SU-8光栅的制备及其衍射性能研究

衍射效率的大小是衡量光刻光栅性能优劣的重要指标。使用严格耦合波分析(RCWA)模拟得到周期10μm和12μm的SU-8微米光栅的各级次衍射效率。采用掩模版紫外光刻技术制作曝光时间分别为27,30,33,36 s的SU-8光栅。通过显微镜观察,发现曝光时间30 s制得的光栅结构更加清晰和平整。测量光栅样品的衍射效率,结果显示,0级衍射效率最大,与理论模拟结果相符。曝光时间27,33,36 s光栅的0级衍射效率较30s的相对偏高。以周期10μm光栅TE偏振光入射为例,使用RCWA理论模拟了光栅的栅条有缺口以及栅槽有额外薄膜层两种情况,分析了0级衍射效率偏高的现象。

不同焊丝激光-MIG复合焊接SUS301L/Q450NQR1异种钢接头的组织及性能

为了降低成本,采用ER309LSi和CHW-55CNH两种不同焊丝,利用激光-MIG复合焊对Q450NQR1和SUS301L钢板进行对接焊,对比研究了两种焊丝接头的组织与性能。结果表明:两种焊丝接头均无未焊透、未熔合等缺陷,焊缝表面呈明显的鱼鳞纹;ER309LSi焊丝接头焊缝中心区主要为树枝状结晶的奥氏体以及少量铁素体组成;CHW-55CNH焊丝接头焊缝中心区主要由先共析铁素体以和珠光体组成;CHW-55CNH焊丝接头焊缝硬度(374 HV)大于ER309LSi焊丝接头(217 HV);ER309LSi焊丝接头平均抗拉强度(632.3 MPa)略大于CHW-55CNH焊丝接头(608.6 MPa);两种焊丝接头的中性盐雾腐蚀试验结果相差不大,电化学分析试验结果表明ER309LSi焊丝接头的耐蚀性优于CHW-55CNH焊丝接头。综上,当构件受力或耐蚀性要求不严格的时候,可以用价格较低的CHW-55CNH焊丝替代ER309LSi焊丝。

“小米SU7”

2024年3月28日晚,小米SU7正式上市。作为小米造车的开山之作,小米SU7得到市场的积极响应:上市仅三个月,交付就突破10000辆;11月18日,小米SU7交付超过10万辆,提前完成全年目标;12月1日,小米集团董事长雷军发布微博称,小米汽车连续两个月交付量突破2万辆,2024年全年的交付量目标已提高到13万辆。与此同时,围绕小米SU7的各种议论也不绝于耳。

改进YOLOv5su模型检测桃树缩叶病

为实现自然环境下桃树缩叶病的检测,该研究提出了一种基于YOLOv5su的桃树缩叶病识别改进模型DLLYOLOv5su。首先,针对桃树缩叶病目标特征变化较大的问题,在骨干网络最后一层C3模块中加入可变形自注意力模块(deformable attention,DA),使模型更加关注目标区域,降低背景对模型的影响,提高模型在复杂背景下的拟合能力。其次在SPPF(fast spatial pyramid pooling)模块中引入LSKA(large separable kernel attention)结构,大核卷积增大了模型的感受野,使模型能够关注更多信息。最后,提出了LAWD(lightweight adaptive weighted downsampling)模块,使用轻量化的下采样结构替换卷积模块,减少计算开销。在桃树缩叶病数据集上进行试验,结果显示,DLL-YOLOv5su模型权重大小为17.6 MB,检测速度为83帧/s。识别准确率P、召回率R和平均精度均值mAP_(50)分别达到了80.7%、73.1%和80.4%,相较于原始YOLOv5su分别提高了4.2、2.4和4.3个百分点。与YOLOv3-tiny、Faster R-CNN、YOLOv7和YOLOv8相比mAP_(50)分别高出了28.5、11.8、2.1和4.1个百分点。改进模型识别精度高,误检、漏检率低,检测速度满足实时检测的要求,可以为桃树缩叶病的实时监测和预警提供参考。

Inactivated Sendai Virus Suppresses Murine Melanoma Growth by Inducing Host Immune Responses and Down-regulating β-catenin Expression

