Development of a chemiluminescence assay for tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor complex and its applicability to gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), is a noteworthy complication in individuals with gastric cancer, but the current diagnosis and treatment methods lack accuracy. In this study, we developed a t-PAIC chemiluminescence kit and employed chemiluminescence to detect the tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor complex (t-PAIC), thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), plasmin-α2-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC) and thrombomodulin (TM), combined with D-dimer and fibrin degradation products (FDP), to investigate their diagnostic potential for venous thrombosis in gastric cancer patients. The study assessed variations in six indicators among gastric cancer patients at different stages. RESULTS: The t-PAIC reagent showed LOD is 1.2 ng/mL and a linear factor R greater than 0.99. The reagents demonstrated accurate results, with all accuracy deviations being within 5%. The intra-batch and inter-batch CVs for the t-PAIC reagent were both within 8%. The correlation coefficient R between this method and Sysmex was 0.979. Gastric cancer patients exhibited elevated levels of TAT, PIC, TM, D-D, FDP compared to the healthy population, while no significant difference was observed in t-PAIC. In the staging of gastric cancer, patients in III-IV stages exhibit higher levels of the six markers compared to those in I-II stages. The ROC curve indicates an enhancement in sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis of four or six indicators. CONCLUSION: Our chemiluminescence assay performs comparably to Sysmex's method and at a reduced cost. The use of multiple markers, including t-PAIC, TM, TAT, PIC, D-D, and FDP, is superior to the use of single markers for diagnosing VTE in patients with malignant tumors. Gastric cancer patients should be screened for the six markers to facilitate proactive prophylaxis, determine the most appropriate treatment timing, ameliorate their prognosis, decrease the occurrence of venous thrombosis and mortality, and extend their survival.

Uncovering a novel DNA repair-related radiosensitivity model for evaluation of radiotherapy susceptibility in uterine corpus endometrial cancer.

Background: Uterine corpus endometrial cancer (UCEC) exhibit heterogeneity in their DNA repair capacity, which can impact their response to radiotherapy. Our study aimed to identify potential DNA repair-related biomarkers for predicting radiation response in UCEC. Methods: We conducted a thorough analysis of 497 UCEC samples obtained from TCGA database. Using LASSO-COX regression analysis, we constructed a radiosensitivity signature and subsequently divided patients into the radiosensitive (RS) and the radioresistant (RR) groups based on their radiosensitivity index. The GSVA and GSEA were performed to explore functional annotations. The CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE algorithms were utilized to investigate the immune infiltration status of the two groups. Additionally, we utilized the Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE), Immunophenotype Score (IPS), and pRRophetic algorithms to predict the effectiveness of different treatment modalities. Results: We constructed a radiosensitivity index consists of four DNA repair-related genes. Patients in the RS group demonstrated significantly improved prognosis compared to patients in the RR group when treated with radiotherapy. We observed that the RS group exhibited a higher proportion of the POLE ultra-mutated subtype, while the RR group had a higher proportion of the copy number high subtype. GSVA enrichment analysis revealed that the RS group exhibited enrichment in DNA damage repair pathways. Notably, the RS group demonstrated a higher proportion of naïve B cells and follicular helper T cells, while regulatory T cells (Tregs) and memory B cells were more abundant in the RR group. Furthermore, patients in the RS-PD-L1-high subgroup exhibited enrichment in immune-related pathways and increased sensitivity to immunotherapy, which is likely to contribute to their improved prognosis. Additionally, we conducted in vitro experiments to validate the expression of radiosensitivity genes in non-radioresistant (AN3CA) and radioresistant (AN3CA/IR) endometrial cancer cells. Conclusions: In conclusion, our research successfully constructed a radiosensitivity signature with robust predictive capacity. These findings shed light on the association between immune activation, PD-L1 expression, and the response to immunotherapy in the context of radiotherapy.

