Objective: The impact of prophylactic salpingectomy on the prevention of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear, particularly in Asian populations where data is lacking. In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, we sought to assess whether prophylactic salpingectomy could reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer in the general population of multiple ethnicities. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to assess the effectiveness of salpingectomy, bilateral salpingectomy (BS), and unilateral salpingectomy (US) in reducing the risk of EOC and evaluating postoperative outcomes. Results: The final analyses included 6 eligible trials (5,747,056 patients), including 1 cohort study and 5 case-control studies. The analyses of these studies demonstrated that women who underwent salpingectomy had a significantly reduced risk of EOC compared to those who did not receive salpingectomy (odds ratio [OR]=0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–0.89; p=0.007). Five studies (5,746,469 patients) indicated a significant reduction in EOC risk among patients who underwent BS (OR=0.48; 95% CI=0.33–0.69; p<0.001).On the other hand, in the analysis of 4 studies (5,745,887 patients) that examined US, the association with EOC risk was not significant despite the protective trend (OR=0.82; 95% CI=0.64–1.06; p=0.12). Conclusion Our results indicate BS is an effective strategy for reducing the risk of sporadic EOC, but the results did not lead to the same conclusion for patients who underwent US. When a candidate or patient is undergoing a hysterectomy or has other benign diseases, prophylactic BS may be a safe surgical procedure that carries future benefits in terms of EOC risk.

Objective: The impact of prophylactic salpingectomy on the prevention of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear, particularly in Asian populations where data is lacking. In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, we sought to assess whether prophylactic salpingectomy could reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer in the general population of multiple ethnicities. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to assess the effectiveness of salpingectomy, bilateral salpingectomy (BS), and unilateral salpingectomy (US) in reducing the risk of EOC and evaluating postoperative outcomes. Results: The final analyses included 6 eligible trials (5,747,056 patients), including 1 cohort study and 5 case-control studies. The analyses of these studies demonstrated that women who underwent salpingectomy had a significantly reduced risk of EOC compared to those who did not receive salpingectomy (odds ratio [OR]=0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–0.89; p=0.007). Five studies (5,746,469 patients) indicated a significant reduction in EOC risk among patients who underwent BS (OR=0.48; 95% CI=0.33–0.69; p<0.001).On the other hand, in the analysis of 4 studies (5,745,887 patients) that examined US, the association with EOC risk was not significant despite the protective trend (OR=0.82; 95% CI=0.64–1.06; p=0.12). Conclusion Our results indicate BS is an effective strategy for reducing the risk of sporadic EOC, but the results did not lead to the same conclusion for patients who underwent US. When a candidate or patient is undergoing a hysterectomy or has other benign diseases, prophylactic BS may be a safe surgical procedure that carries future benefits in terms of EOC risk.

Objective: The impact of prophylactic salpingectomy on the prevention of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) remains unclear, particularly in Asian populations where data is lacking. In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, we sought to assess whether prophylactic salpingectomy could reduce the incidence of ovarian cancer in the general population of multiple ethnicities. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to assess the effectiveness of salpingectomy, bilateral salpingectomy (BS), and unilateral salpingectomy (US) in reducing the risk of EOC and evaluating postoperative outcomes. Results: The final analyses included 6 eligible trials (5,747,056 patients), including 1 cohort study and 5 case-control studies. The analyses of these studies demonstrated that women who underwent salpingectomy had a significantly reduced risk of EOC compared to those who did not receive salpingectomy (odds ratio [OR]=0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.45–0.89; p=0.007). Five studies (5,746,469 patients) indicated a significant reduction in EOC risk among patients who underwent BS (OR=0.48; 95% CI=0.33–0.69; p<0.001).On the other hand, in the analysis of 4 studies (5,745,887 patients) that examined US, the association with EOC risk was not significant despite the protective trend (OR=0.82; 95% CI=0.64–1.06; p=0.12). Conclusion Our results indicate BS is an effective strategy for reducing the risk of sporadic EOC, but the results did not lead to the same conclusion for patients who underwent US. When a candidate or patient is undergoing a hysterectomy or has other benign diseases, prophylactic BS may be a safe surgical procedure that carries future benefits in terms of EOC risk.

