Efficacy and safety of low-dose rituximab in treatment of pediatric nephrotic syndrome: a prospective randomized controlled trial / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the efficacy and safety of repeated application of rituximab (RTX) at a low dose (200 mg/m2) versus the recommended dose (375 mg/m2) for remission maintenance in frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS).@*METHODS@#A randomized controlled trial was conducted for 29 children with FRNS/SDNS who received systemic treatment in the Department of Nephrology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, from September 2020 to December 2021. These children were divided into a recommended dose group (n=14) and a low dose group (n=15) using a random number table. The two groups were compared in terms of general characteristics, changes in CD19 expression after RTX treatment, number of relapses, glucocorticoid dose, adverse reactions of RTX, and hospital costs.@*RESULTS@#After RTX treatment, both the low dose group and the recommended dose group achieved B-lymphocyte depletion and had significant reductions in the number of relapses and glucocorticoid dose (P<0.05). The low dose group had a comparable clinical effect to the recommended dose group after RTX treatment (P>0.05), and the low dose group had a significant reduction in hospital costs for the second, third, and fourth times of hospitalization (P<0.05). There were no serious adverse reactions in either group during RTX treatment and late follow-up, and there was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Repeated RTX treatment at a low dose has comparable clinical efficacy and safety to that at the recommended dose and can significantly reduce the number of FRNS/SDNS relapses and the amount of glucocorticoids used, with little adverse effect throughout the treatment cycle. Therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.

Public health emergency response capacity in primary and secondary schools / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the public health emergency response capacity in primary and secondary schools, and to explore the problems and challenges in the prevention and control of public health emergency in primary and secondary schools for specific strategies.@*Methods@#By using the stratified group sampling method, a questionnaire survey on general situation, knowledge, attitude and training, as well as public health emergencies response capacity among 2 988 teachers or leaders responsible for school emergency response in primary and secondary schools from Beijing, Chongqing and Yunnan.@*Results@#Participants varied on their positions, titles, educational background and knowledge accuracy. Higher knowledge accuracy was associated with higher educational background ( χ 2=50.73-203.36, P < 0.05 ). The implementation of regular public health emergency related programs was poorly conducted in high schools (50.0%). Urban schools (42.0%) had higher proportion of qualified health care professionals than rural schools (18.2%), and private schools (48.5%) was higher than public schools (24.7%). The primary challenges included the shortage of guidance from professionals and the lack of related testing equipment (84.91%, 74.03%).@*Conclusion@#Although the ability of emergency handling of public health emergencies in schools in the three regions is advancing with the times, there are still many deficiencies, some omissions in the mastery of knowledge. It is suggested to inerease pre service and special training of school health work CDC should strengthen technical guidance and work supervision of infectious disease management in schools.

Divergent chondro/osteogenic transduction laws of fibrocartilage stem cell drive temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis in growing mice / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

The anterior disc displacement (ADD) leads to temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJOA) and mandibular growth retardation in adolescents. To investigate the potential functional role of fibrocartilage stem cells (FCSCs) during the process, a surgical ADD-TMJOA mouse model was established. From 1 week after model generation, ADD mice exhibited aggravated mandibular growth retardation with osteoarthritis (OA)-like joint cartilage degeneration, manifesting with impaired chondrogenic differentiation and loss of subchondral bone homeostasis. Lineage tracing using Gli1-CreER+; Tmfl/-mice and Sox9-CreER+;Tmfl/-mice showed that ADD interfered with the chondrogenic capacity of Gli1+ FCSCs as well as osteogenic differentiation of Sox9+ lineage, mainly in the middle zone of TMJ cartilage. Then, a surgically induced disc reposition (DR) mouse model was generated. The inhibited FCSCs capacity was significantly alleviated by DR treatment in ADD mice. And both the ADD mice and adolescent ADD patients had significantly relieved OA phenotype and improved condylar growth after DR treatment. In conclusion, ADD-TMJOA leads to impaired chondrogenic progenitor capacity and osteogenesis differentiation of FCSCs lineage, resulting in cartilage degeneration and loss of subchondral bone homeostasis, finally causing TMJ growth retardation. DR at an early stage could significantly alleviate cartilage degeneration and restore TMJ cartilage growth potential.

