Endometrial cancer is one of the malignant tumors of female reproductive system. The prognosis of advanced endometrial cancer is poor. How to improve the overall survival rate and improve the prognosis of patients with advanced endometrial cancer is still one of the clinical problems. In recent years, the research on tumor gene changes is increasing gradually. Epigenetics is the study of genetic changes in gene expression without changing the nucleotide sequence of genes. Epigenetics includes many phenomena, such as DNA methylation, microRNA expression and gene silencing, chromatin remodeling. These changes may be important factors in the occurrence and development of tumors, and may become new therapeutic targets for tumors. With the study on epigenetics of endometrial cancer in the future, new therapeutic targets may be found. Meanwhile, those study may provide new ideas for targeted therapy of endometrial cancer.

Substrate stiffness is one of the important mechanical parameters of extracellular matrix. Different substrate stiffness will affect the proliferation, movement and phenotype of tumor cells. It is found that the change of substrate stiffness is also related to the chemotherapy and radiotherapy sensitivity of tumor cells. Substrate stiffness can cause changes in the characteristics of tumor stem cells, which are related to the activation or inactivation of some signaling pathways, mainly involving ABCG2 protein and Akt/mTOR/Sox2 signaling pathway. Further study on the role of substrate stiffness in radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy of malignant tumor is expected to provide basis for the clinical treatment of malignant tumor.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between serum level of bone morphogenetic proteins-2 (BMP-2) and heterotopic ossification (HO) in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and fractures patients, providing the theoretical evidence for the clinical prevention of HO.

METHODSFrom December 2007 to January 2009, 145 with trama patients were selected. There were 96 closed primary traumatic brain injury patients, 1 penetrating primary traumatic brain injury, 29 fractures of the radius and ulna, 11 fractures of the humerus, 32 fractures of the tibia and fibula, 27 fractures of the femur. All patients were divided into three groups (i.e., group A, group B and group C) by the type of fracture. Fifty-seven patients in group A (TBI only), including 37 males and 20 females, ranged in the age from 29 to 61 years, with an average age of (43.91 +/- 11.09) years. The disease course was from 13 to 67 d, with an average duration of (18.96 +/- 10.46) d. Forty-eight patients in group B (fractures only), 25 males and 23 females, ranged in age from 31 to 54 years, with an average age of (41.73 +/- 8.41) years. The disease course was from 6 to 48 d, with an average duration of (16.02 +/- 8.71) d. Forty patients in group C (TBI combined with extremities fractures), including 23 males and 17 females, ranged in age from 30 to 60 years, with an average age of (45.87 +/- 14.15) years. The disease course was from 18 to 76 d, with an average of (21.28 +/- 13.02) d. Thirty-one extremities fractures with no significant separations or displacements of fragments were treated with traction reductions, cast immobilization or splint fixations. Sixty-eight fractures with significant separations and displacements of fragments were treated with intramedullary nail fixations or screw internal fixations. Sixty-three TBI patients were treated with open-skull surgeries immediately while 34 TBI patients were treated with stanching bleeding, reducing intracranial pressure and improving cerebral blood circulation. All patients were also divided into two groups (group D and group E) according to the 14-to 16-month follow-up X-ray film results. Seventeen patients in group D (HO had been found), including 11 males and 6 females, ranged in age from 29 to 55 years old, with an average age of (46.88 +/- 7.13) years. The disease course was from 6 to 30 d, with an average of (20.18 +/- 9.78) d. All 128 patients in group E (HO had been not found), including 74 males and 54 females, ranged in age from 33 to 61 years, with an average age of (43.31 +/- 12.94) years. The disease course was from 15 to 76 d, with an average of (18.42 +/- 11.58) d. The 49 subjects in group F (normal controls), 29 males and 20 females, ranged in age from 31 to 60 years, average (43.50 +/- 14.40) years. Peripheral blood samples were taken for the determination of BMP-2 in blood serum on 0.5, 3, 15 d and 30 d after fractures by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Analysis of variance and least significant difference test were done with the help of SPSS 13.0 statistic software.

RESULTSThe incidence rates of HO between the TBI only patients (21.05%, 12/57) and the fractures only patients(4.17%, 2/48) were significant different (chi2=5.05, P<0.05). Serum levels of BMP-2 at 0.5, 3 d and 15 d between group A and group B were significant different. Serum levels of BMP-2 at 0.5, 3, 15 d and 30 d between group D and group E were significant different. Serum levels of BMP-2 at each time in each group were higher than the control group (51.30 +/- 23.41 ng/L) (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONHigh serum levels of BMP-2 in TBI only group is one of factors in causing HO. Serum level of BMP-2 at 15 d since fractures may be the obvervational index of HO prevention.

