[Diagnostic value of high frequency oscillation in localization of type Ⅱ focal cortical dysplasia epilepsy]

Retrospective analysis was conducted on 9 patients with type Ⅱ focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) who underwent stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) implantation in the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from November 2020 to February 2023. The onset area, onset time, and frequency of high-frequency oscillations (HFO) were analyzed and the correlation of HFOs with interictal, preictal, and ictal periods. SEEG recordings of 80-500 Hz HFOs were observed in both interictal and ictal periods in 9 patients, with 6 patients exhibiting fast ripples (FR) in the range of 250-500 Hz. Surgical resection of the seizure onset area and FR-generating electrodes was performed, and postoperative follow-up for over 2 years indicated Engel I in 5 cases. 6 patients showed continuous discharge during the preictal period, and the distribution index of continuous discharge was positively correlated with seizure frequency. HFOs in the range of 80-500 Hz were present in all four seizure onset patterns during the ictal period. The onset area and FR-emitting electrode were surgically removed in 6 patients with continuous discharge and overlapping HFOs during the preictal period, with 5 cases of Engel I. Type Ⅱ FCD discharges exhibited complexity, high discharge indices, and a close association with HFOs. Compared with the spike wave, the electrode range of HF is more limited, and the incidence of HF before attack is significantly increased, which is closely correlated with the onset area. The simultaneous occurrence of HFO and the spike waves has higher diagnostic value than the individual occurrence, effectively enhancing surgical efficacy.

[Analysis of clinical epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in children in a hospital of pediatric in Hubei Province from 2020 to 2023]

Objective: To explore the clinical epidemiological characteristics of respiratory syncytial virus in children in Hubei Province from 2020 to 2023. Method: A single-center and cross-sectional study was used to analyze the clinical data of 3 271 children with respiratory syncytial virus infection in Wuhan Children's Hospital affiliated to Huazhong University of Science and Technology from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023. Nonparametric rank sum test and χ2 test were used for comparative analysis. Results: From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023, a total of 25 583 children were included in the analysis, of which 3 271(12.8%) children infected RSV. The detection rate was 16.3% in 2020-2021, 14.7% in 2021-2022 and 9.1% in 2022-2023. The detection rate decreased year by year (χ2=222.054, P<0.05). From 2020 to 2023, there was an anti-seasonal epidemic of RSV in spring and autumn. The detection rate of RSV in infants under 1 year old was the highest, but the median ages of RSV positive children increased (H=140.575, P<0.05). Pneumonia was the main clinical manifestation of RSV respiratory tract infection. Conclusion: The epidemiological characteristics of RSV in children in Hubei Province were different from those before. From 2020 to 2023, the detection rate of RSV decreased year by year. Besides winter, the prevalence of RSV could also be seen in spring and autumn. The median age of children infected with RSV increased after the epidemic. Pneumonia was the main clinical manifestation after RSV infection.

MRPL48 is a novel prognostic and predictive biomarker of hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer and poses a threat to the health and survival of humans. Mitochondrial ribosomal protein L48 (MRPL48) belongs to the mitochondrial ribosomal protein family, which participates in energy production. Studies have shown that MRPL48 can predict osteosarcoma incidence and prognosis, as well as promotes colorectal cancer progression. However, the role of MRPL48 in HCC remains unknown.

METHODS

TCGA, GEO, HCCDB, CPTAC, SMART, UALCAN, Kaplan-Meier plotter, cBioPortal, and MethSurv were performed for bioinformatics purposes. Quantitative RT-PCR, immunoblotting, and functional studies were conducted to validate the methodology in vitro.

RESULTS

MRPL48 was greatly overexpressed in HCC tissues, compared with healthy tissue, which was subsequently demonstrated in vitro as well. The survival and regression analyses showed that MRPL48 expression is of significant clinical prognostic value in HCC. The ROC curve and nomogram analysis indicated that MRPL48 is a powerful predictor of HCC. MRPL48 methylation was adversely associated with the expression of MRPL48, and patients with a low level of methylation had poorer overall survival than those with a high level of methylation. GSEA showed that the expression of the MRPL48 was correlated with Resolution of Sister Chromatid Cohesion, Mitotic Prometaphase, Retinoblastoma Gene in Cancer, RHO Gtpases Activate Formins, Mitotic Metaphase and Anaphase, and Cell Cycle Checkpoints. An analysis of immune cell infiltration showed a significant association between MRPL48 and immune cell infiltration subsets, which impacted the survival of HCC patients. Additionally, MRPL48 knockdown reduced HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that MRPL48 expression may be associated with HCC development and prognosis. These findings may open up new research directions and opportunities for the development of HCC treatments.

[Mediating effect of self-efficacy on self-management ability and self-management behavior in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mechanism of self-efficacy between self-management ability and self-management behavior and its differences among patients with different disease courses through mediation tests.

METHODS

In the study, 489 patients with type 2 diabetes who attended the endocrinology departments of four hospitals in Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from July to September 2022 were enrolled as the study population. They were investigated by General Information Questionnaire, Diabetes Self-Management Scale, Chinese version of Diabetes Empowerment Simplified Scale, and Diabetes Self-Efficacy Scale. Mediation analyses were performed using the linear regression model, Sobel test, and Bootstrap test in the software Stata version 15.0 and divided the patients into different disease course groups for subgroup analysis according to whether the disease course was > 5 years.

RESULTS

In this study, the score of self-management behavior in the patients with type 2 diabetes was 6.16±1.41, the score of self-management ability was 3.99±0.74, and the score of self-efficacy was 7.05±1.90. The results of the study showed that self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-management ability (r=0.33) as well as self-management behavior (r=0.47) in the patients with type 2 diabetes (P < 0.01). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for 38.28% of the total effect of self-management ability on self-management behaviors and was higher in the behaviors of blood glucose monitoring (43.45%) and diet control (52.63%). The mediating effect of self-efficacy accounted for approximately 40.99% of the total effect for the patients with disease course ≤ 5 years, while for the patients with disease course > 5 years, the mediating effect accounted for 39.20% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

Self-efficacy enhanced the effect of self-management ability on the behavior of the patients with type 2 diabetes, and this positive effect was more significant for the patients with shorter disease course. Targeted health education should be carried out to enhance patients' self-efficacy and self-management ability according to their disease characteristics, to stimulate their inner action, to promote the development of their self-management behaviors, and to form a more stable and long-term mechanism for disease management.

