Background The role of the intersphincteric space in the pathogenesis of fistula-in-ano is being increasingly recognized. Submucosal and intersphincteric rectal abscesses have been surgically managed by laying open and draining the intersphincteric space as well as by the modified ligation of intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT) procedure. In 2017, the transanal opening of intersphincteric space (TROPIS) technique was reported for the treatment of high, complex anal fistulae. Aim We aim to investigate the advantages of performing the TROPIS procedure in patients with fistula-in-ano. Methods This was a prospective cohort study investigating the outcomes in patients who had undergone a procedure using the TROPIS technique for the treatment of fistula-in-ano. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging scans and electronic colonoscopies were performed on all patients. A clinical database evaluating the following variables was constructed: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), previous fistula surgery, type of fistula, postoperative complications, duration of follow-up, success rate, and incontinence scores pre- and postoperatively. Results The TROPIS procedure was performed on 41 patients with fistula-in-ano with a follow-up time of 6-23 months. The characteristics of the patients were as follows: 36 males, 6 females, mean age 38.6±13.2 years, and mean BMI 23.5±3.9 kg·m−2. All patients (41) had transsphincteric fistulae, and 90.2% (37) had high fistula. Of the 41 patients, 22% (9) had recurrent fistulae, 29.27% (12) had horseshoe fistulae, 7.3% (3) had supralevator fistulae, and 14.6% (6) had an associated abscess. The fistula healed completely in 85.3% (35) of patients and failed to heal in 14.7% (6) of patients, and the healing of high fistula was 86.5% (32). Of those patients who had not healed completely, 2 were found to have contracted iatrogenic infections due to foreign residues and underwent surgery with the passing of a loose seton. The additional 4 patients who had not healed underwent a fistulotomy and healed completely thereafter. There were no significant changes in incontinence scores. The incontinence scores were .15 ± .36 preoperatively and .22 ± .47 3 months postoperatively (t = −1.438, P = .16). Conclusions The TROPIS technique is a novel sphincter-preserving procedure, which can be effectively used in treating fistula-in-ano.

IntroductionThe omphalomesenteric duct (OMD) or the vitelline duct (VD) is the embryonic structure connecting the vitelline sac to the primitive gut. It undergoes obliteration at 5–9 weeks of gestation. Failure of this duct to close, which occurs in approximately 2% of the population, can lead to various types of VD residual diseases. A persistent OMD remnant is pathological, and it typically presents in the pediatric population. Meckel diverticulum is the most common anomaly that results from failure of resorption of the OMD. In extremely rare instances, OMD remnant adenocarcinomas have been reported in the adult population.Case descriptionIn this study, we present a case of OMD remnant adenocarcinoma with axillary lymph node metastases in an adult male.Discussion and EvaluationBecause OMD remnant adenocarcinoma is rare, few relevant studies have been reported. The final diagnosis of navel VD residual adenocarcinoma depends on postoperative pathology and immunohistochemical analysis. The follow-up treatment in OMD is similar to the chemotherapy regimens of postoperative gastrointestinal malignant tumors.ConclusionsIn this report, the patient experienced no complications after surgery and was discharged on the seventh postoperative day, followed by 12 courses of postoperative FOLFOX6 scheme chemotherapy. By the end of chemotherapy, the patient had no evidence of recurrent disease and metastasis across the reexamination of PET–CT.

Background: Several studies give a superficial description that HEPACAM family member 2 (HEPACAM2) seems to be a prognostic biomarker in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). While, systematic and in-depth research about diagnostic and prognostic value of HEPACAM2 in COAD patients is lacked. Besides, relationship between HEPACAM2 gene expression levels and immune cell infiltration is unclear. Methods: Firstly, we analyzed the differential expression levels of HEPACAM2 gene and diagnostic value from different databases. Secondly, a cohort of Guangxi COAD patients was established to verify HEPACAM2 expression pattern and diagnostic value. Thirdly, univariate and multivariate survival analysis of the prognostic value of HEPACAM2 gene in patients with COAD was performed. We also utilized joint-effects analysis and comprehensive prognosis analysis to investigate the prognostic value of HEPACAM2 and related genes. Finally, we explored the relationship between HEPACAM2 gene expression levels and immune cell infiltration.Results: In several biological databases, HEPACAM2 mRNA expression level in COAD tumor tissues was significantly lower than that of adjacent normal tissues. The diagnostic ROC curve results indicated that HEPACAM2 gene had a high diagnostic value in COAD. The qPCR verification results in the Guangxi cohort showed that HEPACAM2 expression level in COAD tumor tissues was significantly lower than that of adjacent normal tissues (P<0.001), and the diagnostic value was high in COAD (AUC=0.892). The prognostic value analysis showed that low expression of HEPACAM2 gene had a poorer overall survival (OS) in COAD patients when compared with those with high expression ((P = 0.038, HR (95% CI) = 0.635(0.414-0.976)). Joint-effects analysis and comprehensive prognosis analysis showed that high expression of HEPACAM2 combined with high expression of CLCA1, high expression of REP15, and high expression of B3GNT6 were associated with a better overall survival of COAD.Conclusion: This study suggested that the HEPACAM2 may be a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for COAD. Besides, HEPACAM2 was involved with immune response progress, Chemokine signaling pathway, Ras signaling pathway and Hematopoietic cell lineage.

Mitochondria are the main sites of oxidative metabolism and energy release of sugars, fats and amino acids in the body. According to studies, malignant tumor occurrence and development have been linked to abnormal mitochondrial energy metabolism (MEM). However, the feasible role of abnormal MEM in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is poorly understood. In this work, we obtained COAD patient data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as the training set, and GSE103479 from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) as the validation set. Combined with the mitochondrial energy metabolic pathway (MEMP)-related genes in Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, a risk prognostic model was constructed by utilizing Cox regression analysis to identify 6 feature genes (CYP4A11, PGM2, PKLR, PPARGC1A, CPT2 and ACAT2) that were significantly associated with MEMP in COAD. By stratifying the samples based on riskscore, two distinct groups, namely the high-and low-risk groups, were identified. The model demonstrated accurate assessment of the prognosis risk in COAD patients and exhibited independent prognostic capability, as evidenced by the survival curve and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. A nomogram was plotted based on clinical information and riskscore. We proved it could predict the survival time of COAD patients effectively combined with the calibration curve of risk prediction. Subsequently, based on the immune evaluation and mutation frequency analysis performed on COAD patients, patients in high-risk group had observably higher immune scores, immune activity and PDCD1 expression level than low-risk group. In general, the prognostic model developed using MEMP-related genes served as a valuable biomarker for forecasting the prognosis of COAD patients, which offered a reference for the prognosis evaluation and clinical cure of COAD patients.