Establishment and validation of serum lipid-based nomogram for predicting the risk of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to explore the value of combined serum lipids with clinical symptoms to diagnose prostate cancer (PCa), and to develop and validate a Nomogram and prediction model to better select patients at risk of PCa for prostate biopsy.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 548 patients who underwent prostate biopsies as a result of high serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels or irregular digital rectal examinations (DRE) was conducted. The enrolled patients were randomly assigned to the training groups (n = 384, 70%) and validation groups (n = 164, 30%). To identify independent variables for PCa, serum lipids (TC, TG, HDL, LDL, apoA-1, and apoB) were taken into account in the multivariable logistic regression analyses of the training group, and established predictive models. After that, we evaluated prediction models with clinical markers using decision curves and the area under the curve (AUC). Based on training group data, a Nomogram was developed to predict PCa.

RESULTS

210 (54.70%) of the patients in the training group were diagnosed with PCa. Multivariate regression analysis showed that total PSA, f/tPSA, PSA density (PSAD), TG, LDL, DRE, and TRUS were independent risk predictors of PCa. A prediction model utilizing a Nomogram was constructed with a cut-off value of 0.502. The training and validation groups achieved area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.846 and 0.814 respectively. According to the decision curve analysis (DCA), the prediction model yielded optimal overall net benefits in both the training and validation groups, which is better than the optimal net benefit of PSA alone. After comparing our developed prediction model with two domestic models and PCPT-RC, we found that our prediction model exhibited significantly superior predictive performance. Furthermore, in comparison with clinical indicators, our Nomogram's ability to predict prostate cancer showed good estimation, suggesting its potential as a reliable tool for prognostication.

CONCLUSIONS

The prediction model and Nomogram, which utilize both blood lipid levels and clinical signs, demonstrated improved accuracy in predicting the risk of prostate cancer, and consequently can guide the selection of appropriate diagnostic strategies for each patient in a more personalized manner.

Identifying stage-associated hub genes in bladder cancer via weighted gene co-expression network and robust rank aggregation analyses

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BC) is among the most frequent cancers globally. Although substantial efforts have been put to understand its pathogenesis, its underlying molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated.

METHODS

The robust rank aggregation approach was adopted to integrate 4 eligible bladder urothelial carcinoma microarray datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus. Differentially expressed gene sets were identified between tumor samples and equivalent healthy samples. We constructed gene co-expression networks using weighted gene co-expression network to explore the alleged relationship between BC clinical characteristics and gene sets, as well as to identify hub genes. We also incorporated the weighted gene co-expression network and robust rank aggregation to screen differentially expressed genes.

RESULTS

CDH11, COL6A3, EDNRA, and SERPINF1 were selected from the key module and validated. Based on the results, significant downregulation of the hub genes occurred during the early stages of BC. Moreover, receiver operating characteristics curves and Kaplan-Meier plots showed that the genes exhibited favorable diagnostic and prognostic value for BC. Based on gene set enrichment analysis for single hub gene, all the genes were closely linked to BC cell proliferation.

CONCLUSIONS

These results offer unique insight into the pathogenesis of BC and recognize CDH11, COL6A3, EDNRA, and SERPINF1 as potential biomarkers with diagnostic and prognostic roles in BC.

Meta-analysis comparing denosumab and zoledronic acid for treatment of bone metastases in patients with advanced solid tumours

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy of denosumab, compared with zoledronic acid (ZA), in delaying skeletal-related events (SREs) and enhancing overall survival in patients with advanced solid tumours and bone metastases. A systematic literature search of several electronic databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CKNI and Web of Science with Conference Proceedings, was performed. Only randomised controlled trials assessing denosumab in comparison with ZA, in patients with advanced solid tumours and metastatic-stage disease, were included. The primary outcome was the time to first SRE. The risk of developing subsequent on-study SREs and overall survival were also evaluated. Three randomised controlled trials with a total of 5,544 patients with advanced solid tumours and bone metastases were included in the meta-analysis. There were 2,776 patients treated with denosumab and 2,768 treated with ZA. The pooled analysis showed that denosumab was superior to ZA in delaying time to first on-study SRE (odds ratio [OR]: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.75-0.89, p < 0.0001) and multiple SREs (risk ratio: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.74-0.88, p < 0.0001). However, no significant difference was found in overall survival improvement between denosumab and ZA (OR: 1.02; 95% CI: 0.91-1.15, p = 0.71). This meta-analysis indicates that denosumab is superior to ZA in delaying SREs for patients with bone metastases. No significant difference was observed between denosumab and ZA, regarding overall survival. We support denosumab as a potential novel treatment option for the management of bone metastases in advanced solid tumours.

[Analysis on distribution of epidemic hemorrhagic fever in different area]

The data showed that there was acrrelation between EHF and host animals as well as types of natural foci in plains, hills and mountain areas of Tian Tai county. It was clear that the main host animals were R. norvegicus and A. agrarius in plain areas, so there are mixture foci of R. norvegicus and A. agrarius in the above areas. The morbidity of EHF and the positive rate of mouse lung antigen as well as the inapparent infections rate of healthy population were high in plains. As the attitude elevated, it gradually formed a natural focus of R. norvegicus as the main host animal in hills and mountaim areas. The positive rate of the mouse lung antigen diminished sharply. Both the incidence rate of EHF and the inapparent infection rate of healthy population were lower.

Pilot survey of oral mucosa in areca (betel) nut chewers on Hainan Island of the People's Republic of China

100 people on Hainan Island were studied for their smoking and chewing habits and the condition of their oral mucosa. Ninety-five percent of the study population chewed areca (betel) nut. In men this habit was supplemented with either smoking cigarettes or water pipe. In two men a small commissural leukoplakia was found. In three women clinical and histologic changes pointed towards oral submucous fibrosis.