Application of metabonomics strategy in sepsis / 中国小儿急救医学

Sepsis is a heterogeneous disease with a complex pathogenesis and diverse clinical manifestations.Sepsis leads to disruption of biochemical homeostasis, which strongly promotes changes in metabolites in the body.Initial differences in metabolites may predict the severity of the disease, and changes in metabolites over time may useful in assessing treatment response, predicting progression of disease progression or clinical outcomes.This review focused on the studies related to the application of metabolomics strategy in sepsis, which could help to understand the potential value of sepsis metabolomics in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of sepsis.

The Application of Medical Games in Doctor-patient Communication in Pediatric Otolaryngology / 中国医学伦理学

This paper mainly explored the application of medical games in doctor-patient communication in pediatric otorhinolaryngology. Taking the "Little Warrior Break Through" medical game service of Shenzhen Longgang District Otolaryngology Hospital as an example, doctors, nurses and social workers formed a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team. Focusing on the three major problems in pediatric otorhinolaryngology, namely, the tense doctor-patient relationship, the insufficient doctor-patient communication, and the difficulty of children to cooperate with treatment, the team carried out a series of themed medical games covering the three stages of admission preparation, preoperative counseling, and postoperative rehabilitation for pediatric otolaryngology patients and their families. This paper showed that medical games can effectively help children and their families to ease tension, promote doctor-patient communication, increase the symmetry of doctor-patient information, improve children’s adaptation and acceptance of diseases, and ease the tense doctor-patient relationship. It is hoped that the exploration of the medical game service of "Little Warrior Break Through" will inspire medical social work, and then build micro-operation methods in clinical practice to help construct a harmonious doctor-patient relationship.

Icaritin and pyropheophorbide-a self-assembled nanomedicine for enhanced the efficacy of photodynamic tumor therapy by increase the cell autophagy / 药学学报

Autophagy often occurs after cells are attacked by oxidative stress, where damaged structures are phagocytic and degraded into nutrients, thereby reducing oxidative damage, promoting the survival of cancer cells and reducing the therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, excessive activation of autophagy can promote cell apoptosis. In this paper, the photosensitizer pyropheophorbide-a (Ppa) was used to produce a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to achieve the effect of killing cancer cells. At the same time, icaritin (Ica), an autophagy inducer, was used to over-activate autophagy, which transformed the protection of cancer cells into the promotion of cancer cell apoptosis, so as to improve the effect of photodynamic therapy. In this study, the interaction force between Ica and Ppa was exploited to successfully construct a self-assembled nanomedicine IP with good stability and high drug load. The synthesis method is simple, through using the drug itself as a carrier, and the loading capacity (LA) of Ica and Ppa can be increased to 83.53% and 16.45% without introducing potential biosafety risks of nanocarriers. Compared with free Ppa, self-assembled nanomedicine IP showed superior performance in cellular uptake and reactive oxygen species production. In addition, the self-assembled nanomedicine IP can reverse the protective autophagy induced by PDT by activating the autophagy of tumor cells, and facilitate apoptosis and antitumor coordination, which significantly improves the antitumor activity of PDT.

Current application of antibiotic de-escalation treatment in children with sepsis and its impact on prognosis / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To analyze the eligibility of empirical antibiotic therapy in culture positive sepsis in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and to explore the application of antibiotic de-escalation (ADE) in children with sepsis and its impact on prognosis. Methods: A total of 123 children with sepsis-associated organ dysfunction or septic shock admitted to the PICU of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2018 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The general information, laboratory tests, the use of empirical anti-bacterial drugs and the application of ADE were collected. According to the adjustment of anti-bacterial drugs, these children were divided into ADE group and non-ADE group. Comparisons between groups were performed with unpaired Student t test, or Mann-Whitney U test, or chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Results: In these 123 children, 70 were males and 53 were females, the age was 11.4 (2.8, 56.5) months. Body fluid culture was detected positive in 41 children including 3 children (7.3%) who received inadequate empirical antibiotic therapy and 38 children (92.7%) who received adequate empirical antibiotic therapy. Excluding 10 children who received appropriate therapy, 28 received unnecessary broad-spectrum antibiotics. There were no significant differences regarding the PICU all-cause mortality rates, length of PICU stay, hospitalization cost, duration of mechanical ventilation, as well as incidences of re-infection between the ADE group (n=46) and non-ADE group (n=77) (all P>0.05). However, among the 101 children who have used antibiotics against multidrug-resistant organism, the duration of such antibiotics use in ADE group (n=43) was shorter than that in non-ADE group (n=58) (5.0 (4.0, 12.0) vs. 9.5 (7.0, 13.0) d, Z=-3.14, P=0.002). Conclusions: Overuse of unnecessary broad-spectrum empirical antibiotics is very common, but the application of ADE is rather disappointing. ADE can reduce the use of anti-bacterial drugs against multi-drug resistant bacteria without significant adverse effects on prognosis in children with sepsis.

