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ObjectiveTo compare the changes of retinal microcirculation indexes in the anterior and posterior macular areas of the eyes used at close range and to explore the possible causes of myopia affected by near work. MethodsWatching mobile phone video for 1 hour at close range was used as the method of defining near work. The OCTA technology was used to measure the superficial retinal microcirculation indexes within 6 by 6 mm macular area before and after near work， including the superficial retinal VLD from the nerve fiber layer to the inner boundary of the outer plexiform layer， the VPD， nonperfusion area of FAZ， FAZ-P and FAZ circulation，. The FAZ was divided int center， inner layer， outer layer and overall according to the region， and 11 microcirculation indexes were obtained to compare the differences between before and after near work. ResultsThe indexes of superficial retinal microcirculation in the macular area generally decreased after near work， except for FAZ-A and FAZ-P（P = 0.148， 0.975）. The largest differences among both VLD and VPD occurred between the central and inner layer（Difference = 1.00， 0.80， 0.02， 0.02，P = 0.001， 0.008， 0.001， 0.008）. No differences in microcirculation indexs were observed in the macular area after near work with different diopters and axial lengths. ConclusionNear work may affect the occurrence and development of myopia by affecting the changes of retinal microcirculation in the superficial layer of macula， leading to ischemia and hypoxia.
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Objective:To detect the concentration of various cytokines in aqueous humor of patients with diabetes retinopathy (DR) with Luminex liquid chip, and analyze the relationship between the cytokines and the occurrence and development of DR.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted.Sixty-three DR patients (97 eyes) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 were enrolled as DR group, including 38 nonproliferative DR (NPDR) eyes in NPDR group and 59 proliferative DR (PDR) eyes in PDR group, 39 eyes in photocoagulation group and 58 eyes in non-photocoagulation group.Twenty-seven patients (31 eyes) hospitalized for cataract surgery at the same time were collected as the control group.Aqueous humor was extracted during the operation, and Luminex liquid chip was used to detect the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), placental growth factor (PLGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA, PDGF-BB, angiopoietin-like protein 4 (ANGPTL4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-1β, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in aqueous humor.The concentrations of various cytokines of different groups were compared, and the correlation among various aqueous humor cytokines was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation analysis.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (No.Y[2019]230). Written informed consent was obtained from each patient.Results:The concentrations of VEGF-A, PLGF, PDGF-AA, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1 and ICAM-1 in DR group were significantly higher and the concentration of IL-1β was significantly lower than those of control group ( Z=-4.747, -5.164, -3.373, -8.062, -4.535, -5.954, -5.098, -3.228, -5.954, all at P<0.01). The concentrations of VEGF-A, PLGF, PDGF-AA, ANGPTL4, IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 of the photocoagulation and non-photocoagulation groups were higher and the concentration of IL-1β was significantly lower than those in the control group (all at P<0.017). The concentration of ICAM-1 in the photocoagulation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( P<0.017). The concentrations of PLGF, PDGF-AA and ANGPTL4 of PDR group were higher than those of NPDR group, and the differences were statistically significant ( Z=-2.291, -3.396, -2.276, all at P<0.05). VEGF-A was positively correlated with the other cytokines except ICAM-1 ( rs=0.237-0.540, all at P<0.05). ANGPTL4 was positively correlated with the other cytokines except IL-1β ( rs=0.361-0.733, all at P<0.01). Conclusions:The occurrence and development of DR are closely related to VEGF family, PDGF family, ANGPTL family and inflammatory factors.The concentrations of PLGF, PDGF-AA and ANGPTL4 are higher in PDR eyes.There are close and complex relationships among a variety of cytokines in the eyes of DR patients.
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The Danggui Yinzi, as one of the classic prescriptions, was first recorded in Yan's Jisheng Prescription and is mainly used to treat various skin diseases with blood deficiency and wind dryness. By referring to ancient books and modern literature researches, this study analyzed and summarized the literature of Danggui Yinzi from the aspects of prescription origin, composition, addition and subtractive changes of flavor, dosage and decocting and taking method, discrimination of prescription and efficacy, raw material and processing of medicinal materials, and modern clinical application. Textual researches explored more than 80 ancient literature and 170 modern literature and showed its content included Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Paeoniae Radix Alba, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Rehmannia Radix, Tribuli Fructus, Saposhnikoviae Radix, Schizonepetae Spica, Polygoni Multiflora Radix, Astragali Radix, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. It was cooked by water. It was used for the patients with skin diseases and Chinese pattern of blood deficiency wind drying. It has showed a wide range of applications, and similar application in ancient and modern time. This paper provides a more comprehensive reference for the research and development of compound preparation of Danggui Yinzi.
