Endoscopic ultrasonography-related diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance on small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms.

This research aimed to examine the diagnostic accuracy and clinical significance of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) in the context of small rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). A total of 108 patients with rectal subepithelial lesions (SELs) with a diameter of < 20 mm were included in the analysis. The diagnosis and depth assessment of EUS was compared to the histology findings. The prevalence of NENs in rectal SELs was 78.7% (85/108). The sensitivity of EUS in detecting rectal NENs was 98.9% (84/85), while the specificity was 52.2% (12/23). Overall, the diagnostic accuracy of EUS in identifying rectal NENs was 88.9% (96/108). The overall accuracy rate for EUS in assessing the depth of invasion in rectal NENs was 92.9% (78/84). Therefore, EUS demonstrates reasonable diagnostic accuracy in detecting small rectal NENs, with good sensitivity but inferior specificity. EUS may also assist physicians in assessing the depth of invasion in small rectal NENs before endoscopic excision.

An introduction of an easy-operating and economical technique for tissue microarray preparation.

AIM: Tissue microarray (TMA) is a powerful and effective tool for in situ tissue analysis. However, manual TMA construction methods showed varied qualities. This study aimed to raise a standardised TMA preparation technique that can be easily operated and is economical. METHODS: A sampling needle was used to punch the tissue rods from the donor block and holes in the recipient block. To indicate the dots' positions and ensure vertical punching, a novel auxiliary device made using commercial three-dimensional printing technology was attached. The TMA block was made up of tissue rods and a recipient block. RESULTS: A 77-rod (7×11) TMA block was constructed. The rows and columns were fixed in straight lines. There was no specimen loss during the process of embedding. CONCLUSIONS: An alternative method for the construction of TMA blocks that met the basic requirement of many laboratories and can be effortlessly performed was presented.

[Value of five-repetition sit-to-stand test in clinical evaluation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the value of five-repetition sit-to-stand test (5STS) in clinical evaluation of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: Fifty-one patients with COPD and 20 healthy individuals were enrolled in this study. All the participants underwent 5STS, pulmonary function examination, and 6 min walking test (6MWT) and were evaluated for severity of dyspnea (by mMRC) and BODE index during the tests. RESULTS: All the participants completed 5STS test with a good reproducibility of the time used for 3 sessions of the test (P<0.001). The mean time used by COPD patients for 5STS was significantly longer than that by healthy individuals (12.93±3.11s vs 0.72±0.71 s, P=0.002). The results of 5STS showed a significant negative correlation with those of 6MWT in the case group and control group with correlation coefficients of -0.611 and -0.682, respectively. The results of 5STS were negatively correlated with FEV1%Pre and body mass index (P<0.05) but positively with mMRC and BODE index in COPD patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: 5STS is a simple and reproducible test to evaluate the patients' exercise capacity and the severity of COPD, and is well correlated with the current methods for clinical evaluation of COPD.

[Analysis of the clinical indications of asthma control test].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical indications of asthma control test (ACT). METHODS: A total of 120 asthmatic patients with a diagnosis in line with the American Thoracic Society criteria and treated for over a month were enrolled in this study. The patients were asked to complete a survey to assess their symptoms and asthma attacks, and ACT evaluation was conducted by physicians familiar with ACT evaluation. The patients were classified into two groups based on the pulmonary function test (positive for bronchodilator test and provocation test) or based on disease severity (mild and moderate-to-severe asthma groups). The effect of ACT evaluation was graded as good (no less than 4 item available for evaluation), fair (2-3 items available) and poor (no more than 1 item). To further analyze the ACT sensitivity in relation to different disease severity, 29 asthmatic patients with an initial diagnosis and BDT positivity were included, and the ACT score of the patients with mild, moderate and severe asthma based on FEV1% were compared. RESULTS: In patients positive for bronchodilator test, good, fair and poor evaluation effects were found in 48, 15, and 5 cases, as compared to 10, 15, and 27 in those positive for provocation test, respectively, showing significant differences between the two groups (P < 0.001). In mild asthma group, good, fair and poor evaluation effects were found in 12, 15, and 18 cases, respectively, significantly different from those in moderate-to- severe asthma group (50, 21, and 4 cases, P < 0.001). ACT scores showed a positive correlation to FEV1% in 29 patients with positive BDT (r = 0.55, P = 0.003). ACT scores had no significant difference between mild and moderate asthma groups (P > 0.05), but showed significant differences between mild and severe groups (P = 0.009) and between moderate and severe groups (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: ACT is more suitable for evaluating patients positive for bronchodilator test or with moderate to severe asthma.