ObjectiveTo investigate the difference in the level of biliary calprotectin between patients with cholangiocarcinoma and those with choledocholithiasis. MethodsClinical data and bile samples were collected from 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma and 78 patients with choledocholithiasis who were diagnosed and treated with endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from May 2021 to September 2022. Fluorescence lateral flow immunoassay was used to measure the levels of calprotectin， hemoglobin， and lactoferrin in bile. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups； the Spearman correlation test was used for correlation analysis； the DeLong test was used for comparison of the area under the ROC curve （AUC）. ResultsCompared with the choledocholithiasis group， the cholangiocarcinoma group had significant increases in the levels of calprotectin ［4 795.50 （2 286.79‍ ‍—‍ ‍20 179.73） ng/mL vs 411.16 （67.03‍ ‍—‍ ‍1 991.88） ng/mL， Z=5.572， P<0.001］ and fluoride ［115.70 （109.10‍ — ‍125.50） mmol/L vs 106.60 （98.60‍ ‍—‍ ‍114.40） mmol/L， Z=2.702， P=0.007］. The patients with cholangiocarcinoma were further divided into high cholangiocarcinoma group and low cholangiocarcinoma group， and there was no significant difference between the two groups in the level of calprotectin ［3 867.71 （2 235.66‍ — ‍26 407.40） ng/mL vs 4 795.50 （2 361.15‍ — ‍13 070.53） ng/mL， Z=0.129， P>0.05］. Biliary calprotectin level was correlated with white blood cell count， hemoglobin concentration， and lactoferrin concentration in bile （r=0.316， 0.353， and 0.464， all P<0.05）. The ROC curve analysis showed that biliary calprotectin （with a sensitivity of 79.4% and a specificity of 75.6%）， blood CA19-9 （with a sensitivity of 82.4% and a specificity of 78.2%）， and their combination （with a sensitivity of 88.2% and a specificity of 73.1%） had good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. ConclusionThere is an increase in the level of biliary calprotectin in patients with cholangiocarcinoma， and therefore， it might become a biomarker for the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics, immunophenotypes, molecular features, and differential diagnosis of BAP1 mutated clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) for better understanding this entity.Methods:Clinical data, histological morphology, immunophenotypes and molecular characteristics of 18 BAP1 mutated CCRCC cases diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China from January 2020 to December 2022 were analyzed. The patients were followed up.Results:There were 17 males and 1 female patients, aged from 39 to 72 years, with an average age of 56.3 years. Sixteen patients with primary CCRCC were followed up for an average of 24 months, 7 patients had metastases occurred from 4 to 22 months postoperatively. Thirteen of the 16 patients were alive at the time of the last follow-up while 3 patients died 12, 15, and 20 months after the surgery, respectively. One patient underwent retroperitoneal mass resection, but had lung metastasis 32 months after surgery. One case received cervical tumor resection and died at 22 months after the surgery. Characteristic CCRCC regions were identified in 11 of the 18 cases. The tumor cells were arranged in papillary, alveolar, and large nest patterns. Abundant lymphoid tissue, necrosis, and psammoma bodies were seen. Tumor cells showed abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, and sometimes exhibited rhabdoid differentiation. Round eosinophilic globules were located in the cytoplasm and extracellular matrix. There were 9 cases with WHO/International Society of Urological Pathology grade 3, and 9 cases with grade 4. PAX8 (18/18), carbonic anhydrase 9 (CA9, 16/18), CD10 (18/18), and vimentin (18/18) were positive in the vast majority of tumors.TFE3 was expressed in 5 cases, with strong expression in only 1 case. Eighteen cases were all positive for P504s. Twelve cases harbored a BAP1 mutation combined with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) mutation, and 2 cases had mutations in BAP1, VHL and PBRM1 simultaneously. SETD2 mutation was not found in any of the cases.Conclusions:BAP1 mutated CCRCC contained papillary, alveolar, and large nest patterns, eosinophilic cytoplasm, high-grade nucleoli, and collagen globules, with P504s positivity. In practical work, when encountering CCRCC containing these features, pathologists should consider the possibility of BAP1 mutations and conduct related molecular tests.

