Expression and clinical significance of undifferentiated embryonic cell transcription factor 1 in breast cancer.

Background: At present, due to the heterogeneity of breast cancer, common tumor markers have certain limitations in clinical prognostic evaluation. This suggests an unmet need for markers to predict clinical outcomes and potentially guide targeted therapies. The present study sought to explore the expression level and clinical significance of undifferentiated embryonic cell transcription factor 1 (UTF1) in breast cancer. Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of UTF1 in 221 breast cancer samples. The clinical significance of UTF1 protein expression in breast cancer tissues was evaluated by combining clinicopathological parameters and UTF1 expression profile. We performed 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and clone formation assays to evaluate the effect of UTF1 on Bcap37 cell proliferation. Wound healing assay and transwell migration assay were used to evaluate the changes of cell invasion and migration ability, respectively. All experiments were performed with 3 biological replicates. Genomic differences after UTF1 overexpression were evaluated by RNA sequencing technology and the possible functions and regulatory mechanisms were elucidated. Results: The findings showed that UTF1 expression level was significantly correlated with tumor size (P=0.004), but not with patient age, tumor histological stage, lymph node metastasis, as well as estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2), and Ki67 expression levels. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard model indicated that UTF1 expression was significantly associated with overall survival (OS) time of breast cancer patients. The median survival time of patients with high expression level of UTF1 was shorter compared with that of patients with low UTF1 expression level. The results of cell experiments showed that UTF1 overexpression could significantly promote the growth, proliferation, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. The RNA sequencing results showed that UTF1 was not only closely related to apoptosis genes, but also closely related to the nuclear factor (NF)-kappa B pathway. Conclusions: The findings of the current study indicate that UTF1 is involved in occurrence and tumor progression and is significantly associated with prognosis of breast cancer patients.

Anatomical and Biomechanical Stability of Single/Double Screw-Cancellous Bone Fixations of Regan-Morry Type III Ulnar Coronoid Fractures in Adults: CT Measurement and Finite Element Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: At present, it is still uncertain whether single screw has the same stability as double screws in the treatment of ulnar coronal process basal fracture (Regan-Morry type III). So, we aimed to compare the pull-out force and anti-rotation torque of anterior single/double screw-cancellous bone fixation (aSSBF, aDSBF) in this fracture, and further study the influencing factors on anatomical and biomechanical stability of smart screw internal fixations. METHODS: A total of 63 adult volunteers with no history of elbow injury underwent elbow CT scanning with associated three-dimensional reconstruction that enabled the measurements of bone density and fixed length of the proximal ulna and coronoid. The models of coronal process basal fracture, aSSBF and aDSBF, were developed and validated. Using the finite element model test, the sensitivity analysis of pull-out force and rotational torque was carried out. RESULTS: The pull-out force of aSSBF model was positively correlated with the density of the cancellous bone and linearly related to the fixed depth of the screw. The load pattern of pull-out force of aDSBF model was similar to that of aSSBF model. The ultimate torque of aDSBF model was higher than that of aSSBF model, but the load pattern of ultimate torque of both models was similar to each other when the fracture reset was satisfactory, and the screw nut attaches closely to coronoid process. Moreover, with enhancement of initial pre-tightening force, the increase of ultimate torque of both models was small. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to three pull-out stability factors of smart screw fixations, fracture surface fitting degree and nut fitting degree are the other two important anatomical and biomechanical stability factors of smart screw fixations both for rotational stability. When all pull-out stability and rotational stability factors meet reasonable conditions simultaneously, single or double screw fixation methods are stable for the treatments of ulnar coronoid basal fractures.

COVID-19 induces gastrointestinal symptoms and affects patients' prognosis.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection caused the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Gastrointestinal (GI) involvement is common among patients with COVID-19, and GI symptoms can appear earlier than respiratory symptoms. Except for direct infectious effects, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are at risk of complications requiring gastroenterological management. Diarrhea is the most common GI symptom in patients with COVID-19 and occurs in up to half of them. Other GI symptoms, such as anorexia, discomfort, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of taste sensation, and vomiting, have been reported. GI symptoms are associated with a poor prognosis. Fecal viral excretion may have clinical significance because of the possible fecal-oral transmission of infection. In the present narrative review article, six different aspects of studies published to date are summarized as follows: GI manifestations of COVID-19, the roles of fecal-oral transmission, poor prognosis of GI symptoms; abnormal abdominal imaging findings, COVID-19 in patients with irritable bowel disease, and prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the digestive endoscopy room. Timely understanding of the association between COVID-19 and the digestive system and effective preventive measures are critical to improve this disease and help clinicians take appropriate measures to mitigate further transmission.

Impact of Lin28 on lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Lin28 is involved in the progression of several types of tumors. Data collected from clinical trials have suggested that Lin28 expression is correlated with poor prognosis in thyroid carcinoma. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between Lin28 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Accordingly, the clinical data and diagnostic results from 237 patients with PTC were collected. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to evaluate the Lin28 expression levels in thyroid tissue samples. Associations between the expression levels and clinicopathological parameters were evaluated. Lin28 was expressed in 96/237 (40.5%) of PTC specimens. Compared with patients with no Lin28 expression, patients with expression had higher rates of lymph node metastasis (P<0.001) and larger tumors (P=0.011). Multivariate analysis revealed that Lin28 was associated with lymph node metastasis. Next, bioinformatics analysis was performed based using the Gene Expression Omnibus database and The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Lin28 expression was associated with aggressive tumor characteristics, such as lymph node metastasis and larger tumors. In conclusion, the present study revealed that Lin28 expression served as a risk factor for lymph node metastasis. Accordingly, Lin28 expression may be used as a prognostic marker to predict lymph node metastasis in patients with PTC. In addition, Lin28 may serve as a therapeutic target in the management of this tumor type, which may help improve patient outcomes.

Expression of Lin28 is correlated with prognosis and expression of HER-2 and steroid receptors in breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Cumulative data from clinical trials suggest that Lin28 may contribute to poor survival in breast cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Lin28 expression and breast cancer patients' clinicopathological parameters. METHODS: Data from a total of 291 breast cancer patients were collected in this study. The expression level of Lin28 was assessed by immunohistochemical staining. The correlation of Lin28 expression and clinicopathological parameters was statically evaluated and the prognostic significance of Lin28 expression was assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: One hundred and eight out of 291 (37.1%) breast cancer specimens showed Lin28 protein positive expression, while the remaining 183 specimens showed negative expression. Positive expression of Lin28 was associated with lymph node metastases (P<0.001), HER-2 (P=0.024), estrogen receptor (P=0.039), and progesterone receptor (P=0.027). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that Lin28 positive expression showed lower overall survival rates compared with Lin28 negative patients (P=0.019). In the multivariate analysis, Lin28 remained a significant independent prognostic factor (P=0.038) for overall survival rates. CONCLUSION: Lin28 expression was associated with advanced disease stage and subtype in breast cancer patients, and Lin28 expression may serve as an independent prognostic factor. These data indicate that Lin28 may play a major role in the therapeutic management of breast cancer.