Adult ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 ; blood ; Brain Injuries ; blood ; complications ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Bone ; blood ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ossification, Heterotopic ; blood ; etiology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognostic characteristics of papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC). METHODS: The clinical data of 114 patients with pRCC, including 91 males and 23 females, admitted to the Department of Urology, Peking University Third Hospital from May 2012 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All the cases were operated patients with clear pathological diagnosis and complete follow-up data. The log-rank test was used to analyze the relationship between the patients' clinicopathological characteristics and survival time, the Kaplan-Meier method to draw survival curves, and the Cox regression model for univariate and multifactorial analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the 114 patients was (57.3±12.6) years. The tumors were located in the left kidney in 49 cases and in the right kidney in 65 cases. In the study, 48 radical nephrectomies and 66 partial nephrectomies were performed, 42 cases were type 1 and 72 cases were type 2, and the mean maximum tumor diameter was (5.5±3.6) cm. pT1a stage 52 cases, pT1b stage 22 cases, pT2 stage 4 cases, pT3 stage 33 cases, and pT4 stage 3 cases were staged. According to the World Health Organization / International Society of Urological Pathology (WHO/ISUP), there were 13 cases of gradeⅠ, 44 cases of grade Ⅱ, 51 cases of grade Ⅲ, and 6 cases of grade Ⅳ. And 34 of the 114 patients had vascular cancer embolism, 30 cases had lymph node metastasis, and 3 cases had adrenal metastasis. The median follow-up time after surgery was 22 months, and the 3-year progression-free survival rate was 95.6%. The patients with type 1 and type 2 pRCC showed statistically significant differences in age (P=0.046), body mass index (P=0.008), surgical approach (P=0.001), maximum tumor diameter (P < 0.001), vascular cancer embolism (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), pT stage (P < 0.001), and nuclear grade (P < 0.001). The 3-year progression-free survival rates for type 1 and type 2 pRCC were 100% and 69.4%, respectively, with type 1 having a significantly better prognosis than with type 2 (P=0.003). Univariate analysis of the patients with type 2 pRCC showed that pT stage (P < 0.001), vascular cancer embolism (P < 0.001) and lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001) were strongly associated with their prognosis. Multifactorial analysis showed that vascular cancer embolism was an independent prognostic factor for progression-free survival in type 2 pRCC (P=0.001). Univariate analysis of the pRCC patients undergoing radical nephrectomy showed that pT stage (P=0.006), vascular cancer embolism (P=0.001), and lymph node metastasis (P=0.008) were significant factors affecting their prognosis, and further multifactorial analysis showed that only vascular cancer embolism was an indepen-dent prognostic factor for their progression-free survival (P=0.006). CONCLUSION Type 2 pRCC has more morbidity, more lymph node metastases, more advanced pT stage, and higher pathologic grading than type 1 pRCC. The presence of vascular cancer embolism is an independent prognostic factor in patients with type 2 pRCC and pRCC undergoing radical nephrectomy.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology* ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology* ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: To explore the expression of xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group G （XPG） gene in healthy Han population of different ages and to analysis the relationship between the mRNA and protein expression levels of XPG and age, which may provide a new molecular-biological indicator for forensic age determination. METHODS: Total 150 samples of peripheral blood were collected from healthy Han population of different ages. Total RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cell （PBMC） were extracted by TRIzol method, and the relative expression of XPG mRNA in PBMC was detected by quantitative real-time PCR, and the protein expression levels of XPG in plasma were detected by ELISA. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression levels of XPG in ≤18 years old group were significantly different from 19-45 years old group and ≥46 years old group （P<0.05）, while there was no significant difference between 19-45 years old group and ≥46 years old group （P>0.05）. No significant sex differences were observed in mRNA and protein expression levels of XPG （P>0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The relative expression level of XPG mRNA in PBMC declines with the increase of age in younger age, while the protein expression level in plasma increases with age, and XPG gene can be used as one of new markers for forensic age estimation.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Asian People ; DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics* ; Endonucleases/genetics* ; Forensic Genetics ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; Middle Aged ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; RNA, Messenger ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Young Adult