Objective:To investigate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic simultaneous bilateral adrenalectomy in treating ectopic ACTH syndrome (ACTH)caused by medullary thyroid carcinoma(MTC).Methods:A 56-year-old male patient was admitted after MTC surgery and 7 months of general fatigue. The patient had a history of two open thyroid surgeries for medullary thyroid carcinoma, with previous pathological reports indicating lymph node metastasis in the upper mediastinum and mediastinum, accompanied by weak cytoplasmic expression of ACTH and negative CRH staining. After the operation, the patient developed diabetes, hypertension, and hypokalemia. Upon admission, the patient presented with a blood pressure reading of 200/95 mmHg (1 mmHg = 0.133 kPa), a weight of 61.5 kg, a height of 160 cm, a body mass index (BMI)of 24.02 kg/cm 2, and a waist circumference of 83 cm. Laboratory tests revealed the following: blood potassium level of 2.71 mmol/L, blood calcium level of 1.47 mmol/L, parathyroid hormone level of 6.0 pg/ml, fasting blood glucose level of 10.51 mmol/L, glycated hemoglobin level of 8.2%, blood calcitonin level exceeding 2 000 pg/ml, and blood CEA level of 70.8 μg/L. The plasma ACTH levels at 8∶00, 16∶00, and 24∶00 were 189.0, 125.0, and 65.0 pg/ml, respectively. Serum cortisol levels at 08∶00, 16∶00, and 24∶00 were 429.30, 408.14, and 446.61 μg/L, respectively. The 24-hour urine free cortisol measurement was 1 200 μg, and after the midnight 1mg dexamethasone suppression test at 8∶00, the plasma ACTH level was 183.0 pg/ml, and the serum cortisol level was 538.27 μg/L. The aldosterone level in standing position after 2 hours was 8.2 pg/ml. There were no significant abnormality in catecholamine hormone detection or thyroid function in blood and urine samples. An 18F-FDG-PET/CT examination showed multiple lymph node metastases in the neck, while an abdominal CT scan revealed bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. Enhanced MRI revealed pituitary gland thinning, and lung CT and sputum culture examinations showed scattered multiple lung infections. After a multidisciplinary discussion, the patient was diagnosed with EAS, postoperative MTC metastasis, diabetes, hypertension, hypokalemia, pulmonary infection, mild anemia, liver dysfunction, hypoparathyroidism, and hypocalcemia. The patient were accepted laparoscopic bilateral adrenalectomy via an abdominal approach under general anesthesia. The left adrenal gland was removed first, followed by the right adrenal gland after repositioning. Results:The surgery was successful with a surgical duration of approximately 60 minutes and an intraoperative bleeding volume of about 20 ml. No surgical complications occurred during the perioperative period. Pathological examination confirmed nodular hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex and bilateral adrenal medullary hyperplasia with negative ACTH staining. After a 3-month postoperative follow-up, blood calcitonin levels remained above 2000 pg/ml. The blood ACTH levels at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery were 183.0, 220.0, and 731.0 pg/ml, respectively. However, hypertension, diabetes, and hypokalemia rapidly improved. One month after surgery, blood pressure was 100/80 mmHg, fasting blood glucose was 4.4 mmol/L, and blood potassium was 3.87 mmol/L. Pulmonary infection showed improvement, and no adrenal crisis occurred. Glucocorticoid replacement therapy consisted of 20 mg of hydrocortisone tablets in the morning and 10 mg in the afternoon, and thyroid hormone replacement therapy involved daily administration of 100 μg of levothyroxine. Genetic testing revealed heterozygous mutations in the Ret gene. The patient is currently undergoing clinical trial treatment with Ret inhibitors.Conclusions:Based on the data from this case and existing literature reports, laparoscopic simultaneous bilateral adrenalectomy might be safe and effective treatment option for EAS caused by unresectable MTC metastasis. It can correct hypertension, diabetes, and hypokalemia and increase the opportunity for MTC treatment.

