Serum TSH levels are associated with postoperative recurrence and lymph node metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in the serum and postoperative recurrence and lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients after surgery. METHODS: We selected 272 patients diagnosed with PTC from June 2011 to July 2014. The clinical and pathological data of 272 PTC patients were collected at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and analysed retrospectively. All PTC patients were tested for the BRAFV600E gene mutation before surgery by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology, and TSH levels in the serum were determined one month after surgery. The optimal cut-off value of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) for predicting the recurrence or metastasis of PTC after surgery was determined by the establishment of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the correlation between the optimal cut-off value of TSH and disease-free survival rate and prognosis. RESULTS: Of 272 patients, only 182 (73 BRAFV600E+, 109 BRAFV600E-) met the final study criteria. Among them, 60 cases had recurrence or metastasis, and 122 cases were controls. The optimal cut-off value of TSH for the prediction of recurrence or metastasis of PTC after surgery was 2.615 mlU/L. In our study, a high TSH level (> 2.615 mlU/L) was correlated with the BRAFV600E mutation, multifocality, lymph node metastasis, recurrence, and metastasis. In all 182 patients, those with high TSH levels had worse disease-free survival. This result was more obvious in the 73 BRAFV600E+ patients. The univariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis, multifocality, lymph node dissection, tumour size, sex, BRAFV600E mutation, and a high postoperative TSH level were all significantly correlated with recurrence or metastasis in PTC patients (all P < 0.05). In addition, the Cox multivariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis, BRAFV600E mutation, and high postoperative TSH levels were independent risk factors for PTC recurrence or metastasis (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PTC patients with high TSH levels (> 2.615 mlU/L) have worse disease-free survival, which is more obvious in the BRAFV600E+ population.

Clinical factors influencing the pregnancy outcome after laparoscopic treatment in endometriosis-associated infertility patients: a retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Endometriosis is an illness caused by the presence of foci of endometrial implants outside the uterine cavity. Laparoscopy (minimally invasive surgical method) is considered as the definitive treatment for Endometriosis. METHOD: Clinical data from January 2014 till December 2018, between the ages of 20 and 40 years were collected. A total of 175 women with pelvic Endometriosis complicated with infertility, underwent laparoscopy in our hospital, were followed up to assess fertility outcome. We analyzed using univariate logistic regression analysis as well as multivariate logistic analysis. RESULTS: We analyzed the relationship between them by logistic regression analysis. Univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the significant factors for influencing pregnancy were the following factors: age, infertility types: primary or secondary infertility, treatment with Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone-agonist, r-AFS grade, operative method: excision or ablation. And multivariate logistic regression using all the factors also revealed that age, infertility types: primary or secondary, treatment with GnRH-a, revised- American Fertility Society grading and operative method: excision or ablation were positively correlated and were the significant factors to influence pregnancy outcome. While the other factors such as Body Mass Index, and endometriosis along with other gynecological pathology were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found out that age, infertility type, treatment with Laparoscopy surgery, use of GnRH-a after the operation, grading of the disease, and different types of operative methods were found to be significant and were found to be the factors which influenced the pregnancy outcome.

Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 5 is Correlated with Progression in Breast Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is increasingly becoming the primary reason for death in women, which sounded the alarm. Thus, finding a novel management target for BC is imminent. METHODS: The data of gene expression and clinicopathological characteristics were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The expression of nuclear receptor co-activator 5 (NCOA5) in 35 paired breast cancer and adjacent tissues was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Univariate and Multivariate logistic regression methodology was applied to analyze the prognostic factors for lymph node metastasis (LNM). Based on the status of breast cancer-relative receptors, patients were distributed in six groups, then the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis with log-rank test was applied to investigate the involvement among the expression of NCOA5 and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The expression of NCOA5 in BC was greater than normal tissues when comparing the data from TCGA. This result had also been verified in our local cohort. The expression of NCOA5 was closely related to LNM, Estrogen receptor (ER) status and progesterone receptor (PR) status. The consequence of Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the expression of NCOA5, tumor size, ER status and clinical stage was significantly associated with LN. Moreover, subgroup analyses showed that high expression of NCOA5 is an independent risk factor for OS in patients who were in ER (+) or PR (+) or maybe human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(Her-2) positive status. CONCLUSION: NCOA5 was significantly correlated with LNM in BC. Meanwhile, the expression of NOCA5 could predict the OS time, especially in breast cancer patients whose status of hormone receptor was positive. NCOA5 may act as a promising treatment target to shortening the treatment period and improving the prognosis of ER (+) breast cancer.