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Objective:To explore the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET-based radiomics features by machine learning in older patients(≥60 years) with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods:A total of 166 older patients (88 males, 78 females, age: 60-93 years) with DLBCL who underwent pre-therapy 18F-FDG PET/CT from March 2011 to November 2019 were enrolled in the retrospective study. There were 115 patients in training cohort and 51 patients in validation cohort. The lesions in PET images were manually drawn and the obtained radiomics features from patients in training cohort were selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forest (RF), and extreme gradient boosting (Xgboost), and then classified by support vector machine (SVM) to build radiomics signatures (RS) for predicting overall survival (OS). A multi-parameter model was constructed by using Cox proportional hazard model and assessed by concordance index (C-index). Results:A total of 1 421 PET radiomics features were extracted and 10 features were selected to build RS. The univariate Cox regression analysis showed that RS was a predictor of OS (hazard ratio ( HR)=5.685, 95% CI: 2.955-10.939; P<0.001). The multi-parameter model that incorporated RS, metabolic metrics, and clinical risk factors, exhibited significant prognostic superiority over the clinical model, PET-based model, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network International Prognostic Index (NCCN-IPI) in terms of OS (training cohort: C-index: 0.752 vs 0.737 vs 0.739 vs 0.688; validation cohort: C-index: 0.845 vs 0.798 vs 0.844 vs 0.775). Conclusions:RS can be used as a survival predictor for older patients(≥60 years) with DLBCL. Furthermore, the multi-parameter model incorporating RS is able to successfully predict prognosis.
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Objective:To investigate the prognostic value of metabolic parameters measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with primary advanced cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). Methods:A retrospective analysis was comprised of 42 patients with advanced CMM (15 males and 27 females; median age: 60.0 years) from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School between June 2014 and December 2019. All patients were initially diagnosed by pathology, and underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters including SUV max, SUV mean, total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of metastatic lesions were measured. ROC curve analysis was performed to obtain the optimal cut-off values of those metabolic parameters for predicting progression-free survival (PFS) and over-all survival (OS). Patients were divided into different groups based on their metabolic parameters (≥cut-off values or <cut-off values), and Kaplan-Meier survival curve and log-rank test were used to analyze the OS/PFS differences between 2 groups. The independent prognostic risk factors of PFS and OS were screened by univariate analysis and Cox proportional risk model. Results:The median follow-up time of 42 patients with advanced CMM was 26.3 months, with 32 patients suffered from disease progression and 21 patients died, and the median survival was 33.1 months. The optimal cut-off values for PFS/OS were 4.63/4.77 for SUV max, 3.31/3.31 for SUV mean, 8.22 cm 3/22.32 cm 3 for TMTV, and 18.22 g/51.37 g for TLG, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test showed that patients with SUV max ≥4.63 or SUV mean ≥3.31 suffered from poorer PFS ( χ2 values: 7.12, 5.42, P values: 0.008, 0.020), meanwhile, patients with SUV max ≥4.77 or TMTV≥22.32 cm 3 or TLG≥51.37 g suffered from poorer OS ( χ2 value: 4.73, 5.60, 6.31, P values: 0.030, 0.018, 0.012). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that SUV max was significant predictor for both PFS (hazard risk ( HR)=3.03(95% CI: 1.23-7.45), P=0.016) and OS ( HR=3.62(95% CI: 1.19-11.00), P=0.023), while TMTV and TLG were significant predictors for OS ( HR: 2.87(95% CI: 1.20-6.87), 3.34(95% CI: 1.39-8.05); P values: 0.018, 0.007). Conclusions:Baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters have certain value in prediction of prognosis in patients with advanced CMM. SUV max of metastatic lesions is an independent prognostic risk factor for both PFS and OS, and TMTV and TLG are independent prognostic risk factors for OS in patients with advanced CMM.
