Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor amplification correlates with adverse pathological features and poor clinical outcome in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer(CRC)is the third most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide.Mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor(MET)gene participates in multiple tumor biology and shows clinical potential for pharmacological manipulation in tumor treatment.MET amplification has been reported in CRC,but data are very limited.Investigating pathological values of MET in CRC may provide new therapeutic and genetic screening options in future clinical practice.AIM To determine the pathological significance of MET amplification in CRC and to propose a feasible screening strategy.METHODS A number of 205 newly diagnosed CRC patients undergoing surgical resection without any preoperative therapy at Shenzhen Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were recruited.All patients were without RAS/RAF mutation or microsatellite instability-high.MET amplification and c-MET protein expression were analyzed using fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)and immunohistochemistry(IHC),respectively.Correlations between MET aberration and pathological features were detected using the chi-squared test.Progression free survival(PFS)during the two-year follow-up was detected using the Kaplan-Meier method and log rank test.The results of MET FISH and IHC were com pared using one-way ANOVA.RESULTS Polysomy-induced MET amplification was observed in 14.4%of cases,and focal MET amplification was not detected.Polysomy-induced MET amplification was associated with a higher frequency of lymph node metastasis(LNM)(P<0.001)and higher tumor budding grade(P=0.02).In the survival analysis,significant difference was detected between patients with amplified-and non-amplified MET in a two-year follow-up after the first diagnosis(P=0.001).C-MET scores of 0,1+,2+,and 3+were observed in 1.4%,24.9%,54.7%,and 19.0%of tumors,respectively.C-MET overexpression correlated with higher frequency of LNM(P=0.002),but no significant difference of PFS was detected between patients with different protein levels.In terms of concordance between MET FISH and IHC results,MET copy number showed no difference in c-MET IHC 0/1+(3.35±0.18),2+(3.29±0.11)and 3+(3.58±0.22)cohorts,and the MET-to-CEP7 ratio showed no difference in three groups(1.09±0.02,1.10±0.01,and 1.09±0.03).CONCLUSION In CRC,focal MET amplification was a rare event.Polysomy-induced MET amplification correlated with adverse pathological characteristics and poor prognosis.IHC was a poor screening tool for MET amplification.

Clinical manifestations,diagnosis and long-term prognosis of adult autoimmune enteropathy:Experience from Peking Union Medical College Hospital

BACKGROUND Autoimmune enteropathy(AIE)is a rare disease whose diagnosis and long-term prognosis remain challenging,especially for adult AIE patients.AIM To improve overall understanding of this disease’s diagnosis and prognosis.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed the clinical,endoscopic and histopathological characteristics and prognoses of 16 adult AIE patients in our tertiary medical center between 2011 and 2023,whose diagnosis was based on the 2007 diagnostic criteria.RESULTS Diarrhea in AIE patients was characterized by secretory diarrhea.The common endoscopic manifestations were edema,villous blunting and mucosal hyperemia in the duodenum and ileum.Villous blunting(100%),deep crypt lymphocytic infiltration(67%),apoptotic bodies(50%),and mild intraepithelial lymphocytosis(69%)were observed in the duodenal biopsies.Moreover,there were other remarkable abnormalities,including reduced or absent goblet cells(duodenum 94%,ileum 62%),reduced or absent Paneth cells(duodenum 94%,ileum 69%)and neutrophil infiltration(duodenum 100%,ileum 69%).Our patients also fulfilled the 2018 diagnostic criteria but did not match the 2022 diagnostic criteria due to undetectable anti-enterocyte antibodies.All patients received glucocorticoid therapy as the initial medication,of which 14/16 patients achieved a clinical response in 5(IQR:3-20)days.Immunosuppressants were administered to 9 patients with indications of steroid dependence(6/9),steroid refractory status(2/9),or intensified maintenance medication(1/9).During the median of 20.5 months of followup,2 patients died from multiple organ failure,and 1 was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.The cumulative relapse-free survival rates were 62.5%,55.6%and 37.0%at 6 months,12 months and 48 months,respectively.CONCLUSION Certain histopathological findings,including a decrease or disappearance of goblet and Paneth cells in intestinal biopsies,might be potential diagnostic criteria for adult AIE.The long-term prognosis is still unsatisfactory despite corticosteroid and immunosuppressant medications,which highlights the need for early diagnosis and novel medications.

