Adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver: The challenge of diagnosis.

Adenosquamous carcinoma of the liver is extremely rare. We report a case of adenosquamous carcinoma in the intrahepatic bile duct of a 56-year-old woman who complained of persistent abdominal pain, shivering and hyperthermia. Computed tomography demonstrated a solid-cystic neoplasm in segment 5/6/8 of the liver with a gradual enhancement pattern in the solid area. However, postoperative pathological examination showed adenosquamous carcinoma of intrahepatic bile duct.

First Report of Nondeletional Hb H Disease Caused by an α2-Globin Gene Mutation: HBA2: c.184A>T.

We report a rare mutation, HBA2: c.184A>T on the α2-globin gene, detected in a Chinese proband who presented with Hb H disease and a mild anemia. This frameshift mutation results in a premature termination of translation at position 61 of the α2-globin gene. Carriers of this mutation showed a borderline microcytic hypochromia. Our study indicates the importance of screening nondeletional α-thalassemia (α-thal) in areas with a particularly high prevalence of thalassemia such as in Southern China, especially for couples with one partner carrying an α0-thal deletion.

A New Hemoglobin Variant: Hb Jiujiang [α18(A16)Gly→Cys, HBA2: c.55G>T].

We have identified a new α chain hemoglobin (Hb) variant in a Chinese subject. Sequencing of the α-globin gene revealed a mutation in exon 1 at nucleotide 55, which results in the replacement of a glycine by cysteine at codon 18 [α18(A16)Gly→Cys, HBA2: c.55G>T] that we have named Hb Jiujiang for the region of origin of the proband.

Molecular and Hematological Characterization of a Novel Translation Initiation Codon Mutation of the α2-Globin Gene (ATG>ATC or HBA2: c.3G>C).

Although mutations causing α-thalassemia (α-thal) are mainly larger deletions involving one or both of the duplicated α-globin genes, point mutations are not rare. We have identified a novel mutation of the translation initiation codon of the α2-globin gene with DNA sequencing and allele-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) in a Chinese family. RNA analysis was performed with reverse transcription-MLPA (RT-MLPA). A novel mutation at the translation initiation codon of the α2-globin gene (HBA2: c.3G>C) was identified. The proband and his father, who were both carriers of this mutation, had a hematological phenotype of mild α+-thalassemia (α+-thal) trait with low-normal limit of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and normal Hb A2. RNA analysis showed markedly decreased levels of α-globin mRNA and the presence of a small amount of mutant mRNA. The HBA2: c.3G>C mutation most likely caused α-thal by lowering levels of wild α-globin chain. Our study increases the mutation spectrum of α-thal.

The monkeypox virus-host interplays.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a DNA virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus within the Poxviridae family which can cause a zoonotic infection. The unexpected non-endemic outbreak of mpox in 2022 is considered as a new global threat. It is imperative to take proactive measures, including enhancing our understanding of MPXV's biology and pathogenesis, and developing novel antiviral strategies. The host immune responses play critical roles in defensing against MPXV infection while the virus has also evolved multiple strategies for immune escape. This review summarizes the biological features, antiviral immunity, immune evasion mechanisms, pathogenicity, and prevention strategies for MPXV.

Liver metastasis from adenoid cystic carcinoma of the submandibular gland: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignancy of epithelial origin. It involves a variety of histologic types and often has distant metastasis. ACC metastasis to the liver is rare and usually involves spread to other organs. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of liver metastasis from a submandibular gland adenoid cystic carcinoma 11 years after resection of tumor. The patient was admitted to our hospital due to a liver-occupying lesion found by abdominal B-ultrasound, CT and MRI. A metastasis was found only in the liver, and after discussion the patient was treated with surgery. This tumor was histologically consistent with the diagnostic criteria of ACC. The patient was followed up 24 months after surgery, and showed no recurrence in the liver parenchyma at the site of operation or other organs. CONCLUSIONS: ACC is a very rare tumor and its pathogenesis is not completely clear. There are few articles about the imaging findings of ACC in the liver, and so it was difficult for us to make a correct diagnosis in clinical practice. The diagnosis of ACC mainly relies on pathologic examination, so we summarize the correlation between imaging and pathology.

The risk of stroke and associated risk factors in a health examination population: A cross-sectional study.

Health examination is an important method for early detection of people with different risk of stroke. This study estimates the risk of stroke and identify risk factors for people who underwent health examinations at the Health Examination Center at West China Hospital, Sichuan University from July 2014 to February 2018.A total of 31,464 people were recruited in this study and divided into 3 groups (low risk, moderate risk, and high risk) according to risk of stroke. We explored possible factors associated with the risk of stroke by using multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis.Among the participants, 17,959 were at low risk, 11,825 were at moderate risk, and 1680 were at high risk. Age, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, uric acid, diastolic pressure, systolic pressure, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, glucose, and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) were independent significant risk factors for stroke, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was an independent protective factor for stroke. Interestingly, with increasing age, the percentage of people at moderate or high risk of stroke was increased. The percentages of people at moderate and high risk of stroke were also increased with respect to the stages of baPWV.This study showed that >40% of the participants were at moderate or high risk of stroke, especially the older participants. Several factors were related to the risk of stroke, especially baPWV. Some preventive action may be adopted early, and more attention can be paid to the health examination population.

The effects of the king oyster mushroom Pleurotus eryngii (higher Basidiomycetes) on glycemic control in alloxan-induced diabetic mice.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Pleurotus eryngii on glycemic metabolism. Alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice were used to study the effects of P. eryngii on blood glucose, glycohemoglobin, insulin secretion, damaged pancreatic ß-cells, total antioxidant status (TAOS), and hepatic glycogen in hyperglycemic mice. Sixty diabetic mice were divided equally into 5 groups: the alloxan (AX)-induced hyperglycemic group, the AX and glibenclamide (GLI)-treated group, the AX and P. eryngii extracts (PEEs) 50-treated group (PEE 50 mg/kg), the AX and PEE100-treated group (PEE 100 mg/kg), and the AX and PEE200-treated group (PEE 200 mg/kg). The other 12 normal mice were injected intravenously with the normal saline and used as the control group. After PEE (100 and 200 mg/kg) was orally administered to the mice over 5 weeks, blood glucose and HbAlc were significantly decreased in AX-induced hyperglycemic mice (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively), whereas the level of insulin secretion was markedly elevated in (P < 0.05). The pancreatic ß-cells damaged by AX partially and gradually recovered after PPE extract was administered to the hyperglycemic mice for 35 days. In addition, PEE treatment gradually increased the body weight and significantly increased the concentration of hepatic glycogen in hyperglycemic mice (P < 0.05). The results suggest that the action of PPE on glycemic metabolism occurs via increasing glycogen and insulin concentrations as well as recovering injured ß-cells and reducing free radical damage. PPE may become a new potential hypoglycemic food for hyperglycemic people.