Effect of Different Antitumor Regimens on Incidence and Severity of Corona Virus Disease 2019 Pneumonia in Lung Cancer Patients: A Single-center Retrospective Study / 中国肺癌杂志

BACKGROUND@#Studies have shown that the incidence and severity of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients with lung cancer are higher than those in healthy people. At present, the main anti-tumor treatments for lung cancer include surgery, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy and anti-angiogenesis therapy. While the effects of different anti-tumor treatments on the occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia are not uniform. Therefore, we aimed to describe clinical characteristics and antitumor therapy of patients with lung cancer and COVID-19 pneumonia, and examined risk factors for severity in this population.@*METHODS@#From December 1, 2022 to February 15, 2023, a retrospective study was conducted in 217 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and pathologically confirmed lung cancer in the Jinling Hospital. We collected data about patients' clinical features, antitumor treatment regimen within 6 months, and the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19. Risk factors for occurrence and severity of COVID-19 pneumonia were identified by univariable and multivariable Logistic regression models.@*RESULTS@#(1) Among the 217 patients included, 51 (23.5%) developed COVID-19 pneumonia, of which 42 (82.4%) were classified as medium and 9 (17.6%) were classified as severe; (2) Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed overweight (OR=2.405, 95%CI: 1.095-5.286) and intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy (OR=2.977, 95%CI: 1.071-8.274) are risk factors for increasing occurrence of COVID-19 pneumonia, while other therapies are not; (3) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) history (OR=7.600, 95%CI: 1.430-40.387) was more likely to develop severe pneumonia and anti-tumor therapies such as intrapulmonary focal radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy did not increase severity.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Intrapulmonary focal radiation therapy within 6 months increased the incidence of COVID-19 pneumonia, but did not increase the severity. However, there was no safety concern for chemotherapy, targeted therapy, surgery and immunotherapy.

Comprehensive chemical profiling and quantitative analysis of ethnicYi medicine Miao-Fu-Zhi-Tong granules using UHPLC-MS/MS / 中国天然药物

Developing analytical methods for the chemical components of natural medicines remains a challenge due to its diversity and complexity. Miao-Fu-Zhi-Tong (MFZT) granules, an ethnic Yi herbal prescription, comprises 10 herbs and has been clinically applied for gouty arthritis (GA) therapy. Herein, a series of chemical profiling strategies including in-house library matching, molecular networking and MS/MS fragmentation behavior validation based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) were developed for qualitative analysis of MFZT granules. A total of 207 compounds were identified or characterized in which several rare guanidines were discovered and profiled into alkyl substituted or cyclic subtypes. Moreover, network pharmacology analysis indicated that MFZT's anti-gout mechanism was mostly associated with the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling, nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like signaling and rheumatoid arthritis pathways, along with the synergistic effect of 84 potential active compounds. In addition, a quantitative analytical method was developed to simultaneously determine the 29 potential effective components. Among them, berberine, pellodendrine, 3-feruloylquinic acid, neoastilbin, isoacteoside and chlorogenic acid derivatives at higher concentrations were considered as the chemical markers for quality control. These findings provide a holistic chemical basis for MFZT granules and will support the development of effective analytical methods for the herbal formulas of natural medicines.

