Research progress in the treatment of sleep disorder in chronic fatigue syndrome with external therapy of Traditional Chinese Medicine / 国际中医中药杂志

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) external therapy for sleep disorder of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has good anti-fatigue effect and can improve sleep quality of patients. The treatment for sleep disorders of CFS with TCM external treatment mainly adopts acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, TCM bath, transcutaneous acupoint electrical stimulation and auricular point sticking, etc., or alone, or comprehensive application, or combined with oral Chinese materia medica. The appropriate treatment method can be selected according to the patients' condition and compliance, which reflects the unique advantages of TCM syndrome differentiation and treatment and the treatment according to people and time. The existing research still needs to further form a standardized and recognized diagnosis and treatment system, so as to better guide clinical popularization and application.

Structural basis of a two-antibody cocktail exhibiting highly potent and broadly neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 variants including diverse Omicron sublineages

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs), especially the latest Omicron, have exhibited severe antibody evasion. Broadly neutralizing antibodies with high potency against Omicron are urgently needed for understanding working mechanisms and developing therapeutic agents. In this study, we characterized previously reported F61, which was isolated from convalescent patients infected with prototype SARS-CoV-2, as a broadly neutralizing antibody against all VOCs including Omicron BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, BA.3 and BA.4 sublineages by utilizing antigen binding and cell infection assays. We also identified and characterized another broadly neutralizing antibody D2 with epitope distinct from that of F61. More importantly, we showed that a combination of F61 with D2 exhibited synergy in neutralization and protecting mice from SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron BA.1 variants. Cryo-EM structures of the spike-F61 and spike-D2 binary complexes revealed the distinct epitopes of F61 and D2 at atomic level and the structural basis for neutralization. Cryo-EM structure of the Omicron-spike-F61-D2 ternary complex provides further structural insights into the synergy between F61 and D2. These results collectively indicated F61 and F61-D2 cocktail as promising therapeutic antibodies for combating SARS-CoV-2 variants including diverse Omicron sublineages.

Clinical application and mechanism of moxibustion for chronic fatigue syndrome / 国际中医中药杂志

The treatment rules of point selection and treatment principles for treating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) can be divided into three categories: regulating and replenishing, invigorating original yang and regulating zang-fu organs. The mechanism of moxibustion includes improving gut microbiota imbalance, regulating immune cell imbalance and correcting endocrine dysfunction. The moxibustion methods include ginger-partitioned moxibustion, thunder-fire moxibustion, warm acupuncture, and governor moxibustion. Acupuncture points such as Shenque (RN8), Guanyuan (RN4), Qihai (RN6), Zusanli (ST36), Baihui (DU20), Yongquan (KI1) and back-shu points are often selected to exert anti-chronic fatigue effects.

Antibody Cocktail Exhibits Broad Neutralization against SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV-2 variants

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has precipitated multiple variants resistant to therapeutic antibodies. In this study, 12 high-affinity antibodies were generated from convalescent donors in early outbreaks using immune antibody phage display libraries. Of them, two RBD-binding antibodies (F61 and H121) showed high affinity neutralization against SARS-CoV-2, whereas three S2-target antibodies failed to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. Following structure analysis, F61 identified a linear epitope located in residues G446 -S494, which overlapped with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) binding sites, while H121 recognized a conformational epitope located on the side face of RBD, outside from ACE2 binding domain. Hence the cocktail of the two antibodies achieved better performance of neutralization to SARS-CoV-2. Importantly, F61 and H121 exhibited efficient neutralizing activity against variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351, those showed immune escape. Efficient neutralization of F61 and H121 against multiple mutations within RBD revealed a broad neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, which mitigated the risk of viral escape. Our findings defined the basis of therapeutic cocktails of F61 and H121 with broad neutralization and delivered a guideline for the current and future vaccine design, therapeutic antibody development, and antigen diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 and its novel variants.