Etoposide soft capsule combined with anlotinib in the third-line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: The physical tolerance in the advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient often deteriorates, with a limited effective rate of the third-line treatment. This study retrospectively analyzed the efficacy and safety of etoposide soft capsules combined with anlotinib in the third-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 46 patients with advanced NSCLC who had failed second-line treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS) of advanced NSCLC patients served as an endpoint. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were applied to evaluate the short-term efficacy of anlotinib treatment in advanced NSCLC patients. Results: Among 46 third-line NSCLC patients, none had complete remission (CR), 9 had partial remission (PR), 29 had stable disease (SD), and 8 had progressive disease (PD). The objective response rate (ORR) was 19.57%, the disease control rate (DCR) was 82.61%, the median progression-free survival (mPFS) was 6.3 months, and the median overall survival (mOS) was 10.1 months. Common adverse reactions included fatigue, hypertension, nausea, stomatitis, leukopenia, hand-foot syndrome, abnormal liver function, proteinuria, hemoptysis, and hypothyroidism, among others. The incidence of grade 3 adverse reactions was 8.9%, and there were no grade 4 adverse reactions. Conclusions: Etoposide soft capsule combined with anlotinib demonstrated a marked effect on the third-line treatment of advanced NSCLC patients, and is well tolerated.

Circ_0000033 up-regulates NUAK2 by sequestering miR-378a-3p to promote breast tumorigenesis.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), including circ_0000033, were shown to be abnormally expressed in breast cancer (BC) and play an important regulatory function in the development of this cancer. This study aimed to investigate the action and mechanism of circ_0000033 in BC carcinogenesis. Specifically, levels of genes and proteins were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting. Circ_0000033 was highly expressed in BC tissues and cells. Properties of cells with modified expression of circ_0000033 were characterized using an in vitro colony formation assay, EdU assay, flow cytometry, caspase-3 activity analysis, transwell assay, and tube formation assay, respectively. Functionally, knockdown of circ_0000033 suppressed BC cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in vitro. An in vivo experiment was conducted using a murine xenograft model and showed circ_0000033 silencing also impeded the growth of BC in nude mice. The binding between miR-378a-3p and circ_0000033 or NUAK2 (NUAK Family Kinase 2) was validated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay. Circ_0000033 sequestered miR-378a-3p and resulted in NUAK2 release, indicating a circ_0000033/miR-378a-3p/NUAK2 regulatory network operates in BC cells. Circ_0000033 down-regulation in BC cells was accompanied by decreased NUAK2 and increased miR-378a-3p expression. Moreover, the anticancer effects mediated by circ_0000033 knockdown were abolished by miR-378a-3p inhibition or NUAK2 overexpression in BC cells. Overall, circ_0000033 up-regulates NUAK2 through sequestration miR-378a-3p, which promoted breast tumorigenesis, suggesting circ_0000033 is a promising therapeutic target for BC treatment.

Mechanism of PD-L1 and Siglec-15 in regulating malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells and its clinical significance / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的：探讨卵巢癌组织中PD-L1与唾液酸结合性免疫球蛋白样凝集素15（Siglec-15）的关系及其临床意义以及两者对卵巢癌SKOV3细胞增殖、迁移及侵袭的影响。方法：收集2017年1月至2019年12月福建医科大学附属第二医院妇科50例手术切除的卵巢癌组织和配对输卵管组织的石蜡包埋标本，采用免疫组化染色Envision法检测癌组织和输卵管组织中PD-L1和Siglec-15的表达水平，Kaplan-Meier生存曲线和Logistic回归分析PD-L1和Siglec-15表达与患者预后的关系。利用瞬时转染技术在卵巢癌细胞SKOV3中分别转染si-PD-L1和si-NC，用qPCR和WB法检测SKOV3细胞中PD-L1的表达对Siglec-15的影响，用CCK-8及Transwell法验证PD-L1及Siglec-15表达对SKOV3细胞增殖、迁移及侵袭的影响。结果：50例卵巢癌组织中，PD-L1与Siglec-15均呈高表达（50.00%与42.00%）。PD-L1表达与肿瘤病理类型、有无腹水、淋巴结转移、FIGO分期及卵巢癌复发与否具有关联（均P<0.05）；Siglec-15表达与卵巢癌患者淋巴结转移及FIGO分期具有关联（均P<0.05）。成功构建PD-L1低表达SKOV3细胞株，降低PD-L1表达可使Siglec-15表达升高。结论：PD-L1和Siglec-15在卵巢癌组织中均有较高的阳性表达率，PD-L1是卵巢癌复发的独立风险因素。PD-L1和Siglec-15两者的表达呈负相关，降低PD-L1表达可使Siglec-15表达水平升高而抑制SKOV3细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭的能力。

Identification of Key Carcinogenic Genes in Colon Adenocarcinoma.