[Tajectories of the self-efficacy of HIV testing among MSM based on latent class growth model]

Objective: To analyze the trajectories of HIV testing self-efficacy among men who have sex with men (MSM) based on latent class growth model. Methods: From August 2019 to May 2021, 404 MSM were recruited in Shandong Province and subjected to a 1-year follow-up study with individual intervention (pushing intervention pictures and videos in WeChat and follow-up questionnaires) and community intervention (forwarding to friends and sharing and discussing HIV testing-related information in WeChat groups). The level of HIV testing self-efficacy among MSM was measured. The long-term trend of HIV testing self-efficacy was analyzed using the latent class growth model (LCGM), and the influencing factors of the trend were analyzed. Results: A total of 404 MSM were (28.25±8.95) years old, with the oldest being 58 and the youngest being 18. The scores of HIV testing self-efficacy M(Q₁, Q₃) at baseline and 4 follow-ups were 18.00 (17.00, 21.00), 19.00 (18.00, 22.00), 19.00 (18.00, 22.00), 19.00 (18.00, 22.00) and 19.00 (18.00, 22.00). The results of the freely estimated two-category LCGM model showed that the trend of HIV testing self-efficacy among MSM could be divided into two classes, "intervention response group" [255(63.1%)] and "intervention non-response group" [149(36.9%)]. The former had a higher level of HIV testing self-efficacy which tended to increase at first and then decrease over time, while the latter had a lower and more stable level. The results of the multifactorial logistic regression analysis showed that the OR values of MSM in business or service and jobless or unemployed were 0.261 (95%CI: 0.108-0.633) and 0.186 (95%CI: 0.057-0.610), respectively, using the students as the reference group. Conclusion: There is a group heterogeneity in the trend of HIV testing self-efficacy in the intervention conditions among MSM, and occupation may be an influencing factor.

[Tiaohe Yinyang acupotomy for knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trial]

OBJECTIVE

To observe the clinical efficacy of Tiaohe Yinyang acupotomy (acupotomy for regulating and harmonizing yin and yang) for knee osteoarthritis (KOA).

METHODS

A total of 88 patients with KOA were randomized into a acupotomy group and a sham-acupotomy group, 44 cases in each group. In the acupotomy group, acupotomy was applied at yin side (4-5 high stress points i.e. pes anserinus and terminal of popliteus) and yang side (1-2 high stress points i.e. stimulation point of infrapatellar ligament and suprapatellar bursa) of knee joint. In the sham-acupotomy group, sham-acupotomy was applied at the same points as the acupotomy group. The treatment was given once a week for 2 weeks in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities arthritis index (WOMAC) score, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, thickness of medial and lateral collateral ligaments of knee joint, motion range of knee joint and plantar pressure distribution were observed in the two groups. In the follow-up of 3 months after treatment, the WOMAC and VAS scores were recorded in the acupotomy group.

RESULTS

After treatment, the sub item scores (pain, stiffness and function) and total scores of WOMAC and VAS scores were decreased in the both groups (P<0.05), pain score, function score and total score of WOMAC and VAS score in the acupotomy group were lower than those in the sham-acupotomy group (P<0.05). Before and after treatment, there were no statistical differences in thickness of medial and lateral collateral ligaments of knee joint and motion range of knee joint between the two groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the plantar medial pressure was increased while the plantar lateral pressure was decreased (P<0.05), and the plantar force line moved medially in the acupotomy group. In the follow-up, the sub item scores and total score of WOMAC and VAS score were lower than those before and after treatment in the acupotomy group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Tiaohe Yinyang acupotomy can improve the clinical symptoms of knee joint in patients with KOA by changing the local biological stress.

Abstract P1-12-04: The impact of chemotherapy in elderly early triple negative breast cancer: A population based study from the SEER database