Effect of Shengjiang Tonglong Prescription Hollow Suppository on Rats with Prostatic Hyperplasia Based on PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository on rats with prostate hyperplasia， and the effect of the proteins related to phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway in the prostate， thus exploring the mechanism of Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository in the treatment of rats with prostate hyperplasia. MethodTen SD male rats were randomly selected from 60 SD male rats to form a sham operation control group， and the rest rats were subcutaneously injected with testosterone propionate for 4 consecutive weeks after castration to induce the rat model of prostatic hyperplasia. According to the random number table method， the 50 rats were randomly divided into a model group， a finasteride group （0.45 mg·kg-1）， and three high， middle， and low-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups （3.98， 1.99， 0.99 g·kg-1）， with ten rats in each group. After castration for 7 d， the sham operation control group and the model group used the blank hollow suppositories， and the finasteride group and the Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups used the corresponding hollow suppositories. The drugs were given to the rats by anal plugs continuously for 28 d. The rats were then killed， and the prostate tissues were separated and weighed to observe the effects of drugs on the prostate index of rats in each group. The hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used for the pathological observation of the prostate tissues. The level of dihydrotestosterone （DHT） was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway protein， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， cysteine aspartate-specific protease-3 （Caspase-3）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， and αB-crystallin （CRYAB） protein in the prostate tissues. ResultAs compared with the sham operation control group， the protein expression levels of prostate index， DHT level， CRYAB， Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt in the model group were increased， and the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the prostate index in the high-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository group was decreased （P<0.05）， and the level of DHT and the protein expression levels of CRYAB， Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt in the prostate of the Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups were decreased， and the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionShengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository decreases the expression of CRYAB protein， negatively regulates the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， down-regulates the level of DHT and the protein expression levels of Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt， and up-regulates the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax， thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis， which plays a therapeutic role in the benign prostate hyperplasia （BPH）. The high-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository significantly improves prostatic hyperplasia in rats.

Effect of Shengjiang Tonglong Prescription Hollow Suppository on Rats with Prostatic Hyperplasia Based on PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository on rats with prostate hyperplasia， and the effect of the proteins related to phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/Akt） signaling pathway in the prostate， thus exploring the mechanism of Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository in the treatment of rats with prostate hyperplasia. MethodTen SD male rats were randomly selected from 60 SD male rats to form a sham operation control group， and the rest rats were subcutaneously injected with testosterone propionate for 4 consecutive weeks after castration to induce the rat model of prostatic hyperplasia. According to the random number table method， the 50 rats were randomly divided into a model group， a finasteride group （0.45 mg·kg-1）， and three high， middle， and low-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups （3.98， 1.99， 0.99 g·kg-1）， with ten rats in each group. After castration for 7 d， the sham operation control group and the model group used the blank hollow suppositories， and the finasteride group and the Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups used the corresponding hollow suppositories. The drugs were given to the rats by anal plugs continuously for 28 d. The rats were then killed， and the prostate tissues were separated and weighed to observe the effects of drugs on the prostate index of rats in each group. The hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used for the pathological observation of the prostate tissues. The level of dihydrotestosterone （DHT） was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway protein， B-cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）， cysteine aspartate-specific protease-3 （Caspase-3）， Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）， and αB-crystallin （CRYAB） protein in the prostate tissues. ResultAs compared with the sham operation control group， the protein expression levels of prostate index， DHT level， CRYAB， Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt in the model group were increased， and the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. As compared with the model group， the prostate index in the high-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository group was decreased （P<0.05）， and the level of DHT and the protein expression levels of CRYAB， Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt in the prostate of the Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository groups were decreased， and the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionShengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository decreases the expression of CRYAB protein， negatively regulates the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， down-regulates the level of DHT and the protein expression levels of Bcl-2， PI3K， and Akt， and up-regulates the protein expression levels of Caspase-3 and Bax， thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting cell apoptosis， which plays a therapeutic role in the benign prostate hyperplasia （BPH）. The high-dose Shengjiang Tonglong prescription hollow suppository significantly improves prostatic hyperplasia in rats.

