Hormone receptor expression in low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma of the breast progressing to high-grade metaplastic carcinoma: A case report.

RATIONALE: Breast low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma is an uncommon cancer that has been neglected in genetic and pathophysiological research. Consequently, medical practitioners face challenges in the effective diagnosis and treatment of this condition. PATIENT CONCERNS: We present the case of a 57-year-old Asian female patient who presented with bilateral breast masses on physical examination. Ultrasound and an MRI revealed a highly suspicious malignant mass in her right breast that was completely removed surgically. DIAGNOSES: After pathological analysis, the diagnosis was low-grade adenosquamous carcinoma with local high-grade transformation, and some of the tumor components were estrogen receptor positive. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent appropriate postoperative chemotherapy and achieved a favorable outcome. OUTCOMES: During the follow-up period after surgical resection, the patient did not experience any local recurrence or distant metastasis. LESSONS: Owing to the rare combination of estrogen receptor positivity and high-grade progression, this patient also required adjuvant chemotherapy. This enhances the essential foundation for diagnosing and treating this rare disease, and facilitates the implementation of treatment plans.

Giant functional parathyroid carcinoma: a case report and literature review.

Background: Parathyroid carcinoma is an infrequent neoplasm of the endocrine system, constituting roughly 0.5% to 5% of cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. The diagnosis of this condition presents a unique challenge for healthcare professionals. Case report: We present a case of a 77-year-old female patient who presented with a longstanding right-sided neck tumor. The Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) scan detected a substantial tumor situated at the inferior border of the thyroid gland. A surgical procedure was conducted, resulting in the total excision of the tumor. The diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma was confirmed through pathological investigation. At the six-month follow-up, the patient exhibited favorable post-operative outcomes with no evidence of recurrence. Conclusion: The primary approaches for managing parathyroid carcinoma involve precise diagnosis and surgical removal. This case report provides confirmation that the implementation of rigorous treatment measures can yield a substantial improvement in the prognosis.

Gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by duodenal metastasis from a primary lung adenocarcinoma: A case report.

The present case study reported a rare case of duodenal metastasis from a lung adenocarcinoma. A 62-year-old male, who underwent radical lung cancer surgery two years ago, was readmitted to Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital complaining of epigastric pain. The esophagogastroduodenoscopy identified a 2.5x3.5 cm ulcerative lesion at the duodenum. Histopathological and immunohistochemical staining results confirmed that the lung adenocarcinoma had metastasized to the duodenum. The tumor cells were positive for cytokeratin-7, thyroid transcription factor-1 and napsin-A expression, but negative for caudal-related homeobox 2 expression. Prior to the second cycle of targeted treatment with anlotinib, the patient reported severe hematochezia. Therefore, an angiography and artery embolization were subsequently performed. However, the patient succumbed to acute kidney injury three days after the operation. The metastasis of lung cancer to the gastrointestinal tract is extremely rare and usually asymptomatic. However, when treating patients with lung cancer presenting with digestive symptoms or other distant metastatic sites, clinicians should consider the possibility of gastrointestinal metastasis so that it can be identified in a timely manner. If lesions exist, doctors should locate these and perform biopsies to conduct histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations to make a clear diagnosis.

