Emerging evidence indicates that ectopic skeletal muscle adiposity may be a risk factor for type 2 diabetes (T2D), especially in persons of African ancestry. In vitro studies suggest that a Wnt pathway inhibitor, Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1), plays a role in adiposity regulation and could be a biomarker for adiposity in humans. The objective of this study was to test whether serum DKK1 levels relate to adiposity measures in a cohort from an African ancestry population at high risk for T2D. Fasting serum DKK1 was measured in a sample of 159 men of African ancestry aged ≥40 years (mean age ± SD, 63.5 ± 8.2 years; mean body mass index, 27.8 ± 4.5 kg/m2). Anthropometrics included total-body and trunk adiposity measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and lower-leg skeletal muscle density measured by CT [which reflects the intramuscular adiposity content (mg/cm3)]. Serum DKK1 was positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.20; P = 0.01), waist circumference (r = 0.15; P = 0.046), DXA total-body adiposity (r = 0.24; P = 0.003), and DXA trunk adiposity (r = 0.21; P = 0.009), independent of age and height. In addition, serum DKK1 was inversely correlated with skeletal muscle density (r = −0.25; P = 0.002), independent of age, BMI, and calf muscle area. No significant correlation was found between serum DKK1 and fasting serum glucose or insulin levels or insulin resistance estimated by homeostasis model assessment. These findings suggest that higher levels of serum DKK1 may be associated with greater overall, central, and ectopic skeletal muscle adiposity. Further studies are needed to unravel the potential role of DKK1 in the regulation of adiposity in humans.

IntroductionNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease in the western world and is highly associated with multiple cardiometabolic complications. The Zhejiang University (ZJU) index was first developed to predict NAFLD in Chinese populations, where it was shown to have better predictive value than other currently used indices. The aims of the present study were to 1) determine the diagnostic accuracy of ZJU index in identifying NAFLD in a well-phenotyped cohort of obese middle-aged American women and 2) compare its performance with other non-invasive indices for NAFLD identification.MethodsTo achieve this goal, we performed a retrospective analysis of a prospectively-collected cohort of participants enrolled in a weight loss trial for severe obesity (RENEW, clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00712127). One hundred and seven women between the age of 30 and 55 with obesity class II (BMI 35–39.9 kg/m2) or class III (BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2) were recruited for analyses. Hepatic steatosis was measured using liver/spleen attenuation ratio (L/S ratio) from unenhanced abdominal computed tomography. Beside ZJU index, hepatic steatosis index (HSI), lipid accumulation production index (LAPI), and visceral adiposity index (VAI) were also determined and to compare their performance in predicting NAFLD.ResultsOf 107 obese women in the study, 40 (37.4%) met imaging criteria for NAFLD using cut-off value of L/S ratio < 1.1. The ZJU index was positively correlated with HIS, LAPI, but not VAI. The area under the curve was highest for the ZJU index (AUC = 0.742, 95% CI:0.647–0.837), followed by HSI (AUC = 0.728, 95% CI:0.631–0.825), LAPI (AUC = 0.682, CI:0.583–0.781), and VAI (AUC = 0.621, 95% CI:0.518–0.725), respectively, using the Youden method.ConclusionThe ZJU index is a powerful surrogate marker for NAFLD in severely obese western females and its predictive value was better than that of other commonly used indices for predicting NAFLD. Our study is the first to suggest that the ZJU index could be a promising model for use in western as well as Chinese populations.

Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is a rare but aggressive malignancy affecting young individuals with sickle cell trait. Renal medullary carcinoma commonly presents with advanced or metastatic disease and is associated with a rapidly progressive clinical course and an extremely short overall survival measured in weeks to few months. Due to the rarity of RMC, there is no proven effective therapy and patients are often treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. We report near-complete radiological and pathological response in a patient treated with dose-dense MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin) chemotherapy. The patient underwent consolidation nephrectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and had a 16-month progression-free survival, one of the longest reported in patients with RMC.

Background. Primary breast lymphoma is a rare malignancy representing less than 1% of all tumors presenting in the breast. Case Presentation. A 55-year-old woman presented with altered mental status due to severe hypercalcemia and was found to have a large breast mass with lytic bone lesions in the calvarium of the skull. Biopsy of the mass revealed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Staging workup did not reveal any visceral organ or distant lymph node involvement. The patient's bone marrow biopsy was positive for involvement with lymphoma. Interestingly, the patient also had a non quantifiable IgA kappa monoclonal protein in the serum. Conclusion. Here, we describe a common presentation in medical oncology, that is, a patient presenting as a clinically advanced breast tumor with hypercalcemia from lytic bone lesions. However, diagnostic workup led to the diagnosis of another common malignancy in an uncommon location, namely, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma arising in the breast.

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