Clinical efficacy of osimertinib and icotinib in first-line treatment of EGFR-positive metastatic NSCLC / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the real-world efficacy of osimertinib and icotinib in metastatic non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients.Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 151 newly-diagnosed patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -positive advanced NSCLC in Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University from March 2018 to May 2022. The patients were divided into osimertinib group ( n=53) and icotinib group ( n=98) according to treatment method. The objective response rate (ORR) , disease control rate (DCR) , progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between the two groups. The factors influencing prognosis were analyzed by using Cox regression models. Subgroup analysis was performed according to metastatic site and EGFR mutation type. Results:ORR was 56.6% (30/53) and 59.2% (58/98) for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.09, P=0.759) . DCR was 83.0% (44/53) and 91.8% (90/98) for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=2.68, P=0.102) . The median PFS was 11.7 months and 11.8 months for patients in the osimertinib group and icotinib group, respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2=0.06, P=0.802) . The median OS was not reached for patients in both the osimertinib group and icotinib group, with no statistically significant difference ( χ2<0.01, P=0.969) . The results of multivariate analysis showed that adrenal metastases ( HR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.04-3.41, P=0.036) was an independent prognostic factor for PFS. Gender ( HR=2.22, 95% CI: 1.08-4.58, P=0.031) and adrenal metastases ( HR=4.87, 95% CI: 1.76-13.46, P=0.002) were independent prognostic factors for OS. The results of the subgroup analysis showed that in patients with pleural metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 9.3 months, median OS: not reached vs. not reached) , adrenal metastases (median PFS: 8.7 months vs. 5.6 months, median OS: 20.0 months vs. 15.3 months) , 19DEL mutations (median PFS: 14.5 months vs. 13.3 months, median OS: not reached vs. 40.7 months) , the osimertinib group tended to have better survival outcomes. Conversely, in patients with contralateral lung metastases (median PFS: 8.3 months vs. 11.2 months, median OS: not reached vs. 40.7 months) , bone metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 11.8 months, median OS: not reached vs. 34.5 months) , liver metastases (median PFS: 8.7 months vs. 9.1 months, median OS: not reached vs. 23.8 months) , brain metastases (median PFS: 11.7 months vs. 15.3 months, median OS: 22.4 months vs. 35.3 months) and 21L858R mutations (median PFS: 9.5 months vs. 10.0 months, median OS: 22.4 months vs. not reached) , the icotinib group tended to have better survival outcomes, but with no statistically significant differences (all P>0.05) . Conclusion:Both osimertinib and icotinib have good therapeutic efficacy in patients with EGFR-positive advanced NSCLC, thus can be used as first-line treatment options.

Types and Incidence of Moderate and Severe Toxic Effects of Carbon Ion Radiotherapy for Head and Neck Cancer / 肿瘤防治研究

Head and neck tumors often have complex anatomical structures and are adjacent to important organs. Radiation injury caused by conventional radiotherapy technology is the main dose-limiting factor. Carbon ion beam has become the most ideal radiation to replace photon due to its excellent relative biological effect and Bragg peak. By 2019, 32 000 people worldwide have received carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT). Despite the efficient tumor killing ability of this technology, radiation injury cannot be avoided. This article reviews the types and incidence of moderate to severe radiation injury caused by CIRT in head and neck cancer to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential risks in CIRT.

Is Gadoxetic Acid Disodium (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging an Accurate Diagnostic Method for Hepatocellular Carcinoma? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Gadolinium Ethoxybenzyl Diethylenetriamine Pentaacetic Acid (Gd- EOB-DTPA) has become a widely used liver-specific contrast agent worldwide, but its value and limitations as a diagnostic technique with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), have not been assessed. INTRODUCTION: A review of the latest evidence available on the diagnostic value of Gd-EOB-DTPA- enhanced MRI for the evaluation of HCC is reported. METHODS: A systematic, comprehensive literature search was conducted with PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, vip, wanfangdata and CBM from inception to June 31, 2020. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to evaluate the quality of the included studies. Pooled Sensitivity (SEN), Pooled Specificity (SPE), pooled positive likelihood ratio (PLR), pooled negative likelihood ratio (NLR), pooled diagnostic odds ratio (dOR) and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were calculated to assess the diagnostic value of the individual diagnostic tests. RESULTS: A total of 47 articles were included, involving a total of 6362 nodules in 37 studies based on per-lesion studies. There were 13 per-patient studies, including a total of 1816 patients. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the per-lesion studies pooled weighted values were SEN 0.90 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.87-0.92], SPE 0.92 (95% CI: 0.90-0.94), PLR 11.6 (95% CI: 8.8-15.2), NLR 0.11 (95% CI: 0.09-0.14) and dOR 107.0 (95% CI: 74.0-155.0). The AUC of the SROC curve was 0.96. The per-patient studies pooled weighted values were SEN 0.84 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78-0.89], SPE 0.92 (95% CI: 0.88-0.94), PLR 10.4 (95% CI: 7.4-14.6), NLR 0.17 (95% CI: 0.12-0.24) and dOR 61.0 (95% CI: 42.0-87.0). The AUC of the SROC curve was 0.95 and subgroup analyses were performed. CONCLUSION: The diagnostic value of Gd-EOB-DTPA for HCC was quantitatively evaluated in a per-lesion study and a per-patient study using a systematic review of the literature. A positive conclusion was drawn: Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced imaging is a valuable diagnostic technique for HCC. The size of the nodules and the selection of the imaging diagnostic criteria may affect the diagnostic sensitivity.

