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ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of optimized thrombus aspiration on myocardial perfusion, prognosis, and safety in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention(primary PCI).MethodsA total of 129 patients with STEMI were randomly allocated into control group (Subgroup A and B) and experimental group(Subgroup C and D). Control group received percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA),thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. Experimental group received optimized thrombus aspiration and primary PCI. The number of thrombus aspiration was less than 4 times in Subgroup A and C. The number of thrombus aspiration was performed more than 4 times in Subgroups B and D. The classification of thrombi extracted, the TIMI flow grade, the incidence of no-reflow and slow flow, cTFC, TPI and CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h after stenting, ST segment resolution of ECG after stenting, NT-proBNP, LVEFat 24 h, 30 days and 180 days after stenting were compared between groups. The incidence of intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events and major cardiovascular events (MACE) were recorded and compared between groups.ResultsThe classification of thrombi extracted in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group. The TIMI flow grade of the experimental group was better than the control group after thrombus aspiration. After stenting, the advantage still existed, but the difference was not statistically significant. On cTFC, the experimental group was lower than the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant; After stenting the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. The CK-MB at 12 h and 24 h of the experimental group was lower than the control group. After thrombus aspiration the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group; after stenting the incidence of no-reflow in the experimental group was still lower than the control group, but no statistically difference. After thrombus aspiration and stenting the incidence of slow flow in the experimental group were lower than that in the control group. After stenting, NT-proBNP at 24 h was lower in the experimental group than that in the control group, However, there was no statistical difference; after stenting, The NT-proBNP in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group at 30 days and 180 days. After stenting, LVEF of the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group at 24 h and 30 days; superiority remained after 180 days but no statistical difference. There was no statistical difference between two groups for intraoperative and postoperative bleeding complications, stroke events, and MACE events. In Subgroup analysis,there was no significant difference in the classification of thrombi extracted, TIMI flow grade, cTFC, CK-MB,NT-proBNP and LVEF between group C and D, but group A was better than group B. Analysis of variance showed that the optimal number of suction was 4–5 times.ConclusionsOptimized thrombus aspiration can significantly improve myocardial perfusion and short-term and medium-term prognosis of STEMI patients after PCI, and reduce the incidence of slow flow and no-reflow. The optimal suction times were 4–5 times. Traditional aspiration method with more aspiration times is harmful to cardiac prognosis. Thrombus aspiration does not increase the incidence of stroke events and is safe.Clinical Trial Registration: identifier, ChiCTR2300073410.

The coexistence of chronic pain and anxiety is a common clinical phenomenon. Here, the role of tachykinin receptor 3 (NK3R) in the lateral habenula (LHb) in trigeminal neuralgia and in pain-associated anxiety was systematically investigated. First, electrophysiological recording showed that bilateral LHb neurons are hyperactive in a mouse model of trigeminal neuralgia made by partial transection of the infraorbital nerve (pT-ION). Chemicogenetic activation of bilateral LHb glutamatergic neurons in naive mice induced orofacial allodynia and anxiety-like behaviors, and pharmacological activation of NK3R in the LHb attenuated allodynia and anxiety-like behaviors induced by pT-ION. Electrophysiological recording showed that pharmacological activation of NK3R suppressed the abnormal excitation of LHb neurons. In parallel, pharmacological inhibition of NK3R induced orofacial allodynia and anxiety-like behavior in naive mice. The electrophysiological recording showed that pharmacological inhibition of NK3R activates LHb neurons. Neurokinin B (NKB) is an endogenous high-affinity ligand of NK3R, which binds NK3R and activates it to perform physiological functions, and further neuron projection tracing showed that the front section of the periaqueductal gray (fPAG) projects NKB-positive nerve fibers to the LHb. Optogenetics combined with electrophysiology recordings characterize the functional connections in this fPAG NKB → LHb pathway. In addition, electrophysiological recording showed that NKB-positive neurons in the fPAG were more active than NKB-negative neurons in pT-ION mice. Finally, inhibition of NKB release from the fPAG reversed the analgesic and anxiolytic effects of LHb Tacr3 overexpression in pT-ION mice, indicating that fPAG NKB → LHb regulates orofacial allodynia and pain-induced anxious behaviors. These findings for NK3R suggest the cellular mechanism behind pT-ION in the LHb and suggest that the fPAG NKB → LHb circuit is involved in pain and anxiety comorbidity. This previously unrecognized pathway might provide a potential approach for relieving the pain and anxiety associated with trigeminal neuralgia by targeting NK3R.

