HIV infection status and related factors in men who have sex with men in sentinel surveillance in Shanxi province, 2010, 2015 and 2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the infection status of HIV and related factors in men who have sex with men (MSM) in Shanxi province in 2010, 2015 and 2020. Methods: According to the sentinel surveillance protocol, continuous cross-sectional survey were conducted to collect the information about basic characteristics, general demographic characteristics, AIDS knowledge awareness, high-risk sexual behavior, sexually transmitted diseases, intervention services and HIV infection rate of the MSM in Shanxi in 2010, 2015 and 2020. Results: In 2010, 2015 and 2020, a total of 2 708 MSM were included in this study. There were significant differences in HIV infection rate among three years (χ2=23.76, P<0.001) with an increasing trend with year (trend χ2 =17.34, P<0.001). The rates of anal sex, commercial sex and heterosexual behavior in the past 6 months were 77.62% (2 102/2 708), 5.91% (160/2 708) and 28.14% (762/2 708) respectively, and the rates of consistent use of condom were 52.52% (1 104/2 102), 63.13% (101/160) and 23.49%(179/762) respectively, and the rate of consistent condom use was low. Results from multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that different cities, having educational level of junior high school or below, being recruited through internet, voluntary counseling and testing, suffering from sexually transmitted diseases, occasional condom use in anal sex in the past 6 months were the correlative factors of HIV infection of MSM. Conclusions: The HIV infection rate of MSM in Shanxi increased year by year from 2010, 2015 to 2020. The HIV/AIDS-related risk behavior persisted, and the proportion of condomuse adherence was low, and the HIV detection rate was low in the MSM, so targeted and effective measures should be taken to promote the condom use adherence and regular HIV testing in MSM.

Visualization analysis of traditional Chinese medicine for neurogenesis research based on CiteSpace / 中国中药杂志

To analyze the research hotspots and trends of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) for neurogenesis with use of CiteSpace 5.7.R3 software. The bibliometrics analysis on the literatures of TCM for neurogenesis from 1987 to 2020 included in the CNKI database was conducted to visualize the number of papers, authors, institutions and keywords. Totally 736 literatures were included and the volume of annual publications showed an upward in volatility. At present, several stable research teams have been formed, which were represented by DING Fei, ZHOU Chong-jian and ZHOU Yong-hong, but the cooperation was not close among the teams. According to the analysis of research institutions, Institute of Diagnostics of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Research Center of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine produced largest number of literatures. The cooperation among institutions, with universities of TCM and affiliated hospitals as the main research force, was characterized by dominant cooperation among regional institutions and less cross-regional cooperation. Keywords analysis showed that in the field of TCM for neurogenesis, a lot of studies mainly focused on the disease field, treatment and medication, TCM therapy and molecular mechanism. The research on TCM therapy and molecular mechanism for neurogenesis of central nervous system will be the research hotspots in future.

Comprehensive treatment with Chinese medicine in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: A multicenter, prospective, cohort study / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine whether additional Chinese medicine (CM) could prolong survival and improve the quality of life (QOL) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared with Western medicine (WM) alone.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This was a multicenter, prospective cohort study. A total of 474 hospitalized patients with stage III-IV NSCLC were recruited and divided into 2 groups. Patients in the WM group received radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and optimal supportive therapy according to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. In the integrative medicine (IM) group, individualized CM (Chinese patent medicines and injections) and WM were administered. The primary end point was overall survival, and the secondary end points were time to disease progression, adverse events, and QOL. Follow-up clinical examinations and chest radiography were performed every 2 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median survival was 16.60 months in the IM group and 13.13 months in the WM group (P<0.01). The incidences of loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting in the IM group were significantly lower than those in the WM group (P<0.05). The QOL based on Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lung in the IM group was markedly higher than that in the WM group at the fourth course (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Additional CM may prolong survival and improve the QOL patients with NSCLC. The adverse effects of radio- and chemotherapy may be attenuated as CM is used in combination with conventional treatments.</p>

