Treatment patterns and survival in T4b esophageal cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of various treatment approaches in stage T4b esophageal cancer patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases, covering patients diagnosed with esophageal cancer between 2000 and 2020. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to assess cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) across different treatment patterns. RESULTS: The study included 482 patients: 222 (46.1%) received chemoradiotherapy, 58 (12.0%) underwent radiotherapy alone, 37 (7.7%) received chemotherapy alone, 50 (10.4%) underwent surgery, and 115 (23.8%) received no treatment. Median CSS were 12, 4, 6, 18, and 1 month for chemoradiotherapy, radiotherapy alone, chemotherapy alone, surgery, and non-treatment groups. Median OS for these groups were 11, 3, 6, 17, and 1 month, respectively. Multivariable proportional hazard regression analysis revealed that patients who underwent surgery experienced significantly improved CSS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.24-0.72; P = 0.002) and OS (HR = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.28-0.74; P = 0.002) compared to those receiving chemoradiotherapy after propensity score matching. CONCLUSIONS: Esophagectomy, with or without radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, results in better survival outcomes than chemoradiotherapy in patients with stage T4b esophageal cancer.

Efficacy of metastatic lesion radiotherapy in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A multicenter retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of metastatic lesion radiotherapy (MLRT) in patients with metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (mNPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with mNPC from three institutions were included in this study. Propensity score matching (PSM) was employed to ensure comparability between patient groups. Overall survival (OS) rates were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test. Prognostic factors were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox hazard analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted to assess the effects of MLRT on specific patient populations. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 1157 patients with mNPC. Patients who received MLRT had significantly better OS than those who did not, both in the original (28 vs. 21 months) and PSM cohorts (26 vs. 23 months). MLRT was identified as an independent favorable predictor of OS in multivariate analyses, with hazard ratios of 0.67. The subgroup analysis results indicated that radiotherapy effectively treated liver, lung, and bone metastatic lesions, particularly in patients with a limited tumor burden. Higher total radiation doses of MLRT (biologically effective dose (BED) ≥ 56 Gy) were associated with improved OS, while neither radiation technique nor dose fractionation independently influenced prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: MLRT offers survival advantages to patients diagnosed with mNPC. Patients with limited metastatic burden derive the most benefit from MLRT, and the recommended regimen for MLRT is a minimum BED of 56 Gy for optimal outcomes.

Adjuvant treatment patterns for pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer undergoing surgery.

To assess adjuvant treatment patterns on survival in patients with pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Stage pT3N0M0 esophageal cancer patients were assessed between 2000 and 2020 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to compare overall survival (OS) among various treatment patterns. We identified 445 patients: 252 (56.6%) received surgery alone, 85 (19.1%) received surgery+chemoradiotherapy, 80 (18.0%) underwent surgery+chemotherapy, and 28 (6.3%) received surgery+ radiotherapy. For squamous cell carcinoma, surgery+chemoradiotherapy ([hazard ratio] HR = 1.04, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.65-1.66; P = 0.873), surgery+chemotherapy (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.42-1.22; P = 0.221), and surgery+radiotherapy (HR = 1.33, 95% CI: 0.74-2.39; P = 0.341) had similar OS compared to surgery alone. For adenocarcinoma, surgery+chemoradiotherapy (HR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.36-0.74; P < 0.001) and surgery+chemotherapy (HR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.42-0.87; P = 0.006) had better OS compared to surgery alone. However, surgery+radiotherapy had a comparable OS (HR = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.44-1.49; P = 0.495).Adjuvant treatments did not improve survival in stage pT3N0M0 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients. In contrast, adjuvant chemoradiotherapy and chemotherapy were recommended for esophageal adenocarcinoma patients.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) combined with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) versus CCRT alone in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received either CCRT alone or CCRT combined with ICIs from April 2019 to February 2023. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Results: A total of 101 patients were enrolled, with 58 undergoing CCRT alone and 43 receiving CCRT+ICI. The CCRT+ICI group demonstrated a higher complete response rate compared to the CCRT alone group (11.6% vs. 1.7%, P = 0.037). However, no significant difference was observed in 1-year PFS (58.9% vs. 55.2%; hazard ratio [HR] = 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.70-2.26; P = 0.445) or 1-year OS (70.8% vs. 75.9%; HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.58-2.53; P = 0.613) between CCRT+ICI and CCRT alone groups. The CCRT alone group experienced a higher incidence of leukopenia of any grade (93.1% vs. 76.7%, P = 0.039) but a lower incidence of pneumonitis of any grade (36.2% vs. 65.1%, P = 0.008). Conclusion: CCRT+ICI may not lead to improved survival outcomes compared to CCRT alone in patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. These findings indicate the need for further investigation into this treatment approach.