Identification of pathological characteristics in pulmonary tuberculosis using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

The low detection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical practice leads to a high rate of missed diagnosis for pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB).As a noninvasive,high-resolution,real-time imaging technology,polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography(PS-OCT)may be feasible for the rapid identification of pathological feature.This study aimed to explore the feasibility of using PS-OCT to identify pathological features of PTB.In the experiments,PTB samples containing some surrounding lung tissues were imaged using PS-OCT.It is demonstrated that PS-OCT images showed good consistency with the corresponding pathological images and were able to identify PTB-related characteristic pathological regions.We think PS-OCT can serve as an effective supplement for the diagnosis of PTB,enabling rapid and accurate diagnosis,and aiding in the understanding of the pathological characteristics and pathophysiological processes of PTB.

The development and implementation of pathological parameters and molecular testing impact prognosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma

Objective:This study aims to analyze how changes in pathological diagnosis practice and molecular detection technology have affected clinical outcomes for colorectal cancer(CRC)patients in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center(FUSCC).Methods:This retrospective cohort study analyzed 21,141 pathologically confirmed CRC cases diagnosed at FUSCC from 2008 to 2020.Patients were divided into five groups for different analytical purposes:(1)the before vs.since 2014 groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the classification criteria of pT3 and pT4 staging on the survival of patients;(2)the partial vs.total mesorectal excision(TME)groups to analyze whether evaluation of completeness of the mesorectum have impact on the survival of patients;(3)the tumor deposit(TD)(+)N0 vs.TD(+)N1c groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the pN staging on the survival of patients with positive TD and negative regional lymph node metastasis(LNM);(4)the before vs.since 2013 groups to analyze the influence of the changes in the testing process of deficient mismatch repair on the survival of patients;and(5)the groups with vs.without RAS/BRAF gene mutation testing to analyze the influence of these testing on the survival of patients.Patients’clinicopathological parameters,including age at diagnosis,sex,tumor size,location,differentiation,mucinous subtype,TD,lymphovascular invasion,perineural invasion,tumor depth,LNM and distant metastasis,and tumor-node-metastasis(TNM)stage,were compared between groups.Kaplan-Meier analysis with log rank method was performed for patients’overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS)analyses.Results:In pathological reports,there were three parameter changes that impacted patient outcomes.Firstly,changes in the pT staging criteria led to a shift of the ratio of patients with stage pT3 to stage pT4 from 1:110.9 to 1:0.26.In comparison to patients admitted before 2014(n=4,754),a significant difference in prognosis between pT3 and pT4 stages was observed since 2014(n=9,965).Secondly,we began to evaluate the completeness of the mesorectum since 2016.As a result,91.0%of patients with low rectal cancer underwent TME(n=4,111)surgery,and patients with TME had significantly better OS compared with partial mesorectal excision(PME,n=409).Thirdly,we began to stage TD(+)LNM(-)as N1c since 2017.The results showed that N1c(n=127)but not N0(n=39)can improve the prognosis of patients without LNM and distal metastasis.In molecular testing,there have been three and five iterations of updates regarding mismatch repair(MMR)/microsatellite instability(MSI)status and RAS/BRAF gene mutation detection,respectively.The standardization of MMR status testing has sharply decreased the proportion of deficient MMR(dMMR)patients(from 32.5%to 7.4%)since 2013.The prognosis of patients underwent MMR status testing since 2013(n=867)were significantly better than patients before 2013(n=1,313).In addition,detection of RAS/BRAF gene mutation status(n=5,041)resulted in better DFS but not OS,for patients with stage I-III disease(n=16,557).Conclusion:Over the past few decades,updates in elements in pathological reports,as well as the development of standardized tests for MMR/MSI status and RAS/BRAF gene mutations have significantly improved patient outcomes.

