Left Ventricular Geometry and Function in Patients with Gray Zone Hypertension

Background: Hypertension is considered as the silent killer of human because the hypertensive patient may be not aware that he has hypertension and death can occur at any time without the reason being known. We aim to study the effect of gray zone hypertension [SBP from 120-139] and or [DBP from 80-89] which was classified as prehypertension under JNC-7 on the structure, geometry, and operation of the left ventricle using echocardiography Methods: This study included 100 patients who asymptomatic apparent healthy subjects visited cardiology outpatient department (OPD) for routine checkup. Patients were grouped into two equal groups: Group A whose blood pressure was in the gray zone hypertension [SBP from 120-139] and or [DBP from 80-89], and group B with SBP <120 mmHg & DBP <80 mmHg. Results: The two groups being studied were statistically significant different as regard LV geometrical pattern (p=0.028). They were also statistically significant in LV geometrical pattern between the males and females (p<0.05). The two groups were statistically significant different regarding GLS (p =0.001). Conclusions: Gray zone hypertension affects ventricular diastolic function and LV geometry, although systolic function was normal; GLS showed that subclinical LV dysfunction can occur.

Health economics evaluation of the cost and effectiveness of gray zone setting in blood ELISA screening / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To analyze the cost-effectiveness of ELISA grey area strategy through establishing the health economics model. 【Methods】 The serological grey area strategy evaluation model was composed of screening strategy subdecision tree, pathogen infection subdecision tree and pathogen detection subdecision tree. The key parameters in the model were obtained from literatures and research data. The cost-effectiveness of setting ELISA grey area strategy was compared by software, and multifactor sensitivity analysis was conducted. 【Results】 After setting the ELISA grey area, extra samples(5.86 cases/100 000) with serological false negativity could be detected, including HBV samples at 4.93/100 000, HCV samples at 0.27/100 000, HIV samples at 0/100 000, syphilis samples at 0.66/100 000. To yield an additional seropositive sample out of every 100 000 blood donors, blood center will afford extra 1 million yuan about. 【Conclusion】 Through this study, a cost-effectiveness evaluation model of serological detection strategy was established. Although the ELISA grey area setting can yield a small number of seropositive samples, the cost is much higher than the current affordability.

Clinical application of free/total PSA ratio in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in men over 50 years of age with total PSA levels of 2.0-25.0 ng ml-1 in Western China / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical application of free/total prostate-specific antigen (F/T PSA) ratio, considering the new broad serum total PSA (T-PSA) "gray zone" of 2.0-25.0 ng ml-1 in differential diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) and benign prostate diseases (BPD) in men over 50 years in Western China. A total of 1655 patients were included, 528 with PCa and 1127 with BPD. Serum T-PSA, free PSA (F-PSA), and F/T PSA ratio were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the efficiency of PSA and F/T PSA ratio. There were 47.4% of cancer patients with T-PSA of 2.0-25.0 ng ml-1. When T-PSA was 2.0-4.0 ng ml-1, 4.0-10.0 ng ml-1, and 10.0-25.0 ng ml-1, the area under the curve (AUC) of F/T PSA ratio was 0.749, 0.769, and 0.761, respectively. The best AUC of F/T PSA ratio was 0.811 when T-PSA was 2.0-25.0 ng ml-1, with a specificity of 0.732, a sensitivity of 0.788, and an optimal cutoff value of 15.5%. The AUC of F/T PSA ratio in different age groups (50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥80 years) was 0.767, 0.806, 0.815, and 0.833, respectively, and the best sensitivity (0.857) and specificity (0.802) were observed in patients over 80 years. The T-PSA trend was in accordance with the Gleason score, tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, and American Joint Committee on Cancer prognosis group. Therefore, the F/T PSA ratio can facilitate the differential diagnosis of PCa and BPD in the broad T-PSA "gray zone". Serum T-PSA can be a Gleason score and prognostic indicator.

Assessment of FMR1 triplet repeats in patients affected with mental retardation, fragile X syndrome and primary ovarian insufficiency

The CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene expand in patients with fragile X syndrome, fragile X-associated tremour/ataxia syndrome and fragile X-associated primary ovarian failure. In this study, the CGG repeats in the FMR1 gene were studied in 449 males and 207 females using traditional polymerase chain reaction and triplet repeat primed PCR methods, also 18 CVS samples (six males and 12 females) were tested for prenatal diagnosis. Further, methylation sensitive multiplexed ligation dependent probe amplification was performed on some samples to confirm the results. Regarding the male patients, 1.1% and 9.7% had premutation (PM) and full mutation (FM) alleles, respectively. Also three (0.66%) male patients were mosaic for PM and FM alleles. Among females, 1.9% were GZ carriers and 5.8% were PM carriers. Prenatal diagnosis resulted in detection of two PM and one FM males as well as one FM carrier female. Our results were in concordance with the previously published results.