Background: IQ motif-containing GTPase activating protein 3 (IQGAP3), the latest identified member of the IQGAP family, may act as a crucial factor in cancer development and progression; however, its clinical value in breast cancer remains unestablished. We explored the correlation between IQGAP3 expression profile and the clinicopathological features in breast cancer.Methods: IQGAP3 mRNA and protein levels were detected in breast cancer cell lines and tumor tissues by real-time PCR and western blotting and compared to the normal control groups. Protein expression of IQGAP3 was also evaluated immunohistochemically in archived paraffin-embedded specimens from 257 breast cancer patients, and the associations between IQGAP3 expression level, clinical characteristics, and prognosis were analyzed. We assessed the relationship between IQGAP3 expression and sensitivity to radiation therapy which was determined by subgroup analysis.Results: IQGAP3 was significantly upregulated in breast cancer cell lines and human tumor tissues at both the mRNA and protein level compared to controls. Additionally, high levels of IQGAP3 expression were detected in 110/257 (42.8%) of archived paraffin-embedded breast cancer specimens. High IQGAP3 expression level was significantly related to clinical stage (p = 0.001), T category (p = 0.002), N category (p = 0.001), locoregional recurrence (p = 0.002), distant metastasis (p = 0.001), and vital status (p = 0.001). Univariate and multivariate statistical analysis showed that IQGAP3 expression was an independent prognostic factor among all 257 breast cancer patients in our cohort (p = 0.003, p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed IQGAP3 expression correlated with radioresistance and was also an independent predictor of radiotherapy outcome.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high IQGAP3 expression predicts poor prognosis and radioresistance in breast cancer. Therefore, IQGAP3 may be a reliable prognostic biomarker in breast cancer and could be used to identify patients who may benefit from radiotherapy.

Purpose: It was reported that the novel preoperative systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) can predict survival in cases of many malignant tumors. However, the prognostic significance of preoperative SII in breast cancer remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between SII and survival in breast cancer patients.Methods: Breast cancer patients (1,026) who underwent a mastectomy at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively studied. The SII was determined using the following formula: neutrophil count × platelet count/lymphocyte count. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to determine the optimal cut-off value for SII. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to develop comparable cohorts of high SII group and low SII group.Results: A total of 1,026 patients were included as the primary cohort, and 894 patients were matched and regarded as the matched cohort. Patients were divided into two groups based on SII value: SII 601.7. In the primary cohort, the 5-years overall survival (OS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rates for high SII group and low SII group were (85.6% vs. 91.3%, P = 0.016), (95.8% vs. 96.4%, P = 0.684), and (83.5% vs. 90.6%, P = 0.007), respectively. Univariate analysis showed that histological type, T stage, N stage, PR, HER2, Ki67, and SII all showed significant associations with OS; and histological type, T stage, N stage, and SII all showed significant associations with DMFS. Multivariate survival analysis revealed that SII can independently predict OS (P = 0.017) and DMFS (P = 0.007). Similar results were found in PSM cohort.Conclusions: Preoperative SII may be a reliable predictor of OS and DMFS in patients with operable breast cancer to provide personalized prognostication and assist in formulation of the clinical treatment strategy.

