[Investigation of Anisakis infections in coastal marine fishes and awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge among residents in Yantai City in 2021]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence of Anisakis infections in coastal marine fishes and awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge among local residents in Yantai City, Shandong Province in 2021, so as to provide insights into formulation of anisakiasis control interventions.

METHODS

Marine fishes were purchased from Shunxin Port, Yantai City, Shandong Province in November 2021, and the presence of Anisakis was detected in different species of fishes and different fish sites. The correlations between body length and weight of marine fish and intensity of Anisakis infections were examined using Spearman's rank correlation analysis, and the dietary habits and anisakiasis control knowledge were investigated using questionnaire surveys among local residents.

RESULTS

A total of 201 marine fishes belonging to 20 species were dissected, and Anisakis was detected in 77 marine fishes (38.31%) belonging to 11 species (55.00%), with a mean infection intensity of 45.04 parasites per fish (3 468/77). Spearman's rank correlation analysis revealed that the body length (rs = 0.74, P < 0.05) and weight (rs = 0.79, P < 0.01) of the monkfish correlated positively with the intensity of Anisakis infections, and the body length (rs = 0.68, P < 0.05) of the flatfish correlated positively with the intensity of Anisakis infections, while no correlations were examined between the body length or weight of other marine fishes and the intensity of Anisakis infections. Of all respondents, 53.38% men and 56.67% women did not know anisakiasis control knowledge at all, and there was a significant difference in the proportion of respondents using separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food from different villages (χ2 = 17.89, P < 0.01), while there was an age-specific proportion of respondents with habitats of eating raw or semi-raw seafood (χ2 = 28.27, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence and intensity of Anisakis infections were high in coastal marine fishes in Yantai City in 2021, and the awareness of anisakiasis control knowledge was low among local residents. Intensified health education pertaining to anisakiasis control knowledge is recommended to reduce the risk of Anisakis infections.

Feature pyramid network-based computer-aided detection and monitoring treatment response of brain metastases on contrast-enhanced MRI

AIM

To investigate the value of feature pyramid network (FPN)-based computer-aided detection (CAD) of brain metastases (BMs) before and after non-surgical treatment, and to evaluate its performance in monitoring treatment response of BM on contrast-enhanced (CE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eighty-five cancer patients newly diagnosed with BM who had undergone initial and follow-up three-dimensional (3D) CE MRI at Liaocheng People's Hospital were included retrospectively in this study. Manual detection (MD) was performed by reviewer 1. Computer-aided detection (CAD) was performed by reviewer 2 using uAI Discover-BMs software. The treatment response was assessed by the two reviewers for each patient separately. A paired chi-square test was used to compare the differences in the detection of BM between MD and CAD. Agreement between MD and CAD in monitoring treatment response was assessed by kappa test.

RESULTS

The sensitivities of MD and CAD on initial 3D CE MRI were 78.65% and 99.13%, respectively. The sensitivities of MD and CAD on follow-up 3D CE MRI were 76.32% and 98.24%, respectively. There was a very good agreement between Reviewer 1 and Reviewer 2 in evaluating the treatment response of BM.

CONCLUSION

FPN-based CAD has a higher sensitivity of close to 100% and lower false negatives (FNs) for BM detection, compared to MD. Although CAD had a few shortcomings in reflecting changes of BMs after treatment, it had high performance in monitoring treatment response of BM on CE MRI.

Tracking tumor evolution during the first-line treatment in brain glioma via serial profiling of cell-free tumor DNA from tumor in situ fluid

Objective

Tumor in situ fluid (TISF) refers to the fluid within surgical cavities of glioma. Several studies preliminarily proved the value of cell-free tumor DNA (cf-tDNA) from TISF in the dynamic characterization of the glioma genome. Here, we assessed the potential utility of TISF cf-tDNA in broad aspects of tumor evolution under therapeutic pressure.

Methods

This study was conducted under an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol at Henan Provincial People's Hospital (China). Cf-tDNA samples were sequenced with a designed 68-gene panel. A total of 205 cf-tDNA samples from 107 patients were studied. The clinical relevance of serial cf-tDNA profiling during the postoperative course was analyzed.