Relationship between parents attitudes towards sexual education and their proactive adolescent sexual education for primary and secondary students in Baoshan City of Yunnan Province / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand parents attitudes towards adolescent sexual education in Baoshan City of Yunnan Province, and to explore the correlation between attitudes and their proactive behavior in adolescent sexual education, so as to provide reference for improving parents initiative in adolescent sexual health education.@*Methods@#From November to December 2022, a stratified random cluster sampling method was used to select 7 389 parents of students from 35 primary, middle, and high schools in Baoshan City of Yunnan Province for a questionnaire survey on adolescent sexual health education in parents schools. Chi-square tests were conducted to compare the attitudes of parents towards sexual health education among different groups and their proactive behavior in providing sexual health education to their children. A multivariate Logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation between parents attitudes towards sexual education and proactive sexual health education.@*Results@#Totally 43.17% ( 3 190 ) of parents had a more open attitude towards sex education for their children, with parents of girls, parents of elementary school students, mothers, <30 years old, junior high school education, workers, service personnel, married, harmonious relationships with their children and democratic parents had a higher rate of actively providing sex education for their children ( χ 2=4.65, 401.92, 23.53 , 197.50, 38.18, 13.65, 6.54, 8.07, 32.17, 96.58, P <0.05). Parents with a more conservative attitude towards sex education and parents of boys were negatively correlated with parents actively providing adolescent sexual health education to their children ( OR =0.86, 0.38, P <0.05). Parents who were <30, 30-<40, 40-50 years old, individuals/businesses, married, divorced, had a good and decent relationship with their children were positively correlated with their parents proactive adolescent sexual health education for their children ( OR =1.50, 1.90, 1.37, 1.22, 1.60, 1.32, 1.94, 1.53, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#A more open attitude towards adolescent sexual health education can serve as a predictive factor for proactive adolescent sexual health education. In order to increase the rate of family sexual health education, it is recommended to enhance parents awareness of their responsibility for their children s sexual health education, promote harmonious parent-child relationships between parents and children, and communicate with their children with an open attitude.

Application of "major scientific issues and engineering technology difficulties in traditional Chinese medicine(2019-2021)" in national science and t echnology layout / 中国中药杂志

In order to judge the future development trend of science and technology, plan ahead and lay out the frontier technology fields and directions, China Association of Chinese Medicine(CACM) has launched consultation projects for collecting "major scienti-fic issues and engineering technology difficulties in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)" for the industry for three consecutive years since 2019. Up to now, 18 projects have been selected as major issues for research, and some experience and achievements have been made. These projects have been applied in important scientific and technological work such as scientific and technological planning and deployment at all levels of national, local, and scientific research institutions, the selection and cultivation of major national scientific and technological projects, and the construction of innovation bases, giving full play to the role of the think tank advisory committee of CACM. This study reviewed the selection of major issues for the first time, systematically combed its application in the national layout of science and technology, and put forward the existing problems and improvement suggestions, aiming to provide new ideas for further improving the selection of major issues and research direction, providing a theoretical basis and decision support for the national scientific and technological layout in the field of TCM, and promoting scientific and technological innovation to facilitate the high quality development of TCM.

Architectural analysis of subconjunctival oblique limbus incision techniques in manual cataract extraction surgery by optical coherence tomography imaging

The purpose was to assess the profile of subconjunctival oblique limbus incision (SCOLI) design by using anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and try to emphasize the proper technique of wound construction. The structural dimensions and integrity of the wound were acquired from the patients, who had undergone manual small-incision cataract surgery with SCOLI techniques, using a Canon OCT anterior-segment imaging system on the first postoperative day. The use of AS-OCT allowed for an in vivo evaluation of SCOLI in high definition. The radial OCT scan image showed three staggered incisions, including conjunctiva incision, scleral entrance, and inner corneal lip. A tangential scan demonstrated that the internal lip is parallel to the curvature of the peripheral cornea. The en face image showed an asymmetric 4 arc-shaped configuration rather than a symmetrical one. In conclusion, AS-OCT could be used to analyze SCOLI to determine optimal wound construction and geometry. The results of this study indicated that an asymmetric 4 arc-shaped limbus tunnel incision was superior to the conventional linear equivalent in stability and nucleus delivery.

