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SAGE Open Medical Case Reports 2024Primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary glands is an exceptional oncological condition that predominantly emerges within the parotid gland. A significant...
Primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the salivary glands is an exceptional oncological condition that predominantly emerges within the parotid gland. A significant prevalence of lymphoepithelial carcinoma has been reported in the Inuit population, along with an associated positive serology for Epstein-Barr virus in these endemic regions. In this paper, we present a case of primary lymphoepithelial carcinoma of the parotid gland in a 68-year-old female patient with a history of diabetes and hypertension residing in a non-endemic area. Histology plays a critical role in the definitive diagnosis, and confirming the primary origin of lymphoepithelial carcinoma after ruling out metastasis from undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The mainstay of treatment is a combination of surgical resection and adjuvant radiotherapy. Inoperable forms are typically managed with chemoradiotherapy.
PubMed: 38868663
DOI: 10.1177/2050313X241260210 -
BMC Public Health Feb 2024Extensive research has explored the association between heavy metal exposure and various health outcomes, including malignant neoplasms, hypertension, diabetes, and...
BACKGROUND
Extensive research has explored the association between heavy metal exposure and various health outcomes, including malignant neoplasms, hypertension, diabetes, and heart diseases. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between patterns of exposure to a mixture of seven heavy metals and these health outcomes.
METHODS
Blood samples from 7,236 adults in the NHANES 2011-2016 studies were analyzed for levels of cadmium, manganese, lead, mercury, selenium, copper, and zinc. Cluster analysis and logistic regression identified three distinct patterns of mixed heavy metal exposure, and their associations with health outcomes were evaluated.
RESULTS
Pattern 1 exhibited higher odds ratios (ORs) for malignancy during NHANES 2011-2012 (OR = 1.33) and 2015-2016 (OR = 1.29) compared to pattern 2. Pattern 3 showed a lower OR for malignancy during NHANES 2013-2014 (OR = 0.62). For hypertension, pattern 1 displayed higher ORs than pattern 2 for NHANES 2011-2012 (OR = 1.26), 2013-2014 (OR = 1.31), and 2015-2016 (OR = 1.41). Pattern 3 had lower ORs for hypertension during NHANES 2013-2014 (OR = 0.72) and 2015-2016 (OR = 0.67). In terms of heart diseases, pattern 1 exhibited higher ORs than pattern 2 for NHANES 2011-2012 (OR = 1.34), 2013-2014 (OR = 1.76), and 2015-2016 (OR = 1.68). Pattern 3 had lower ORs for heart diseases during NHANES 2013-2014 (OR = 0.59) and 2015-2016 (OR = 0.52). However, no significant trend was observed for diabetes. All three patterns showed the strongest association with hypertension among the health outcomes studied.
CONCLUSIONS
The identified patterns of seven-metal mixtures in NHANES 2011-2016 were robust. Pattern 1 exhibited higher correlations with hypertension, heart disease, and malignancy compared to pattern 2, suggesting an interaction between these metals. Particularly, the identified patterns could offer valuable insights into the management of hypertension in healthy populations.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Nutrition Surveys; Environmental Exposure; Metals, Heavy; Cadmium; Mercury; Hypertension; Diabetes Mellitus; Heart Diseases; Neoplasms
PubMed: 38389043
DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-17754-0 -
Computers in Biology and Medicine May 2024Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease characterized by abnormal early activation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), yet...
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a life-threatening disease characterized by abnormal early activation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), yet the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated.
METHODS
Normal and PAH gene expression profiles were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) to uncover the underlying mechanisms. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and machine learning methods were deployed to further filter hub genes. A number of immune infiltration analysis methods were applied to explore the immune landscape of PAH. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to compare MACC1 levels between PAH and normal subjects. The important role of MACC1 in the progression of PAH was verified through Western blot and real-time qPCR, among others.
RESULTS
39 up-regulated and 7 down-regulated genes were identified by 'limma' and 'RRA' packages. WGCNA and machine learning further narrowed down the list to 4 hub genes, with MACC1 showing strong diagnostic capacity. In vivo and in vitro experiments revealed that MACC1 was highsly associated with malignant features of PASMCs in PAH.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that targeting MACC1 may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for treating PAH, and further clinical studies are warranted to evaluate its efficacy.
Topics: Humans; Biomarkers; Cell Proliferation; Computational Biology; Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension; Signal Transduction; Trans-Activators
PubMed: 38552277
DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2024.108372 -
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology... Feb 2024Active surveillance for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) meeting criteria for surgical resection is uncommon. Which patients may prove reasonable candidates for this...
CONTEXT
Active surveillance for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) meeting criteria for surgical resection is uncommon. Which patients may prove reasonable candidates for this approach is not well defined.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the feasibility and safety of active surveillance for patients with known or suspected intrathyroidal PTC up to 4cm in diameter.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Retrospective review of all consecutive patients who underwent non-operative active surveillance of suspicious or malignant thyroid nodules over a 20-year period from 2001-2021. We included patients with an initial US-FNA confirming either: a) Bethesda 5 or 6 cytology or, b) a "suspicious" AFIRMA molecular test. The primary outcomes and measures included the rate of adverse oncologic outcomes (mortality and recurrence), as well as the cumulative incidence of size/volume growth.
