The hidden aspect of carotid lesions in traffic accidents: A little-known phenomenon

Vascular injuries that occur during traffic accidents are a commonly neglected aspect that can add more detail to the framework of a case. In this study, we analysed a case series of 150 traffic accidents, 39 of which were marked by microscopically identifiable vascular lesions. The purpose was to identify the presence of carotid injuries in individuals who died due to traffic accidents and had nonpenetrating trauma of the neck. We focused on the discrepancies regarding the macroscopical aspect and the histology and demonstrated how histological analysis of the carotids in cases of trauma can reveal injuries that are attributable to the trauma itself. We conducted a histological analysis of the lesions to describe their distribution and type and investigate potential correlations. The study offers insight on how to examine road accidents that involve traumatic injury of the carotid arteries. Indeed the main task of the forensic pathologist in the case of death is to establish the existence of a causal relationship between the micro- or macroscopic alterations observed in the autopsy and the traumatic event that led to the death of the subject. Thus, further morphological elements were provided to the forensic practitioners that may reveal injuries attributable to the trauma itself and should be evaluated in cases of trauma in traffic accidents.     

基于iTRAQ技术探讨人胃癌细胞乙酰肝素酶调控的信号通路北大核心

目的:探讨人胃癌细胞中乙酰肝素酶(HPSE)调控的差异蛋白和信号通路,为以HPSE为靶点防治胃癌提供依据。方法:利用siRNA干扰技术,在乙酰肝素酶(HPSE)基因高表达的SGC7901细胞中转入干扰HPSE的慢病毒载体(LV-HPSE-RNAi),通过嘌呤霉素筛选出稳定株,利用qPCR和Western blot分别检测HPSE mRNA和蛋白表达;利用细胞划痕实验和Transwell侵袭实验测定细胞的迁移和侵袭能力;利用同位素标记的相对和绝对定量(iTRAQ)联合二维液相色谱串联质谱(2DLC-MS/MS)技术筛查差异蛋白,并进行生物信息学分析,对差异蛋白PKCa应用Western blot进一步验证。结果:人胃癌SGC7901细胞和沉默HPSE表达的ZSGC7901细胞对比检测出98个差异蛋白,并且富集在157条信号通路上。与肿瘤发生发展关系密切的有6条:细胞外基质和受体相互作用、局灶性黏附、PI3K-Akt信号通路、癌途径、癌中microRNAs、Wnt信号通路。且上调的FAK、ITGA、PKCa等蛋白和下调的PKA、CDK6等蛋白在通路中处于重要的位置。Western blot结果证明PKCa在沉默HPSE的ZSGC7901细胞中表现为上调,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05),与蛋白质组学筛选结果一致。结论:HPSE在人胃癌细胞中调控的蛋白,参与细胞重要生物学过程、参与重要分子功能及重要信号途径,有望可以成为防治胃癌的新靶点。     

Advanced Cancer Patients' Prognostic Awareness and Its Association With Anxiety,Depression and Spiritual Well-Being: A Multi-Country Study in Asia

AimsThe associations between prognostic awareness, acceptance of illness and psychological outcomes (anxiety, depression and spiritual well-being) remain unclear. This study examined the associations between prognostic awareness and various psychological outcomes and how they can be moderated by patient acceptance of illness (cancer).Materials and methodsIn total, 1184 patients with stage IV solid cancer were recruited at major public hospitals across four Asian countries (China, India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam). Prognostic awareness and acceptance of illness were assessed through self-reported understanding of treatment intent and acceptance of illness, respectively. Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, whereas spiritual well-being was measured using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Spiritual Well-Being Scale. Multivariate regressions were used to estimate the associations while controlling for patient characteristics.ResultsCompared with being unaware of their prognosis (i.e. believing that their cancer is curable), being aware or unsure of their prognosis was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and lower spiritual well-being scores. Acceptance of illness moderated these relationships and improved the psychological outcomes.ConclusionsThe results suggest that disclosure of prognostic information should be provided in conjunction with psychological interventions that focus on acceptance of illness.     

Preoperative comprehensive malignancy risk estimation for thyroid nodules: Development and verification of a network-based prediction model

BackgroundIn order to avoid excessive treatment of thyroid nodules in the clinic, it is necessary to find a simple and practical analysis method to comprehensively and accurately reflect benign or malignant thyroid nodules. This study aimed to construct and validate a comprehensive and reliable network-based predictive model using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria for thyroid nodules to stratify the risk of malignancy prior to surgery.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data from patients who underwent surgical treatment for thyroid nodules at the Thyroid and Breast Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Weifang Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2018 and December 2020. Binary logical regression analysis was performed to predict whether nodules were malignant or benign. The developmental dataset included 457 patients (January 2018–December 2020). The validation set included separate data points (n = 225, January 2018–December 2020).ResultsIn this study, criteria that showed significant predictive value for malignant nodules included TI-RADS: 4b (p = 0.065); Bethesda IV, Bethesda V, Bethesda VI (P < 0.0001); BRAF^V600E mutation (P < 0.0001); Calcitonin>5 pg/ml (p = 0.0037); and FNA-Tg>30 ng/ml (p = 0.0003). A 10-grade risk scoring system was developed. The risk of malignancy risk ranged from 2.06% to 100% and was positively associated with increasing risk grade. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of the development and validation sets were 0.972 and 0.946, respectively.ConclusionA simple, comprehensive and reliable web-based predictive model was designed using a variety of imaging and laboratory criteria to stratify thyroid nodules by probability of malignancy.     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

A Lifestyle Intervention Program to Improve Knowledge and Health Behaviors in Women

ObjectiveTo improve health knowledge, facilitate healthy behaviors, and provide social support for a high-risk population of women by implementing a culturally tailored, gender-specific lifestyle intervention program.DesignEvidence-based practice project.Setting/Local ProblemA Chicago neighborhood in Cook County, Illinois, where there are increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, stroke, hypertension, obesity, preterm birth, and violent crime.ParticipantsFemale residents of the community, ages 19 to 45 years; 12 participants registered for the program, and 11 participants completed the entire 2-month program.Interventions/MeasurementsThe BE WISE Lifestyle Intervention, a culturally tailored, gender-specific behavior change curriculum, was used for this project. An interprofessional team was used to enhance participant experience, and neighborhood collaborations were established to create sustainability of efforts. Pre- and postintervention measures of diet, physical activity, social support, and knowledge acquisition were used to evaluate outcomes.ResultsImprovement was noted for knowledge in most of the content areas, as well as for dietary and physical activity behaviors. All participants rated the program highly and responded positively to the social support experienced in the group.ConclusionCulturally tailored lifestyle interventions can be effective in improving knowledge and encouraging behavior change, especially when delivered in group settings to enhance social support. Community-level collaborations enhance interventions by providing local support and resources for participants. Because behavior change takes time, follow-up at the 6-month and 1-year intervals is recommended to determine longer-term outcomes.