Prevalence and clinico-pathologic features of ALK rearrangement among adult Filipinos with non-small cell lung cancer in a Private Tertiary Care Hospital

Introduction@#With advancements in the understanding of lung cancer biology, targeted therapy has become the rule rather than the exception. Patients with ALK rearrangements are amenable to therapy with Alectinib and other ALK inhibitors, which has been associated with better patient outcomes. While ALK rearrangement should be routinely tested in non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the cost and availability of this test is a prohibitive factor, particularly in the Philippine setting.@*Objectives@#This study aimed (1) to determine the prevalence of ALK-rearranged NSCLC among adult Filipino lung cancer patients in St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) from 2016 to 2018 and (2) to determine the clinico-pathologic features of adult Filipinos with ALK-rearranged NSCLC.@*Methodology@#This is a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study wherein the prevalence of ALK-rearranged NSCLC, detected using fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) or immunohistochemistry (IHC), was determined. Clinical data of patients for whom ALK testing was performed were collected. Hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) slides were retrieved and reviewed for the presence of certain morphologic features. Patients whose H&E slides cannot be retrieved were excluded from the study. @*Results@#ALK rearrangement was seen in 7.8% (8/103) of tumors submitted for ALK testing. Patients with ALK-rearranged tumors were generally young, light smokers, and presented with advanced clinical stage. Clear cell features and solid pattern were noted in one case and three cases, respectively. However, due to small sample size, further statistical analysis could not be performed to analyze the association of these features with the presence of ALK rearrangement.@*Conclusion@#Despite a small sample size, the prevalence and clinical profile of ALK-rearranged NSCLC in our institution are congruent with those previously described in Western populations. The association of clinical profile and morphologic features with the presence of ALK rearrangement can be further explored in future studies.

The Clinical Usefulness of Portable Digital Skin Fluorescence Equipment in Acne Patients / 대한피부과학회지

BACKGROUND: Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) is a gram positive anaerobic bacteria which plays a key role in the development of acne. Therefore, culture of P. acnes from the acne lesion can serve as an important clinical tool for selecting antibiotics and judging the therapeutic response. However the conventional cultural method is not easy to perform in clinical settings. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical application of portable digital skin fluorescence imaging equipment in patients with acne. METHODS: Total of 60 objects (33 males and 27 females) with facial acne were recruited. To estimate fluorescence color and size according to the acne lesion, digital fluorescence images were taken and analyzed with image analysis program. Also, we examined the species and the quantification of bacteria aerobically and anaerobically isolated from each kind of acne lesion. RESULTS: Among the bacteria cultured, coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS) was the most common (57.7%), followed by P. acnes (46.1%). Noninflammatory lesions (comedones) showed statistically significant correlation with red fluorescence and inflammatory lesions (papules and pustules) with green fluorescence (p=0.004). The density of CNS and P. acnes were also significantly associated with fluorescence size (p=0.014, p=0.005). However, there was no statistical association between the strains of bacteria and the color of fluorescence (p=0.192). CONCLUSION: Since the size of fluorescence correlates well with P. acnes levels, we found the noninvasive technique of portable digital skin fluorescence imaging equipment to be useful in choosing adequate antibiotics and monitoring antibiotic therapy in acne vulgaris.

EFFECT OF NERVE REGENERATION FACTOR ON THE NEURITE GROWTH OF RAT DORSAL ROOT GANGLIONS / 解剖学报

Objective To study the effects of Nerve Regeneration Factor on the neurite growth and Neurofilament-H expression of rat dorsal root ganglions in vitro. Methods DRG was cultured and treated with NRF,observation made by fluorescent immunocytochemistry and the mRNA and protein level of NF-H of DRG neurons was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot. Results NRF can promote the neurite growth of DRGs in vitro.The mRNA and protein levels of NF-H of DRG neurons can be up-regulated by NRF in a dose-dependent manner,with the best concentration of 2.0?(mg/L.) Conclusion\ NRF can promote the neurite growth of DRGs in vitro.NRF exerts a neurotrophic action on developmental sensory neurons.