the growth rate of publications over the years, and it ranks first in the number of publications in the last five years. The University of Texas System is the institution with the highest number of published articles (4.99%). Leukemia Lymphoma is the journal with the highest number of publications in this field which contributed 588 articles. Solid and close collaborations between scholars are becoming more frequent over the four five-year periods. Overall, the highest cooperation frequency in the last two decades happens to Gascoyne RD at the British Columbia Cancer Agency and British Columbia Cancer Research Center in Canada. By comparing the article citation and keyword co-occurrence in each five-year period, as well as the changes in keyword clusters over two decades, we conclude that the stage, evaluation, prognosis, and treatment of DLBCL have always been the research hotspots in this field. Meanwhile, the evolution of keyword co-occurrence over the years demonstrates that new clusters appear. For instance, the effect of ferroptosis mechanism in DLBCL, immunotherapy for DLBCL, and PDL-1, PDL-2, and CAR-T therapy have drawn increasing attention from academia. Our research highlights the key characteristics of DLBCL research and provides comprehensive insights into the research status and evolutions in this field.

The spectrum of kidney biopsy findings in Chinese HIV-infected patients.

OBJECTIVES: HIV-associated kidney disease is common but data on the pathology spectrum of kidney biopsy in China is lacking. This study aimed to illustrate the clinical presentation, laboratory findings and pathological spectrum of different subtypes of HIV-associated kidney disease in China. METHODS: Eighteen HIV patients with renal biopsy indications at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 2002 to October 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. All had CD4 counts and HIV viral load measurements. Renal biopsies were examined with light microscopy, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. Shapiro-Wilk test was used to test whether the data was normally distributed. The data is presented as medians (interquartile range), number (%), or means (±SD) according to their distribution. RESULTS: Seventeen patients had glomerular disease, and one patient had interstitial nephritis. Membranous nephropathy was present in eight patients (47.1%), and IgA nephropathy in four patients (23.5%). The difference in urine protein and serum albumin before and after treatment was statistically significant and no deaths or dialysis were observed to the end of follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study found that classic HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN) was uncommon in Chinese HIV patients. HIV immune complex kidney (HIVICK) disease, such as membranous or IgA nephropathy, was more common, and associated with better prognosis. Antiretroviral therapy, ACE inhibitors, and angiotensin II receptor blockers were effective in decreasing proteinuria and preserving renal function. The use of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents seems safe. However, the nephrotoxic effect of antiretroviral agents and other medications should be carefully monitored.

The effects of state facial surgery mandates on timeliness of primary cleft repair surgery in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the effects of state facial surgery mandates on the timeliness of primary cleft repair surgery for privately insured children with oral clefts in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using IBM Health MarketScan® Database from 2001 to 2017, we estimate regression models separately for age at cleft lip repair and cleft palate repair by having a mandate while considering child-level factors and other state differences. The sample includes 1,451 children who had primary cleft lip repair by age 12 months, and 1,402 children who had primary cleft palate repair by age 18 months. RESULTS: A mandate was associated with earlier cleft lip repair by 13 days (95% CI, -21.5 to -4.7 days) when controlling for state differences, regardless if the child had other birth defects. For children needing cleft palate repair, a mandate was associated with earlier surgery by 87 days (95% CI, -136.1 to -38.4 days) only when no other birth defects were present. CONCLUSIONS: State facial surgery mandates were associated with earlier cleft lip repair for children with or without other birth defects, and earlier cleft palate repair for children without other birth defects (besides oral clefts). Findings suggest benefits to privately insured children with oral clefts from state mandates to cover needed services.

A Panel of Five-lncRNA Signature as a Potential Biomarker for Predicting Survival in Gastric and Thoracic Cancers.

Dysfunctional long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to have carcinogenic and/or tumor inhibitory effects in the development and progression of cancer, suggesting their potential as new independent biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. The exploration of the relationship between lncRNAs and the overall survival (OS) of different cancers opens up new prospects for tumor diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we established a five-lncRNA signature and explored its prognostic efficiency in gastric cancer (GC) and several thoracic malignancies, including breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA), esophageal carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), and thymoma (THYM). Cox regression analysis and lasso regression were used to evaluate the relationship between lncRNA expression and survival in different cancer datasets from GEO and TCGA. Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated that risk scores characterized by a five-lncRNA signature were significantly associated with the OS of GC, BRCA, LUSC, and THYM patients. Functional enrichment analysis showed that these five lncRNAs are involved in known biological pathways related to cancer pathology. In conclusion, the five-lncRNA signature can be used as a prognostic marker to promote the diagnosis and treatment of GC and thymic malignancies.

Kostmann Syndrome With Neurological Abnormalities: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), also known as Kostmann syndrome, is a rare heterogeneous group of diseases characterized by arrested neutrophil maturation in the bone marrow. Case Presentation: We report a case of Kostmann syndrome and review previously reported SCN cases with neurological abnormalities. A 10-year-old boy had a history of recurrent, once a month, infection starting at 6 months of age. He had neutropenia for more than 9 years, as well as intellectual disability. He was homozygous for the exon 3 c.430dupG mutation of the HAX1 gene NM-006118. After treatment of antibiotics and G-CSF, his symtoms were relieved and was 3 months free of infection. The search revealed 29 articles related to Kostmann syndrome caused by HAX1 gene mutation; they were screened, and the main clinical features of 13 cases of Kostmann syndrome with neurological abnormalities were summarized and analyzed. Conclusions: Kostmann syndrome has three main characteristics: severe neutropenia (<0.2 × 109/L), maturation arrest of granulopoiesis at the promyelocyte stage, and death due to infections. HAX1 gene mutations affecting both isoforms A and B are associated with additional neurological symptoms. G-CSF can improve and maintain neutrophil counts, and improve prognosis and quality of life. At present, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the only cure.