Objective:To explore the clinical value of CT identification of vascular variations in the dorsal side of right middle segmental bronchus before thoracoscopic lobectomy.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 3 patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital from July 2022 to March 2024 and had a variant blood vessel on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus. Relevant literature was also reviewed.Results:Among the 3 patients, 2 were female and 1 was male, with ages of 66, 50 and 69 years old, respectively. Prior to admission, imaging examinations revealed space-occupying lesions or nodes in the right lung, and all patients underwent thoracoscopic right lobectomy and systematic lymph node dissection. Postoperative pathology diagnosed adenocarcinoma in the lower lobe of the right lung, cystic adenoma in the upper lobe of the right lung and invasive adenocarcinoma in the lower lobe of the right lung. Preoperative chest CT scans revealed an abnormal blood vessel on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus, and its direction and confluence with the right lower pulmonary vein or left atrium were observed on the downward CT imaging. This was confirmed and treated accordingly during surgery. All 3 patients had no postoperative complications and recovered smoothly. Follow-up showed good health status.Conclusions:The vascular variation on the dorsal side of the right middle segmental bronchus has obvious characteristic manifestations on chest CT. Identifying the variation by CT before thoracoscopic lobectomy can effectively ensure surgical safety and reduce the occurrence of postoperative complications.

Objectives:To analyze the influence of preoperative neurological dysfunction time on postopera-tive short-term neurological function recovery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 120 pa-tients with spinal metastases who received surgical treatment from January 2021 to December 2023.There were 68 males and 52 females,aged 58.5±1 1.6 years(27-82 years).The main clinical symptoms were pain in the affected segment and neurological function impairment.The primary tumors were lung cancer(38 cases),kidney cancer(21 cases),breast cancer(13 cases),myeloma(15 cases),lymphoma(5 cases),and other sources of tumor(28 cases).The procedures used included percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)(5 cases),total en-bloc spondylectomy(TES)(14 cases),spinal tumor separation surgery(67 cases),and focal palliative excision decom-pression surgery(34 cases).Numerical rating scale(NRS)and American Spinal Injury Association(ASIA)spinal cord injury scale were used to evaluate the pain grade and nerve function of patients before surgery and on the 5th day after surgery,respectively.The degree of spinal cord compression was evaluated using the epidu-ral spinal cord compression(ESCC)scoring system.The time period from muscle strength impairment below the affected plane to surgery for patients with ASIA AB and C was recorded as the time of preoperative neuro-logical dysfunction.For patients with ASIA AB before surgery,three time points of 7d,10d and 15d were selected.For patients with ASIA grade C before surgery,two time points were selected:15d and 30d.The postoperative neurological improvement rate(the proportion of patients with at least one grade improvement of ASIA classification after surgery)of the two groups at different time points were calculated and analyzed.Re-sults:Spinal stability was restored after surgery,and adequate decompression was performed to relieve nerve compression(except PVP).Postoperative NRS scores were significantly lower in all the patients[preoperative 6.00(2.00)vs postoperative 3.00(1.00),P=0.000].The neurological function of some patients was improved im-mediately after operation,and the ASIA grade improved at least one grade in 17 patients(74％)of preopera-tive grades AB,10 patients(63％)of preoperative grade C,and 18 patients(47％)of preoperative grade D.There was no difference in ESCC scores between patients with preoperative grade C and those with preopera-tive grades A and B[3.00(1.00)vs 3.00(0.00),P=0.070].For patients with preoperative ASIA grades AB,the improvement rate of short-term postoperative neurological function in patients with preoperative neurological dysfunction ≤ 10d was significantly better than that in patients with＞10d(＞1 0d 57.1％vs ≤10d 100％,P=0.048).For patients with preoperative ASIA grade C,the improvement rate of short-term postoperative neuro-logical function in patients with preoperative neurological dysfunction ≤30d was significantly better than that in patients with＞30d(＞30d 20.0％vs ≤30d 81.8％,P=0.036).Conclusions:Patients with spinal metastases can get pain relief in the short-term after surgery.The time of neurological dysfunction before surgery has a significant effect on the short-term recovery of neurological function after surgery.