Background: We aimed to probe carcinogenic genes associated with colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) development. Methods: The gene expression profile of COAD were downloaded from TCGA. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified; GO and KEGG pathway enrichment were analyzed. Applying the up-mRNA-and-down-miRNA pairs and the down-mRNA-and-up-miRNA pairs, the miRNA target network was generated. The important genes were further analyzed towards the influence on overall survival and immune infiltration. In addition, essential miRNAs were selected for expression validation using real-time qPCR. Results: Together, from 2020-2021, in Central Laboratory of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, we found 3060 up-regulated transcripts and 2254 down-regulated transcripts in mRNA expression, with 235 up-regulated and 263 down-regulated miRNAs. We discovered 98 enriched GO terms using the up-regulated DEGs and 315 enriched GO terms using downregulated DEGs. There were 14 enriched KEGG pathways based on the down-regulated DEGs and only one pathway based on the up-regulated DEGs. There were 61 up-mRNA-and-down-miRNA pairs, including 7 miRNAs and 41 carcinogenic targets, among which HOXC13, FOXL2NB, ALOXE3, and ZIC2 were found related to a poorer OS. ZIC2 located at the subnet with the most targets (the miR-129-5p subnet). ZIC2 expression was correlated with immune-cell infiltration. Conclusion: These risk genes, interaction networks, and enrichments may provide a better understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms in COAD development and potential therapeutic targets for clinical treatment of COAD.

The miR-199a-5p/PD-L1 axis regulates cell proliferation, migration and invasion in follicular thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is the second most common cancer of the thyroid and easily develops into distant metastasis. PD-L1 is known to be associated with the carcinogenesis and progression of thyroid carcinoma. Our study aimed to investigate the biological functions of PD-L1 and to identify miRNAs that were responsible for modulating the activity of PD-L1. METHODS: A total of 72 patients with FTC at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University were enrolled in this retrospective study. Immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was used to measure PD-L1 expression in FTC. The association between PD-L1 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics was evaluated. Bioinformatics analysis, RT-qPCR and western blotting were used to examine the relationships between miR-199a-5p, PD-L1 and Claudin-1. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were evaluated by using CCK8 and Transwell migration and invasion assays. Target prediction and luciferase reporter assays were performed to verify the binding between miR-199a-5p and PD-L1. Rescue assay was performed to confirm whether PD-L1 downregulation abolished the inhibitory effect of miR-199a-5p. RESULTS: Among 72 pairs of tumor and normal specimens, the proportion of PD-L1 positive samples was higher in FTC tissues than in normal tissues. The results of ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT illustrated that there was a positive correlation between PD-L1 expression and immune infiltration, especially regulatory T cells and M1 macrophages. Prediction of immunotherapy revealed that patients with high PD-L1 expression might benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors. Transwell migration and invasion assays showed that PD-L1 downregulation in FTC cells could significantly inhibit cell migration and invasion. The bioinformatics analysis and luciferase activity results indicated that PD-L1 was a potential target of miR-199a-5p. Knockdown of PD-L1 reversed the miR-199a-5p inhibitor mediated promotion effect. In addition, we found that PD-L1 expression was positively correlated with Claudin-1 expression and that miR-199a-5p affected the progression of FTC cells through the negative regulation of PD-L1 and Claudin-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that PD-L1 expression was elevated in FTC and was closely associated with tumor aggressiveness and progression. MiR-199a-5p has a functional role in the progression and metastasis of FTC by regulating PD-L1 and Claudin-1 expression.

Predictive Value of 5 Early Warning Scores for Critical COVID-19 Patients.

