Objective:To explore the value and related mechanism of preoperative serum sialic acid (SA) on evaluating microvascular invasion (MVI) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods:A total of 91 patients who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically diagnosed with ICC from December 2020 to September 2024 at the Oriental Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital affiliated to the Naval Medical University were included in this retrospective analysis. The patients were divided into non-MVI (41 cases) and MVI groups (50 cases). The general data and laboratory examination indexes were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for predicting MVI. The predictive value of serum indicators for MVI was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves. The correlation between MVI and SA was analyzed by point-biserial correlation. ICC cells stably overexpressing β-galactoside α2, 6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6GAL1) were generated through lentiviral transfection. ST6GAL1 protein expression and mRNA expression were detected by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Sambucus nigra (SNA) lectin fluorescence staining was used to detect α2, 6-sialylation levels on cells. Cell migration ability was assessed by wound healing and Transwell assays, and cell proliferation was evaluated by colony formation assays.Results:Compared with the non-MVI group, patients in the MVI group exhibited significantly higher levels of fibrinogen, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, SA and 5′-nucleotidase (5′-NT) (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that SA ( OR=1.01,95% CI 1.01-1.02, P=0.023) was the only independent predictor for MVI. The area under curve of SA in predicting MVI was 0.757 (95% CI 0.640-0.870), sensitivity 67.65%, specificity 77.78%. SA was positively correlated with MVI ( r=0.443, P<0.001). ICC cells overexpressing ST6GAL1 were featured with increased mean fluorescence intensity of SNA lectin, and increased level of α2, 6-sialylation on the cell surface (both P<0.05). The number of colonies formed by hypersialylated ICC cells was also increased ( P<0.05), and both the migration rate and the number of migrating cells were significantly higher ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum SA is an independent predictor for MVI in ICC patients. Hypersialylation in ICC cells is associated with higher malignancy.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of serum N-glycan profiles for evaluating the severity of liver tissue inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods:A total of 221 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy at Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. The Scheuer scoring system was used to assess the histological inflammation grade of the liver tissue. Serum N-glycan levels were measured using DNA sequencer-assisted N-glycan fingerprinting (NGFP). Using the upper limit of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) reference value (40 U/L) as a cutoff, logistic regression models were developed to construct diagnostic models under two scenarios: normal ALT or abnormal ALT. Models based on serum N-glycan levels and serum N-glycan levels combined with routine laboratory indicators, were used to non-invasively evaluation of various pathological grades of liver tissue inflammation in CHB patients. The DeLong test was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the models by analyzing the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Glycosylation-related gene expression differences associated with varying degrees of liver inflammation were analyzed using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.Results:In CHB patients with normal ALT level, the relative abundances of N-glycan structure peak 1 (NGA2F) and peak 2 (NGA2FB) increased with higher liver inflammation grades, while the relative abundance of peak 5 (NA2) decreased ( P<0.05). The AUCs of the HIS-G model (HIS-G A) and its enhanced version (HIS-G A Plus) for identifying significant inflammation and necrosis (≥G2, indicating the initiation of antiviral therapy) were 0.805 (95% CI 0.690-0.899) and 0.904 (95% CI 0.821-0.960), respectively. In CHB patients with ALT>40 U/L, the relative abundances of peaks 1 (NGA2F), 2 (NGA2FB), and 3 (NG1A2F) increased with higher liver inflammation grades, while the relative abundances of peaks 8 (NA3) and 11 (NA4) decreased ( P<0.05). The AUCs of the HIS-G model (HIS-G B) and its enhanced version (HIS-G B Plus) for identifying significant inflammation (≥G2) were 0.810 (95% CI 0.727-0.889) and 0.838 (95% CI 0.754-0.901), respectively. With increasing liver inflammation grades, the expression levels of four glycosyltransferase genes (CHST4, FUT8, SLC51B, and ST8SIA4) were significantly upregulated ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum N-glycan biomarker models can be used to assist in evaluating the severity of liver tissue inflammation in CHB patients with both normal and abnormal ALT levels.