Depleción del suministro de sangre y costo por donaciones indeterminadas del Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen / Depletion of blood supply and cost due to indeterminate donations at the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen National Hospital

Objetivo: Evaluar la depleción del suministro de sangre y el costo por donaciones indeterminadas del Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen durante el 2014. Materiales y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo de corte transversal y análisis de costo-utilidad en donaciones con resultados en zona gris (valor de la muestra/ valor de corte entre los límites > 0.85 y < 1) luego del tamizaje serológico para los siete marcadores infecciosos (HIV, HBsAg, HBcAb, HCV, HTLV-1/2, SÍFILIS y CHAGAS) y la determinación en simultáneo del HIV Ag/Ab combo, por ELISA de cuarta generación. Desde el sistema e-Delphyn® se codificaron y tabularon los datos. El análisis de costos se realizó considerando el tipo de cambio vigente. Resultados: De 9 560 donaciones, el 20.7 % (1977 donaciones) fueron resultados en zona gris lo que ocasionó una pérdida de 863.9 litros de sangre y 92 640 USD. HbcAb con 10.18% (973 resultados indeterminados) y anti-HIV con 0.39% (37 resultados indeterminados) fueron los resultados con mayor y menor seroprevalencia, respectivamente (p<0.05). No se encontró diferencias significativas entre los marcadores anti-HIV y HIV Ag/Ab combo (p=0.776). Conclusiones: Se demostró que >800 litros de sangre descartada generó >90 mil USD de costo por donaciones indeterminadas ocasionando un perjuicio económico al presupuesto hospitalario y una disminución del suministro de sangre disponible para el tratamiento de pacientes en el Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen.

Objective: To evaluate the depletion of blood supply and the cost due to indeterminate donations at Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen during 2014. Materials and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study and a cost-utility analysis were conducted in donations showing results in the gray zone (sample value/cutoff value between >0.85 and <1) after a serological screening of seven infectious markers (HIV, HBsAg, HBcAb, HCV, HTLV-1/2, syphilis and Chagas disease) and the simultaneous determination of the HIV Ag/Ab combo by means of a fourth generation ELISA. Data was encoded and tabulated using the e-Delphyn® system. The cost-utility analysis was performed considering the current exchange rate. Results: Out of 9,560 donations, 20.7% (1977 donations) showed results in the gray zone which caused a loss of 863.9 liters of blood and USD 92,640. The highest and lowest rate of seroprevalence were observed in HBcAb with 10.18% (973 indeterminate test results) and anti-HIV with 0.39% (47 indeterminate test results), respectively (p<0.05). No significant differences were found between the anti-HIV y HIV Ag/Ab combo screening methods (p=0.776). Conclusions: It was demonstrated that more than 800 liters of discarded blood generated a more than USD 90,000 cost due to indeterminate donations causing economic damages to the hospital budget and a depletion of blood supply available for patients at Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen.

Clinical analysis of unclassifiable B-cell lymphoma intermediates between diffuse lage B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma / 中国肿瘤临床

Objective:To analyze clinical characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features in-termediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (DLBCL/BL). Methods:The clinical and pathological data of 13 DLBCL/BL patients, who were treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between January 2013 and December 2014, were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Through the log-rank test, survival curves were compared among groups classified by clinical stage, age, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) lev-el, international prognostic index (IPI) score, or first chemotherapy regimen. Results:Among the 13 patients with DLBCL/BL, 12 pa-tients showed extra-nodal involvement. The median OS and PFS were only 10 and 6 months, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the LDH levels and IPI scores exerted statistically significant effects on prognosis. Some borderline differences in survival were not-ed among the CHOP, CHOP-like, and intensive chemotherapy groups. Conclusion:DLBCL/BL is an aggressive B-cell lymphoma with a short survival time. The majority of patients presented extra-nodal involvement. DLBCL/BL did not respond well to CHOP or CHOP-like regimen, and more intensive chemotherapy may improve survival. Elevated LDH levels and high IPI scores were predictors of poor sur-vival.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment of gray zone lymphoma / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Gray zone lymphoma (GZL) is a special type of B-cell lymphoma,it is rare in clinical and reported fewly.In order to strengthen the understanding of GZL and make it be more recognized by clinicians.This article reviewed the status and progress of GZL by cell morphology,immunohistochemistry,cytogenetics and molecular biology,and discuss the current diagnostic criteria and treatment strategies.