OBJECTIVES: Verrucous epidermal nevus (VEN), seborrheic keratosis (SK), verruca plana (VP), verruca vulgaris (VV), and nevus sebaceous (NS) are common verrucous proliferative skin diseases with similar clinical appearances, often posing diagnostic challenges. Dermoscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) can aid in their differentiation, yet their specific features under these tools have not been systematically described. This study aims to summarize and analyze the dermoscopic and RCM features of VEN, SK, VP, VV, and NS. METHODS: A total of 121 patients with histopathologically confirmed verrucous proliferative skin diseases were enrolled. Dermoscopy and RCM imaging was used to observe and analyze the microscopic features of these conditions. RESULTS: Under dermoscopy, the 5 diseases displayed distinct characteristics: VEN typically showed gyriform structures; SK was characterized by gyriform structures, comedo-like openings, and milia-like cysts; VP and VV featured dotted vessels and frogspawn-like structures; NS presented as brownish-yellow globules. RCM revealed shared features such as hyperkeratosis and acanthosis across all 5 diseases. Specific features included gyriform structures and elongated rete ridges in VEN; pseudocysts and gyriform structures in SK; evenly distributed ring-like structures in VP; vacuolated cells and papillomatous proliferation in VV; and frogspawn-like structures in NS. CONCLUSIONS These 5 verrucous proliferative skin conditions exhibit distinguishable features under both dermoscopy and RCM. The combination of these 2 noninvasive imaging modalities holds significant clinical value for the differential diagnosis of verrucous proliferative skin diseases.
Humans ; Dermoscopy/methods* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Microscopy, Confocal/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adolescent ; Keratosis, Seborrheic/pathology* ; Young Adult ; Warts/diagnosis* ; Child ; Aged ; Skin Diseases/pathology* ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn/diagnosis* ; Skin Neoplasms/diagnosis* ; Child, Preschool

OBJECTIVES: To explore the correlation of serum tryptophan level with 90-day mortality risk in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted among 108 patients with HBV-ACLF, whose survival outcomes within 90 days after diagnosis were recorded. The correlation of baseline serum tryptophan levels measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with 90-day mortality of the patients was analyzed, and the predictive value of serum tryptophan for 90-day mortality was explored. RESULTS: Within 90 days after diagnosis, 53 (29.4%) of the patients died and 127 (70.6%) survived. The deceased patients had significantly lower baseline serum tryptophan levels than the survivors (7.31±3.73 pg/mL vs 13.32±7.15 pg/mL, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that serum tryptophan level was an independent factor correlated with mortality of HBV-ACLF after adjustment for confounding variables. The patients with serum tryptophan levels below the median level (10.14 pg/mL) at admission had significantly higher 90-day mortality risks than those with higher tryptophan levels (43.3% vs 15.6%, HR: 3.157, 95% CI: 1.713-5.817), and the complication by kidney dysfunction further increased the risk to 73.3% as compared with patients with higher serum tryptophan levels with normal kidney function (15.0%; HR: 7.558, 95% CI: 3.369-16.960). Serum tryptophan levels had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.771 (95% CI: 0.699-0.844) for predicting 90-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS Serum tryptophan level is closely correlated with the survival outcomes of patients with HBV-ACLF, and a decreased tryptophan level indicates a high 90-day mortality risk, which can be further increased by the complication by kidney dysfunction.
Humans ; Tryptophan/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure/virology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Prognosis ; Hepatitis B/complications* ; Hepatitis B virus