Clinical treatment outcomes and their changes in extremely preterm twins: a multicenter retrospective study in Guangdong Province, China / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.

Diagnosis and treatment value of bedside severe ultrasound in children with shock / 中国小儿急救医学

Objective:To evaluate the diagnostic and therapeutic value of bedside severe ultrasound in children with shock.Methods:Children who were diagnosed shock in the PICU of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from May 1, 2019 to April 31, 2020 were included in this study.Rapid ultrasound in shock (RUSH) exam was used to evaluate the morphology and function of heart, lung and abdomen of children with shock, so as to assist the diagnosis and treatment of shock.Results:Twenty-six children with shock were evaluated immediately according to the RUSH exam when they were admitted to hospital.Eight cases were diagnosed as septic shock, six cases as cardiogenic shock, six cases as hypovolemic shock and six cases as mixed shock.The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of children with cardiogenic shock was (26.5±8.24)%, and the width of inferior vena cava was greater than 10 mm.After the shock was corrected, LVEF increased to (32.17±26.11)%.However, the LVEF of children with septic shock was (73.25±1.28)% at admission and (50.12±31.41)% at shock correction.Nine cases (34.6%) found more B-lines in the lungs after fluid resuscitation for one hour in 26 children with shock.Among them, about 50% of the children with cardiogenic shock found more B-lines in their lungs one hour after fluid resuscitation, and 11 cases(57.9%) of the surviving children showed more B-lines after shock correction, but only six children could hear blisters after physical examination.Conclusion:According to RUSH exam, we can evaluate the volume status, cardiac function, volume responsiveness and focus on infection in children with shock, distinguish the type of shock earlier and more accurately, assist in guiding fluid resuscitation, and facilitate accurate and individualized fluid management and treatment of patients.

Systemic Inflammatory Biomarkers, Especially Fibrinogen to Albumin Ratio, Predict Prognosis in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#Systemic inflammatory response is a critical factor that promotes the initiation and metastasis of malignancies including pancreatic cancer (PC). This study was designed to determine and compare the prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) in resectable PC and locally advanced or metastatic PC. @*Materials and Methods@#Three hundred fifty-three patients with resectable PC and 807 patients with locally advan-ced or metastatic PC were recruited in this study. These patients were classified into a training set (n=758) and a validation set (n=402). Kaplan-Meier survival plots and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze prognosis. @*Results@#Overall survival (OS) was significantly better for patients with resectable PC with low preoperative PLR (p=0.048) and MLR (p=0.027). Low FAR, MLR, NLR (p < 0.001), and PLR (p=0.003) were significantly associated with decreased risk of death for locally advanced or metastatic PC patients. FAR (hazard ratio [HR], 1.522; 95% confidential interval [CI], 1.261 to 1.837; p < 0.001) and MLR (HR, 1.248; 95% CI, 1.017 to 1.532; p=0.034) were independent prognostic factors for locally advanced or metastatic PC. @*Conclusion@#The prognostic roles of FAR, MLR, NLR, and PLR in resectable PC and locally advanced or metastatic PC were different. FAR showed the most prognostic power in locally advanced or metastatic PC. Low FAR was positively correlated with OS in locally advanced or metastatic PC, which could be used to predict the prognosis.

