Inflammatory cutaneous metastases originating from gastric cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND Cutaneous metastasis with gastric cancer(GC)origin is extremely rare and associated with poor prognosis.Nodular type is the most common type,while other forms are extremely rare.CASE SUMMARY This study describes severe skin redness,swelling,pain,and fever in a 65-year-old man diagnosed with GC,whose left chest wall,left upper limb,and left back were mainly affected.Firstly,the patient was diagnosed with“lymphangitis”and treated to promote lymphatic return.However,the symptoms were constantly deteriorating,and skin thickening and scattered small nodules gradually appeared.Finally,the skin biopsy confirmed cutaneous metastases,and the patient died 7 d later.CONCLUSION Our case highlights that cutaneous metastasis should be considered when skin lesions appear in patients with GC.

Toll-like Receptor 4 Signaling Pathway in the Protective Effect of Pioglitazone on Experimental Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy

Background： In vitro experiments have revealed that toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4） pathway is involved in the progression ofimmunoglobulin A nephropathy （IgAN） by induction of proinflammatory cytokines. Evidence showed that, in other disease models, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-7 （PPAR-7） agonists have been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects through suppression of the expression and activity of TLR4. However, the interaction between PPAR-7 and TLR4 in IgAN has not been fully studied both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we explored whether TLR4 pathway attributed to the progression of IgAN in experimental rats. Methods： Bovine gamma globulin was used to establish IgAN model. Fifty-four Lewis rats were randomly divided into six groups： ControliaK242, IgANTAK242, toll-like receptor 4 inhibitor （TAK242） groups （rats were administrated with TLR4 inhibitor, TAK242） and Controlpo, IgANpo, Pio groups （rats were administrated with PPAR-y agonist, pioglitazone）. Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio （ACR）, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer. Renal histopathological changes were observed after hematoxylin-eosin staining, and the IgA deposition in glomeruli was measured by immunofluorescence staining. Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect TLR4 and interleukin- 1 beta （IL- 1β） message ribonucleic acid （mRNA） and protein expression in renal tissues. Results were presented as mean -4- standard deviation. Differences between groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance. Results： Compared to normal rats, experimental rats showed higher ACR （4.45 ± 1.33 mg/mmol vs. 2.89 ± 0.96 mg/mmol, P 〈 0.05）, obvious IgA deposition with mesangial hypercellularity, hyperplasia of mesangial matrix accompanied by increased serum IL-Iβ （48.28 ± 13.49 μg/ml vs. 35.56 ± 7.41μg/ml, P 〈 0.05）, and renal expression of IL-Iβ and TLR4. The biochemical parameters and renal pathological injury were relieved in both TAK242 group and Pio group. The expressions of renal tissue TLR4, IL-Iβ, and serum IL- 1 β were decreased in rats treated with TAK242, and the expression ofTLR4 mRNA and protein was significantly reduced in Pio group compared to IgANpo group （1.22 4± 0.28 vs. 1.72 ± 0.45, P 〈 0.01, and 0.12 ± 0.03 vs. 0.21 ± 0.05, P 〈 0.01）. Conclusions： Our study proves that inflammation mediated by TLR4 signaling pathway is involved in the progression of IgAN in rat models. Moreover, pioglitazone can inhibit the expression of TLR4 in IgAN.

Association of serum uric acid with thyroid function in health check-up participants

Background:The relationship of uric acid(UA)with the thyroid function among healthy individuals remains unclear.We aimed to examine the relationship between UA contents and thyroid hormone levels in healthy Chinese individuals.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study of 1186 Chinese adults(736 men and 450 women)who underwent a health check-up at the Huadong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University(Shanghai,China)between January 1,2010 and July 31,2018.Clinical and thyroid hormone levels were compared in different UA groups(in male and menopause women groups,MG1:UA<5 mg/dL;MG2:5 mg/dLUA<7 mg/dL;and MG3:UA≥7 mg/dL;in female groups,FG1 to FG3 represent the UA levels of<4 mg/dL,4 mg/dLUA<6 mg/dL,and≥6 mg/dL,respectively).In addition,natural cubic spline regression,together with Pearson correlation analysis,was performed in investigating the correlation of UA with thyroid hormones.Results:After adjusting for confounding factors,low levels of UA(for males,UA<5.30 mg/dL;for females,UA<4.05 mg/dL)were negatively correlated with free triiodothyronine(FT3)both in men and women.UA levels between 4.83 and 6.06 mg/dL may act to protect FT3 in women,while UA levels between 6.39 and 7.09 mg/dL may protect FT3 in men.FT3 levels of low-range UA group reduced compared with mid-range UA and the high-range UA groups in both men and women.Conclusions:Our results provide epidemiologic evidence to support the negative correlation between low UA contents and FT3 in the Chinese Han population,suggesting that the reduced UA contents may serve as the risk factor to predict poor thyroid function in Chinese individuals.

Modification of Ti_(3)C_(2) MXene nanosheets with tunable properties using a post-processing method

MXenes are a family of two-dimensional(2D)transition metal carbides and nitrides with many intriguing properties and applications,many of which require surface modification.Herein,as-synthesized Ti_(3)C_(2) was modified using different treatments(acid and base treatments)and then characterized by a complementary combination of X-ray powder diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR),nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms,and pore size distribution analysis.The results indicated that the structure and surface properties of the obtained Ti_(3)C_(2) could be tuned using various treatments.The modification methods developed in this study may offer a new direction for tuning the structure and surface properties of MXenes for a wide range of applications.