Treatment Patterns and Survival Outcomes in Patients With Stage T1-2N0M0 Small Cell Lung Cancer Undergoing Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The aim of the study was to delineate the treatment modalities and survival outcomes in patients with stage T1-2N0M0 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) who underwent surgery. Methods: SCLC patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results databases between 2000 and 2020 were investigated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was employed to assess cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) across diverse therapeutic strategies. Results: The study included 190 patients. Treatment modalities included surgery alone in 65 patients (34.2%), surgery + chemotherapy in 70 patients (36.8%), surgery + radiotherapy in three patients (1.6%), and surgery + chemoradiotherapy in 52 patients (27.4%). The median CSS remained undetermined for the surgery alone group, whereas it was 123 and 113 months for the surgery + chemotherapy and surgery + chemoradiotherapy groups. Median OS was 47, 84, and 50 months for these groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that patients receiving surgery + chemotherapy exhibited a significantly enhanced OS (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.38 - 0.94; P = 0.028) compared to those undergoing surgery alone. However, the integration of radiotherapy did not improve OS compared to surgery alone (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.44 - 1.15; P = 0.170). Conclusion: Adjuvant chemotherapy improved OS compared to surgery alone. However, the addition of radiotherapy did not prolong OS.

Activation of moderate autophagy promotes survival of fat graft.

Clinically unpredictable retention following fat grafting remains outstanding problems because of the unrevealed mechanism of grafted fat survival. The role of autophagy, a process to maintain cellular homeostasis through recycling cellular debris, has yet been to be reported in fat grafting. This study aims to improve the survival of fat grafting through the autophagy. First, the relationship between cell death and autophagy in the early stage of fat grafting was evaluated through immunostaining, RNA sequencing, and western blot. Next, rapamycin, an autophagic agonist, was used for the culturing of adipose-derived stem cells and adipocytes during ischemia. Cell death, autophagy, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assayed. Finally, rapamycin was used to assist fat grafting in nude mice. The results demonstrated that the peak of cell death at the early stage of fat grafting was accompanied by a decrease in autophagy. In vitro, during ischemia, 25 nM was confirmed as the optimal dose of rapamycin that reduces cell death with enhanced autophagy and mitophagy, improved mitochondrial quality as well as decreased ROS accumulation. In vivo, promoted mitophagy, alleviated oxidative stress, and decreased cell apoptosis of rapamycin-treated fat grafts were observed in the early stage. In addition, rapamycin increased the survival of fat grafts with increased neovascularization and reduced fibrosis. We suggested that moderate autophagy induced by rapamycin contribute to enhanced ischemic tolerance and long term survival of fat grafts through mitochondrial quality control.

P-ResUnet: Segmentation of brain tissue with Purified Residual Unet.

Brain tissue of Magnetic Resonance Imaging is precisely segmented and quantified, which aids in the diagnosis of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and multiple sclerosis. Recently, UNet-like architectures are widely used for medical image segmentation, which achieved promising performance by using the skip connection to fuse the low-level and high-level information. However, In the process of integrating the low-level and high-level information, the non-object information (noise) will be added, which reduces the accuracy of medical image segmentation. Likewise, the same problem also exists in the residual unit. Since the output and input of the residual unit are fused, the non-object information (noise) of the input of the residual unit will be in the integration. To address this challenging problem, in this paper we propose a Purified Residual U-net for the segmentation of brain tissue. This model encodes the image to obtain deep semantic information and purifies the information of low-level features and the residual unit from the image, and acquires the result through a decoder at last. We use the Dilated Pyramid Separate Block (DPSB) as the first block to purify the features for each layer in the encoder without the first layer, which expands the receptive field of the convolution kernel with only a few parameters added. In the first layer, we have explored the best performance achieved with DPB. We find the most non-object information (noise) in the initial image, so it is good for the accuracy to exchange the information to the max degree. We have conducted experiments with the widely used IBSR-18 dataset composed of T-1 weighted MRI volumes from 18 subjects. The results show that compared with some of the cutting-edge methods, our method enhances segmentation performance with the mean dice score reaching 91.093% and the mean Hausdorff distance decreasing to 3.2606.