Background: To investigate the significance of the prognostic nutrition index (PNI) as a predictor of survival and guide for treating T1-2N1 breast cancer.Methods: Patients with T1-2N1 breast cancer (N = 380) who underwent a mastectomy at our center were studied. PNI was calculated as 10 × serum albumin (g/dl) + 0.005 × total lymphocyte count (per mm3). The cutoff for the PNI was calculated using the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis by overall survival (OS) prediction. The associations between the PNI and the clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed using Pearson's χ2 test. Survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results: Subgroup analyses of patients with low PNI value (≤52.0) and high PNI value (>52.0) showed that a high PNI was significantly associated with HER2 status, the neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), the monocyte–lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and KI 67 status. The OS of patients with a high PNI was significantly better than that of patients with a low PNI. We then conducted subgroup analyses based on PNI and radiotherapy. Among patients who received radiotherapy, the OS of those with a high PNI was significantly better than that of patients with a low PNI. Among patients with a high PNI, the OS of those who received radiotherapy was better than that of the patients who did not receive radiotherapy. However, among the patients with a low PNI, the OS of those who received radiation was worse than that of patients who did not receive radiotherapy. The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis and the multivariate analysis of patients with T1-2N1 breast cancer who received radiotherapy showed PNI independently predicted OS.Conclusions: The preoperative PNI may be a reliable predictor of OS of patients with operable T1-2N1 breast cancer, with the capacity to provide a personalized prognosis and facilitate the development of clinical treatment strategies. However, radiotherapy did not achieve satisfactory outcomes in patients with PNI ≤52.0; thus, further studies on treatment optimization are needed.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) frequently develop low skeletal muscle mass (SMM), but, little is known about the impacts of low SMM on health-related quality of life (QOL).Methods: We retrospectively assessed 56 patients with locoregionally advanced NPC enrolled in a prospective trial. Low SMM was determined on routine computed tomography simulation (CT-sim) scans taken before radiotherapy, at the third cervical (C3) vertebral level with validated sex-specific cutoffs. QOL was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire-100 at baseline and after 3 weeks. Pain was scored every 24 h using a numerical rating scale (NRS). Characteristics related to low SMM were identified by logistic regression. The chi-square test was used to examine the association of low SMM with QOL and pain.Results: Of the 56 participants (mean age 44.20 ± 10.93 years), over half (60.71%) developed low SMM. Patients with low SMM were more likely to be older (P = 0.035), male (P = 0.066), have a lower body-mass index (BMI; P = 0.091), and have a higher pain score (P = 0.001). Older age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.788, P = 0.016), being male (HR = 3.145, P = 0.010), lower BMI (HR = 0.761, P = 0.033), and lower prognostic nutritional index (HR = 0.186, P = 0.034) were associated with higher risk of low SMM. Low SMM was associated with poorer baseline QOL scores (P = 0.072), especially in the physical domain (P = 0.002) and its three facets: pain (P = 0.003), energy (P = 0.021), and sleep (P = 0.007). Low SMM was also associated with significantly worse QOL scores (P = 0.006) at 3 weeks, especially in the physical (P = 0.002), psychological (P = 0.046), independence (P = 0.003), social domains (P = 0.023), and in general health condition (P = 0.043). For pain score, low SMM group had worse overall changes from baseline to week 3 (P = 0.011).Conclusions: The incidence of low SMM, as evaluated using routine CT-sim scans, is high in patients receiving CCRT for locoregionally advanced NPC. Low SMM results in poorer QOL and higher pain scores, which underscores the requirement for nutritional and functional interventions to address low SMM early in the treatment course.

Introduction: Metaplastic breast cancer (MBC) is a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer. The present study aimed to assess the effect of post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) in MBC patients with intermediate-risk (T1-2N1M0 and T3N0M0) and high-risk (T1-4N2-3M0 and T4N0-1M0) disease.Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database was used to analyze patients with MBC between 2000 and 2014. Kaplan–Meier analysis, log-rank tests, and the multivariate Cox proportional model were used for statistical analysis.Results: We identified 460 patients with a median follow-up time of 31 months (range, 2–178 months). Five-year breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) for all patients was 57.5%. In the entire group, multivariate analysis showed that PMRT was associated with better BCSS (hazard ratio (HR) 0.500, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.366–0.683, P < 0.001). The 5-year BCSS in PMRT and non-PMRT groups were 62.3 and 50.3%, respectively (P = 0.001). When stratified the patients into intermediate-risk and high-risk groups, PMRT could improve BCSS compared with that in non-PMRT patients in both the intermediate- and high-risk groups. For the intermediate-risk group, the 5-year BCSS was 74.3 and 64.7% in PMRT and non-PMRT groups (P = 0.042), respectively, and was 52.1 and 28.8% in high-risk patients treated with PMRT and non-PMRT, respectively (P < 0.001).Conclusion: PMRT could improve the BCSS of MBC patients with intermediate- and high-risk disease.

