ABSTRACT
Background: Risk factors for colorectal cancer (CRC) affect the way patients are subsequently treated and their prognosis. Dual-energy computerized tomography (DECT) is an advanced imaging technique that enables the quantitative evaluation of lesions. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of DECT images based on the Mono+ algorithm in CRC, and based on this, to assess the value of DECT in the diagnosis of CRC risk factors. Methods: This prospective study was performed from 2021 to 2023. A dual-phase DECT protocol was established for consecutive patients with primary CRC. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), overall image quality, lesion delineation, and image noise of the dual-phase DECT images were assessed. Next, the optimal energy-level image was selected to analyze the iodine concentration (IC), normalized iodine concentration (NIC), effective atomic number, electron density, dual-energy index (DEI), and slope of the energy spectrum curve within the tumor for the high- and low-risk CRC groups. A multifactor binary logistic regression analysis was used to construct a differential diagnostic regression model for high- and low-risk CRC, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to assess the diagnostic value of the model. Results: A total of 74 patients were enrolled in this study, of whom 41 had high-risk factors and 33 had low-risk factors. The SNR and CNR were best at 40 keV virtual monoenergetic imaging (VMI) based on the Mono+ algorithm (VMI+) (SNR 8.79±1.27, P<0.001; CNR 14.89±1.77, P=0.027). The overall image quality and lesion contours were best at 60 keV VMI+ and 40 keV VMI+, respectively (P=0.001). Among all the DECT parameters, the arterial phase (AP)-IC, NIC, DEI, energy spectrum curve, and venous phase-NIC differed significantly between the two groups. The AP-IC was the optimal DECT parameter for predicting high- and low-risk CRC with AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and cut-off values of 0.96, 97.06%, 87.80%, and 2.94, respectively, and the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the AUC was 0.88-0.99. Integrating the clinical factors and DECT parameters, the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and predictive accuracy of the model were 0.99, 100.00%, 92.68%, and 94.67%, respectively, and the 95% CI of the AUC was 0.93-1.00. Conclusions: The DECT parameters based on 40 keV noise-optimized VMI+ reconstruction images depicted the CRC tumors best, and the clinical DECT model may have significant implications for the preoperative prediction of high-risk factors in CRC patients.
ABSTRACT
RING finger 187 (RNF187), a ubiquitin-ligating (E3) enzyme, plays a crucial role in the proliferation of cancer cells. However, it remains unclear whether RNF187 exhibits comparable functionality in the development of germline cells. To investigate the potential involvement of RNF187 in germ cell development, we conducted interference and overexpression assays using GC-2 cells, a mouse spermatocyte-derived cell line. Our findings reveal that the interaction between RNF187 and histone H3 increases the viability, proliferation, and migratory capacity of GC-2 cells. Moreover, we provide evidence demonstrating that RNF187 interacts with H3 and mediates the ubiquitination of H3 at lysine 57 (K57) or lysine 80 (K80), directly or indirectly resulting in increased cellular transcription. This is a study to report the role of RNF187 in maintaining the development of GC-2 cells by mediating histone H3 ubiquitination, thus highlighting the involvement of the K57 and K80 residues of H3 in the epistatic regulation of gene transcription. These discoveries provide a new theoretical foundation for further comprehensive investigations into the function of RNF187 in the reproductive system.