Genetic predisposition to psychiatric disorders and risk of COVID-19

BackgroundPre-pandemic psychiatric disorders have been associated with an increased risk of COVID-19. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown, e.g. to what extent genetic predisposition to psychiatric disorders contributes to the observed association. MethodsThe analytic sample consisted of white British participants of UK Biobank registered in England, with available genetic data, and alive on Jan 31, 2020 (i.e., the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK) (n=346,554). We assessed individuals genetic predisposition to different psychiatric disorders, including substance misuse, depression, anxiety, and psychotic disorder, using polygenic risk score (PRS). Diagnoses of psychiatric disorders were identified through the UK Biobank hospital inpatient data. We performed a GWAS analysis for each psychiatric disorder in a randomly selected half of the study population who were free of COVID-19 (i.e., the base dataset). For the other half (i.e., the target dataset), PRS was calculated for each psychiatric disorder using the discovered genetic variants from the base dataset. We then examined the association between PRS of each psychiatric disorder and risk of COVID-19, or severe COVID-19 (i.e., hospitalization and death), using logistic regression models. The ascertainment of COVID-19 was through the Public Health England dataset, the UK Biobank hospital inpatient data and death registers, updated until July 26, 2020. For validation, we repeated the PRS analyses based on publicly available GWAS summary statistics. Results155,988 participants (including 1,451 COVID-19 cases), with a mean age of 68.50 years at COVID-19 outbreak, were included for PRS analysis. Higher genetic liability forwards psychiatric disorders was associated with increased risk of both any COVID-19 and severe COVID-19, especially genetic risk for substance misuse and depression. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for any COVID-19 were 1.15 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.31) and 1.26 (1.11-1.42) among individuals with a high genetic risk (above the upper tertile of PRS) for substance misuse and depression, respectively, compared with individuals with a low genetic risk (below the lower tertile). Largely similar ORs were noted for severe COVID-19 and similar albeit slightly lower estimates using PRSs generated from GWAS summary statistics from independent samples. ConclusionIn the UK Biobank, genetic predisposition to psychiatric disorders was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19, including severe course of the disease. These findings suggest the potential role of genetic factors in the observed phenotypic association between psychiatric disorders and COVID-19, underscoring the need of increased medical surveillance of for this vulnerable population during the pandemic.

Excess cardiovascular deaths in the beginning of COVID-19 outbreak

ImportanceThe healthcare demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic was far beyond the hospital surge capacity in many countries, resulting in possible negative influence on prognosis of other severe diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). ObjectiveTo assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on CVD-related hospitalizations and mortality. DesignCommunity-based prospective cohort study. Setting the UK Biobank population. Participants421,717 UK Biobank participants who were registered in England and alive on December 1st 2019. Main outcomes and measuresThe primary outcome of interest was CVD death, as deaths with CVD as a cause of death according to the death registers. We retrieved information on hospitalizations with CVD as the primary diagnosis based on the UK Biobank hospital inpatient data. The study period was between December 1st 2019 and May 30th 2020, and we used the same calendar period of the three preceding years as the reference period. Standardized mortality/incidence ratios (SMRs/SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals were used to estimate the relative risk of CVD outcomes during the study period, compared with the reference period, to control for seasonal variations and aging of the study population. ResultsWe observed a distinct increase in CVD-related deaths in March and April 2020 as compared to the corresponding months of the three preceding years. The observed number of CVD death (n=217) was almost doubled in April, compared with the expected number (n=120), corresponding to an SMR of 1.81 (95% CI 1.58-2.06). We observed a sharp decline of CVD hospitalization in March (n=841) and April (n=454), compared with the expected number (n=1208 for March and 1026 for April), leading to an SIR of 0.70 (95% CI 0.65-0.74) for March and 0.44 (95% CI 0.40-0.48) for April. There was also a clear increase of death, but a clear decrease of hospitalization, in March and April for all the five major subtypes of CVD. ConclusionsWe observed a distinct excess in CVD deaths in the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK Biobank population. In addition to CVD complications of SARS-CoV-2 infections, the reduced hospital capacity might have contributed to the observed excess CVD deaths. Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSHow did the COVID-19 outbreak affect rates of CVD-related death and hospitalization? FindingIn this prospective study involving 421,717 UK Biobank participants, we observed excess CVD-related mortality in parallel with decreased CVD-related hospitalization in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, March and April 2020. MeaningIn addition to severe SARS-CoV-2 infection progressing to CVD-related death, reduced hospital resources might have partially contributed to the excess CVD mortality.