Investigation and analysis of occupational hazards in construction of power transmission and transformation project / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To investigate the occupational hazard factors and exposure levels of workers during the construction of power transmission and transformation projects. Methods: Analysis and identification of occupational hazard factors were carried out for typical construction process of 6 power transmission projects and 3 substation projects in September 2018. The on-site occupational health investigation was carried out to detect and analyze the exposure levels of workers to occupational hazard factors. Results: The time weighted average concentration (C(TWA)) of crushing workers exposed to silica dust and welders exposed to welding fume in substation projects were 2.72 and 14.03 mg/m(3), respectively. The 8 h equivalent sound level results of exposure noise of carpenters in power transmission projects and crushing workers, reinforcement workers, carpenters, scaffolders, road builders in substation projects were 87.9, 92.5, 87.1, 92.5, 93.0 and 90.2 dB (A) , respectively. The 4-hour time equal energy frequency weighted vibration acceleration of hand-transmitted vibration of bricklayer in power transmission projects, bricklayer, general worker 3, road builder 1 and road builder 2 of substation projects were 5.36, 5.21, 5.28, 10.71 and 5.22 m/s(2), respectively. The effective irradiance of electric welding arc light of welders' limbs in power transmission projects and substation projects were 401.19, 319.68 μW/cm(2), respectively. All of the above exceeded the requirements of occupational exposure limits. The occupational radiation levels and exposure limits of hazardous chemical factors met the requirements of each post. Conclusion: During the construction of power transmission and transformation projects, the exposure levels of occupational hazard factors in multiple posts exceed the standard. The main responsibility of employers for occupational disease prevention and control should be implemented, and targeted comprehensive measures should be taken to reduce the exposure levels of occupational hazard factors of workers.

Study on endpoint determination method of tablet coating based on 3σ criteria and logic regression / 中国中药杂志

This paper explores the statistical distribution characteristics of coating film thickness, so as to present a new method for determining coating endpoint based on 3σ criterion and logic regression. Firstly, the spectrum and thickness of 4 batch samples were collected. Secondly, the spectral range of normal products was obtained by 3σ criterion, with the spectral feature NI as the number of test spectrum in the above range. Then, the model based on 3σ criterion and logic regression was built according to the best condition in K-fold cross-validation and the determined threshold of qualified rate in the coating endpoint. Finally, the qualified rate of test set samples at different time points was calculated by the above model, and the above change trend and the threshold value were combined to determine the coating endpoint. The results of KS analysis showed the distribution of thickness of the qualified products followed the normal distribution(P=0.081>0.05). The accuracy of the coating endpoint determination was as high as 100% by the model based on 3σ criterion and logic regression when the determined threshold of qualified rate was 90%. Therefore, the 3σ criterion was feasible to the research of coating eligibility. This paper reveals certain random phenomena in the coating process, and the method features a high accuracy, quick analysis and a good interpretability, which provides a reference for online detection and qualify evaluation in future.

Therapeutic effects of artesunate on cytomegalovirus pneumonia in mice / 药学学报

To investigate the therapeutic effect of artesunate on mouse cytomegalovirus pneumonia, the BALB/c-nu mice were infected with murine cytomegalovirus-green fluorescent protein (MCMV-GFP) by nose dropping method. The experimental protocol was approved by the Medical Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of Guangzhou Medical University. The BALB/c-nu mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, MCMV pneumonia group, and artesunate (60, 120, and 240 mg·kg-1) groups. The survival rate, weights, and virus loads in lungs among the groups were observed. The degree of histopathologic changes in lungs was assessed directly by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) assay. MCMV-GFP expression was assessed by immunofluorescence. In addition, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was performed to investigate the content of major immediate early 1 (Mie1) mRNA, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the changes of inflammatory factors, interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of the changes of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways in total proteins. Compared with MCMV group, artesunate (120 mg·kg-1) significantly increased body weights of MCMV-infected nude mice over 30 days, and decreased the viral titer in lung homogenate, lung inflammation, and histological severity. Moreover, the administration of artesunate (120 mg·kg-1) could downregulate the expression of phospho-NF-κB (p-NF-κB) p65 in the lungs of mice. The present study suggested that artesunate can protect the immunocompromised mice from MCMV-induced interstitial pneumonia via downregulating NF-κB signaling pathway, thus attenuating inflammation in the lungs.