Mathematical Model for Analyzing Five Flavor Compatibility-transformation Theory in Tangye Jingfatu / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:<italic>Auxiliary Verse on Drugs and</italic> <italic>methods</italic> <italic>for Zang-Fu Organs （Fuxingjue Wuzangyongyao Fayao）</italic> written by TAO Hong-jing from the Liang dynasty covered many contents from<italic> </italic>a missing prescription book<italic> Classic of Decoction （Tangye Jingfa）</italic>， including a map revealing the compatibility principle of Chinese herbs， namely the Tangye Jingfatu. Represented by a centrosymmetric pentagon， the map describes a unique theoretical system for deficiency-excess syndrome differentiation of five Zang organs （liver， heart， spleen， lung and kidney） and the tonification-purgation and compatibility theory of five flavors （pungent， salt， sweet， sour and bitter）. Each Zang organ fixedly corresponds to one "property" flavor （purgation）， one "function" flavor （tonification） and one "transformation" flavor （harmonization） resulting from the combination of the former two. For example， the liver can be purged by sour， tonified by pungent， and moderated by sweet transformed by the combination of sour with pungent. The heart can be purged by bitter， tonified by salt， and astringed by sour transformed by the combination of bitter with salt. The spleen can be purged by pungent， tonified by sweet， and dried by bitter transformed by the interaction between pungent and sweet. The lung can be purged by salt， tonified by sour， and dispersed by pungent transformed by the combination of salt with sour. The kidney can be purged by sweet， tonified by bitter， and moistened by salt transformed by the combination of sweet with bitter. This study selected appropriate mathematical tools to analyze the fixed relationship between "property" flavor， "function" flavor and "transformation" flavor among the five Zang organs in “Tangye Jingfatu” and establish a mathematical model revealing the compatibility-transformation relationship among five flavors. Method:Based on the group representation of five elements （wood， fire， earth， metal， and water）， the correlations of "property" flavor， "function" flavor， and "transformation" flavor with five elements’ generation-restriction were deduced based on matrix calculation and group theory. The three-dimensional calculation method for vector product was expanded for establishing the mathematical operator of five flavors' compatibility-transformation. Result:<bold>and</bold> Conclusion:There is a mapping relationship of the purging， tonifying， and harmonizing functions represented by the "property" flavor， "function" flavor， and "transformation" flavor of the five zang organs in the "Tangye Jingfatu" with the five elements' generation-restriction. The established mathematical operator contributes to explaining the fixed collocations of five flavor transformation. Based on such algorithm， the tonifying and purging characteristics of five flavors in 10 representative classic prescriptions have been clearly expounded.

Efficacy and safety of oral pyrotinib in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer: real-world practice / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#Pyrotinib, a novel irreversible pan-ErbB receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, showed promising antitumor activity and acceptable tolerability in phase II and phase III randomized clinical trials. We assessed the activity and safety of oral pyrotinib for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive metastatic breast cancer patients in the real world.@*METHODS@#We retrospectively analyzed 72 HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients who received oral pyrotinib based regimens at Beijing Cancer Hospital and other four hospitals (Peking University First Hospital, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, General Hospital of PLA, Peking University Third Hospital) from August 2018 to September 2019. Progression free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), adverse events (AE) of pyrotinib were investigated.@*RESULTS@#Seventy-two patients with HER2 positive MBC were enrolled. The median age of the patients was 55 years (range: 32-79 years). Sixty-nine (95.8%) patients had received anti-HER2 treatment in the metastatic and/or (neo) adjuvant settings; 61 (84.7%) patients had received anti-HER2 treatments in the metastatic setting in terms of trastuzumab 56 (77.8%) patients, lapatinib 36 (50.0%) patients, and T-DM1 4 (5.6%) patients. Among these 72 patients who received oral pyrotinib based regimens, 62 (86.1%) patients received pyrotinib (±trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy, 6 (8.3%) patients received pyrotinib (± trastuzumab) in combination with endocrine therapy and 4 (5.6%) patients received pyrotinib (±trastuzumab). Sixty-five (90.3%) patients received 400 mg pyrotinib once daily as initial dose, and 7 (9.7%) patients received 320 mg. OBJECTIVE response and safety to pyrotinib based therapy were evaluable in all the 72 patients. One (1.4%) patient achieved complete response (CR), 18 (25.0%) patients achieved partial response (PR), 41 (56.9%) patients had stable disease (SD), and 12 (16.7%) patients had progressive disease (PD). The ORR (CR+PR) was 26.4% and the median PFS was 7.6 months (95%CI: 5.5-9.7 months). Among the 36 patients with prior lapatinib therapy, the median PFS was 7.9 months (95%CI: 4.1-11.7 months). Among the 15 patients with brain metastasis, the median PFS was 6.0 months (95%CI: 2.2-9.8 months). The main toxicities related to pyrotinib were diarrhea in 57 (79.2%) cases, and 48 (66.7%) cases with grade 1-2 as well as 9 (12.5%) cases with grade 3.@*CONCLUSION@#Pyrotinib based therapy is an effective treatment for patients with HER2 positive MBC, including patients with lapatinib treatment failure and brain metastasis, and the toxicities can be tolerated.