Abstract Objective This paper aims to investigate the anti-tumor mechanism of inactivated Sendai virus （Hemagglutinating virus of Japan envelope, HVJ-E） for murine melanoma （B16F10）. Methods The murine dendritic cells （DCs） were treated with HVJ-E, and then the cytokines secreted from DCs and costimulation-related molecules on DCs were measured. Meanwhile, the expression of 13-catenin in HVJ-E treated murine melanoma cells was detected. In addition, HVJ-E was intratumorally injected into the melanoma on C57BL/6 mice, and the immune cells, CTL response and tumor volume were analyzed. Results HVJ-E injected into B16F10 melanoma obviously inhibited the growth of the tumor and prolonged the survival time of the tumor-bearing mice. Profiles of cytokines secreted by dendritic cells （DCs） after HVJ-E stimulation showed that the number of cytokines released was significantly higher than that elicited by PBS （P〈O.05）. The co-stimulation-related molecules on DCs were comparable to those stimulated by LPS. Immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated the repression of 13-catenin in B16F10 melanoma cells after HVJ-E treatment. Meanwhile, real-time reverse transcription PCR revealed that HVJ-E induced a remarkable infiltration of CDllc positive cells, chemokine ligand 10 （CXCL10） molecules, interleukin-2 （IL-2） molecule, CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ T cells into HVJ-E injected tumors. Furthermore, the mRNA expression level of 13-catenin in the HVJ-E injected tumors was also down-regulated. In addition, B16F10-specific CTLs were induced significantly after HVJ-E was injected into the tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion This is the first report to show the effective inhibition of melanoma tumors by HVJ-E alone and the mechanism through which it induces antitumor immune responses and regulates important signal pathways for melanoma invasion. Therefore, HVJ-E shows its prospect as a novel therapeutic for melanoma therapy.

Surgery for gastrointestinal malignant melanoma:Experience from surgical training center

AIM:To characterize clinical features,surgery,outcome,and survival of malignant melanoma(MM) of the gastrointestinal(GI) tract in a surgical training center in Bangkok,Thailand. METHODS:A retrospective review was performed for all patients with MM of the GI tract treated at our institution between 1997 and 2007. RESULTS:Fourteen patients had GI involvement either in a metastatic form or as a primary melanoma. Thirteen patients with sufficient data were reviewed. The median age of the patients was 66 years(range:32-87 years) .Ten patients were female and three were male.Seven patients had primary melanomas of the anal canal,stomach and the sigmoid colon(5,1 and 1 cases,respectively) .Seven patients underwent curative resections:three abdominoperineal resections,two wide local excisions,one total gastrectomy andone sigmoidectomy.Six patients had distant metastatic lesions at the time of diagnosis,which made curative resection an inappropriate choice.Patients who underwent curative resection exhibited a longer mean survival time(29.7 mo,range:10-96 mo) than did patients in the palliative group(4.8 mo,P=0.0006) . CONCLUSION:GI MM had an unfavorable prognosis,except in patients who underwent curative resection(53.8%of cases) ,who had a mean survival of 29.7 mo.

Primary colonic melanoma presenting as ileocecal intussusception: Case report and literature review

Primary malignant melanoma originating in the colon is an extremely rare disease.Herein,we report a case of primary melanoma of the ascending colon.The patient was a 57-year-old male who was admitted to our hospital for persistent abdominal pain and episodes of bloody stool,nausea and vomiting.A computed tomography scan revealed lower intestinal intussusception and enlarged lymph nodes in the abdominal cavity and retroperitoneum.During laparoscopic operation,multiple enlarged lymph nodes were found.Several segments of the proximal small intestine were incarcerated into the distal small intestine,forming an internal hernia and obstruction.The necrotic terminal ileum was invaginated into the ascending cecum.Subsequently,adhesive internal hernia reduction and palliative right hemicolectomy were performed.Pathologic examination of the excised specimen revealed a polypoid mass in the ascending colon.Histological examination showed epithelioid and spindle tumor cells with obvious cytoplasmic melanin deposition.Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells were positive for S-100,HmB-45 and vimentin,confirming the diagnosis of melanoma.The patient history and a thorough postoperative investigation excluded the preexistence or coexistence of a primary lesion elsewhere in the skin,anus or oculus or at other sites.Thus,we consider our case to represent an aggressive primary colon melanoma presenting as ileocecal intussusception and intestinal obstruction.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection as excisional biopsy for anorectal malignant melanoma:A case report