Globally, gynecological malignancies are common types of female cancer and the main cause of cancer death among women. Cervical cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer, which are the main types of gynecological cancers, pose a significant threat to women's health worldwide. Studies have shown that diet plays an important role in the occurrence and development of gynecological cancers such as cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer, for which added sugar may be an influencing factor due to its food source characteristic and related biological effect. However, this paper reviewed the research progress on the relationship between consumption of added sugar and gynecological cancers such as endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer and cervical cancer, with a view to providing a reference for the active prevention of gynecological cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop a comprehensive instrument for evaluating and ranking clinical practice guidelines, named Scientific, Transparent and Applicable Rankings tool (STAR), and test its reliability, validity, and usability. METHODS: This study set up a multidisciplinary working group including guideline methodologists, statisticians, journal editors, clinicians, and other experts. Scoping review, Delphi methods, and hierarchical analysis were used to develop the STAR tool. We evaluated the instrument's intrinsic and interrater reliability, content and criterion validity, and usability. RESULTS: STAR contained 39 items grouped into 11 domains. The mean intrinsic reliability of the domains, indicated by Cronbach's α coefficient, was 0.588 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.414, 0.762). Interrater reliability as assessed with Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.774 (95% CI: 0.740, 0.807) for methodological evaluators and 0.618 (95% CI: 0.587, 0.648) for clinical evaluators. The overall content validity index was 0.905. Pearson's r correlation for criterion validity was 0.885 (95% CI: 0.804, 0.932). The mean usability score of the items was 4.6 and the median time spent to evaluate each guideline was 20 min. CONCLUSION The instrument performed well in terms of reliability, validity, and efficiency, and can be used for comprehensively evaluating and ranking guidelines.
Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; Humans

Ovarian cancer is characterized by insidious onset and poor prognosis, and among gynecological malignancies, its mortality rate ranks first, which poses a serious threat to women's health worldwide. In recent years, increasing evidence has suggested that modifiable lifestyle factors, particularly dietary factors, played important roles in the prognosis of ovarian cancer. As important nutrients, dietary fats and fatty acids can affect various vital physiological functions in human beings. However, the association of dietary fat and fatty acid intake with the prognosis of ovarian cancer remains unclear. Therefore, this review aims to analyze the existing epidemiological evidence between the two variables by searching the literature to provide dietary suggestions for ovarian cancer patients.

Objective:To determine the impact of body mass index (BMI) on perioperative and oncological outcomes after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with intracorporeal urinary diversion.Methods:Clinical data of bladder cancer patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy with intracorporeal urinary diversion in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from January 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into three groups according to BMI, including 61 cases in normal group (<25.0 kg/m2), 52 cases in overweight group (25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and 33 cases in obese group (≥30.0 kg/m2). In the normal group, the median age was 73.6(59, 79), including 45 male(73.8%), with 51 cases(83.6%) of ASA score 0-2, 10 cases (16.4%)of 3 or higher, and 10 cases (16.4%) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Past medical history included smoking in 34 cases (55.7%), hypertension in 19 cases (31.1%), diabetes in 10 cases (16.4%), heart disease in 12 cases (19.7%), and abdominal surgery in 6 cases (9.8%). In the overweight group, the median age was 69.7(60, 78), including 38 male (73.1%), with 25 cases (48.1%)of ASA score 0-2, 27 cases (51.9%) of 3 or higher, and 9 cases (17.3%) undergoing received neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Past medical history included smoking in 30 cases (57.7%), hypertension in 20 cases (38.5%), diabetes in 10 cases (19.2%), heart disease in 9 cases (17.3%), and abdominal surgery in 5 cases (9.6%). In the obses group, the median age was 69.9(61, 78), including 21 male(63.7%), with 