A clinical research of 11cases of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells for curing senile vascular dementia.

BACKGROUND: Patients affected by senile vascular dementia (VaD) suffer from a gradual deterioration in their cognitive expressions as well as the ability of taking care for themselves. This study aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of improving cognitive function and daily life activities of patients with VaD by transplanting human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSCs). METHODS: A total number of 11 patients with senile VaD, who were admitted through outpatient treatment and hospitalized between February 2013 and February 2016, were selected. The diagnosis was based on CT and MRI examinations. The cultivated HUCMSCs (106 /kg) were injected by intravenous (i.v.) infusion on three occasions. Patients were evaluated for the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) with 25-30 as normal, 21-24 as mild dementia, 10-20 as moderate dementia, and 0-9 as severe dementia. In addition, the Barthel index (BI) was used for a standardized activities of daily living (ADLs) with 0-20 as total dependence, 21-60 as severe dependence, 61-90 as moderate dependence, and 91-95 slight dependence. The t-test was performed to compare statistical significance. RESULTS: The study included 11 subjects, one of whom fell out due to an event unrelated to the study. The results show descriptive statistics at different time points. No matter MMSE score or Barthel index, the difference between before treatment and after treatment or follow-up was statistically significant (P < 0.001).Result interpretation: this intervention method has a significant therapeutic effect, and in the 3-month follow-up period, the intervention effect is still significant compared with that before treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary clinical observations suggest that the i.v. infusion of HUCMSCs significantly improved the cognitive function (MMSE) and daily life activities (BI) of patients with senile VaD. This approach may prove to be safe and relatively simple method to be applied for the treatment of senile VaD.

Advances in polydopamine-based drug delivery systems for tumor targeting / 药学学报

Polydopamine (PDA) is a novel type of polymer synthesized inspired by adhesion proteins in mussels. It has been widely used in tumor-targeting drug delivery systems due to its natural advantages such as good biocompatibility, excellent photothermal conversion performance, adhesion, high chemical reactivity and multiple drug release response mechanisms. This review summarizes the applications of PDA-based tumor-targeting drug delivery in recent years, hoping to provide references for designing a more reasonable and effective PDA-based multifunctional collaborative tumor therapy platform.

Establishment of a platelet production model by bone marrow cavity transplantation of mouse primary megakaryocytes / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To establish an intramedullary transplantation model of primary megakaryocytes to evaluate the platelet-producing capacity of megakaryocytes and explore the underlying regulatory mechanisms. Methods: Donor megakaryocytes from GFP-transgenic mice bone marrow were enriched by magnetic beads. The platelet-producing model was established by intramedullary injection to recipient mice that underwent half-lethal dose irradiation 1 week in advance. Donor-derived megakaryocytes and platelets were detected by immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. Results: The proportion of megakaryocytes in the enriched sample for transplantation was 40 to 50 times higher than that in conventional bone marrow. After intramedullary transplantation, donor-derived megakaryocytes successfully implanted in the medullary cavity of the recipient and produce platelets, which showed similar expression of surface markers and morphology to recipient-derived platelets. Conclusion: We successfully established an in vivo platelet-producing model of primary megakaryocytes using magnetic-bead enrichment and intramedullary injection, which objectively reflects the platelet-producing capacity of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow.

Identification of genes associated with cancer stem cell characteristics in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma through co-expression network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a type of invasive malignancy and the seventh most common cancer in the worldwide. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are self-renewal cells in tumors and can produce heterogeneous tumor cells, which play an important role in the development of HNSCC. In our research, we aimed to identify genes related to the CSCs characteristics in HNSCC. METHODS: Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression-based stiffness index (mRNAsi) can be used as a quantitative characterization of CSCs. We used one-class logistic regression machine learning algorithm (OCLR) to calculate the mRNAsi and investigate the relationship between mRNAsi and clinical characteristics of HNSCC. Then, a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to screen hub genes related to mRNAsi of HNSCC. RESULTS: The results indicated that the score of mRNAsi in HNSCC tissues is higher than in paracancer tissues, while the mRNAsi was not statistically correlated with the prognosis and clinical characteristics of HNSCC. Six positive and six negative hub genes related to mRNAsi of HNSCC were selected, which may act as therapeutic targets for inhibiting CSCs within HNSCC. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our research selected 12 hub genes related to mRNAsi of HNSCC through weighted gene co-expression network analysis. These genes may become therapeutic targets to inhibit the CSCs of HNSCC in the future.