OBJECTIVES: A simple evaluation tool for patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could assist the physicians to triage COVID-19 patients effectively and rapidly. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of 5 early warning scores based on the admission data of critical COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Overall, medical records of 319 COVID-19 patients were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics on admission were used for calculating the Standardized Early Warning Score (SEWS), National Early Warning Score (NEWS), National Early Warning Score2 (NEWS2), Hamilton Early Warning Score (HEWS), and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS). Data on the outcomes (survival or death) were collected for each case and extracted for overall and subgroup analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were performed. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the SEWS, NEWS, NEWS2, HEWS, and MEWS in predicting mortality were 0.841 (95% CI: 0.765-0.916), 0.809 (95% CI: 0.727-0.891), 0.809 (95% CI: 0.727-0.891), 0.821 (95% CI: 0.748-0.895), and 0.670 (95% CI: 0.573-0.767), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: SEWS, NEWS, NEWS2, and HEWS demonstrated moderate discriminatory power and, therefore, offer potential utility as prognostic tools for screening severely ill COVID-19 patients. However, MEWS is not a good prognostic predictor for COVID-19.

Prognostic value of three rapid scoring scales and combined predictors for the assessment of patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

AIM: To explore the factors affecting mortality in patients with COVID-19 and to verify the predictive value of the three rapid scoring scales MEWS, RAPS and REMS. DESIGN: Cross-sectional observational study. METHODS: Kaplan-Meier and Cox survival analyses were performed to identify the risk factors associated with COVID-19-related death. A ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the abilities of the three scoring scales to predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: Age, low blood oxygen saturation level and decreased lymphocyte count were the high risk factors for COVID-19-related mortality. The analysis of the abilities of the three scales to predict the prognosis of COVID-19 patients: The AUC of 0.641 for the RAPS (p = .065). The MEWS (AUC = 0.705, p = .007), compared with RAPS, the NRI was 0.371(p = .03), and the IDI = 0.092 (p = .046); The REMS (AUC = 0.841, p < .001), compared with MEWS, the NRI was 0.227(p = .12), and the IDI=0.09(p = .047); The Combining Predictor (AUC = 0.878, p < .001), compared with REMS, the NRI was 0.25(p = .113), and the IDI=0.02(p = .598). CONCLUSION: Patients with an old age, low blood oxygen saturation level and decreased lymphocyte count were at a high risk of COVID-19-related mortality. Moreover, our analysis revealed that the REMS had a better prognostic ability than the MEWS and RAPS when applied to COVID-19 patients. Our findings suggest that the REMS can be used as a rapid scoring tool for the early assessment of COVID-19 severity.

Expression and clinical significance of PD-1 and NLRP3 in follicular thyroid carcinoma tissues / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的：探讨甲状腺滤泡癌（FTC）组织中程序性死亡蛋白1（PD-1）和NOD样受体蛋白3（NLRP3）的表达及其与患者临床病理特征和预后的关系。方法：收集2015年1月至2020年6月福建医科大学附属第二医院手术切除的60例FTC患者的癌和配对癌旁组织标本，采用免疫组织化学染色法检测癌及癌旁组织中PD-1和NLRP3的阳性表达率，χ²检验或者Fisher精确检验法分析PD-1和NLRP3表达与FTC患者临床病理特征的关系，Pearson相关性分析PD-1与NLRP3表达的关系，Kaplan-Meier生存和Logistic回归分析PD-1和NLRP3表达与患者预后的关系。结果：在60例FTC组织中，PD-1和NLRP3均有较高的阳性表达率（46.67%与63.33%）。PD-1表达与FTC患者肿瘤分期、肿瘤大小、血管侵犯、复发与否具有显著相关性（均P<0.05），NLRP3表达与患者肿瘤大小、血管侵犯、甲状腺外浸润以及复发具有显著相关性（均P<0.05）。PD-1与NLRP3的表达成负相关，前者与患者更好的预后相关，后者是FTC复发的独立风险因素。结论：PD-1和NLRP3在FTC组织中有较高的阳性表达率，前者与患者更好的预后相关，后者是FTC复发的独立风险因素，且两者的表达呈负相关。