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Objective:To assess the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma treated with anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD1) immunotherapy. Methods:A retrospective analysis of 29 patients (15 males, 14 females, age (59.1±13.0) years) with pathologically diagnosed metastatic malignant melanoma in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital between June 2017 and October 2020 was conducted. Anti-PD1 immunotherapy were performed in all patients after 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging. 18F-FDG PET/CT parameters including SUV max, bone marrow-to-liver SUV max ratio (BLR), spleen-to-liver SUV max ratio (SLR) were obtained. Total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary lesions were measured automatically using the thresholds of 40%SUV max. The median value of each PET parameter was regarded as the threshold value and was used to divide patients into 2 groups (≥ and < the median value, respectively). Kaplan-Meier survival curve and Cox proportional risk model were used to analyze the overall survival (OS) differences between groups. Results:The median follow-up time was 15.0 months and 13 patients died. The median OS was 26.0(95% CI: 20.4-31.6) months. The median SUV max, TMTV, TLG, BLR and SLR were 6.2, 8.2 cm 3, 38.6 g, 0.82 and 0.84 respectively. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test showed that differences of OS between SUV max≥6.2 and <6.2 groups, TLG≥38.6 g and <38.6 g groups, BLR≥0.82 and <0.82 groups, SLR≥0.84 and <0.84 groups were not significant ( χ2 values: 0.01-0.35, P values: 0.061-0.929), while patients with TMTV≥8.2 cm 3 suffered from poorer OS compared with those with TMTV<8.2 cm 3 ( χ2=5.90, P=0.015). Cox multivariate analysis showed that TMTV (hazard risk ( HR)=6.347, 95% CI: 1.039-38.789) was a significant predictor of OS ( P=0.045). Conclusion:18F-FDG PET/CT parameter TMTV is the independent predictive factor of OS in metastatic melanoma treated with anti-PD1 immunotherapy.
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Objective:To explore the prognostic role of baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS). Methods:From February 2010 to January 2019, 47 PTCL-NOS patients (29 males, 18 females, age: (59.7±13.6) years) from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were retrospectively enrolled. Each patient underwent baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging before treatment. The total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) were computed by using the margin threshold of 41% SUV max. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results:Over the follow-up of 5-119 months, 25 patients had disease progression, including 24 deaths. SUV max (hazard ratio ( HR)=8.581, 95% CI: 1.950-37.764, P=0.004), TMTV( HR=9.677, 95% CI: 3.521-26.593, P<0.001), TLG( HR=3.647, 95% CI: 1.245-10.682, P<0.001) and prognostic index for T-cell lymphoma (PIT; HR=4.593, 95% CI: 1.792-11.773, P=0.002) were significant predictors of PFS and OS( HR=8.720, 95% CI: 1.982-83.354, P=0.004; HR=9.325, 95% CI: 3.423-25.408, P<0.001; HR=3.439, 95% CI: 1.170-10.110, P<0.001; HR=4.437, 95% CI: 1.728-11.393, P=0.002). After multivariate analysis, TMTV was the independent predictor of PFS ( HR=4.371, 95% CI: 1.066-16.541, P<0.001) and OS ( HR=4.978, 95% CI: 1.123-21.329, P<0.001). The substratification analysis showed that patients with high TMTV(≥168.3 cm 3) had worse prognosis than those with low TMTV (<168.3 cm 3) for PFS ( χ2=14.60, P<0.001) and OS ( χ2=16.81, P<0.001) in low PIT (0-1) group, while patients with high TMTV had worse prognosis than those with low TMTV for PFS ( χ2=4.09, P=0.043) in high PIT (≥2) group. Conclusions:Baseline PET/CT metabolic parameters including SUV max, TMTV, TLG and PIT are able to predict survival in PTCL-NOS patients. TMTV is the independent predictor of PFS and OS, which can substratify PTCL-NOS patients in PIT group.
