Li Niu

Purpose This study aims to elucidate the distribution patterns of lymph node recurrence (LNR) in patients with pT2-3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) following esophagectomy. Methods A comprehensive retrospective analysis was conducted on 96 pT2-3N0M0 ESCC patients who experienced postoperative LNR at our institution between January 2010 and August 2019. LNR sites were systematically categorized into cervical, mediastinal, and abdominal regions. Computed tomography imaging was digitally reconstructed to precisely map recurrence locations, followed by rigorous statistical analysis of distribution patterns. Results The final cohort comprised 96 patients with confirmed LNR, with males constituting 79.2% of the sample and a median age of 61 years. Mediastinal LNR was determined to be the most prevalent (69.8%), followed by cervical (43.8%) and abdominal (33.3%) regions. Cervical recurrences were predominantly identified in lymph node station 104R/L (7.8%), while mediastinal recurrences were predominantly localized to station 106recR (14.5%) and station 105 (10.4%), and abdominal recurrences were concentrated in stations 16a2 (3.6%) and 9 (3.6%). Computerized tomography reconstruction demonstrated a distinctive “T”-shaped distribution of LNR in the cervical and upper mediastinal regions in proximity to major vascular structures. The primary tumor location was not found to significantly influence LNR distribution patterns (P > 0.05). Conclusions LNR in pT2-3N0M0 ESCC predominantly manifests in cervical and upper mediastinal lymph nodes. Administering targeted adjuvant radiotherapy to high-risk patients may be an effective strategy for enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Prospective multicenter studies are warranted to validate these preliminary findings.

Due to limitations of sensitive biomarkers, the clinical prognosis of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains poor. Alternative splicing (AS) is the basis of both transcriptome and proteome richness, so more and more evidence indicates an important relationship between AS and tumor progression. The aim of this study was to offer a comprehensive analysis on AS events and then investigate its potentials as a new biomarker for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. In this study, univariate assays were conducted to examine the prognosis-associated AS events, and we screened 4068 survival-related AS events in 2573 genes. Then, the AS events related to survival were further determined and analyzed using LASSO regression and multivariate assays, and an eleven-AS signature was developed. Kaplan–Meier assays indicated patients with high-risk scores exhibited a shorter OS than those with low-risk scores. Multivariate assays further demonstrated that the signature’s risk score was independent of HNSCC survivals. Meanwhile, we analyzed the clinical association of AS-based prognostic signature in HNSCC patients and observed that tumor specimens with advanced stages and grades exhibited a high risk score. In addition, the results of survival nomogram revealed that predicted outcomes and actual outcomes were highly consistent. Overall, our group showed an eleven-AS signature of HNSCC, which could be regarded as a separate prognostic factor.

To investigate the association between social capital and quality of life among type 2 diabetes patients in Anhui province, China. In a cross-sectional study, 436 adults with type 2 diabetes were interviewed. The two domains of Quality of life, physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS), were measured using the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). A modified instrument scale was used to measure cognitive and structural social capital. Multiple logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between social capital and quality of life, adjusting for social economic status and risk factors for health. 24.3 % of participants (106) were in poor PCS and 25.0 % (109) in poor MCS. The proportions of participants who had low cognitive and structural social capital were 47.0 % (205) and 64.4 % (281), respectively. Results of logistic regression models showed that cognitive social capital was positively associated with PCS (OR = 1.84; 95 % CI: 1.12, 3.02) and MCS (OR = 1.65; 95 % CI: 1.03, 2.66). However, the associations between structural social capital and PCS (OR = 0.80, 95 % CI: 0.48, 1.34) and MCS (OR = 0.62; 95 % CI: 0.38, 1.01) were not statistically significant. It is the first study in China to investigate associations between quality of life and social capital in type 2 diabetes. Findings document that cognitive social capital is associated with the quality of life of type 2 diabetes patients. Our study suggests that the social capital theory may provide a new approach to increase physical resources in diabetes prevention and control, especially in Low and Middle Income countries (LMICs).