Value of combined model based on clinical and radiomics features for predicting invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground glass nodule / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To evaluate the predictive value of a combined model based on clinical and radiomics features for the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma manifesting as ground glass nodule(GGN).Methods Clinical data of patients with GGN-type lung adenocarcinoma who underwent chest CT and were confirmed by surgical pathology at some hospital from January to December 2019 were analyzed retrospectively,and the extraction of imaging histological features was performed using Python-based open resource Pyradiomics.A clinical model was constructed based on independent risk factors obtained from univariate and multivariate analyses,a radiomics model was built using the screened radiomics features,and a combined model was established with the predictive values of the clinical models and radiomics scores(Radscore).The predictive performance of the three models in the training and test sets was assessed using ROC curves,the statistical significance of the differences in the ROC curves of the three models for predicting GGN-type lung adenocarcinoma was assessed using the Delong test,and the net benefits of the models were analyzed using clinical decision curves.Results Logistic multifactor analysis showed that age(P=0.020 2)and vascular characteristics(P=0.002 2)were the independent predictors of the degree of the invasiveness of lung adenocarcinoma.The AUCs of the radiomics model,clinical model and combined model were 0.876,0.867 and 0.904 on the training set,and 0.828,0.828 and 0.864 on the test set,respectively.The difference between the ROC curves of the combined model and the clinical and radiomics models was not statistically significant(P>0.05)on the test set.Clinical decision curves showed a higher clinical benefit when using the combined model to predict the invasiveness under most conditions of threshold probability.Conclusion The combined model based on clinical and radiomics features enhances the predictive performance for the invasiveness of GGN-type lung adenocarcinoma.

Application of Next-Generation Sequencing in Screening of Thalassemia Gene in 11212 Pregnant Women in Suxian and Beihu Districts of Chenzhou City, Hunan Province / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To understand the carrying rate, gene mutation frequency and composition ratio of thalassemia in pregnant women in Suxian and Beihu districts of Chenzhou, Hunan Province.@*METHODS@#Thalassemia gene in 11 212 samples was analyzed by using Next-Generation Sequencing.@*RESULTS@#Among the 11 212 samples, 938 were diagnosed as thalassemia, in which 618 (5.51%) were diagnosed as α-thalassemia, 268 (2.39%) as β-thalassemia, 29（0.26%）as abnormal hemoglobin and 23 (0.21%) as αβ-thalassemia. The gene mutations of --SEA /αα(40.29%) and -α3.7/αα(37.7%) in α-thalassemia were the most common, while for β- thalassemia, the most commonly gene mutation were β41-42M/βN(24.26%) and β654M/βN(23.88%). The detection rate of rare type α,β-thalassemia gene was 0.19%(21/11 212）, 0.53%（59/11 212）, respectively.@*CONCLUSION@#The carrying rate of thalassemia in pregnant women is 8.37% in Suxian and Beihu districts of Chenzhou city, and the genotypes are complex. Next-Generation Sequencing can detect rare thalassemia genes and new gene mutations effectively.

Identification of high-affinity VEGFR3-binding peptides through a phage-displayed random peptide library / 부인종양

OBJECTIVE: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) interaction with its receptor, VEGFR-3/Flt-4, regulates lymphangiogenesis. VEGFR-3/Flt-4 expression in cancer cells has been correlated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and lymphatic invasion. The objective of this study is to identify a VEGFR-3/Flt-4-interacting peptide that could be used to inhibit VEGFR-3 for ovarian cancer therapy. METHODS: The extracellular fragment of recombinant human VEGFR-3/Flt-4 (rhVEGFR-3/Flt-4) fused with coat protein pIII was screened against a phage-displayed random peptide library. Using affinity enrichment and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) screening, positive clones of phages were amplified. Three phage clones were selected after four rounds of biopanning, and the specific binding of the peptides to rhVEGFR-3 was detected by ELISA and compared with that of VEGF-D. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses of ovarian cancer tissue sections was undertaken to demonstrate the specificity of the peptides. RESULTS: After four rounds of biopanning, ELISA confirmed the specificity of the enriched bound phage clones for rhVEGFR-3. Sequencing and translation identified three different peptides. Non-competitive ELISA revealed that peptides I, II, and III had binding affinities for VEGFR-3 with Kaff (affinity constant) of 16.4+/-8.6 microg/mL (n=3), 9.2+/-2.1 microg/mL (n=3), and 174.8+/-31.1 microg/mL (n=3), respectively. In ovarian carcinoma tissue sections, peptide III (WHWLPNLRHYAS), which had the greatest binding affinity, also co-localized with VEGFR-3 in endothelial cells lining lymphatic vessels; its labeling of ovarian tumors in vivo was also confirmed. CONCLUSION: These finding showed that peptide III has high specificity and activity and, therefore, may represent a potential therapeutic approach to target VEGF-VEGFR-3 signaling for the treatment or diagnosis of ovarian cancer.