The Impacts of the ACA Medicaid Expansions on Cancer Screening Use by Primary Care Provider Supply.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies of the impacts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Medicaid expansions on cancer screening use have mostly found insignificant effects. We posit that these findings mask meaningful heterogeneity in impacts depending on availability of primary care providers. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the impacts of the ACA Medicaid expansions on cancer screening use separately by state-level supply of primary care providers. RESEARCH DESIGN: We used data from the 2012 and 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys to measure use of mammograms, Pap smear tests, blood stool tests, and sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy for age groups recommended receiving these tests. The main analytical sample included 24,878-31,890 individuals with household income below 138% Federal Poverty Line. We used a difference-in-differences design comparing pre-post expansion changes in cancer screening use between expanding and nonexpanding states separately for 2 state groups defined by the median proportion of the state population residing in primary health professional shortage areas: low primary care provider supply (above median) and high supply (below median). RESULTS: Medicaid expansions were associated with significant increases in mammograms (11.4 percentage-points), Pap smear tests (6.9 percentage-points), and sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy use (8.3 percentage-points) in states with high supply of primary care providers. In contrast, effects were small and insignificant in low supply states. CONCLUSIONS: ACA Medicaid expansions were associated with increased cancer screening use only in states with high supply of primary care providers. Improving access for Medicaid beneficiaries in provider shortage areas may require coupling coverage expansions with supply-side interventions to increase provider availability.

Effect analysis of intradermal hyaluronic acid injection to treat enlarged facial pores.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical application and efficacy of intradermal injection of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid (LMW-HA) for treating enlarged facial pores. METHODS: From January 2015 to May 2016, 42 subjects who sought aesthetic treatment underwent intradermal injection of LMW-HA to improve enlarged facial pores. For each treatment, 2.5 mL (25 mg) of LMW-HA was injected into the skin of the full face. The treatment was repeated 2-5 times with an interval of 1 to 1.5 months between consecutive treatments. The postoperative follow-up period was 1 to 6 months. Statistical analysis was used to compare the degree of enlargement of facial pores before and after injection. The clinical efficacy and adverse effects were recorded. RESULTS: The enlarged facial pores before and after treatment were categorized and subjected to the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test. The difference was statistically significant (P<.01). The improvement rate was 40.03±18.41%. No infection, nodules, or pigmentation was reported at the injection sites in the subjects who sought aesthetic treatment. The overall satisfaction rate was 92.8%. CONCLUSION: Intradermal injection of LMW-HA can significantly improve skin texture, reduce pore size, and enhance skin radiance. The injection technique was simple, safe, and effective and could easily be extended to clinical practice.

NFKB2 mutation in common variable immunodeficiency and isolated adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) with central adrenal insufficiency is a recently defined clinical syndrome caused by mutations in the nuclear factor kappa-B subunit 2 (NFKB2) gene. We present the first case of NFKB2 mutation in Asian population. METHODS AND RESULTS: An 18-year-old Chinese female with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) deficiency was admitted due to adrenal crisis and pneumonia. She had a history of recurrent respiratory infections since childhood and ectodermal abnormalities were noted during physical examination. Immunologic tests revealed panhypogammaglobulinemia and deficient natural killer (NK)-cell function. DNA sequencing of NFKB2 identified a heterozygous nonsense mutation (c.2563 A>T, p.855: Lys>*) in the patient but not her parents. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should be alert to comorbidities of adrenal insufficiency and ectodermal dysplasia in CVID patients as these might suggest a rare hereditary syndrome caused by NFKB2 mutation.

[Use of fan-shaped scar flap for reconstruction after auricular keloid core excision: an analysis of 193 lesions in 177 patients].

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of fan-shaped scar flaps for reconstruction of the wounds after auricular keloid core excision. Methods: 193 auricular keloid lesions in 177 patients were treated. The fan-shaped scar flap, harvested from the surface of the auricle keloid, was clipped into the suitable size. The curved surface of flap was shaped into flat surface to cover the wound after keloid core excision without tension. Adjuvant intralesional injection of corticosteroid was performed intraoperatively and postoperatively. Results: All the flaps survived completely with satisfactory aesthetic results. The effective rate of treatment was 96.4％ (186/193),and the recurrence rate was 3.6％ (7/193). Conclusions: Satisfactory results can be achieved with the fan-shaped scar flap in the reconstruction after auricular keloid core excision. It' s an effective treatment suitable for auricle keloids in different shapes and sizes.

[Correction of whistle deformity in bilateral cleft lip with lower lip bipedicle orbicularis oris musculomucosal island flap].

Objective: To explore a new method to correct the whistle deformity in bilateral cleft lip. Methods: A lower lip bipedicle orbicularis oris musculomucosal island flap was designed to repair the upper vermilion defect.The pedicle of this flap was deepidermidalized and then embedded into the upper lip. The dry lip in the central was reserved to reconstruct the vermilion tubercle. Results: From Aug.2013 to Aug.2015,10 cases were treated successfully with primary healing. With the follow-up period of 5-17 months, the appearance of upper lip was greatly improved with a balanced proportion and full lip tubercle. Conclusions: This lower lip bipedicle orbicularis oris musculomucosal island flap is an ideal method for the correction of whistle deformity in bilateral cleft lip.