Transarterial chemoembolization, ablation, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapy (TATI): A novel treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors. Currently, the main effective treatment options for HCC include resection, liver transplantation, various percutaneous modalities (such as transarterial chemoembolization [TACE] and thermal ablation), and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Herein, we have proposed a novel therapy which consists of TACE, ablation, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapy (TATI) for patients with advanced HCC). We reported the therapeutic effects of TATI in four patients with advanced HCC. All patients underwent TACE treatment at the beginning of disease diagnosis. During follow-up, all patients were treated with microwave ablation because of a residual tumor or recurrence. For tumor control, apatinib, a TKI, was administered after ablation. If the tumor was resistant to the TKI, we continued to apatinib therapy in combination with immunotherapy (camrelizumab). All the four patients had better survival benefits and no serious adverse effects

Camrelizumab combined with microwave ablation improves the objective response rate in advanced non-small cell lung cancer

Aim: The present study evaluated the safety and efficacy of camrelizumab (a programmed death-1 antibody) in combination with microwave ablation (MWA) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Materials and Methods: A total of 21 patients were prospectively enrolled. MWA was performed in 25 pulmonary lesions during 21 sessions. Camrelizumab was administered 5–7 days after MWA as a dose of 200 mg, which was repeated every 2 weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxicities. The primary endpoints were safety and the objective response rate (ORR). Other endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: The technical success rate was 100%. No treatment-associated deaths were identified. Major complications, minor complications, and side effects of MWA were observed in 9, 8, and 14 patients, respectively. The main major complications included pneumothorax, pneumonia, hemorrhage, and pleural effusion. The adverse events of camrelizumab included reactive skin capillary hyperplasia (n = 9), hypothyroidism (n = 5), pneumonia (n = 4), fatigue (n = 2), leukopenia (n = 1), and neutropenia (n = 1). Grade 2 and 3 camrelizumab adverse events were identified in eight and three patients, respectively. The ORR was 33.3%, with two patients achieving complete response and five patients achieving partial response. The median PFS was 5.1 months and OS was not reached. Conclusions: Camrelizumab administration combined with MWA was safe in the treatment of advanced NSCLC, and the combination improved the ORR of camrelizumab alone compared to previous reports

Salvage therapy of reactive capillary hemangiomas: Apatinib alleviates the unique adverse events induced by camrelizumab in non-small cell lung cancer

Background: Camrelizumab is a promising anti-programmed cell death-1 agent for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and induces reactive capillary hemangiomas (RCHs). Routine clinical management of this unique and prevalent toxicity has been summarized in previous studies. The objective of this study was to provide evidence of apatinib as a salvage therapy for RCHs. Materials and Methods: In this single-center, observational study, patients with NSCLC who were over 18 years of age and treated with camrelizumab were enrolled. The incidence of RCHs, onset and duration time, severity, evolution, and clinical practices, especially with apatinib, for their management and impact on quality of life, were recorded during a 6-month follow-up. Results: A total of 28 patients were included. The incidence of RCHs was 28.6% (8/28). The median onset and duration time were 6 weeks and 8 weeks, respectively. Six (21.4%) patients had mild and moderate RCHs and four (9.3%) patients achieved a rapid regression of RCHs with the application of apatinib. The impact of the RCHs on quality of life was limited and assessed with Dermatology Life Quality Index scores. No treatment-associated termination was observed. Conclusion: The combination of camrelizumab and apatinib in the treatment of NSCLC reduced the incidence of RCHs. Apatinib appeared to be a salvage therapy of RCHs, which leads to rapid regression of RCHs with no impairment on the quality of life

The value of next-generation sequencing technology in pathogen detection / 中国小儿急救医学

Infectious disease is common in children.Accurate and rapid pathogen diagnosis can help clinicians to make targeted treatment and improve the outcome of children.The next-generation sequencing has been developed and applied in clinic recently, which has become a new method of pathogen diagnosis.Metagenomicnext-generation sequencing is the most widely used for pathogen detectation in infectious disease.It can detect all pathogens nucleic acids of the samples unbiasedly.This technology includes sample collection, nucleic acid extraction, library preparation, high-throughput sequencing, biological information analysis and report interpretation.As the complication of whole process involving clinical, microbiological and bioinformation fields, the interpretation of the report results needs to be carefully considered and verified by clinicians depends on the situation of patients and other auxiliary diagnostic methods.Clinicians need to understand next-generation sequencing in order to make better use of this technology and serve patients.