Introduction: Although advances in surgical and chemotherapeutic approaches have improved management of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in recent decades. The mortality of EOC over time remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the survival trends of EOC according to period of diagnosis using real-world data.Methods: Patients with EOC diagnosed from 1990 to 2014 were included from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. The Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox regression models were used to evaluate the trends in survival over time.Results: We identified 59,763 patients diagnosed with EOC as follows: 6,586 (11.0%) in 1990–1994, 7,408 (12.4%) in 1995–1999, 15,348 (25.7%) in 2000–2004, 14,908 (24.9%) in 2005–2009, and 15,513 (26.0%) in 2010–2014. In the distant stage, the use of surgery decreased from 92.0% in 1990–1994 to 88.9% in 2010–2014. The use of chemotherapy increased from 67.4% in 1990–1994 to 75.0% in 2010–2014. The 5-year cause-specific survival (CSS) increased from 48.6% in 1990–1994 to 57.4% in 2010–2014 (P < 0.001). The 5-year overall survival (OS) increased from 42.7% in 1990–1994 to 51.7% in 2010–2014 (P < 0.001). The 5-year CSS and OS showed slight improvement in the localized stage (CSS, 91.9 vs. 93.1%; OS, 85.6 vs. 88.5%), and largely improved in the distant stage (CSS, 31.4 vs. 42.7%; OS, 26.7 vs. 37.4%) between 1990–1994 and 2010–2014. The multivariate analysis indicated that being diagnosed in the later years was related to better CSS and OS of EOC.Conclusion: The trends in survival of EOC have improved over time, but net survival remains poor overall in distant-stage EOC.

Introduction: It is still controversial whether post-mastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) is necessary for women with T1-2 N1mic ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. The 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay has been validated in T1-2 N1 breast cancer to be prognostic of locoregional recurrence (LRR) and overall survival (OS). This study aims to evaluate the predict value of 21-gene recurrence score assay for the benefit of PMRT in T1-2 N1mic ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer.Methods: A population-based cohort study was performed on women with T1-2 N1mic ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer who underwent mastectomy and were evaluated using the 21-gene RS in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry between 2004 and 2015. Clinical characteristics as well as OS and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) were compared between patients with and without PMRT in patients with a Low-, Intermediate-, and High-RS. Multivariate COX regression analysis was performed to investigate if the 21-gene RS assay could predict benefit of PMRT in this group of breast cancer patients.Results: A total of 1571 patients met the criteria of our study and were enrolled, including 970 patients in the Low-Risk group (score 30). In the High-Risk group, there were more patients with age ≥50 (87.0 vs. 64.3%, P = 0.040) and received chemotherapy with a borderline significance (91.3 vs. 72.9%, P = 0.066) in the PMRT subgroup than in the no PMRT subgroup. In all three groups, OS was comparable between the PMRT subgroup and the no PMRT subgroup. Furthermore, multivariate analysis did not show any OS benefit for PMRT based on the 21-gene recurrence score.Conclusion: This study showed that the 21-gene RS assay was not able to predict the benefit of PMRT for OS in women with T1-2 N1mic ER-positive HER2-negative breast cancer. However, further prospective larger sample-size trials are warranted to determine if a benefit exists.