Immunotherapy Advances in Small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a "refractory cancer" characterized by rapid growth and extensive early metastasis. About 70% of patients are already in the extensive stage at the time of diagnosis. Despite the high response rate to platinum-contained first-line chemotherapy, almost all patients subsequently experienced inevitable recurrence and had poor response to second-line treatment. The high mutation load and immunogenicity of SCLC suggest that immunotherapy may be effective for SCLC patients. Over the past few years, several clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors [mainly cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) inhibitors] in SCLC patients and demonstrated promising survival prospects. This article reviewed the clinical studies of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in the first-line, maintenance and second or more line treatment of SCLC. Besides, predictive biomarkers were discussed to select suitable patients for immunotherapy effectively.

Clinical Observation on Modified Huqianwan in Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Liver-kidney Yin Deficiency Syndrome / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy and safety of modified Huqianwan in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome, and investigate its possible mechanism. Method: A total of 184 patients with RA liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome were randomly divided into Chinese medicine group (62 cases), western medicine group (57 cases) and integrated Chinese and western medicine group (65 cases) according to the digital table method. The patients in Chinese medicine group were treated with Huqianwan; the patients in western medicine group were treated with methotrexate tablets and leflunomide tablets; and the patients in integrated Chinese and western medicine group received Huqianwan+methotrexate tablets and leflunomide tablets,with a treatment course of 12 weeks in all groups. The pain visual analog scale (VAS), swelling and tenderness scores of 28 joints (DAS28), average hands grip strength, morning stiffness time and liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome differentiation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score were compared between groups before and after treatment. The changes of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C reactive protein (CRP), immunoglobulin (Ig) G, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and rheumatoid factor (RF) were detected in all groups after treatment. Clinical efficacy, and incidence of adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal response, liver injury, leukopenia, serum glutamate oxaloacetic aminotransferase (GOT) and platelet (PLT) level changes were compared between the groups, so as to investigate the efficiency and safety of the different medicines. Result: After 12 weeks of treatment, the total clinical effective rate was 79.0%, 80.7%, and 92.3% respectively in Chinese medicine group, western medicine group, and integrated Chinese and western medicine group; the integrated Chinese and western medicine group was significantly better than the Chinese medicine group and western medicine group (PPPPConclusion: The efficacy in treating RA liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome shows no significant difference between modified Huqianwan and methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets. In the treatment of RA liver and kidney Yin deficiency syndrome, Huqianwan has fewer adverse reactions. Huqianwan combined with methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets is superior to that in methotrexate tablets+leflunomide tablets in treatment of RA liver-kidney Yin deficiency syndrome.

Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Capacity of Ferulic Acid Released from Wheat Bran by Solid-state Fermentation of Aspergillus niger / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

OBJECTIVE@#A strain of Aspergillus niger (A. niger), capable of releasing bound phenolic acids from wheat bran, was isolated. This strain was identified by gene sequence identification. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory capacity of ferulic acid released from wheat bran by this A. niger strain (FA-WB) were evaluated.@*METHODS@#Molecular identification techniques based on PCR analysis of specific genomic sequences were conducted; antioxidant ability was examined using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays, and erythrocyte hemolysis assays. RAW264.7 cells were used as a model to detect anti-inflammatory activity.@*RESULTS@#The filamentous fungal isolate was identified to be A. niger. ORAC and CAA assay showed that FA-WB had better antioxidant activity than that of the ferulic acid standard. The erythrocyte hemolysis assay results suggested that FA-WB could attenuate AAPH-induced oxidative stress through inhibition of reactive oxy gen species (ROS) generation. FA-WB could significantly restore the AAPH-induced increase in intracellular antioxidant enzyme activities to normal levels as well as inhibit the intracellular malondialdehyde formation. TNF-a, IL-6, and NO levels indicated that FA-WB can inhibit the inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).@*CONCLUSION@#Ferulic acid released from wheat bran by a new strain of A. niger had good anti-inflammatory activity and better antioxidant ability than standard ferulic acid.