BACKGROUND Anorectal malignant melanoma(AMM)is a rare disorder with an extremely poor prognosis.Although there is currently no consensus on the treatment methods for AMM,surgical procedures have been the most common treatment methods used until now.We recently encountered a case of AMM that we diagnosed using endoscopic submucosal dissection(ESD).To our knowledge,this is the first case of ESD for AMM,suggesting that ESD can potentially be a diagnostic and treatment method for AMM.CASE S UMA/MARY A 77-year-old woman visited our hospital with a chief complaint of anal bleeding and a palpable rectal mass.Colonoscopy revealed a 20-mm protruded lesion in the lower rectum.After obtaining biopsy specimens from the lesion,although a malignant rectal tumor was suspected,a definitive diagnosis was not made.Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed tumor invasion into the submucosal layer but not the muscular layer.Therefore,we performed an excisional biopsy using ESD.Immunohistochemical examination of the ESD-resected specimen revealed tumor cells positive for Human Melanin Black-45,Melan-A,and S-100.Moreover,the tumor cells lacked melanin pigment;thus,a diagnosis of amelanotic AMM was made.Although the AMM had massively invaded the submucosal layer and both lymphatic and venous invasion were present,we closely monitored the patient without any additional therapy on the basis of her request.Six months after ESD,local recurrence was detected,and the patient consented to wide local excision.CONCL USION It is suggested that ESD is a potential diagnostic and treatment method for AMM.

The leaf extract of Mallotus japonicus and its major active constituent, rutin,suppressed on melanin production in murine B16F1 melanoma

Objective: To find anti-melanogenesis materials used in whitening cosmetics.Methods: The ethanolic leaf extract of Mallotus japonicus(M. japonicus) having an anti-melanogenesis activity was separated by a sephadex LH-20 chromatography. Each fraction was measured for its tyrosinase inhibitory activity together with its polyphenol content using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The anti-melanogenesis activity of the active fractions was determined by the melanin content in the murine B16F1 melanoma. The active fractions were put together due to similar constituents, and then separated by high performance liquid chromatography using a C-18 ODS column. The major antimelanogenesis compound was identified using1 H and13C-NMR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.Results: The ethanolic leaf extract of M. japonicus showed an anti-tyrosinase activity with a high polyphenol content, resulting in suppression of melanin production in the B16F1 melanoma. The extract was separated and the active compound was identical as rutin based on the1 H,13C-NMR and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis data. In addition, the rutin treatment with cells reduced the melanin content in a concentration dependent manner without any cell toxicity. The leaf extract of M. japonicus containing rutin would be useful in whitening cosmetics for protection from UV-light exposure to be limiting the accumulation of melanin in skin.Conclusions: The leaf extract of M. japonicus and/or rutin isolated from the extract as a key whitening agent would be useful as a whitening cosmetic material for protecting against disorder skin due to melanin accumulation.

Primary malignant melanoma of uterine cervix: a suggestion of new scheme of treatment combination

Historically, the lack of melanocytes in the vaginal and cervical mucus membranes has deterred the findings of primary melanomas. Mainly due to its rarity, difficulty to diagnose, and poor prognosis, there has been no absolute agreement on comprehensive treatment so far. In this case report, we present a case of a 46-year-old woman with primary malignant melanoma of uterine cervix. She underwent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy initially followed by a radical hysterectomy. After adjuvant concurrent chemo-radiation, the patient has been followed up for 24 months. So far, she has not shown any symptoms or signs of recurrence. Further studies with more cases based on variable combinations of treatment regimen have been on the way.

小麦SUS基因家族鉴定与生物信息学分析

【目的】对小麦蔗糖合成酶(sucrose synthase,SUS)基因家族进行鉴定和生物信息学分析,为探究小麦SUS(TaSUS)基因家族的作用机制提供理论参考。【方法】采用生物信息学方法在小麦全基因组上鉴定TaSUS基因家族成员,并对其系统进化关系、染色体位置、基因结构、保守结构域、启动子顺式作用元件和基因表达模式进行分析。【结果】在小麦基因组中共鉴定到分布于14条染色体上的24个TaSUS基因,可分为3个亚组。TaSUS基因含有多个外显子,但部分基因缺失非翻译区结构。TaSUS基因家族成员启动子区域包含45种顺式作用元件,涉及植物生长发育和逆境胁迫响应。大多数TaSUS基因在小麦穗中显著表达,在叶、茎和根中的相对表达量较低。【结论】研究结果有助于了解小麦SUS基因家族的进化,为后期小麦SUS基因家族的生物功能研究奠定理论基础。

Immunohistochemical evaluation of vitamin D receptor(VDR) expression in cutaneous melanoma tissues and four VDR gene polymorphisms