Abnormal Upregulation of Cardiovascular Disease Biomarker PLA2G7 Induced by Proinflammatory Macrophages in COVID-19 patients

BACKGROUNDCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) triggers distinct patterns of pneumonia progression with multiorgan disease, calling for cell- and/or tissue-type specific host injury markers. METHODSAn integrated hypothesis-free single biomarker analysis framework was performed on nasal swabs (n = 484) from patients with COVID-19 in GSE152075. The origin of candidate biomarker was assessed in single-cell RNA data (GSE145926). The candidate biomarker was validated in a cross-sectional cohort (n = 564) at both nucleotide and protein levels. RESULTSPhospholipase A2 group VII (PLA2G7) was identified as a candidate biomarker in COVID-19. PLA2G7 was predominantly expressed by proinflammatory macrophages in lungs emerging with progression of COVID-19. In the validation stage, PLA2G7 was found in patients with COVID-19 and pneumonia, especially in severe pneumonia, rather than patients suffered mild H1N1 influenza infection. Up to 100% positive rates of PLA2G7 were positively correlated with not only viral loads in patients with COVID-19 but also severity of pneumonia in non-COVID-19 patients. Although Ct values of PLA2G7 in severe pneumonia was significantly lower than that in moderate pneumonia (P = 7.2e-11), no differences were observed in moderate pneumonia with COVID-19 between severe pneumonia without COVID-19 (P = 0.81). Serum protein levels of PLA2G7, also known as lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), were further found to be elevated and beyond the upper limit of normal in patients with COVID-19, especially among the re-positive patients. CONCLUSIONSWe firstly identified and validated PLA2G7, a biomarker for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), was abnormally enhanced in COVID-19 patients at both nucleotide and protein aspects. These findings provided indications into the prevalence of cardiovascular involvements seen in COVID-19 patients. PLA2G7 could be a hallmark of COVID-19 for monitoring disease progress and therapeutic response. FUNDINGThis study was supported by grants from China Mega-Projects for Infectious Disease (2018ZX10711001), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82041023).

Pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders and risk of COVID-19: a cohort analysis in the UK Biobank