Extraction and separation of apigenin-7-O-glucoside and TLC identification in Folium malloti apeltae / 国际中医中药杂志

Objective:To establish the extraction and separation method of flavone from the Folium malloti apeltae and TLC identification method. Methods:The Folium malloti apeltae was extracted by 95% ethyl alcohol, and the ethanol recovery by rotary distillation. The extracted Folium malloti apeltae was mixed well with silicone. It was eluted with petroleum ether and extracted with ethyl acetate. Then, the concentrated ethyl acetate fraction was recovered. The ethyl acetate fraction was separated and purified on a polyamide column with gradient elution of water and methanol. The TLC identification was carried out with daposthride as the reference substance, the leaves as the reference material, the silica gel G plate as the adsorbent, and chloroform methanol formic acid (10:3:0.3) as the developing agent. Results:Apigenin-7-O-glucoside obtained from Folium malloti apeltae. TLC identification method of Folium malloti apeltae was established with detectable spots and satisfactory separating result. Conclusions:This method to identify Folium malloti apeltae is accurate and rapid, which can be used for the quality control of Folium malloti apeltae.

Structures Characteristics and Bioactivity of Polysaccharide CALB-2 from Aurantii Fructus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To isolate and purify a polysaccharide CALB-2 fraction from Aurantii Fructus，and analyze its basic chemical structure, morphological characteristics and bioactivity. Method:A refined CALB-2 was obtained from Aurantii Fructus by hot water extraction，then separated and purified by ion exchange resin，ion exchange agarose gel and propylene dextran gel to obtain homogeneous polysaccharide CALB-2. The molecular mass of CALB-2 was determined by high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. Monosaccharide composition analysis of CALB-2 was conducted by methylation analysis and Smith degradation. Structural analysis and morphological characterization were conducted by infrared scanning （IR） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM） analysis. Antioxidant activity of CALB-2 was studied by using H2O2-induced cardiomyocyte oxidative damage model. Result:CALB-2 was a homogeneous polysaccharide and the molecular weight of CALB-2 was estimated to be 3.57×107 Da，which was proved to be a kind of highly branched acidic polysaccharides in IR analysis, methylation analysis and Smith degradation, mainly present in form of 1→3，4 bonds. Through SEM observations，we indicated that the molecular morphology of CALB-2 was amorphous solid. The in vitro activity test showed that CALB-2 had obvious protective effects on injury of H9c2 myocardial cells induced by H2O2. Conclusion:CALB-2 is a kind of homogeneous polysaccharide extracted from Aurantii Fructus， with an anti-cardiomyocyte oxidative damage effect, laying a theoretical foundation for further study of Aurantii Fructus polysaccharides．

Joint effect of school and family on domestic second-hand smoke exposure in middle school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To observe the joint effect of school and family tobacco control on middle school students, and to explore its effectiveness in reducing second-hand smoke exposure in middle school students’ families, as so asto provide a new way of thinking for controlling smoking among middle school sudents.@*Methods@#A questionnaire survey was conducted on the study of 2 125 primary and high school students in four middle schools in the Dongcheng District of Beijing by means of a stratified group sampling method. Personal information of students, tobacco control environment around the family, school and surrounding ares, as well as the knowledge, attitude and behavior of students related to tobacco control was collected.@*Results@#The exposure rate of second-hand smoke in the families of middle and high school students in Dongcheng District of Beijing was 33.41%. Smoking by at least one parent was positively correlated with second-hand smoke exposure in the student’s home (OR=22.88, P<0.05). Among the students who saw the "clear no-smoking label" on campus, the exposure rate (4.92%) when the smoking restriction was set on the home was lower than that of those who did not have a regulation in the home (58.94%) (χ2=452.57, P<0.01). The results of Logistic regression showed that there was a combination of family smoking restrictions and second-hand smoke exposure in middle and high school students who had seen the smoking ban on campus (OR=0.08) and had the school’s tobacco control education (OR=0.08).@*Conclusion@#The joint tobacco control measures between school and family can effectively reduce the exposure rate of second-hand smoke in middle school students’ families, which is better than the effect of tobacco control alone.