Research Progress on the Relationship between Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Clinical Pathological Characteristics of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is one of the main malignant tumors in the digestive system.Early detection and treatment have positive significance in improving patient prognosis and reducing mortality.MRI is the main method for liver cancer examination,which mainly uses computers to compare imaging of different energy regions of tumors,observe the density and signal changes of liver cancer,and the degree of tumor enhancement.In particular,various new MRI functional imaging technologies,such as diffusion-weighted imaging,perfusion weighted imaging,delayed imaging,liver cell specific contrast agent enhanced imaging,etc.,can be used at the molecular level Multiple aspects such as cell function provide clinicians with richer diagnostic information.Therefore,further comparative analysis of MRI manifestations and pathological results of liver cancer can help to gain a deeper understanding of the biological behavior of tumors and provide a basis for treatment decision-making and prognosis evaluation.

Relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion, clinicopathological features, and prognosis in pancreatic cancer

AIM To investigate the relationship between autophagy and perineural invasion(PNI), clinical features, and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer. METHODS Clinical and pathological data were retrospectively collected from 109 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who underwent radical resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2011 to August 2016. Expression levels of the autophagy-related protein microtubuleassociated protein 1 A/1 B-light chain 3(LC3) and PNI marker ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase(UCH) in pancreatic cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations among LC3 expression, PNI, and clinical pathological features in pancreatic cancer were analyzed. The patients were followed for further survival analysis. RESULTS In 109 cases of pancreatic cancer, 68.8%(75/109) had evidence of PNI and 61.5%(67/109) had high LC3 expression. PNI was associated with lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 levels(P < 0.05). LC3 expression was related to lymph node metastasis(P < 0.05) and was positively correlated with neural invasion(P < 0.05, r = 0.227). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that LC3 expression, lymph node metastasis, pancreatitis, and CA19-9 level were factors that influenced neural invasion, whereas only neural invasion itself was an independent factor for high LC3 expression. Univariate analysis showed that LC3 expression, neural invasion, and CA19-9 level were related to the overall survival of pancreatic cancer patients(P < 0.05). Multivariate COX regression analysis indicated that PNI and LC3 expression were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer(P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PNI in patients with pancreatic cancer is positively related to autophagy. Neural invasion and LC3 expression are independent risk factors for pancreatic cancer with a poor prognosis.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis associated colitis: Characterization of clinical, histologic features, and their associations with liver transplantation

BACKGROUND Primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC)associated inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a unique form of IBD(PSC-IBD)with distinct clinical and histologic features from ulcerative colitis(UC)and Crohn disease(CD).In patients with PSC and IBD,the severity of the two disease processes may depend on each other.AIM To study the histologic and clinical features of PSC patients with and without IBD.METHODS We assessed specimens from patients with UC(n=28),CD(n=10),PSC and UC(PSC-UC;n=26);PSC and CD(PSC-CD;n=6);and PSC and no IBD(PSC-no IBD;n=4)between years 1999-2013.PSC-IBD patients were matched to IBD patients without PSC by age and colitis duration.Clinical data including age,gender,age at IBD and PSC diagnoses,IBD duration,treatment,follow-up,orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT)were noted.RESULTS PSC-UC patients had more isolated right-sided disease(P=0.03),and less active inflammation in left colon,rectum(P=0.03 and P=0.0006),and overall(P=0.0005)compared to UC.They required less steroids(P=0.01)and fewer colectomies(P=0.03)than UC patients.The PSC-CD patients had more ileitis and less rectal involvement compared to PSC-UC and CD.No PSC-CD patients required OLT compared to 38%of PSC-UC(P=0.1).PSC-IBD(PSC-UC and PSCCD)patients with OLT had severe disease in the left colon and rectum(P=0.04).CONCLUSION PSC-UC represents a distinct form of IBD.The different disease phenotype in PSC-IBD patients with OLT may support liver-gut axis interaction,however warrants clinical attention and further research.