Introduction: The management of senile breast cancer is still controversial, especially chemotherapy. Therefore, we conduct an analysis of the impact of chemotherapy and establish prediction models of prognosis in elderly early TNBC by using machine learning. Methods: We enrolled 4,696 patients from SEER database according to the following criteria: female; year of diagnosis from 2010 to 2016; age of diagnosis ≥ 70 years; invasive ductal carcinoma as the only primary malignant cancer; stage I-III; TNBC subtype. The PSM method was utilized to reduce covariable imbalance. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to compare BCSS and OS. KNN, CatBoost, decision tree, random forest, Gradient Boost, LightGBM, neural network models, SVM, XGBoost and logistic regression models were developed to predict the 5-year OS and BCSS for patients in the chemotherapy group. Results: Compared to matched patients with no-chemotherapy, multivariate analysis showed a better survival in matched patients with chemotherapy(BCSS:HR = 0.594,95%CI = 0.479-0.737,p &lt; 0.001; OS:HR = 0.532,95%CI = 0.446-0.635,p &lt; 0.001). Stratified analyses by age and stage was also conducted to discriminate the patients benefited from chemotherapy. Chemotherapy didn’t lowered the risk of cancer-specific mortality and all-cause mortality in stage I cohort (70-79 years, BCSS, HR=1.058, 95% CI=0.609-1.838, p=0.841; OS HR=0.721, 95% CI=0.478-1.086, p=0.117; 80+ years, BCSS, HR=0.210, 95% CI=0.005-8.920, p=0.414; OS HR=0.458, 95% CI=0.048-3.918, p=0.458). But patients diagnosed with stage II can benefit from chemotherapy (70-79 years, BCSS, HR=0.628, 95% CI=0.424-0.932, p=0.021; OS HR=0.538, 95% CI=0.386-0.749, p&lt;0.001; 80+ years, BCSS, HR=0.413, 95% CI=0.230-0.744, p=0.003; OS HR=0.416, 95% CI=0.260-0.667, p&lt;0.001). We observed similar phenomena in the stage III cohort. We further investigated the effects of tumor and nodal status in stage II cases between the two groups. We found that chemotherapy was a better prognostic indicator for patients with T2N0M0 and stage IIb (T2N0M0, BCSS, HR=0.420, 95% CI=0.261-0.675, p&lt;0.001; OS HR=0.0.361, 95% CI=0.243-0.536, p&lt;0.001; stage IIb, BCSS, HR=0.752, 95% CI=0.454-1.246, p=0.269; OS HR=0.640, 95% CI=0419-0.978, p=0.039), but not for T1N1M0 (BCSS, HR=0.778, 95% CI=0.249-2.432, p=0.666; OS HR=1.072, 95% CI=0.458-2.508, p=0.872). For patients with grade I and II, no statistical survival differences were identified between chemotherapy and no-chemotherapy patients(BCSS, HR=0.781, 95% CI=0.445-1.368, p=0.387; OS HR=0.802, 95% CI=0.512-1.256, p=0.335). While for patients with grade III, the chemotherapy patients demonstrated a better prognosis than no-chemotherapy patients (BCSS, HR=0.558, 95% CI=0.440-0.707, p&lt;0.001; OS, HR=0.492, 95% CI=0.405-0.599, p&lt;0.001). Ten models mentioned above were conducted to predict the 5-year OS and BCSS for patients in the chemotherapy group. On average, the accuracy was 0.885 on 5-year BCSS and 0.858 on 5-year OS. The average precision of the examined ten algorithms was 0.880 on 5-year BCSS and 0.862 on 5-year OS. Similarly, the average sensitivity was 0.981 on 5-year BCSS and 0.971 on 5-year OS. There was average F1 score of 0.932 on 5-year BCSS and 0.913 on 5-year OS. In terms of the AUC, the highest AUC was observed for the LightGBM. Considering all the parameters above, the LightGBM outperformed all other algorithms. Conclusion: For stage I, T1N1M0, grade I and grade II elderly early triple negative invasive ductal carcinoma patients, chemotherapy could not improve OS and BCSS. Therefore, de-escalation therapy might be appropriate for selected patients. The LightGBM is practical and trustful to predict the 5-year OS and BCSS for patients in the chemotherapy group.

Citation Format: KaiYan Huang, Jie Zhang, YuShuai Yu, YuXiang Lin, ChuanGui Song. The impact of chemotherapy in elderly early triple negative breast cancer: A population based study from the SEER database [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2021 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2021 Dec 7-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-12-04.

[Postoperative outcomes and influencing factors of diffuse low-grade glioma-related epilepsy]

The clinical and pathological features and postoperative outcomes of 49 patients with diffuse low-grade glioma -related epilepsy who were admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2015 to December 2018 were analyzed. After 1-year follow-up, 33 patients (67.3%) in the good prognosis group and 16 patients (32.7%) in the poor prognosis group were enrolled. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicatedthat subtotal tumor resection (OR=5.56, 95%CI:1.21-25.44,P=0.027) and no postoperative radiotherapy (OR=9.24, 95%CI:2.05-41.75, P=0.004) were the risk factors for poor prognosis of postoperative epilepsy. Therefore, for patients with diffuse low-grade glioma-related epilepsy, total tumor resection and postoperative radiotherapy are beneficial to the control of epilepsy.

[Retrospective analysis of infliximab in the treatment of Kawasaki disease]

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of infliximab (IFX) therapy for children with Kawasaki disease. Methods: Sixty-eight children with Kawasaki disease who received IFX therapy in Children's Hospital of Fudan University from January 2014 to April 2021 were enrolled. The indications for IFX administration, changes in laboratory parameters before and after IFX administration, response rate, drug adverse events and complications and outcomes of coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) were retrospectively analyzed. Comparisons between groups were performed with unpaired Student t test or Mann-Whitney U test or chi-square test. Results: Among 68 children with Kawasaki disease, 52 (76%) were males and 16 (24%) were females. The age of onset was 2.1 (0.5, 3.8) years. IFX was administered to: (1) 35 children (51%) with persistent fever who did not respond to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) or steroids, 28 of the 35 children (80%) developed CAA before IFX therapy; (2) 32 children (47%) with continuous progression of CAA; (3) 1 child with persistent arthritis. In all cases, IFX was administered as an additional treatment (the time from the onset of illness to IFX therapy was 21 (15, 30) days) which consisted of second line therapy in 20 (29%), third line therapy in 20 (29%), and fourth (or more) line therapy in 28 (41%). C-reactive protein (8 (4, 15) vs. 16 (8, 43) mg/L, Z=-3.38, P=0.001), serum amyloid protein A (17 (10, 42) vs. 88 (11, 327) mg/L, Z=-2.36, P=0.018) and the percentage of neutrophils (0.39±0.20 vs. 0.49±0.21, t=2.63, P=0.010) decreased significantly after IFX administration. Fourteen children (21%) did not respond to IFX and received additional therapies mainly including steroids and cyclophosphamide. There was no significant difference in gender, age at IFX administration, time from the onset of illness to IFX administration, the maximum coronary Z value before IFX administration, and the incidence of systemic aneurysms between IFX-sensitive group and IFX-resistant group (all P>0.05). Infections occurred in 11 cases (16%) after IFX administration, including respiratory tract, digestive tract, urinary tract, skin and oral infections. One case had Calmette-Guérin bacillus-related adverse reactions 2 months after IFX administration. All of these adverse events were cured successfully. One child died of CAA rupture, 6 children were lost to follow up, the remaining 61 children were followed up for 6 (4, 15) months. No CAA occurred in 7 children before and after IFX treatment, while CAA occurred in 54 children before IFX treatment. CAA regressed in 23 (43%) children at the last follow-up, and the diameter of coronary artery recovered to normal in 10 children. Conclusion: IFX is an effective and safe therapeutic choice for children with Kawasaki disease who are refractory to IVIG or steroids therapy or with continuous progression of CAA.