COPB2 is up-regulated in breast cancer and plays a vital role in the metastasis via N-cadherin and Vimentin.

Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignant tumour for the adult female and its relative incidence has increased continuously in recent years. The primary molecular mechanisms of breast tumourigenesis remain unclear. With the sequencing technology, we found that coatomer protein complex subunit beta 2 (COPB2) gene is overexpressed in breast cancer tissues. However, the biological function of COPB2 in BC has yet to be determined. This current research demonstrates, significant up-regulation of COPB2 in tissues of breast cancer while comparing the adjacent normal tissue both invalidated cohort and TCGA cohort. Up-regulated expression of COPB2 was correlated with lymph node metastasis (LNM) and oestrogen receptor (ER) in the TCGA cohort and a high level of COPB2 was associated with age and lymph node metastasis in the validated cohort. Besides, logistic analysis illustrated in BC patient COPB2 expression, tumour size, age, ER and disease stage were independent high-risk factors of LNM. Loss of function experiments revealed that down-regulation of COPB2 could inhibit capacities of proliferation and cell invasion in MDA-MB-231 and BT-549 cell lines. Moreover, underexpression of COPB2 could decrease the EMT-related protein N-cadherin and vimentin which may lead to cell invasion. This current research provides new shreds of evidence that COPB2 overexpression shows significant character in the progression of breast cancer. To best of our knowledge, our findings indicated that COPB2 was vital oncogene which was associated with breast cancer.

Expression and localization of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 in the ovarian tissues of mice at different ages.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and localization of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) in the ovaries of mice in different age groups, and to explore the association between Nrf2 and premature ovarian aging. The present study identified the localization of Nrf2 protein by performing immunohistochemical assay of ovarian tissues obtained from mice in different age groups. The mRNA expression levels of Nrf2 were detected via reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, while the expression levels of Nrf2 protein and apoptosis-associated proteins, including Caspase3 and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), were evaluated by western blot analysis. The results revealed that Nrf2 protein was mainly localized in granulosa cells, as well as in the secondary follicles and antral follicles of oocytes. Nrf2 expression levels were significantly lower in mice aged 4 days compared with 12-week-old mice (P<0.05), and the level of Nrf2 was lower in mice aged 40 weeks compared with those aged 12 weeks (P<0.05). In addition, the expression of the apoptosis protein Caspase3 in the ovarian tissue of mice aged 3, 8 and 12 weeks remained markedly greater when compared with those aged 4 days and 40 weeks. Bcl-2, an anti-apoptotic protein, was also significantly expressed in the ovarian tissues of juvenile (4-day-old) mice when compared with mice aged >40 weeks (P<0.05). In conclusion, Nrf2 was highly expressed in the ovarian tissues of mice of childbearing age (8-12 weeks old) and may possibly be involved in ovarian regulatory functions. The results indicated that Nrf2 expression and localization may have important implications in the prevention of ovarian aging.

MAL2 promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion through regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer cell lines.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in women. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of breast cancer are still far to clear. With the development of sequencing technology, we discovered that MAL2 is overexpressed in tumor tissues. But the major function of MAL2 in breast cancer has not to be well confirmed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We downloaded and analyzed the MAL2 expression in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was conducted to detect the expression of MAL2 in 35 breast cancer patients. Then, we performed proliferation, colony formation, migration, invasion and western blot assays to investigate the role of MAL2 in breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and BT-549). RESULTS: In our research, we found that MAL2 is remarkably overexpressed in breast cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-cancer tissues by RT-qPCR (T: N = 5.28 ±â€¯4.34:1.82 ±â€¯1.11, P < 0.001) and high expression of MAL2 has worse overall survival in TCGA cohort (P = 0.0032). Knocked down MAL2 could decrease the ability of proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cell lines. Our Western Blot assay results investigated that MAL2 could regulate EMT. CONCLUSION: In this study, we demonstrated the function of MAL2 in breast cancer cell lines and it might act as an oncogene in breast cancer.