Evaluation of a China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope in an animal experiment / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope in animal cholangioscopy.Methods:Six healthy Bama minipigs underwent the domestic disposable peroral cholangioscopy after anesthesia. The operation performance and image quality of the products were evaluated, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded.Results:All 6 animals received the domestic disposable peroral cholangioscopy. The cholangioscope showed good operating performance and could smoothly enter the biliary tract through the duodenoscope. The water injection, suction and instrument channels were unobstructed. The cholangioscopic image was clear, the color resolution was good, and there was no image distortion. The lumen and the mucosal surface could be accurately assessed. During the examination, there was no operative injuries such as bleeding, perforation, or adverse events such as respiratory depression or cardiac arrest. All pigs survived the operation with no adverse reaction.Conclusion:The China-made disposable peroral cholangioscope is safe, with good operability and high-quality image.

Genomic and transcriptomic analysis unveils population evolution and development of pesticide resistance in fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a destructive pest native to America and has recently become an invasive insect pest in China. Because of its rapid spread and great risks in China, understanding of FAW genetic background and pesticide resistance is urgent and essential to develop effective management strategies. Here, we assembled a chromosome-level genome of a male FAW (SFynMstLFR) and compared re-sequencing results of the populations from America, Africa, and China. Strain identification of 163 individuals collected from America, Africa and China showed that both C and R strains were found in the American populations, while only C strain was found in the Chinese and African populations. Moreover, population genomics analysis showed that populations from Africa and China have close relationship with significantly genetic differentiation from American populations. Taken together, FAWs invaded into China were most likely originated from Africa. Comparative genomics analysis displayed that the cytochrome p450 gene family is extremely expanded to 425 members in FAW, of which 283 genes are specific to FAW. Treatments of Chinese populations with twenty-three pesticides showed the variant patterns of transcriptome profiles, and several detoxification genes such as AOX, UGT and GST specially responded to the pesticides. These findings will be useful in developing effective strategies for management of FAW in China and other invaded areas.

Risk Factors for ICU Admission, Mechanical Ventilation and Mortality in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 in Hubei, China.

PurposeTo examine the risk factors for Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission, mechanical ventilation and mortality in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study including 432 patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who were admitted to three medical centers in Hubei province from January 1st to April 10th 2020. Primary outcomes included ICU admission, mechanical ventilation and death occurring while hospitalized or within 30 days. ResultsOf the 432 confirmed patients, 9.5% were admitted to the ICU, 27.3% required mechanical ventilation, and 33.1% died. Total leukocyte count was higher in survivors compared with those who died (8.9 vs 4.8 x 109/l), but lymphocyte counts were lower (0.6 vs 1.0 x 109/l). D-dimer was significantly higher in patients who died compared to survivors (6.0ug/l vs 1.0ug/l, p<0.0001. This was also seen when comparing mechanically versus non-mechanically-ventilated patients. Other significant differences were seen in AST, ALT, LDH, total bilirubin and creating kinase. The following were associated with increased odds of death: age > 65 years (adjusted hazard ratio (HR 2.09, 95% CI 1.02-4.05), severe disease at baseline (5.02, 2.05-12.29), current smoker (1.67, 1.37-2.02), temperature >39{degrees} C at baseline (2.68, 1.88-4.23), more than one comorbidity (2.12, 1.62-3.09), bilateral patchy shadowing on chest CT or X-ray (3.74, 1.78-9.62) and organ failure (6.47, 1.97-26.23). The following interventions were associated with higher CFR: glucocorticoids (1.60, 1.04-2.30), ICU admission (4.92, 1.37-17.64) and mechanical ventilation (2.35, 1.14-4.82). ConclusionDemographics, including age over 65 years, current smoker, diabetes, hypertension, and cerebrovascular disease, were associated with increased risk of mortality. Mortality was also associated with glucocorticoid use, mechanical ventilation and ICU admission. Take-Home MessageCOVID-19 patients with risk factors were more likely to be admitted into ICU and more likely to require mechanical ventilation.

