Ultrasonographic and clinicopathological features of pelvic yolk sac tumors in women: a single-center retrospective analysis

ObjectivesYolk sac tumors (YSTs) are rare and highly malignant ovarian malignancies that have a very poor prognosis. The aim of this study is to delineate the ultrasound and clinicopathological features of female pelvic YSTs to better understand the disease.MethodsThis study was a retrospective analysis of the clinicopathological and ultrasound imaging data from 16 YST patients who received treatment at our hospital between January 2012 and August 2023. Then, the ultrasound imaging characteristics were compared with pathological findings.ResultsAmong the 16 patients, various degrees of serum AFP increase were observed, and CA125 levels increased in 58.33% (7 out of 12) of patients. Thirteen patients (81.25%) had tumors located in ovary, two patients (12.5%) had tumors located in the sacrococcygeal region, and one patient (6.25%) had tumors located in the mesentery. Pathologically, nine patients presented with simple yolk sac tumors and seven with mixed germ cell tumors. According to the ultrasound manifestations, YST lesions can be classified into three types. (1) the cystic type, was diagnosed in two patients who presented with a large cystic mass with regular morphology and clear boundary and dense liquid within the cyst; and (2) the cystic-solid mixed type, was diagnosed in 4 patients. On 2D ultrasound, the lesions showed a cystic-solid mixed echo, and color Doppler showed a rich blood flow signal in the solid region and cystic separation. made up of four cases. (3) In ten patients with the solid type, 2D ultrasound showed solid uniform echoes with clear boundaries. The “fissure sign” was observed in the lesion. Color Doppler displayed rich blood flow in the solid part, and PW showed low to moderate resistance index of artery (RI:0.21–0.63). On contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), rapid and high enhancement in the solid part and cystic separation was observed in 2 patients.ConclusionsCombining ultrasound features with clinical information and tumor markers provides reliable clues for the diagnosis of YST. The application of two-dimensional ultrasound and CEUS combined with patient tumor marker levels can provide a robust reference for determining the necessity of fertility-preserving surgery and postoperative chemotherapy, which can improve clinical decision-making and patient consultation

Effects of Urbanization on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in The Riparian Zone of Low-order Watersheds

Riparian zones, as the interface between upland and river channel, have important ecosystem functions. Unfortunately, riparian zones of low-order watersheds are affected by urbanization-related disturbances. This dissertation combined field and modeling studies to systematically and quantitatively assess the effects of urbanization on C and N cycles in the riparian zone of low-order watersheds. Field studies across three low-order watersheds, differing in the degree of urbanization, in the New York Metropolitan Area indicated soil total C and N, and SOC in soils and water differed with urbanization degrees, and soil and water NO3- and NH4 + varied more temporally than spatially. C and N in soils and water exhibited higher contributions from human-related sources in urban watersheds. Soil and stream water inorganic N, rather than organic C, differed in response to extreme precipitation events (two moderate droughts and one flash flooding event), and the responses differed with the degree of urbanization. The Riparian Ecosystem Management Model (REMM) was modified to simulate soil C and N cycles in urban riparian zones. Simulations indicated that, if current urbanization continues, soil C and N cycles will experience fundamental changes within a period of decades. In sum, these results indicate ecological functions, including biogeochemical and hydrological regulation and water quality control, are crucial to low-order urban watersheds, and can be affected by urbanization. Further, restoration and conservation of riparian zones in urban watersheds is critical for developing sustainable cities and healthy urban ecosystems

In Situ DRIFTS Studies of NH3-SCR Mechanism over V2O5-CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 Catalysts for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx

TiO2-ZrO2 (Ti-Zr) carrier was prepared by a co-precipitation method and 1 wt. % V2O5 and 0.2 CeO2 (the Mole ratio of Ce to Ti-Zr) was impregnated to obtain the V2O5-CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst for the selective catalytic reduction of NOx by NH3. The transient activity tests and the in situ DRIFTS (diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy) analyses were employed to explore the NH3-SCR (selective catalytic reduction) mechanism systematically, and by designing various conditions of single or mixing feeding gas and pre-treatment ways, a possible pathway of NOx reduction was proposed. It was found that NH3 exhibited a competitive advantage over NO in its adsorption on the catalyst surface, and could form an active intermediate substance of -NH2. More acid sites and intermediate reaction species (-NH2), at lower temperatures, significantly promoted the SCR activity of the V2O5-0.2CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst. The presence of O2 could promote the conversion of NO to NO2, while NO2 was easier to reduce. The co-existence of NH3 and O2 resulted in the NH3 adsorption strength being lower, as compared to tests without O2, since O2 could occupy a part of the active site. Due to CeO2’s excellent oxygen storage-release capacity, NH3 adsorption was weakened, in comparison to the 1 wt. % V2O5-0.2CeO2/TiO2-ZrO2 catalyst. If NOx were to be pre-adsorbed in the catalyst, the formation of nitrate and nitro species would be difficult to desorb, which would greatly hinder the SCR reaction. All the findings concluded that NH3-SCR worked mainly through the Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism

Impact of p120-catenin isoforms 1A and 3A on epithelial mesenchymal transition of lung cancer cells expressing E-cadherin in different subcellular locations.

The epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important process in tumor development. Despite previous investigations, it remains unclear how p120-catenin (p120ctn) isoforms 1A and 3A affect the EMT of tumor cells. Here we investigated expression of p120ctn, E-cadherin and vimentin in 78 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples by immunohistochemistry and found that p120ctn membrane expression positively correlated with E-cadherin expression (P<0.001) and negatively correlated with vimentin expression and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Meanwhile, p120ctn cytoplasmic expression negatively correlated with E-cadherin expression (P<0.001) and positively correlated with vimentin expression and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). Cells expressing high (H460 and SPC) and low (H1299 and LK2) levels of p120ctn were screen to investigate its impact on EMT. E-cadherin was restricted to the cell membrane in H460 and H1299 cells, whereas it was expressed in the cytoplasm of SPC and LK2 cells. Ablation of endogenous p120ctn isoform 1A in cells expressing high levels of the protein resulted in decreased E-cadherin expression, increased N-cadherin, vimentin and snail expression and enhanced invasiveness in H460 cells. Meanwhile, completely opposite results were observed in SPC cells. Furthermore, transfection of in H1299 cells expressing low p120ctn levels with the p120ctn isoform 1A plasmid resulted in increased E-cadherin expression, decreased N-cadherin, vimentin and snail expression and weakened invasiveness, while LK2 cells showed completely opposite results. Both cell lines expressing low p120ctn levels and transfected with the p120ctn isoform 3A plasmid appeared to have increased E-cadherin expression, decreased N-cadherin, vimentin and snail expression and weakened invasiveness. In conclusion, in cells with membrane E-cadherin, both p120ctn isoforms 1A and 3A inhibited EMT and decreased cell invasiveness. In cells with cytoplasmic E-cadherin, p120ctn isoform 1A promoted EMT and increased cell invasiveness, while p120ctn isoform 3A inhibited the EMT and decreased cell invasiveness

Impact of Diets on Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors (ICIs) Therapy against Tumors

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the established therapeutics against tumors. As the major immunotherapy approach, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) achieved remarkable success in the treatment of malignancies. However, the clinical gains are far from universal and durable, because of the primary and secondary resistance of tumors to the therapy, or side effects induced by ICIs. There is an urgent need to find safe combinatorial strategies that enhance the response of ICIs for tumor treatment. Diets have an excellent safety profile and have been shown to play pleiotropic roles in tumor prevention, growth, invasion, and metastasis. Accumulating evidence suggests that dietary regimens bolster not only the tolerability but also the efficacy of tumor immunotherapy. In this review, we discussed the mechanisms by which tumor cells evade immune surveillance, focusing on describing the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of resistance to ICIs. We also summarized the impacts of different diets and/or nutrients on the response to ICIs therapy. Combinatory treatments of ICIs therapy with optimized diet regimens own great potential to enhance the efficacy and durable response of ICIs against tumors, which should be routinely considered in clinical settings

Effect of adjuvant radiotherapy on overall survival and breast cancer-specific survival of patients with malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast in different age groups: a retrospective observational study based on SEER