20 cases (60.6%)of ASA score 0-2, 13 cases(39.4%) of 3 or higher, 9 cases (27.3%) undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Past medical history included smoking in 18 cases (54.5%), hypertension in 17 cases (51.5%), diabetes in 19 cases (57.6%), heart disease in 7 cases (21.2%), and abdominal surgery in 4 cases (12.1%). After statistical comparison among the three groups, it was found that the proportion of patients with hypertension and diabetes in the obesity group and overweight group was higher than that in the normal group (all P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in other factors (all P>0.05). During the surgical process, robot-assisted radical cystectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection were performed firstly. The scope of lymph node dissection was divided into standard range and expanded range, and the diversion was divided into orthotopic neobladder and ileal bladder. During the orthotopic neobladder process, 40-50 cm ileum at the distance of 15 cm away from ileocecum was obtained by stapler, and then the U-shaped neobladder was made, and the new bladder was anastomosed with urethra and bilateral ureter. For ileal bladder, the ileum was cut off 15cm away from the ileocecum with stapler to obtain the 15 cm ileum to prepare the ileal conduit and restore the continuity of the ileum. The bilateral ureteral spacing 3cm was implanted on the ileal conduit. In the normal group, standard range lymphatic dissection was performed in 20 cases (32.8%), enlarged dissection in 41 cases (67.2%), orthotopic neobladder in 22 cases(36.1%), and ileal conduit in 39 cases (63.9%). In the overweight group, standard range lymphatic dissection was performed in 12 cases (23.1%), enlarged dissection in 40 cases (76.9%), orthotopic neobladder in 26 cases (49.1%), and ileal conduit in 26 cases (50.9%). In the obesity group, the standard range of lymphatic dissection was performed in 7 cases (21.2%), enlarged dissection in 26 cases (78.7%), orthotopic neobladder in 7 cases (21.2%), and ileal conduit in 26 cases (78.8%). There was no significant difference among the three groups (all P>0.05). Compared the operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative exhaust time, postoperative time of taking solid food, postoperative hospital stay, postoperative complications (according to the Clavien-Dindo grading system, postoperative complications are reported inⅠ-Ⅱ grade as mild complications and above Ⅲ grade as serious complications) and pathology results in three groups. Results:All cases successfully underwent robotically without conversion or major intraoperative complications. The operation time in overweight and obsess group were longer than that of normal group with RARC or orthotopic neobladder [310(250, 350) min, 370(310, 420) min, 250(230, 310) min, ( P<0.05)], but there was no significant difference in RARC and ileal conduit[270(220, 300) min, 280(230, 300) min, 240(220, 290)min, P>0.05]. The estimated blood loss in overweight and obsess group was more than that in normal group [230(150, 450)ml, 310(250, 600)ml, 190(100, 350)ml, P<0.05], but there was no difference in blood transfusion rate [4(7.7%), 2(6.1%), 5(8.2%), P>0.05]. The exhaust time [2(1, 3) days, 2(1, 4)days, 2(1, 4)days], postoperative solid food intake time [4(3, 5)days, 4(3, 6)days, 4(3, 6)days] and the hospital stay[10(5, 16)days, 10(6, 17)days, 12(6, 20)days] were not different in three groups(all P>0.05). The mild complication rates in 90 days were significant higher in overweight and obsess groups[28 (53.8%), 16(48.5%), 20(32.8%), P<0.05], but the total and severe complication rates were not significantly different. The incidences of urinary system complications and incision complications in obese and overweight patients were significantly higher than those in normal group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence of gastrointestinal complications and ureteral anastomosis-related complications (stricture or urinary leakage)( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the number of dissected lymph node, positive lymph node, positive rate of incisional margin and postoperative pathological stage among three different BMI groups(all P>0.05). Conclusion:Robot-assisted radical cystectomy combined with intracorporeal urinary diversion is a safe and effective method for the treatment of overweight, obese and even morbidly obese patients with bladder cancer. The recovery of intestinal function and the oncological results are not affected by body mass index. However, laparoscopic radical cystectomy for overweight and obese patients, especially for orthotopic neobladder, has the risk of long operation time, large amount of intraoperative bleeding and increased risk of minor postoperative complications.

