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Objective:To deeply analyze differences in characteristics of neurosyphilis between male and female patients with neurosyphilis, as well as between patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis and those with asymptomatic neurosyphilis, and to provide reference for the prevention and control, clinical diagnosis and treatment of neurosyphilis.Methods:A total of 131 inpatients with neurosyphilis were collected from Department of Dermatology and Venereology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2015 to December 2019, and their clinical manifestations and laboratory findings were retrospectively analyzed. These patients were grouped according to gender and neurological/psychiatric symptoms. Measurement data were compared by using two-independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test, and enumeration data were compared by using chi-square test and Fisher′s exact test, to analyze differences in clinical characteristics and laboratory indicators between different groups. Results:Among the 131 patients, there were 72 with asymptomatic neurosyphilis (asymptomatic group) and 59 with symptomatic neurosyphilis (symptomatic group). The proportion of patients receiving syphilis treatment was significantly lower in the symptomatic group (10.17%) than in the asymptomatic group (98.61%, OR = 0.002, P < 0.001). The misdiagnosis rate at the first clinical visit was significantly higher in the male patients (50.00%) than in the female patients (24.49%, OR = 3.08, P = 0.004), as well as in the symptomatic patients (89.83%) than in the asymptomatic patients (0, OR = 13.00, P < 0.001). The proportion of symptomatic patients was significantly higher in male patients (57.32%) than in female patients (14.64%, OR = 4.14, P = 0.003). Compared with the female patients, the male patients showed significantly increased positive rates of toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) in the cerebrospinal fluid samples (52.44% vs. 26.54%, OR = 3.05, P = 0.004), increased proportions of patients with elevated levels of total protein (> 0.5 g/L) in cerebrospinal fluids (79.27% vs. 59.18%, OR = 2.64, P = 0.01), increased total protein levels in cerebrospinal fluids (0.76 ± 0.41 g/L vs. 0.56 ± 0.25 g/L, P = 0.002), and increased detection rates of brain magnetic resonance imaging abnormalities (72.22% vs. 44.90%, OR = 2.13, P = 0.039). The age at diagnosis of the symptomatic female patients (50.82 ± 9.31 years) was significantly higher than that of the asymptomatic female patients (42.30 ± 12.18 years, P = 0.038). The positive rate of TRUST in the cerebrospinal fluid samples was significantly higher in the patients with symptomatic neurosyphilis (55.93%) than in those with asymptomatic neurosyphilis (31.94%, OR = 2.70, P = 0.006), and so was the total protein level in cerebrospinal fluids (0.79 ± 0.46 g/L vs. 0.60 ± 0.24 g/L, P = 0.003) . Conclusion:The misdiagnosis rate of neurosyphilis is high at the first clinic visit; the condition of male patients is more serious than that of female patients; anti-syphilitic treatment history, gender and age may play some role in the development of neurosyphilis.
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Objective@#To investigate the expressions of migration and invasion inhibitory protein (MIIP) and p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) in endometrial carcinoma (EC) and their correlation with clinicopathological features.@*Methods@#The protein levels of MIIP and PAK1 in 135 paraffin-embedded EC tissues, 55 atypical hyperplasia of endometrium (AHE) and 88 normal endometrium (NE) tissues were quantified by immunohistochemistry, the clincial significance and the relationship of these two proteins were also analyzed.@*Results@#The positive rates of MIIP expression in NE, AHE and EC tissues were 52.3%(46/88), 41.8% (23/55) and 34.8% (47/135), respectively. The expression of MIIP in EC was significantly lower than that of MIIP in NE (P<0.05). The positive rates of PAK1 expression in NE, AHE and EC tissues were 45.5% (40/88), 50.9% (28/55) and 62.2% (84/135), respectively. The expression of PAK1 in EC tissues was significantly higher than that of PAK1 in NE tissues (P<0.05). The expression of MIIP in EC tissues was significantly associated with myometrial invasion, International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expression of PAK1 in EC tissues was significantly related with differentiation, myometrial invasion, FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). The expressions of MIIP and PAK1 in EC tissues were marginally related with the overall survival of patients (P=0.092, P=0.052). The expression of MIIP in EC was negatively correlated with PAK1 (r=-0.329, P<0.001).@*Conclusions@#The down-regulation of MIIP and up-regualtion of PAK1 paticipate in the initiation and development of EC, which are correlated with the poor prognosis of EC. The protein expression of MIIP is inversely related with PAK1 in EC.