RESULTS
Sixty-nine patients were followed with active surveillance for 1 year or longer (average 55 months), with 26 patients (38%) having nodules ≥ 2 cm. No patients were found to develop new incident occurrence of lymph node or distant metastasis. One patient however, demonstrated concern for progression to a dedifferentiated cancer on repeat core biopsy 17 years after initial start non-operative selection. 21% of patients had an increase in maximum diameter more than 3 mm, and volume increase ≥50% was noted in 25% of patients. Thirteen patients ultimately underwent delayed (rescue) surgery, and no disease recurrence was noted after such treatment. Age and initial nodule size were not predictors of nodule growth.
CONCLUSIONS
These data expand consideration of active surveillance of papillary thyroid carcinoma in select patients with intrathyroidal suspected malignancy >1cm in diameter. Rescue surgery, if required at a later timepoint, appears effective.
PubMed: 38349208
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgae082 -
Journal of Hypertension Oct 2023An 88-year-old white female was admitted with a hypertensive emergency and a sudden onset of abnormal extraocular movements and facial (cranial nerve VII) palsy. This... (Review)
Review
An 88-year-old white female was admitted with a hypertensive emergency and a sudden onset of abnormal extraocular movements and facial (cranial nerve VII) palsy. This article presents a case of the eight-and-a-half syndrome and discusses its underlying clinicopathology, including a review of the neuroanatomy related to the lesion causing the eight-and-a-half syndrome in this patient.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged, 80 and over; Emergencies; Hypertension, Malignant; Syndrome
PubMed: 37334555
DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003468 -
Current Eye Research Mar 2024Coronavirus disease 2019 is a disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The double-positive of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and...
PURPOSE
Coronavirus disease 2019 is a disease caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The double-positive of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 have a higher risk of being infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The susceptibility of coronavirus disease 2019 in patients with chronic diseases, especially in different tissues of ocular hypertension eyes like glaucoma, is not yet known.
METHODS
An ocular hypertension model was established by laser photocoagulation in rhesus monkeys. The expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 in three ocular hypertension eyes and the three control eyes were analyzed using immunofluorescence.
RESULTS
No difference was observed between ocular hypertension and control eyes in the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 in the conjunctival epithelium, corneal epithelium, and ciliary muscle. In ocular hypertension eyes and control eyes, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 expression were both observed in the retina. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 staining of retinal ganglion cells was found to be significantly higher in ocular hypertension eyes than in control eyes. However, there was no difference in angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 expression in retinal vessels and choroidal vessels between ocular hypertension and control eyes. In our study, the expression and distribution of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and TMPREE2 in human retina were similar to that of non-human primates as expected.
CONCLUSION
Our study confirmed that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine type 2 were expressed widely in rhesus monkey eyes. When compared with controls eyes, the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 was higher in the retinal ganglion cells in ocular hypertension eyes, suggesting that high ocular pressure may affect the patients' ocular susceptibility to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.
Topics: Animals; Humans; SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2; Peptide Hydrolases; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A; Ocular Hypertension; Glaucoma; Serine; Serine Endopeptidases
PubMed: 38212998
DOI: 10.1080/02713683.2023.2291749 -
Drug Metabolism and Disposition: the... Oct 2023Cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A member 2 (CYP1A2), performs an indispensable role in metabolism of both exogenous and endogenous substances. What is more, CYP1A2...
Cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily A member 2 (CYP1A2), performs an indispensable role in metabolism of both exogenous and endogenous substances. What is more, CYP1A2 functions in human diseases by regulating homeostasis of cholesterol. Despite the emergence of gene-editing animal models, genetically humanized animals that overcome species differences for further exploring the role of CYP1A2 in drug metabolism and human diseases have not yet been constructed. In this study, we inserted human cDNA into the rat gene by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Results showed that human CYP1A2 was successfully expressed in humanized rat liver and there were no statistically significant differences of physiological symptoms compared with wild-type (WT) rats. incubation results indicated the different inhibition of furafylline on CYP1A2 activity in human liver microsomes, humanized (hCYP1A2) rat liver microsomes, and WT rat liver microsomes, with IC values of 7.1 μM, 36.5 μM, and 285.8 μM, respectively. Meanwhile, pharmacokinetic characteristics of clozapine were conducted, and the results suggested that in hCYP1A2 rats, clozapine tended to be metabolized into norclozapine. Both the and results demonstrated the different metabolic functions of CYP1A2 in humanized and WT rats. We successfully constructed a novel humanized rat model using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, providing a powerful tool for better predicting CYP1A2-mediated drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Human CYP1A2 takes active part both in the biotransformation of exogenous substances and endogenous substances. Meanwhile, it plays a regulatory role in human diseases, including hypercholesterolemia, hypertension as well as various malignant tumors. This study successfully constructed humanized rat model by CRISPR/Cas9 technology, providing a powerful model for promoting drug development and safety evaluation, as well as further exploring the role of CYP1A2 in human diseases.