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Objective:To assess the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters in patients with primary melanoma. Methods:A retrospective analysis comprised of 35 patients (21 males, 14 females, age: 35-85 years; from January 2014 to August 2019; Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School) who were newly-diagnosed primary melanoma with preoperative 18F-FDG PET/CT was conducted. 18F-FDG PET/CT metabolic parameters including SUV max, SUV mean, peak of SUV (SUV peak) were obtained. Metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) of primary focus were measured automatically using the threshold of 40%SUV max. The optimal thresholds of PET parameters were obtained by using ROC curve analysis. The associations between melanoma-specific survival (MSS), progression-free survival (PFS) and PET/CT metabolic parameters were assessed using Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards model. Results:The median follow-up was 15.4 months, and 20 patients showed disease progression and 7 died. The cut-off values for SUV max, SUV mean, SUV peak, MTV and TLG were 3.95, 2.45, 2.65, 3.60 cm 3 and 14.85 g, respectively (AUCs: 0.742, 0.790, 0.728, 0.655, 0.693; P values: 0.016, 0.004, 0.022, 0.121, 0.053). Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test showed that SUV max, SUV mean, SUV peak, MTV and TLG were predictors of PFS ( χ2 values: 4.06-8.35, all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that MTV (hazard ratio ( HR)=3.09, 95% CI: 1.08-8.86, P=0.036) and TLG ( HR=3.36, 95% CI: 1.11-10.14, P=0.031) were significant predictors of PFS but not for MSS ( HR=5.14, P=0.080). Conclusions:SUV max, SUV mean and SUV peak of primary focus may help for predicting PFS of patients with primary melanoma. MTV and TLG of primary focus may be the best to predict PFS of primary melanoma.
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Objective:To explore the value of 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting Richter syndrome (RS) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Methods:From August 2010 to November 2019, 101 histologically confirmed CLL patients (62 males, 39 females; age (58.0±12.7) years) who underwent PET/CT in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University were retrospectively included. ROI was drawn and PET/CT images were semi-quantitatively examined by estimating SUV max. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the SUV max of RS and non-RS patients. ROC curve analysis was utilized to analyze the optimal cut-off value of SUV max in detecting RS. Results:RS was histologically confirmed in 27 CLL patients. The SUV max of RS patients was 13.7(11.0, 20.1), which was significantly higher than that of non-RS patients (4.1(3.1, 5.8); z=-6.48, P<0.001). ROC curve analysis identified the optimal cut-off value of SUV max was 10.0 and the AUC was 0.923, with accuracy of 94.1%(95/101), sensitivity of 85.2%(23/27), specificity of 97.3%(72/74), positive predictive value of 92.0%(23/25) and negative predictive value of 94.7%(72/76). Conclusion:As the semi-quantitative index measured by 18F-FDG PET/CT, SUV max can help to diagnose RS and provide important information for clinical use.
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Objective:To evaluate the operation effect of remote imaging network platform in a regional medical center.Methods:The workload data of remote imaging network in a regional medical center from 2017 to 2019 were analyzed.Results:137 medical institutions were connected to the remote imaging diagnosis network platform, and the number of imaging examinations in grass-roots medical institutions increased significantly. Part of the imaging examination in the superior medical center was gradually diverted to the subordinate medical institutions. However, limited by the ability of image diagnosis, grass-roots medical institutions relied on remote diagnosis of higher-level hospitals.Conclusions:Remote image diagnosis network is an important platform support for Internet plus medical health service, which can rapidly and effectively enhance the ability and level of imaging diagnosis in primary medical institutions.
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Objective:To investigate 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging manifestations and digestive endoscopy of gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and evaluate whether maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) can reflect the tumor proliferation activity and diagnose the diffuse large B cell transformation. Methods:18F-FDG PET/CT of 36 untreated histologically confirmed gastric MALT lymphoma patients (19 males, 17 females, age (46.4±18.1) years) between December 2012 and January 2019 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. A positive or negative PET was defined based on visual analysis. 18F-FDG uptake above surrounding tissues in the regions of interest defined by the nuclear physician was considered positive, while negative was definited if the 18F-FDG uptake below surrounding tissues. Types of uptake included focal uptake and diffuse uptake. The characteristic findings of 18F-FDG PET/CT and digestive endoscopy (3 types: chronic gastritis-like type, depressed type and protruding type) in the consecutive patients were evaluated. The region of interest was drawn and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) was measured. One-way analysis of variance and the least siginficant difference t test were used to compare the SUV max of 3 types of lesions and Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of SUV max between lesions with/without diffuse large B cell transformation. The correlation between SUV max and Ki-67 was assessed by Spearman rank correlation analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to calculate the optimal cut-off value for the diagnosis of diffuse large B cell transformation. Results:Positive 18F-FDG PET/CT were found in 15 patients and the diagnostic accuracy was 41.7%(15/36). 18F-FDG uptake results were positive for all protruding tumors (5/5) mainly with focal uptake (4/5), but only 4/16 for chronic gastritis-like type tumors and 6/15 for depressed type tumors. SUV max of protruding type tumors (10.7±6.4) was significantly higher than chronic gastritis-like type tumors (2.1±0.8) and depressed type tumors (2.7±1.4; F=13.010, all P<0.05). SUV max (2.7(1.8, 5.0)) was associated with Ki-67 (10%(15%, 40%); rs=0.345, P=0.039). SUV max of tumors with diffuse large B cell transformation in 36 patients was significantly higher than that with no transformation (9.4(3.1, 14.8) vs 2.3(1.7, 3.9); z=-3.044, P=0.002), and the cut-off value of SUV max was 6.5 (area under the curve: 0.788, P=0.011). Conclusions:18F-FDG PET may be a useful method for evaluating protruding type gastric MALT lymphoma but not appropriate for chronic gastritis-like type or depressed type tumors. SUV max may be a useful biomarker for tumor proliferation activity and can be used for diffuse large B cell transformation diagnosis in gastric MALT lymphoma patients.