Objectives:To analyze the influence of preoperative neurological dysfunction time on postopera-tive short-term neurological function recovery.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on 120 pa-tients with spinal metastases who received surgical treatment from January 2021 to December 2023.There were 68 males and 52 females,aged 58.5±1 1.6 years(27-82 years).The main clinical symptoms were pain in the affected segment and neurological function impairment.The primary tumors were lung cancer(38 cases),kidney cancer(21 cases),breast cancer(13 cases),myeloma(15 cases),lymphoma(5 cases),and other sources of tumor(28 cases).The procedures used included percutaneous vertebroplasty(PVP)(5 cases),total en-bloc spondylectomy(TES)(14 cases),spinal tumor separation surgery(67 cases),and focal palliative excision decom-pression surgery(34 cases).Numerical rating scale(NRS)and American Spinal Injury Association(ASIA)spinal cord injury scale were used to evaluate the pain grade and nerve function of patients before surgery and on the 5th day after surgery,respectively.The degree of spinal cord compression was evaluated using the epidu-ral spinal cord compression(ESCC)scoring system.The time period from muscle strength impairment below the affected plane to surgery for patients with ASIA AB and C was recorded as the time of preoperative neuro-logical dysfunction.For patients with ASIA AB before surgery,three time points of 7d,10d and 15d were selected.For patients with ASIA grade C before surgery,two time points were selected:15d and 30d.The postoperative neurological improvement rate(the proportion of patients with at least one grade improvement of ASIA classification after surgery)of the two groups at different time points were calculated and analyzed.Re-sults:Spinal stability was restored after surgery,and adequate decompression was performed to relieve nerve compression(except PVP).Postoperative NRS scores were significantly lower in all the patients[preoperative 6.00(2.00)vs postoperative 3.00(1.00),P=0.000].The neurological function of some patients was improved im-mediately after operation,and the ASIA grade improved at least one grade in 17 patients(74％)of preopera-tive grades AB,10 patients(63％)of preoperative grade C,and 18 patients(47％)of preoperative grade D.There was no difference in ESCC scores between patients with preoperative grade C and those with preopera-tive grades A and B[3.00(1.00)vs 3.00(0.00),P=0.070].For patients with preoperative ASIA grades AB,the improvement rate of short-term postoperative neurological function in patients with preoperative neurological dysfunction ≤ 10d was significantly better than that in patients with＞10d(＞1 0d 57.1％vs ≤10d 100％,P=0.048).For patients with preoperative ASIA grade C,the improvement rate of short-term postoperative neuro-logical function in patients with preoperative neurological dysfunction ≤30d was significantly better than that in patients with＞30d(＞30d 20.0％vs ≤30d 81.8％,P=0.036).Conclusions:Patients with spinal metastases can get pain relief in the short-term after surgery.The time of neurological dysfunction before surgery has a significant effect on the short-term recovery of neurological function after surgery.