Objective:Vitamin D receptor(VDR)mediates vitamin D activity.We examined whether VDR expression in excised melanoma tissues is associated with VDR gene(VDR)polymorphisms.Methods:We evaluated VDR protein expression(by monoclonal antibody immunostaining),melanoma characteristics,and carriage of VDR-Fok I-rs2228570(C>T),VDR-Bsm I-rs1544410(G>A),VDR-ApaI-rs7975232(T>G),and VDR-TaqI-rs731236(T>C)polymorphisms(by restriction fragment length polymorphism).Absence or presence of restriction site was denoted by a capital or lower letter,respectively:"F"and"f"for Fok I,"B"and"b"for Bsm I,"A"and"a"for ApaI,and "T"and"t"for TaqI endonuclease.Seventy-four Italian cutaneous primary melanomas(52.1±12.7 years old)were studied;51.4% were stage Ⅰ,21.6% stage Ⅱ ,13.5% stage Ⅲ,and 13.5% stage Ⅳ melanomas.VDR expression was categorized as follows:100% positive vs.<100%;over the median 20%(high VDR expression)vs.≤20%(low VDR expression);absence vs.presence of VDR-expressing cells.Results:Stage I melanomas,Breslow thickness of<1.00 mm,level II Clark invasion,Aa heterozygous genotype,and AaTT combined genotype were more frequent in melanomas with high vs.low VDR expression.Combined genotypes BbAA,bbAa,AATt,BbAATt,and bbAaTT were more frequent in 100%vs.<100%VDR-expressing cells.Combined genotype AATT was more frequent in melanomas lacking VDR expression(odds ratio=14.5;P=0.025).VDR expression was not associated with metastasis,ulceration,mitosis>1,regression,tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes,tumoral infiltration of vascular tissues,additional skin and non-skin cancers,and melanoma familiarity.Conclusions:We highlighted that VDR polymorphisms can affect VDR expression in excised melanoma cells.Low VDR expression in AATT carriers is a new finding that merits further study.VDR expression possibly poses implications for vitamin D supplementation against melanoma.VDR expression and VDR genotype may become precise medicinal tools for melanoma in the future.

Unusual clinical course of metachronous melanomas of the upper digestive system

Melanoma of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare, highly malignant neoplasm of poor prognosis. This is description of an unusual case of surgically treated patient with two metachronous malignant melanomas of the stomach and the esophagus. The former lesion was located in the cardia and effectively treated with RO total gastrectomy. The latter was recognized after 67 mo and appeared as irregular, flat, pigmented areas located in the mid esophagus. Subtotal esophagectomy via right-sided thoracotomy, laparotomy and left-sided cervicotomy was performed, but neoplastic cells were found in distal margin (R1). Fourteen months after esophagectomy multiple lung metastases were detected. Patient.died 2 mo later.

Anorectal malignant melanomas: Retrospective experience with surgical management

AIM: To present the experience and outcomes of the surgical treatment for the patients with anorectal melanoma from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. METHODS: Medical records of the diagnosis, surgery, and follow-up of 56 patients with anorectal melanoma who underwent surgery between 1975 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. The factors predictive for the survival rate of these patients were identified using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The 5-year survival rate of the 56 patients with anorectal melanoma was 20%, 36 patients underwent abdominoperineal resection (APR) and 20 patients underwent wide local excision (WLE). The rates of local recurrence of the APR and WLE groups were 16.13% (5/36) and 68.75% (13/20), (P = 0.001), and the median survival time was 22 mo and 21 mo, respectively (P = 0.481). Univariate survival analysis demonstrated that the number of tumor and the depth of invasion had significant effects on the survival (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the number of tumor [P = 0.017, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.273-11.075] and the depth of invasion (P = 0.015, 95% CI = 1.249-7.591) were independent prognostic factors influencing the survival rate. CONCLUSION: Complete or R0 resection is the first choice of treatment for anorectal melanoma, prognosis is poor regardless of surgical approach, and early diagnosis is the key to improved survival rate for patients with anorectal melanoma.

Metastatic melanoma of the gallbladder: An unusual clinical presentation of acute cholecystitis

Metastatic disease from cutaneous melanoma can af-fect all organs of the body, and varies in its biological behavior and clinical presentation. We present the case of a 58-year-old man who arrived at our clinic with acute abdominal pain, which, after investigation, was diagnosed as acute cholecystitis. The patient under-went laparotomy and cholecystectomy. Two years ago, he underwent surgical removal of a primary cutaneous melanoma on his right upper back. Pathological exami-nation revealed the presence of malignant melanoma with a metastatic lesion of the gallbladder.