Objective:To explore the value and related mechanism of preoperative serum sialic acid (SA) on evaluating microvascular invasion (MVI) in patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC).Methods:A total of 91 patients who underwent surgical resection and were pathologically diagnosed with ICC from December 2020 to September 2024 at the Oriental Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital affiliated to the Naval Medical University were included in this retrospective analysis. The patients were divided into non-MVI (41 cases) and MVI groups (50 cases). The general data and laboratory examination indexes were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify independent risk factors for predicting MVI. The predictive value of serum indicators for MVI was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves. The correlation between MVI and SA was analyzed by point-biserial correlation. ICC cells stably overexpressing β-galactoside α2, 6-sialyltransferase 1 (ST6GAL1) were generated through lentiviral transfection. ST6GAL1 protein expression and mRNA expression were detected by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Sambucus nigra (SNA) lectin fluorescence staining was used to detect α2, 6-sialylation levels on cells. Cell migration ability was assessed by wound healing and Transwell assays, and cell proliferation was evaluated by colony formation assays.Results:Compared with the non-MVI group, patients in the MVI group exhibited significantly higher levels of fibrinogen, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, alkaline phosphatase, SA and 5′-nucleotidase (5′-NT) (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that SA ( OR=1.01,95% CI 1.01-1.02, P=0.023) was the only independent predictor for MVI. The area under curve of SA in predicting MVI was 0.757 (95% CI 0.640-0.870), sensitivity 67.65%, specificity 77.78%. SA was positively correlated with MVI ( r=0.443, P<0.001). ICC cells overexpressing ST6GAL1 were featured with increased mean fluorescence intensity of SNA lectin, and increased level of α2, 6-sialylation on the cell surface (both P<0.05). The number of colonies formed by hypersialylated ICC cells was also increased ( P<0.05), and both the migration rate and the number of migrating cells were significantly higher ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum SA is an independent predictor for MVI in ICC patients. Hypersialylation in ICC cells is associated with higher malignancy.

Objective:To explore the clinical application value of serum N-glycan profiles for evaluating the severity of liver tissue inflammation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).Methods:A total of 221 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy at Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively enrolled. The Scheuer scoring system was used to assess the histological inflammation grade of the liver tissue. Serum N-glycan levels were measured using DNA sequencer-assisted N-glycan fingerprinting (NGFP). Using the upper limit of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) reference value (40 U/L) as a cutoff, logistic regression models were developed to construct diagnostic models under two scenarios: normal ALT or abnormal ALT. Models based on serum N-glycan levels and serum N-glycan levels combined with routine laboratory indicators, were used to non-invasively evaluation of various pathological grades of liver tissue inflammation in CHB patients. The DeLong test was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of the models by analyzing the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Glycosylation-related gene expression differences associated with varying degrees of liver inflammation were analyzed using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database.Results:In CHB patients with normal ALT level, the relative abundances of N-glycan structure peak 1 (NGA2F) and peak 2 (NGA2FB) increased with higher liver inflammation grades, while the relative abundance of peak 5 (NA2) decreased ( P<0.05). The AUCs of the HIS-G model (HIS-G A) and its enhanced version (HIS-G A Plus) for identifying significant inflammation and necrosis (≥G2, indicating the initiation of antiviral therapy) were 0.805 (95% CI 0.690-0.899) and 0.904 (95% CI 0.821-0.960), respectively. In CHB patients with ALT>40 U/L, the relative abundances of peaks 1 (NGA2F), 2 (NGA2FB), and 3 (NG1A2F) increased with higher liver inflammation grades, while the relative abundances of peaks 8 (NA3) and 11 (NA4) decreased ( P<0.05). The AUCs of the HIS-G model (HIS-G B) and its enhanced version (HIS-G B Plus) for identifying significant inflammation (≥G2) were 0.810 (95% CI 0.727-0.889) and 0.838 (95% CI 0.754-0.901), respectively. With increasing liver inflammation grades, the expression levels of four glycosyltransferase genes (CHST4, FUT8, SLC51B, and ST8SIA4) were significantly upregulated ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Serum N-glycan biomarker models can be used to assist in evaluating the severity of liver tissue inflammation in CHB patients with both normal and abnormal ALT levels.