[Study of abnormal lipid metabolism analysis and significance of fatty acid binding protein expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma]

Objective: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth most dominant cancer in the world and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the China. With the increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome (MS) in the population, the correlation between MS and HCC has gradually been recognized. MS manifests as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (shortly known as NAFLD) in the liver. A large number of research results has shown that the development of fatty liver is closely related to the occurrence of HCC, in which lipid metabolism plays a key regulatory role, and lipid metabolism is regulated by fatty acid binding protein (FABP). This study signifies the lipid metabolism analysis and the key FABP expression conditions in HCC. Methods: Data of patients who were first diagnosed with primary HCC between January 2016 to July 2019 were collected, and were divided into two groups according to the etiology, namely the viral and non-viral hepatitis-related HCC group. The relationship between MS-related factors and HCC was analyzed by t-test and chi square test. The expressions of FABP1, FABP4 and FABP5 were detected in cancer and adjacent tissues by immunohistochemistry, and the expressions of FABP1, FABP4 and FABP5 in HCC with fatty liver were detected by immunofluorescence. Finally, the expressional characteristics of the above-mentioned FABPs in HCC patients were analyzed with different clinicopathological features. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the rate of abnormal lipid metabolism and the number of abnormalities in MS-related factors between the viral and non-viral hepatitis-related HCC group. FABP1, FABP4, and FABP5 expression in HCC tissues were lower than the corresponding adjacent tumor tissues. Compared with simple HCC, FABP1, FABP4, FABP5 expression were increased in HCC tissues with steatosis, and the expression of FABP was closely related to the clinical characteristics of patients. Conclusion: Abnormal lipid metabolism is closely related to non-viral hepatitis-related HCC. The expression of lipid metabolism regulatory proteins FABP1, FABP4, and FABP5 are down-regulated in HCC tissues, but up-regulated in HCC with fatty liver, suggesting that the relationship between MS, especially dyslipidemia, and HCC should be paid attention to in clinical practice for early intervention. FABP1, FABP4, FABP5 may regulate HCC occurrence and development.

Passive anti-sunlight glare traffic signs with non-axisymmetric freeform lens design

This paper proposes a passive optical brightening element design, a non-axisymmetric freeform lens (NAFL), arranged and assembled on a traditional traffic sign. NAFL is the first optical design which can effectively solve the traffic problem that direct sunlight affects the driver's inability to look directly at the traffic sign. The NAFL can converge the sunlight behind the traffic sign and diverge forward to 150 meters away. In this way, the NAFL array combinations on the traffic sign can directly rely on sunlight as image information pixels. According to the simulation, the optical efficiency of the NAFL can be as high as 81.5%. Besides, the angular tolerance is also analyzed to evaluate the working hours of the NAFL. Finally, we made the prototype and proved that such passive brightening components could effectively improve the traffic sign's visibility in harsh sunlight.

[Correlation between intimate partner-related violence and high-risk sexual behavior among men who have sex with men]

Objective: To explore the experience of intimate partner-related violence (IPV) and its correlation with high-risk sexual behaviors among MSM. Methods: MSM were recruited in Ji'nan, Qingdao, and Jining of Shandong province from April to July 2019. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, AIDS prevention and control knowledge, IPV experience in the last year and high-risk sexual behaviors in the previous six months was collected by face-to-face questionnaire. EpiData 3.1 and SPSS 24.0 software were used for data cleansing and statistical analysis. Results: The average age of the 1 122 MSM was (29.80±8.78) years, with 68.1% (764/1 122) unmarried. 9.8% (110/1 122) had IPV experiences in the past year. MSM who came from Jining and Qingdao, living in the local area for more than two years, met their sexual partners in bar/bathroom/park, having no basic knowledge about AIDS, being drug users, and diagnosed with STD in the previous year, had a higher proportion of IPV experiences in the last year (P<0.05). 49.0% (550/1 122) and 20.9% (234/1 122) had unprotected anal intercourse and group sex behavior during the past six months, respectively. The results of multivariate logistic regression showed that MSM who experienced IPV were likely to have unprotected anal intercourse and group sex behavior during the past six months (aOR = 1.82, 95%CI: 1.14-2.91;aOR = 3.30, 95%CI: 2.10-5.20) than those did not experience IPV. Conclusions: IPV exists in the MSM population, and the IPV experience is positively associated with high-risk sexual behaviors. Targeted intervention to reduce the risk of high-risk sexual behaviors should be taken among MSM who experienced IPV.

Association of Axillary Lymph Node Evaluation With Survival in Women Aged 70 Years or Older With Breast Cancer

Background

Survival in elderly patients undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) has not been specifically analyzed. This study aimed to explore the association between different types of axillary lymph node (ALN) evaluations and survival of elderly breast cancer patients.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted of invasive ductal breast cancer patients 70 years and older in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004–2016). Analyses were performed to compare the characteristics and survival outcomes of patients who received surgical lymph node dissection and those who did not. Breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival were compared by using Cox proportional hazards regression analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) methods to account for selection bias from covariate imbalance.

Results

Of the 75,950 patients analyzed, patients without ALN evaluation had a significantly worse prognosis, while there was no significant difference for BCSS between using a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and an axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) after adjustment for known covariates [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.991, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.925–1.062, p = 0.800]. In the stratification analyses after PSM, the ALND did not show a significant BCSS advantage compared with SLNB in any subgroups except for the pN1 stage or above. Furthermore, after PSM of the pN1 stage patients, SLNB was associated with a significantly worse BCSS in hormone receptor negative (HR−) patients (HR = 1.536, 95%CI = 1.213–1.946, p < 0.001), but not in the hormone receptor positive (HR+) group (HR = 1.150, 95%CI = 0.986–1.340, p = 0.075).

Conclusion

In our study, ALND does not yield superior survival compared with SLNB for elderly patients with pN1 stage HR+ breast cancer. Although our findings are limited by the bias associated with retrospective study design, we believe that in the absence of results from randomized clinical trials, our findings should be considered when recommending the omission of ALND for elderly breast cancer patients.