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid induces apoptosis of HepG2 cells by en-doplasmic reticulum stress apoptotic pathway / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM:To investigate the effect of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid ( SAHA) on the proliferation and apoptosis of human hepatocellular carcinoma HepG 2 cells and to explore its possible mechanism .METHODS: HepG2 cells were treated with SAHA at different concentrations for 48 h.The proliferation of HepG2 cells was detected by real-time cellular analysis.The protein levels of acetylated histones H3K9 and H3K27, glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase ( PERK ) and p-PERK were determined by Western blot .The cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry .RESULTS:Compared with control group , treatment with SAHA at 0.1μmol/L and 1 μmol/L for 48 h showed no significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of HepG 2 cells, while SAHA at 6 μmol/L and 12 μmol/L significantly inhibited the proliferation of HepG 2 cells (P<0.05).The results of Western blot showed that the protein levels of acH3K9, acH3K27, GRP78 and p-PERK increased significantly after treated with SAHA at diffe-rent concentrations for 48 h, while the protein level of PERK was decreased significantly (P<0.05).The results of flow cytometry analysis showed that the apoptotic rates of the HepG 2 cells increased with the increase in SAHA concentration . CONCLUSION:SAHA up-regulates the acetylation of H3K9 and H3K27 in the HepG2 cells and induces apoptosis of HepG2 cells by activating the endoplasmic reticulum stress-related apoptosis pathway .

The effects of HtrA on the expression and biological activity of GTFs of Streptococcus mutans isolated from children with high cario-susceptibility / 实用口腔医学杂志

Objective:To compare the expression and biological activity of glucosyl transferases (GTFs)of Streptococcus mutans (S.mutans)under normal outside environment between high temperature requirment serine proteinase A(HtrA)-deficient strains and high virulent strains isolated from children with high cario-susceptibility.Methods:The HtrA-deficient strains and high virulent strains of S.mutans were obtained by preliminary study.The strains were reanimated and incubated in BHI medium to exponential phase at tenth hour.The expression of gtfB,gtfC and gtfD were detected by real-time RT-PCR.The biological activity of the GTFs were detected by entong sulfuric acid method and Western Blot.Results:The expression of gtfs and GTFs in the HtrA-deficient strains was higher than those of high virulent strains,but the biological activity of the GTFs was lower.Conclusion:The HtrA gene plays an important regulatory role in the process of the GTFs expression of S.mutans isolated from children with high cario-susceptibility.

A Retrospective Study of Chinese Herbal Medicine Combined with Systemic Chemotherapy and/or Regional Arterial Perfusion for Pancreatic Cancer with Liver Metastases / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine combined with systemic chemotherapy and/or regional arterial perfusion for pancreatic cancer with liver metastases (PCLM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively selected 292 patients with PCLM who were treated by Chinese herbal medicine combined with systemic chemotherapy and/or regional arterial perfusion at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from January 2001 to December 2010. All patients were assigned to the Western medicine treatment group (157 cases) and the integrative medicine treatment group (135 cases). Patients in the Western medicine treatment group were treated with gemcitabine (GEM)-based chemotherapy, and partial of them received regional arterial perfusion. Those in the integrative medicine treatment group additionally took Chinese herbs of clearing heat and eliminating mass for at least 4 weeks. The median survival time (MST) , adverse reactions and the incidence of complications were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no statistical significance in general data between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in MST between the two groups (4.8 months vs 5.5 months, P < 0.05). No death occurred during chemotherapy or regional arterial perfusion. All toxic or adverse reactions were tolerable.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Chinese herbal medicine combined with systemic chemotherapy and/or regional arterial perfusion was effective and safe, and it could be optimally selected as palliative therapy for PCLM.</p>

An open-labeled, randomized, multicenter phase IIa study of gambogic acid injection for advanced malignant tumors / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Gambogic acid is a pure active compound isolated from the traditional Chinese medicinal plant gamboge (Garcinia morella Desv.). Based on the preliminary results of a phase I study, this phase IIa study compared the efficacy and safety of different dosage schedules of gambogic acid in patients with advanced malignant tumors.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Patients with advanced or metastases cancer who had not received any effective routine conventional treatment or who had failed to respond to the existing conventional treatment were randomly assigned to receive either 45 mg/m(2) gambogic acid intravenously from Days 1 to 5 of a 2-week cycle (Group A), or 45 mg/m(2) every other day for a total of five times during a 2-week cycle (Group B). The primary endpoint was objective response rate (ORR).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Twenty-one patients assigned to Group A and 26 to Group B were included in the final analysis. The ORRs were 14.3% in Group A and 0% in Group B. It was not possible to analyze the significant difference because one of the values was zero. The disease control rates (DCRs) were 76.2% in Group A and 61.5% in Group B (P = 0.0456). The observed adverse reactions were mostly Grades I and II, and occurred in most patients after administration of the trial drug. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two arms.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The preliminary results of this phase IIa exploratory study suggest that gambogic acid has a favorable safety profile when administered at 45 mg/m(2). The DCR was greater in patients receiving gambogic acid on Days 1 - 5 of a 2-week cycle, but the incidence of adverse reactions was similar irrespective of the administration schedule.</p>

