ABSTRACT
Invasive airway aspergillosis [IAA] is a rarely reported type of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis [IPA]. In most patients, IAA is associated with immune dysfunction or other underlying diseases. It is very rare in patients with normal immune function and without pre-existing diseases. We describe here, a previously healthy 58-year-old male farmer who presented to our department with cough and bloody sputum associated with shortness of breath and who was diagnosed with IAA despite having no apparent immunodeficiency
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship of vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) and collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1) expression with the carcinogenesis and prognosis of rectal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cancer tissue samples from 120 rectal cancer patients confirmed by pathology in the People's Hospital of Yichun City from September 2005 to September 2010 were included in the study. Expressions of CTHRC1 and VEGF-C were examined by immunohistochemistry and their correlations with clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of VEGF-C was positively correlated with tumor size (r=0.943), TNM stages (r=0.784) and tumor differentiation (r=0.773) (all P<0.05). Similarly, the expression of CTRHC1 was also positively correlated with tumor size (r=0.829), TNM stages (r=0.632) and tumor differentiation (r=0.532) (all P<0.05). Rectal cancer patients with low expression of VEGF-C and CTHRC1 had significantly longer survival than those with high expression of VEGF-C and CTHRC1 [(40.0±1.3) vs. (35.4±0.5) months, P<0.01, (39.0±0.5) vs. (35.0±0.5) months, P=0.014].</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>VEGF-C and CTHRC1 may synergistically promote the invasion and metastasis of human rectal cancer, and provide evidence in predicting the prognosis of patients.</p>