Dosimetry of Submandibular Glands on Xerostomia for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate dosimetry of submandibular glands on xerostomia after intensity-modulated radiotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: From September 2015 to March 2016, 195 NPC patients were investigated. Xerostomia was evaluated at 12 months after treatment via the RTOG/EORTC system. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model was used to optimize feature selection for grades 2-3 xerostomia. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to build a predicting model incorporating the feature selected in the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression model. Discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the predicting model were assessed using the C-index, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis. RESULTS: The V30 of the parotid glands was selected based on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression. The nomogram displayed good discrimination with a C-index of 0.698 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.626-0.771) and good calibration (model 1). Addition of the dosimetric parameters including the mean dose to the submandibular glands, V50 of the submandibular glands, and volume of the submandibular glands to the model 1 failed to show incremental prognostic value (model 2). The model 2 showed a C-index of 0.704 (95% CI: 0.632-0.776). Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the model 1 was clinically useful when intervention was decided at the possibility threshold of > 20%. Within this range, net benefit was comparable between the model 1 and model 2. CONCLUSION: PGv30 was a major predictive factor of grades 2-3 xerostomia for NPC. In contrast, the mean dose to the submandibular glands, V50 of the submandibular glands, and volume of the submandibular glands were not independent predictive factors.

A retrospective cohort study of low-dose intensity-modulated radiotherapy for unresectable liver metastases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for the treatment of unresectable liver metastases. METHODS: Twenty-five patients with unresectable liver metastases treated with IMRT were enrolled from January 2003 to September 2016. The median longest diameter of the lesions was 3.3 cm (range, 1.6-16.7 cm). The fraction dose ranged from 2 to 5.2 Gy, with a median total dose of 50 Gy (range, 30-60 Gy). RESULTS: The median follow-up was 9.2 months (range, 2.1-48.8 months). The overall survival rates at 1 and 2 years were 46.4% and 27.4%, respectively. The 1-year local control rate was 69.8%. The 1-year progression-free survival rate was 26.3%. One patient had grade 4 liver dysfunction. One case of grade 4 leukopenia and one case of grade 3 leukopenia occurred, and one case of grade 3 leukopenia and thrombocytopenia was observed. CONCLUSION: IMRT may be a promising and safe treatment for unresectable liver metastases and can be used as a treatment option.

Reducing the consumption of personal protective equipment by setting up a multifunctional sampling station in the emergency department to screen for COVID-19 infection in Taiwan

In Taiwan, high-risk patients have been identified and tested for preventing community spread of COVID-19. Most sample collection was performed in emergency departments (EDs). Traditional sample collection requires substantial personal protective equipment (PPE), healthcare professionals, sanitation workers, and isolation space. To solve this problem, we established a multifunctional sample collection station (MSCS) for COVID-19 testing in front of our ED. The station is composed of a thick and clear acrylic board (2 cm), which completely separates the patient and medical personnel. Three pairs of gloves (length, 45 cm) are attached and fixed on the outside wall of the MSCS. The gloves are used to conduct sampling of throat/nasal swabs, sputum, and blood from patients. The gap between the board and the building is only 0.2 cm (sealed with silicone sealant). ED personnel communicate with patients using a small two-way broadcast system. Medical waste is put in specific trashcans installed in the table outside the MSCS. With full physical protection, the personnel conducting the sampling procedure need to wear only their N95 mask and gloves. After we activated the station, our PPE, sampling time, and sanitization resources were considerably conserved during the 4-week observation period. The MSCS obviously saved time and PPE. It elevated the efficiency and capacity of the ED for handling potential community infections of COVID-19.