Clinical and Pathological Features of Riedel's Thyroiditis

Objective To evaluate the clinical and pathological features of Riedel's thyroiditis(RT),and current diagnostic and treatment methods for that disease.Methods Five RT cases identified by surgery and pathological examinations at Peking Union Medical College Hospital from 1985 to 2009 were analyzed and compared with the cases reported in the literature in terms of clinical and pathological features.Immunohistochemical staining of kappa and lambda light chains was carried out for RT tissues from all the five patients.Results All the five cases were females,aged 45-55 years.Elevation of serum thyroid autoantibodies was found in only one patient,who had longer disease duration than the others.Pathological examination revealed invasive fibrosclerosis of the thyroid follicles,thyroid capsule,and the surrounding tissues.In RT tissues,the number of cells containing lambda chains was a little higher than those containing kappa chains.Conclusions RT is a rare disease which might be more common in middle-aged females than in other populations.Pathological features include the destruction of thyroid follicle,extension into surrounding tissues by inflammatory cells and fibrous tissues.Immunohistochemical staining of kappa and lambda chains could help diagnose RT.

Clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women all around the world.According to the latest statistics in 2018,there were more than 2.08 million new breast cancer cases all around the world and more than 620000 deaths;the proportion of breast cancer deaths in women with cancer is 15%.By studying age,clinicopathological characteristics and molecular classification,age at menarche,age at birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,surgical history of benign breast lesions,history of gynecological diseases,and other factors,we retrospectively summarized and compared the disease history of patients with primary breast cancer and patients with benign thyroid tumors admitted to our hospital in the past 10 years to explore the clinicopathological characteristics and risk factors for primary breast cancer.AIM To investigate the clinical and pathological features and risk factors for primary breast cancer treated at our center in order to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region.METHODS Through a retrospective case-control study,149 patients with primary breast cancer diagnosed and treated at Zhuhai Hospital of Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2013 to March 2020 were included as a case group,and 165 patients with benign breast tumors diagnosed and treated from January 2019 to March 2020 were included as a control group.The data collected included age,age at menarche,age at first birth,number of births,number of miscarriages,lactation time,history of surgery for benign breast lesions,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,history of thyroid diseases,and the tumor characteristics of the patients in the case group including pathological diagnosis,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,distant metastasis,stage,and molecular classification,among others.In the case group,the chi-square test was used to analyze the clinical and pathological features of patients in three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years).A multifactor logistic regression analysis was used to analyze correlations between the two groups.RESULTS Among 149 patients with primary breast cancer,the average age was 48.20±12.06 years,and the proportion of patients at 40-59 years old was the highest,accounting for 61.8%of cases.The molecular type was mainly luminal B type,accounting for 69.2%of cases,and at the time of diagnosis,the tumor stage was mainly stage I/II,accounting for 62.4%of cases.There were no statistically significant differences in the distributions of tumor location,pathological type,tumor size,lymph node metastasis,stage,or molecular classification among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)(P≥0.05).The differences in the distribution of distant metastasis among the three age groups(<40,40-59,and≥60 years)were statistically significant(P<0.01).The differences in lactation time,history of familial malignant tumors,history of gynecological diseases,and history of thyroid diseases between the two groups were not statistically significant(P≥0.05).The differences in age at disease diagnosis,age at menarche,and history of surgery for benign breast lesions were statistically significant(P<0.01).The difference in age at first birth was also statistically significant(P<0.05).CONCLUSION The highest incidence of breast cancer in the Zhuhai-Macao region is present among women aged 40-59 years.There is a larger proportion of stage I/II patients,and the luminal B type is the most common molecular subtype.Distant metastasis occurs mainly in the≥60-year-old group at the first diagnosis;increased age,late age at menarche,and late age at first birth may be risk factors for primary breast cancer,and a history of surgery for benign breast lesions may be a protective factor for primary breast cancer.

Pathological Voice Classification Based on Features Dimension Opti mization

The classification of pathological voice from healthy voice was studied based upon 27 acoustic features derived from a single sound signal of vowel /a:/. First, the feature space was transferred to reduce the data dimension by principle component analysis (PCA). Then the voice samples were classified according to the reduced PCA parameters by support vector machine (SVM) using radial basis function (RBF) as a kernel function. Meanwhile, by changing the ratio of opposite class samples, the accuracy under different features combinations was tested. Experimental data were provided by the voice database of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) in which 216 vowel /a:/ samples were collected from subjects of healthy and pathological cases, and tested with 5 fold cross-validation method. The result shows the positive rate of pathological voices was improved from 92% to 98% through the PCA method. STD, Fatr, Tasm, NHR, SEG, and PER are pathology sensitive features in illness detection. Using these sensitive features the accuracy of detection of pathological voice from healthy voice can reach 97%.