Results

At least one tumor mutations were detected in 179/205 (87.3%) TISF cf-tDNA samples. Serial cf-tDNA was complementary to molecular residual disease and to initial tumors. Serial cf-tDNA revealed the selection of pre-existing mismatch repair-deficient cells by temozolomide as a resistant mechanism. Cf-tDNA parameters during treatment were predictive of recurrence, and serial cf-tDNA monitoring had diagnostic value for early recurrence. A total of 223 potentially actionable genomic alterations were assessed in cf-tDNA samples, wherein 78% were not found in any tumor tissue.

Conclusions

In conclusion, serial TISF cf-tDNA profiling is valuable in tracking the tumor evolution of glioma during treatment and may be a feasible non-invasive option for monitoring glioma in future prospective studies and clinical practice.

Molecular and clonal evolution in vivo reveal a common pathway of distant relapse gliomas

The evolutionary trajectories of genomic alterations underlying distant recurrence in glioma remain largely unknown. To elucidate glioma evolution, we analyzed the evolutionary trajectories of matched pairs of primary tumors and relapse tumors or tumor in situ fluid (TISF) based on deep whole-genome sequencing data (ctDNA). We found that MMR gene mutations occurred in the late stage in IDH-mutant glioma during gene evolution, which activates multiple signaling pathways and significantly increases distant recurrence potential. The proneural subtype characterized by PDGFRA amplification was likely prone to hypermutation and distant recurrence following treatment. The classical and mesenchymal subtypes tended to progress locally through subclonal reconstruction, trunk genes transformation, and convergence evolution. EGFR and NOTCH signaling pathways and CDNK2A mutation play an important role in promoting tumor local progression. Glioma subtypes displayed distinct preferred evolutionary patterns. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05512325.

Genomic alterations of oligodendrogliomas at distant recurrence

BACKGROUND

Oligodendroglioma is known for its relatively better prognosis and responsiveness to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, little is known about the evolution of genetic changes as oligodendroglioma progresses.

METHODS

In this study, we evaluated gene evolution invivo during tumor progression based on deep whole-genome sequencing data (ctDNA). We analyzed longitudinal genomic data from six patients during tumor evolution, of which five patients developed distant recurrence.

RESULTS

Whole-exome sequencing demonstrated that the rate of shared mutations between the primary and recurrent samples was relatively low. In two cases, even well-known major driver mutations in CIC and FUBP1 that were detected in primary tumors were not detected in the relapse samples. Among these cases, two patients had a conversion from the IDH mutation in the originating state to the IDH1 wild state during the process of gene evolution under chemotherapy treatment, indicating that the cell phenotype and genetic characteristics of oligodendroglioma may change during tumor evolution. Two patients received long-term temozolomide (TMZ) treatment before the operation, and we found that recurrence tumors harbored mutations in the PI3K/AKT and Sonic hedgehog (SHh) signaling pathways. Hypermutation occurred with mutations in MMR genes in one patient, contributing to the rapid progression of the tumor.

CONCLUSION

Oligodendroglioma displayed great spatial and temporal heterogeneity during tumor evolution. The PI3K/AKT and SHh signaling pathways may play an important role in promoting treatment resistance and distant relapse during oligodendroglioma evolution. In addition, there was a tendency to increase the degree of tumor malignancy during evolution. Distant recurrence may be a later event duringoligodendroglioma progression.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov, Identifier: NCT05512325.

Space Weathering Effects in Troilite by Simulated Solar-Wind Hydrogen and Helium Ion Irradiation

Space weathering is a key process in the interpretation of airless planetary surfaces. As we engage new missions to planetary objects with potentially novel surfaces such as 16 Psyche, there is renewed interest in expanding our knowledge of space weathering effects to a wider variety of analog materials, including the physical/chemical effects of solar-wind ions on planetary regoliths. We have experimentally simulated the effects of solar ions on two polished thick sections of meteoritic troilite (FeS) via irradiation with 1 keV hydrogen (H⁺) and 4 keV helium (He⁺), to investigate effects resulting from different ion species. We detected depletion of sulfur over the course of each irradiation using in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Sulfur depletion rates were surprisingly similar for H⁺ and He⁺, interpreted as a function of subsurface ion-activated diffusion. By comparing XPS-derived elemental abundances with SDTrimSP computer simulations, we further quantified sulfur diffusion, sputtering yield, and altered-layer composition with respect to incident-ion fluence, and accounted for the influence of surface oxidation due to atmospheric sample storage. Using scanning electron microscopy, we detected an increase in nanoscale surface roughness resulting from the irradiation, which we quantified using atomic force microscopy. Based on these results, we estimate that an exposure time of order 10³ Earth-years is required for troilite on Psyche to reach equilibrium sulfur depletion within the first atomic layer.