Pressure boost in repair of soft tissue defect in limbs by free transplantation of thinned anterolateral thigh perforator flap / 中华显微外科杂志

Objective:To explore the surgical technique and clinical effect of pressure boost in repairing soft tissue defects of limbs with thinned anterolateral thigh perforator flap (ALTP) .Methods:From January, 2015 to December, 2018, 18 cases with soft tissue defects of limbs with various damages of blood vessels and nerves with explosure of tendon and bone. There were 13 males and 5 females aged between 18 to 56 (averaged of 36.3) years, which were 6 defects in shank, 4 in foot and ankle, 5 in forearm, and 3 in hand. The soft tissue defect area was 7 cm ×12 cm to 13 cm ×30 cm. Thinned ALTP was used to repair the wound surface. The perforating vessels of the distal flap were anastomosed with one branch of the internal vessel pedicle flap to increase the pressure hence the blood supply of the distal region. The donor sites were sutured directly or covered by skin graft. Followed-up was conducted by 1-2 monthly clinic visits and telephone or on-line review to check the flap survival and recovery of functions.Results:All flaps survived without arterial or venous crisis. One flap had partial necrosis at the distal end, and healed after dressing change. One case had a swelling flap due to a congestion beneath the flap. The wound achieved primary healing after removal of sutures, ligation of subcutaneous vessels and drainage of hematoma. All patients were followed-up for 6 to 18 (average, 9.5) months. All flaps had good appearance and texture. After rehabilitation treatment, most of the joint activity had been recovered: extension and flexion of wrists joints ranged 60°-80°, 70°-80° for metacarpophalangeal joints and 40°-60° for ankle joints. One patient underwent ankle joint dorsiflexion function reconstruction and flap thinning at 6 months after operation due to the defects of most of the extensor tendon.Conclusion:During the use of free ALTP to repair soft tissue defect of limbs, application of the technique of pressure boost is able to increase blood supply to the distal region of flap. It helps to reduce the incidence of infection and necrosis at the edge of the flap.

Australobiustracheoperspicuus sp. n., the first subterranean species of centipede from southern China (Lithobiomorpha, Lithobiidae).

Australobiustracheoperspicuus sp. n. (Lithobiomorpha: Lithobiidae) was recently discovered from the Cave of the brickyard of Gaofeng village, in the Guizhou Province, southwest China, and it is described here. Morphologically the new species is similar to A.magnus (Trozina>, 1894) from north-western China. The new species can be easily distinguished from those by the trachea connected to the valve of the TIII clearly visible from the dorsal side, the absence of ocelli on each side of the cephalic plate, the DaC spine being only present on the XIIIth-XVth legs. Numbers of examined specimens, distribution and the main morphological characters and an identification key to the known Chinese species of genus Australobius based on adult specimens is given.

Knockout of CNR1 prevents metabolic stress-induced cardiac injury through improving insulin resistance (IR) injury and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by promoting AMPK-alpha activation.

Obesity and diabetes are associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the pathogenesis of DCM is not fully understood. Cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) has been a drug target for the treatment of obesity. Here, we reported that CNR1 expression was increased in high fat diet (HFD)-induced heart of mice. Following, the wild type (CNR1+/+) and CNR1-knockout (CNR1-/-) mice were employed and subjected to HFD treatments for 16 weeks to further investigate the effects of CNR1 on DCM. The results indicated that CNR1 knockout mice after HFD feeding exhibited a significant decrease of body weight and lipid accumulation in serum. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) analysis indicated that HFD-induced insulin resistance was attenuated by CNR1 deficiency. HFD-triggered cardiac dysfunction was also improved by CNR1 knockout using echocardiographic analysis. Further, CNR1 suppression increased expressions of genes promoting fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial biogenesis. Also, TUNEL staining showed that CNR1 inhibition markedly reduced apoptotic levels in heart tissue sections of HFD-fed mice. Importantly, HFD-induced insulin resistance was prevented by CNR1-knockout through decreasing p-IRS1Ser expressions, and increasing phosphorylated insulin receptor substrate 1 (p-IRS1Tyr), phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) and phospho-acetyl-CoA carboxylase α (ACCα) expressions in heart tissue samples. In addition, CNR1 knockout impeded endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress caused by HFD via down-regulating phospho-protein kinase-like ER kinase (PERK), phospho-eukaryotic initiation factor-2α (eIF2α), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and ATF6 in heart tissue samples. Of note, we found that CNR1 knockout-improved insulin resistance, ER stress and lipid accumulation was diminished by AMPKα suppression using its inhibitor, Compound C. Therefore, the results demonstrated that therapeutic CNR1 inhibition could alleviate the progression of DCM.