Analysis on the clinical and prognostic features of 71 male patients with breast cancer / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease,with clinical and prognostic features still controversial.The aim of this study was to discuss the clinical characteristics and prognosis of MBC.Methods Clinical data related to 71 MBC patients was reviewed.Results The radio of MBC to female breast cancer (FBC) was 42:10 000.Age related to the diagnosis of MBC ranged from 43 to 84 years with the median age as 62 years old,older than the FBC patients (t=6.355,P=0.000).The percentage of invasive ducal carcinoma in MBC patients was much higher than in FBC patients (x2=29.875,P=0.000).The positive rate of estrogen receptor (ER) was significantly higher than those in FBC patients and the positive rates of human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) were less frequently (x2=3.741,P=0.048 and x2=12.845,P=0.002)seen.Data from the univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the 3-,5-and 10-year survivalrates of MBC were 82.6％,74.0％ and 47.4％ respectively,significantly higher than those in FBCpatients (P=0.004,P=0.046).Patients with positive HER-2 showed worse prognosis than HER-2 negative patients in MBC patients (x2=4.219,P=0.040).Conclusion There were significant clinic-pathologic and prognostic differences between FBC and MBC patients.The HER-2 positivity seemed to be an important factor for the prognosis and treatment of patients with MBC.

Analysis of pathological changes of bone hydatid cyst of meriones meridianus after radiotherapy / 中国地方病学杂志

Objective To observe the pathological changes of bone hydatid cyst of meriones meridianus after radiation therapy,and to investigate the clinical effect of radiotherapy on bone hydatid disease.Methods Ascus was dissected sterilely from sheep liver that naturally infected with Echinococcus granulomas,sheared and sac skin removed.Then it was washed and precipitated with 0.9％ sterile saline for 3 times,and scolex was HE stained and counted,from which a 20 ml suspension was made containing 12 × 106/L of scolex.Health meriones meridianus (referred to as gerbil) 140,male and female were in each half,aged 2 to 3 months,body weight(38 ± 6)g,were involved in the study.Gerbil was injected a 0.2 ml suspension containing Echinococcus granulomas scolex into hind tibial periosteum,and X-ray was taken 12 months after the injection.According to the bone destruction in the vaccination site,gerbil hindleg tibia with clear jagged bone destruction was treated as inclusion criteria,and 72 animal were selected as gerbil bone hydatid disease animal models,male and female were in each half.A tatal of 72 gerbils were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group,40 beequerel(Gy) group,50 Gy group and 60 Gy group,18 rats in each group,male and female in each half.The model animals were treated with radiotherapy for 5 times,with 2 d interval,and radiation dose was 300 cGy/min.Each group of gerbils was sacrificed after radiotherapy,bone Echinococcus granulomas cysts was taken out sterilely,and observed by light and electron microscope.Intracapsular cyst fluid was extracted,washed and precipitated with 0.9％ sterile saline repeatedly,and and the pellet was HE stained for observation of scolex morphology and activity by light microscope.Results The morphology and activity ofEchinococcus granulomas in cystic fluid in control group were normal; the morphology and activity of Echinococcus granulomas were still normal in the 40 Gy group,and Echinococcus granulomas was not stained red; but those were abnormal,deformation and atrophy and stained red in the 50 Gy group; and were stained red,deformed,fractured and were wrapped by unknown in the 60 Gy group.By light microscope,the germinal layer,cuticle layer,brood capsule and histological structure of protoscolex were basically normal in irradiated region in the control group.The pathological changes of hydatid cyst in the 40 Gy group were mainly degeneration,structure of hydatid cyst was abnormal,stratum corneum was extensive edema,germinal layer became thinner and the fertile cyst was rare.The main pathological change of hydatid cyst in the 50 Gy group was that corneous layer was widely fractured,and the germinal layer was edema,buckling folds,cells decreased,rare seen brood capsule and scolex; the main pathological changes of hydatid cyst were mainly necrosis in the 60 Gy group,cuticle was extensive fault,stratum corneum and germinal layer was separated,germinal layer was atrophy and disorder,no brood capsule and scolex.By electron microscope,cuticle structure of Echinococcus granulomas cyst was clear,microvillus arranged neatly,morphology and structure of the cell and organelle in cytoplasm were normal in the control group.There were many inflammatory cells infiltrating germinal layer of Echinococcus granulomas cyst,microfilament and contents in microfilament were reduced in the 40 Gy group.Microvillus of Echinococcus granulomas disappeared,nuclear membrane was unclear,endoplasmic and mitochon eclasis,lymphocyte nuclear chromatin was clumping and edge set and in circular permutation in the 50 Gy group.Microvillus disappeared,perinuclear membrane indistinct and ruptured,parts of nucleoli were fragmented and marinated,endoplasmic reticulum was extensive expansion,mitochondria was pyknosis and obvious vacuolization,lymphocyte nuclear chromatin clumping and edge set,lysosomes and macrophage emerge in the 60 Gy group.Conclusions Radiotherapy can destroy the morphology and structure of bone hydatid cyst,radioactivity at 50 Gy has a lethal effect on hydatid cyst.Radiation treatment of bone hydatid disease has a good clinical effect.