Value of endobronchial ultrasound-guided localization with combination of ultrathin bronchoscope and methylene blue for small pulmonary nodules before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To analyze the value of endobronchial ultrasound-guided ultrathin bronchoscope(EUGUB) and methylene blue positioning video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) for small pulmonary nodules.Methods Sixty patients undergoing VATS, using pre-operative EUGUB combination with methylene blue was performed .The positioning accuracy, the complications and pathological classification were analyzed .Results EUGUB combination with methylene blue positioning ac-curacy was 91.7%, meanwhile, 2 patients with hemoptysis with no conservative treatment.The postoperative histological pa-thology results showed that benign lesions and malignant lesions accounted for 28.3% and 71.7%, respectively.Conclusion The method of EUGUB combination with methylene blue in positioning of the small pulmonary nodules increases the achieve-ment ratio of VATS with few complications, and may be widely used in treatment of small pulmonary nodules with VATS.

Effect of Qijingmingmu decoction granule on MAPK signal pathway in fibroblasts of conjunctivochalasis stimulated by TNF-α / 眼科新进展

Objective To observe the effects of Qijingmingmu decoction granule on the expression of mitogen-activated protein linase (MAPK) signal pathway in fibroblasts of conjunctivochalasis (CCH) under the stimulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and to explore the pathogenesis and effective treatment method of CCH.Methods CCH conjunctival fibroblasts were cultured in vitro and divided into CCH group,CCH + TNF-α group and CCH + TNF-α + Qijingmingmu decoction group.CCK-8 assay was used to determine the effective concentration of Qijingmingmu decoction granule,and 10-2 mg · L-1 TNF-α was added in the cultured fibroblasts of the latter two groups,followed by interference with Qijingmingmu decoction granule for 48h.The expression of MAPK signal pathway related protein and mRNA were detected by ELISA,Western Blot and RT-PCR.Then the results were statistically analyzed.Results CCK-8 assay showed the effective concentration of Qijingmingmu decoction granule was 1.61g · L-1.And there were significant differences in the total A values (A450) of extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK),c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK),p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and their phosphorylation levels among the three groups (all P ＜ 0.05).Moreover,TNF-α could significantly up-regulate the expression of ERK1/2,JNK1/2,p-JNK1/2,p38 MAPK and p-p38 MAPK in CCH fibroblasts (all P ＜0.05),while Qijingmingmu decoction down-regulated their expressions in CCK fibroblasts after TNF-α stimulation (all P ＜ 0.05).Furthermore,the total differences in p-ERK1/2,p38 MAPK and p-p38 MAPK protein were significant in the three groups (all P＜0.05);and TNF-α could significantly up-regulate the expression of p-ERK1/2,p-JNK1/2,p38 MAPK and p-p38 MAPK protein in CCH fibroblasts (all P ＜0.05),while Qijingmingmu decoction down-regulated p-ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK expressions in CCK fibroblasts after TNF-α stimulation (both P ＜ 0.05).In addition,the total differences in ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK mRNA were significant in the three groups (both P ＜ 0.05);and TNF-α could significantly up-regulate the expression of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK mRNA in CCH fibroblasts (both P ＜ 0.05),while Qijingmingmu decoction down-regulated p38 MAPK mRNA expressions in CCK fibroblasts after TNF-α stimulation (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The inflammatory factor TNF-α can up-regulate the expressions of MAPK signal pathway related protein and mRNA in CCH fibroblasts,resulting in the occurrence and development of CCH,and meanwhile Qijingmingmu decoction granule can downregulate the expression of MAPK signal pathway to play the therapeutic role in CCH to some extent.

