Value of machine learning model based on MRI radiomics in predicting histological grade of cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Objective To explore the predictive value of different machine learning models based on MRI radiomics combined with clinical features for histological grade of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Methods Clinical data of 150 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by pathological biopsy were retrospectively analyzed. They were randomly divided into the training set and validation set at a ratio of 4∶1. Features were extracted from the regions of interest of T2WI fat suppression sequence （FS-T2WI） and enhanced T1WI （delayed phase）. After dimensionality reduction and feature selection， logistic regression （LR）， support vector machine （SVM）， naïve Bayes （NB）， random forest （RF）， Light Gradient Boosting Machine （LightGBM）， K-nearest neighbor （KNN） were used to construct a radiomics model for predicting the histological grade of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. The area under the receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve （AUC） was used to evaluate the predictive performance of the six models. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to predict the independent risk factors， and a combined model of clinical and radiomics was established. The differences of each model were compared by AUC， and the clinical value of the model was evaluated by decision curve （DCA）. Results In the radiomics model， the LightGBM model had the largest AUC （0.910 in the training set， and 0.839 in the validation set）. The AUC of clinical features combined with LightGBM model was the largest （0.935 in the training set， and 0.888 in the validation set）， which was higher than those of clinical model （0.762 in the training set， and 0.710 in the validation set） and LightGBM radiomics model. Conclusions The LightGBM model has a high predictive value in the radiomics model. The combined model has the optimal DCA effect and the highest clinical net benefit. The combined prediction model combining radiomics and clinical features has good predictive value for cervical squamous cell carcinoma with low differentiation， providing a non-invasive and efficient method for clinical decision-making

Mitigating catalyst deactivation in selective hydrogenation by enhancing dispersion and utilizing reaction heat effect

ACKNOWLEDGMENT This work was financially supported by National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFB3801600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (21908002), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (buctrc201921, JD2223).Peer reviewedPostprin

Reproductive outcomes and risk factors of women with septate uterus after hysteroscopic metroplasty

BackgroundHysteroscopic metroplasty of the uterine septum has been the standard treatment strategy to improve reproductive outcomes, but there are still controversies about the appropriateness of metroplasty. In addition, there have been few studies of the factors related to reproductive outcomes of women after surgery. The study aimed to evaluate the reproductive outcomes and the associated risk factors that influence reproductive outcomes after hysteroscopic metroplasty of women with septate uterus and the desire to conceive.MethodsThis study was an observational study. Cases were screened by searching electronic patient files, and demographic factors were collected. We conducted telephone follow-ups to collect the postoperative reproductive outcomes. The primary outcome of this study was live birth, and secondary outcomes were ongoing pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, early miscarriage, and preterm birth. Demographic variables included patients’ age, body mass index (BMI), the type of septum, infertility and miscarriage history, and complications including intrauterine adhesions, endometrial polyps, endometriosis, and adenomyosis were collected to perform univariate and multivariate analyses to predict the risk factors of reproductive outcomes after surgery treatment.ResultsIn total, 348 women were evaluated and followed up. There were 95 cases (27.3%, 95/348) with combined infertility, 195 cases (56.0%, 195/348) with miscarriage history, and cases combined with intrauterine adhesions, endometrial polyps, endometriosis, and adenomyosis were 107 (30.7%, 107/348), 53 (15.2%, 53/348), 28 (8.0%, 28/348), and 5 (1.4%), respectively. Following surgery, the live birth rate and clinical pregnancy rate were significantly higher than prior to surgery (84.6% vs 3.7%, p= 0.000; and 78.2% vs 69.5%, p= 0.01, respectively), early miscarriage rate and preterm delivery rate were significantly lower (8.8% vs 80.6%, p= 0.000; and 7.0% vs 66.7%, p=0.000, respectively). After adjusting for body mass index, miscarriage history, and complications, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed age ≥ 35 years and primary infertility as independent factors that affected postoperative clinical pregnancy (OR 4.025, 95% CI 2.063–7.851, p= 0.000; and OR 3.603, 95% CI 1.903–6.820, p= 0.000; respectively) and ongoing pregnancy (OR 3.420, 95% CI 1.812–6.455, p= 0.000; and OR 2.586, 95% CI 1.419–4.712, p= 0.002; respectively).ConclusionsHysteroscopic metroplasty could lead to improved reproductive outcomes of women with septate uterus. Both age and primary infertility were independent factors for postoperative reproductive outcomes.Trial registrationChi ECRCT2021034

Exploring the mechanism of aloe-emodin in the treatment of liver cancer through network pharmacology and cell experiments