Clinical and pathological features of Devic’s neuromyelitis optica and multiple sclerosis in Chinese patients

BACKGROUND：Devic＇s neuromyelitis optica （DNMO） and multiple sclerosis in Asian populations have been considered to be the same disease. However, there is an increasing number of studies suggesting that DNMO and multiple sclerosis are different diseases.OBJECTIVE：Little information is available regarding comparisons of DNMO patients between China and other countries, as well as clinical manifestations of Chinese patients with DNMO and multiple sclerosis. The present study performed a multi-center, pathological, retrospective analysis.DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING：A retrospective analysis of clinical data from seven patients with DNMO diagnosed between 1957 and 1998.PARTICIPANTS：Data from Chinese DNMO patients was provided by the Shanghai Second Medical University, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences and the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University in China.METHODS：Clinical and pathological data from Chinese patients with DNMO were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics of DNMO were compared between Chinese and Caucasian patients. In addition, clinical and pathological differences between DNMO and multiple sclerosis Chinese patients were compared.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES：Clinical and pathological features of Chinese patients with DNMO.RESULTS：All seven Chinese patients with DNMO exhibited abrupt onset of vision disturbance, with a disease course of 3 clays to 9 years. DNMO recurred in two of the patients. Demyelinating lesions were observed in all patients, with necrotic lesions and gitter cells in five patients, collagenous hyperplasia in one patient, and perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration in six patients. Comparison between Chinese and Caucasian DNMO patients revealed no significant differences in age at onset, clinical onset, duration, or interval between optic neuritis and myelitis. Compared with Chinese multiple sclerosis patients, Chinese DNMO patients presented with fewer recurrences, higher occurrence of necrosis, perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration and gitter cells, and a lower occurrence of collagenous hyperplasia.CONCLUSION：There was no difference in DNMO clinical features between Chinese and Caucasian patients. However, the clinical and pathological features of DNMO were different compared with multiple sclerosis in Chinese patients. Results suggested that the characteristics of DNMO in Chinese patients were significantly different than multiple sclerosis.

Pathological Features of Gastric Cancer in Zhuanghe High-risk Area in China during 1992-2005

Objective： To investigate the pathological features and chronological changes of 1003 cases with gastric cancer in Zhuanghe high-risk area during 1992-2005 and the relationship between the changes and etiology factors in order to make a clue for gastric cancer prevention. Methods： A total of 1003 gastric cancer specimens resected surgically between 1992-2005 in Zhuanghe Center Hospital were studied. The specimens were fixed in formalin and diagnosed by routine pathology. Results： The incidence of patients with gastric cancer was highest at age of 60-69, the next high was at age of 50-59 and it was significantly higher in male than in female （P〈0.001）, the ratio was 3.0：1. During the past 14 years, there were 159 （15.9%） EGC, 195 （19.4%） moderate and 649 （64.7%） advanced gastric cancer detected. In macroscopical features, type Ⅲ remained dominant in EGC, the next was mixed type in EGC. In advanced gastric cancer the Borrmann＇s type Ⅲ remained the dominant, the next was type Ⅱ. For nodal metastasis, positive cases were decreasing and negative were increasing in EGC, moreover negative cases were higher than positive ones each year. There was no obvious trend in advanced cancer but positive cases were higher than negative ones each year. In histological features, papillary, moderately and poorly differentiated tubular adenocarcinoma remained downtrend, mucus adenocarcinoma and undifferentiation cancer remained uptrend year after year. The radio of intestinal to diffuse type decreased from 0.78 to 0.62 during the past 14 years. Conclusion： There were significant chorological trends of pathological characteristic of gastric cancer in Zhuanghe high-risk area during the past 14 years.