Objective:To explore the heterogeneity among keloids before and after radiotherapy and identify the changes of key cell subpopulations and their interactions utilizing single cell RNA sequencing technology.Methods:Four patients provided a total of 12 samples, each consisting of keloid tissue before and after radiotherapy and the normal skin tissue adjacent to the untreated keloid. The keloid was divided into left and right sides from the midline, and the left-side keloid was fractionally irradiated with 20 Gy electron beam in total in 4 consecutive days. The right-side keloid was irradiated with 10 Gy in 2 fractions before surgery and 10 Gy in 2 fractions after surgery.Results:A total of 25 573 fibroblasts were analyzed and categorized into nine subgroups (fibroblasts 1-9). The proportion of fibroblast-2 increased after radiotherapy ( t=4.70, P<0.05). The number of classical monocytes and macrophages increased after radiotherapy, but there was no significant difference due to the shorter time of sample taking at 2 d after radiotherapy ( P>0.05). Macrophages (4 723 cells) were further divided into four categories. CellPhoneDB analysis showed that type-3 macrophages interacted significantly more closely with fibroblasts than type-1 and type-2 macrophages. The most prominent signaling pathways for the interactions between type-3 macrophages and major fibroblast subtypes were the collagen signaling pathway and the chemerin signaling pathway. These interactions were more pronounced in the keloid samples after radiotherapy. Conclusions:The interactions between type-3 macrophages and fibroblasts (such as fibroblast-2) may serve as an important point for future studies on radio-sensitization of keloids.

Objective:To establish a lectin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (lectin-ELISA) for the dection of sialylated fetuin-A and to explore the clinical diagnostic value of sialylated fetuin-A in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).Methods:From January 2017 to December 2020, 300 HCC patients and 160 disease controls, including 36 liver cirrhosis subgroups and 124 chronic hepatitis B subgroups, were collected from Shanghai Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital. At the same time, 100 healthy subjects were collected as healthy controls. Lectin-ELISA method for detecting sialylated fetuin A was established based on the principle that Sambucus nigra lectin (SNA) can recognize the structure of α-2, 6-linked sialic acid residues. Differences between groups were compared using t-test or analysis of variance. Logistic regression method was used to establish the multi-index joint detection model, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the efficacy of single index and joint detection model in the diagnosis of HCC.Results:A lectin-ELISA method for the detection of serum Sia-fetuin A was established. The linear regression coefficient of the system was 0.978 5, and the precision evaluation and interference experiments were in line with the clinical detection requirements. Using this method to detect serum Sia-fetuin A levels in each group, the levels of HCC group, disease control group and healthy control group were 1.362±0.310, 1.199±0.370, 1.086±0.420, respectively, and the three groups decreased in turn. The areas under the curve of Sia-fetuin A, α-fetoprotein, and their combined detection models for differential diagnosis of HCC were 0.790, 0.809, and 0.860, respectively. The diagnostic model had a sensitivity of 79.3% (238/300) and a specificity of 95.0% (247/260). Among the 300 patients in the HCC group, 138 (46%) patients were negative for serum AFP (<20 μg/L), and their serum Sia-fetuin A level was 1.364±0.305. Combining the disease control group and the healthy control group into the non-Cancer group, the serum Sia-fetuin A level was 1.146±0.381. The serum level of Sia-fetuin A in AFP-negative HCC patients was higher than that in non-HCC group ( t=6.134, P<0.001). The areas under the curve of Sia-fetuin A and the combined diagnostic model for the diagnosis of AFP-negative HCC were 0.776 and 0.919, respectively. The combined diagnostic model had a sensitivity of 93.4% (129/138) and a specificity of 77.3% (201/260). Conclusion:Serum Sia-fetuin A and combined determination model can provide a new auxiliary diagnostic index for AFP-negative HCC.

