Multidimensional Analysis of PANoptosis-Related Molecule CASP8: Prognostic Significance, Immune Microenvironment Effect, and Therapeutic Implications in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Understanding the role of PANoptosis-related molecules in HCC is crucial for advancing therapeutic strategies. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis using public data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, Human Protein Atlas, Tumor Immune Single Cell Hub, and STRING databases. Techniques included Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox regression, LASSO analysis, and various computational methods for understanding the tumor microenvironment. We also employed ClueGO, gene set enrichment analysis, and other algorithms for biological enrichment analysis. Results: CASP8 emerged as a significant molecule in HCC, correlated with poor survival outcomes. Its expression was predominant in the nucleoplasm and cytosol and varied across different cancer types. Biological enrichment analysis revealed CASP8's association with critical cellular activities and immune responses. In the tumor microenvironment, CASP8 showed correlations with various immune cell types. A nomogram plot was developed for better clinical prognostication. Mutation analysis indicated a higher frequency of TP53 mutations in patients with elevated CASP8 expression. In addition, CASP8 was found to regulate YEATS2 in HCC, highlighting a potential pathway in tumor progression. Conclusions: Our study underscores the multifaceted role of CASP8 in HCC, emphasizing its prognostic and therapeutic significance. The regulatory relationship between CASP8 and YEATS2 opens new avenues for understanding HCC pathogenesis and treatment strategies.

Exploring the link: Systemic immune-inflammation index as a marker in endometriosis-Insights from the NHANES 2001-2006 cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The systemic immuno-inflammatory index (SII), a novel immune marker of inflammation, has not been previously associated with endometriosis. The objective of this research is to explore the link between SII and the occurrence of endometriosis. METHODS: Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2001 to 2006, we screened and extracted relevant information from the population. Participants missing data on either SII or endometriosis were excluded. We divided the remaining cohort into quartiles based on SII levels: Q1 (SII < 249, n = 848), Q2 (249 ≤ SII < 604.55, n = 847), Q3 (604.55 ≤ SII < 825.35, n = 847), and Q4 (SII ≥ 852.35, n = 848). Multiple linear regression and smooth curve fitting techniques, were to evaluate the non-linear association between SII and endometriosis. RESULTS: The study included 3,390 adults aged 20 to 55. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between SII and endometriosis [3.14, 95% CI (2.22, 4.45), P < 0.01]. This correlation was consistent across subgroups defined by marital status, poverty income ratio, BMI, alcohol consumption, and age at first menstrual period. However, the relationship between SII and endometriosis was significantly modified by age, education, and history of pregnancy in the stratified analyses. The curve fitting indicated an S-shaped curve, with an inflection point at SII = 1105.76. CONCLUSION: The SII may serve as a predictive marker for endometriosis risk among women in the United States, offering a potentially simple and cost-effective approach. However, given the cross-sectional design of this investigation, further validation in prospective studies is necessary.

Unraveling the link: environmental tobacco smoke exposure and its impact on infertility among American women (18-50 years).

Purpose: The detrimental effects of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) on women's reproductive health have been widely recognized. However, the detailed association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and the incidence of infertility remains under-explored. This investigation focuses on exploring this potential connection. Methods: For this analysis, we extracted data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, covering the years 2013 to 2018, focusing on individuals with recorded serum cotinine levels and infertility information. ETS exposure and fertility status were analyzed as independent and dependent variables, respectively. We applied weighted multivariate logistic regression method to evaluate the impact of ETS on infertility, including subgroup analyses for more detailed insights. Results: The study encompassed 3,343 participants. Logistic regression analysis revealed a notable positive correlation between ETS exposure and infertility, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.64 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.14-2.36). We observed a non-linear relationship between ETS exposure and infertility risk. Notably, infertility risk increased by 64% in serum cotinine levels above 0.136 compared to that in serum cotinine levels below 0.011. Further, subgroup analysis and interaction tests showed consistent results across different segments, underscoring the robustness of the ETS-infertility link. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that environmental tobacco smoke exposure may be a contributing factor to infertility. These results reinforce the recommendation for women in their reproductive years to avoid ETS exposure, especially when planning for pregnancy.

Relationship between Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio with Spontaneous Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Spontaneous preterm birth is one of the most common pregnancy complications in obstetric clinical practice, and its etiology is complex. The problems of low survival and high morbidity rates of premature infants need to be solved urgently. The platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are two novel biomarkers of inflammation, and several studies have linked PLR and LMR to spontaneous preterm birth. These systematic review and meta-analysis are aimed at analyzing the relationship between PLR and LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth to provide new ideas for the early prevention and treatment of spontaneous preterm births. Methods: Cochrane Library, EMBASE, PubMed, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were inspected to gather PLR and LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth, all from the database to February 2022. Interstudy heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q test and I 2 statistic. Differences in PLR and LMR between patients with spontaneous preterm birth and full-term controls were evaluated by computing standardized mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. Publication bias and sensitivity analyses were also performed. Results: Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The meta-analysis showed that serum PLR values were remarkably larger for patients with spontaneous preterm birth than for full-term controls (SMD = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.84, P = 0.007), whereas the difference between serum LMR in patients with spontaneous preterm birth and full-term controls was not statistically significant (SMD: 0.35, 95% CI: -0.18, 0.88, P = 0.199). The results of Begg's and Egger's tests revealed that the publication bias of the meta-analysis was not significant. The outcomes of the sensitivity analysis showed that the individual studies did not influence the meta-analysis results. Conclusions: Current evidence shows that PLR is strongly associated with spontaneous preterm birth, whereas LMR is not. PLR has a certain clinical value in diagnosing and treating spontaneous preterm births, and our research will provide strong theoretical support for clinical work. In the future, it will be necessary to further explore the reasons for the increased PLR in the serum of patients with spontaneous preterm birth and other mechanisms inducing spontaneous preterm birth.