ObjectiveTo determine the association between pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders and the risk of COVID-19. DesignCommunity-based prospective cohort study. SettingUK Biobank population. Participants421,048 participants who were recruited in England and alive by January 31st 2020, i.e., the start of COVID-19 outbreak in the UK. 50,815 individuals with psychiatric disorders recorded in the UK Biobank inpatient hospital data before the outbreak were included in the exposed group, while 370,233 participants without such conditions were in the unexposed group. MeasurementsWe obtained information on positive results of COVID-19 test as registered in the Public Health England, COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the UK Biobank inpatient hospital data, and COIVD-19 related deaths from the death registers. We also identified individuals who was hospitalized for infections other than COVID-19 during the follow-up. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), controlling for multiple confounders. ResultsThe mean age at outbreak was 67.8 years and around 43% of the study participants were male. We observed an elevated risk of COVID-19 among individuals with pre-pandemic psychiatric disorder, compared with those without such diagnoses. The fully adjusted ORs were 1.44 (95%CI 1.27 to 1.64), 1.67 (1.42 to 1.98), and 2.03 (1.56 to 2.63) for any COVID-19, inpatient COVID-19, COVID-19 related death, respectively. The excess risk was observed across all levels of somatic comorbidities and subtypes of pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders, while further increased with greater number of pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders. We also observed an association between pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders and increased risk of hospitalization for other infections (1.85 [1.65 to 2.07]). ConclusionsPre-pandemic psychiatric disorders are associated with increased risk of COVID-19, especially severe and fatal COVID-19. The similar association observed for hospitalization for other infections suggests a shared pathway between psychiatric disorders and different infections, including altered immune responses. Summary boxO_ST_ABSWhat is already known on this topic?C_ST_ABSPsychiatric morbidities have been associated with risks of severe infections through compromised immunity and/or health-behaviors. While recent studies showed that unhealthy lifestyle and psychosocial factors (including self-reported psychological distress) increased the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, data on the role of clinically confirmed psychiatric disorders in COVID-19 susceptibility are to date absent. What this study adds?Using the large community-based data in UK Biobank, our analysis is the first to demonstrate an increase in the risk of COVID-19, especially severe and fatal COVID-19, among individuals with pre-pandemic psychiatric disorders, independently of many important confounders. A similar association was also observed between pre-pandemic psychiatric disorder and hospitalization due to other infections during the COVID-19 outbreak, suggesting a shared pathway between psychiatric disorders and different infections, including altered immune responses. This finding underscores the need of surveillance and care in vulnerable populations with history of psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Characteristics of selenium nanoparticles synthesized by cell-free supernatant Cupriavidus sp. SHE / 生物工程学报

In recent years, selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) have been widely used in many fields such as nanotechnology, biomedicine and environmental remediation due to their good electrical conductivity, photothermal properties and anticancer properties. In this study, the cell-free supernatant, whole cell and the cell-free extracts of the strain Cupriavidus sp. SHE were used to synthesize SeNPs, and several methods were applied to analyze the crystal structure and surface functional groups of the nanoparticles. Finally, Pseudomonas sp. PI1 (G⁺) and Escherichia coli BL21 (G⁻) were selected to investigate the antibacterial properties of SeNPs. Cell-free supernatant, whole cell and cell-free extracts of the strain could synthesize SeNPs. As for the cell-free supernatant, selenite concentration of 5 mmol/L and pH=7 were favorable for the synthesis of SeNPs. TEM images show that the average size of nanospheres synthesized by the supernatant was 196 nm. XRD analysis indicates the hexagonal crystals structure of SeNPs. FTIR and SDS-PAGE confirmed the proteins bound to the surfaces of SeNPs. SeNPs synthesized by cell-free supernatant showed no antimicrobial activities against Pseudomonas sp. PI1 and Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3). These results suggest that proteins played an important role in biotransformation of SeNPs in an eco-friendly process, and SeNPs synthesized in this study were non-toxic and biologically compatible, which might be applied in other fields in the future.

Methods of packaging lentivirus library for CRISPR/cas9 -based screening / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

Objective@#To obtain the optimum of lentiviral library packaging based on CRISPR/cas9 (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat sequences/CRISPR-associated protein 9).@*Methods@#Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the lentivirus titers in condition of different ratio of packaging plasmids, different addition of lipofectamine 3000 reagent and different time points post-transfection. Then, high-throughput sequencing was performed to evaluate the representation and distribution of single guide (sg)RNAs in the library.@*Results@#The lentivirus titer was the highest when the molar ratio of psPAX2∶pMD2.0G∶Lentivirus library was 2∶1∶1, and the optimum addition of Lipofectamine 3000 reagent was 10 μl, while the result of ELISA were correspondent to that of RT-PCR. The IFA result showed that the lentivirus titer was the highest at 60 h post-transfecion. The coverage of sgRNAs in the lentivirus library packaged with the optimum we obtained was 99.3%, and the read counts of sgRNAs was observed in a normal distribution.@*Conclusions@#The optimal lentivirus library packaging was obtained, and this can provide basis for CRISPR/cas9-based screening.

