Prognostic and immunological significance of an M1 macrophage-related gene signature in osteosarcoma.

As the most abundant infiltrating immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are pivotal in tumor development and treatment. The present investigation endeavors to explore the potential of M1 macrophage-related genes (MRGs) as biomarkers for assessing risk in individuals with osteosarcoma. RNA-sequence data and clinical data were derived from TCGA and GEO databases. The CIBERSORT method was utilized to discern subtypes of tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Identification of MRGs was achieved through Pearson correlation analysis. A prognostic risk model for MRGs was developed using Cox and LASSO regression analyses. A tripartite gene signature comprising CD37, GABRD, and ARHGAP25 was an independent prognostic indicator and was employed to develop a risk score model. The internal and external validation cohort confirmed the results. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was determined for survival periods of 1 year, three years, and five years, yielding values of 0.746, 0.839, and 0.850, respectively. The C-index of the risk score was found to be superior to clinicopathological factors. GO/KEGG enrichment showed that the differences between high- and low-risk groups were predominantly associated with immune response pathways. Immune-related analysis related to proportions of immune cells, immune function, and expression levels of immune checkpoint genes all showed differences between the high- and low-risk groups. The qRT-PCR and Western blotting results indicate that CD37 expression was markedly higher in MG63 and U2OS cell lines when compared to normal osteoblast hFOB1.19. In U2OS cell line, GABRD expression levels were significantly upregulated. ARHGAP25 expression levels were elevated in both 143B and U2OS cell lines. In summary, utilizing a macrophage genes signature demonstrates efficacy in predicting both the prognosis and therapy response of OS. Additionally, immune analysis confirms a correlation between the risk score and the tumor microenvironment. Our findings, therefore, provide a cogent account for the disparate prognoses observed among patients and furnish a justification for further inquiry into biomarkers and anti-tumor treatment strategies.

Proximal femoral nail anti-rotation vs dynamic hip screws decrease the incidence of surgical site infections in patients with intertrochanteric fractures: A meta-analysis.

In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to comprehensively analyse the effectiveness of using proximal femoral nail anti-rotation (PFNA) and dynamic hip screws (DHS) to treat intertrochanteric fractures on postoperative surgical site infections (SSI). PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang databases were searched from their inception until December 2022 to identify studies that compared PFNA and DHS in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures. Two investigators independently screened the retrieved studies to assess their quality and verify their eligibility for inclusion. Meta-analyses were performed with RevMan 5.4 software. Thirty studies, including 3158 patients, met the inclusion criteria. These studies included 1574 patients treated with PFNA, and 1584 were treated with DHS. The findings of the meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction in the incidence of SSI in patients treated with PFNA compared with those treated with DHS (2.64% vs 6.76%, odds ratio [OR]: 0.40, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: 0.28-0.57, P < .001), superficial SSI (2.58% vs 5.01%, OR: 0.53, 95% CIs: 0.33-0.85, P = .008) and deep SSI (1.26% vs 3.43%, OR: 0.41, 95% CIs: 0.19-0.92, P = .03). PFNA was more effective than DHS in reducing the incidence of SSI. Even so, significant variations in sample sizes among the included studies meant that the methodology for some studies had qualitative deficiencies. Therefore, additional studies with large sample sizes are needed to validate these results.

A case report of rare complication of brucellosis infection: myocarditis and pneumonitis.

The involvement of cardiovascular or respiratory complications in cases of brucellosis are extremely rare. Herein, a case of myocarditis and pneumonia with pericardial effusion, pleural effusion and biliteral pleural thickening with pleural adhesion in a 35-year-old female patient, is described. Using next-generation sequencing, the patient was differentially diagnosed with Brucella-related myocarditis and pneumonitis, and treatment with oral doxycycline, rifampicin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, along with intravenous gentamycin, was commenced. Following treatment, the patient was clinically improved. When a patient with brucellosis presents with chest pain, clinicians should be aware of this clinical manifestation. Next-generation sequencing may be used to identify pathogens and provide insights into the disease when appropriate cultures are negative.