Diagnostic ability of percutaneous core biopsy immediately after microwave ablation for lung ground-glass opacity

Objectives: The objective of this study is to determine the diagnostic ability of percutaneous core biopsy immediately after microwave ablation (MWA) for lung ground-glass opacity (GGO). Materials and Methods: Seventy-four patients with 74 lung GGOs were enrolled and treated with MWA. A percutaneous core needle biopsy was performed pre- and immediately post-MWA. All biopsy specimens were histologically examined by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunostaining. Histologically, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH), adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), and invasive adenocarcinoma (AC) were identified as positive, while chronic inflammation or normal lung tissue was identified as negative. Results: The outcomes of pre-MWA histological diagnosis were AAH (n = 4), AIS (n = 16), MIA (n = 14), AC (n = 29), chronic inflammation (n = 2), and lung tissue (n = 9) with an 85.1% (63/74) positive diagnosis rate. The outcomes of the immediately post-MWA histological diagnosis were AAH (n = 5), AIS (n = 10), MIA (n = 11), AC (n = 29), chronic inflammation (n = 1), and lung tissue (n = 18) with a 74.3% (55/74) positive diagnosis rate. There was no significant difference in the positive diagnosis rate between the pre- and immediately post-MWA groups (P = 0.10). The outcomes of the combined diagnosis of pre- and immediately post-MWA were AAH (n = 4), AIS (n = 16), MIA (n = 16), AC (n = 31), chronic inflammation (n = 2), and lung tissue (n = 5) with a positive diagnosis rate of 90.5% (67/74), which was higher than that by pre-MWA biopsy (P < 0.05). The main complications were pneumothorax (n = 45, 60.8%), hemoptysis (n = 24, 32.4%), pleural effusion (n = 39, 52.7%), and pulmonary infection (n = 10, 13.5%). Conclusions: Immediately post-MWA core biopsy has promising efficacy for histological diagnosis of lung GGOs.

Apatinib and S-1 combination therapy for the treatment of advanced head and neck neoplasms: Three case reports

Apatinib, one of the novel oral antiangiogenic agents, shows survival benefits in treating advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma. However, its efficacy in treating advanced head and neck neoplasms has not been reported. Herein, three elderly men with advanced head and neck neoplasms were treated with apatinib and S-1. Their initial diagnoses were hypopharyngeal carcinoma, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, and squamous cell carcinoma of the pyriform sinus. All patients underwent repeated chemotherapy but developed disease progression. As they refused radiotherapy due to its serious adverse reaction, apatinib was administered at a dose of 425 mg daily and S-1 at 60 mg twice daily. Thirty days after apatinib administration, the patients achieved partial response according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 standard. Mild toxicity or drug-related side effect was observed during the treatment. Therefore, apatinib and S-1 could be the new treatment option for advanced head and neck neoplasms. However, clinical trials are required to confirm their efficacy and safety.

Experimental study in vivo ablation of swine pancreas using high-intensity focused ultrasound

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for ablation of swine pancreas and to detect the pathological variations in pancreas damage. Materials and Methods: (a) Eight swine were involved and randomly divided into two groups (Group A and B). HIFU was applied on swine in both groups for in vivo ablation of pancreas. The animals were anesthetized, and the artificial acoustic window was built. Then, the irradiation of FEP-BY02 type HIFU on pancreas was applied. (b) Swine in Group A were euthanized immediately after treating with HIFU to examine variations in pancreas. The biochemical evidence of pancreatitis was evaluated by blood samples collected from swine in Group B before and after HIFU. Then, the pancreas of swine in Group B was euthanized on day 5 after treatment to examine the pancreas. All specimens were visually inspected for both ultrasonic focal damage region (UFDR) and pathological routine by a skilled pathologist. Results: (a) The vital signs of all animals were stable during HIFU treatment and recovered well after treatment. (b) UFDR were observed in all HIFU irradiation region of the specimens, without significant size difference between the two groups. The coagulation nucleus pyknosis, cytochylema vacuolation, and nucleus membrane disruption were observed after HIFU in both groups. Membranous structure dissolution and inflammatory cell infiltration were also found after HIFU in swine of Group B. (c) There was no significant difference in the levels of blood amylase in swine of Group B before and after HIFU treatment. Conclusions: It was feasible and safe to use HIFU for ablation of the pancreas in swine