Beibei Wang

Expression of Dickkopf-1 and Twist2 in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Their Correlation with Vasculogenic Mimicry

Wnt/β-catenin signaling, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and vasculogenic mimicry (VM) all exert important effects in tumors. Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) is an antagonist of the Wnt/β-catenin, Twist homolog 2 (Twist2) is a key EMT transcription factor involved in cancer cell migration and invasion, and VM participates in the progression and metastasis of a variety of cancers. However, the correlation of DKK1, Twist2, and VM in cervical squamous cell carcinoma(CSC) is still unclear. This study focuses on correlations among these factors as well as their correlation with clinicopathologic data and survival in CSC. DKK1, Twist2, and VM expressions were immunohistochemically examined in 116 CSC tissues and 37 normal cervical tissues. Furthermore, clinical data were processed. The expression levels of these three factors differed between CSC and normal tissues. VM was observed in CSC, but not in normal cervical tissues. Twist2 expression was high in CSC but low in normal cervical tissues, whereas DKK1 expression had the opposite pattern. Tumor cells with VM had a high expression of Twist2 and low expression of DKK1. In addition, DKK1 expression was negatively correlated with Twist2 expression. Analyzing the relationships of DKK1, Twist2, and VM with the data of patients with CSC revealed that DKK1 expression was negatively correlated with the clinical stage, degree of differentiation, depth of infiltration, and lymph node metastasis of tumors. VM and Twist2 expression were positively correlated with the degree of differentiation, the depth of infiltration, and lymph node metastasis. The positive rate of VM was greater in stage II than in stage I. The patients who expressed VM and Twist2 had a reduced overall survival (OS) when compared with patients not expressing these proteins. However, the patients who expressed DKK1 had an increased OS when compared with patients who did not show any DKK1 expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that the expressions of DKK1, Twist2, and VM were prognostic factors for CSC. VM and the expression of DKK1 and Twist2 can be the potential prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for CSC.

Risk of ovarian cancer in women with pelvic inflammatory disease and homologous recombination repair gene mutations under 55: a population-based cohort study

To address the relation among pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), genetic vulnerability and ovarian cancer (OC) risk, we assessed the association between PID and OC risk, alongside the interplay with germline homologous recombination repair (gHR) mutation, utilizing the UK Biobank. We conducted a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank by tracking OC incidences between individuals with and without a PID history. Identification of gHR mutations ( In the large prospective cohort study, the adjusted HR for OC in patients with PID was 1.45 (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.90, 2.32) compared with those with non-PID. Intriguingly, age-stratified analysis unveiled a positive association between PID history and OC risk in those aged under 55 years (HR=1.92; 95% CI=1.02, 3.63). Moreover, individuals aged younger than 55 years harboring both a history of PID and gHR mutations exhibited the highest risk of OC (HR=7.40; 95% CI=1.03, 53.10). An association between PID and OC risk emerged, notably in the subgroup aged younger than 55 years old. Individuals with both a PID history and gHR mutations exhibited the highest risk of OC. These findings imply PID as a potential precursor for OC, underscoring the importance of early intervention, particularly in the younger population with gHR mutations.