Alterations in signaling pathways and modulation of cell metabolism are associated with the pathogenesis of cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) proteins and NF-κB family play major roles in various cellular processes. The current study aims to determine the expression profile of SUMO and NF-κB genes in HCC tumors and investigate their association with the clinical outcome of HCC. The expression of 5 genes – SUMO1, SUMO2, SUMO3, NF-κB p65 , and NF-κB p50 – was quantified in tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues of 58 HBV-related HCC patients by real-time quantitative PCR and was analyzed for the possible association with clinical parameters of HCC. The expression of SUMO2 was significantly higher in HCC tumor tissues compared to the adjacent non-tumor tissues ( P = .01), while no significant difference in SUMO1, SUMO3, NF-κB p65 , and NF-κB p50 expression was observed between HCC tumor and non-tumor tissues ( P >  .05). In HCC tissues, a strong correlation was observed between the expression of SUMO2 and NF-κB p50 , between SUMO3 and NF-κB p50 , between SUMO3 and NF-κB p65 (Spearman rho = 0.83; 0.82; 0.772 respectively; P < .001). The expression of SUMO1, SUMO2, SUMO3, NF-κB p65 , and NF-κB p50 was decreased in grade 3 compared to grades 1 and 2 in HCC tumors according to the World Health Organization grades system. Our results highlighted that the SUMO2 gene is upregulated in tumor tissues of patients with HCC, and is related to the development of HCC, thus it may be associated with the pathogenesis of HCC.

Omental torsion is a medical condition characterized by the twisting of the omentum along its longitudinal axis, which leads to compromised blood flow. This condition is rarely diagnosed before surgery and can present symptoms similar to other causes of acute surgical abdomen. This report details a case of primary omental torsion initially suspected to be acute appendicitis. The patient was admitted to the hospital with symptoms of lower right quadrant abdominal pain and mild fever. Computed tomography imaging revealed a twisted mass of fatty tissue with surrounding fat stranding changes, but no signs of appendicitis were found, indicating omental torsion. The patient underwent surgery to remove the twisted and necrotic omentum, leading to an improvement in symptoms. This case highlights the challenges in diagnosis and the crucial role of computed tomography imaging in managing this rare condition.

Acute appendicitis is an ordinary surgical emergency, typically attributed to luminal obstruction by fecaliths or lymphoid hyperplasia. However, ingested foreign bodies as an etiology are rare but increasingly recognized, particularly in pediatric patients. We present the case of a 9-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency department with symptoms consistent with acute appendicitis. Further investigation revealed the presence of a bone fragment within the appendix, leading to acute inflammation. Foreign body ingestion should be considered in pediatric patients with acute appendicitis. This case report underscores the importance of comprehensive clinical evaluation and appropriate diagnostic imaging modalities in guiding optimal treatment strategies.

Pneumorrhachis (PR) is an uncommon condition characterized by the accumulation of air within the spinal canal. This finding may occur due to various causes, mostly after trauma and medical procedures. It can manifest with various features depending on the underlying cause, the location, and the extent of the air trapped. Clinically, the symptoms in affected patients can span a spectrum, ranging from being asymptomatic to manifesting as radiculopathies resulting from compression. The pneumorrhachis-related cauda equina syndrome is incredibly rare and typically appears as a large volume of air causing compression or irritation of the nerve roots in the lower spinal cord. In this report, we present a female patient whose cauda equina syndrome developed as a result of accidental extradural pneumorrhachis after epidural injection in the lumbar spine.

Background/Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major cause of cancer-related mortality, with diagnostic limitations of existing biomarkers such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). This study evaluates plasma Fibrinogen chain A mRNA (FGA mRNA), alone and combined with AFP, for improving HCC diagnosis. Methods: A semi-nested RT-PCR assay was developed to quantify plasma FGA mRNA in 80 HCC patients and 74 controls (57 chronic liver disease [CLD] and 17 healthy donors [HDs]). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to assess diagnostic performance, and logistic regression evaluated the combined biomarker model. Results: Plasma FGA mRNA levels were significantly higher in HCC patients than in CLD and HD controls (p < 0.0001). The area under the curve (AUC) for HCC vs. the combined control group (CLD + HD) was 0.721 (95% CI: 0.643–0.790), improving to 0.866 (95% CI: 0.782–0.927) when comparing HCC to HDs alone but declining for HCC vs. CLD (AUC = 0.678, 95% CI: 0.592–0.755). Combining FGA mRNA with AFP significantly enhanced diagnostic accuracy for HCC vs. CLD (AUC = 0.859, 95% CI: 0.790–0.913), with a sensitivity of 87.50% and specificity of 71.93%. In patients with low AFP levels (<20 ng/mL), the combined model identified 68.75% of HCC cases, outperforming AFP alone. Conclusions: FGA mRNA alone provides moderate diagnostic utility but substantially improves accuracy when combined with AFP, especially in low-AFP cases. This multi-biomarker approach holds promise for improving HCC detection and warrants further validation in larger cohorts.

Mục tiêu: Khảo sát mối liên quan giữa mức độ biểu hiện Fibrinogen Chain A (FGA) mRNA huyết tương với một số đặc điểm lâm sàng, yếu tố nguy cơ ở bệnh nhân (BN) ung thư biểu mô tế bào gan (UTBMTBG). Đối tượng và phương pháp nghiên cứu: Mô tả cắt ngang 131 BN được chẩn đoán UTBMTBG tại Bệnh viện Quân y 103 từ tháng 5/2020 đến tháng 6/2024. Xác định mức độ biểu hiện FGA mRNA huyết tương bằng kĩ thuật Semi-nested Realtime-RT PCR và mối liên quan với đặc điểm lâm sàng, yếu tố nguy cơ. Kết quả: Không có sự khác biệt về mức độ biểu hiện FGA mRNA huyết tương giữa các nhóm yếu tố nguy cơ khác nhau và với các triệu chứng lâm sàng khác ngoại trừ có sự khác biệt biểu hiện FGA mRNA với triệu chứng sốt, p<0,05. Kết luận: Mức độ biểu hiện của FGA mRNA huyết tương có liên quan đến triệu chứng sốt. Chưa ghi nhận mối liên quan của FGA mRNA với yếu tố nguy cơ và các triệu chứng lâm sàng khác ở BN UTBMTBG.