Thalassemia and iron deficiency are the most common etiologies for microcytic anemia and there are indices discriminating both from common laboratory simple automatic counters. In this study a new classifier for discriminating thalassemia and non-thalassemia microcytic anemia was generated via combination of exciting indices with machine-learning techniques. A total of 350 Taiwanese adult patients whose anemia diagnosis, complete blood cell counts, and hemoglobin gene profiles were retrospectively reviewed. Thirteen prior established indices were applied to current cohort and the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated. A support vector machine (SVM) with Monte-Carlo cross-validation procedure was adopted to generate the classifier. The performance of our classifier was compared with original indices by calculating the average classification error rate and area under the curve (AUC) for the sampled datasets. The performance of this SVM model showed average AUC of 0.76 and average error rate of 0.26, which surpassed all other indices. In conclusion, we developed a convenient tool for primary-care physicians when deferential diagnosis contains thalassemia for the Taiwanese adult population. This approach needs to be validated in other studies or bigger database.

Background/Objectives: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent gynecological malignancy, with increasing incidence and mortality. HOXA5, a developmental transcription factor, has been linked to prognosis in various cancers, but its role in EC remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic potential of HOXA5 in EC and to explore its association with common tumor-related proteins. Methods: We analyzed 75 EC tissue samples using immunohistochemistry to evaluate HOXA5 expression and its association with clinicopathological features and tumor-related biomarkers, including Ki-67, CD31, and fibronectin. Statistical analyses included logistic regression and Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Results: High HOXA5 expression was significantly associated with elevated Ki-67 levels (p = 0.001) but paradoxically correlated with improved overall survival (p = 0.026). CD31 and fibronectin levels were significantly lower in the high-HOXA5 group (p = 0.007 and p = 0.001, respectively), suggesting reduced angiogenic and invasive potential. However, neither marker remained significant in multivariable analysis. Conclusions: HOXA5 may exert a dual role in EC by promoting proliferation while limiting tumor progression via suppression of angiogenesis and matrix remodeling. It holds potential as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Yi-Kai Fu, MD, Po-An Chen, MD, Yu-Chen Chiu, MD, Sheng-En Chu, MD, Chih-Jung Chang, MD, Chun-Yen Huang, MD, Msc, Shyh-Shyong Sim, MD, Jen-Tang Sun, MD, Msc; Poi