Introduction: We conducted a non-inferiority analysis using real-world data to compare the survival outcomes of stage T1-2N2-3 (tumor size ≤5 cm and four or more node metastases) breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and mastectomy (MAST).Methods: The study included patients with stage T1-2N2-3 invasive breast carcinoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program, who underwent BCS or MAST between 2004 and 2012, along with both radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The statistical analyses used included the chi-squared test, multivariate Cox proportional hazards models, and propensity score matching (PSM).Results: The study population comprised 13,263 patients, including 4,787 (36.1%) and 8,476 (63.9%) patients who were treated with BCS and MAST, respectively. Patients with younger age and advanced stage were more likely to have received MAST. The probability of receiving MAST increased over the years, while the probability of BCS decreased (p < 0.001). The 5-year breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) was 86.1% in the BCS cohort compared to 83.1% in the MAST cohort (p < 0.001). Surgical procedure was an independent prognostic factor for BCSS. Patients who received MAST had worse BCSS than those treated with BCS (hazard ratio = 1.179, 95% confidence interval = 1.087–1.278, p < 0.001). These results remained significant after stratification by age, tumor grade, T stage, N stage as well as marital status. Similar results were obtained after PSM.Conclusions: BCS resulted in noninferior outcome than MAST in patients with T1-2/N2-3 invasive breast carcinoma. BCS may therefore be an optimal treatment option when both treatment options are feasible and appropriate.

Introduction: To assess the role of the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) assay on decision-making of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in elderly women with early-stage breast cancer.Methods: The 21-gene RS for elderly (≥65 years) women with stage T1–2N0M0 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer who underwent BCS from 2004 to 2015 was obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. We estimated the association of 21-gene RS and adjuvant RT related to breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) using propensity score matching (PSM).Results: We identified 18,456 patients, of which 15,326 (83.0%) received postoperative RT. Of identified patients, 58.9, 34.0, and 7.1% of patients had a low-, intermediate-, and high-risk RS, respectively. Receipt of postoperative RT was not related to the year of diagnosis according to the 21-gene RS groups. Multivariate analysis suggested that receipt of postoperative RT was an independent predictor of better BCSS before (hazard ratio [HR] 0.587, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.426–0.809, P = 0.001) and after (HR 0.613, 95%CI 0.390–0.963, P = 0.034) PSM. However, subgroups analyses indicated that receipt of postoperative RT was related to better BCSS in women with intermediate-risk RS before (HR 0.467, 95%CI 0.283–0.772, P = 0.003) and after (HR 0.389, 95%CI 0.179–0.846, P = 0.017) PSM, but not in women with low- and high-risk RS groups before and after PSM.Conclusions: Although causation cannot be implied, adjuvant RT in elderly women was associated with a greater effect size in patients with an intermediate-risk RS.

Background: The clinical value of 21-gene recurrence score (RS) in various breast cancer histologic subtypes is not well established.Aims: To assess the distribution and outcomes of the 21-gene RS among various T1-T2N0 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer histologic subtypes.Methods: Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database, we investigated the distribution and outcomes of the 21-gene RS among various breast cancer histologic subtypes between 2004 and 2015. The histologic subtypes with 200 or more cases were further analyzed.Results: We identified 83,665 patients including eight histologic subtypes. The most common subtype was invasive ductal carcinoma not otherwise specified (IDC NOS) (77.9%), followed by lobular carcinoma NOS, mixed infiltrating duct and lobular carcinoma (IDC-L), mucinous adenocarcinoma, tubular adenocarcinoma, micropapillary ductal carcinoma, cribriform carcinoma NOS, and intraductal papillary adenocarcinoma with invasion with 10.8, 7.7, 2.1, 0.6, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.2%, respectively. The 5-years breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) was 98.8, 98.8, 98.9, 99.6, 100, 100, 100, and 100%, respectively (P = 0.011). Patients with IDC NOS (8.9%), micropapillary ductal carcinoma (8.8%), and intraductal papillary adenocarcinoma with invasion (8.2%) had significantly higher percentage of high-risk RS compared to other histologic subtypes (1.0–3.8%) (P < 0.001). The mean RS was higher in IDC NOS, lobular carcinoma NOS, and IDC-L compared to other subtypes. In multivariate analysis, 21-gene RS was the independent prognostic factor in patients with IDC NOS (P < 0.001), lobular carcinoma NOS (P < 0.001), and IDC-L (P < 0.001), patients with a higher RS was associated with poor BCSS.Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that there is a significant difference in distribution of 21-gene RS in T1-T2N0 estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer with different histologic subtypes. Long-term studies with larger series are needed to confirm the role of the 21-gene RS array in prognosis assessment and chemotherapy decision-making in special histologic subtypes with favorable prognosis.