Identification of key candidate genes and pathways revealing the protective effect of liraglutide on diabetic cardiac muscle by integrated bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is becoming a significant health problem with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) expecting a startling 642 million diabetes patients by 2040. Liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, is reported to protect against diabetic cardiomyopathy by binding to the receptor, GLP-1R. However, the underlying mechanism has yet to be clarified. This study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and the effects of liraglutide on diabetic patient's cardiac muscles. METHODS: GSE102194 genetic expression profiles were extracted from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway (KEGG) enrichment analyses were carried out. Next, Cytoscape software was used to construct the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). DEGs were mapped onto a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network that comprised 249 nodes and 776 edges. RESULTS: A total of 520 DEGs were discovered, including 159 down-regulated genes and 361 up-regulated genes. DEGs that were upregulated were notably enriched in biological processes (BP) such as muscle system process, muscle system process, muscle structure development and anatomical structure morphogenesis while DEGs that were downregulated were rich in detection of chemical stimulus and neurological system process. KEGG pathway analysis showed the up-regulated DEGs were enriched in adrenergic signaling for cardiomyocytes, dopaminergic synapse, and circadian entrainment, while the down-regulated DEGs were enriched for factory transduction in 249 of the 520 tested samples. The modular analysis identified 4 modules that participated in some pathways associated with cardiac muscle contraction, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), and MAPK signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that Glp-1 could decrease the protein expression of p38, JNK, ERK1/2, and MARS proteins induced by high glucose (22 mM, 72 h). This study highlights the potential physiological processes that take place in diabetic cardiac muscles exposed to liraglutide. Our findings elucidated the regulatory network in diabetic cardiomyopathy and might provide a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Identification of biomarkers and drug repurposing candidates based on an immune-, inflammation- and membranous glomerulonephritis-associated triplets network for membranous glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND: Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is a common kidney disease. Despite many evidences support that many immune and inflammation-related genes could serve as effective biomarkers and treatment targets for MGN patients, the potential associations among MGN-, immune- and inflammation-related genes have not been sufficiently understood. METHODS: Here, a global immune-, inflammation- and MGN-associated triplets (IIMATs) network is constructed and analyzed. An integrated and computational approach is developed to identify dysregulated IIMATs for MGN patients based on expression and interaction data. RESULTS: 45 dysregulated IIMATs are identified in MGN by above method. Dysregulated patterns of these dysregulated IIMATs are complex and various. We identify four core clusters from dysregulated IIMATs network and some of these clusters could distinguish MGN and normal samples. Specially, some anti-cancer drugs including Tamoxifen, Bosutinib, Ponatinib and Nintedanib could become candidate drugs for MGN based on drug repurposing strategy follow IIMATs. Functional analysis shows these dysregulated IIMATs are associated with some key functions and chemokine signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: The present study explored the associations among immune, inflammation and MGN. Some effective candidate drugs for MGN were identified based on immune and inflammation. Overall, these comprehensive results provide novel insights into the mechanisms and treatment of MGN.

RETRACTED: LSAMP-AS1 binds to microRNA-183-5p to suppress the progression of prostate cancer by up-regulating the tumor suppressor DCN.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the editor after publication concerns were raised with respect to data presented in Figure 2. The journal contacted Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, who formed an Academic Committee to investigate. According to the "Academic Ethics and Implementation Rules" of Southern Medical University, the Committee reported evidence of improper preservation of original data and incorrect use of pictures, and recommended immediate withdrawal of the paper. Specifically, in the PC-3 group of Fig. 2H, the 'Control' cell migration image had been partially duplicated in the 'Empty vector' image. As per journal policy, original files used to create the entire figure were requested. Raw western blot images were not available for Figure 2 C+F, and experimental repeats yielded protein level discrepancies with the original published data. The editors therefore no longer have confidence in the integrity of these data.

Construction of a long non­coding RNA-mediated competitive endogenous RNA network reveals global patterns and regulatory markers in gestational diabetes.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common disease affecting pregnant women. Recent studies have suggested that competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), which compete with long non­coding RNAs (lncRNAs) for microRNA (miRNA or miR) binding and indirectly regulate miRNA targets through competing interactions, play a critical role in disease. In this study, we present a computationally integrated approach with which to construct a lncRNA­mediated ceRNA network (LCEN) in GDM by integrating RNA interactions and expression data. lncRNAs exhibited specific features and played critical roles in GDM­associated LCEN. The construction of a global functional score profile revealed that ceRNAs had a high activity in GDM. We extracted several ceRNA modules and demonstrated that these modules had increased close interactions. We further discovered that these ceRNA modules may be utilized as specific and effective circulating biomarkers for GDM. Finally, functional analyses demonstrated that the GDM­associated ceRNAs participated in the regulation of irisin and the thyroid hormone signaling pathway. It was suggested that there were close associations between the thyroid hormone and GDM. Collectively, ceRNAs may accelerate biomarker discovery and therapeutic development in GDM.

Comprehensive identification of immune-associated biomarkers based on network and mRNA expression patterns in membranous glomerulonephritis.

BACKGROUND: Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in adult patients. Despite extensive evidences suggested that many immune-related genes could serve as effective biomarkers in MGN, the potential has not been sufficiently understood because of most previous studies have concentrated on individual gene and not the entire interaction network. METHODS: Here, we integrated multiple levels of data containing immune-related genes, MGN-related genes, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks and gene expression profiling data to construct an immune or MGN-directed neighbor network (IOMDN network) and an MGN-related genes-directed network (MGND network). RESULTS: Our analysis suggested that immune-related genes in the PPI network have special topological characteristics and expression pattern related to MGN. We also identified five network modules which showed tighter network structure and stronger correlation of expression. In addition, functional and drug target analyses of genes in modules indicated that the potential mechanism for MGN. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these results indicated that the strong associations between immune and MGN and showed the potential of immune-related genes as novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets for MGN.

