Jing Su

Objectives: To compare the structure of menopausal symptom networks between women with and without abdominal obesity (AO), defined as waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Methods: This cross-sectional analysis included 1,150 women from visit 6 of the study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). AO was defined as a WHtR of ≥ 0.5. We adjusted for demographic and clinical differences by regressing each symptom score on covariates, and subsequently using the residualized symptom scores for network estimation. We used centrality indices and community structure analysis to characterize the networks, and applied the Network Comparison Test (NCT) to evaluate differences in network structure and global strength. Results: Women with AO reported higher prevalence and greater severity of several symptoms. Network density was marginally higher in the AO group (0.59; 46 of 78 edges) than in the non-AO group (0.55; 43 of 78 edges). The NCT revealed significant differences in network structure, whereas global strength remained comparable. Core symptoms differed by AO status: in the AO network, forgetfulness, irritability, and night sweats exhibited the highest centrality, whereas in the non-AO network, night sweats, palpitations, and depression demonstrated the highest centrality. In addition, symptom clusters also differed between the groups. Conclusions: Women with AO exhibit both a higher prevalence and greater severity of symptoms, as well as a distinct symptom network structure. These findings highlight distinct symptom network profiles in women with AO, which may reflect different patterns of symptom interaction or underlying biological processes that warrant further investigation. Assessment of AO using WHtR may help stratify women who are likely to benefit from targeted, network-based interventions over isolated symptom management.

Self-directed learning ability is an essential competency for nursing undergraduates to develop professional skills and adapt to evolving healthcare needs.

Background: English has served as the predominant language for academic communication on a worldwide scale. There is a growing demand for nursing professionals that possess international competency. However, the experience of utilizing English as a medium of instruction (EMI) for teaching nursing academic courses in mainland China is inadequate. Purpose: In depth explore the Chinese nursing students’ learning experience under EMI teaching mode. Methods: Thirty-two undergraduate students from Nursing EMI program were selected using convenience sampling to participate in Focus Group Discussion (FGD). Results: Three major themes have been extracted: advantages of English Medium Instruction, challenges encountered during the process of EMI learning, students’ suggestions on Nursing EMI program. These three major themes encompass fifteen sub-themes. Conclusion: The Nursing EMI program has improved students’ comprehensive professionalism and international competency, however, coping with using English as the medium of instruction in China’s Nursing education remains in exploratory stage, and requires further educational reform.

Objective: The aim of this study was to modify the Chinese version of the Menopause Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) and evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods: An expert panel from the gynecology and nursing domain determined items that should remain or be revised, and 30 participants were selected for the pilot study. A total of 255 women who met the criteria for inclusion were enrolled in the investigation. SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 25.0 were used to analyze data. The internal and external reliability of the scale was evaluated using Cronbach's α coefficient, split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability, respectively. Expert review, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis were used to evaluate the scale's validity, which encompasses both its content validity and structural validity. Results: The Chinese version of the MSAS contains 43 items with 5 dimensions, including sexual function, psychological status, interpersonal anxiety, autonomic balance, and other subjective symptoms. The correlation coefficient ( r value) between individual items and the total scale ranged from 0.49 to 0.67 ( P < 0.05); the Item-Content Validity Index range from 0.80 to 1.00, and Scale-Content Validity Index was 0.91; the Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.85, and the test-retest reliability was 0.93; exploratory factor analysis revealed a cumulative variance contribution of 76.98%; the fitting index of the scale structure model was good. Conclusions: The updated Chinese version of the MSAS presented good reliability and validity and could be applied in assessing menopausal symptoms in Chinese women.

Background: Sarcomas are diverse neoplasms with highly variable histological appearances in which diagnosis is often challenging and management options for metastatic/unresectable disease limited. Many sarcomas have distinctive molecular alterations, but the range of alterations is large, variable in type and rapidly increasing, meaning that testing by limited panels is unable to capture the broad spectrum of clinically pertinent genomic drivers required. Paired whole genome sequencing (WGS) in contrast allows comprehensive assessment of small variants, copy number and structural variants along with mutational signature analysis and germline testing. Methods: Introduction of WGS as a diagnostic standard for all eligible patients with known or suspected soft tissue sarcoma over a 2-year period at a soft tissue sarcoma treatment centre. Results: WGS resulted in a refinement in the diagnosis in 37% of cases, identification of a target for personalised therapy in 33% of cases, and a germline alteration in 4% of cases. Conclusion: Introduction of WGS poses logistical and training challenges, but offers significant benefits to this group of patients.

