Medicine
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Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with tumor invasion and progression, and is regulated by DNA methylation. A prognostic signature of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) with EMT-related gene data has not yet been established. In our study, we constructed a co-expression network using differentially expressed genes (DEGs) obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to identify hub genes. ⋯ The model could serve as an independent predictive factor for patients with LUSC. Additionally, our druggability analysis predicted that CC chemokine ligand 23 (CCL23) and Hepatocyte nuclear factor 1b (HNF1B) may be the underlying drug targets of LUSC. We established a new risk score (RS) system as a prognostic indicator to predict the outcome of patients with LUSC, which will help in the improvement of treatment strategies.
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There are differences in postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) incidence and manifestations in children between the sexes. However, there is limited evidence on how the gender affects the prognosis of POTS in children. This study is aimed at exploring the differences between the sexes regarding the prognosis of children with POTS. ⋯ A slight increase in the dose of oral rehydration salt could help lower the risk of poor prognosis in children with POTS. A higher absorption of total metoprolol, lower local concentrations, and slower metabolic excretion are documented in research in female POTS patients during treatment. It is recommended that the optimal dose of metoprolol should be lowered in female children undergoing treatment, to limit the risk of poor prognosis.
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent and deadly cancers worldwide, and approximately 50% of patients with early-stage disease develop metastases. A critical limitation for successful management of CRC is early disease detection and identification of progression. Next-generation sequencing-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) profiling has emerged as a promising biomarker for the assessment of minimal or molecular residual disease in CRC. ⋯ The patient achieved a complete response after treatment. However, he presented with disease recurrence in liver lesions. The postoperative ctDNA detection suggested the possibility of micrometastatic pulmonary disease, and that was confirmed by follow-up examination. Serial ctDNA detection revealed disease relapse ahead of radiologic imaging by a lead time of 9 months. This case demonstrated the potential of ctDNA analysis to be a sensitive and specific tool for the detection of micrometastatic disease and prediction of recurrence.
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General anesthesia providing one-lung ventilation (OLV) with double-lumen endotracheal intubation has been considered inevitable for thoracic surgery. However, with the recent trend of less invasive surgical technique and enhanced recovery after surgery, tubeless anesthesia has been performed in various thoracic surgeries. The aim of this study was to establish a feasible and safe strategy of ventilator-assisted tubeless anesthesia in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgeries (VATS) based on single-institution experiences. ⋯ No patients were converted to general anesthesia or open thoracotomy unintentionally. All patients were discharged on median 2 days postoperatively without complications. Ventilator-assisted tubeless VATS is a feasible and safe option in low-risk patients undergoing video-assisted pulmonary wedge resection.
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Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is the major growth factor for thyroid cells. It is also an available, inexpensive test and performed routinely while evaluating thyroid nodules. Yet the relationship between TSH levels and PTC is still controversial. ⋯ A statistically significant increase in TSH levels was noticed by moving from the benign thyroid nodular disease (BTND) group to papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) group, then to thyroid cancer of larger size (TCLS) group (P = .001). A statistically significant relationship was also found between high TSH levels and lymph node metastases (LNM) (P = .008). TSH concentrations were significantly higher in patients with PTC, and higher TSH values were associated with TCLS and LNM.