Levels of PD‑L1 and CD8+ TIL in TNBC tissues and their clinical significance / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[摘 要] 目的： 探讨程序性死亡蛋白-配体1（programmed death ligand-1，PD-L1）和肿瘤浸润淋巴细胞（tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte, TIL）在三阴性乳腺癌（triple-negative breast cancer，TNBC）组织中的水平及其临床意义。方法：收集2015年1月至2019年1月福建医科大学附属第二医院手术切除的61例TNBC患者的癌及癌旁组织石蜡标本，用免疫组化法检测癌组织中PD-L1表达和CD8+ TIL的水平，用卡方检测方法分析TNBC组织中PD-L1和CD8+ TIL水平与患者临床病理特征及预后的关系。结果： PD-L1和CD8+ TIL在TNBC组织中的阳性率分别为63.9%（39/61）和32.8%（20/61）。PD-L1表达与TNBC患者的肿瘤大小、淋巴结转移、病理分期、复发与否有明显关联（均P<0.05），与患者的年龄、肿瘤分化程度、脉管侵犯以及Ki67表达水平无明显关联（均P>0.05）；CD8+ TIL水平与TNBC患者的肿瘤大小、肿瘤分化程度、淋巴结转移、病理分期、复发与否有明显关联（均P<0.05），与患者的年龄、脉管侵犯以及Ki67表达水平无明显关联（均P>0.05）。PD-L1和CD8+ TIL水平与患者的无进展生存期（PFS）及总生存期（OS）具有显著相关性（均P<0.05），PD-L1+或者缺乏CD8+ TIL与患者更差的PFS及OS相关（均P<0.05）。结论：TNBC组织中存在较高水平的PD-L1和CD8+ TIL，PD-L1阳性表达或缺乏CD8+ TIL与肿瘤侵袭性增加相关，也与患者更差的PFS及OS相关。

Predictive performance of SOFA and qSOFA for in-hospital mortality in severe novel coronavirus disease.

OBJECTIVES: The assessment of illness severity at admission can contribute to decreased mortality in patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) and Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scoring systems at admission for the prediction of mortality risk in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We included 140 critically ill COVID-19 patients. Data on demographics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory findings at admission were used to calculate SOFA and qSOFA against the in-hospital outcomes (survival or death) that were ascertained from the medical records. The predictive accuracy of both scoring systems was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve for SOFA in predicting mortality was 0.890 (95% CI: 0.826-0.955), which was higher than that of qSOFA (0.742, 95% CI 0.657-0.816). An optimal cutoff of ≥3 for SOFA had sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 90.00%, 83.18%, 50.00%, and 97.80%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This novel report indicates that SOFA could function as an effective adjunctive risk-stratification tool at admission for critical COVID-19 patients. The performance of qSOFA is accepted but inferior to that of SOFA.

Clinical characteristics of 82 cases of death from COVID-19.

A recently developed pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 bursting in Wuhan, China, has quickly spread across the world. We report the clinical characteristics of 82 cases of death from COVID-19 in a single center. Clinical data on 82 death cases laboratory-confirmed as SARS-CoV-2 infection were obtained from a Wuhan local hospital's electronic medical records according to previously designed standardized data collection forms. All patients were local residents of Wuhan, and a large proportion of them were diagnosed with severe illness when admitted. Due to the overwhelming of our system, a total of 14 patients (17.1%) were treated in the ICU, 83% of deaths never received Critical Care Support, only 40% had mechanical ventilation support despite 100% needing oxygen and the leading cause of death being pulmonary. Most of the patients who died were male (65.9%). More than half of the patients who died were older than 60 years (80.5%), and the median age was 72.5 years. The bulk of the patients who died had comorbidities (76.8%), including hypertension (56.1%), heart disease (20.7%), diabetes (18.3%), cerebrovascular disease (12.2%), and cancer (7.3%). Respiratory failure remained the leading cause of death (69.5%), followed by sepsis/MOF (28.0%), cardiac failure (14.6%), hemorrhage (6.1%), and renal failure (3.7%). Furthermore, respiratory, cardiac, hemorrhagic, hepatic, and renal damage were found in 100%, 89%, 80.5%, 78.0%, and 31.7% of patients, respectively. On admission, lymphopenia (89.2%), neutrophilia (74.3%), and thrombocytopenia (24.3%) were usually observed. Most patients had a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio of >5 (94.5%), high systemic immune-inflammation index of >500 (89.2%), and increased C-reactive protein (100%), lactate dehydrogenase (93.2%), and D-dimer (97.1%) levels. A high level of IL-6 (>10 pg/ml) was observed in all detected patients. The median time from initial symptoms to death was 15 days (IQR 11-20), and a significant association between aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.002), alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.037) and time from initial symptoms to death was remarkably observed. Older males with comorbidities are more likely to develop severe disease and even die from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Respiratory failure is the main cause of COVID-19, but the virus itself and cytokine release syndrome-mediated damage to other organs, including cardiac, renal, hepatic, and hemorrhagic damage, should be taken seriously as well.

