ABSTRACT
<p><b>Background:</b>Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is frequently associated with paraneoplastic inflammatory syndrome (PIS). This study aimed at exploring the connections between the survival rate and specific gene alterations and the potential mechanism.</p><p><b>Methods:</b>We retrospectively studied 69 surgical RCC cases from August 2014 to February 2016, including 18 cases of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) demonstrating elevated pretreatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP, Group A). Twelve of the 18 cases were symptomized with febrile episode. We also selected 49 cases of ccRCC with normal pretreatment CRP (Group B). Using 22 microsatellite markers, we compared the incidence of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) between Group A and Group B. All statistical tests are two-sided.</p><p><b>Results:</b>The 3p LOH was common in both Group A (89%) and Group B (92%). The frequency of 14q LOH in Group A (16 of 18) was higher than Group B (4 of 49, χ= 40.97 P < 0.0001). The 3p and 14q LOH were the characteristics of ccRCC with elevated acute phase reactants, including PIS, regardless of the presence of metastasis. On the contrary, 14q LOH was a rare genomic alternation in advanced-staged ccRCC without PIS. The overall survival of patients with elevated CRP (33.3%) was lower than its counterparts (6.1%, hazard ratio=1.852, P < 0.0001) in Kaplan-Meier curve.</p><p><b>Conclusions:</b>The results imply that the disruption of a 14q gene(s) might result in not only the inflammatory manifestations in the tumor host but also the poor survival rate as well. The isolation of the gene(s) on 14q might be a vital goal in the treatment of PIS-associated RCC.</p>
ABSTRACT
To investigate the value of high frequency ultrasonography in the diagnosis of zone 2 flexor tendon injuries. Subjects and Methods: Ninety-two patients [49 males and 43 females, mean age 32.6 +/- 11.2 years] with zone 2 flexor tendon injuries in one or more digits were randomly divided into a study [n = 46, 95 digits] and a control group [n = 46,90 digits]. In the study group, preoperative ultrasound was performed and surgical repair was conducted based on ultrasonographic findings. Diagnosis and surgical repair of the control group was based on history of trauma and physical examination. Types of ruptures [complete or partial] and the location of the distal end of the ruptured tendon diagnosed by preoperative ultrasonography were consistent with surgical findings in all cases [95/95, 100%] of the study group, whereas the concordance rate between clinically diagnosed ruptures and surgical findings was only 34.4% [31/90] in the control group [p = 0.02]. Preoperative high frequency ultrasound examination yielded excellent diagnostic accuracy for zone 2 flexor tendon injuries