PubMed: 37884392
DOI: 10.1124/dmd.123.001500 -
Medicine Feb 2024Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is a rare malignant tumor primarily originating from the pulmonary artery's intima or subintima. Approximately one-third of cases are...
RATIONALE
Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) is a rare malignant tumor primarily originating from the pulmonary artery's intima or subintima. Approximately one-third of cases are classified as undifferentiated type. Its clinical manifestations lack specificity, dyspnea is the main symptom but can also present with chest pain, cough, hemoptysis, and other discomforts, making it prone to misdiagnosis as pulmonary embolism (PE).
PATIENT CONCERNS
A 50-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with "dyspnea for more than 3 months, aggravated for 2 days," and computed tomography pulmonary angiography suggesting "bilateral multiple pulmonary embolisms."
DIAGNOSES
The patient was initially misdiagnosed as PE, and was later definitively diagnosed as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the pulmonary artery by pathologic biopsy.
INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES
The patient was initially treated with anticoagulant therapy, but her dyspnea was not relieved. After that, she underwent positron emission computed tomography (PET-CT) and other investigations, which suggested the possibility of PAS, and then she underwent pulmonary endarterectomy to remove the lesion, which relieved her symptoms and was advised to seek further medical attention from the Department of Oncology and Department of Radiotherapy.
LESSONS
PAS can be easily misdiagnosed as PE. If a diagnosis of PE is made, but anticoagulation or even thrombolytic therapy proves ineffective, and there is no presence of PE causative factors such as deep vein thrombosis in the lower extremities, or D-dimer levels are not high, one should be cautious and consider the possibility of PAS.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Pulmonary Artery; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Hypertension, Pulmonary; Pulmonary Embolism; Lung Neoplasms; Soft Tissue Neoplasms; Dyspnea; Sarcoma
PubMed: 38394547
DOI: 10.1097/MD.0000000000037194 -
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach,... May 2024Engineered bacteria are widely used in cancer treatment because live facultative/obligate anaerobes can selectively proliferate at tumor sites and reach hypoxic regions,... (Review)
Review
Engineered bacteria are widely used in cancer treatment because live facultative/obligate anaerobes can selectively proliferate at tumor sites and reach hypoxic regions, thereby causing nutritional competition, enhancing immune responses, and producing anticancer microbial agents in situ to suppress tumor growth. Despite the unique advantages of bacteria-based cancer biotherapy, the insufficient treatment efficiency limits its application in the complete ablation of malignant tumors. The combination of nanomedicine and engineered bacteria has attracted increasing attention owing to their striking synergistic effects in cancer treatment. Engineered bacteria that function as natural vehicles can effectively deliver nanomedicines to tumor sites. Moreover, bacteria provide an opportunity to enhance nanomedicines by modulating the TME and producing substrates to support nanomedicine-mediated anticancer reactions. Nanomedicine exhibits excellent optical, magnetic, acoustic, and catalytic properties, and plays an important role in promoting bacteria-mediated biotherapies. The synergistic anticancer effects of engineered bacteria and nanomedicines in cancer therapy are comprehensively summarized in this review. Attention is paid not only to the fabrication of nanobiohybrid composites, but also to the interpromotion mechanism between engineered bacteria and nanomedicine in cancer therapy. Additionally, recent advances in engineered bacteria-synergized multimodal cancer therapies are highlighted.
Topics: Neoplasms; Humans; Nanomedicine; Animals; Bacteria; Antineoplastic Agents
PubMed: 38400833
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202313953 -
International Journal of Gynaecology... Dec 2023Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in pregnancy can rapidly progress, leading to severe morbidities. This study aimed to compare baseline demographics and clinical...
OBJECTIVE
Thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) in pregnancy can rapidly progress, leading to severe morbidities. This study aimed to compare baseline demographics and clinical outcomes between pregnant women with and without TMA.
METHODS
Using the National Health Insurance Research Database, 207 patients with pregnancy-related TMA from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2015 were enrolled. Their data were compared with a 1:4 propensity score-matched cohort of 828 pregnant women without TMA to evaluate mortality and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) risks. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the adjusted hazard ratio and 95% confidence intervals.
RESULTS
A total of 1035 participants were included. The risks of mortality and ESRD were 4.46 and 5.97 times higher for the TMA cohort, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed higher mortality and ESRD risks in patients with TMA aged >40 years with a history of hypertension, stroke, cancer, concomitant stroke, malignant hypertension, or gastroenterocolitis than in the matched cohort.
CONCLUSION
Pregnant patients with TMA, especially those older and with comorbidities and organ involvement, faced increased mortality and ESRD risks. Physicians should collaborate with obstetricians throughout the prenatal and postpartum periods for these patients.
Topics: Humans; Female; Pregnancy; Retrospective Studies; Thrombotic Microangiopathies; Kidney; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Stroke
PubMed: 37317480
DOI: 10.1002/ijgo.14918