Zeb1 Promotes Odontoblast Differentiation in a Stage-Dependent Manner

A comprehensive study of odontoblastic differentiation is essential to understand the process of tooth development and to achieve the ability of tooth regeneration in the future. Zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (Zeb1) is a transcription factor expressed in various neural crest-derived tissues, including the mesenchyme of the tooth germ. However, its role in odontoblastic differentiation remains unknown. In this study, we found the expression of Zeb1 gradually increased during odontoblast differentiation in vivo, as well as during induced differentiation of cultured primary murine dental papilla cells (mDPCs) in vitro. In addition, the differentiation of mDPCs was repressed in Zeb1-silenced cells. We used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to identify the transcriptome-wide targets of Zeb1 and used assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq) to explore the direct targets of Zeb1 in both the early stage (embryonic day 16.5; E16.5) and the late stage (postnatal day 0; PN0) of tooth development. We identified the motifs of transcription factors enriched in Zeb1-dependent accessible chromatin regions and observed that only in the early stage of mDPCs could Zeb1 significantly change the accessibility of chromatin regions. In vivo and in vitro experiments confirmed that silencing of Zeb1 at E16.5 inhibited dentinogenesis. Analysis of RNA-seq and ATAC-seq resulted in the identification of Runx2, a gene directly regulated by Zeb1 during early odontoblast differentiation. Zeb1 enhances the expression of Runx2 by binding to its cis-elements, and ZEB1 interacts with RUNX2. In the late stage of tooth development, we found that ZEB1 could directly bind to and increase the enhancer activity of an element upstream of Dspp and promote dentinogenesis. In this study, for the first time, we revealed that ZEB1 promoted odontoblast differentiation in the early stage by altering chromatin accessibility of cis-elements near genes such as Runx2, while in the late stage, it directly enhanced Dspp transcription, thereby performing a dual role.

Identification of potential candidate proteins for reprogramming spinal cord-derived astrocytes into neurons: a proteomic analysis

Our previous study has confirmed that astrocytes overexpressing neurogenic differentiation factor 1 (NEUROD1) in the spinal cord can be reprogrammed into neurons under in vivo conditions. However, whether they can also be reprogrammed into neurons under in vitro conditions remains unclear, and the mechanisms of programmed conversion from astrocytes to neurons have not yet been clarified. In the present study, we prepared reactive astrocytes from newborn rat spinal cord astrocytes using the scratch method and infected them with lentivirus carrying NEUROD1. The results showed that NEUROD1 overexpression reprogrammed the cultured reactive astrocytes into neurons in vitro with an efficiency of 13.4%. Using proteomic and bioinformatic analyses, 1952 proteins were identified, of which 92 were differentially expressed. Among these proteins, 11 were identified as candidate proteins in the process of reprogramming based on their biological functions and fold-changes in the bioinformatic analysis. Furthermore, western blot assay revealed that casein kinase II subunit alpha (CSNK2A2) and pinin (PNN) expression in NEUROD1-overexpressing reactive astrocytes was significantly increased, suggesting that NEUROD1 can directly reprogram spinal cord-derived reactive astrocytes into neurons in vitro, and that the NEUROD1-CSNK2A2-PNN pathway is involved in this process. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Fujian Medical University, China (approval No. 2016-05) on April 18, 2016.

Different Clinicopathological Characteristics and Prognostic Factors for Occult and Non-occult Breast Cancer: Analysis of the SEER Database

Purpose: The aim of our study was to evaluate the different clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors for occult and non-occult breast cancer. Methods: 572 OBC cases and 117,217 non-OBC patients between 2004 and 2015 was selected from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. We analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics and survival outcomes between OBC and non-OBC patients. Furthermore, the propensity score matching method was utilized to reduce the influences of baseline differences in demographic and clinical characteristics on outcome differences. Univariable and multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the prognostic factors of OBC patients. Results: Compared with non-OBC patients, OBC patients in this study presented a higher proportion of older age, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) N3 stage, estrogen receptor (ER)-negative status, progesterone receptor (PR)-negative status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2)-positive status, and underwent more chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis revealed a better survival in overall patients with OBC patients according to breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) and overall survival (OS). Propensity score analysis also achieved a similar result for OBC patients. Stratified analyses by nodal status and molecular subtypes indicated that these survival advantage were mainly presented in patients with AJCC N2/N3 stage or hormone receptor (HR)-positive tumors. In addition, nodal status, HER-2 status, and radiation status were demonstrated to be three independent prognostic factors for OBC patients. Conclusion: Patients with OBC retained exclusive clinical characteristics and were shown to have a better outcome compared with non-OBC patients, especially for those with N2/N3 stage or HR-positive tumors.

Receptor-Interacting Protein Kinase 1 Promotes Cholangiocarcinoma Proliferation And Lymphangiogenesis Through The Activation Protein 1 Pathway

PURPOSE

Receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) is an important upstream regulator of multiple cell signaling pathways including inflammatory signals. RIPK1 is reported to be closely associated with the prognostic implications of cancer, especially epithelial tumors. But its role in proliferation and lymphangiogenesis in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) remains unclear and requires further investigation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression of RIPK1 in human CCA tissues and CCA cell lines (QBC939, HUH28 and CCPL-1) was measured using qPCR, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Silencing of RIPK1 was achieved by transduction of CCA cells via lentiviral plasmids (LV3-H1/GFP&Puro) encapsulating RIPK1 shRNA (LV-shRIPK1) or negative control shRNA (LV-shNC), and puromycin was used to select stable colonies. Proliferation and lymphangiogenesis were assessed in vitro by CCK-8 and matrigel-based tube formation assays, respectively. Activity of the activation protein-1 (AP-1) was evaluated by double-luciferase reporter gene assay. Protein expression of JNK, P38MAPK, ERK1/2, AP-1, P-AP-1, E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) was measured by immunoblotting or ELISA. An orthotopic CCA model in null mice was generated by transplanting QBC939 LV-shRIPK1, LV-shNC and control cells to further evaluate the role of RIPK1 on lymphangiogenesis in vivo. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to evaluate the expression of RIPK1 and VEGF-C, and tumor lymphatic vessels in the CCA model mice.

