Endometrioid carcinomas with sex cord-like formations and hyalinization: spontaneous pregnancy after conservative treatment.

Endometrioid carcinoma with sex cord-like formations and hyalinization of the uterine corpus, or corded and hyalinized endometrioid adenocarcinoma (CHEC), is a rare morphological variant of endometrioid carcinoma, for which there is limited literature and few cases reports. Most researchers tend to consider CHEC as a low-grade cancer with a favorable prognosis. Full-staging surgery is the primary choice for this disease, and no case of CHEC has been previously reported to be treated conservatively. Here, we present the following case to explore the possibility of fertility-preserving treatment for young women with CHEC. A 23-year-old nulliparous patient diagnosed with presumed stage IA CHEC received fertility-sparing treatment at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University and got a complete response (CR) after 10 months of conservative treatment. The patient subsequently became pregnant spontaneously, successfully conceived, and gave birth to a healthy male neonate without any sign of recurrence during 37 months follow-up after CR. The patient's postpartum follow-up is continuing. Presently, CHEC is not included in the fertility-sparing field of any available guidelines. This case indicates that fertility-sparing treatment may be an option for highly selected patients with CHEC. Continuous follow-up remains mandatory to observe long-term outcomes.

The pregnancy and oncology outcome of fertility-sparing management for synchronous primary neoplasm of endometrium and ovary.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of fertility-preserving treatment for young women with synchronous primary neoplasm of endometrium and ovary. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed eight patients with concurrent primary grade 1 presumed stage IA endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma (EEA) or endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) and primary stage I ovarian tumors who underwent fertility-sparing treatment in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University between April 2016 and December 2022. RESULTS: Synchronous endometrial and ovarian cancers (SEOC) accounted for 50% of these eight patients. The median age of patients was 30.5 years (range, 28-34 years). None of them received chemotherapy. The median treatment time was 4 months (range, 3-8 months). 87.5% (7/8) cases achieved complete response (CR), and the median time to CR was 3.8 months (range, 1.5-7.7 months). Among patients who got CR, none of them showed any signs of recurrence. Pregnancies and successful deliveries were achieved in 4 of 5 patients. Till September 2023, the median follow-up period was 50.5 months (range:15.2-85.2 months). CONCLUSION: Fertility-sparing treatment is feasible for highly selected patients with synchronous neoplasm of the endometrium and ovary, but strict screening and monitoring are mandatory. Though the results of our limited cases are encouraging, long follow-up and more clinical data are required. Enrolled patients must be fully informed of the risks during conservative treatment.

A new isoflavone from the stems of Derris eriocarpa How.

A preliminary screening test was performed to discover new antihyperlipidaemic active compounds from the leguminous plant Derris eriocarpa How. A new compound, derris-isoflavone F (1), and derrubone dimethyl ether (6), a known synthetic compound of natural origin, were isolated from the stems of D. eriocarpa alongside eight recognised compounds. To our knowledge, this is the first instance of documenting the identification of compounds 1-10 from this plant. The new compound were evaluated for their antihyperlipidemic and antiproliferative properties. Compound 1 evidently reduced the triglyceride (TG) content in oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells, which validated its efficacy as a potential TG-lowering agent.

Molecular epidemiology and genetic diversity of canine coronavirus from domestic dogs in Chengdu, China from 2020 to 2021 using a multiplex RT-PCR.

Recent reports on identification of canine coronavirus (CCoV) in humans have emphasized the urgency to strengthen surveillance of animal CoVs. The fact that recombinations between CCoV with feline, porcine CoVs brought about new types of CoVs indicated that more attention should be paid to domestic animals like dogs, cats and pigs, and the CoVs they carried. However, there are about ten kinds of CoVs that infect above animals, and thus representative CoVs with zoonotic potentials were considered in this study. Multiplex RT-PCR against CCoV, Feline coronavirus (FCoV), porcine deltacoronavirus and porcine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus was developed to investigate the prevalence of CoVs from domestic dogs in Chengdu, Southwest China. Samples from a total of 117 dogs were collected from a veterinary hospital, and only CCoV (34.2%, 40/117) was detected. Therefore, this study focused on CCoV and its characteristics of S, E, M, N and ORF3abc genes. Compared with CoVs that are capable of infecting humans, CCoV strains showed highest nucleotide identity with the novel canine-feline recombinant detected from humans (CCoV-Hupn-2018). Phylogenetic analysis based on S gene, CCoV strains were not only clustered with CCoV-II strains, but also closely related to FCoV-II strains ZJU1617 and SMU-CD59/2018. As for assembled ORF3abc, E, M, N sequences, CCoV strains had the closest relationship with CCoV-II (B203_GZ_2019, B135_JS_2018 and JS2103). What's more, specific amino acid variations were found, especially in S and N proteins, and some mutations were consistent with FCoV, TGEV strains. Altogether, this study provided a novel insight into the identification, diversification and evolution of CoVs from domestic dogs. It is of top priority to recognize zoonotic potential of CoVs, and continued comprehensive surveillance will help better understand the emergence, spreading, and ecology of animal CoVs.

Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Osteoclastogenesis Activities of Different Kinds of Zanthoxylum bungeanum Seed Oil in Vitro.

Our previous study has exhibited that one kind of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil (ZSO), extracted from Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed, had inhibitory effects on osteoclastogenesis. However, the anti-osteoclastogenesis activities of different kinds of ZSO are scarcely reported. Since inflammation is related to bone loss and osteoporosis, in this study, three kinds of ZSO, Zanthoxylum schinifolium Siebold et Zucc seed oil (ZSSO), Zanthoxylum armatum DC. seed oil (ZDSO) and Zanthoxylum bungeanum maximum seed oil (ZBSO), were obtained with Soxhlet extraction and their fatty acid constituents were detected by GC-FID. RAW264.7 macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to evaluate the inhibitory effects of three kinds of ZSO on inflammation via detecting the expression levels of inflammatory factors by RT-qPCR. Moreover, RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis was applied to demonstrate the anti-osteoclastogenesis activities of them through tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and RT-qPCR. The GC-FID results exhibited that the highest constituent in ZSSO and ZDSO was oleic acid (OA) and palmitoleic acid (PLA), respectively. While linoleic acid (LA) and α-Linolenic acid (ALA) in ZBSO were dominant. At the concentration of 0.5 µL/mL, all three kinds of ZSO could decrease the expression levels of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1ß) in LPS-induced macrophages. At the concentration of 0.25 µL/mL, only ZSSO could decrease the expression levels of iNOS and COX-2, which implied the inhibitory effects of ZSSO were stronger than other ZSOs. The number of RANKL-induced osteoclasts and the expressions of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), TNF-α and IL-6 in the cells were decreased after being treated with ZSOs at the concentration of 0.5 µL/mL, while the number of RANKL-induced osteoclasts after treated with ZBSO were less than those treated with other ZSOs, this indicated that the anti-osteoclastogenesis effect of ZBSO were stronger than other ZSOs. In conclusion, the fatty acid compositions of three major kinds of ZSO were compared and the content of unsaturated fatty acids especially ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in ZBSO were the highest among them. All ZSOs tested had anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoclastogenesis activities. And their anti-osteoclastogenesis effects might be related to the suppression of the NF-κB pathway.

The Role of SDF-1α-CXCR4/CXCR7 in Migration of Human Periodontal Ligament Stem Cells.

Background and Objectives: Regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) are a research hotspot in the endodontic field. One of the biggest problems of REPs is that it is difficult to realize regeneration of pulp-dentin complex and functional reconstruction. The reason is still not clear. We hypothesize that the migration may be different in different dental stem cells. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) may migrate faster than stem cells of apical papilla (SCAPs), differentiating into cementum-like tissue, bone-like tissue and periodontal ligament-like tissue and, finally affecting the outcomes of REPs. Hence, this study aimed to explore the mechanism that regulates the migration of PDLSCs. Methods and Results: After isolating and culturing PDLSCs and SCAPs from human third molars, we compared the migration of PDLSCs and SCAPs. Then we investigated the role of SDF-1α-CXCR4/CXCR7 axis in PDLSC migration. We further investigated the impact of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on PDLSC migration and the potential mechanism. PDLSCs showed better migration under both noninflammatory and inflammatory conditions than SCAPs. SDF-1α can promote the migration of PDLSCs by elevating the expression of CXCR4 and CXCR7, increasing the interaction between them, promoting expression of ß-arrestin1 and activating the ERK signaling pathway. P. gingivalis LPS can promote the migration of PDLSCs toward SDF-1α through increasing the expression of CXCR4 via the NF-κB signaling pathway, promoting the expression of ß-arrestin1, and activating the ERK signaling pathway. Conclusions: This study helped elucidate the potential reason for the difficulty in forming pulp-dentin complex.

RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analysis of CD163+ macrophage-induced progestin-insensitive endometrial cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Progestins are used as fertility-sparing regimens for young patients with stage 1A endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) and atypical endometrial hyperplasia (AEH). CD163+ macrophages promote estrogen-dependent EEC development, but whether they induce progestin insensitivity remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects of CD163+ macrophages on progestin response in AEH/EEC patients. METHODS: The number of infiltrating CD163+ macrophages in progestin-insensitive and -sensitive endometrial lesions was compared. The effects of CD163+ macrophages on progestin responses and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in EC cells were evaluated in vitro. ATAC-seq and RNA-seq were combined to identify molecular/biological changes induced by CD163+ macrophages in progestin-insensitive EC cells. RESULTS: Increased CD163+ macrophage infiltration was significantly associated with progestin insensitivity and longer treatment durations in AEH/EEC patients. Additionally, the number of CD163+ macrophages was negatively correlated with PR expression in AEH/EEC tissues. Furthermore, the CD163+ macrophage-mediated microenvironment and secreted cytokines downregulated PR expression and impaired the response of EC cells to medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). RNA-seq analysis demonstrated that CD163+ macrophages antagonized PR signaling by blocking or even reversing MPA-regulated differential gene expression. Based on RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analyses, extracellular matrix (ECM) signaling and ECM-related transcription factors, FOXF2, POU1F1, and RUNX1were identified to potentially be involved in CD163+ macrophage-induced progestin insensitivity in endometrial cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: We identified CD163+ macrophages as an important mediator of progestin desensitization and an unfavorable factor for the efficacy of fertility-preserving treatment in AEH/EEC patients.

Effects of Weight Status and Related Metabolic Disorders on Fertility-Sparing Treatment Outcomes in Endometrial Atypical Hyperplasia and Endometrial Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Although obesity was an independent risk factor for fertility-sparing treatment in endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) and endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC), the roles of other weight statuses and related metabolism were unclear. This study aimed to investigate the body mass index (BMI) interval that produced optimal treatment efficacy and the effects of related metabolic disorders in EAH/EEC patients. METHODS: A total of 286 patients (including 209 EAH and 77 well-differentiated EEC) under progestin therapy were retrospectively analyzed. The cumulative complete response (CR) rate, relapse rate, and fertility outcomes were compared among different weight or metabolic statuses. RESULTS: Underweight and overweight/obese status significantly decreased the cumulative 16-week and 32-week CR rate (p = 0.004, p = 0.022, respectively). The highest 16-week CR rate was observed at a BMI of 21-22 kg/m2 in the overall population (p = 0.033). Obesity (HR 0.37, 95%CI 0.15-0.90, p = 0.029) and PCOS (HR 0.55, 95%CI 0.31-0.99, p = 0.047) were associated with lower 16-week CR rate. Hyperuricemia (HR 0.66, 95%CI 0.45-0.99, p = 0.043) was associated with lower 32-week CR rate. The 16-week and 32-week CR rate (p = 0.036, p = 0.008, respectively) were significantly lower in patients exhibiting both obesity and hyperuricemia. CONCLUSIONS: The optimal fertility-sparing treatment efficacy was observed at a BMI of 21-22 kg/m2 in EAH/EEC. Hyperuricemia was an independent risk factor for long-term treatment outcomes.

Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclastogenesis by suppressing ERK/c-JUN/NFATc1 pathway and regulating cell cycle arrest in RAW264.7 cells.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (ZBM), a traditional Chinese medicine, is traditionally used for osteoporosis treatment recorded in ancient Chinese medicine work Benjingshuzheng and reported to have the anti-bone loss activity in recent studies. However, the anti-osteoporotic activities of the seed of ZBM have not been elucidated yet. Our previous study found that Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim seed oil (ZBSO) was rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which were reported to prevent bone loss. Thus, we propose a hypothesis that ZBSO could be a potential natural resource for anti-bone loss. AIM OF THE STUDY: To investigate whether ZBSO could prevent bone loss by targeting osteoclastogenesis and investigate the potential mechanisms in receptor-activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL)-induced RAW264.7 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: RAW264.7 cells were treated with RANKL in the presence or absence of ZBSO. The effect of ZBSO on osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption activity of RAW264.7 cells were evaluated by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, F-actin ring staining, and bone resorption assay. Differentially expression genes (DEGs) and relevant pathways of different cell groups were obtained from RNA sequencing and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis followed by KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The effect of ZBSO on the RANKL-induced cell cycle change was analyzed by flow cytometry assay, and the expression of genes and proteins related to the selected pathways was further verified by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis. RESULTS: The inhibitory effects of ZBSO on osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption activity in a dose-dependent manner were demonstrated by TRAP staining, F-actin ring staining, and bone resorption assay in RANKL-induced RAW264.7 cells. Osteoclast differentiation and cell cycle pathways were the most enriched pathways based on DEGs enrichment analysis among different cell groups. The reversion effect of ZBSO on the RANKL-induced RAW264.7 cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase was observed by flow cytometry assay. Western blot results showed that ZBSO markedly decreased RANKL-induced activation of ERK, as well as the phosphorylation of c-JUN and NFATc1 expression, and subsequently suppressed osteoclast-specific genes, such as Ctsk, Trap, and Dc-stamp. CONCLUSIONS: ZBSO exhibited an inhibitory effect on osteoclastogenesis via suppressing the ERK/c-JUN/NFATc1 pathway and regulating cell cycle arrest induced by RANKL, suggesting that ZBSO may serve as a promising agent for anti-bone loss.