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Objective To investigate the predictive value of preoperative serum human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) and CA125 in patients with high risk of stage Ⅰ endometrial cancer (EC)and to identify the optimal cutoff values. Methods Clinical and pathological data of 231 patients with stage Ⅰ EC were included in this study. Patients were divided into high risk group (n=96) and low risk group (n=135). The preoperative serum levels of HE4 and CA125 were measured, and their correlations with clinical pathological features were analyzed. The ROC curves were generated to determine optimal cutoff values of HE4 and CA125 levels with the maximum Youden index for prediction of high risk EC. Results There were significant differences in serum levels of HE4 and CA125 between patients with different depths of myometrial invasion, with or without vascular invasion, with or without lower uterine segment involvement, with different diameters of tumor and different risk classifications of stage ⅠEC (P<0.05). There were significant differences in serum levels of HE4 between patients with different menopausal status, hypertension, pathological types, histological grading and the involvement of cervical endometrial glands (P<0.05). The preoperative serum levels of HE4 and CA125 were positive correlated (r=0.262, P<0.05). The AUC value of HE4 for diagnosing stageⅠEC was 0.794(95%CI:0.734-0.854),the cutoff value was 74 pmol/L, the sensitivity was 75.0%, specificity was 83.0%, positive predictive value was 75.8%, negative predictive value was 82.4% and the accuracy rate was 79.7%. The AUC value of CA125 for diagnosing stage Ⅰ EC was 0.696 (95%CI: 0.624-0.767), the cutoff value was 17 kU/L, the sensitivity was 56.3%, specificity was 85.9%, positive predictive value was 74.0%, negative predictive value was 73.4%and the accuracy rate was 73.6%, respectively. The AUC value of combination of both markers was 0.847 (95%CI: 0.796-0.899), the corresponding values were 95.8%, 77.0%, 74.8%, 96.3%and 84.8%, respectively. Conclusion The best cutoff values of HE4 and CA125 are 74 pmol/L and 17 kU/L for detecting high risk stageⅠEC. The combined detection is better than that of the single detection in sensitivity, negative predictive value and accuracy rate.
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Objective To study the correlation between alopecia areata and the susceptibility genes identified in our previous study with Han Chinese population. Methods The study performed an independent replication study using 736 cases and 1 840 controls. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes by salting out with saturat-ed NaCl solution according to standard methods. The evidence for association had been obtained from former gene study. Then a fine-mapping study and genotyped the locus with an additional 17 SNPs were performed. Data were analyzed with the use of Plink 1. 07 software. Results Only one SNP achieved nominal significance, rs3087243 (P = 0. 041, OR = 1. 18, 95% CI = 1. 01 ~ 1. 38). The other 16 genes (TLR1, DMBT1, CHIT1, GBP4, CIITA, IL31RA, CD96, INPPL1, MASP2, IL-13, KIAA0350, PTPN22, SPATA5, TRAF1 / C5, IL1A, IL2R) failed. A further stratification analysis of alopecia areata was adopted, including the analysis of family history, the age of on-set and the severity of alopecia areata. The stratification analysis revealed that the age of onset > 20 years achieved nominal significance P < 0. 05 for one SNP, rs2416808 (P = 0. 018, OR = 1. 35, 95% CI = 1. 05 ~ 1. 74), where-as, the other results were of no statistical significance. Conclusion The results indicate that 17 SNPs may not be associated with AA in Han Chinese population. Further study should be performed in a larger Han Chinese sam-ples.