Mechanism of action of lactic acid in tumor microenvironment and related treatment / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Lactic acid, a widespread metabolite in the tumor microenvironment, is mainly produced by tumor cells that undergo aerobic glycolysis. Lactic acid is closely related to the occurrence and development of tumor. It not only serves as a substrate to supply energy to tumor cells, but also acts as a signaling molecule to activate multiple pathways to promote invasive and metastasis, angiogenesis and immune escape of tumor cells. In-depth research on the mechanism of action of lactic acid in the occurrence and development of tumor and related therapeutic progress will help to find drug targets for treatment of tumor and improve prognosis of patients.

Imaging changes in brain microstructural in long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence / 中南大学学报(医学版)

To explore the mechanism for changes in brain microstructure in long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence by using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
 Methods: A total of 26 patients with long-term abstinent methamphetamine-dependence, whose abstinence time more than 14 months, and 26 normal controls all underwent cognitive executive function tests and DTI scans. We used voxel-based analysis to compare the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) to obtain the abnormal brain regions of DTI parameters between the two groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between FA, MD of the brain regions with abnormal parameters and cognitive executive function tests.
 Results: There were no statistical differences in the cognitive executive function tests between the two groups (P>0.05). Compared with the normal control group, the long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence group showed the decreased FA in the right precuneus, right superior frontal gyrus, right calcarine, left inferior temporal gyrus and the increased MD in the right triangular part of inferior frontal gyrus, right precuneus, right posterior cingulate, right middle temporal gyrus, bilateral middle occipital gyrus, left superior parietal lobule, and lobule VIII of cerebellar hemisphere. The MD values of the right middle temporal gyrus in the long-term abstinent group were negatively correlated with the number of completions within 60 seconds (r=-0.504) and within 120 seconds (r=-0.464) .
 Conclusion: The DTI parameters in multiple brain regions from the methamphetamine-dependence patients are still abnormal after a long-term abstinence. DTI can provide imaging evidence for brain microstructural abnormalities in long-term abstinent from methamphetamine-dependence.

Drug-eluting beads in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with hepatic arterio-portal shunt / 中国医师杂志

Objective To investigate the safety and efficiency of drug-eluting beads (DEB) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with hepatic arterio-portal shunt (HAPS).Methods 26 HCC patients with HAPS who underwent DEB-TACE (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization) were included in this retrospective study.Liver function level included preoperative serum albumin level,ascites,Child-Pugh classification,imaging manifestations of HAPS,follow-up and record survival time and response to cancer treatment.According to the degree of HAPS,all the patients were divided into 4 groups.After performing Kaplan-Meier,survival rate was calculated.Tumor response was measured by mRECIST criteria.Results The median survivals were 310 days,261 days,333 days,and 250 days in the entire study population,group 1,group 2,and group 3,respectively.There was no statistical significance in the survival curve among three groups (P =0.456).In the entire study population,the survival rates were 76.9％,37.3％,and 12.4％ at 6 months,12 months,and 24 months,respectively.After performing proportional hazards model,the preoperative serum albumin level,presence or absence of ascites,and preoperative Child-Pugh classification were independent predict factors for prognosis.Conclusions DEB-TACE is a safe and effective treatment for HCC with HAPS.The preoperative liver function is essential for patients'prognosis.

Patterns of Lymph Node Recurrence after Radical Surgery Impacting on Survival of Patients with pT1-3N0M0 Thoracic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

The aim of this study was to investigate how patterns of lymph nodes recurrence after radical surgery impact on survival of patients with pT1-3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. One hundred eighty consecutive patients with thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma underwent radical surgery, and the tumors were staged as pT1-3N0M0 by postoperative pathology. Lymph nodes recurrence was detected with computed tomography 3-120 months after the treatment. The patterns of lymph nodes recurrence including stations, fields and locations of recurrent lymph nodes, and impacts on patterns of survival were statistically analyzed. There was a decreasing trend of overall survival with increasing stations or fields of postoperative lymph nodes involved (all P<0.05). Univariate analysis showed that stations or fields of lymph nodes recurrence, and abdominal or cervical lymph nodes involved were prognostic factors for survival (all P<0.05). Cox analyses revealed that the field was an independent factor (P<0.05, odds ratio=2.73). Lymph nodes involved occurred predominantly in cervix and upper mediastinum (P<0.05). In conclusion, patterns of lymph node recurrence especially the fields of lymph nodes involved are significant prognostic factors for survival of patients with pT1-3N0M0 thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.