Jin Hu

The Epidemiological Characteristics of Noncommunicable Diseases and Malignant Tumors in Guiyang, China: Cross-sectional Study

Background Studies that address the changing characteristics of diseases are of great importance for preventing and controlling the occurrence and development of diseases and for improving health. However, studies of the epidemiological characteristics of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and malignant tumors (MTs) of the residents in Guiyang, China, are lacking. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalences of NCDs and MTs in residents of Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, and analyze differences among ages, genders, and regions. Methods A multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 81,517 individuals were selected for the study. Of these, 77,381 (94.9%) participants completed the study. Structured questionnaires were used to collect information on demographic characteristics, NCDs, and MTs. The chi-square test (with 95% confidence intervals) was used to analyze differences in disease prevalence among genders, ages, and geographical regions. Results The major chronic NCDs of Guiyang residents are obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. MTs in women are mostly breast cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer, whereas in men, MTs are mainly lung cancer, rectal cancer, and gastric cancer. The prevalences of hypertension and diabetes in women are higher than in men, but the prevalences of lung cancer and gastric cancer in men are higher than in women. The epidemiological characteristics of individuals in different life stages are dissimilar. In terms of regional distribution, the prevalences of the above diseases in the Baiyun and Yunyan districts of Guiyang are relatively high. Conclusions Several NCDs (obesity, hypertension, and diabetes) and MTs (women: breast cancer, cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer; men: lung cancer, rectal cancer, and gastric cancer) should be the focus for the prevention and control of chronic diseases in the future. In particular, the Baiyun and Yunyan districts of Guiyang are the important regions to emphasize.

Predicting lower limb lymphedema after cervical cancer surgery using artificial neural network and decision tree models

This study aimed to develop and validate accessible artificial neural network and decision tree models to predict the risk of lower limb lymphedema after cervical cancer surgery. We selected 759 patients who underwent cervical cancer surgery at the Hunan Cancer Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020, collecting demographic, behavioral, clinicopathological, and disease-related data. The artificial neural network and decision tree techniques were used to construct prediction models for lower limb lymphedema after cervical cancer surgery. Then, the models' predictive efficacies were evaluated to select the optimal model using several methods, such as the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity tests. In the training set, the artificial neural network and decision tree model accuracies for predicting lower limb lymphedema after cervical cancer surgery were 99.80% and 88.14%, and the sensitivities 99.50% and 74.01%, respectively; the specificities were 100% and 95.20%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 1.00 for the artificial neural network and 0.92 for the decision tree model. In the test set, the artificial neural network and decision tree models' accuracies were 86.70% and 82.02%, and the sensitivities 65.70% and 67.11%, respectively; the specificities were 96.00% and 89.47%, respectively. Both models had good predictive efficacy for lower limb lymphedema after cervical cancer surgery. However, the predictive performance and stability were superior in the artificial neural network model than in the decision tree model.

Home self-management experience of gynaecological tumour patients with lower limb lymphoedema: a qualitative study

Abstract Aim: This study aimed to investigate self-management experiences at home among gynaecological cancer patients with lower limb lymphoedema. Background: Lower limb lymphoedema is a common complication following gynaecological tumour treatment, causing physical and psychological distress and significantly impacting patients’ quality of life. Clinical observations reveal that many patients with lower limb lymphoedema following gynaecological tumour treatment exhibit poor compliance with family self-management, leading to complications such as worsening oedema, cellulitis, or erysipelas. This study seeks to gain insight into patients’ actual self-management experiences within their families, offering insights for tailored intervention plans and improved patient self-management compliance in clinical practice. Methods: Employing a phenomenological approach in qualitative research, one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather face-to-face data from participants. A total of 16 gynaecological cancer patients with lower extremity lymphoedema were selected via purposive sampling from a tertiary cancer hospital. Semi-structured in-depth interviews took place between February and July 2021, with data analysed via the Colaizzi 7-step analysis method. Findings: Five key themes emerged: inadequate and uneven availability of medical resources for patients with lymphoedema, limited support for patients, deficient home self-management skills, considerable psychological stress during home management, and variations in self-management behaviours. Conclusion: Based on the study findings, increased investment in lymphoedema-related medical care is recommended. Additionally, healthcare professionals can consider promoting family and social support, enhancing patient health education, offering remote psychological counselling, encouraging positive coping behaviours among gynaecological cancer patients with lower limb lymphoedema, and ultimately enhancing their self-management at home.

Identification of prognostic biomarkers for endometrioid endometrial carcinoma based on the miRNA and mRNA co‐expression network regulated by estradiol

Endometrioid Endometrial Carcinoma (EEC), an estradiol-related disease, remains a serious health threat to women because of its high incidence and trend of rejuvenation. Accumulating evidence has highlighted that microRNAs (miRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) play important roles in various biological processes involved in the pathogenesis of EEC. This study aimed to identify the potential prognostic biomarkers associated with EEC regulated by estradiol. RNA expression profiles of EEC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas database (n = 408) and the original sequencing, which was performed on endometrial cancer Ishikawa cells treated with 250 nM estradiol (n = 3), 50 nM estradiol (n = 3) or control (n = 3). The TargetScan database was used to predict the target genes of prognosis-related differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Subsequently, functional enrichment analysis and topological analysis were performed on the overlaps of target genes and differentially expressed mRNAs (DEGs). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to predict prognosis-related target genes to identify prognostic biomarkers and cell population landscapes, and gene expression analysis was performed to locate prognosis-related DEGs based on single-cell transcriptomic sequencing data from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive database. Four estradiol-related DEGs were associated with prognosis, and 235 overlapping target DEGs were screened and incorporated into the functional enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network visualization studies. Additionally, SACS and GPR157 were identified as potential biomarkers for EEC prognosis through survival analyses. Furthermore, single-cell transcriptome data were analyzed to show changes in gene expression levels in specific cell types. This study demonstrates that miR-142-5p-SACS and miR-30a-5p-GPR157, which are regulated by estradiol, may hold promise as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for EEC.