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Objective:To explore the potential value of interim 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT combined with B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2)/MYC protein dual expression (DE) status in the prognostic stratification for patients with primary gastrointestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (PGI-DLBCL). Methods:Forty-six patients (21 males, 25 females; age 20-83 years) with newly diagnosed PGI-DLBCL from June 2012 to May 2019 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were enrolled in this retrospective study. Immunohistochemistry for Bcl-2 and MYC protein expression was performed. All patients underwent baseline and interim (after 2-4 cycles of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (R-CHOP) regimen) 18F-FDG PET/CT scans for assessment. Interim 18F-FDG PET/CT results were determined based on Deauville 5-point scale (DS) and changing rate of maximum standardized uptake value (ΔSUV max%) in 18F-FDG PET/CT images. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazards regression model (single factor, multiple factors analysis) were used to analyze the prognosis (3-year progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates). Results:Patients were followed up for 6-84 months, and 14 showed disease progression and 9 died. The PFS rate and OS rate were 69.6% and 80.4%, respectively. DE, DS as well as ΔSUV max% were significant predictors of PFS (hazard ratio ( HR) values: 3.280, 5.120, 9.167, all P<0.05); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), MYC protein expression, DS and ΔSUV max% were significant predictors of OS ( HR values: 4.091, 9.618, 7.697, 11.151, all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed that DS and ΔSUV max% were independent predictors of PFS and OS ( HR values: 4.370-9.244, all P<0.05). In the DS negative (-) group, patients with DE positive (+ ) had lower PFS and OS rates than those with DE- (PFS rate: 50.0% vs 88.9%; OS rate: 66.7% vs 96.3%; χ2 values: 6.050, 4.966, both P<0.05). In ΔSUV max%<90% group, patients with DE+ had lower PFS rate than those with DE- (12.5% vs 68.8%; χ2=6.649, P=0.01). Conclusions:Interim PET/CT analysis using DS and ΔSUV max% is able to predict survival in PGI-DLBCL patients. The combination of DS, ΔSUV max% and DE can risk-stratify PGI-DLBCL patient more effectively.
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Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of polatuzumab vedotin (pola) in treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).Methods:The clinical data of 1 DLBCL patient receiving multiple treatments in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital in May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed, and the related literature was reviewed.Results:The patient, a 57-year-old male, was diagnosed with DLBCL in May 2016. Since June 2016, he had received treatments with four lines including anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody combined with chemotherapy, chemotherapy only and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T). However, the disease relapsed or progressed after all treatments. Therefore, the patient had received 6 cycles of pola combined with rituximab since December 2019. Unexpected adverse events were not found during the treatment. The evaluation of clinical efficacy was complete remission after the end of treatment. The progression-free survival time was more than 13 months with follow-up until January 2021.Conclusion:Pola initially shows good efficacy and safety in treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL.
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Objective:To observe the effect of water-based pulmonary rehabilitation on stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods:From February, 2020 to February, 2021, 50 patients with stable COPD in our hospital were divided into control group (n = 25) and experimental group (n = 25), who accepted pulmonary rehabilitation training on land and in water, for eight weeks. They were measured forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1), percents of forced expiratory volume in first second for prediction (FEVl%) and ratio of forced expiratory volume in first second in forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) with pulmonary function instrument; measured root mean square (RMS) of electromyogram of diaphragm and right transversus abdominis with surface electromyography; and assessed with modified breathlessness measurement of British Medical Research Council (mMRC), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) and quality of life scale for COPD adults (COPD-QOL) before and after treatment. Results:FEV1, FEVl%, FEV1/FVC, RMS of diaphragm and transversus abdominis, and 6MWT distance and COPD-QOL score increased in both group (t > 2.08, P < 0.05), and increased more in the experimental group than in the control group (t > 2.27, P < 0.05); while mMRC score decreased (t > 2.09, P < 0.05), and decreased more in the experimental group than in the control group (t = 2.13, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Water-based pulmonary rehabilitation training can further improve lung function, strength of respiratory muscles, dyspnea, tolerance and quality of life for patients with COPD.