BACKGROUND: Keloids are benign fibrous growths that are caused by excessive tissue build-up. Severe keloids exert more significant effects on patients' quality of life than do mild keloids. We aimed to identify factors associated with the progression from mild keloids to severe keloids, as distinct from those associated with the formation of keloids. METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, 251 patients diagnosed with keloids at West China Hospital between November 2018 and April 2021 were grouped according to the severity of lesions (mild [n = 162] or severe [n = 89]). We collected their basic characteristics, living habits, incomes, comorbidities, and keloid characteristics from Electronic Medical Records in the hospital and the patients' interviews. Conditional multivariable regression was performed to identify the independent risk factors for the progression of keloids. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (35.5%) were classified as having severe keloids. We found the distribution of severe keloids varied with sex, age, excessive scrubbing of keloids, family income, the comorbidity of rheumatism, disease duration, characteristics of the location, location in sites of high-stretch tension, the severity and frequency of pain, the severity of pruritus, and infection. Multivariable analysis revealed significant associations between severe keloids and infection (odds ratio [OR], 3.55; P = 0.005), excessive scrubbing of keloids (OR, 8.65; P = 0.001), low or middle family income (OR, 13.44; P = 0.021), comorbidity of rheumatism (OR, 18.97; P = 0.021), multiple keloids located at multiple sites (OR, 3.18; P = 0.033), and disease duration > 15 years (OR, 2.98; P = 0.046). CONCLUSION Doctors should implement more active and thorough measures to minimize the progression of mild keloids in patients who have any of the following risk factors: infection, excessive scrubbing of keloids, low or middle family income, comorbidity of rheumatism, multiple keloids located at multiple sites, and disease duration > 15 years.
Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Keloid/epidemiology* ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Rheumatic Diseases ; Risk Factors

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common senile neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction, psychological and behavioral abnormalities, and impaired ability of activities of daily living. A family with a total of 3 patients were admitted to the Department of Neurology of Xiangya Hospital, Central South University in 2018. The proband showed memory decline as the presenting symptoms, and subsequently showed psychological and behavioral abnormalities, personality changes, seizures, and motor retardation. Definite diagnosis of early-onset familial AD (EOFAD) with missense mutation of presenilin 2 (PSEN2) (c.715A>G p.M239V) was established by whole exome sequencing (WES) technology. We reported the mutation in Chinese Han population for the first time, which expanded the mutation spectrum ofPSEN2 gene and aid to enrich the characterization of clinical phenotype in EOFAD associated to PSEN2 mutations. Patients with early onset age and complex clinical manifestations of AD can be diagnosed with the help of genetic testing to avoid misdiagnosis.
Activities of Daily Living ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; Humans ; Mutation ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Presenilin-1/genetics* ; Presenilin-2/genetics*

Objective:To study the change of bifrontal metabolite concentration in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and its relationship with substantia alba demyelination using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) combined with linear combination of model (LCModel) quantitative technique.Methods:From May 2016 to December 2018, 25 patients with MCI (group A; 12 males, 13 females, age (60.5±5.2) years) and 15 healthy control subjects (group B; 6 males, 9 females, age (59.5±3.5) years) in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College were prospectively enrolled. The MCI patients were classified into 2 subgroups according to MRI results: group A1 with substantia alba demyelination (7 males, 4 females, age (62.1±3.9) years) and group A2 without substantia alba demyelination (5 males, 9 females, age (59.2±5.8) years). Software LCModel was used to quantitatively analyze the MRS original data and measure the absolute concentration of N-acetylaspartate compound (NAA), creatine compound (Cr), choline-containing compound (Cho), myoinositol (mI) and ratios of NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, mI/Cr, NAA/mI in bilateral frontal lobe. Independent-sample t test was used to analyze the inter-group differences of the above parameters, while Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze correlations between the above parameters and cognitive function scores. Results:Compared with group B, group A had higher mI of both left and right frontal lobes (left: (5.19±1.28) vs (4.32±0.83), right: (4.87±1.11) vs (3.85±0.98); t values: 2.34, 2.93, both P<0.05); the mI/Cr of right frontal lobe in group A was also higher (1.19±0.31 vs 0.98±0.25; t=2.21, P<0.05), while the NAA/mI of right frontal lobe was lower (1.37±0.34 vs 1.78±0.47; t=-3.16, P<0.01). Differences of other parameters between group A and group B, and those between group A1 and group A2 were not significantly different ( t values: -1.70 to 1.35, all P>0.05). The mI of right frontal lobe was negatively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score( r values: -0.35, -0.38, both P<0.05), on the contrary, NAA/mI of right frontal lobe was positively correlated with the cognitive function scores ( r values: 0.43, 0.40, both P<0.05). Conclusion:MCI may be related to the loss or dysfunction of neurons in the right frontal lobe, and MRS can provide theoretical basis for early recognition of MCI to some extent.

