Diffuse tumors: Molecular determinants shared by different cancer types.

Most cancer types have both diffuse and non-diffuse subtypes, which have rather distinct morphologies, namely scattered tiny tumors vs. one solid tumor, and different levels of aggressiveness. However, the causes for forming such distinct subtypes remain largely unknown. Using the diffuse and non-diffuse gastric cancers (GCs) as the illustrative example, we present a computational study based on the transcriptomic data from the TCGA and GEO databases, to address the following questions: (i) What are the key molecular determinants that give rise to the distinct morphologies between diffuse and non-diffuse cancers? (ii) What are the main reasons for diffuse cancers to be generally more aggressive than non-diffuse ones of the same cancer type? (iii) What are the reasons for their distinct immunoactivities? And (iv) why do diffuse cancers on average tend to take place in younger patients? The study is conducted using the framework we have previously developed for elucidation of general drivers cancer formation and development. Our main discoveries are: (a) the level of (poly-) sialic acids deployed on the surface of cancer cells is a significant factor contributing to questions (i) and (ii); (b) poly-sialic acids synthesized by ST8SIA4 are the key to question (iii); and (c) the circulating growth factors specifically needed by the diffuse subtype dictate the answer to question (iv). All these predictions are substantiated by published experimental studies. Our further analyses on breast, prostate, lung, liver, and thyroid cancers reveal that these discoveries generally apply to the diffuse subtypes of these cancer types, hence indicating the generality of our discoveries.

Assessment of the impact of hyperuricemia on the risk of thyroid nodules based on propensity score matching / 中华地方病学杂志

Objective:To investigate the prevalence of thyroid nodules (TN) among people undergoing physical examination in Taiyuan City, and evaluate the impact of hyperuricemia (HUA) on the risk of TN.Methods:Using a prospective design, a total of 42 966 people who underwent routine physical examination at Shanxi Shangning Health Examination Center from October 2020 to October 2021 were selected as subjects and divided into the HUA group ( n = 7 235) and the non-HUA group ( n = 35 731) based on the serum uric acid levels. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was used to balance the confounding factors between groups, and logistic regression was used to analyze the impact of HUA on the risk of TN. Results:The total detection rate of TN in the physical examination population was 55.6% (23 907/42 966). The detection rate of TN in females [61.0% (15 011/24 618)] was higher than that in males [48.5% (8 896/18 348)], and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 664.55, P < 0.001). A total of 2 438 pairs of matching data were obtained after PSM, and the distribution of confounding factors in HUA and non-HUA groups reached equilibrium (the absolute values of standardized differences < 0.10). Logistic regression analysis before PSM showed that HUA was a protective factor for the incidence of TN in general population and males [odds ratio ( OR) = 0.696, 0.817, 95% confidence interval ( CI): 0.661 - 0.732, 0.768 - 0.868], while HUA was a risk factor for the incidence of TN in females ( OR = 1.370, 95% CI: 1.192 - 1.574). After PSM, HUA was not a influencing factor for the incidence of TN in general population and males ( P > 0.05), but it was still a risk factor in females for the onset of TN ( OR = 1.373, 95% CI: 1.014 - 1.858). Conclusion:In the physical examination population in Taiyuan City, HUA is an independent risk factor for TN in females.

Establish a Novel Model for Predicting the Risk of Colorectal Ademomatous Polyps: a Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To establish and validate a model to determine the occurrence risk of colorectal ademomatous polyps. Methods: A large cohort of 3576 eligible participants who were treated in the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from June 2019 to December 2021, were enrolled in our study and divided into discovery and validation cohorts at a ratio of 7:3. LASSO regression method was applied for data dimensionality reduction and feature selection. The nomogram for the occurrence risk of colorectal ademomatous polyps was constructed based on multivariate logistic regression. The predictive performance of the model was evaluated regarding its discrimination, calibration, and clinical applicability. Results: A total of 10 high-risk factors were independent predictors of the colorectal ademomatous polyps occurrence and incorporated into the nomogram, including older age, male, hyperlipidemia, smoking, high consumption of red meat, high consumption of salt, high consumption of dietary fiber, Helicobacter pylori infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic diarrhea. The model showed favorable discrimination values, with the area under the curve of the discovery and validation cohorts 0.775 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.755-0.794) and 0.776 (95% CI, 0.744-0.807) respectively. The model was also well-calibrated, with Hosmer-Lemeshow test P = 0.370. In addition, the decision curve analysis revealed that the model had a higher net profit compared with either the screen-all scheme or the screen-none scheme. Conclusion: In this prospective study, we established and validated a prediction model that incorporated a list of high-risk features related to colorectal ademomatous polyps occurrence, showing favorable discrimination and calibration values.

The presence of chronic diseases contributes to the occurrence risk factors for gynecological cancers in Japan.

The aim of the present study was to determine whether chronic diseases (CD), such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, are occurrence risk factors and affect the survival of patients with gynecological cancers (GC). The correlations between CD and the characteristics and survival of 1,590 GC patients [685 with cervical cancer (CC), 613 with endometrial cancer (EM) and 292 with ovarian cancer (OV)] were investigated in the present study. Of the CD patients, 189 had CC (27.6%), 265 had EM (43.2%) and 72 had OV (24.7%). The incidence of CD increased with age in GC patients. The number of CD patients aged ≥70 years, was 8.6-fold higher in the CC group, 3.0-fold higher in the EM group, and 9.6-fold higher in the OV group compared with those aged <50 years. CD and excess body weight were associated with GC regardless of patient age. However, there was no correlation between CD and survival at any age in GC patients. These findings indicate that CD contribute to >24% of the occurrence risk factors in GC patients in Japan.