Objective: To investigate the knowledge of hepatitis C prevention and treatment and related factors among two groups of female sex workers (FSW) and men who have sex with men (MSM) in the Xizang Autonomous Region (Xizang) to provide a basis for the subsequent development of Hepatitis C publicity and education strategies. Methods: From August to September 2021, a special survey was conducted among 1 244 FSW and 234 MSM in 5 districts (counties) of 4 regions in Xizang. A one-on-one face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted, and the χ² test and logistic regression were used to analyze the related factors of awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment among FSW and MSM. Results: The awareness rates of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge among FSW and MSM were 35.0% (436/1 244) and 11.1% (26/234), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the positive related factors of FSW' awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge among those who had high school or technical secondary school education (aOR=4.72, 95%CI: 3.30-6.74) and college education or above (aOR=2.24, 95%CI: 1.58-3.18), those who experienced self-perceived risk of HCV infection (aOR=1.87, 95%CI: 1.43-2.45), negative related factors included married or cohabiting (aOR=0.58, 95%CI: 0.35-0.95), divorce or windowless (aOR=0.44, 95%CI: 0.27-0.72), no condom was used in the most recent commercial sexual activity (aOR=0.54, 95%CI: 0.43-0.69). The positive related factors of MSM's awareness of hepatitis C prevention and treatment knowledge were over 40 years old (aOR=8.65, 95%CI: 3.19-23.42) and having a self-perceived risk of HCV infection (aOR=6.25, 95%CI: 2.50-15.61). Conclusions: The awareness rate of hepatitis C prevention and treatment among FSW and MSM was relatively low in Xizang in 2021 and urgently needs to be improved. It is necessary to formulate targeted publicity strategies based on the characteristics of these two groups of people, increase publicity efforts, and expand the coverage of knowledge publicity to popularize key points about the clinical manifestations, treatment options, and transmission routes of hepatitis C, and carry out necessary warnings and education.
Humans ; Male ; Hepatitis C/therapy* ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sex Workers/psychology* ; Homosexuality, Male ; Female ; Adult ; China ; Young Adult ; Middle Aged ; Logistic Models

Single-cell analysis of phenotypic plasticity could improve the development of more effective therapeutics. Still, the development of tools to measure single-cell heterogeneity has lagged due to difficulties in manipulating and culturing single cells. Here, we describe a single-cell culture and phenotyping platform that employs a starburst microfluidic network and automatic liquid handling system to capture single cells for long-term culture and multi-dimensional analysis and quantify their clonal properties via their surface biomarker and secreted cytokine/growth factor profiles. Studies performed on this platform found that cells derived from single-cell cultures maintained phenotypic equilibria similar to their parental populations. Single-cell cultures exposed to chemotherapeutic drugs stochastically disrupted this balance to favor stem-like cells. They had enhanced expression of mRNAs and secreted factors associated with cell signaling, survival, and differentiation. This single-cell analysis approach can be extended to analyze more complex phenotypes and screen responses to therapeutic targets.

Humans ; Sarcoma ; Transcription Factors ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion

Echinococcosis is a common zoonotic disease in livestock; the type with the highest incidence is cystic echinococcosis (CE). In clinical management, patients with CE of the liver in which the cyst wall is calcified have been found to have better prognoses than those without calcification. In this study, we collected calcified and uncalcified cyst wall tissue from patients with hepatic CE and observed significant changes in the expression of 2336 messenger ribonucleic acids (mRNAs), 178 long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), 210 microRNAs (miRNAs), and 33 circular RNAs (circRNAs) using high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of differentially expressed RNAs (DERNAs: DEmRNAs, DElncRNAs, DEmiRNAs, and DEcircRNAs) were performed to explore these RNAs’ potential biological functions and signaling pathways. Ultimately, the results of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining confirmed the correlation between calcification and apoptosis of the cyst wall. In summary, this study was an initial exploration of the molecular-biological mechanism underlying spontaneous calcification of the hydatid cyst wall, and it provides a theoretical basis for exploring new targets for drug treatment in CE.

