Prediction models for overall and cancer-specific survival in patients with metastatic early-onset colorectal cancer: a population-based study.

PURPOSE: Metastatic early-onset colorectal cancer (EO-CRC) is on the rise, yet there is a dearth of predictive models for this disease. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a nomogram to aid in the early detection and management of metastatic colorectal cancer in young patients. METHODS: We retrieved data from the SEER database on patients with metastatic colorectal cancer aged 50 or younger between 2010 and 2017. The data were randomly allocated in a 7:3 ratio to training and validation cohorts, and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) at 1, 3, and 5 years. The nomograms were developed based on these factors, and their discriminatory and calibration capabilities were validated. Using the nomogram risk scores, patients were stratified into low-risk and high-risk groups. RESULTS: The study included 2470 patients with metastatic EO-CRC. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis identified 12 independent risk factors that were included in the nomogram. The training cohort had a consistency index (C-index) of 0.71, while the validation cohort had a C-index of 0.70, demonstrating good predictive accuracy. Calibration plots showed a high level of consistency between the observed and predicted values, with overlapping plots along the diagonal. The decision curve analysis (DCA) revealed that the nomogram had a high clinical application value. CONCLUSIONS: The novel nomograms were created to predict the prognosis of patients with metastatic EO-CRC, which can aid clinicians in developing more effective treatment strategies and contribute to more accurate prognostic assessments.

Counting on you: benevolent sexism increases women's financial risk-taking.

The present research examined whether and how benevolent sexism, a subjectively positive but sexist ideology, would influence women's financial risk-taking and we proposed that benevolent sexism would increase women's financial risk-taking through economic dependency. Three studies converged to support our proposition. Specifically, Studies 1 and 2 (n = 387) showed that benevolent sexism was positively associated with women's financial risk-taking; such that the more benevolent sexism women endorsed, the more financial risks they tended to take. Using an experimental design, Study 3 (n = 126) established the causal link between benevolent sexism and financial risk-taking for women, and also demonstrated the mediating effect of economic dependency. These findings highlight the role of social ideology in influencing women's financial risk-taking. Implications were discussed.

[Associations of hyperlipidemia and its subtypes with blood lead levels in Lu'an City community older adults in 2016].

OBJECTIVE: To explore associations of hyperlipidemia and its subtypes with blood lead levels in community older adults. METHODS: From June to September, 2016, a rural and an urban community in Lu'an City, Anhui Province were randomly selected. Older adults aged 60 years old or over in two communities were recruited to participate, receiving a questionnaire interview(including gender, age, region, education, occupation, marital status, lifestyle, and chronic medical history, etc. ), physical examinations(height, weight, and blood pressure) and laboratory tests(blood glucose, blood lipid, and blood lead levels). A total of 1080 older adults volunteered to participate, of which 1008 had completedata. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure concentrations of blood lead. The interquartile range was used to divide the distribution of lead in blood. Logistic regression model was used to examine associations of hyperlipidemia and its subtypes with blood lead levels. Restrictive cubic splineswere used to further determine potential dose-response relationships. RESULTS: Of 1008 older adults, the mean age was(71.9±6.5) years old, 459(45.5%)were male, and 557(55.3%) were from the rural community. The prevalence of hyperlipidemia was 51.2%(n=516). The detection rate and geometric mean of blood lead were 100% and 28.08 µg/L(ranged from 7.89 to 278.33 µg/L), respectively. Univariate analysis showed that older adults in the highest quartile group of blood lead(≥75%) had higher odds of hyperlipidemia(OR=1.42, 95%CI 1.00-2.02) and two subtypes(high total serum cholesterol(OR=1.83, 95%CI 1.25-2.68)and mixed hyperlipidemia(OR=1.49, 95%CI 0.83-2.67)) compared to counterparties in the lowest quartile group(≤25%). After adjustment for gender, age, region, education, occupation, marital status, smoking, drinking, exercise conditions, diet, high blood pressure, diabetes, and body mass index, the ORs for hyperlipidemia and mixed hyperlipidemia in the highest quartile group of blood lead were 1.55(95%CI 1.02-2.36) and 2.87(95%CI 1.44-5.70). The restricted cubic spline curves showed approximate linear relationships between blood lead levels and ORs of hyperlipidemia and mixed hyperlipidemia. CONCLUSION: Linear associations of blood lead levels with hyperlipidemia and mixed hyperlipidemia were found in community older adults.

Psychosomatic Symptoms and Neuroticism following COVID-19: The Role of Online Aggression toward a Stigmatized Group.

The present study investigated the effect of interpersonal mistreatment on the perpetrators' mental health. We proposed that the threat of COVID-19 will increase people's mental health problems through their on-line aggression toward stigmatized groups accused of spreading the disease and that there might be potential gender differences in such effects. We tested our predictions among a sample of U.S. residents (Study 1) and a large sample of Chinese residents living out of Hubei province (Study 2) during a heightened period of concern about COVID-19, February 2020. Specifically, we measured U.S. residents' on-line aggressive behaviors toward Chinese people (Study 1) and Chinese non-Hubei residents' on-line aggressive behaviors toward Hubei residents (Study 2) as well as their neuroticism (Study 1) and mental health states (Study 2). In line with our predictions, both studies showed that perceived infection of COVID-19 can induce on-line aggression toward stigmatized groups, thereby increasing people's mental health problems. Moreover, the relationship between COVID-19 vulnerability, on-line aggression, and psychosomatic symptoms was more prominent in men than in women. These results offer insights into people's responses toward COVID-19 and add to the understanding of people's mental and physical health during the epidemic stage of contagious diseases.

Cloning of Human IgG Fc cDNA and Expression of Whole Human Anti-HBsAg Antibody in CHO Cells.

Messenger RNA was extracted from human peripheral lymphocytes and first strand cDNA was prepared by reverse-transciption. The cDNA of Fc fragment of human IgG1 was then obtained by PCR and was cloned into the pGEM T-vector. The DNA sequences encoding signal peptides of both light and heavy chains were synthesized and cloned respectively. For construction of the light chain expression plasmid, the light chain signal sequence was linked with the light chain variable and constant regions (VL-CL) which had been cloned previously by screening of phage display libraries with HBsAg. The resulting full-lenth light chain sequence was then inserted into pcDNA3.1, a mammalian expression vector. For construction of the heavy chain expression plasmid, the heavy chain signal sequence, the variable region, the first constant region (VH-CH1, cloned previously by screening of phage display libraries with HBsAg) and Fc fragment sequence were ligated to form a full-length heavy chain ORF, which was then cloned into another mammalian expression vector, pCI-DHFR1. CHO(dhfr(-)) cells were cotransfected with the above light and heavy chain expression plasmids, and cell clones expressing human anti-HBsAg antibodies were selected by G418 and methotrexate (MTX). The recombinant human antibodies were purified with protein L affinity chromatography from the cell culture medium. As human serum IgG, the recombinant IgG exhibited only one band with a molecular weight of more than 100 kD in non-reducing SDS-PAGE in reducing SDS-PAGE, however, it turned out to be two bands of approximately 50 kD and 25 kD respectively. Western-blot analysis demonstrated that the whole IgG in the non-reducing SDS-PAGE, and the heavy chain in the reducing SDS-PAGE both reacted with goat anti-human Fc antiserum.