Introduction: To examined survival outcome by histological subtypes in de novo stage IV epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC).Methods: Between 2004 and 2015, patients with stage IV EOC were included using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. The effects of histological subtypes on overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression analyses.Results: We identified 5,953 patients including 5,351 (89.9%), 249 (4.2%), 145 (2.4%), and 208 (3.4%) patients with high-grade serous, endometrioid, mucinous, and clear cell subtypes, respectively. The 5-year OS rates were 28.1, 38.6, 14.2, and 18.8% in patients with high-grade serous, endometrioid, mucinous, and 18.8% clear cell subtypes, respectively, (p < 0.001). Multivariate analyses indicated that histological subtype was an independent predictor of OS. Using the high-grade serous subtype as a reference, OS was comparable for the endometrioid subtype (hazard ratio (HR) 0.915, 95% confidence interval) (CI 0.772–1.085, p = 0.305), but significantly lower for mucinous (HR 3.292, 95% CI 2.701–4.011, p < 0.001) and clear cell subtypes (HR 1.820, 95% CI 1.546–2.141, p < 0.001). Patients with no residual tumor had better OS in the high-grade serous and endometrioid subtypes compared to patients with residual tumors. However, the residual tumor size was not a prognostic factor for OS in mucinous and clear cell carcinoma.Conclusions: Our study suggest a markedly mortality rate in patients with stage IV mucinous and clear cell carcinoma, but better survival in patients with high-grade serous and endometrioid subtypes. Aggressive radical surgery to leave no residual disease would improve survival for high-grade serous and endometrioid carcinoma. More studies are needed to assess the value of aggressive radical surgery in patients with mucinous and clear cell subtypes.

There are increasing concerns regarding the impact of agrochemical pesticides on non-target organisms. Pesticides could cause honeybee abnormal development in response to neurotoxins such as neonicotinoid. However, knowledge of carbendazim, a widespread fungicide in beekeeping practice, influencing on honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) brain development is lacking. Large-scale transcriptome approaches were applied to determine the changes in global gene expression in the brains of newly emerged honeybees after carbendazim exposure during the larval stage. To further understand the effects of carbendazim on the brain development of honeybees, the functions of differentially expressed genes were compared between the treatment and control groups. We found that neuroregulatory genes were down-regulated after carbendazim exposure, which suggest the neurotoxic effects of this fungicide on honeybee nervous system. Carbendazim exposure also altered the expression of genes implicated in metabolism, transport, sensor, and hormone. Notably, larvae in the carbendazim-treated group observed longer time to shift into the dormant pupal state than the control group. Moreover, a low juvenile hormone and high ecdysone titers were found in the treatment group compared to control group. The data is the first report of neurotoxic effects on honeybee caused by carbendazim, and the sublethal carbendazim may disturb honeybee development and is a potential chemical threating the honeybee colonies.

Introduction: Distant metastasis remains the major cause of treatment failure in esophageal cancer, though there have been few large-scale studies of the patterns of distant metastasis in different histological types. We investigated the patterns of distant metastasis in esophageal adenocarcinoma (AC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) using a population-based approach.Methods: Patients with de novo stage IV esophageal cancer at diagnosis were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify potential risk factors for site-specific distant metastasis to the distant lymph nodes, bone, liver, brain, and lung at diagnosis.Results: We identified 1,470 patients with complete data for analysis including 1,096 (74.6%) patients with AC and 374 (25.4%) patients with SCC. A total of 2,243 sites of distant metastasis were observed, the liver was the most common site of distant metastasis (727, 32.4%), followed by the distant lymph nodes (637, 28.4%), lung (459, 20.5%), bone (344, 15.3%), and brain (76, 3.4%). Multivariable logistic regression showed that compared to patients with SCC, patients with AC were more likely to have metastasis to the brain (odds ratio [OR] 3.026, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.441-6.357, p = 0.003) and liver (OR 1.848, 95% CI 1.394–2.451, p < 0.001), and less likely to have metastasis to the lung (OR 0.404, 95% CI 0.316–0.516, p < 0.001). Histological type had no effect on metastasis to the distant lymph nodes or bone.Conclusions: Patients with esophageal AC are more likely to present with liver and brain metastases, and less likely to present with lung metastasis than patients with esophageal SCC.