Objective:To investigate the activation level of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) in the bile of patients with choledocholithiasis and its clinical significance.Methods:From May 2021 to October 2022, 130 patients underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) at the Department of Gastroenterology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University were enrolled. The patients were divided into choledocholithiasis group (90 cases) and non-choledocholithiasis group (40 cases), and the choledocholithiasis group was further divided into large stone group (maximum diameter >1 cm, 36 cases) and small stone group (maximum diameter≤1 cm, 54 cases). The bile samples were collected from 130 patients during operation and 16 choledocholithiasis patients with nasobiliary drainage at 24 h after operation.The levels of myeloperoxidase(MPO), neutrophilelastase(NE), and citrullinated histone H3(CitH3) in bile were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The levels of MPO, NE, and CitH3 were compared between choledocholithiasis group and non-choledocholithiasis group, between large stone group and small stone group, as well as between choledocholithiasis patients before ERCP and after ERCP. Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 in the bile of choledocholithiasis group were 32.6 U/L(28.5 U/L), 30.6 ng/L(35.2 ng/L) and 0.37 μg/L(0.73 μg/L), respectively, which were all higher than those of non-choledocholithiasis group (19.9 U/L(36.4 U/L), 18.2 ng/L(27.4 ng/L), and 0.10 μg/L(0.25 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=2.91, 3.20 and 3.34; P=0.004, 0.001 and 0.001). The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 of large stone group were 47.0 U/L(49.4 U/L), 48.4 ng/L(39.5 ng/L) and 0.83 μg/L(1.08 μg/L), respectively, which were all higher than those of small stone group (29.3 U/L(17.5 U/L), 24.0 ng/L(25.8 ng/L), and 0.27 μg/L(0.45 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=2.01, 3.58 and 3.63; P=0.044, <0.001 and <0.001). The levels of MPO, NE and CitH3 in the bile of choledocholithiasis patients after ERCP significantly decreased compare with those before ERCP (19.4 U/L(19.8 U/L) vs. 33.6 U/L(36.7 U/L), 12.7 ng/L(15.1 ng/L) vs. 22.7 ng/L(25.9 ng/L), 0.05 μg/L(0.12 μg/L) vs. 0.14 μg/L(0.27 μg/L)), and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=3.52, 3.30 and 3.18; all P<0.001). Conclusion:The activation level of NET in the bile of patients with choledocholithiasis increase, while the activation level of NET decrease after ERCP, which indicate that NET may be involved in the formation of choledocholithiasis.

Understanding the regulatory networks for germ cell fate specification is necessary to developing strategies for improving the efficiency of germ cell production in vitro. In this study, we developed a coupled screening strategy that took advantage of an arrayed bi-molecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) platform for protein-protein interaction screens and epiblast-like cell (EpiLC)-induction assays using reporter mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Investigation of candidate interaction partners of core human pluripotent factors OCT4, NANOG, KLF4 and SOX2 in EpiLC differentiation assays identified novel primordial germ cell (PGC)-inducing factors including BEN-domain (BEND/Bend) family members. Through RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq analyses, we showed that Bend5 worked together with Bend4 and helped mark chromatin boundaries to promote EpiLC induction in vitro. Our findings suggest that BEND/Bend proteins represent a new family of transcriptional modulators and chromatin boundary factors that participate in gene expression regulation during early germline development.
Animals ; Cell Differentiation/genetics* ; Chromatin/metabolism* ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; Germ Cells/metabolism* ; Germ Layers/metabolism* ; Mice

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of prosthetic replacement for bone tumors and devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment for the treatment of patients with extremity osteosarcoma. Methods A total of 54 patients with Enneking stage Ⅱ extremity osteosarcoma who underwent limb-salvaging surgery in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from December 2010 to June 2017 were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed on the prosthetic replacement for bone tumors group and devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment group, the 5-year survival rate and distant metastasis rate between the two groups were compared. The χ 2 test and t test were used to compare the local recurrence rate, occurrence of local infection, and postoperative functional recovery between the two groups. Results Forty-six patients were followed up with the period ranging from 3 to 84 months. The prosthetic replacement for bone tumors group had 35 cases and the devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment group had 11 cases. The postoperative 5-year survival rate and 5-year distant metastasis rate were compared between the prosthetic replacement for bone tumors group and devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment group by using the Kaplan-Meier method (52.5％ vs. 59.4％, 38.5％ vs. 35.7％), and the differences were not statistically significant (χ 2 values were 0.084 and 0.013, both P > 0.05). For local recurrence rate and the risk of postoperative infection, the patients in devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment group showed higher results than those in prostheticreplacement for bone tumors group [36.4％ (4/11) vs. 8.6％ (3/35), 36.4％ (4/11) vs. 11.4％ (4/35)], and the differences were statistically significant (χ 2 values were 4.181 and 5.020, both P < 0.05). For 6 months postoperative functional reconstruction score, the patients in devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment group showed worse result than that in prosthetic replacement for bone tumors group [(17.4± 2.5) points vs. (24.3±4.8) points], and the difference was statistically significant (t = -4.911, P < 0.05); but this index tended to show better result at 18 months after surgery as compared with prosthetic replacement for bone tumors group [(27.3±2.7) points vs.(24.8±4.6) points], but the difference was not statistically significant (t= 1.811, P > 0.05). Conclusion The efficacy of prosthetic replacement for bone tumors is considered better than that of devitalization and replantation after resection of tumor segment, and it could be used as the preferred surgical option for limb-salvaging treatment in patients with extremity osteosarcoma at present.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and rank of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumoconiosis to the workers in different occupational positions in Jinchang Cohort. Methods: In January 2014, a cohort of follow-up population in jinchang city was taken as the research object, 17843 individuals among follow-up populations in Jinchang Cohort Study, removed the individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumoconiosis before 2013, and counted the new incidence individuals diagnosed by the A-Class hospital in Grade III in Jinchang City, Gansu Province, as the investigation objects to investigate the incidence rate & rank of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumoconiosis. The statistical significance was tested by chi-square test. Results: The 2-year incidence rate of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Pneumoconiosis in the population of Jinchang Cohort Study were 11.60‰, 13.51‰ for male and 8.46‰ for female. the ranks of 2-year incidence rates of chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pneumoconiosis and other phenotypes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were 7.06‰、3.42‰、0.84‰、0.34‰, respectively. Incidence rate of chronic bronchitis among administrators and executive staffs were 10.45‰; incidence rate of chronic bronchitis among service staffs were 10.45‰; incidence rate of pneumoconiosis among mining staffs were 3.44‰. Conclusion The first incidence rank of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumoconiosis in Jinchang cohort is chronic bronchitis, and the risk factors are smoking and occupational exposure.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of intravoxel incoherent motion diffusion weighted imaging (IVIM-DWI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI)in differentiating non-metastatic from metastatic mesorectal lymph nodes in rectal cancer.Methods IVIM-DWI and DCE-MRI were performed preoperatively in 38 patients with histologically proven rectal carcinoma.The short axis diameter,short-to-long axis diameter ratio,four IVIM-based parameters (ADC,D,D? and f) and six DEC-MRI semi-quantitative parameters (Slope,Maxslope,CER,Washout,TTP,iAUC90 and iAUC180 )were compared between the metastatic (n=28)and non-metastatic (n=27)lymph nodes.Results There were significant statistical significances between the metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes in mean short axis diameter (8.87 mm±2.829 mm vs 6.83 mm±1.075 mm),D value[(0.824±0.1 13)× 10 -3 mm2/s vs (1.033±0.244)× 10 -3 mm2/s],CER(1.588 ±0.664 vs 1.054 ±0.41 9),iAUC90 (22.89 ± 9.83 vs 13.59 ± 5.34)and iAUC1 80 (49.38±20.1 9 vs 30.31 ± 1 1.67)(P ≤0.001).The short-to-long axis diameter ratio,ADC,D? ,f,Slope,Maxslope,Washout and TTP values did not show significant differences between the two groups(P >0.05).The respectively optimal cut-off value (area under the curve,sensitivity and specificity)for distinguishing metastatic from non-metastatic lymph nodes were as follows:short axis diameter=7.1 mm(0.744,64.2%,85.1%),D=0.906×10 -3 mm2/s (0.821,81.5%,75.0%),CER=1.05(0.749,85.7%,62.9%), iAUC90 =13.42(0.780,85.7%,62.9%),iAUC180 =49.65 (0.770, 50.0%,100%)respecyively.Conclusion Both IVIM-DWI and DCE-MRI are useful for differentiating non-metastatic from metastatic mesorectal lymph nodes in rectal cancer.