Predicting malignant transformation of esophageal squamous cell lesions by combined biomarkers in an endoscopic screening program

AIM To determine the association of p53, carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) and CA19-9 protein expression with esophageal carcinogenesis.METHODS An iodine staining endoscopic screening program of esophageal lesions was carried out in the high-incidence area of Feicheng County, China. Seventy-seven patients with basal cell hyperplasia(BCH), 247 with low-grade dysplasia(LGD), 51 with high-grade dysplasia(HGD), 134 with invasive cancer, and 80 normal controls diagnosed by mucous membrane biopsy pathology were enrolled. Immunohistochemical detection of p53, CEA and CA19-9 proteins was performed. In the ROCcurve analysis, the expression of a single biomarker and the expression of a combination of biomarkers were used to predict the risk of these four esophageal lesions.RESULTS The positive rates of p53 protein expression in invasive cancer, HGD, LGD, BCH and the normal control groups were 53.0%, 52.9%, 35.6%, 27.3% and 20.0%, respectively; the positive rates of CA19-9 protein expression were 44.0%, 33.3%, 16.5%, 9.2% and 6.2%, respectively; the positive rates of CEA protein expression were 74.6%, 60.8%, 23.3%, 23.7% and 16.2%, respectively. The positive rates of the combined expression of the three biomarkers were 84.3%, 76.5%, 47.6%, 42.9% and 27.5%, respectively. In the receiver operating characteristic curves of the combination of the three biomarkers, the specificity was 88.8% for the normal controls, and the sensitivity was 58.2% for invasive cancer, 25.5% for HGD, 11.2% for LGD, and 6.5% for BCH.CONCLUSION p53, CEA and CA19-9 protein expression was correlated with esophageal carcinogenesis, and testing for the combination of these biomarkers is useful for identifying high-risk patients with precancerous lesions.

Serum microRNA-204 levels are associated with long-term cardiovascular disease risk based on the Framingham risk score in patients with type 2 diabetes: results from an observational study

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that micro RNA-204(mi R-204) is involved in atherosclerosis and vascular calcification. However, the value of mi R-204 as the predictive biomarker for cardiovascular disease(CVD) remains unclear. We aimed to evaluate the association between the circulating mi R-204 level and ten-year CVD risk based on the Framingham risk score(FRS). Methods In this retrospective study, we enrolled 194 consecutive patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM) without CVD in Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 2015 and September 2016. We used the FRS to evaluate the risk of CVD for each patient. Circulating mi R-204 levels were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results Circulating mi R-204 levels were significantly lower in the group of patients(0.49 ± 0.13) at high risk of CVD(FRS > 20%) than in the low(FRS < 10%) and intermediate(FRS: 10%–20%) risk groups(0.87 ± 0.19 and 0.75 ± 0.25, respectively;P < 0.001). FRS was negatively correlated with mi R-204 levels(r =-0.421, P < 0.001). According to multivariate logistic analyses, reduced mi R-204 level was independently associated with an increased risk of CVD after adjusting for conventional risk factors(OR = 0.876, 95% CI: 0.807–0.950, P = 0.001). Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the circulating mi R-204 level can predict the high risk of CVD with higher specificity than the traditional risk factor of high systolic blood pressure or the protective factor of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that patients with lower circulating mi R-204 levels were at high risk for CVD. After adjustment for potential confounders, mi R-204 was independently associated with CVD in patients with T2DM.

Effects of illness perception on negative emotions and fatigue in chronic rheumatic diseases:Rumination as a possible mediator

BACKGROUND Illness perception has long been hypothesized to be linked to psychological well-b eing in patients with rheumatic diseases,although substantial evidence is lacking,and the contribution of ruminative coping style to this relationship is unclear.AIM To investigate the roles of illness perception and rumination in predicting fatigue and negative emotions in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases.METHODS Illness perception,rumination,fatigue and negative emotions(i.e.depression,anxiety and stress)were assessed by the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised,Stress Reactive Rumination Scale,Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue,and the Depression,Anxiety and Stress Scale respectively.Multivariate regression analysis,the Sobel test,and the bootstrap were used to identify the mediating effect of rumination.RESULTS All five subscales of illness perception,including perceived illness identity,chronicity,cyclical nature,consequences and coherence of illness,were significantly associated with fatigue and negative emotions.In mediational analysis,rumination was found to mediate three components of illness perception(the identity,cyclical nature and consequences of illness)and negative emotions/fatigue.CONCLUSION Perceived identity,cyclical nature,and consequences of illness are significantly associated with fatigue and negative emotions in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases and these associations are mediated by rumination.Our findings suggest that psychological intervention should target rumination to improve physical and emotional well-being of patients with chronic rheumatic diseases.