Diagnosis and treatment of epithelioid sarcoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of epithelioid sarcoma (ES).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 13 cases with epithelioid sarcoma in the Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from March 1995 to December 2009 were collected and analyzed. There were 10 males and 3 females in the group, with an average age of 41.5 years (range: 13 to 68 years). Nine patients had classic ES and 4 had proximal-type ES. Surgery was the mainstay of treatment. After the operation, four patients received radiotherapy, five received chemotherapy, and one received chemoradiotherapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 13 cases, only 1 had multi-locus lesion. The average tumor size was (6.07 ± 1.34) cm. The lymph node involvement was found in 46.2% of the patients. Local and distant failure occurred in 50% and 30% patients, respectively. The most common site for dissemination was the lung. Four cases died within 3 years after initial operation. The 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-year overall survival rates of the 11 cases were 72.7%, 54.5%, 27.3% and 9.1%, respectively, with a median survival time of 27 months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Epithelioid sarcoma is a rare disease. The prognosis for patients with epithelioid sarcoma is poor because of a high propensity for local recurrence, lymph node metastases, and/or distant metastases. The definite diagnosis depends mainly on the pathologic examination. Wide surgical excision is the mainstay treatment, and radiation and chemotherapy have been used occasionally as adjuvant therapy but have had limited success.</p>

Curative effect of radiotherapy at various doses on subcutaneous alveolar echinococcosis in rats / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is a disease in human and animals, and the cure rate is unsatisfactory. This study aimed to investigate the curative efficacy of different doses of locally applied radiotherapy on alveolar echinococcosis in rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Rats infected with Echinococcus multilocularis were randomly divided into 4 groups of 15 rats each: low-, middle-, and high-irradiation groups and a control group. Rats in the control group underwent no treatment, while rats in the irradiation groups received 6-MeV radiotherapy at 20 Gy/8 f, 40 Gy/8 f, and 60 Gy/8 f respectively, once every 3 days for a total of 8 times. One month after radiotherapy, wet weight and AE vesicle inhibitory rate were detected in rats of each group. Histopathologic and ultrastructural observations of tissues with AE lesions were performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the treatment groups, an obvious inhibitory effect was found in AE rats; the inhibitory rates were 50%, 72%, and 82%, respectively. There were also statistical differences in pathological changes and average wet weight of the lesions compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In the treatment groups, injuries of various degrees were found in the ultrastructure of the laminated and germinal layers in the capsular wall of AE, and injury was most severe in the high-dose group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Radiotherapy has a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the growth of AE.</p>

Investigation on degradation process of collagens during manufacturing procedure of E'jiao / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the degradation process of collagens and identify the key unit operation during manufacturing process of E'jiao.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Samples in different unit operations were withdrawn, and their amino acid compositions and the molecular weight ranges were determined. The peptide composition was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>The content of sample during atmospheric condensation unit increased by 16.8% compared to the thermal extraction unit. Gel filtration chromatographic analysis indicated that the degradation process of collagen primarily occurred during the atmospheric condensation unit. The peptides in samples mainly resulted from the degradation of collagens and cytoskeleton proteins such as tubulin, actinin, and so on. The relative abundance of degraded collagens increased with the decrease of no-collagen proteins.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Collagen degradation mainly occurred during the atmospheric condensation unit, which was the key process affecting the composition of E-jiao.</p>