DMSO Promotes Hematopoietic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in vitro / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the role of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the hematopoietic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The role of DMSO in hematopoietic differentiation of hESC was investigated by using a established stepwise hematopoietic differentiation system from hESC, immunofluorescouse assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, the window phase of DMSO action was explored by adding it to the different stage of hematopoietic differentiation.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Immunofluorescence and flow cytometry analysis showed that DMSO significantly promoted the generation of CD43hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). The flow cytometry demonstrated that DMSO profoundly promoted the generation of APLNRlateral plate mesoderm cells and CD31CD34hemogenic endothelium progenitors (HEP). The addition of DMSO in the window phase of lateral plate mesoderm cell generation could markedly improve the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DMSO promotes hematopoietic differentiation of hESC through enhancing the generation of APLNR positive lateral plate mesoderm cells. The addition of DMSO in the window phase of lateral plate mesoderm cell generation can significantly improve the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells.</p>

Comparison of 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI and SPECT in the diagnosis of local residual/recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma: A meta-analysis.

The objective of this study was to assess the overall diagnostic value of MRI, SPECT and 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting local NPC residual/recurrence with a meta-analysis. We performed a systematic review with meta-analyses to compare the diagnostic performance of nuclear magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) as imaging modalities for the detection of local residual or recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MEDLINE, EMBASE and publisher databases were searched in December 2014. Methodological quality was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS) tool. Pooled estimation and subgroup analysis data were obtained by statistical analysis. Seventeen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity estimates for 18F-FDGPET/CT (90%) and SPECT (85%) were not significantly higher than MRI (77%) (p=0.096 and 0.164, respectively). The pooled specificity estimates for 18F-FDGPET/CT (93%) and SPECT (81%) were significantly higher than MRI (76%) (p=0.033 and 0.042, respectively). The pooled DOR (Diagnostic odds ratio) estimates for 18F-FDGPET/CT (73.27) were significantly higher than MRI (12.09) (p=0.019) while the pooled DOR estimates for SPECT (78.69) were not significantly higher than MRI (12.09) (p=0.872). For 18F-FDGPET/CT, there were no significant differences between PET-CT and PET on all of the variables including sensitivity, specificity, PLR (Positive likelihood ratio), NLR (Negative likelihood ratio) and DOR (P>0.05). For SPECT, there were no significant differences between 201TI-SPECT and MIBI-SPECT on all of the variables including sensitivity, specificity, PLR, NLR and DOR (P>0.05). Both 18F-FDGPET/CT and SPECT are very accurate for the detection of local residual or recurrent NPC, they are superior to MRI in distinguishing recurrent NPC from fibrosis or scar tissue after RT in irradiated fields with distortion of normal architecture. For 18F-FDGPET/CT, the diagnostic accuracy PET/CT was not significantly different than that of PET alone. For SPECT, 201TI-SPECT and MIBI-SPECT have the same diagnostic accuracy.

[Competition Results of Parasitic Disease Control Techniques among Technician in Hubei Province in 2015].

Objective: Objective To understand the qualification of technicians in parasitic disease control in Hubei Province by analyzing the rusults of technique competition in 2015. Methods: Provincial competitions on basic knowledge and on skills were conducted among 68 technicians in 17 cities （prefectures） in May 2015. The results were collected and analyzed with SPSS18.0 software. Scores were descriptively analyzed, and group comparisons were made by t-test and ANOVA. Results: The average score of the 68 competitors was 77.6, with a passing rate of 76.5%. In detail, the average scores of blood slide-making, Plasmodium detection, Kato-Katz slide-making and helminth egg detection were 9.3（passing rate, 98.5%）, 14.2 （32.4%）, 8.6 （98.53%） and 22.6 （27.9%） respectively. The average scores on theoretical knowledge and blood slide-making of female competitors were （84.5±17.3） and （9.4±0.4）, respectively, significantly higher than those of the males （70.7±21.1, 9.1±0.9 respectively） （P<0.05）. The scores of Plasmodium microscopy and egg microscopy were higher in competitors from counties［（16.3±8.0）, （25.8±12.0）］ than in those from cities/prefectures ［（12.5±6.5）, （20.0±10.8）］ （P<0.05）. In addition, the average scores on theoretical knowledge and egg dection were higher in competitors from districts with schistosomiasis control task ［（84.4±18.4）, （25.4±11.0）］ than in those from areas without schistosomiasis control task［（61.1±14.7）, （16.0±10.8）］（P<0.05）. There were no statistically significant differences in scores of various items among competitors of different ages and with professional ranks (P>0.05). Conclusion: There is a good overall performance among the professionals but an imbalance in detecting capability in different areas. The microscopic examination skill also needs to be improved.