[Simultaneous determination of 121 veterinary drugs in pork by QuEChERS and ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

A method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of the 10 kinds of 121 veterinary drugs (including chloramphenicols, ß-agonists, sulfonamides, 4-quinolones, nitroimidazoles, macrolides, avermections, polyether antibiotics, tetracycline antibiotics, cephalosporins, etc.) in pork using QuEChERS method coupled with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). The drugs were extracted with Na2EDTA-McIlvaine buffer solution (pH = 4) and acetonitrile. Anhydrous sodium sulfate was used for the salting-out process. The solutions divided into two groups were cleaned-up by different mixed sorbents. The drugs were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode via electrospray ionization. Among the 121 drugs, 5 drugs were quantified by internal standard method, and the other 116 drugs were quantified by external standard method. The calibration curves of the 121 drugs were linear in the range of 0.02-40 µg/L with the correlation coefficients more than 0.99. The limits of quantification (LOQs, S/N = 10) were 0.05-10 µg/kg. The average recoveries of 8 drugs at LOQ level in pork ranged from 41.7% to 59.6% with the relative standard deviations (RSDs) of 1.7% - 13.5%. The average recoveries of 10 drugs at LOQ level in pork ranged from 122.6% to 163.2% with the RSDs of 0.6% -14.8%. The average recoveries of 103 drugs at LOQ level in pork ranged from 60.3% to 118.3% with the RSDs of 0.4% - 16.7%. The proposed method is rapid, simple, sensitive, reliable and cost-effective.

[Establishment of a nude mouse model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma lymph node metastasis and screening of the metastasis-related signature genes].

OBJECTIVE: To establish a nude mouse model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) lymph node metastasis and screen the signature genes associated with the metastasis. METHODS: The NPC 5-8F-EGFP cells were inoculated into nude mice, from which a 5-8F-LN cell line with lymph node metastasis potential was obtained. The lymphatic metastasis-related signature genes of breast cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma were screened by data mining method. RESULTS: The NPC cell lines 5-8F and 6-10B showed 307 differentially expressed genes by microarray analysis, from which 20 overlapping genes were identified, and 3 overexpressed genes were found with probable metastasis potential, namely the ADM, IRF1, and CAV1 genes. Quantitative RT-PCR validated the data mining results in the 5-8F-EGFP, 6-10B-EGFP, NP69, and 5-8F-LN cell lines. The 3 NPC cell lines 5-8F-EGFP, 6-10B-EGFP and 5-8F-LN showed significantly higher expressions of IRF1 than NP69 cells (P=0.008, 0.022, and 0.006, respectively. The expression level of CAV1 in 5-8F-EGFP cells was significantly higher than that in 6-10B-EGFP cells (P=0.014), but ADM expression showed no significant difference between the 4 cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: IRF1 may play an important role in the progression of NPC. The overexpression of CAV1 in 5-8F-EGFP cells can be associated with the high metastatic potential of the cells.

[Study on measuring host-guest ratio of inclusion compound of beta-CD-permethrin by IR].

Permethrin is one of the agrochemicals used in tea gardens currently with the characteristic of being easily decomposed in light. Permethrin with beta-cyclodextrin(CD) made into Inclusion Compound (IC) can increase its stability and reduce dosage to remain on the tea. Host/guest ratio is one of the important parameters of IC. The IC of permethrin with beta-CD was prepared by means of liquid phase method and characterized by using IR. The result of the IR proves that the characteristic absorption peaks of the host and guest are not changed by forming their IC. The host/guest ratio of the IC measured by IR is 1:1. Potassium sulfocyanate (KSCN) was chosen as an inside mark material, because it has only one strong absorption peak at 2100 cm(-1) and the peak was chosen as a quantitative peak of KSCN. The peak at 580 cm(-1) is the characteristic absorption of the wreath vibration of beta-CD and was chosen as a quantitative peak of beta-CD. KSCN and beta-CD were mixed with a certain quantity ratio and the mixture was analyzed by IR. The work curve of IR was established. A kind of new experimental method of measuring host/guest ratio of the IC was provided.