Tumor DNA From Tumor In Situ Fluid Reveals Mutation Landscape of Minimal Residual Disease After Glioma Surgery and Risk of Early Recurrence

The recurrence of glioma is a difficult problem in clinical treatment. The molecular markers of primary tumors after resection cannot fully represent the characteristics of recurrent tumors. Here, abundant tumor DNA was detected in tumor in situ fluid (TISF). We report that TISF-derived tumor DNA (TISF-DNA) can detect genomic changes in recurrent tumors and facilitate recurrence risk analysis, providing valuable information for diagnosis and prognosis. The tumor DNA in TISF is more representative and sensitive than that in cerebrospinal fluid. It reveals the mutational landscape of minimal residual disease after glioma surgery and the risk of early recurrence, contributing to the clinical management and clinical research of glioma patients.

Meta-analysis of the association between PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis in the Chinese population

Many studies have evaluated the correlation between peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) -92C/G polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the results remain inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis in the Chinese population to provide comprehensive data on the association between PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism and RA. Eligible studies published before May 2016 were identified in PubMed and Chinese databases. The strengths of these associations were assessed by pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Eight studies documenting a total of 1351 RA cases and 1585 controls were included in this meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, a significant association between the PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism and RA was found in the Chinese population (G vs C: OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.02-1.71; GG+CG vs CC: OR=1.75, 95%CI=1.20-2.53). The subgroup analyses stratified by geographic area(s) and source of controls revealed significant results in South China, in hospital-based studies and population-based studies. In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism may be associated with the RA incidence in the Chinese population, especially for South China. Further studies conducted on other ethnic groups are required for definite conclusions.

Autoantibodies to plasminogen and tissue plasminogen activator in women with recurrent pregnancy loss

Reduced fibrinolytic activity has been described in primary anti-phospholipid syndrome (PAPS), and may be responsible for thrombotic events. Antibodies to tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) or plasminogen (PLG) might contribute to the hypofibrinolytic state in autoimmune diseases, but the clinical significance of these antibodies is still unclear in recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence and clinical significance of anti-PLG and anti-t-PA antibodies in 87 patients with a history of RPL: 54 women with well-defined PAPS (mean age 32.5 years; range 26-38) and 33 women with unexplained RPL (mean age 30 years; range 24-39). IgG anti-PLG antibodies were found in 20 and four patients from the group with RPL/PAPS and unexplained RPL, respectively; IgG anti-t-PA antibodies were found in 11 and two patients from the above two groups, respectively. IgG anti-PLG antibodies were associated with the high risk of RPL (OR 7.2, P = 0.004), especially with RPL/PAPS (OR 11.2, P < 0.001) evaluated by Fisher's exact test, while IgG anti-t-PA were associated with RPL/PAPS (OR 10.0, P = 0.01) but not with RPL (OR 6.8, P = 0.06). A significant inhibition of exogenous fibrinolysis was observed by IgG fractions from patients with anti-PLG or anti-t-PA antibodies on microplates and on the human umbilical vein endothelial cells, compared with those from healthy controls. The prevalence of IgG anti-PLG antibodies was high in RPL patients, especially in RPL/PAPS, while the prevalence of IgG anti-t-PA antibodies was high in RPL/PAPS but not in RPL, and some of them might inhibit fibrinolysis in patients.

[Clinical applications of island and myocutaneous flaps]

OBJECTIVE

This is to introduce the experience in clinical applications of the island and myocutaneous flaps.

METHODS

Since 1985 fifteen types of vascularized island and myocutaneous flaps have been applied in 52 cases (21 positions) for the following purposes: repairing traumatic soft tissue defects on the limb, scar contracture, congenital recto-vaginal fistula, reconstructing congenital nasal deformity and rehabilitating function. The non-major artery island flap was used in 47 cases (90.38%) and the retrograde island flap was used in 24 cases (46.15%). The size of the flap ranged from 2.5 cm x 1.5 cm to 15 cm x 12 cm.

RESULTS

All the flaps survived with primary healing. Follow-up for 8 months to 11 years showed aesthetically and functionally satisfactory results in all cases.

CONCLUSION

These island and myocutaneous flaps have rich blood supply and are highly anti-infective. The operation is easy and the success rate is high.