RESULTS

Upregulated expression of RIPK1 in CCA tissues was closely related to tumor size, lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis. RIPK1 promoted proliferation and lymphangiogenesis in CCA cells, and regulated the activation of JNK and P38MAPK-mediated AP-1/VEGF-C pathway. Finally, in vivo animal experiments in the orthotopic CCA mouse model further confirmed the function of RIPK1 in lymphangiogenesis.

CONCLUSION

This is the first report demonstrating the role of RIPK1 in proliferation and lymphangiogenesis through the MAPK (JNK and P38MAPK)- AP-1 pathway in CCA.

[Research progress of microRNAs in regulation of lipid metabolism-related proteins for influencing the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma]

The incidence of metabolic syndrome gradually multiplied with the change of dietary structure of high fat- high sugar in the population, bringing it as independent risk factors for tumors. Liver is an important organ of lipid metabolism. The main manifestations of metabolic syndrome are obesity and abnormal lipid metabolism, which are closely related to hepatocellular carcinoma occurrence. MicroRNA (miRNA) is an endogenous non-coding RNA that participates in the post-transcriptional regulation of target genes by binding to the 3'-UTR of mRNA. Research studies have found that abnormal miRNA expression can influence the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma via regulating lipid metabolism-related proteins in the liver. This article reviews and discusses the characteristics and pathogenesis of lipid metabolism disorder in hepatocellular carcinoma, and the mechanism by which miRNA regulates the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma through lipid metabolism-related proteins. Furthermore, it also provides a reliable theoretical foundation for the study of the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Neuronavigation-assisted percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation of trigeminal gasserian ganglion for refractory craniofacial pain]

Objective: Percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RFT) of the Gasserian ganglion is an effective treatment for refractory trigeminal craniofacial pain.In the present study, we assessed the feasibility of accessing the Gasserian ganglion through the foramen ovale with neuronavigation guidance in the patients of trigeminal craniofacial pain. Method: We retrospectively analyzed forty-four patients with type Ⅰ trigeminal neuralgia who had undergone percutaneous RFT treatment in our hospital from June 2014 to December 2016.The patients were divided into fluoroscopy group and navigation group according to the intraoperative guiding manners for foramen ovale cannulation.We compared groups in terms of the duration of the whole RFT procedure and times of intraoperative fluoroscopy.We also analyzed the immediate and late outcome accessing by Barrow Neurological Institute (BNI) pain scale, as well as the complication rates in groups. Result: There were 32 patients in the fluoroscopy group and 12 in the navigation group.The duration of the surgical procedure in navigation group was less than that in fluoroscopy group (46±12 min versus 67±16 min, P=0.00), and times of intraoperative fluoroscopy was reduced (6.3±2.2 versus 1.3±1.6, P=0.00). The learning curve of navigation-aid RFT was not steep in the present study overall.There was no significant difference between groups regarding pain reduction at the immediate (P=0.07) or late follow-up (P=0.400) time points.However, the rate of pain reduction to BNI-Ⅰ grade was greater in navigation group (P=0.026). No significant difference in the complication rate between both groups, and no serious complications were observed in the both groups. Conclusion: Neuronavigation may be encouraged in trigeminal Gasserian ganglion RFT with better operating efficiency and less radiation exposure.The immediate and late therapeutic effects for craniofacial pain control were positive, whereas further studies are necessary.

[Apoptosis and expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 4 in neurocytes of refractory human temporal lobe epilepsy]

OBJECTIVE

To study apoptosis and expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 4 in temporal lobe neurocytes of refractory human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

METHODS

The temporal tissue samples were obtained from 30 cases of refractory TLE (TLE group) and 10 cases of brain trauma (contrast group) between January 1993 and May 2008. The surgical specimens were paraffin-embedded samples from Department of Pathology of Fujian Medical University and Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. S-P staining of immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 4 in temporal lobe neurocytes of TLE group and contrast group. Their expression was then analyzed. The terminal deoxynucleoitidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining was performed to visualize and analyze the neurocytes' apoptosis of two groups.

RESULTS

The expression of Caspase 3 and Caspase 4 in neurocytes of TLE group were both higher than that of contrast group (t=12.905, P<0.01; t=11.880, P<0.01). The apoptotic index (AI) of neurocytes in TLE group also increased than that of contrast group (t=9.664, P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Caspase 3 and Caspase 4 may mediate neurocytes apoptosis in temporal lobe tissue of refractory human TLE.

[Factors associated with the surgical efficacy and prognosis of seizures in patients with low-grade glioma]

OBJECTIVE

To explore the relevant factors associated with the surgical efficacy and prognosis of seizures in patients with low-grade glioma (LGG).

METHODS

The clinical cases of seizures in patients with LGG admitted to our department were retrospectively collected from January 2010 to December 2014. A total of 45 cases were studied to analyze the relevant factors associated with the surgical efficacy and prognosis.

RESULTS

During a follow-up period of 1 to 5 years after surgery, Engel classⅠ to Ⅱ were achieved in 36 patients (80%) and Engel class Ⅲ to Ⅳ in 9 cases (20%). The preoperative epilepsy frequency and the use of intraoperative electrocardiograph (ECoG) were correlated with the surgical efficacy and prognosis (P<0.05). The other factors, such as age, gender, duration of epilepsy, and tumor characteristics, had no significant statistical difference.

CONCLUSIONS

The surgical efficacy of seizures in patients with LGG is favorable. Our results suggest that preoperative epilepsy frequency and intraoperative ECoG are important factors for surgical efficacy and prognosis. Consequently, based on gross total resection for seizures in patients with LGG, epileptogenic zones should be considered and dealt with by use of ECoG.