A Case of B-cell Lymphoma, Unclassifiable, with Features Intermediate between Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma and Burkitt Lymphoma in a Korean Child

B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) (intermediate DLBCL/BL), is a heterogeneous group with some features resembling DLBCL and others resembling BL. Here, we report a case of intermediate DLBCL/BL in a Korean child. A 2-yr-old male was admitted for evaluation and management of left hip pain. Immunohistochemistry of a biopsy of the femur neck revealed tumor cells positive for CD20, CD10, BCL2, BCL6, and Ki67. A bone marrow (BM) aspirate smear revealed that 49.3% of all nucleated cells were abnormal lymphoid cells, composed of large- and medium-sized cells. Immunophenotyping of the neoplastic cells revealed positivity for CD19, CD10, CD20, and sIg lambda and negativity for CD34, Tdt, and myeloperoxidase (MPO). Cytogenetic and FISH analyses showed a complex karyotype, including t(8;14)(q24.1;q32) and IGH-MYC fusion. Intensive chemotherapy was initiated, including prednisone, vincristine, L-asparaginase, daunorubicin, and central nervous system prophylaxis with intrathecal methotrexate (MTX) and cytarabine. One month after the initial diagnosis, BM examination revealed the persistent of abnormal lymphoid cells; cerebrospinal fluid cytology, including cytospin, showed atypical lymphoid cells. The patient was treated again with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, adriamycin, MTX, and intrathecal MTX and cytarabine. The patient died of sepsis 5 months after the second round of chemotherapy.

Advance on mediastinal gray zone lymphoma / 白血病·淋巴瘤

As a distinct clinicopathological entity, mediastinal gray zone lymphoma cannot be classified by using differential diagnostic criteria. The cases represent a spectrum of tumors having characteristics of both primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) and classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). In the 2008 WHO Classification, a novel category designated B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin lymphoma (BCLu) has been created to include these neoplasms. The main features of BCLu are clearly different from those of conventional mediastinal large B-cell lymphomas. Diagnosis of BCLu requires a multiparameter approach incorporating morphological, immunophenotypic, immunohistochemical and other features. These lymphomas generally have a more aggressive clinical course and poorer outcome. There is no consensus on the optimum treatment, while the recommended therapies for aggressive B-cell lymphomas might be effective options.

The Effectiveness of Prostate Biopsy in Patients with Negative Digital Rectal Examination and Serum Prostate Specific Antigen Concentration between 4 and 10ng/ml / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: Most urologists, to our knowledge, recommend prostatic biopsy if serum prostate specific antigen(PSA) concentrations are between 4 and 10ng/ml(gray zone), even in the abscence of abnormal digital rectal examination(DRE). But the detection of prostate cancer has not been frequent in patients with negative DRE and gray zone of serum PSA. So, we investigated the detection rate of prostate cancer to evaluate the effectiveness of biopsy, and provide the clinical data which is needed to make an appropriate guideline for management in those patients in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 58 patients with negative DRE and serum PSA greater than 4ng/ml, in whom transrectal systemic biopsy was done between January 1, 1996 and July 31, 1998. Additionally we analysed 38 patients with negative DRE and serum PSA more than 4ng/ml in a Korean literature. We calculated the detection rate of prostate cancer in patients with gray zone of serum PSA and serum PSA greater than 10ng/ml, respectively. RESULTS: Prostate cancer was detected in 5 patients out of the 58 patients(8.6%), including 1 patient(3.7%) out of 27 patients with gray zone of serum PSA and 4(12.9%) out of 31 patients with serum PSA greater than 10ng/ml. Prostate cancer was detected in 4 patients out of the 38 patients in the literature(10.5%), including 1 patient(5.0%) out of 20 patients with gray zone of serum and 3 patients(16.7%) out of 18 patients with serum PSA greater than 10ng/ml. Combining the results of our current study with that of other Korean literature, total number of patients was 96, and 9(9.4%) of them proved to harbor prostate cancer, including 2 patients(4.3%) out of 47 patients with gray zone of serum PSA and 7 patients(14.3%) out of 49 patients with serum PSA greater than 10ng/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The detection rate of prostate cancer in Korean with negative DRE and gray zone of serum PSA is significantly lower than that in North American. Therefore it may not be effective to perform biopsy in all of those patients in Korea. Needed are Korean criteria of prostatic biopsy to detect prostate carcinoma in those patients, which can be acceptable in Korean.