Abstract Purpose Malignant phyllodes tumor of the breast (MPTB) is a rare type of breast cancer, with an incidence of less than 1%. The value of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for MPTB has been controversial. The aim of the study was to explore the effect of radiotherapy on the long-term survival of female patients with MPTB at different ages. Methods Female MPTB patients were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 2000 and 2020. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was conducted to investigate the value of RT for the long-term survival of MPTB patients in different age groups. Additionally, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed for overall survival (OS) and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) of MPTB patients. Furthermore, propensity score matching (PSM) was also performed to balance the differences in baseline characteristics. Results 2261 MPTB patients were included in this study, including 455 patients (20.12%) with RT and 1806 patients (79.88%) without RT. These patients were divided into four cohorts based on their ages: 18–45, 46–55, 56–65, and 65–80. Before adjustment, there was a statistically significant difference in long-term survival between RT-treated and non-RT-treated patients in the younger age groups (age group of 18–45 years: OS P = 0.019, BCSS P = 0.016; age group of 46–55 years: OS P < 0.001, BCSS P < 0.001). After PSM, no difference was found in long-term survival of patients in both younger and older groups regardless of whether they received RT (age group of 18–45 years: OS P = 0.473, BCSS P = 0.750; age group of 46–55 years: OS P = 0.380, BCSS P = 0.816, age group of 56–65 years: OS P = 0.484, BCSS P = 0.290; age group of 66–80 years: OS P = 0.997, BCSS P = 0.763). In multivariate COX regression analysis, RT did not affect long-term survival in patients with MPTB. Conclusion There is no evidence that long-term survival of MPTB patients in specific age groups can benefit from RT

Benign Brenner tumor of the ovary: two-dimensional and contrast-enhanced ultrasound features—a retrospective study from a single center

ObjectiveBenign Brenner tumor (BBT) is a rare ovarian tumor, and there are few discrete reports about its manifestation in an ultrasound. This study sought to investigate the two-dimensional (2D) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of this entity.MethodsThis is a retrospective single-center study. The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination, and ultrasound data of 25 female patients with BBT were confirmed by pathology when they underwent 2D and/or CEUS examination at Ningbo First Hospital from January 2012 to June 2023. The ultrasound findings of the patients were analyzed using the terminology of the International Organization for the Analysis of Ovarian Tumor and were read by two senior sonographers who reached an agreement.ResultsAmong the all 25 patients, most of them were unilateral, and only one patient was bilateral. Thus, 26 lesions were found: 44.0% (11/25) were in the left and 52.0% (13/25) were in the right. Moreover, 53.84% (14/26) were solid lesions, 15.38% (4/26) were mixed lesions, and 26.92% (7/26) were cystic lesions. Among the solid-type patients, 42.85% (6/14) of the cases were with calcification. Upon laboratory examination, 12.0% (3/25) of the patients had high carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) level, and 19.04% (4/21) of the patients had an elevated carbohydrate antigen724 (CA-724) level in the serum tumor markers. In the hormone test, 14.28% (3/21) were found to have a high postmenopausal estrogen level and 14.28%(3/21) were found to have a high level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). One patient with complex manifestations and three with solid manifestations were examined by CEUS to observe the microcirculation perfusion of the tumor. One with solid and cystic separation was rapidly hyperenhanced and cleared, and the filling subsided faster than the uterus. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was benign Brenner tumor with mucinous cystadenoma. The other three cases were solid adnexal lesions, which showed isoenhancement on CEUS and disappeared slowly, synchronizing with the uterus. The CEUS results were considered as benign tumors and confirmed by pathology.ConclusionsBBT can show ovarian cystic, mixed cystic and solid type, and solid echo in 2D ultrasound. Unilateral ovarian fibrosis with punctate calcification is an important feature of BBT in 2D ultrasound. However, for solid adnexal masses and mixed cystic and solid masses with unclear diagnosis, if CEUS shows isoenhancement or hyperenhancement, the possibility of BBT cannot be excluded

The effects of short-term, long-term, and reapplication of biochar on the remediation of heavy metal-contaminated soil

Biochar, a cost-effective amendment, has been reported to play pivotal roles in improving soil fertility and immobilizing soil pollutants due to its well-developed porous structure and tunable functionality. However, the properties of biochar and soils can vary inconsistently after field application. This may affect the remediation of biochar on heavy metal (HM)-contaminated soil being altered. Therefore, we selected lettuce as a model crop to determine the effects of short-term, long-term, and reapplication of biochar on soil physicochemical properties, microbial community, HM bioavailability, and plant toxicity. Our investigation revealed that the long-term application of biochar remarkably improved soil fertility, increased the relative abundance of the phylum Proteobacteria which was highly resistant to HMs, and reduced the abundance of phylum Acidobacteria. These changes in soil properties decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. The short- and long-term applications of biochar had no substantial effects on biomass, quality, and photosynthesis of lettuce. Moreover, the short-term and reapplication of biochar had no significant effects on soil bacterial communities but decreased the accumulation of Cd and Pb in lettuce tissues. It showed that the changes in the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soil after long-term application of biochar promoted the remediation of HM-contaminated soil. Furthermore, microbial community compositions varied with metal stress and biochar application, while the relative abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria in HM-contaminated soil with long-term biochar application was markedly higher than in HM-contaminated soil without biochar application