Phase III clinical study of zoledronic acid in the treatment of pain induced by bone metastasis from solid tumor or multiple myeloma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of zoledronic acid in the treatment of bone pain in patients with bone metastasis from solid tumor or multiple myeloma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A randomized, double-blind, double-simulated and multi-center phase III clinical trail with pamidronate as control was conducted. Patients with moderate to severe bone pain (VAS > 50 mm) induced by solid tumor or multiple myeloma were randomized to receive intravenous zoledronic acid 4 mg or pamidronate 90 mg. Then the change of VAS and urinary NTX/Cr and CTX/Cr were observed in two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From July 2005 to September 2006, 228 patients with bone pain induced by bone metastasis from 15 cancer centers were randomize into two groups: 116 patients in zoledronic acid group and 112 patients in pamidronate group. The VAS value was decreased gradually after treatment in these two groups. Significant improvement in bone pain after treatment were observed both in zoledronic acid group and the control group when compared with baseline VAS on D8 (-11.77% vs. -10.87%), D15 (-24.60% vs. -21.06%) and D28 (-32.37% vs. -31.26%) (P< or =0.0001), but no significant difference existed between two groups (P =0.6587). Compared with baseline, urine NTX/Cr and CTX/Cr level were decreased rapidly after treatment in both groups, the nadir was on D8, the median decreased on D28, which was -36.9% vs. -32.1% for NTX/Cr (P = 0.7922) and -63.2% vs. -47.9% for CTX/Cr (P =0.834). The frequently observed adverse events were pyrexia (19.0% vs. 31.3%), vomiting (6.0% vs. 8.9%), nausea (4.3% vs. 4.5%), fatigue (3.4% vs. 2.7%) and constipation (2.6% vs. 1.8%) in the two groups. Compared with baseline, the serum creatinine level was not significantly increased throughout the study.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Intravenous injection of 4 mg zoledronic acid can significantly reduce bone pain and bone resorption marker in urine in the Chinese patients with bone metastasis from solid tumor or multiple myeloma, which is tolerable and also comparable to pamidronate in the efficacy and safety.</p>

Clinical research on nourishing yin and unblocking meridians recipe combined with opioid analgesics in cancer pain management / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the analgesic effects of Nourishing yin and Unblocking meridians Receipe (NUR) combined with opioid analgesics in managing cancer pain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>All the patients enrolled were differentiated as of yin deficiency and meridian blocked syndrome type of TCM. Forty-one of them in the treated group were treated with NUR combined with opioid analgesics, while 43 of them in the control group were given opioid analgesics alone with successive 14 days as one treatment course for both groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The indexes of the treated group were superior to those in the control group as to the degree of pain-relieving, the therapeutic effect of analgesia, the occurrence frequency of cancer pain every day and its duration each time, the analgesic initial time, and the quality of life.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>NUR combined with opioid analgesics in cancer pain management was more effective than opioid analgesics alone.</p>

The analysis of the curative effect for the lipitor in curing essential hypercholesterolemia / 中国基层医药

Objective To evaluate the curative effect of the atorvastatin calcium tablet(trade name:lipitor) in curing essential hypercholesterolemia.Methods 76 patients with essential hypercholesterolemia were divided into two groups randomly:43 patients in the research group(lipitor tablet 10mg,qn);33 patients in the comparison group (simvastatin tablet 20mg,qn).The period of treatment for both two groups was 6 weeks.The changes of blood fat were detected before and after taking the medicine.The curative effect were compared at the same time.Resnlts The total cholesterol(TC)of the research groups decreased by 37.06%,the TC of the comparison group decreased by 22.05%.The triacylglyceride(TG)of the research group decreased by 24.81%,however,the TG of the compar- ison group decreased by just 14.49%.The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)of the research group de- creased by 42.30% while the comparison group just decreased by 28.30%(P＜0,01).Also,the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)of the research group increased by 7.80%,and the comparison group increased by 7.13%(P＞0.05),The effective rate of the research group was 95.35%.For the comparison group,the effective rate was 90.91%.Conclusion The lipitor has a good curative effect in curing essential hypereholesterolemia.Also, the lipitor has fewer side effect,This medicine is safe and reliable for patients.