Impact of sentinel lymph node biopsy in newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer patients with suspicious node: a comparative accuracy survey of fine-needle aspiration biopsy versus core-needle biopsy.

Comparing diagnostic accuracy study between ultrasonography (US) guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and core-needle biopsy (CNB) of the Sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer patients. We selected 289 newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer patients from June 2015 to July 2017. Ultrasound (US) guided fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNA) and core-needle biopsy (CNB) was performed to identify patients with suspicious sentinel lymph node (SLN). Patients with a cortical thickness > 2 mm or atypical morphological characteristics were recommended FNA and CNB. Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) was applied to patients with biopsy-proven metastasis, and sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) was applied to FNA or CNB negative patients. ALND was also performed when SNB is positive. Out of 289 patients, only 131 patients met final study criteria. Lymph node status was evaluated by FNA, CNB, SLND, and ALND. Among 131 patients, 45 were deemed positive for metastasis and 86 were determined to be negative with CNB, whereas 38 were deemed positive for metastasis and 93 were determined to be negative by using FNAB. CNB was used to correctly identify seven axillae as positive for metastasis that were deemed negative by using FNAB. There were no positive FNAB results in axillae that were negative for metastasis with CNB. All patients underwent SLNB and those with biopsy-proved axillary metastases were assigned directly to ALND as the primary staging procedure. The final histopathologic assessment indicated that 50 (38.2%) of the 131 axillae studied had axillary LN metastases. Axillary US-guided CNB was used to correctly identify 45 (90.0%) of the 50 LN-positive axillae, whereas axillary US-guided FNAB was used to correctly identify 38 (76.0%, P < 0. 001). There were no false-positive results. CNB netted 5 false-negative results, and FNAB resulted in 12. There was significantly different accuracy between different diagnostic tools. In our study, we demonstrated that CNB is a more reliable approach than FNA for the preoperative diagnosis of SLN metastasis.

LncRNA CCND2-AS1 promotes proliferation, migration, and invasion in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

In decades, a lot of long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been proven to exert influences on tumorigenesis in vitro and in vivo. Many lncRNAs have been reported as effective therapeutic targets and biomarkers in various cancers. However, whether LncRNAs are associated with the progression of PTC remains largely unknown. In this study, we measured the expression of CCND2-AS1 in PTC cell lines by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).We found that CCND2-AS1 expression was significantly over-expressed in PTC cell lines compared to normal thyroid epithelial cells. Gain-and loss-of-function experiments were performed to investigate the role of CCND2-AS1 in PTC cells. In vitro experiments, we proved that CCND2-AS1 knockdown in TPC1 significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while CCND2-AS1 overexpression in BCPAP had the opposite effects. Meanwhile, we also found that CCND2-AS1 could regulate N-cadherin and Vimentin expression, which may influence invasion and migration. Our findings indicate that the lncRNA CCND2-AS1 is a gene associated with PTC and might become a potential therapeutic target.

LncRNA CCND2-AS1 is up-regulated and regulates proliferation, migration, and invasion in breast cancer.

Many long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to exert influences on biological processes including tumorigenesis. Many lncRNAs have been reported as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers in multiple cancers. CCND2 antisense RNA 1 (CCND2-AS1) is an lncRNA recently reported to be involved in the progression of glioma cancers. However, whether CCND2-AS1 is associated with progression of breast cancer remains unknown. In this study, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to measure CCND2-AS1 gene expression in breast cancer cell in lines. CCND2-AS1 expression was significantly over-expressed compared to normal breast epithelial cells. Gain-and loss-of-function experiments were performed in vitro to investigate the role of CCND2-AS1, where we found that CCND2-AS1 knockdown in MDA-MB-231 significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In contrast, CCND2-AS1 overexpression in BT-549 had the opposite effects. Our findings indicate that lncRNA CCND2-AS1 is a gene associated with breast cancer and might become a potential therapeutic target.