Interleukin-10 gene -592C>A polymorphism and susceptibility to gastric cancer

Numerous studies have evaluated the association between the human interleukin-10 gene -592C>A polymorphism and gastric cancer risk. However, the results have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis was designed to resolve these controversies. Systematic searches of the electronic databases Embase, PubMed, and Google Scholar were performed to identify relevant studies. A meta-analysis was performed to examine the association between the interleukin-10 gene -592C>A polymorphism and gastric cancer risk. Odds ratios (OR) and its 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used for statistical analysis. Twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis, which included 2116 gastric cancer cases and 4077 controls. No significant association was found between the interleukin-10 gene -592C>A polymorphism and gastric cancer risk in total population analysis. In stratified analysis, a significant association was found in the Asian subgroup (AA vs AC: OR = 0.79, 95%CI = 0.64-0.98; dominant model: OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.04-1.57), and no significant association was observed among Caucasians. In addition, the corresponding pooled ORs were not substantially altered after excluding one study that deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the control group. This meta-analysis supports an association between the interleukin-10 gene -592C>A polymorphism and gastric cancer risk in Asians but not in Caucasians. Further large and well-designed studies are needed to confirm these conclusions.

Investigation of temporal vascular effects induced by focused ultrasound treatment with speckle-variance optical coherence tomography

Focused ultrasound (FUS) can be used to locally and temporally enhance vascular permeability, improving the efficiency of drug delivery from the blood vessels into the surrounding tissue. However, it is difficult to evaluate in real time the effect induced by FUS and to noninvasively observe the permeability enhancement. In this study, speckle-variance optical coherence tomography (SVOCT) was implemented for the investigation of temporal effects on vessels induced by FUS treatment. With OCT scanning, the dynamic change in vessels during FUS exposure can be observed and studied. Moreover, the vascular effects induced by FUS treatment with and without the presence of microbubbles were investigated and quantitatively compared. Additionally, 2D and 3D speckle-variance images were used for quantitative observation of blood leakage from vessels due to the permeability enhancement caused by FUS, which could be an indicator that can be used to determine the influence of FUS power exposure. In conclusion, SVOCT can be a useful tool for monitoring FUS treatment in real time, facilitating the dynamic observation of temporal effects and helping to determine the optimal FUS power.

Quantitative observation of focused-ultrasound-induced vascular leakage and deformation via fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography

Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a recently discovered noninvasive technique for local and temporal enhancement of vascular permeability, which facilitates drug delivery from the vessels into the surrounding tissue. However, exposure to FUS at a high intensity may cause permanent damage. To investigate the effects of the FUS treatment on blood vessels, we propose to use fluorescein angiography (FA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for real-time observation of the diffusion of fluorescence dye from blood vessels and to evaluate the morphological changes of the vessels in vivo. With time-resolved FA imaging, the relationship between the exposed power and the improved permeability of the vessels can be assessed according to the enhancement of the fluorescent intensity due to the dye leakage. Furthermore, the variation of the time-resolved fluorescent intensities can be used to identify the occurrence of dye leakage. In contrast, OCT can be implemented for the reconstruction of tissue microstructures. To quantitatively evaluate the morphological changes of the vessels after the FUS exposure with OCT, a new algorithm was proposed to estimate the vessel area based on the comparison of backscattering properties resulting from the tissue and vascular structures. Results showed that the vessel area increased as the exposed power increased, and the area became significantly larger at a higher FUS exposure power of 10 W. In conclusion, integrated FA and OCT observation can be potentially effective for monitoring the outcome and investigating the effects of FUS treatment.

Genome-wide identification, classification, and analysis of two-component signal system genes in maize

Cytokinins play many vital roles in plant development and physiology. In plants, cytokinin signals are sensed and transduced by the two-component signal system. This signaling cascade is typically composed of three proteins: a sensory histidine kinase, a histidine phosphotransfer protein, and a response regulator. Through a comprehensive genome-wide analysis of the maize (Zea mays) genome, 48 genes were identified, including 11 ZmHKs, 9 ZmHPs, and 28 ZmRRs (21 A-type ZmRRs and 7 B-type ZmRRs). Using maize genome sequence databases, we analyzed conserved protein motifs and established phylogenetic relationships based on gene structure, homology, and chromosomal location. The duplication of these two-component system genes in the maize genome corresponded to the clusters of these genes in the phylogenetic trees. Sequence analysis of the duplicate genes demonstrated that one gene may be in gene duplication, and that there was significant variation in the evolutionary history of the different gene families. We assessed the expression levels of all ZmRRs in the leaves and roots by reverse transcription PCR; they were all found to be active. Our results provide a foundation for functional and evolutionary studies on maize two-component signal system proteins.

microRNA-143 protects cells from DNA damage-induced killing by downregulating FHIT expression

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptional modulators of gene expression and play an important role in many developmental processes. Recent studies suggest roles of miRNAs in carcinogenesis. Fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene deletion, methylation, and reduced Fhit protein expression occur in about 70% of human epithelial tumors and are clearly associated with tumor progression. Although it has been previously reported that Fhit(-/-)cells exhibit more resistance to multi-DNA damage inducers, including ionizing radiation, it remains unclear how miRNAs targeting FHIT in DNA damage response play the role. This study reports that miR-143 directly targets FHIT and that overexpression of miR-143 results in significant G2-phase arrest and protects cells from DNA damage-induced killing. These results indicate an association of FHIT gene inactivation with increased survival after DNA damage and also provide useful information for miRNA-based drug development in two directions: protect cells from DNA damage-induced killing and sensitize cells to radiation therapy.

