Background: Breast cancer in China is usually identified at a later-stage compared to developed countries, and efforts have been made to improve early detection over the past years. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the current situation of breast cancer detection and screening in a cohort of Chinese breast cancer patients. Methods: Three hundred and ten consecutive female breast cancer patients newly diagnosed and treated in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital between 2015 and 2021 were recruited. Clinicopathological data were retrieved from the patient's medical records and every individual completed surveys assessing demographics, mode of detection, screening behavior and barriers to screening. Results: Among the 310 patients, 72.6% had self-detected diseases (mostly through identification of a breast lump), 24.5% were ultrasound screening-detected, 0.3% were mammographic screening-detected and others were identified through clinical breast examination (CBE) (1.0%) or chest computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (1.6%). Detection by screening was associated with earlier stages of breast cancer compared to self-detection, yet, 32.2% of self-detected diseases were at stage 0-I. A total of 166 (53.5%) patients had a screening history, with ultrasonography being mostly used and provided by employers. Leading self-perceived barrier to breast cancer screening was lack of awareness, followed by lack of access. And screening participation was associated with a younger age, higher education, being currently working, residence in urban area, and a high family income. Conclusions: Self-detection still remains a major way of breast cancer detection in Beijing, but it is not necessarily associated with a late-stage disease. The suboptimal screening rate with disparity in screening behavior can be mostly attributed to lack of awareness of the public and insufficient screening providers.

Objective:The purpose of this study is to study the safety and efficacy of TEP repair in elderly patients.Methods:The data of elderly patients who received TEP repair in Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital from January 2019 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into 2 groups, group 1 (n=50 cases, 70 years or older ) and group 2 (n=50 cases, 60 to 69 years old). Follow up duration was 1-92 weeks. Patient demographics, operation time, postoperative pain-NRS, length of hospital stay (LOS), intraoperative injury, antibiotic prophylaxis and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.Results:Only LOS was significantly decreased in group 2 [(5.2±1.7) days vs (4.3±1.4) days, P=0.004]. Operation time, postoperative pain, intraoperative injury, antibiotic prophylaxis and postoperative complications were comparable between groups.Conclusion:With thorough assessment, preparing and precise technique, TEP repair in elderly patients is safe and efficacious.

Objective:To investigate the effect of actin related protein 2/3 complex subunit 2 (ARPC2) gene silencing on the biological characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) TPC-1 cells through lentivirus-mediated RNA interference.Methods:TPC-1 cells infected with nonsense short hairpin RNA (shRNA) sequence lentivirus (shCtrl) was used as the control group. TPC-1 cells infected with ARPC2 shRNA interference sequence lentivirus (shARPC2) was used as the experimental group, in which the expression of ARPC2 gene was specifically interfered. The effects of silencing the expression of ARPC2 gene on the proliferation of TPC-1 cells were detected by using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, Western blot and colony formation test. Flow cytometry and Western blot were conducted to detect the effect of silencing ARPC2 gene on TPC-1 cells apoptosis and related proteins.Results:shARPC2 could efficiently infect TPC-1 cells, and the expression efficiency of green fluorescent protein was over 85%. Compared with the control group, TPC-1 proliferation was inhibited in the experimental group. The ratio of S-phase cells in the experimental group was reduced compared with that in the control group [(14.79±0.21)% vs. (21.13±0.33)%, t = 27.77, P < 0.05]. The ratio of G 1 and G 2/M-phase cells in the experimental group was increased compared with that in the control group [G 1 phase: (67.57±0.08)% vs. (62.06±0.36)%, t=25.56, P < 0.05; G 2/M phase: (17.64±0.12)% vs. (16.91±0.17)%, t=6.154, P < 0.05]. Meanwhile, the expressions of cell cycle-related proteins CDK2, CyclinE and CyclinD were reduced in the experimental group. The number of clone formation in the experimental group was less than that in the control group, the difference was statistically significant [(10±2) vs. (161±6), t=9.011, P < 0.05]. In addition, the apoptotic ratio of cells in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [(8.60±0.77)% vs. (4.08±0.40)%, t=9.011, P < 0.05]. Western blot showed that the expressions of anti-apoptotic factors p21 and bcl-2 were reduced in the experimental group, while the expression of pro-apoptotic factor bax was increased. Conclusion:The interference with the expression of ARPC2 regulated by shRNA can inhibit the proliferation, and promote the apoptosis of PTC TPC-1 cells, indicating that ARPC2 may be a possible biological new target for the treatment of PTC.