Objective: To clarify the values of autotaxin (ATX) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and PBC-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: 179 patients with PBC were selected from prospective cohorts of autoimmune liver diseases at the time of first diagnosis of PBC in Department of Hepatology, the Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital, from January 2016 to January 2018, all patients with PBC received UDCA therapy, primary endpoint was event of HCC, the follow-up period was censored at the date of HCC. The relationship between level of ATX and clinical features in patients with PBC and its potential value in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC were analyzed. Results: The ATX level in the peripheral blood of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of alcoholic liver cirrhosis(ALC) (t = 3.278, P = 0.001) and healthy controls(HC) (t = 6.594, P < 0.001), however, when comparing PBC to non-PBC related HCC, no significant difference was found between the groups(t=-0.240, P = 0.811). Consistent with peripheral blood levels, histochemical staining indicated that ATX in the liver of patients with PBC was significantly higher than that of HC (Z=-3.633, P < 0.001) and ALC (Z=-3.283, P < 0.001), and the expression of ATX in PBC with advanced histological stage was significantly higher than PBC with early stage (Z=-2.018, P = 0.034). The baseline ATX level in PBC patients without developing to HCC during follow-up had significant difference to patients with developing to HCC (228.451 ± 124.093 ng/ml vs 301.583 ± 100.512 ng/ml, t = 2.339, P = 0.021). The result in multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ATX were independent predictors of PBC related HCC(OR 1.245, 95%CI 1.097-1.413). The optimal critical value of peripheral blood ATX level at baseline for predicting HCC was 235.254 ng/ml, with the cut-off value of 0.714 in AUC of the ROC (95% CI was 0.597~ 0.857), sensitivity and specificity were 84.6% and 59.0%, respectively. Conclusion: ATX level was significantly higher in PBC patients over controls, and it's concentration was correlated with UDCA efficacy and fibrosis stage. ATX has potential values in predicting disease progression and PBC-related HCC.

Objective: To analyze the clinicopathological features and gene mutations of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) of the stomach and intestine and the prognosis of intermediate- and high-risk GISTs. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Data of patients with GISTs admitted to Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from January 2011 to December 2019 were collected retrospectively. Patients with primary gastric or intestinal disease who had undergone endoscopic or surgical resection of the primary lesion and were confirmed pathologically as GIST were included. Patients treated with targeted therapy preoperatively were excluded. The above criteria were met by 1061 patients with primary GISTs, 794 of whom had gastric GISTs and 267 intestinal GISTs. Genetic testing had been performed in 360 of these patients since implementation of Sanger sequencing in our hospital in October 2014. Gene mutations in KIT exons 9, 11, 13, and 17 and PDGFRA exons 12 and 18 were detected by Sanger sequencing. The factors investigated in this study included: (1) clinicopathological data, such as sex, age, primary tumor location, maximum tumor diameter, histological type, mitotic index (/5 mm²), and risk classification; (2) gene mutation; (3) follow-up, survival, and postoperative treatment; and (4) prognostic factors of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for intermediate- and high-risk GIST. Results: (1) Clinicopathological features: The median ages of patients with primary gastric and intestinal GIST were 61 (8-85) years and 60 (26-80) years, respectively; The median maximum tumor diameters were 4.0 (0.3-32.0) cm and 6.0 (0.3-35.0) cm, respectively; The median mitotic indexes were 3 (0-113)/5 mm² and 3 (0-50)/5 mm², respectively; The median Ki-67 proliferation indexes were 5% (1%-80%) and 5% (1%-50%), respectively. The rates of positivity for CD117, DOG-1, and CD34 were 99.7% (792/794), 99.9% (731/732), 95.6% (753/788), and 100.0% (267/267), 100.0% (238/238), 61.5% (163/265), respectively. There were higher proportions of male patients (χ²=6.390, P=0.011), tumors of maximum diameter > 5.0 cm (χ²=33.593, P<0.001), high-risk (χ²=94.957, P<0.001), and CD34-negativity (χ²=203.138, P<0.001) among patients with intestinal GISTs than among those with gastric GISTs. (2) Gene mutations: Gene mutations were investigated in 286/360 patients (79.4%) with primary gastric GISTs and 74/360 (20.6%) with primary intestinal GISTs. Among the 286 patients with gastric primary GISTs, 79.4% (227/286), 8.4% (24/286), and 12.2% (35/286), had KIT mutations, PDGFRA mutations, and wild-type, respectively. Among the 74 patients with primary intestinal GISTs, 85.1% (63/74) had KIT mutations and 14.9% (11/74) were wild-type. The PDGFRA mutation rate was lower in patients with intestinal GISTs than in those with gastric GISTs[ 0% vs. 8.4%(24/286), χ²=6.770, P=0.034], whereas KIT exon 9 mutations occurred more often in those with intestinal GISTs [22.2% (14/63) vs. 1.8% (4/227), P<0.001]. There were no significant differences between gastric and intestinal GISTs in the rates of KIT exon 11 mutation type and KIT exon 11 deletion mutation type (both P>0.05). (3) Follow-up, survival, and postoperative treatment: After excluding 228 patients with synchronous and metachronous other malignant tumors, the remaining 833 patients were followed up for 6-124 (median 53) months with a follow-up rate of 88.6% (738/833). None of the patients with very low or low-risk gastric (n=239) or intestinal GISTs (n=56) had received targeted therapy postoperatively. Among 179 patients with moderate-risk GISTs, postoperative targeted therapy had been administered to 88/155 with gastric and 11/24 with intestinal GISTs. Among 264 patients with high-risk GISTs, postoperative targeted therapy had been administered to 106/153 with gastric and 62/111 with intestinal GISTs. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year PFS of patients with gastric or intestinal GISTs were 96.5%, 93.8%, and 87.6% and 85.7%, 80.1% and 63.3%, respectively (P<0.001). The 3-, 5-, and 10-year OS were 99.2%, 98.8%, 97.5% and 94.8%, 92.1%, 85.0%, respectively (P<0.001). (4) Analysis of predictors of intermediate- and high-risk GISTs: The 5-year PFS of patients with gastric and intestinal GISTs were 89.5% and 73.2%, respectively (P<0.001); The 5-year OS were 97.9% and 89.3%, respectively (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that high risk (HR=2.918, 95%CI: 1.076-7.911, P=0.035) and Ki-67 proliferation index > 5% (HR=2.778, 95%CI: 1.389-5.558, P=0.004) were independent risk factors for PFS in patients with intermediate- and high-risk GISTs (both P<0.05). Intestinal GISTs (HR=3.485, 95%CI: 1.407-8.634, P=0.007) and high risk (HR=3.753,95%CI:1.079-13.056, P=0.038) were independent risk factors for OS in patients with intermediate- and high-risk GISTs (both P<0.05). Postoperative targeted therapy was independent protective factor for PFS and OS (HR=0.103, 95%CI: 0.049-0.213, P<0.001; HR=0.210, 95%CI:0.078-0.564,P=0.002). Conclusions: Primary intestinal GIST behaves more aggressively than gastric GISTs and more frequently progress after surgery. Moreover, CD34 negativity and KIT exon 9 mutations occur more frequently in patients with intestinal GISTs than in those with gastric GISTs.
Male ; Humans ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Stomach Neoplasms/pathology* ; Prognosis ; Mutation ; Intestines/pathology* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit/genetics* ; Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor alpha/genetics*