Objective To investigate the significance of whole mount sections after radical prostatectomy in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Methods The data of 210 patients with radical prostatectomy in the Department of Urology of Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital from April 2018 to July 2015 were collected,of which 150 cases (control group) were examined with routine tissue section examination and 60 cases (study group) were examined with whole mount sections.The age of the study group and the control group were (69.0 ± 5.0) years and (70.0 ± 7.0) years respectively,and PSA was (18.8 ± 2.5) ng/ml and (19.3 ± 2.1) ng/ml respectively.The BMI of the study group was (23.0 ± 1.2) kg/m2,and the control group was (22.8 ± 0.6) kg/m2.The preoperative Gleason score of the study group and the control group were 7.9 ±0.9 and 7.7 ± 1.6 respectively.There were 137 patients (91.3％) with clinical stage cT1-T2 and 13 patients with cT3(8.7％) in control group.In the study group,there were 51 cases (85.0％) with clinical stage cT1-T2,and 9 cases with cT3 (15.0％).There was no significant difference between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05) in term of the patients' demographics.The postoperative Gleason score,positive surgical margin,seminal vesicle invasion lymph node metastasis and pathological stage were compared between the two groups.Results The median prostate volume of the study group was 45.2 (18.3-121.5) ml,and 47.1 (2 1.3-124.2) ml in the control group.The operation time of the study group was 138.2 (119.5-234.1) mins,and 133.5 (116.8-228.2) mins in the control group.In the control group,there were 8 cases(5.3％) with seminal vesicle invasion,and 8 cases (5.3％) with lymph node metastasis.The pathological stages were pT2-T3 in 145 cases(96.7％),and pT4 in 5 cases (3.3％) in control group.The postoperative Gleason score was 8.0 ± 0.9 in control group.In the study group,17 patients (28.3％) with seminal vesicle invasion were pathologically indicated,and there were 6 patients (10.0％) with lymph node metastasis.The pathological stages were pT2-T3 of 57 cases(95.0％),and pT4 of 3 cases (5.0％),postoperative Gleason score was 7.7 ± 1.0 in study group.There was no statistically significant difference in seminal vesicle invasion,lymph node metastasis,pathological stage and postoperative Gleason score between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).There were 23 patients (15.3％) with positive margins in the control group,and 28 patients(46.7％) in the study group,which showed significant difference (P ＜0.01).For small lesions,there were 7 cases (4.7％) and 22 cases (36.7％) in the control group and the study group,respectively,which showed significant difference (P ＜ 0.01).There were 17 cases (28.3％) of increased Gleason score in the study group,while 31 cases (20.7％) in the control group,with no statistical difference (P =0.232).Conclusions The whole mount section technique can effectively improve the positive surgical margin and the small lesions detection rate in the pathological evaluation of radical prostatectomy,and provide a precise pathological diagnosis for the postoperative treatment and follow-up of the patients.