The association between metabolic syndrome and renal cell carcinoma / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:The association between metabolic syndrome (MS) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is still unknown. The aim of this study was to elucidate how MS correlates with the prevalence and malignancy of RCC.Methods:This study enrolled 398 RCC patients (350 clear cell RCC patients, 5 XP11.2 transloca-tion RCC patients, 16 papillary RCC patients and 27 chromophobe RCC patients), 160 normal persons, and 32 benign renal tumor patients. The metabolic status of the patients was assessed, and the link between MS and the prevalence or malignancy of RCC was calculated.Results:Clear cell RCC patients had signiifcantly higher rates of hypertension, higher body mass index (BMI) and longer waist circumference. Forty-eight percent clear cell RCC patients had MS, while the number was 33% for papillary RCC, 26% for chromophobe RCC, 0% for XP11.2, 17% for AML, and 25%for normal people. MS patients had signiifcant higher rates of having clear cell RCC than no-MS patients, however this kind of difference was not seen in other types of RCC. Clear cell RCC patients with higher Furhman grade had lower rates of MS.Conclusion:Patients with MS are more likely to develop clear cell RCC. Patients with high Furhman grade tumors have low MS rates, indicating that high grade tumor may have other originating mechanisms other than metabolic disorders.

Analysis of biochemical recurrence following radical prostatectomy / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the risk factors to impact biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 1 090 patients who received radical prostatectomy from May 2002 to December 2013 in Department of Urology of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were recruited. The average age of the patients was 67.9 years (ranged from 41 to 84 years) and the average preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) level was 32.7 (ranged from 3.2 to 256.3) µg/L. The distribution of patients with respect to clinical stage was: 20.09% (219/1 090) had T1, 50.09% (546/1 090) had T2 and 29.82% (325/1 090) had T3. The biochemical-free-survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method and the univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were used to evaluate the clinical and pathological variables for the development of biochemical recurrence.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of all the 1 090 patients, the biochemical recurrence free survival was 95.99%, 81.90% and 70.89% at 1, 3 and 5 years. PSA level at diagnosis (P=0.000), neo-adjuvant hormonal therapy (P=0.001), pre-operative Gleason score (P=0.000), clinical stage (P=0.010), surgical margin status (P=0.028), post-operative Gleason score (P=0.000), pathological stages (P=0.000) and pelvic lymph-node metastasis (P=0.000) were associated with biochemical recurrence in the univariate analysis. However, in the multivariate analysis, only PSA level at diagnosis (P=0.000), pre-operative Gleason score (P=0.020), pathological stages (P=0.014) and pelvic lymph-node metastasis (P=0.017) were independent prognostic factors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>For the patients who received radical prostatectomy, PSA level at diagnosis, pre-operative Gleason score, pathological stages and pelvic lymph-node metastasis status are independent prognostic factors for biochemical recurrence.</p>

Influence of clinical factors on Gleason score upgrade in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate clinical factors affecting Gleason score upgrade in patients receiving radical prostatectomy (RP).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 322 patients with prostate cancer who received RP from January 2012 to December 2013 at Department of Urology at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were included, and their data of age, body mass index (BMI), prostate-specific antigen (PSA), prostate volume, percentage core, clinical staging, pathological characteristics, biopsy Gleason score and RP Gleason score were analyzed. Differences in categorical variables and continuous variables were compared using χ² tests and Student's t-test, respectively. Unconditional multiple logistic regression was used to estimate OR and 95% CI of the association of Gleason score upgrade with clinical factors.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Gleason score upgrade occurred in 107 of 322 (33.3%) patients. There was no difference in age, BMI and clinical staging between the two groups. Compared with patients without Gleason score upgrade, higher levels of PSA (χ² =6.740, P=0.034), smaller prostate volume (t=3.481, P=0.002) and elevated percentage core (t=-2.097, P=0.037) were observed in patients with Gleason score upgrade. In addition, lymph node metastasis (χ² =4.193, P=0.041) and extracapsular extension (χ² =4.747, P=0.029) were more common in patients with Gleason score upgrade. After adjusting for potential confounders, PSA levels (OR=2.451, 95% CI: 1.290-4.660), prostate volume (OR=0.982, 95% CI: 0.969-0.995) and percentage core (OR=2.756, 95% CI: 1.033-7.357) were independent predictors for Gleason score upgrade.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gleason score upgrade happens at a relatively high rate. PSA levels, prostate volume and percentage core are important factors affecting Gleason score upgrade.</p>