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As the demand for high-performance computing continues to grow, traditional computing models are facing unprecedented challenges. Among the many emerging computing technologies, DNA computing has attracted much attention due to its low energy consumption and parallelism. The DNA circuit, which is the basis for DNA computing, is an important technology for the regulation and processing of the molecular information. This review highlights the basic principles of DNA computing, summarizes the latest research progress, and concludes with a discussion of the challenges of DNA computing. Such integrated molecular computing systems are expected to be widely used in the fields of aerospace, information security and defense system.
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DNA/geneticsABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the characteristic findings of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT in patients with adult-onset Still′s disease (AOSD) and the correlation between the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV max) and clinical disease activity score as well as laboratory data. Methods:Twenty-two patients (6 males, 16 females, age range: 19-73 (41.5±16.3) years) with AOSD according to criteria set by Yamaguchi between May 2015 and June 2018 in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were recruited in the retrospective study. The characteristic findings of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the consecutive AOSD patients were evaluated. The correlation between SUV max and clinical disease activity score as well as laboratory data was assessed with Spearman rank correlation analysis. Results:PET/CT results contributed to the diagnosis of AOSD in all the 22 patients (100%). The accumulation of 18F-FDG was showed in lymph nodes of 21 patients(95.5%), and the spleen and bone marrow uptake were observed in all the 22 patients (100%). Besides, 18F-FDG uptake was found in shoulder joint ( n=6, 27.3%), submaxillary glands ( n=9, 40.9%) and parotid glands ( n=7, 31.8%). The SUV max of lymph nodes were significantly correlated with the C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) ( r s values: 0.622, 0.538, both P<0.05). The SUV max of spleen was significantly correlated with CRP and ESR levels ( r s values: 0.543, 0.475, both P<0.05). The SUV max of bone marrow was significantly correlated with the level of CRP and neutrophils(%) ( r s values: 0.497, 0.431, both P<0.05). However, there was no correlation between the SUV max and clinical disease activity score ( r s values: 0.008, 0.102, 0.210, all P>0.05). Conclusions:Characteristics findings of 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging can provide useful information for differential diagnosis as well as extent assessment for AOSD, and play an important role in the diagnosis process of AOSD. 18F-FDG PET/CT scan may be a helpful imaging technique for evaluation of disease activity in patients with AOSD but prospective study with large cohort of individuals are needed.
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Objective To provide reference indexes and theoretical basis for age estimation of blood pools by investigating the entire drying process and monitoring the change of morphology and mass. Methods Four 15 mL blood pool samples were prepared on the clean ceramic plate. The change of morphology and mass of blood pools in a closed dark environment with a temperature of （20.0±0.5） ℃ and a humidity of 35%-45% were dynamically observed from 0 h to 60 h. Images of the blood pools were recorded by digital camera. The area of blood pools was calculated by MATLAB R2014b, the length of cracks was measured by Image J and the statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 16.0. Results By summarizing and analyzing, the drying of blood pools was divided into five stages： coagulation （0-4.5 h）, gelation （>4.5-20.0 h）, gel-solid mixing （>20.0-37.0 h）, solid （>37.0-40.0 h） and final desiccation （>40.0-45.0 h）. From 0 to 45 h, the mass of the blood pools decreased linearly with time, and the decrease was not obvious from 45.0 to 60.0 h. The standardized mass （y2） showed strong correlation with the time （x） y2=0.018 2 x+0.271 4（R2=0.967 9）. The area change rate of blood pools, the distance that the edge of blood pools moved, the average length of radical cracks had little correlation with the time that passed. Conclusion The overall morphological characteristics of blood pools show a certain regularity with the time and the standardized indexes established provide a reference for the age estimation of blood pools.