(1) Background: The prevalence of central obesity is growing rapidly among women, and the prevalence differs by menopausal status. Longer sedentary time and less fruit/vegetable (F/V) intake increased the risk of central obesity. Among women of different menopausal statuses, controversy surrounds the association between sedentary time or F/V intake and central obesity. This study aimed to explore whether the independent and joint associations between sedentary time or F/V intake and menopausal status are correlated with central obesity, respectively. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Hunan, China. Self-reported questionnaires were used to gather information on demographic characteristics, menopausal status, sedentary time, and F/V intake. Waist circumference was measured at the study site. Binary logistic regression and multiple interaction models were used to explore the independent and joint associations of menopausal status and the above two lifestyle variables with central obesity. (3) Results: A total of 387 women with a mean age of 47.7 ± 6.6 years old participated in the study. The prevalence of central obesity was 52.8%. Peri- and post-menopause statuses and not taking five servings of F/V per day were risk factors of central obesity (p < 0.05), whereas no significant association was found between sedentary time and central obesity (p > 0.05). Among peri-menopausal (mutual odds ratio (OR): 2.466, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.984–6.182; p < 0.05) and post-menopausal women (mutual OR: 2.274, 95% CI: 1.046–4.943; p < 0.05), more than 4 h of sedentary time per day was associated with a high risk of central obesity. Among pre-menopausal women, the consumption of five servings of F/V per day was associated with a low risk of central obesity (mutual OR: 0.444, 95%CI: 0.236–0.837, p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: More than half of women in the central south of China presented with central obesity, spent >4 h of sedentary time per day, or did not engage in recommended F/V intake. Healthier lifestyle intervention is warranted to prevent central obesity development, including reducing the sedentary time to <4 h per day for peri- and post-menopausal women, while increasing taking five servings of F/V per day for pre-menopausal women.

Complement component 1q subcomponent binding protein (C1QBP) is a ubiquitously expressed cellular protein and can be upregulated or activated in a variety of malignant tumors, including those from thyroid, colon and breast, but its role remains unclear in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). In this study, C1QBP knockdown in RCC cell influenced expression of multiple genes associated with cell adhesion, among which L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) was significantly higher upon a reduction of C1QBP. In turn, cell adhesion and invasion abilities were significantly increased with increased metastasis to lung and liver in vivo. C1QBP may regulate RCC cell adhesion and invasion through influencing the p-GSK3/β-Catenin/L1CAM expression. Over all, our study demonstrated that C1QBP could regulate RCC metastasis by regulating the GSK3/β-Catenin/L1CAM signaling pathway.

Background: LAPTM4B‐35 is a 35‐kDa tetra‐transmembrane protein overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and promotes cell survival, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. However, the potential clinical implications of LAPTM4B‐35 in HCC are still unclear. This study is aimed to investigate the correlations between LAPTM4B‐35 expression and prognosis in patients with HCC.Methods: Western blot and immunohistochemistry assays were used to determine the expression of LAPTM4B‐35 in HCCs and their paired noncancerous liver tissues from 65 patients. The correlations of LAPTM4B‐35 expression with clinicopathological parameters were assessed by Chi‐square test. Patient survival was determined by Kaplan–Meier method and log‐rank test. Cox regression was adopted for multivariate analysis of prognostic factors.Results: LAPTM4B‐35 overexpression occurred in 76.9% of HCC tissues, while only in 4.6% of noncancerous liver tissues. Overexpression of LAPTM4B‐35 was significantly associated with TNM staging and invasive tumors. Patients with higher LAPTM4B‐35 expression had significantly poorer overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS) (both P < 0.001). On multivariate analysis, elevated expression of LAPTM4B‐35 was found to be an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS (P = 0.009, 0.043, respectively).Conclusions: LAPTM4B‐35 overexpression is an independent prognostic factor for OS and DFS of HCC. J. Surg. Oncol. 2010; 101:363–369.