IntroductionTo investigate the effect of the number of removed lymph nodes (RLNs) on outcomes in patients with node-positive vulvar squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).MethodsThis population-based retrospective study included vulvar SCC patients recorded on the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database, who received surgery and lymphadenectomy. Cox regression proportional hazards were used for multivariate analysis. The number of RLNs was examined as a 4-level categorical variable based on quartiles.ResultsIn total, 703 patients were identified. Patients with a higher RLN count had a significantly higher number of positive lymph nodes. The 3-year cause-specific survival (CSS) rates were 48.9, 65.9, 73.1, and 67.3% in patients with 1–6, 7–10, 11–16, and 17–45 RLNs, respectively (p 6 RLNs.ConclusionThe removal of more than six lymph nodes improves vulvar SCC outcomes in patients with node-positive disease.

IntroductionTo investigate the temporal trends of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) administration and the effects of omitting postoperative RT on breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) in women aged ≥65 years with tubular carcinoma (TC) of the breast who received breast-conserving surgery (BCS).MethodsWe included women aged ≥65 years with non-metastatic TC of the breast who underwent BCS between 2000 and 2013 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square tests, Kaplan–Meier analyses, Cox proportional hazards models, and a 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM).ResultsBefore PSM, a total of 1,475 patients with tumor size ≤2 cm, node-negative disease, and estrogen receptor-positive disease were identified, including 927 (62.8%) underwent postoperative RT and 548 (37.2%) had postoperative omission of RT. The administration of postoperative RT steadily declined over the study period. Patients with younger age, larger tumor size, and other race/ethnicity were more likely to receive postoperative RT. The median follow-up duration was 85.0 months, the 5- and 10-year BCSS rates were 98.7 and 97.9%, respectively. The median BCSS was 161.9 and 165.0 months for patients with and without postoperative RT, respectively, and the corresponding 5-year BCSS rates were 98.5 and 98.8%, respectively (p = 0.134). Prognostic analysis indicated that postoperative RT was not associated with improved BCSS rates compared with RT omission (p = 0.134). After PSM, a total of 431 complete pairs were generated. In the matched population, the 5-year BCSS rates were 98.6 and 98.4% in non-postoperative RT and postoperative RT groups, respectively (p = 0.858). The univariate analyses also confirmed that the administration of postoperative RT was not associated with better BCSS (p = 0.858).ConclusionThe incidence of breast cancer-related death is probably sufficiently low to avoid postoperative RT in women aged ≥65 years with TC of the breast after BCS.

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins are major negative feedback regulators of cytokine signaling mediated by the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription signaling pathway. In particular, SOCS1 and SOCS3 are strong inhibitors of JAKs and can play pivotal roles in the development and progression of cancers. The abnormal expression of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in cancer cells is associated with the dysregulation of cell growth, migration, and death induced by multiple cytokines and hormones in human carcinomas. In addition, the mechanisms involved in SOCS1- and SOCS3-regulated abnormal development and activation of immune cells in carcinogenesis, including T cells, macrophages, dendritic cells, and myeloidderived suppressor cells, are still unclear. Therefore, this study aims to further discuss the molecules and signal pathways regulating the expression and function of SOCS1 and SOCS3 in various types of cancers and elucidate the feasibility and efficiency of SOCS-based target therapeutic strategy in anticancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]