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Abstract Objective To compare the efficacy and safety between baricitinib (BARI) and tofacitinib (TOFA) for the treatment of the rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients receiving methotrexate (MTX) in clinical practice. Methods This retrospective study recruited 179 RA patients treated with BARI (2-4 mg/d) or TOFA (10 mg/d) at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from September 2019 to January 2022. The rate of low disease activity (LDA) was used as the primary end point. Secondary end points included the Disease Activity Scale-28 (DAS-28)-C-reactive protein (CRP); the rate of DAS28-CRP remission; visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain, swollen joint, and tender joint counts; and adverse events at the 6-month follow-up. Several factors affecting LDA achievement were also analyzed. Results Seventy-four patients were treated with BARI and 105 were treated with TOFA, including 83.24% females, with a median (IQR) age of 56.0 (53.0-56.0) years old and disease duration of 12.0 (6.0-12.0) months. There was no difference of the rate of LDA between the BARI and TOFA treatment groups. All disease indices in the two groups were significantly improved, including a significantly lower VAS in the BARI group (P < 0.05), reflecting the drug efficacy after 1 and 6 months of treatment. The incidence of adverse reactions was similar in these two groups. Conclusion The treatment efficacy and safety of BARI and TOFA in the RA patients were similar, but BARI was more effective in pain relief than TOFA. An older baseline age was more likely to achieve LDA in the BARI group, while a low baseline erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) was more likely to achieve LDA in the TOFA group.
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@#Objective To compare long-term outcomes following mitral valvuloplasty (MVP) and mitral valve replacement (MVR) for native valve endocarditis (NVE). Methods Between November 1993 and August 2016, consecutive 101 patients with NVE underwent mitral surgery in our department, MVP for 52 patients and MVR for 49 patients. There were 69 males and 32 females at age of 38.1±14.9 years. The mean follow-up was 99.4±75.8 months. Results There was no statistical difference in cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamp time, in-hospital mortality, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU stay or hospital stay after surgery between the two groups. Survival rate at 1, 5, 10, 20 years after surgery was 100.0%, 97.6%, 97.6%, 97.6% for MVP, and 93.5%, 84.3%, 84.3%, 66.2% for MVR with a statistical difference between the two groups (P=0.018). There was no stroke in the patients with MVP during follow-up periods. However, stroke-free survival rate at 1, 5, 10, 20 years after surgery was 100.0%, 93.9%, 89.4%, 70.2% for MVR patients with a statistical difference between the two groups (P=0.023). There was no statistical difference in recurrence of infection, perivalvular leakage and reoperation between the two groups. Composite endpoint-free survival rate at 1, 5, 10, 20 years after surgery was 100.0%, 97.6%, 92.9%, 92.9% for MVP, and 91.3%, 79.6%, 75.8%, 51.0% for MVR with a statistical difference (P=0.006). Conclusion MVP is associated with better outcomes than MVR in the patients with NVE; generalizing MVP technique in the patients with NVE is needed.
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OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of large tumor suppressor homolog 2 (LATS2) gene overexpression on the proliferation and apoptosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).@*METHODS@#Lentivirous particles were transferred into SCC-25 cell to upregulate LATS2 gene expression. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay. Apoptosis was detected through flow cytometry. The expression changes of Bax, Bcl-2, and LATS2 were analyzed by Western blot.@*RESULTS@#Gene transfection increased LATS2 expression. Compared with the control group and pEGFP-control group, SCC-25 cell proliferation in the pGFP-LATS2 group was inhibited, whereas the apoptosis ratio increased (P<0.05). Bcl-2 expression decreased, and Bax expression increased.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Overexpression of LATS2 could inhibit SCC-25 cell proliferation and induce apoptosis.