Fluorescent staining with hypersensitivity and enhancement for early diagnosis of superficial fungal infection / 临床检验杂志

Objective To evaluate the application of novel fluorescent staining method with hypersensitivity and enhancement for microscopic examination of superficial fungal.Methods A total of 200 cases with clinically suspected superficial fungal infection were screened by the hypersensitive,enhanced fluorescent staining,calcofluor white staining and microscopic examination with 1.78 mol/L potassium hydroxide (KOH) based smear assay,respectively.The positive percentages of the different methods were calculated and compared.Results In the developed fluorescent staining examination,clean background was shown in the view field.The hyphae and spores displayed in bright blue,thus fungal morphology was so distinct that they were easy to be distinguished.Compared with calcofluor white staining and KOH based smear,the fluorescent staining showed high positive rate with significant difference respectively (x2 =17.984,P ＜ 0.05;x2 =32.063,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion The novel fluorescent staining should be a rapid,accurate method for microscopic examination of fungi,which is worthy to be widely used in clinical laboratories for early diagnosis of fungal infection.

Influencing factors analysis of the postoperative pregnancy in patients with uterine septum / 中国内镜杂志

Objective To analyze the impact of uterine septum on pregnancy and influencing factors on postopera-tive pregnancy. Methods 125 patients with septate uterus and bearing requirement who underwent TCRS were fol-lowed up to assess fertility outcome. The clinical data was retrospectively analyzed. Results Spontaneous abortion rate was 70.40%and 19.39%, live birth rates was 10.40%and 72.45 %in preoperation and postoperation respec-tively. The difference was statistically significant ( < 0.05). Spontaneous abortion rate in older than 35 years old group was significantly higher than that in younger than 35 years old group, but live birth rate was lower. There was no significant difference in different times of operation in uterine cavity, number of abortion and septum length and so on. Conclusions TCRS can significantly improve pregnancy outcome. The age has influence on postoperative pregnancy outcome. Abortion numbers, septum length, septal base width, intrauterine device (IUD) and hormone re-placement therapy (HRT) may have no effects.

Method of bubble under water capsulorhexis in small incision used in mature cataract operation / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To observe application of underwater bubble method capsulorhexis overmature period to improve the small incision cataract surgery, so as to explore the clinical value of the surgical method. ● METHODS: From Jul. 2012 to Mar. 2016 at the grassroots of blindness 58 people fail in the 66 eyes overmature period of cataract were randomly divided into underwent capsulorhexis by underwater bubble method to improve the small incision cataract surgery group ( 36 eyes of 30 cases ) and conventional viscoelastic agent underwent capsulorhexis small incision cataract surgery group (30 eyes of 28 cases). ● RESULTS: A total of 66 eyes in success rate of continuous circular capsulorhexis: 92% ( 33/36 eyes ) of underwater bubble method, method of viscoelastic agent only 40% ( 12/30 eyes ) . Two groups of cases of postoperative corneal endothelial cell density are compared with preoperative significantly reduced, no significant statistical difference between the two groups(P>0. 05). ● CONCLUSION: Underwater bubble method capsulorhexis difficult to overmature period of cataract surgery capsulorhexis solution is a better way.

A case of cutaneous Arthrinium phaeospermum infection after lower limb amputation / 中华皮肤科杂志

A 59?year?old female patient, who received bilateral lower limb amputation 39 years ago, presented with eczematoid changes in both lower limbs for over 20 years, and with chronic granuloma?like lesions complicated by verrucous hyperplasia for more than 10 years. There were large areas of infiltrative and proliferative lesions with exudation and peripheral erythema at the amputation sites in both knee joints. The lesions were hard with tenderness on palpation. Microscopic examination of lesional scales with 10%KOH showed negative results for fungi. However, three times of culture on the Sabouraud dextrose agar(SDA)medium all grew the same kind of fungus, and the front side and reverse side of its filamentous colony were white and orange yellow respectively. Microculture showed that linear hyaline conidiophores came out from lageniform mother cells with conidia ascending alongside. The conidia looked like dark brown eye lens, with an equatorial germ slit. Based on these findings, this fungus was identified as Arthrinium phaeospermum. Periodic acid?Schiff (PAS) staining showed scattered hyphae in the stratum corneum. The internal transcribe spacer(ITS)sequence of the isolated fungus showed 99%consistency with that of Arthrinium phaeospermum. The patient was diagnosed with cutaneous Arthrinium phaeospermum infection, and treated with oral itraconazole capsules 200 mg/d for 16 days. One month later, follow?up showed satisfactory outcomes.