Objective: To investigate the clinical, imaging, histological, and molecular features and the differential diagnosis of radiation-associated sarcomas of bone and soft tissue. Methods: Forty-six cases of radiation-associated sarcomas of the bone and soft tissue in Beijing Jishuitan Hospital from January 2010 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed; and the imaging, histological features and immunophenotype were examined. Results: There were 33 females and 13 males, aged from 18 to 74 years, with a mean of 52 years. The most common site of radiation-associated sarcomas were the limbs and spine (15 cases), followed by the chest (9 cases). The primary diseases included epithelial tumors (15 breast cancer, 6 cervical cancer, and 5 bowel cancer), hematolymphoid tumors, bone and soft tissue tumors and infectious lesions. The latent period of radiation-associated sarcomas ranged from 2-22 years, with an average of 11.6 years. Histopathologically, the morphology was divergent from the primary tumor. The most common malignant tumor type was undifferentiated sarcoma (22 cases), followed by osteosarcoma (16 cases). The immunophenotype of radiation-related sarcoma was almost the same as the corresponding soft tissue sarcoma. Conclusions: Radiation-induced sarcoma has a wide range of primary tumor types and its imaging, morphology and immunohistochemical features are similar to those of the primary sarcoma of bone and soft tissue. Clinical correlation is often recommended for the differential diagnosis.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoma/pathology* ; Osteosarcoma/diagnostic imaging* ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/pathology* ; Bone Neoplasms/pathology*

Humans ; Sarcoma, Small Cell/pathology* ; Sarcoma/pathology* ; Oncogene Proteins, Fusion ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/genetics*

Humans ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic/pathology* ; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase ; Central Nervous System/pathology*