Effect of Reinforcing Qi and Activating Blood Recipe on Ventricular Remodeling in Rats with Chronic Heart Failure and Mechanisms Involved / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To observe the intervention effect of Yiqi Huoxue recipe (YQHX) on ventricular remodeling in rats with chronic heart failure, in order to explore its mechanism. Method::Among 40 male SD rats, 10 were randomly selected as the sham operation group. The left anterior descending coronary artery ligation was performed to construct the chronic heart failure(CHF) rat model. After modeling, they were randomly divided into model group, captopril group(13.5 mg·kg-1·d-1) and YQHX group (20 g·kg-1·d-1), and orally given the corresponding drugs. After 8 weeks of intervention, cardiac tissues were collected, body mass and heart mass were weighed, and echocardiography were performed to detect the changes in cardiac structure. Masson staining was performed to determine the myocardial interstitial collagen volume fraction. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of mitochondrial fusion protein optic atrophy 1 (Opa1) and cleavage protein dynamic-related protein 1 (Drpl). The quantitative real-time fluorescence polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR)was applied to detect the expressions of Wnt/β-catenin pathway-related factors such as lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and β-catenin. Result::Compared with the sham group, the left ventricular wall of the model group was significantly thickened (P<0.05), the cardiac cavity was significantly enlarged, and the content of collagen in the myocardial interstitium was increased (P<0.01). The expression level of Opal decreased, the expression level of Drp1 increased (P<0.05), the mRNA expression level of LRP6, GSK-3, and β-catenin increased (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, YQHX group can reduce ventricular wall thickening, heart chamber enlargement, myocardial interstitial collagen content, up-regulate the low expression of Opa1, but down-regulate the high expressions of Drpl, LRP6, GSK-3β, β-catenin(P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion::YQHX can effectively alleviate ventricular remodeling and improve mitochondrial energy metabolism in rats with CHF. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin related factors.

Progress on relationship between transforming growth factor-beta1 and tendinopathy / 中国骨伤

As a common soft tissue disease, the mechanism of tendinopathy has not been clarified and is lack of effective treatment method. Change of tissue fibrosis is the one of the main pathological features. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), which is one of the important factor, participated in fibrosis. Inconsonant expressions of TGF-β1 could be found in tendinopathy. The studies are still controversial, but the vast majority of studies had showed that TGF-β1 was abnormal, and it is given priority to increase, which means that TGF-β1 plays an important role in the process of tendinopathy. In the process of tendon injuries and repairs, the time of TGF-β1 increasing is inconsistent. The time for TGF-β1 plays a significant role has not been determined. TGF-β1 has abnormal expressions in both tendinopathy and tendon repairs, which are two opposite processes. Thus, it may not be a one-way adjustment factor, but has a pleiotropic. Recent studies showed that TGF-β1 was considered as binding to receptor and transferring signal into the cell. Now there are three different receptors are found. The classical pathway of TGF-β1 in intracellular signal transduction is mainly through activation of Smad pathway. In the same time, there are also some non-classical pathways. TGF-β1 could break balance of extracellular matrix, which may be a reason to cause tendinopathy. But the regulations of TGF-β1 on the extracellular matrix are complex and diverse, further studies are required. Existing researches showed that the performance of treatments on tendinopathy is unsatisfied by blocking TGF-β1 downstream pathway. Therefore, it is a good way to study the upstream mechanism of produce TGF-β1. It may be an effective method to find new targets to inhibit the development of tendinopathy better by finding the original source of TGF-β1.