Identification of differentially expressed genes induced by angiotensin II in rat cardiac fibroblasts

1. Cardiac fibroblasts play an important regulatory role in cardiac remodelling by undergoing proliferation, differentiation and upregulating various gene products, including some cytokines and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. A highly potent mediator of cardiac remodelling is angiotensin (Ang) II. 2. In the present study, the suppression subtractive hybridization method was used to identify differentially expressed cDNAs in adult rat cardiac fibroblasts induced by AngII. 3. Following mRNA isolation of non-stimulated and AngII-stimulated cells, cDNAs of both populations were prepared and subtracted by suppression polymerase chain reaction. Sequencing of the partially enriched cDNAs identified 36 genes differentially expressed, including ECM proteins (pro-alpha(1) collagen type III, fibronectin), structural protein (spectrin), enzyme (GTP-specific succinyl-CoA synthetase), transcriptional regulators (glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper, inhibitor of DNA binding 3) and proteins involved in cell division control (cdc2) or cell signalling (insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3, mutant p53-binding protein, grp75, CGI-121, protein phosphatase type 2A, tspan-2 and Sam68). 4. The diversity of genes identified in the present study further emphasises the central role of AngII in the regulation of cardiac remodelling.

Effects of dietary supplementation with copper sulfate or tribasic copper chloride on broiler performance, relative copper bioavailability, and oxidation stability of vitamin E in feed

An experiment was conducted using a total of 420, 1-d-old, Arbor Acres commercial male chicks to compare copper sulfate and tribasic copper chloride (TBCC) as sources of supplemental copper for broilers. Chicks were randomly allotted to 1 of 7 treatments for 6 replicates of 10 birds each and were fed a basal corn-soybean meal diet (11.45 mg/kg copper) supplemented with 0, 150, 300, or 450 mg/kg copper from copper sulfate or TBCC for 21 d. Chicks fed 450 mg/kg copper as copper sulfate had lower (P < 0.01) average daily feed intake and average daily gain than those consuming other diets. Feeding supplemental copper increased linearly (P < 0.0001) liver copper concentrations regardless of copper source. The slopes of regressions of log10 liver copper on different independent variables used in regressions differ (P < 0.05) between the 2 copper sources. Linear regression over nonzero dietary levels of log10 transformed liver copper concentration on added copper intake resulted in a slope ratio estimate of 109.0 +/- 3.4% (with a 95% confidence interval from 102.2 to 115.8) for bioavailability of copper from TBCC compared with 100 for that in copper sulfate. When the feeds were stored at room temperature for 10 or 21 d, the vitamin E content in the feed fortified with 300 mg/kg copper as TBCC was higher (P < 0.01) than that in the feed added with 300 mg/kg copper as CuSO4. The vitamin E contents in liver and plasma of broilers given TBCC were also higher (P < 0.01) than those of birds fed copper sulfate. The results from this study indicate that TBCC is a safer product and more available to broilers than copper sulfate, and it is chemically less active than copper sulfate in promoting the oxidation of vitamin E in feed.

Absence of bleeding complications in patients undergoing cortical surgery while receiving valproate treatment

Valproate (VPA) is associated with a variety of idiosyncratic hematological effects including thrombocytopenia, inhibition of platelet aggregation, and fibrinogen depletion. This has led some investigators to recommend discontinuation of VPA therapy prior to elective surgical procedures. However, administration of VPA therapy is not altered prior to surgery at the authors' center and no VPA-associated bleeding complications have been observed. Therefore, a retrospective chart review was conducted to verify the clinical observations in patients who had undergone cortical resection while receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Baseline, surgical, and postoperative laboratory data were available for a total of 313 patients, 111 of whom were receiving VPA and 202 of whom were receiving AEDs without VPA (control patients). Eighty-seven percent of the patients receiving VPA were also being treated with at least one other AED. The control group was approximately equally divided between monotherapy (55%) and polytherapy (45%) treatments. Platelet counts were significantly lower in the control polytherapy (284 +/- 74 x 10(9)/L) and both VPA groups (279 +/- 113 x 10(9)/L) as compared with the control monotherapy group (314 +/- 85 x 10(9)/L). Baseline fibrinogen levels were significantly lower in the VPA than in the control groups (223 +/- 91 g/dl vs. 278 +/- 95 g/dl). Both pre- and postoperatively, the VPA group had lower red blood cells counts, hematocrit, and hemoglobin levels. There was no significant difference between groups in estimated blood loss during surgery or qualitative wound discharge postsurgery. There was only one case of a bleeding complication, which occurred 14 days postoperatively in a patient receiving carbamazepine monotherapy. The results of this study confirm the clinical observations of an absence of bleeding complications in patients receiving VPA therapy at the time of surgery, despite differences in laboratory parameters.

A preliminary observation on auto-cholinergic synapse dysfunction in patients with different types of epilepsy

Serum anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies (A AchR Ab) and anti-synaptic premembrane antibodies (A PrM Ab) were measured in 21 patients with absence epilepsy, 21 cases with benign childhood epilepsy with centro-temporal spikes (BCECTs) and 13 cases with atypical epilepsy. Respectively, in five (23.8%), eleven (51.2%) and eight (66.7%) of the above mentioned groups of patients both A AchR Ab and A PrM Ab were found.

[Diagnostic role of axillary skin biopsy in Lafora's disease]

Skin biopsies from axilla were examined in seven patients with manifestations of progressive myoclonic epilepsy. In seven chronic epileptics with general tonic clonic seizures receiving antiepileptic drugs and in five normal adults (one is patient's father), who served as controls. In three patients with progressive myoclonic epilepsy, typical PAS-positive lafora bodies were found in the cells of the eccrine duct. Axillary skin biopsy might be a convenient method for diagnosing Lafora's disease.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in seborrheic keratosis

We studied 89 seborrheic keratoses. In four cases, light microscopy and electron microscopy demonstrated that seborrheic keratoses may be associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Mass cytologic screening for cervical carcinoma in China. A review of 7,735,057 reported cases

A review was made of cervical carcinoma screening in 7,735,057 cases based on 140 reports from 25 provinces and autonomous regions in the People's Republic of China. The average prevalence rate of carcinoma of the cervix was 138.74/10(5); the rate was higher in the mountainous districts, and was related to the early age of marriage, the number of children delivered and the existence of cervical lesions. Proper preventive measures imposed by the government, early detection and early treatment have brought about a marked decline of the prevalence and mortality rates. The repeated mass cytologic screenings have made radical cure of this disease possible. Concurrent geographic clustering of carcinomas of both the cervix and penis have been noted, and screening of spouses has been started.