Immune oppression array elucidating immune escape and survival mechanisms in uveal melanoma

AIM： To examine the genetic profile of primary uveal melanoma （UM） as compared to UM in immune escape.METHODS： Dendritic cells （DC） loaded with lysates of UM cells of high metastatic potential were used to stimulate CTLs（CTLs）. When CTLs co-cultured with the UM cells, most UM cells could be eliminated. Survival UM cells grew slowly and were considered to be survival variants and examined by a microarray analysis. These differential genes were analyzed further with Venn Diagrams and functions related to immune escape. We additionally examined transcriptional changes of manually selected survival variants of UM cells and of clinical UM samples by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction （qRT-PCR）, and analyzed the correlation of these expressions and patients’ survival.RESULTS： Gene expression analyses revealed a marked up-regulation of SLAMF7 and CCL22 and a significant down-regulation of KRT10, FXYD3 and ABCC2. The expression of these genes in the relapsed UM was significantly greater than those in primary UM. UM patients with overexpression of these genes had a shorter survival period as compared with those of their underexpression.CONCLUSION： Gene expression, in particular of SLAMF7, CCL22, KRT10, FXYD3 and ABCC2, differed between primary UM cells and survival variants of UM cells.

Primary pulmonary malignant melanoma diagnosed with percutaneous biopsy tissue:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary malignant melanoma of the lung (PMML) is a rare and highly malignanttumor with a poor prognosis. Here, we report a PMML case diagnosed bycomputed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous biopsy, describe itspathological features and review relevant literature to improve our understandingof this tumor.CASE SUMMARY A 64-year-old Chinese female presented with productive cough for 7 mo. A chestCT scan showed a large and space-occupying lesion in Lingual lobe. Positronemission tomography-CT revealed multiple nodules located in the superior lobeapicoposterior segment of her left lung. Brain magnetic resonance imagingshowed numerous enhancing nodules, suggesting brain metastasis. AbdominalCT scan did not show any abnormalities. By CT-guided percutaneous biopsy, fourpieces of gray and taupe tissues (1 cm length and 0.1 mm in diameter) wereobtained. After pathologic examination, the tumor was found to consist ofepidermal and nested small round cells, fibrosis and thin-walled blood vessels.The finding was suggestive of malignant melanoma. To confirm the diagnosis,pathological morphology and immunophenotypic features of the biopsyspecimens were observed. The patient denied any history of skin tumors. Noabnormal lesions were detected in other sites of the body. Molecular testing waspositive for wild-type EGFR and KIT gene mutations. Finally, the clinical andpathological findings suggested PMML.CONCLUSION PMML is very rare, and the percutaneous biopsy tissue is limited. Therefore,comprehensive consideration of histology, immunohistochemistry, imaging, andclinical information is important for the diagnosis of PMML.

Autophagy-related long non-coding RNA prognostic model predicts prognosis and survival of melanoma patients

BACKGROUND Melanomas are malignant tumors that can occur in different body parts or tissues such as the skin,mucous membrane,uvea,and pia mater.Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)are key factors in the occurrence and development of many malignant tumors,and are involved in the prognosis of some patients.AIM To identify autophagy-related lncRNAs in melanoma that are crucial for the diagnosis,treatment,and prognosis of melanoma patients.METHODS We retrieved transcriptome expression profiles and clinical information of 470 melanoma patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)database.Then,we identified autophagy-related genes in the Human Autophagy Database.Using R,coexpression analysis of lncRNAs and autophagy-related genes was conducted to obtain autophagy-related lncRNAs and their expression levels.We also performed univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk analyses on the obtained datasets,to systematically evaluate the prognostic value of autophagyrelated lncRNAs in melanoma.Fifteen autophagy-related lncRNAs were identified and an autophagy-related prognostic signature for melanoma was established.The Kaplan-Meier and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to calculate risk scores.Based on the risk scores,melanoma patients were randomly divided into high-and low-risk groups.Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis,dependent on time,was performed to assess the accuracy of the prognostic model.At the same time,we also downloaded the melanoma data sets GSE65904,GSE19234,and GSE78220 from the GENE EXPRESSION OMNIBUS database for model verification.Finally,we performed Gene Set Enrichment Analysis functional annotation,which showed that the low and the high-risk groups had different enriched pathways.RESULTS The co-expression network for autophagy-related genes was constructed using R,and 936 lncRNAs related to autophagy were identified.Then,52 autophagy-related lncRNAs were significantly associated with TCGA melanoma patients’survival by univariate Cox proportional risk analysis(P<0.01).Further,the 52 autophagy-related lncRNAs mentioned above were analyzed by multivariate Cox analysis with R.Fifteen lncRNAs were selected:LINC01943,AC090948.3,USP30-AS1,AC068282.1,AC004687.1,AL133371.2,AC242842.1,PCED1B-AS1,HLADQB1-AS1,AC011374.2,LINC00324,AC018553.1,LINC00520,DBH-AS1,and ITGB2-AS1.The P values in all survival analyses using these 15 lncRNAs were<0.05.These lncRNAs were used to build a risk model based on the risk score.Negative correlations were observed between risk scores and overall survival rate in melanoma patients over time.Additionally,the melanoma risk curve and scatter plot analyses showed that the death number increased along with the increase in the risk score.Overall,we identified and established a new prognostic risk model for melanoma using 15 autophagy-related lncRNAs.The risk model constructed with these lncRNAs can help and guide melanoma patient prognosis predictions and individualized treatments in the future.CONCLUSION Overall,the risk model developed based on the 15 autophagy-related lncRNAs can have important prognostic value and may provide autophagy-related clinical targets for melanoma treatment.

