A multicenter prospective study of lateral neck lymph node mapping in papillary thyroid cancer.

Background: Despite the high incidence of lateral neck lymph node (LN) metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), the management of the lateral neck remains controversial. We aimed to map the draining LNs in the lateral neck using carbon nanoparticles and explore its potential in neck evaluation. Methods: We conducted a multicenter, prospective study in PTC patients who had non-palpable yet suspicious metastatic lateral LNs on ultrasound and/or computed tomography (CT) but could not be confirmed by fine needle aspiration. Carbon nanoparticle suspension was injected peritumorally into the thyroid and modified lateral neck dissection was subsequently performed. Results: A total of 154 patients were enrolled for analysis. And 5,070 lateral LNs were removed, of which 1,079 (21.3%) were dyed. The median of dyed LNs was 6 per case (range, 1-33). The distribution of dyed LNs in neck compartments was IV > III > IIA > IIB/V, independent of tumor size, location, multifocality or microscopic extra-thyroidal extension (ETE). Compared with undyed LNs, the probabilities of metastasis in dyed LNs were significantly increased in compartment III, IV, V, and II-V (III: 29.3% vs. 15.4%, P<0.001; IV: 26.3% vs. 14.5%, P<0.001; V: 16.7% vs. 3.3%, P=0.005; II-V: 26.3% vs. 10.0%, P<0.001). The relative risks of metastasis in dyed LNs compared with undyed LNs were 1.90, 1.82, 5.04 and 2.62 in compartment III, IV, V, and II-V, respectively. Conclusions: It was the first prospective multicenter study to map the lateral neck LNs with carbon nanoparticles, which could help surgeons visualize the suspicious LNs during surgery. Instead of unguided LN biopsy, this method has a potential role in lateral neck assessment for indeterminate lateral LNs in PTC.

Assessment of functional prognosis of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in athletes based on a body shape index.

BACKGROUND: A healthy body shape is essential to maintain athletes' sports level. At present, little is known about the effect of athletes' body shape on anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Moreover, the relationship between body shape and variables such as knee joint function after operation and return to the field has not been well studied. AIM: To verify the relationship between a body shape index (ABSI) and the functional prognosis of the knee after ACLR in athletes with ACL injuries. METHODS: We reviewed 76 athletes with unilateral ACL ruptures who underwent ACLR surgery in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University between 2017 and 2020, with a follow-up period of more than 24 mo. First, all populations were divided into a High-ABSI group (ABSI > 0.835, n = 38) and a Low-ABSI group (ABSI < 0.835, n = 38) based on the arithmetic median (0.835) of ABSI values. The primary exposure factor was ABSI, and the outcome indicators were knee function scores as well as postoperative complications. The correlation between ABSI and postoperative knee function scores and postoperative complications after ACLR were analyzed using multifactorial logistic regression. RESULTS: The preoperative knee function scores of the two groups were similar. The surgery and postoperative rehabilitation exercises, range of motion (ROM) compliance rate, Lysholm score, and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score of the two groups gradually increased, whereas the quadriceps atrophy index gradually decreased. The knee function scores were higher in the Low-ABSI group than in the High-ABSI group at the 24-mo postoperative follow-up (P < 0.05). In multifactorial logistic regression, ABSI was a risk factor of low knee joint function score after surgery, specifically low ROM scores (odds ratio [OR] = 1.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.10-1.44]; P < 0.001), low quadriceps atrophy index (OR = 1.11, 95%CI [0.97-1.29]; P < 0.05), low Lysholm scores (OR = 2.34, 95%CI [1.78-2.94]; P < 0.001), low symptoms (OR = 1.14, 95%CI [1.02-1.34]; P < 0.05), low activity of daily living (OR = 1.34, 95%CI [1.18-1.65]; P < 0.05), low sports (OR = 2.47, 95%CI [1.78-2.84]; P < 0.001), and low quality of life (OR = 3.34, 95%CI [2.88-3.94]; P < 0.001). ABSI was also a risk factor for deep vein thrombosis of the lower limb (OR = 2.14, 95%CI [1.88-2.36], P < 0.05] and ACL recurrent rupture (OR = 1.24, 95%CI [0.98-1.44], P < 0.05) after ACLR. CONCLUSION: ABSI is a risk factor for the poor prognosis of knee function in ACL athletes after ACLR, and the risk of poor knee function after ACLR, deep vein thrombosis of lower limb, and ACL recurrent rupture gradually increases with the rise of ABSI.

Derivatization Strategy for Simultaneous Molecular Imaging of Phospholipids and Low-Abundance Free Fatty Acids in Thyroid Cancer Tissue Sections.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) has been applied in many fields for detecting and imaging a variety of metabolites. In cancer research, this fast-growing imaging method also helps to elucidate the connection between the changes of metabolites in the microenvironment and the proliferation and survival of cancer cells. Free fatty acids (FFAs) are a vital building block of phospholipids (PLs) that can serve as a second cellular messenger and provide nutrients in the cancer microenvironment. The metabolism process of FFAs and PLs is highly relevant to the initiation and progression of different cancers. To better understand the metabolism process in cancer tissues, simultaneously detecting and imaging FFAs and PLs is essential. Despite the crucial developments that have been performed in the field of lipids imaging, FFAs and PLs have rarely been detected and imaged simultaneously in positive ion mode with good detection sensitivity. In this work, an on-tissue derivatization method was used to add a permanently quaternary amine onto FFAs; then, the FFAs and PLs were simultaneously imaged in positive ion mode. The derivatized FFAs are suitable for detection in positive ion mode. In comparison with the traditional matrix and the previous derivatization method, our derivatization reagent has a higher sensitivity for imaging FFAs. In addition, for simultaneous imaging analysis of FFAs and PLs, the number of imaged FFAs and PLs is greater than that with the previous on-tissue derivatization method. This high-sensitivity on-tissue derivatization method was applied to detect and image PLs and fatty acids in thyroid cancer tissues. In the MSI experiment, FFA derivatives and PLs were imaged while molecular localization and tissue integrity were maintained. Meanwhile, the correlation between PLs and FFAs was also studied, and the results showed that the correlations between saturated FFAs of C16:0 and C18:0 and PLs are better than the correlations of unsaturated FFAs with PLs.

miR-584 Suppresses Invasion and Cell Migration of Thyroid Carcinoma by Regulating the Target Oncogene ROCK1.

BACKGROUND: Uncovering the target gene of miR-584 to control thyroid carcinoma (TC) invasion and migration is of central importance in the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of TC. To validate whether miR-584 has a tumor-suppressive role in thyroid cancer cells by targeting ROCK1, a series of experiments were conducted to figure out the mechanism of action of miR-584. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Migration analyses and cell proliferation assays were performed using miR-584-transfected cells. The expression levels of miR-584 in TC were detected by using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Western blot analyses were conducted to find out the relationship between the tumor suppressor miR-584 and the target oncogene ROCK1 protein expression levels. Wound healing experiments were used to examine the relationships between miR-584 and the migration of thyroid cancer K1 cells and the effects of ROCK1 knockdown on K1 cell motility. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that altering the miR-584 levels affects human thyroid cancer cell migration, but has no effect on cell proliferation. The relative ROCK-1 expression levels were 1 and 0.54 in the scrambled-sequence control group and the miR-584 group, respectively. K1 cells transfected with siRNA-ROCK-1 showed weaker cell migration than cells transfected with siRNA-NC (negative control); the cell motility ratios were 18% and 27%, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that miR-584 could inhibit the expression of ROCK1, and ROCK1 knockdown would further affect the migration ability of K1 cells.