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Objective To establish a nomogram for predicting the pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast cancer (BC) patients after NAC by applying magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US). Methods A total of 607 LABC women who underwent NAC before surgery between January 2016 and June 2022 were retrospectively enrolled, and then were randomly divided into the training (n  = 425) and test set (n  = 182) with the ratio of 7:3. MRI and US variables were collected before and after NAC, as well as the clinicopathologic features. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to confirm the potentially associated predictors of pCR. Finally, a nomogram was developed in the training set with its performance evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) and validated in the test set. Results Of the 607 patients, 108 (25.4%) achieved pCR. Hormone receptor negativity (odds ratio [OR], 0.3; P  <  .001), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positivity (OR, 2.7; P  =  .001), small tumour size at post-NAC US (OR, 1.0; P  =  .031), tumour size reduction ≥50% at MRI (OR, 9.8; P  <  .001), absence of enhancement in the tumour bed at post-NAC MRI (OR, 8.1; P  =  .003), and the increase of ADC value after NAC (OR, 0.3; P  =  .035) were all significantly associated with pCR. Incorporating the above variables, the nomogram showed a satisfactory performance with an AUC of 0.884. Conclusion A nomogram including clinicopathologic variables and MRI and US characteristics shows preferable performance in predicting pCR. Advances in knowledge A nomogram incorporating MRI and US with clinicopathologic variables was developed to provide a brief and concise approach in predicting pCR to assist clinicians in making treatment decisions early. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Cherubism is a rare hereditary multi-cystic disease of the jaws, characterized by its typical appearance in early childhood, and stabilization and remission after puberty. It is genetically transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion and the gene coding for SH3-binding protein 2 (SH3BP2) may be involved. Case presentation We investigated a family consisting of 21 members with 3 female affected individuals with cherubism from Northern China. Of these 21 family members, 17 were recruited for the genetic analysis. We conducted the direct sequence analysis of the SH3BP2 gene among these 17 family members. A disease-causing mutation was identified in exon 9 of the gene. It was an A1517G base change, which leads to a D419G amino acid substitution. Conclusion To our knowledge, the A1517G mutation has not been reported previously in cherubism. This finding is novel.

Objective The aimed of this study was to explore the application of formative assessment system in parasitology teaching for I and II undergraduates according to the characteristics of medical parasitology, and to evaluate the application of the system. Methods Kunming Medical University 2012 Bachelor of medicine I and II module students were enrolled in the experimental group with formative assessment method, while 2011 Bachelor of medicine I and II module students were in the control group using traditional assessment methods. Results The scores of parasitology theory in experimental group were remarkably higher than those in control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion The results showed that medical parasitology formative assessment system was able to make an objective evaluation of student achievement, and could improve students' score and pass rate, and enhance the teaching effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The bone remodeling during orthodontic treatment for malocclusion often requires a long duration of around two to three years, which also may lead to some complications such as alveolar bone resorption or tooth root resorption. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), a noninvasive physical therapy, has been shown to promote bone fracture healing. It is also reported that LIPUS could reduce the duration of orthodontic treatment; however, how LIPUS regulates the bone metabolism during the orthodontic treatment process is still unclear., Aim: To investigate the effects of LIPUS on bone remodeling in an orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) model and explore the underlying mechanisms., Methods: A rat model of OTM was established, and alveolar bone remodeling and tooth movement rate were evaluated via micro-computed tomography and staining of tissue sections. In vitro , human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) were isolated to detect their osteogenic differentiation potential under compression and LIPUS stimulation by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, and Alizarin red staining. The expression of Yes-associated protein (YAP1), the actin cytoskeleton, and the Lamin A/C nucleoskeleton were detected with or without YAP1 small interfering RNA (siRNA) application via immunofluorescence., Results: The force treatment inhibited the osteogenic differentiation potential of hBMSCs; moreover, the expression of osteogenesis markers, such as type 1 collagen (COL1), runt-related transcription factor 2, ALP, and osteocalcin (OCN), decreased. LIPUS could rescue the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs with increased expression of osteogenic marker inhibited by force. Mechanically, the expression of LaminA/C, F-actin, and YAP1 was downregulated after force treatment, which could be rescued by LIPUS. Moreover, the osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs increased by LIPUS could be attenuated by YAP siRNA treatment. Consistently, LIPUS increased alveolar bone density and decreased vertical bone absorption in vivo. The decreased expression of COL1, OCN, and YAP1 on the compression side of the alveolar bone was partially rescued by LIPUS., Conclusion: LIPUS can accelerate tooth movement and reduce alveolar bone resorption by modulating the cytoskeleton-Lamin A/C-YAP axis, which may be a promising strategy to reduce the orthodontic treatment process., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine whether the primary tumor features derived from conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) facilitate the prediction of positive axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) in breast cancer diagnosed as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) category 4., Methods: A total of 240 women with breast cancer who underwent preoperative conventional US, strain elastography, and CEUS between September 2016 and December 2019 were included. The multiple parameters of the primary tumor were obtained, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to predict positive ALNs. Then three prediction models (conventional US features, CEUS features, and the combined features) were developed, and the diagnostic performance was evaluated with receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: On conventional US, the traits of large size and the non-circumscribed margin of the primary tumor were marked as two independent predictors. On CEUS, the features of vessel perforation or distortion and the enhanced range of the primary tumor were marked as two independent predictors for positive ALNs. Three prediction models were then developed: model A (conventional US features), model B (CEUS features), and model C (model A plus B). Model C yielded the highest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-0.88] compared with model A (AUC 0.74; 95% CI, 0.68-0.81; P = 0.008) and model B (AUC 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.80; P < 0.001) as per the DeLong test., Conclusion: CEUS, as a non-invasive examination technique, can be used to predict ALN metastasis. Combining conventional US and CEUS may produce favorable predictive accuracy for positive ALNs in BI-RADS category 4 breast cancer.