Surgical treatments of recurrent small intestine metastatic melanoma manifesting with gastrointestinal hemorrhage and intussusception:A case report

BACKGROUND Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer,with a tendency to metastasize to any organ.Malignant melanoma is the most frequent cause of skin cancer-related deaths worldwide.Small intestine cancers especially small intestine metastases are relatively rare.Small intestine metastases are seldom described and likely underdiagnosed.Intussusception is most common in pediatric age,and in adults are almost 5%of all cases.CASE SUMMARY A 75-year-old man with a history of acral malignant melanoma was admitted to the Gastroenterology Department of our hospital,complaining of intermittent melena for 1 mo.Magnetic resonance enterography showed partial thickening of the jejunal wall and formation of a soft tissue mass,indicating a neoplastic lesion with jejunojejunal intussusception.The patient underwent partial small bowel resection.Pathological findings and immunohistochemical staining indicated small intestine metastatic melanoma.The patient refused further anti-tumor treatment after the surgery.Ten months after the first surgery,the patient presented with melena again.Computed tomography enterography showed the anastomotic stoma was normal without thickening of the intestinal wall,and routine conservative treatment was given.Three months later,the patient developed melena again.The patient underwent a second surgery,and multiple metastatic melanoma lesions were found.The patient refused adjuvant anti-tumor treatment and was alive at the latest follow-up.CONCLUSION Small intestine metastatic melanoma should be suspected in any patient with a history of malignant melanoma and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Awareness, knowledge, and attitudes towards sun protection among patients with melanoma and atypical mole syndrome

BACKGROUND Patients with atypical mole syndrome(AMS)have a 3-to 20-fold higher risk of developing malignant melanoma(MM)than individuals without.The most modifiable risk factor for developing MM is the ongoing ultraviolet exposure.AIM To assess awareness,knowledge,and attitudes towards sun protection among patients with MM and AMS.METHODS From January 2020 till December 2021,a written survey was administered to patients with MM and AMS and a control group who attended a specialist mole clinic at the Dermatology Department of the University Hospital of Heraklion in Heraklion,Crete,Greece.Demographic data and photoprotective practices,knowledge,and perceived barriers were collected.Relevant statistical analyses were performed using SPSS IBM 25.RESULTS In total,121 subjects consented and participated in the survey.Their mean age was 43.92±12.55 years.There were 66(54.4%)females and 55(45.4%)males.Forty-seven(38.8%)patients had AMS,26(21.5%)had a past medical history of MM,and 48(39.7%)attended the clinic for a full skin checkup for their naevi without having AMS or MM.Although 104(86%)participants reported using sunscreen with the majority of them(59/121=48.8%)wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor of>50,only 22(18.2%)patients did so every day and only 20(16.5%)all year round.Approximately 74.4%of patients recalled having received advice on how to protect their skin from sunlight,and 73%were interested in receiving education about sun protection.The most mentioned barriers in photoprotection were concerns over adequate vitamin D and lack of time.CONCLUSION Despite mentioning having received adequate education in photoprotection,adherence to photoprotection practices is suboptimal in patients with MM and AMS.