Clinical effect and mechanism of hemoperfusion in treatment of children with severe abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical effect and mechanism of hemoperfusion (HP) in the treatment of children with severe abdominal Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 24 children with severe abdominal HSP were divided into two groups: conventional treatment and HP (n=12 each). Ten healthy children who underwent physical examination were enrolled as the control group. Before and after treatment, chemiluminescence was used to measure the serum levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); thiobarbituric acid colorimetry was used to measure the plasma level of malondialdehyde (MDA); the hydroxylamine method was used to measure the plasma level of superoxide dismutase (SOD); chemical colorimetry was used to measure the plasma level of total anti-oxidant capability (T-AOC).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, the conventional treatment and HP groups had significantly higher IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA levels and significantly lower SOD and T-AOC levels before treatment (P<0.05), but there were no significant differences between the conventional treatment and HP groups (P>0.05). After treatment, the conventional treatment and HP groups had significant reductions in IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA levels and significant increases in SOD and T-AOC levels (P<0.05). The HP group had significantly greater changes than the conventional treatment group; however, there were still significant differences in these indices between the HP and control groups (P<0.05). Compared with the HP group, the conventional treatment group had a significantly lower percentage of children with disappearance of digestive tract symptoms at 4 days after treatment and significantly longer time to disappearance of rash and digestive tract symptoms (P<0.05). Compared with the conventional treatment group, the HP group had a significantly lower amount of glucocorticoid used during treatment and a significantly lower percentage of children who experienced hematuria and/or proteinuria within 6 months of the disease course (P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in length of hospital stay and recurrence rates of rash and abdominal pain within 6 months of the disease course.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>HP can reduce the amount of glucocorticoid used during treatment and the incidence rate of kidney injury in children with severe abdominal HSP, possibly by eliminating IL-6, TNF-α, and MDA.</p>

Intervention of Chinese materia medica in angiogenesis of zebrafish / 中草药

Angiogenesis involves the occurrence and development of serious diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and malignant tumors. Promoting or inhibiting angiogenesis is considered to be a key factor in controlling the progression of the disease. Chinese materia medica (CMM) has become a research hotspot because of its good clinical therapeutic effect and significant intervention on angiogenesis. The zebrafish model as an ideal animal model also provides a good experimental basis for the study of angiogenesis. CMM monomers, extracts, prescriptions and Chinese patent medicine, and other forms of intervention were selected as the research object. Based on zebrafish animal model experiments, we summarize domestic and foreign relevant research and review the research progress of the effect of CMM on angiogenesis in zebrafish, aiming to provide reference for further development and application of zebrafish as a model and further study of CMM intervention in angiogenesis.

Evaluation of white matter myelination in preterm infants using DTI and MRI / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the features of white matter myelin development in preterm infants using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 31 preterm infants with a gestational age of ≤32 weeks and a birth weight of <1 500 g were enrolled. According to head MRI findings, these infants were divided into preterm group with brain injury (12 infants) and preterm group without brain injury (19 infants). A total of 24 full-term infants were enrolled as control group. Head MRI and DTI were performed at a gestational age or corrected gestational age of 37-40 weeks. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were measured for the same regions of interest in the three groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The preterm group with brain injury showed a significantly lower FA value of the posterior limb of the internal capsule than the preterm group without brain injury and full-term control group (P<0.05). The preterm groups with and without brain injury showed significantly lower FA values of frontal white matter and lenticular nucleus than the full-term control group (P<0.05). The FA value of occipital white matter showed no significant differences among the three groups (P>0.05). Compared with the full-term control group, the preterm groups with and without brain injury showed significantly higher ADC values of the posterior limb of the internal capsule, lenticular nucleus, occipital white matter, and frontal white matter (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>After brain injury, preterm infants tend to develop disorder or delay of white matter myelination in the posterior limb of the internal capsule. At a corrected full-term gestational age, the preterm infants with and without brain injury have a lower grade of maturity in periventricular white matter and grey matter than full-term infants.</p>