Comparison of the renal function after partial nephrectomy and radical nephrectomy for T1a renal cell carcinoma / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the alterations in renal function after radical nephrectomy (RN) and partial nephrectomy (PN) for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and to determine the risk factors for the onset of postoperative renal function impairment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We assessed the renal function of 429 T1a RCC patients by investigating the time-dependent changes of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) after surgery from August 2003 to August 2010. Univariate and multivariate regression models were used to determine the risk factors for the onset of an eGFR < 60 ml · min⁻¹ · 1.73 m⁻² function, and to evaluate the prognosis for the two groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean eGFR values (ml · min⁻¹ · 1.73 m⁻²) at postoperative 1, 7 days, 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 months were 51.4 ± 12.6, 52.1 ± 17.8, 53.2 ± 19.5, 54.6 ± 20.2, 53.8 ± 16.6, 52.7 ± 22.3 and 51.5 ± 18.4 in the RN group and 69.6 ± 18.3, 70.3 ± 19.5, 71.5 ± 21.4, 76.2 ± 22.8, 75.4 ± 19.7, 74.3 ± 16.3 and 73.1 ± 23.2 in the PN group, respectively. The eGFR of the radical nephrectomy group was significantly lower than that of the partial nephrectomy group (P < 0.05). Multivariable analysis revealed that radical nephrectomy and age were risk factors for the onset of postoperative chronic renal dysfunction.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Renal function recovered partially after partial and radical nephrectomy and is maintained constantly after 3 months. Surgical mode and age are risk factors for the onset of postoperative eGFR < 60 ml · min⁻¹ · 1.73 m⁻² impairment. Compared with radical nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy can preserve renal function and reduce the incidence of postoperative chronic renal dysfunction.</p>

Association of HLA-DQA1 alleles with systemic lupus erythematosus in populations of Uygur nationality in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective To assess the association between HLA-DQA 1 alleles and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in populations of Uygur nationality in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Methods Polvmerase chain reactionsequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) were used to analyze the HLA-DQA1 gene in 56 patients with SLE and 54 unrelated healthy controls of Uygur nationalitv in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.Results Compared with the heahhv controls, the SLE patients showed signifieantly increased frequency of HLA-DQA1*0302 (x2 =10.032, P =0.004), but decreased frequency ofHLA-DQA1*0101 (x2 =5.676, P=0.017).Conclusion HLA-DQA1*0302 may be a susceptibility gene, while HLA-DQA1*0101 may be a protective factor for SLE in populations of Uygur nationality in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Comparative analysis of whole mount processing and conventional sampling of radical prostatectomy specimens / 中国癌症杂志