Correction to: Core transcriptional signatures of phase change in the migratory locust

In the original publication the photo of the gregarious adult locust in Fig. 1A is incorrect. The correct photo of adult migratory locust is provided in this correction.

Research on algorithms for identifying the severity of acute respiratory distress syndrome patients based on noninvasive parameters / 生物医学工程学杂志

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a serious threat to human life and health disease, with acute onset and high mortality. The current diagnosis of the disease depends on blood gas analysis results, while calculating the oxygenation index. However, blood gas analysis is an invasive operation, and can't continuously monitor the development of the disease. In response to the above problems, in this study, we proposed a new algorithm for identifying the severity of ARDS disease. Based on a variety of non-invasive physiological parameters of patients, combined with feature selection techniques, this paper sorts the importance of various physiological parameters. The cross-validation technique was used to evaluate the identification performance. The classification results of four supervised learning algorithms using neural network, logistic regression, AdaBoost and Bagging were compared under different feature subsets. The optimal feature subset and classification algorithm are comprehensively selected by the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and area under curve (AUC) of different algorithms under different feature subsets. We use four supervised learning algorithms to distinguish the severity of ARDS (P/F ≤ 300). The performance of the algorithm is evaluated according to AUC. When AdaBoost uses 20 features, AUC = 0.832 1, the accuracy is 74.82%, and the optimal AUC is obtained. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated according to the number of features. When using 2 features, Bagging has AUC = 0.819 4 and the accuracy is 73.01%. Compared with traditional methods, this method has the advantage of continuously monitoring the development of patients with ARDS and providing medical staff with auxiliary diagnosis suggestions.

Schistosomiasis control effect of measures of replacing cattle with machine for cultivation and forbidding depasturage of livestock on marshlands in marshland and lake regions / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To evaluate the schistosomiasis control effect of the measures of replacing cattle with machine for cul?tivation and forbidding depasturage of livestock on marshlands in marshland and lake regions. Methods The retrospective re?view and field survey were implemented in the Jiangling and Gongan counties of Hubei Province where were implemented with the measure of replacing cattle with machine for cultivation,and Yuanjiang and Huarong counties of Hunan Province where were implemented with the measure of forbidding the depasturage of livestock on marshlands. The schistosome infection status of hu?man,cattle,and Oncomelania hupensis snails,and schistosome?infested field excreta were surveyed from 2007 to 2013. The ef?fects of the interventions were compared before and after their implementations. Results The 6 villages of Hubei Province were implemented with the measure of replacing cattle with machine for cultivation,and 7 villages of Hunan Province were imple? mented with the measure of forbidding the depasturage of livestock on marshlands. From 2007 to 2013,the schistosome infection rates of residents declined from 3.95%to 0.70%(χ2 =128.376,P0.05). The infection rate of cattle decreased from 3.66%in 2007 to 0.65%in 2013,and the descend range was 82.24%(χ2=13.692,P<0.05). The field excreta was surveyed in the snail breeding place in 2013. The investigated area was 157.435 hm2, and 625 samples of field feces of cattle were collected with the density of field excreta of 3.97/hm2,and the positive rate was 1.12%(7/625). The schistosome infection rate of snails and the density of infected snails decreased successively from 2007, and no infected snails were detected from 2011 to 2013. Conclusions The schistosomiasis endemic situation are decreased sig?nificantly after the interventions of replacing cattle with machine for cultivation and forbidding the depasturage of livestock on marshlands. Therefore,schistosomiasis control effect of these measures is notable in the marshland and lake regions.

Study for portable dynamic ECG monitor and recorder / 中国医疗器械杂志

This Paper presents a portable dynamic ECG monitor system based on MSP430F149 microcontroller. The electrocardiogram detecting system consists of ECG detecting circuit, man-machine interaction module, MSP430F149 and upper computer software. The ECG detecting circuit including a preamplifier, second-order Butterworth low-pass filter, high-pass filter, and 50Hz trap circuit to detects electrocardiogram and depresses various kinds of interference effectively. A microcontroller is used to collect three channel analog signals which can be displayed on TFT LCD. A SD card is used to record real-time data continuously and implement the FTA16 file system. In the end, a host computer system interface is also designed to analyze the ECG signal and the analysis results can provide diagnosis references to clinical doctors.