An improved method of electrode placement for ECG monitoring in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This study examines the impacts of an improved electrode placement on the electrocardiogram (ECG) results in order to determine a better electrode placement for ECG monitoring in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>ECG was recorded using the traditional electrode placement and the modified electrode placement (with shortened electrode distance) respectively in 50 pediatric patients. The amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave on ECG by the two measurements were compared. Furthermore, the impacts of different body positions on the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave were studied after applying the modified electrode placement.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave on ECG by the traditional electrode placement and the modified electrode placement (P>0.05). When modified electrode placement was utilized, the body position change did not lead to significant changes in the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>A satisfactory ECG can be obtained with the modified electrode placement independent of patient's body position, suggesting that the modified electrode placement can be used instead of the traditional placement in children.</p>

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica with bony and soft-tissue abnormalities: a case report and review of the literature

We report a case of a 3-year-old boy with dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica [DEH] who presented with a hard painless swelling on the medial side of his left ankle joint. Plain X-rays, CT and MRI showed a bony tumor and associated soft-tissue abnormalities. At age one year, he had been diagnosed with an osteochondroma and underwent incomplete surgical excision at a local hospital. Due to joint impingement and restricted movement, we chose to completely excise the tumor. Pathologically, the specimen showed evidence of an osteochondroma. From its clinical, imaging, and pathological features and reports in the medical literature, a diagnosis of DEH was established. DEH is a rare variant of osteochondroma, resulting in many patients being incorrectly diagnosed or diagnosed with osteochondroma alone. It is important to low-grade malignant tumor or osteochondroma-like parosteal osteosarcoma from DEH of the talus, especially when accompanied by soft tissue abnormalities. Surgical treatment is mandatory in patients with symptoms such as pain, joint impingement and deformation. Incomplete excision of an articular lesion may lead to recurrence and additional surgery, making it less than complete excision

Correlation of serum calprotectin level with the range of coronary lesion in patients with acute coronary syndrome / 中南大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To examine the serum levels of S100 calcium-binding protein A8/A9 complex (S100A8/ A9) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and to explore the relation between the serum levels of S100A8/A9 and the degree of coronary lesion.@*METHODS@#A total of 126 patients with coronary heart disease were enrolled from Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between September 2010 and January 2011, which included 51 patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP group, n=51), 50 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI group, n=50), and 25 patients with stable angina pectoris (SAP group, n=25). Twenty-five healthy volunteers were served as a normal control group (NC group, n=25). According to the coronary artery lesion area, ACS patients were also divided into a single-branch group, a double-branch group and a triple-branch group. Serum levels of S100A8/A9 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on the day when the patients admitted to the hospital and on the day after one-week treatment (UAP group + AMI group). The serum levels were compared among the various branch groups. The short-term prognosis in patients with ACS was investigated by phone follow-up after 3 months.@*RESULTS@#1) The S100A8/A9 level in the SAP group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (P0.05); 2) After one-week standard treatment, the serum levels of S100A8/A9 in patients with ACS were significantly reduced compared with that at the admission (P 0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The serum level of S100A8/A9 is significantly elevated in patients with ACS, which might be positively correlated with the number of the coronary lesion branches.

Clinical study of albumin-bound paclitaxel-based chemotherapy in treatment of advanced breast cancer / 肿瘤

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of albumin-bound paclitaxel-based chemotherapy for patients with advanced breast cancer. Methods: A total of 33 patients with advanced breast cancer were enrolled into this study from July 2009 to April 2012. All patients received albuminbound paclitaxel-based chemotherapy. The adverse reactions were evaluated every cycle, and the shortterm response was evaluated every two cycles. The patients were followed-up, and the survival was analyzed. Results: Of twenty-eight patients who could be evaluated for short-term response, one patient achieved complete response, six patients achieved partial response, and fourteen patients had stable disease. The objective response rate was 25.0% (7/28), and the disease control rate was 75.0% (21/28). Twenty-seven of the 33 patients were analyzed for the survival. The median progression-free survival was 4.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI ): 3.0-6.0], and the median overall survival was 15.0 months (95% CI : 7.9-22.1). The main toxicity was myelosuppression (grades 3 and 4 neutropenia and anemia were seen in 69.7% (23/33) and 21.2% (7/33) of patients, respectively). Hypersensitivity reactions occurred in 21.2% (7/33) of patients. The most frequent hypersensitivity reactions were drug fever and (or) skin rash, and no serious hypersensitivity reaction occurred. Conclusion: Albumin-bound paclitaxel is effective and tolerable in patients with advanced breast cancer, and there is no need for premedication. Copyright © 2013 by TUMOR.