Effect of berberine on D-dimer, fibrinogen and interleukin-6 in peripheral blood of ovarian cancer patients / 中国生化药物杂志

Objective To analyse the effect of berberine on D-dimer, fibrinogen (FIB) and interleukin-6(IL-6) in peripheral blood of ovarian cancer patients.Methods 130 cases selected from the hospital were diagnosed as unilateral ovarian cancer, treated by surgery and chemotherapy.The patients were divided into control group (25 cases) and experimental group (105 cases), and the experimental group were randomly divided into A, B, C three groups, 35 cases in each group.The experimental group received berberine hydrochloride tablets, orally, three times a day, on the basis of conventional chemotherapy.The experimental groups were divided into three subgroups according to the dosage: A group: 0.3 g, B group: 0.2 g, C group:0.1 g, 35 cases in each group, continuously treated for 2 weeks.The levels of D-dimer, FIB and IL-6 and quality of life score were detected before and after treatment.Results After treatment, D-dimer level in each subgroup of experimental group was lower than that in control group, respectively, and A group

Expression of LRP16 in human endometrial carcinoma tissues and its role on cell proliferation / 重庆医学

Objective To investigate the expression change of LRP16 in endometrial cancer tissues and its influence on the pro-liferation of human endometrial carcinoma HEC-1-B cells .Methods HEC-1-B cells were transfected with LRP16 .RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of LRP16 in 26 normal endometrium specimens ,10 endometrial cancer specimens .RT-PCR was used for verifying the transfection success .WES-T was used to observe the proliferation change of HEC-1-B cells .Results The positive expression rate and level of LRP16 mRNA in the endometrial cancer tissues were 83 .33% and 0 .82 ± 0 .21 ,which were significantly higher than 30 .00% ,0 .47 ± 0 .18 in the normal endometrium tissues(P<0 .05) .The RT-PCR detection results revealed that the expression of LRP16 mRNA after transfection was significantly increased .HEC-1-B cells in the transfection group could continued to proliferate in vitro ,but the proliferation capacity was not increased .Conclusion The expression abnormality of LRP16 may be closely related to the occurrence and progress of endometrial cancer ,LRP16 gene may have potential value for the endometrial canc-er gene therapy .

Clinical analysis of patients with stage IV ( colorectal cancer after palliative resection of primary tumor / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the independent predictors of postoperative mortality, morbidity, and long-term survival in patients with stage IV ( colorectal cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Clinical data of 189 patients with stage IV( colorectal cancer undergoing palliative resection of primary tumor in the presence of unresectable synchronous metastases were analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eighty-six (45.5%)patients developed postoperative complications. Preoperative predictors of medical complications included age(≥65, P=0.039) and emergency operations (P=0.001). Preoperative predictors of surgical complications included advanced local disease (T4, P=0.022) and lymph node spread (N2, P=0.009). Seventeen (9.0%) patients died in the postoperative period. Mortality was independently associated with age(P=0.013), peritoneal dissemination(P=0.010), emergency operations(P=0.001) and medical complications(P=0.008). The survival rates at 1-, 2-, and 3- year of 172 patients admitted in survival analysis were 41.2%, 22.7% and 7.7% respectively. Independent factors associated with poor overall survival included lymph node spread(N2, P=0.015) and poor tumor differentiation(P=0.038).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Emergency operations should be avoid when palliative resection of primary tumor is considered for stage IV( colorectal cancer patients, especially for elderly patients and those with peritoneal dissemination. The significance of palliative resection is limited for stage IV ( colorectal cancer patients with lymph node spread and poor tumor differentiation.</p>