Objective: Aloe-emodin (AE) is an anthraquinone compound extracted from the rhizome of the natural plant rhubarb. Initially, it was shown that AE exerts an anti-inflammatory effect. Further studies revealed its antitumor activity against various types of cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying these properties remain unclear. Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking, this study investigated the molecular mechanism of AE in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and evaluated its therapeutic effect through in vitro experiments.Methods: CTD, Pharmmapper, SuperPred and TargetNet were the databases to obtain potential drug-related targets. DisGenet, GeneCards, OMIM and TTD were used to identify potential disease-related targets. Intersection genes for drugs and diseases were obtained through the Venn diagram. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of intersecting genes were conducted by the website of Bioinformatics. Intersection genes were introduced into STRING to construct a protein-protein interaction network, while the Cytoscape3.9.1 software was used to visualize and analyze the core targets. AutoDock4.2.6 was utilized to achieve molecular docking between drug and core targets. In vitro experiments investigated the therapeutic effects and related mechanisms of AE.Results: 63 overlapped genes were obtained and GO analysis generated 3,646 entries by these 63 intersecting genes. KEGG analysis mainly involved apoptosis, proteoglycans in cancer, TNF signaling pathway, TP53 signaling pathway, PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, etc. AKT1, EGFR, ESR1, TP53, and SRC have been identified as core targets because the binding energies of them between aloe-emodin were less than -5 kcal/Mol.The mRNA and protein expression, prognosis, mutation status, and immune infiltration related to core targets were further revealed. The involvement of AKT1 and EGFR, as well as the key target of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, indicated the importance of this signaling pathway in the treatment of HCC using AE. The results of the Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and flow analysis demonstrated the therapeutic effect of AE. The downregulation of EGFR, PI3KR1, AKT1, and BCL2 in mRNA expression and PI3KR1, AKT,p-AKT in protein expression confirmed our hypothesis.Conclusion: Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking, our study initially showed that AE exerted a therapeutic effect on HCC by modulating multiple signaling pathways. Various analyses confirmed the antiproliferative activity and pro-apoptotic effect of AE on HCC through the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. This study revealed the therapeutic mechanism of AE in the treatment of HCC through a novel approach, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical application of AE

Correlation between inflammatory marker and lipid metabolism in patients with uterine leiomyomas

IntroductionObesity is a risk factor for the development of uterine leiomyoma (UL), and the inflammatory response plays a key role in the pathogenesis of UL. Our objective was to assess whether there was an independent relationship between inflammatory markers and triglycerides (TG) in patients with UL.Methods1,477 UL participants who were hospitalized at the Jining Medical University between January 2016 and December 2022 were included in this cross-sectional study. The independent and dependent variables measured at baseline were inflammatory markers and TG levels, respectively. The covariates were age, body mass index (BMI), UL and menstrual status. Based on the number of fibroids, the study population was divided into Single-group and Multiple-group.ResultsUnivariate and multiple regression analyses and stratified analyses revealed significant positive correlations between neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and systemic immune inflammation index and TG, and significant negative correlations between monocyte-lymphocyte ratio and TG.ConclusionThe findings show a significant correlation between the inflammatory response and lipid metabolism levels in UL patients. This provides direction for further research into the pathophysiology of UL and also helps to formulate hypotheses for predictive models of UL

Endometrial microbiota in women with and without adenomyosis: A pilot study

IntroductionThe endometrial microbiota plays an essential role in the health of the female reproductive system. However, the interactions between the microbes in the endometrium and their effects on adenomyosis remain obscure.Materials and methodsWe profile endometrial samples from 38 women with (n=21) or without (n=17) adenomyosis to characterize the composition of the microbial community and its potential function in adenomyosis using 5R 16S rRNA gene sequencing.ResultsThe microbiota profiles of patients with adenomyosis were different from the control group without adenomyosis. Furthermore, analysis identified Lactobacillus zeae, Burkholderia cepacia, Weissella confusa, Prevotella copri, and Citrobacter freundii as potential biomarkers for adenomyosis. In addition, Citrobacter freundii, Prevotella copri, and Burkholderia cepacia had the most significant diagnostic value for adenomyosis. PICRUSt results identified 30 differentially regulated pathways between the two groups of patients. In particular, we found that protein export, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism were upregulated in adenomyosis. Our results clarify the relationship between the endometrial microbiota and adenomyosis.DiscussionThe endometrial microbiota of adenomyosis exhibits a unique structure and Citrobacter freundii, Prevotella copri, and Burkholderia cepacia were identified as potential pathogenic microorganisms associated with adenomyosis. Our findings suggest that changes in the endometrial microbiota of patients with adenomyosis are of potential value for determining the occurrence, progression, early of diagnosis, and treatment oadenomyosis