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Blood Coagulation , Humidity , Temperature , Time FactorsABSTRACT
Sangzhi alkaloids (SZ-A) are derived from traditional Chinese medicine Ramulus Mori, serving well as an innovative antidiabetic drug, due to α-glucosidase inhibition. To evaluate the potency of glucosidase inhibitory effect of SZ-A, the enzyme-based screening platforms, including sucrase, maltase and amylase were established, and IC50 was calculated. The effects of SZ-A on postprandial blood glucose at a single dose, oral sucrose, starch and glucose loading were determined in normal ICR mice and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice. To confirm the anti-diabetic effects of SZ-A on glucose and lipid metabolism after long-term administration, the postprandial and fasting blood glucose, serum insulin, urinary glucose levels, glycosylated serum proteins and blood lipid levels were determined in high-fat fed C57 obese mice (pre-diabetic HFC57 mice) and diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ). The Experimental Animal Welfare Ethics Committee of the Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College approved all of the protocols for this research. We found that SZ-A exhibited a significant inhibitory effect on the sucrase and maltase. SZ-A showed no effect on amylase. In normal ICR mice and alloxan-induced hyperglycemic mice, SZ-A at a single dose significantly delayed and reduced the peak of blood glucose after sucrose or starch loading, but showed no effect on the increase of blood glucose after glucose loading. In STZ diabetic rats, SZ-A significantly reduced the postprandial or fasting blood glucose levels, glycosylated serum proteins and urinary glucose. SZ-A also reduced serum triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol (TC) levels after 3 weeks of treatment. SZ-A ameliorated the postprandial blood glucose or the fasting blood glucose elevation, and reduced the incidence of hyperglycemia in HFC57 mice. SZ-A decreased the basal insulin level, improved insulin sensitivity, and ameliorated glucose intolerance in pre-diabetic HFC57 mice. Our results indicated that SZ-A had a novel inhibitory activity on α-glucosidase, especially on disaccharidases. SZ-A at a single dose significantly reduced the peak of blood glucose elevation and delayed the increase of blood glucose in normal and diabetic mice after disaccharide and polysaccharide loading. Long-term SZ-A treatment improved glucose and lipid metabolic profiles by delaying carbohydrate absorption from the intestine and reduced the postprandial blood glucose levels in both pre-diabetic and diabetic animal models. Therefore, SZ-A application may display a beneficial role in preventing the development and complications of diabetes.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#To investigate the expression discordances of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor2 (HER-2) and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic breast cancer specimens and explore the clinical significances.@*Methods@#Biopsies of metastatic lesions were performed in 203 patients with breast cancer recurrence and metastasis indicated by physical examination and/or imaging examination. We confirmed pathological properties and assessed the expressions of ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 in primary and metastatic lesions, their relationships with prognosis were also analyzed.@*Results@#Biopsy failed in 3 patients, the pathology and immunohistochemitry results of metastatic lesions were not obtained. One person was diagnosed as tuberculosis and another was primary lung cancer. Among the 198 cases of primary and metastatic lesions, the discordance rates of ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 were 27.3%, 34.3%, 11.8% and 15.1%, respectively.The expressions of ER, HER-2 and Ki-67 were not significantly different between the primary and metastatic lesions, however, the expressions of PR were more likely to turn negative in the metastases (P<0.001). The disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with ER, PR positive, HER-2 negative and low expression of Ki-67 in metastatic lesion was much longer (P<0.05).@*Conclusions@#The expressions of ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 in metastatic lesions are associated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients.Their expression discordances between primary and metastatic lesions can guide the treatment and evaluate the risks of recurrence and prognosis.
ABSTRACT
Objective To develop a device of trace bloodstains imaging and age analysis, so as to provide a non-destructive, simple and objective method for age estimation of bloodstains at the crime scene. Methods Based on the principle of digital imaging and color pattern analysis, the mobile terminal of the device was used to collect images of bloodstains of different ages. The time-dependent pattern of 6 parameters （R, G, B, C, Y, M） reflecting the changes of color of images of different ages was obtained by computer image analysis. A multiparameter comprehensive inference equation of bloodstains age was established and embedded into the device software to realize the intelligent inference of the bloodstains age. Then the capability and reliability of the device was verified. Results This integrated device of bloodstains imaging and age analysis could quickly collect bloodstains at the crime scene and automatically analyze and infer the age of bloodstains combined with related intelligence software. In the blind test, the detection accuracy of this device was 95% in both natural light airtight group and dark airtight group, and 80% in the natural light ventilation group. Conclusion The integrated device of trace bloodstains imaging and age analysis can be used in a simple manner, which provides a new objective method for bloodstains age estimation.