Endoscopic and pathological characteristics of de novo colorectal cancer:Retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND Endoscopy has rapidly developed in recent years and has enabled further investigation into the origin and features of intestinal tumors.The small size and concealed position of these tumors make it difficult to distinguish them from nonneoplastic polyps and carcinoma in adenoma(CIA).The invasive depth and metastatic potential determine the operation regimen,which in turn affects the overall survival and distant prognosis.The previous studies have confirmed the malignant features and clinicopathological features of de novo colorectal cancer(CRC).AIM To provide assistance for diagnosis and treatment,but the lack of a summary of endoscopic features and assessment of risk factors that differ from the CIA prompted us to conduct this retrospective study.METHODS In total,167 patients with small-sized CRCs diagnosed by endoscopy were reviewed.The patients diagnosed as advanced CRCs and other malignant cancers or chronic diseases that could affect distant outcomes were excluded.After screening,63 cases were excluded,including 33 de novo and 30 CIA cases.Patient information,including their follow-up information,was obtained from an electronic His-system.The characteristics between two group and risk factors for invasion depth were analyzed with SPSS 25.0 software.RESULTS Nearly half of the de novo CRCs were smaller than 1 cm(n=16,48.5%)and the majority were located in the distal colon(n=26,78.8%).The IIc type was the most common macroscopic type of de novo CRC.In a Pearson analysis,the differential degree,Sano,JNET,and Kudo types,surrounding mucosa,and chicken skin mucosa(CSM)were correlated with the invasion depth(P<0.001).CSM was a significant risk factor for deep invasion and disturbed judgment of endoscopic ultrasound.A high degree of tumor budding and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are accompanied by malignancy.Finally,de novo CRCs have worse outcomes than CIA CRCs.CONCLUSION This is the first comprehensive study to analyze the features of de novo CRCs to distinguish them from nonneoplastic polyps.It is also the first study paying attention to CSM invasive depth measurement.This study emphasizes the high metastatic potential of de novo CRCs and highlights the need for more research on this tumor type.

Small intestinal angiosarcoma on clinical presentation, diagnosis, management and prognosis: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Angiosarcoma is a highly malignant soft-tissue sarcoma derived from vascular endothelial cells that mainly occurs in the skin and subcutaneous tissues.Smallintestinal angiosarcomas are rare,and the prognosis is poor.CASE SUMMARY We reported a case of primary multifocal ileal angiosarcoma and analyze previously reported cases to improve our understanding of small intestinal angiosarcoma.Small intestinal angiosarcoma is more common in elderly and male patients.Gastrointestinal bleeding,anemia,abdominal pain,weakness,and weight loss were the common symptoms.CD31,CD34,factor VIII-related antigen,ETS-related gene,friend leukemia integration 1,and von Willebrand factor are valuable immunohistochemical markers for the diagnosis of small-intestinal angiosarcoma.Small-intestinal angiosarcoma most commonly occurs in the jejunum,followed by the ileum and duodenum.Radiation and toxicant exposure are risk factors for angiosarcoma.After a definite diagnosis,the mean and median survival time was 8 mo and 3 mo,respectively.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that age,infiltration depth,chemotherapy,and the number of small intestinal segments invaded by tumor lesions were prognostic factors for small intestinal angiosarcoma.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that chemotherapy and surgery significantly improved patient prognosis.CONCLUSION Angiosarcoma should be considered for unexplained melena and abdominal pain,especially in older men and patients with a history of radiation exposure.Prompt treatment,including surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy,is essential to prolonging patient survival.

Liver transplant in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis:A retrospective cohort from Northeastern Brazil