Possible Mechanisms Involved in the Cooccurrence of Oral Lichen Planus and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory oral mucosal disorder mediated by T cells, with a multifactorial etiology. Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune disease characterized by hypothyroidism. Although many clinical studies conducted over the past several decades have reported the cooccurrence of OLP and HT, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This review summarizes potential mechanisms that might be involved in the cooccurrence of OLP and HT. We find that OLP and HT share a common or overlapping pathogenesis in terms of immune, heredity, environmental, and hormonal factors, which might cause cooccurrence. Furthermore, considering the latency of HT, a routine screen for thyroid diseases, particularly HT, is suggested for confirmed OLP patients.

Phylogeny of certain members of Hyrcanus group (Diptera: Culicidae) in China based on mitochondrial genome fragments.

BACKGROUND: Species of the Anopheles hyrcanus group are widely distributed in Palearctic and Oriental regions and some of them are important malaria vectors. The cryptic species of An. hyrcanus group was almost impossible to identify based only on their morphology. The phylogenetic relationship of An. hyrcanus group was also not clear. METHODS: Five members of An. hyrcanus group were identified by rDNA ITS2 sequencing as An. yatsushiroensis, An. belenrae, An. kleini, An. lesteri and An. sineroides. The mitochondrial genome fragments were sequenced and annotated using the mitochondrial genome of An. sinensis as reference. Based on the four segments and Joint Data sequences of these species, and other four anopheline species downloaded from GenBank, intraspecific as well as interspecific genetic distances were calculated and the phylogenetic trees were reconstructed by the methods of neighbor joining, maximum parsimony, minimum evolution and maximum likelihood. FINDINGS: Four parts of mitochondrial genomes, which were partial fragments COI + tRNA + COII (F5), ATP6 + COIII(F7 + F8), ND1(F19) and lrRNA (F21), were obtained. All fragments were connected as one sequence (referred as Joint Data), which had a total length of 3393 bp. All fragment sequences were highly conservative within species, with the maximum p distance (0.026) calculated by F19 of An. belenrae. The pairwise interspecific p distance calculated by each fragment showed minor or even no difference among An. sinensis, An. kleini and An. belenrae. However, interspecific p distances calculated by the Joint Data sequence ranged from 0.004 (An. belenrae vs An. kleini) to 0.089 (An. sineroides vs An. minimus), and the p distances of the six members of An. hyrcanus group were all less than 0.029. The phylogenetic tree showed two major clades: all subgenus Anopheles species (including six members of An. hyrcanus group, An. atroparvus and An. quadrimaculatus A) and subgenus Cellia (including An. dirus and An. minimus). The An. hyrcanus group was divided into two clusters as ((An. lesteri, An. sineroides) An. yatsushiroensis) and ((An. belenrae, An. sinensis) An. kleini)). CONCLUSIONS: The An. hyrcanus group in this study could be divided into two clusters, in one of which An. belenrae, An. sinensis and An. kleini were most closely related. More molecular markers would make greater contribution to phylogenetic analysis.

Comparison of Furans Formation and Volatile Aldehydes Profiles of Four Different Vegetable Oils During Thermal Oxidation.