Immune Phenotyping Based on the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and IgG Level Predicts Disease Severity and Outcome for Patients With COVID-19.

Introduction: A recently emerging respiratory disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has quickly spread across the world. This disease is initiated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and uncontrolled cytokine storm, but it remains unknown as to whether a robust antibody response is related to clinical deterioration and poor outcome in COVID-19 patients. Methods: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibodies were determined by chemiluminescence analysis (CLIA) in COVID-19 patients at a single center in Wuhan. Median IgG and IgM levels in acute and convalescent-phase sera (within 35 days) for all included patients were calculated and compared between severe and non-severe patients. Immune response phenotyping based on the late IgG levels and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was characterized to stratified patients into different disease severities and outcomes. Results: A total of 222 patients were included in this study. IgG was first detected on day 4 of illness, and its peak levels occurred in the fourth week. Severe cases were more frequently found in patients with high IgG levels, compared to those with low IgG levels (51.8 vs. 32.3%; p = 0.008). Severity rates for patients with NLRhiIgGhi, NLRhiIgGlo, NLRloIgGhi, and NLRloIgGlo phenotype were 72.3, 48.5, 33.3, and 15.6%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Furthermore, severe patients with NLRhiIgGhi, NLRhiIgGlo had higher inflammatory cytokines levels including IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10, and decreased CD4+ T cell count compared to those with NLRloIgGlo phenotype (p < 0.05). Recovery rates for severe patients with NLRhiIgGhi, NLRhiIgGlo, NLRloIgGhi, and NLRloIgGlo phenotype were 58.8% (20/34), 68.8% (11/16), 80.0% (4/5), and 100% (12/12), respectively (p = 0.0592). Dead cases only occurred in NLRhiIgGhi and NLRhiIgGlo phenotypes. Conclusions: COVID-19 severity is associated with increased IgG response, and an immune response phenotyping based on the late IgG response and NLR could act as a simple complementary tool to discriminate between severe and non-severe COVID-19 patients, and further predict their clinical outcome.

Comparing Rapid Scoring Systems in Mortality Prediction of Critically Ill Patients With Novel Coronavirus Disease.

OBJECTIVES: Rapid and early severity-of-illness assessment appears to be important for critically ill patients with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the rapid scoring system on admission of these patients. METHODS: A total of 138 medical records of critically ill patients with COVID-19 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical characteristics on admission used for calculating Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) and Rapid Emergency Medicine Score (REMS) and outcomes (survival or death) were collected for each case and extracted for analysis. All patients were divided into two age subgroups (<65 years and ≥65 years). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed for overall patients and both subgroups. RESULTS: The median [25th quartile, 75th quartile] of MEWS of survivors versus nonsurvivors were 1 [1, 2] and 2 [1, 3] and those of REMS were 5 [2, 6] and 7 [6, 10], respectively. In overall analysis, the area under the ROC curve for the REMS in predicting mortality was 0.833 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.737 to 0.928), higher than that of MEWS (0.677, 95% CI = 0.541 to 0.813). An optimal cutoff of REMS (≥6) had a sensitivity of 89.5%, a specificity of 69.8%, a positive predictive value of 39.5%, and a negative predictive value of 96.8%. In the analysis of subgroup of patients aged <65 years, the area under the ROC curve for the REMS in predicting mortality was 0.863 (95% CI = 0.743 to 0.941), higher than that of MEWS (0.603, 95% CI = 0.462 to 0.732). CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study was the first exploration on rapid scoring systems for critically ill patients with COVID-19. The REMS could provide emergency clinicians with an effective adjunct risk stratification tool for critically ill patients with COVID-19, especially for the patients aged <65 years. The effectiveness of REMS for screening these patients is attributed to its high negative predictive value.