BACKGROUND Primary sclerosing cholangitis(PSC)manifests within a broad ethnic and racial spectrum,reflecting different levels of access to health care.AIM To evaluate the clinical profile,complications and survival rates of patients with PSC undergoing liver transplantation(LTx)at a Brazilian reference center.METHODS All patients diagnosed with PSC before or after LTx were included.The medical records were reviewed for demographic and clinical variables,including outcomes and survival.The level of statistical significance was set at P<0.05.RESULTS Our cohort represented 1.6%(n=34)of the 2113 patients receiving liver grafts at our service over the past two decades.Most were male(n=19;56%).The average age(40±14 years)was similar for men and women(P=0.347).The mean follow-up time from diagnosis to LTx was 68 mo.Most patients had the classic form of PSC.Three women had PSC/autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome,and one patient had small-duct PSC.Alkaline phosphatase levels at diagnosis and pre-LTx model for end-stage liver disease.scores were significantly higher in males.Inflammatory bowel research(IBD)was investigated by colonoscopy in 26/34(76%)and was present in most cases(18/26;69%).IBD was less common in women than in men(44.4%vs.55.6%)(P=0.692).Cholangiocarcinoma(CCA)was diagnosed in 2/34(5.9%)patients by histopathology of the explant(survival:3 years 6 mo,and 4 years 11 mo).Two patients had complications requiring a second LTx(one after 7 d due to hepatic artery thrombosis and one after 17 d due to primary graft dysfunction).Five patients(14.7%)developed biliary stricture.The overall median post-LTx survival was 66 mo.Most deaths occurred in the first year(infection n=2,primary liver graft dysfunction n=3,unknown cause n=1).The 1-year and 5-year survival rates of this cohort were 82.3%and 70.6%,respectively,matching the mean overall survival rates of LTx patients at our center(87.1%and 69.43%,respectively)(P=0.83).CONCLUSION Survival after 1 and 5 years was similar to that of other LTx indications.The observed CCA survival rate suggests CCA may be an indication for LTx in selected cases.

Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma of the jaws: Report of two cases and a literature review

BACKGROUND Ghost cell odontogenic carcinoma(GCOC) is a rare malignant odontogenic epithelial tumor with features of benign calcifying odontogenic cysts. Herein, we report two new cases of GCOC and systematically review the previous literature.CASE SUMMARY In case 1, a 46-year-old man complained of painless swelling of the right maxilla for 3 years, with a 1-mo history of hemorrhinia in the right nasal cavity. In case 2,a 72-year-old man was referred to our hospital with a chief complaint of painful swelling of the right mandible. Initially, the preliminary diagnoses were ameloblastomas. Thus, the two patients underwent resection of the tumor under general anesthesia. Finally, immunohistochemical examination confirmed the diagnosis of GCOC. The patient in case 1 was followed for 2 years, with no evidence of recurrence. However, the patient in case 2 was lost to follow-up.CONCLUSION GCOC is a rare malignant odontogenic epithelial tumor with high recurrence.Local extensive resection is necessary for the definitive treatment of GCOC.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of gastric signet ring cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND The clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric signet ring cell carcinoma(GSRC)remain controversial,particularly with regard to sensitivity to postoperative adjuvant therapy.AIM To compare the pathological features of GSRC with those of gastric adenocarcinoma of different degrees of differentiation and the differences in survival prognosis between the different disease processes.METHODS By screening gastric cancer patients from 2010 to 2015 in the database of Surveillance,Epidemiology and End Results,and collecting the clinicopathological and prognostic data of gastric cancer patients who underwent surgery from January 2014 to December 2016 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University,we analyzed the general pathological characteristics of GSRC by the chi-square test.Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to compare the factors affecting the survival and prognosis of early and advanced gastric adenocarcinoma.The Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to reveal the survival difference between early and advanced GSRC and different differentiated types of gastric adenocarcinoma.The prognosis model of advanced GSRC was established with R software,and the area under curve(AUC)and C-index were used to assess the accuracy of the model.RESULTS Analysis of pathological features revealed that signet ring-cell carcinoma(SRC)was more frequently seen in younger(<60 years),female,and White patients compared to non-SRC patients.SRC was less commonly associated with early gastric cancer(EGC)(23.60%vs 39.10%),lower N0(38.61%vs 61.03%),and larger tumour sizes>5 cm(31.15%vs 27.10%)compared to the differentiated type,while the opposite was true compared to the undifferentiated type.Survival prognostic analysis found no significant difference in the prognosis of SRC patients among EGC patients.In contrast,among advanced gastric cancer(AGC)patients,the prognosis of SRC patients was correlated with age,race,tumour size,AJCC stage,T-stage,and postoperative adjuvant therapy.The predictive model showed that the 3-year AUC was 0.787,5-year AUC was 0.806,and C-index was 0.766.Compared to non-SRC patients,patients with SRC had a better prognosis in EGC[hazard ratio(HR):0.626,95%confidence interval(CI):0.427-0.919,P<0.05]and a worse prognosis in AGC(HR:1.139,95%CI:1.030-1.258,P<0.05).When non-SRC was divided into differentiated and undifferentiated types for comparison,it was found that in EGC,SRC had a better prognosis than differentiated and undifferentiated types,while there was no significant difference between differentiated and undifferentiated types.In AGC,there was no significant difference in prognosis between SRC and undifferentiated types,both of which were worse than differentiated types.A prognostic analysis of postoperative adjuvant therapy for SRC in patients with AGC revealed that adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy or chemotherapy significantly improved patient survival(34.6%and 36.2%vs 18.6%,P<0.05).CONCLUSION The prognosis of SRC is better than that of undifferentiated type,especially in EGC,and its prognosis is even better than that of differentiated type.SRC patients can benefit from early detection,surgical resection,and aggressive adjuvant therapy.