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the role of apelin in regulating proliferation, migration and angiogenesis of bladder cancer cells and the possible regulatory mechanism. METHODS: GEO database was used to screen the differentially expressed genes in bladder cancer tissues and cells. Bladder cancer and paired adjacent tissues were collected from 60 patients for analysis of apelin expressions in relation to clinicopathological parameters. In cultured bladder cancer J82 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), the effects of transfection with an apelin-overexpressing plasmid or specific siRNAs targeting apelin, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) on proliferation and migration of J82 cells and tube formation in HUVECs were examined using plate cloning assay, Transwell assay, and angiogenesis assay; the changes in FGF2 expression and FGFR1 phosphorylation were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The expression level of apelin was significantly higher in bladder cancer tissues than adjacent tissues, and bladder cancer cell lines (T24 and J82) also expressed higher mRNA and protein levels of apelin than SV-HUC-1 cells. Apelin expression level in bladder cancer tissues was correlated with tumor invasion, distant metastasis and advanced TNM stages. Apelin knockdown significantly suppressed proliferation and migration of J82 cells and decreased the total angiogenic length of HUVECs. In contrast, apelin overexpression significantly promoted proliferation and migration and enhanced FGFR1 phosphorylation in J82 cells, and increased the total angiogenesis length in HUVECs, but this effects were effectively mitigated by transfection of the cells with FGF2 siRNA or FGFR1 siRNA. CONCLUSIONS High expression of apelin promotes J82 cell proliferation and migration and HUVEC angiogenesis by promoting activation of the FGF2/FGFR1 pathway.
Humans ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/blood supply* ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Movement ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/metabolism* ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Signal Transduction ; Apelin ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics* ; Female ; Male ; Angiogenesis

Dysregulated RNA splicing is a well-recognized characteristic of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, its intricacies remain obscure, partly due to challenges in profiling full-length transcript variants at the single-cell level. Here, we employ high-depth long-read scRNA-seq to define the full-length transcriptome of colorectal epithelial cells in 12 CRC patients, revealing extensive isoform diversities and splicing alterations. Cancer cells exhibited increased transcript complexity, with widespread 3'-UTR shortening and reduced intron retention. Distinct splicing regulation patterns were observed between intrinsic-consensus molecular subtypes (iCMS), with iCMS3 displaying even higher splicing factor activities and more pronounced 3'-UTR shortening. Furthermore, we revealed substantial shifts in isoform usage that result in alterations of protein sequences from the same gene with distinct carcinogenic effects during tumorigenesis of CRC. Allele-specific expression analysis revealed dominant mutant allele expression in key oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Moreover, mutated PPIG was linked to widespread splicing dysregulation, and functional validation experiments confirmed its critical role in modulating RNA splicing and tumor-associated processes. Our findings highlight the transcriptomic plasticity in CRC and suggest novel candidate targets for splicing-based therapeutic strategies.
Humans ; Colorectal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; RNA Isoforms/metabolism* ; Single-Cell Analysis ; RNA Splicing ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; RNA, Neoplasm/metabolism* ; Transcriptome

Gene regulation relies on the precise binding of transcription factors (TFs) at regulatory elements, but simultaneously detecting hundreds of TFs on chromatin is challenging. We developed cFOOT-seq, a cytosine deaminase-based TF footprinting assay, for high-resolution, quantitative genome-wide assessment of TF binding in both open and closed chromatin regions, even with small cell numbers. By utilizing the dsDNA deaminase SsdAtox, cFOOT-seq converts accessible cytosines to uracil while preserving genomic integrity, making it compatible with techniques like ATAC-seq for sensitive and cost-effective detection of TF occupancy at the single-molecule and single-cell level. Our approach enables the delineation of TF footprints, quantification of occupancy, and examination of chromatin influences on TF binding. Notably, cFOOT-seq, combined with FootTrack analysis, enables de novo prediction of TF binding sites and tracking of TF occupancy dynamics. We demonstrate its application in capturing cell type-specific TFs, analyzing TF dynamics during reprogramming, and revealing TF dependencies on chromatin remodelers. Overall, cFOOT-seq represents a robust approach for investigating the genome-wide dynamics of TF occupancy and elucidating the cis-regulatory architecture underlying gene regulation.
Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Humans ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Mice ; DNA Footprinting/methods*