Transdermal fentanyl for the management of cancer pain: a survey of 4492 patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of transdermal fentanyl in management of patients with cancer pain.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 4492 patients (aged 3-90) with cancer pain were enrolled in this multicenter study. The mean age was 58.5 (3 approximately 90) years old. All patients received transdermal fentanyl. The patients were asked to record the attacks of pain, quality of life, and any side effects of the treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Baseline mean pain intensity was 7.37. On days 1, 3, 6, 9, 15, and 30, the mean scores of pain were decreased to 4.04, 2.98, 2.52, 2.19, 1.85 and 1.61, respectively (P < 0.01). The effective rate was 96.8%. The mean doses of fentanyl were 32.37 microg/h (25-200 microg/h) on the initial day, 42.57 microg/h and 49.57 microg/h (25-225 microg/h) on days 15 and 30. The quality of life was significantly improved after treatment (P < 0.01). The common side effects were constipation (9.8%), nausea (13.6%), dizziness (6.5%), vomiting (3.9%), sedation (2.0%) and respiratory depression (0.2%). The incidence of constipation was related to age, and the incidence of vomiting and difficulty of urination was related to gender. The majority (84.5%) of patients preferred continuation of the treatment with transdermal fentanyl.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Transdermal fentanyl for the patients with cancer pain is effective, safe, convenient and can improve the quality of life. Transdermal fentanyl can be recommended as one of first-line drugs for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe cancer pain.</p>

Clinical study of zoledronic acid in the treatment of cancer-induced hypercalcemia / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect and safety of zoledronic acid (Zoledex) in patients with cancer-induced hypercalcemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Seventeen patients with cancer-induced hypercalcemia (corrected blood calcium > 2.70 mmol/L) were treated intravenously by 4 mg zoledex within 15 minutes on the first day. The corrected blood calcium was observed every 4 days in the following 28 days.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The response rate was 94.1% (16/17). The mean corrected blood calcium became normal after the first dose of zoledex (P < 0.01). The lowest value was found on the fourteenth day after treatment. The main side effects consisted of fever (29.4%, 5/17), hypocalcemic tetany (11.8%, 2/17) and arythmia (5.9%, 1/17).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Zoledex is effective and safe in the treatment of patient with cancer-induced hypercalcemia.</p>

Video-assisted thoracoscopic extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis: analysis of 107 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the results of video-assisted thoracoscopic extended thymectomy for myasthenia gravis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively reviewed data from 107 patients received thoracoscopic extended thymectomy from June 1995 to June 2004. All patients had confirmed diagnosis of myasthenia gravis by clinical manifestation and electromyogram. Thoracoscopic extended thymectomy as well as dissection of all fatty tissue anterior to the pericardium was performed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During a follow-up of 1-98 months, symptom was significantly improved in 83% of patients, including 34 patients experienced complete remission. There was no postoperative mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Favorable results of video-assisted thoracoscopic extended thymectomy can be achieved in patients with myasthenia gravis. The technique is safe and minimally invasive.</p>

Clinical trial on exemestane in the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the response rate and adverse reactions of exemestane (a new aromatase inactivator) in the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and seventy-three patients with advanced breast cancer entered this study with two patients excluded because of postmenopausal time being less than one year. Therefore, 173 patients could be evaluated for adverse events and 171 patients could be evaluated for efficacy. Exemestane, 25 mg orally daily for 4 weeks as one cycle was given.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the 171 patients evaluated for efficacy, 4 (2.3%) experienced a complete response (CR) and 40 (23.4%) a partial response (PR), with the overall response rate of 25.7%. Ninety patients (52.6%) had stable disease (SD), with 25 having SD for at least 24 weeks. The clinical benefit (CR + PR + SD > or = 24 weeks) was shown in 69 (40.4%) patients. Progressive disease (PD) was shown in 37 (21.6%) patients. The untreated patients had a higher objective response rate (33.8%) than the retreated ones (18.1%) with significant difference (P = 0.019 7). The response rates for soft-tissue, bone involvement and visceral metastasis were 32.8%, 23.9%, and 12.4% (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in different ages, time of menopause, disease-free interval or receptor status (P > 0.05). Drug-related adverse events were gastric discomfort (17.9%), malaise (17.9%), nausea (13.9%), hot flushes (11.0%) and dysphoria (5.8%). Other side reactions and abnormal laboratory parameters were observed occasionally which were irrelevant.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Exemestane can be used to treat postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer giving only mild adverse reactions which are well tolerated.</p>