Systematic review of robust experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis for basic research

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a common autoimmune disease characterized by progressive joint inflammation and destruction,deformity,loss of mobility,and permanent disability.Although the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in RA are understood in detail,no drugs or therapies can completely cure RA.Many long-term efforts have been directed towards a better understanding of RA pathogenesis and the development of new classes of therapeutics.Thus,the ongoing elucidation of pathogenic events underlying RA mostly relies on studies of animal models.Herein,we comprehensively review and discuss the characteristics,challenges,and unresolved of issues of various experimental models of RA to provide a basis and reference for the rational selection of experimental RA models for basic investigations into traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).

ENDOMYOCARDIAL FIBROSIS IN CHINA

To introduce the epidemical, pathological, and clinical characteristics as well as the diagnostic and therapeutical experiences of endomyocardial fibrosis(EMF) in China. [WT5”BX] Data sources.[WT5”BZ]A CMBdisc search was done of the Chinese language literature published from January 1983 through June 1997 about EMF and/or restrictive cardiomyopathy. A manual search was then done for other contributions, including abstracts, between January 1965 and June 1997. [WT5”BX] Results. [WT5”BZ]Eighty seven Chinese cases of EMF were collected in this paper. There were 49 men and 38 women, with a mean age of 28±13 years(range, 8 to 68 years). The distribution of the cases is mainly in the south of China. Combined right and left ventricular disease occurs in 48 percent of cases, with pure right ventricular involvement occurring in 42 percent and pure left ventricular involvement in the remaining 10 percent of patients who are examined postmortem. The diagnosis of EMF was confirmed in 21 cases at autopsy, and in 66 cases by echocardiography, angiocardiography, and/or endomyocardial biopsy which showed the characteristic changes. Clinically, right sided disease is the commonest variety. Endocardiectomy and tricuspid(n=7) or mitral(n=1) valves replacement have been performed in 8 patients. There were 2 operative deaths. Six patients had a satisfactory recovery postoperatively and living well in the follow up duration. [WT5”BX] Conclusion.

Anaplastic myxopapillary ependymoma:A case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Myxopapillary ependymoma(MPE)is a pathological grade I tumor that arises in the filum terminale.MPE with anaplastic features is extremely rare,and only 5 cases have shown malignancy at the time of recurrence.CASE SUMMARY The patient(a 46-year-old woman)had undergone a MPE operation 30 years ago.After subtotal resection of the tumor located in L4-S1,it had a solid component that extended to the adjacent subcutaneous region.Histologically,the tumor consisted of a typical MPE with anaplastic features.The anaplastic areas of the tumor showed hypercellularity,a rapid mitotic rate,vascular proliferation,and connective tissue proliferation.Pleomorphic cells and atypical mitotic figures were occasionally observed.The MIB-1 index in this area was 12.3%.The immunohistochemical study showed immunoreactivity for vimentin,glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100.The morphological pattern and immunohistochemical profile were consistent with anaplastic MPE.The patient tolerated surgery well without new neurological deficits.She underwent local irradiation for the residual tumor and rehabilitation.CONCLUSION Although extremely rare,anaplastic MPE occurs in both pediatric and adult patients,similar to other ependymomas.At a minimum,close monitoring is recommended,given concerns about aggressive biological potential.In the future,further study is needed to determine the WHO classification criteria and genetic indicators of tumor progression.The possibility of malignant transformation of MPE should be taken into account,and patients with MPE should be treated with care and follow-up.