Expression of NF-κB and osteopontin of synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the significance of osteopontin and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) expression in patients with knee osteoarthritis.@*METHODS@#RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure the Osteopontin (OPN) and NF-κB concentration of knee joint synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis and trauma fractures, and analyze the relationship between the expressiones of them.@*RESULTS@#OPN and NF-κB expression at the mRNA and protein levels of patients with knee osteoarthritis were significantly higher than the control group. the result showed statistical significance (P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between the OPN levels in synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis and NF-κB expression levels (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The high expression of OPN and NF-κB are closely related to occurrence and development of knee osteoarthritis.

Concurrent versus sequential systemic chemotherapy and whole brain radiation therapy for brain matastases in non-small-cell lung cancer patients / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy, survival and toxicity in patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), treated with concurrent systemic chemotherapy and whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT) or sequential systemic chemotherapy/WBRT.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 60 NSCLC patients with brain metastases were divided into two groups in this prospective clinical study: concurrent systemic chemotherapy and WBRT group (concurrent group) and sequential systemic chemotherapy/WBRT group (sequential group).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 59 assessable patients, the overall response rate was 22.0%, and the brain response rate was 35.6%; the median progression-free survival time was 3.0 months, and the overall 1- and 2-year survival rates were 55% and 24.4%, respectively, with a median survival time of 16.0 months. The overall response rate was 20.0% in the concurrent group and 24.1% in sequential group (P > 0.05). The brain response rates of 43.3% in concurrent group and 27.6% in sequential group were also not significantly different (P > 0.05). The median progression-free survival time for the patients in the concurrent group was 3.0 months versus 4.0 months in the sequential group, and the median survival time was 16.0 months versus 13.0 months (all P > 0.05). The 1- and 2-year survival rates were 58.5% and 37.2% versus 52.9% and 18.9%, respectively, with a significant difference in the 2-year survival rate between the two groups (P = 0.011). In the sequential group, leukopenia was more frequent during chemotherapy than that in the concurrent group (P = 0.029).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Concurrent systemic chemotherapy and WBRT is effective with tolerable adverse events in treating brain metastasis from NSCLC with an encouraging survival, and deserves further large sample and randomized multicenter clinical trials.</p>

Characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotype and the relationship between Beijing genotype and drug-resistant phenotypes in Tianjin / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To explore the distribution and characteristics on genotype of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the relationship between Beijing genotype and drug-resistant phenotypes in Tianjin city. Methods 656 clinical strains were collected from Tianjin Center for Tuberculosis Control and ten other Tuberculosis Institute in Tianjin from January 2008 to June 2009.Information regarding administration, clinical as well as laboratory findings of patients were collected.Proportion method was adopted to detect the susceptibility on four anti-tuberculosis drugs, namely streptomycin (SM), isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP) and ehambutol (EMB). Both Beijing and non-Beijing genotypes were differentiated by multiplex PCR. The relationship between Beijing genotype and drug-resistant phenotypes was analyzed. Results In this study, the overall resistance rate of MTB was 26.98%, with multidrug-resistant rate was 6.25%. Among 656 MTB strains, 600isolates (91.46% ) belonged to Beijing genotype. There was significant difference between Beijing and non-Beijing genotype (x2=4.26, P=0.039) among the Tianjin household registered population.Concerning the drug resistance, there was no significant difference between the two groups.Conclusion Beijing genotype strains were the predominant one in Tianjin. The proportion of people infected with the Beijing genotype strains in Tianjin household registration of patients was significantly higher than the proportion of patients in the floating population in the same region.Results from the statistical analysis did not reveal any statistically significant association between Beijing genotype and drug resistance.