The evolution of volatile aldehydes and the conversion of oxygenated ityß-unsaturated aldehydes (OαßUAs) into furans were compared in four vegetable oils (soybean oil, olive oil [OVO], peanut oil [PO], and perilla oil [PAO]) thermally oxidized at temperatures of 150, 180, and 210 °C for 10 hr/day over a 3-day period. Results showed that 2 alkyl furans and 23 volatile aldehydes including 4 toxic OdßUAs were detected by GC-MS. The original fatty acid compositions of the oils played a key role in the type and concentration of those volatile compounds. 4-Hydroxy-2-hexenal (HHE) and ethyl furan were only detected in PAO with a high content of linolenic acid, while the greatest level of pentyl furan was detected in PO with abundant linoleic acid. Greater amounts of 4-hydroxy-(E)-2-nonenal (HNE) and 4-oxo-(E)-2-nonenal (ONE) were formed in the OVO with abundant oleic acid. The close relativity of HHE and ethyl furan was also demonstrated. With principal component analysis, these vegetable oils could be discriminated based on their fatty acids and volatile compounds. The loading plot confirmed that HHE and ethyl furan were derived from the linolenic acid oxidation and degradation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The chemometric results showed that the formation of the volatile components during heating in different vegetable oils has close correlation with the original fatty acids composition of vegetable oils. Our research has also confirmed the presence of toxic OɑßUAs in oils after heating. Considering that they are proven to generate lots of degenerative diseases, further studies are needed to establish the risk level of using certain oils in frying and seek effective methods to inhibit their formation.

Functional Nanomaterials and Their Potential Applications in Antibacterial Therapy.

In the past decades, nanomaterials have shown great potential in biomedical fields, especially in drug delivery, imaging and targeted therapy. Recently, the development of novel functional nanomaterials for antibacterial application has attracted much attention. Compared to the traditional direct use of antibiotics, antibacterial nanomaterials either as drug delivery systems or active agents have a higher efficacy and lower side effects. Herein, we will focus on the antibacterial applications of four commonly used nanomaterials, including metal-based nanomaterials, polymeric nanoparticles, graphene oxides or carbon-based nanomaterials and nanogels.

Prediction of fatty acid composition in camellia oil by 1H NMR combined with PLS regression.

A rapid method for the determination of fatty acid (FA) composition in camellia oils was developed based on the 1H NMR technique combined with partial least squares (PLS) method. Outliers detection, LVs optimization and data pre-processing selection were explored during the model building process. The results showed the optimal models for predicting the content of C18:1, C18:2, C18:3, saturated, unsaturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated FA were achieved by Pareto scaling (Par) pretreatment, with correlation coefficient (R2) above 0.99, the root mean square error of estimation and prediction (RMSEE, RMSEP) lower than 0.954 and 0.947, respectively. Mean-centering (Ctr) was more suitable for the model of C16:0 and C18:0 with the best performance indicators (R2 ≥ 0.945, RMSEE ≤ 0.377, RMSEP ≤ 0.212). This study indicated that 1H NMR has the potential to be applied as a rapid and routine method for the analysis of FA composition in camellia oils.

Perceptual Learning at a Conceptual Level.

Humans can learn to abstract and conceptualize the shared visual features defining an object category in object learning. Therefore, learning is generalizable to transformations of familiar objects and even to new objects that differ in other physical properties. In contrast, visual perceptual learning (VPL), improvement in discriminating fine differences of a basic visual feature through training, is commonly regarded as specific and low-level learning because the improvement often disappears when the trained stimulus is simply relocated or rotated in the visual field. Such location and orientation specificity is taken as evidence for neural plasticity in primary visual cortex (V1) or improved readout of V1 signals. However, new training methods have shown complete VPL transfer across stimulus locations and orientations, suggesting the involvement of high-level cognitive processes. Here we report that VPL bears similar properties of object learning. Specifically, we found that orientation discrimination learning is completely transferrable between luminance gratings initially encoded in V1 and bilaterally symmetric dot patterns encoded in higher visual cortex. Similarly, motion direction discrimination learning is transferable between first- and second-order motion signals. These results suggest that VPL can take place at a conceptual level and generalize to stimuli with different physical properties. Our findings thus reconcile perceptual and object learning into a unified framework. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Training in object recognition can produce a learning effect that is applicable to new viewing conditions or even to new objects with different physical properties. However, perceptual learning has long been regarded as a low-level form of learning because of its specificity to the trained stimulus conditions. Here we demonstrate with new training tactics that visual perceptual learning is completely transferrable between distinct physical stimuli. This finding indicates that perceptual learning also operates at a conceptual level in a stimulus-invariant manner.