The feasibility and safety of PICCs accessed via the superficial femoral vein in patients with superior vena cava syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and safety of the peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) accessed via the superficial femoral vein in patients with superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS). METHODS: From October 2010 to December 2014, 221 cancer patients with SVCS in our center received real-time ultrasound-guidance of the superficial femoral vein inserted central catheters (FICCs) at the mid-thigh. PICC insertion via upper extremity veins had also been investigated in 2604 cancer patients without SVCS as control. The average catheterization time, one-time puncture frequency, catheter duration and complications were compared between two groups. RESULTS: In the FICC group, the mean catheterization time was 31.60 ± 0.15 minutes, one-time puncture frequency was 1.05 ± 0.08, and catheter duration was 168.95 ± 20.47 days. There was no significant difference compared with the upper extremity veins PICC group: 31.11 ± 3.86 minutes, 1.03 ± 0.30, and 173.58 ± 39.81 days, respectively. The major complications included skin allergy to chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) dressings, exudation, catheter-related infection, catheter occlusions, unplanned catheter withdrawal, venous thrombosis, mechanical phlebitis, and catheter malposition. It is interesting that a higher rate of catheter malposition was observed in the upper extremity veins PICC group than in the FICC group (2.15% vs. 0.00%). There were no significant differences in other complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Real-time ultrasound-guided PICCs accessed via the superficial femoral vein at the mid-thigh is a new modified technique with low complications, which can be a feasible and safe alternative venous access for patients with SVCS.

Effects of Tai Chi Exercise on Cancer-Related Fatigue in Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

CONTEXT: Tai Chi exercise has been shown to improve cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance in some cancer patients or survivors; however, such effects are yet to be verified in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. OBJECTIVES: To explore the effects of Tai Chi exercise on CRF in NPC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy and then to evaluate ANS information indicated by heart rate variability parameters and their association with CRF. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi exercise was conducted from January 2014 to August 2015. Participants in the Tai Chi group practiced Tai Chi a one-hour session, five sessions/week during chemoradiotherapy. Participants in the control group received usual care. The primary end points were scores of the multidimensional fatigue symptom inventory-short form (MFSI-SF). Secondary end points were heart rate variability parameters, including normalized low-frequency (nLF) power, normalized high-frequency (nHF) power, and the nLF/nHF ratio, and their association with CRF. RESULTS: One hundred fourteen patients were recruited in this study, and 83 patients completed the trial. The Tai Chi group and the control group had comparable baseline characteristics. After chemoradiotherapy, the Tai Chi group exhibited lower MFSI-SF total score and three negative subscale (general, physical, and emotional fatigue) scores and higher vigor score compared with the control group (P < 0.01 for all). The nLF/nHF ratio was significantly lower in the Tai Chi group compared to the control group after chemoradiotherapy. The MFSI-SF total score was markedly correlated with the nLF/nHF ratio. CONCLUSION: Tai Chi exercise is conducive to alleviate CRF in NPC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy. The improvement in ANS balance might fit into the process of Tai Chi for CRF management in this population.

Stroke: coping strategies and depression among Chinese caregivers of survivors during hospitalisation.

UNLABELLED: aims and objectives: The main aim of this study was to identify the coping strategies of stroke caregivers, to identify the factors associated with caregivers' depression and to identify predictors of caregivers' depression. BACKGROUND: Stroke has a high incidence in China. Most stroke survivors are accompanied by family caregivers during hospitalisation. However, little is known about these informal caregivers' coping strategies to the consequences brought on by stroke and their depressive symptoms. METHOD: A correlation and cross-sectional design was used and a purposive sample of 92 stroke survivors and their caregivers completed the questionnaires, which were used to describe the demographic of both the caregiver and stroke survivor, coping strategies (the Brief COPE Inventory) and depression of caregivers (the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale). Spearman's correlation and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used in data analyses. RESULTS: Several coping strategies (planning, positive reframing, acceptance, active coping, use of instrumental support and humour) were most commonly used by stroke caregivers. The length of hospital stay, stroke survivor's cognitive status and functional status, family income and coping strategies such as (i) denial, (ii) self-blame, (iii) planning and (iv) religion had significant correlations with caregiver's depression. The best predictors of caregiver's depression were denial, planning and stroke survivor's functional status. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to our knowledge about the coping strategies and depression level of stroke caregivers on the Chinese mainland. The depression rate is very high during hospitalisation, although these caregivers often had positive coping responses to the stroke event. Many factors were associated with caregivers' depression. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nurses should not only pay attention to stroke survivors but also to their caregivers. To help them adjust well from the stroke consequences and avoid depression, nurses should implement effective interventions.