Analysis of prognostic factors of non-small cell lung cancer in patients under 40 years of age / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the prognostic factors for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)in patients under 40 years of age.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinicopathological data of 148 young patients with NSCLC were retrospectively analyzed. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between prognostic factors and survival time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The patients were followed-up for 6 - 148 months, and the follow-up rate was 100%. In the whole group, 122 patients died and 26 cases were surviving. The 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates were 54.7%, 10.4% and 5.6%, respectively. The median survival time (MST) was 14.7 months. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that Karnofsky performance status (KPS), clinical stage, treatment modality and serum CEA were related with prognosis (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis indicated that KPS, clinical stage, treatment modality and serum CEA were independent prognostic factors (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>KPS, CEA, clinical stage and treatment modalities are independent prognostic factors in young NSCLC patients.</p>

Single-agent maintenance therapy in non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Can single-agent maintenance therapy be considered as an ideal strategy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment to achieve prolonged survival and tolerated toxicity? A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to elucidate this issue.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The electronic databases were searched for RCTs comparing single-agent maintenance therapy with placebo, best support care or observation. The required data for estimation of response, survival and toxicity were extracted from the publications and the combined data were calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Eleven RCTs involving 3686 patients were identified. We found a statistically significant higher probability of tumor response for patients with maintenance therapy versus control patients (OR: 2.80, 95%CI: 2.15 - 3.64). Patients receiving maintenance therapy had significantly longer progression-free survival (PFS) (HR: 0.67, 95%CI: 0.62 - 0.71) and overall survival (OS) (HR: 0.84, 95%CI: 0.78 - 0.90). However, maintenance therapy was associated with more severe toxicities (OR: 6.45, 95%CI: 4.61 - 9.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In patients with advanced NSCLC, the use of single-agent maintenance therapy is associated with higher response rate and significantly prolongs PFS and OS despite of the risk of additional toxicity.</p>

Nerve growth factor expression in astrocytoma and cerebrospinal fluid: a new biomarker for prognosis of astrocytoma / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Recent studies have discovered that nuclear translocation of nerve growth factor (NGF) and its receptor fragments function differently from the traditional model. This study aimed to uncover the nuclear expression of NGF in astrocytoma and its biological significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ninety-four paraffin-embedded astrocytoma specimens were subjected to immunohistochemical (IHC) and hemotoxylin & eosin (HE) staining. Preoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens and intraoperative snap-frozen astrocytoma tissues were assayed for NGF expression by ELISA and Western blotting. The outcome of patients who contributed samples was tracked. Each ten tissue samples from patients with traumatic brain injury who had received decompression surgery and CSF samples from patients undergoing spinal anesthesia but with no history of nervous system disease were taken as control.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>NGF-positive immunoreactive products were distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of astrocytoma, but were only located in the cytoplasm of traumatic brain injury (TBI) tissue. NGF nuclear-positive rate (NPR) of grades III - IV astrocytomas (70.0%) was higher than that of grades I - II astrocytoma (28.6%, P < 0.05). NGF-NP expression positively correlated with the NGF concentration in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (r = 0.755, P < 0.01). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that the median survival time was 25 months for NGF-NP astrocytoma grade I - II patients and 42 months in NGF nuclear negative (NGF-NN) astrocytoma grade I - II patients (P < 0.05). In astrocytoma III - IV patients, the median survival was 7 months for NGF-NP patients and 24 months for NGF-NN patients (P < 0.01). Two types of NGF with molecular weights of 13 and 36 kDa were present in astrocytoma, but only the 36 kDa NGF was found in the CSF. NGF expression elevated as the malignancy increased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>NGF-NP expression and NGF level in CSF were significant prognostic factors in astrocytoma patients. Because of the easy access of CSF, it may be developed as an index for early diagnosis and surveillance of astrocytoma.</p>