Objective:To investigate the efficacy of the nomogram model based on multiparametric MRI combined with clinical features for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast imaging reporting and data system (BI-RADS) 4 lesions.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study. Clinical and imaging data of 56 patients (66 lesions) with pathologically confirmed BI-RADS 4 breast lesions from January 2020 to June 2022 at Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were all females aged 42 (17, 71) years old. All patients underwent the breast MRI, including T 1WI, T 2WI, diffusion-weighted imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), and dynamic-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), and the patient clinical characteristics, imaging characteristics as well as relevant MRI quantitative parameters were recorded. Comparisons of the indicators of benign and malignant BI-RADS 4 lesions were performed by sample t-test , Mann-Whitney U, or χ 2 test. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was utilized to further select indicators with statistically significant differences in univariate analyses, and finally, nomogram models were constructed and reclassified all the lesions. Results:Of the 66 lesions in 56 patients, 24 lesions were found in 24 malignant patients and 42 lesions in 32 benign patients. The differences in age, body mass index, and menopausal status between benign and malignant patients were statistically significant (all P<0.05); the differences in tumor longest diameter, type of lesion enhancement, time-single intensity curve type, mean diffusivity and mean kurtosis (MK) between benign and malignant lesions were statistically significant (all P<0.05). After feature selection, MK ( OR=27.952, 95% CI 1.301-600.348, P=0.033), age ( OR=1.140, 95%CI 1.040-1.249, P=0.005), and the type of lesion enhancement ( OR=0.045, 95%CI 0.006-0.316, P=0.005) were the independent influences in predicting BI-RADS 4 malignant lesions. Using this to construct a nomogram model, its area under the curve for predicting BI-RADS 4 malignant lesions was 0.946, and the accuracy of reclassifying 66 BI-RADS 4 lesions as benign versus malignant was 86.36% (57/66). Conclusion:The nomogram model constructed with MK from DKI parameters, the type of lesion enhancement from DCE-MRI, and age is valuable in diagnosing the benign and malignant nature of BI-RADS 4 lesions.

[Objective]To investigate the efficacy of a blended instruction model which incorporated preceptorship into the clinical anatomy course at Sun Yat-sen University and improve satisfaction and performance of medical students.[Methods]The study recruited participants including 375 Chinese students aged 20-24 years old,2 anatomy professors,49 surgeons and 7 lab technicians. The students were divided into 10 teams and each team was tutored by 1 anatomy professor,2 surgeons and 1 lab technician. After the course ended,the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and Student Experience in Education Questionnaire (SEEQ) were used in the survey to measure the quality of teaching and students' overall educational experience. Students' performance scores were collected and analyzed.[Results]The response rates for CEQ and SEEQ were 60.3％ (226/375) and 54.6％ (200/375),respectively. CEQ indicated a moderate level of overall satisfaction with 7.12 out of 10. Subscales like Clear Goals,Good Teaching and Generic Skills showed moderately positive reception of the course,while subscales like Appropriate Workload and Appropriate Assessment revealed students' concerns about heavy workload and difficult exam. There was no statistically significant difference in perceptions between male and female students. The students who are more satisfied with the quality of the course are also more satisfied with the way it is taught (P<0.01). SEEQ further confirmed the universal appeal of the course,with high scores in dimensions like Learning,Enthusiasm and Individual Rapport among the students. Qualitative responses highlighted areas of improvement,such as consistent teaching methods,practical hands-on experience for the students and alignment between what was taught and tested.The students after the preceptorship introduction achieved better academic performance than before.[Conclusions]The blended instruction model incorporating preceptorship enhances the student satisfaction and performance in clinical anatomy course,and also stimulates students' learning enthusiasm and group interaction. We need further improvement in the teaching quality control,syllabus contents and course assessment for teaching of clinical anatomy.