High miR-200c expression is associated with suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition, TGF-ß signaling and better survival despite enhanced cell proliferation in gastric cancer patients.

MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that epigenetically regulate gene expression. MiR-200c is a known tumor suppressive microRNA found in many types of cancer, and its high expression has been associated with improved prognosis. However, the association between miR-200c expression and its clinical relevance in gastric cancer (GC) patients remains controversial. Here, we hypothesized that gastric cancer patients with high miR-200c gene expression translated to better overall survival. A total of 372 GC patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were analyzed. The top three quartiles were defined as a high miR-200c expression group. High miR-200c expression was associated with decreased invasion, favorable histological type, and improved overall survival in gastric cancer patients. Unexpectedly, high miR-200c expression GC was also associated with enhanced cell proliferation, shown by MKi67 expression, proliferation score, and enrichment of Hallmark cell proliferation-related gene sets (E2F targets, G2M checkpoints, MYC targets v1 and v2) by gene set enrichment assay (GSEA). High miR-200c GC was also associated with a high mutation rate and homologous recombination deficiency. Despite the association with elevated neoantigens, high miR-200c GC was associated with significantly low infiltration of anti-cancer immune cells, decreased immune response, and with suppressed IL2, TNF-α, and IFN-γ pathways. On the other hand, GC with low miR-200c expression significantly enriched hypoxia, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and TGF-ß signaling gene sets, all of which promote cancer progression and metastasis in GSEA. In conclusion, patients with high miR-200c expression GC had better survival despite association with aggressive tumor biology, such as high mutation rates, cell proliferation, and low cancer immunity. Given that low miR-200c GC was associated with hypoxia, angiogenesis, EMT and TGF-ß signaling, we cannot help but speculate that the difference in survival by miR-200c expression may be at least partly due to the association between low miR-200c expression and aggressive biology.

Preoperative hormonal therapy for a patient with appendiceal endometriosis.

The optimal management of patients with appendiceal endometriosis has not been determined because of the difficulty of establishing a preoperative diagnosis. There are no reports of preoperative hormone therapy for a patient with appendiceal endometriosis. We report a patient who underwent resection of appendiceal endometriosis after hormone therapy. A 40-year-old woman with history of recurrent pelvic abscesses presented to the emergency department with lower abdominal pain. The recurrent pelvic abscesses were synchronised with her menstrual cycle. CT scan demonstrated a 25 mm contrast-enhanced luminal structure adjacent to the cecum, which was thought to be a mucocele of the appendix. Considering the recurrent symptoms during menstruation, endometriosis was suspected. Treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist was started for appendiceal endometriosis, which alleviated the symptoms. After 3 months, elective laparoscopic appendectomy was performed. Preoperative hormonal therapy is an option for patients with appendiceal endometriosis, especially when there is concern for dense adhesions.

Minimally invasive repair of right-sided blunt traumatic diaphragmatic injury.

Right-sided blunt traumatic diaphragmatic injury (TDI) is a rare injury that is rarely repaired by the minimally invasive approach in the acute setting. Laparoscopic repair of right-sided TDI is challenging because the liver often obstructs access to the injury site. Herein, we report a case wherein acute right-sided blunt TDI was successfully repaired using a combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic approach. A 30-year-old man presented with shortness of breath after falling on his back while jumping on a snowboard. CT revealed a right-sided TDI. As the patient was haemodynamically stable, laparoscopic repair was planned. Laparoscopy revealed a right-sided diaphragmatic rupture. As the posterior portion was covered by the liver and difficult to access, we added trocars in the chest cavity and closed the diaphragmatic defect with a thoracic approach. A combined laparoscopic and thoracoscopic approach can repair right-sided diaphragmatic injury by a minimally invasive approach even in the acute setting.