Metabolic regulation has been proven to play a critical role in T cell antitumor immunity. However, cholesterol metabolism as a key component of this regulation remains largely unexplored. Herein, we found that the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), which has been previously identified as a transporter for cholesterol, plays a pivotal role in regulating CD8

Objective To use in vitro experiments to verify the changes of proliferation, senescence and apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells after inhibiting the expression of NEK7, and to explore the related molecular mechanism. Methods Western blot and RT-PCR were used to detect the expression of NEK7 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and THLE-2 cells. A viral vector was designed to inhibit the expression of NEK7 based on the gene sequence. After hepatocellular carcinoma cells were transfected, we observed the changes of proliferation activity, cell senescence, cell apoptosis and cell cycle in vitro. Western blot was used to detect the expression of cell cycle-related factors. Results Compared with THLE-2 cells, NEK7 was highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. After inhibiting the expression of NEK7 with shRNA, the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells was inhibited, the proportions of cell senescence and apoptosis were increased, meanwhile, the cell number in stage S and G₂/M was significantly reduced, the cell cycle progression was blocked, the expression levels of C-myc, c-Fos, cyclin D1 and cyclin E were inhibited, P16 and P27 expression were increased, and CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 expression were not significantly changed. Conclusion After inhibiting the expression of NEK7, the proliferation ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells is reduced, cell senescence is promoted and apoptosis is induced; meanwhile, the cell cycle progress is blocked.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most widely transmitted arbovirus in the world. Due to the lack of diagnostic technology to quickly identify the virus serotypes in patients, severe dengue hemorrhagic fever cases caused by repeated infections remain high. To realize the rapid differential diagnosis of different serotypes of DENV infection by immunological methods, in this study, four DENV serotype NS1 proteins were expressed and purified in mammalian cells. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against NS1 protein were obtained by hybridoma technology after immunizing BALB/c mice. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescence assay, dot blotting, and Western blotting were used to confirm the reactivity of MAbs to viral native NS1 and recombinant NS1 protein. These MAbs include not only the universal antibodies that recognize all DENV 1-4 serotype NS1, but also serotype-specific antibodies against DENV-1, DENV-2 and DENV-4. Double antibody sandwich ELISA was established based on these antibodies, which can be used to achieve rapid differential diagnosis of serotypes of DENV infection. Preparation of DENV serotype-specific MAbs and establishment of an ELISA technology for identifying DENV serotypes has laid the foundation for the rapid diagnosis of DENV clinical infection.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Antibodies, Viral/metabolism* ; Dengue/diagnosis* ; Dengue Virus/immunology* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serogroup ; Viral Nonstructural Proteins/immunology*

Objective: To investigate the prognostic value of radiomics analysis in predicting axillary lymph nodes (ALN) metastasis of breast cancer based on dynamic contrast-enhanced MR imaging (DCE-MRI). Methods: One hundred and ninety-six patients with suspected breast cancer were prospectively collected for dynamic breast DCE-MRI. Enhanced MR imaging data of 72 axillary lymph nodes were evaluated separately by a chief radiologist and a resident, and the consistency analysis was performed. Lymph nodes were dichotomized according to the pathology results derived from operation or biopsy under real-time virtual sonography based on MRI data. Clinical and imaging data were also divided into corresponding groups. (Imaging) Data from both groups were respectively classified as training set and testing set by stratified sampling in proportion with 3∶1. AK software was applied to extract 6 major categories of 385 features (including histogram, morphology, texture parameters, gray level co-occurrence matrix, run-length matrix and grey level zone size matrix from imaging), and a set of statistically significant features were subsequently obtained by dimension reduction. The prediction model was established through binary classification logistic regression and employed to externally test the validation set by the method of confusion matrix. Meanwhile, ROC analysis was applied to assess the diagnostic performance of the model. Results: Of the 72 axillary lymph nodes, 35 were metastatic negative and 37 were positive. The consistency of enhanced MRI radiomics features was good, between 0.841 and 0.980. Uniformity, ClusterProminence_AllDirection_offset1_SD, Correlation_AllDirection_offset1, LongRunEmphasis_angle90_offset7 and SurfaceVolumeRatio were statistically significant differences (P<0.01), the area under the ROC between 0.747 and 0.931. In the training and testing group, the areas under the ROC, sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the model were 0.953, 0.893, 0.926, 92.6% (50/54) and 0.944, 0.900, 1.000, 88.9% (16/18) respectively. Conclusion The prediction model based on radiomic features may provide a non-invasive and effective approach to the assessment of the risk of ALN metastasis of breast cancer.