Background and purpose:To perform whole mount technique in the diagnosis of the prostate cancer could provide orientation to the specimen. Whole mount technique has great value in pathologic diagnosis and morphological research. However, limited by the specimen-making technique, shortage of equipment and heavy workload, this technique has not been generally accepted in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate the signiifcance of whole mount technique in the diagnosis of the prostate cancer by comparing the clinical and pathological variables between whole mount patients and conventional ones after radical prostatectomy (RP).Methods:A total number of 229 patients’ whole mount RP specimens were recruited in the study from Dec. 2012 to Feb. 2014. The control group included 393 patients’ specimens which underwent conventional sampling from Jan. 2010 to Jun. 2012. We compared the clinical and pathological variables between the groups, including age, preoperative PSA level, methods of diagnosis, preliminary diagnostic Gleason score, clinical T stage, postoperative Gleason score, pathological T stage, positive surgical margin, extraprostatic extension, seminal vesicle invasion and pelvic lymph node metastasis.Results:Two groups shared similar preoperative parameters. Also there was no signiifcant difference between the whole mount and the conventional sampling groups in postoperative Gleason score, pathological T stage, extraprostatic extension and pelvic lymph node metastasis. However, positive surgical margin and seminal vesicle invasion rates were much higher in the whole mount group than the control one and both of the differences reached statistical signiifcance (26.2%vs 17.6%, 23.1%vs 17.0%;P=0.010, 0.025)Conclusion:After compared the clinical and pathological variables, we could conclude that whole mount technique has prevalence in the diagnosis of the positive surgical margin and seminal vesicle invasion compared with the conventional sampling technique. Thus, whole mount technique should be strongly recommended in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Impact of AR-V7 expression on overall survival for patients with metastatic prostate cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the impact of androgen receptor splice variant 7 (AR-V7) expression on overall survival for patients with metastatic prostate cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data of 113 diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer patients from January 2002 to June 2010 were collected retrospectively, including patient's age at diagnosis, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level at diagnosis,Gleason score, clinical stage, PSA nadir during hormonal therapy, the time to PSA nadir, vital status, survival time and cause of death. The expression of AR-V7 in prostate cancer tissue was detected by using immunohistochemical staining. The correlation of AR-V7 expression and patient clinicopathological characteristics in all patients were analysed using Student t-test or Chi-square test. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the predictive role of AR-V7 expression and patient characteristics for overall survival.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The median PSA nadir was 0.7 µg/L (ranged from 0.0 to 143.0 µg/L). The median time to PSA nadir was 8.1 months (ranged from 0.9 to 71.0 months). The follow-up was performed until March 12, 2014. During the follow-up period, 67 of 113 metastatic prostate cancer patients (59.3%) died and the median overall survival was 96 months (ranged from 5 to 135 months). The AR-V7 detection rate was 20.4% (23/113). The serum PSA level in patients with positively expression of AR-V7 was significantly higher than that without AR-V7 expression (t = 2.521, P = 0.013). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the expression of AR-V7 (HR = 2.421, P = 0.002) and time to PSA nadir (HR = 1.019, P = 0.022) were independent prognostic factors of overall survival for metastatic prostate cancer patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The expression of AR-V7 in prostate cancer tissues and time to PSA nadir during hormonal therapy are independent prognostic factors of overall survival for metastatic prostate cancer patients. Therapy targeting AR-V7 may improve prognosis of metastatic prostate cancer patients.</p>

Clinical efficacy of Er ∶ YAG laser associated with pulsed dye laser on facial acne scars / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective To observe the efficacy of Er ∶ YAG laser and pulsed dye laser (PDL) in treating facial acne scars.Methods A total of 78 cases with facial acne scars were divided into two groups.The test group included 40 patients that were treated by Er ∶ YAG laser (total three treatments,once three months)and irradiated by PDL (total four times,once per month),while the control group included 38 patients treated by Er ∶ YAG laser only.After three months of the last treatment,the effective rate and side effects were recorded and compared.Results The efficacy of the test group reached 92.5％ (37/40) and 77.5％ (31/40) for acne scars and post-acne erythema,respectively.However,the effective rate of the control group was 73.7％ (28/38) and 47.4％ (18/38).There were statistically significant differences between two groups (P＜0.05).Regarding reported adverse effects,there were four cases in the test group and two cases in the control group that appeared mild pigmentation.After symptomatic treatment,the skin color recovered.There was no other side effect in both two groups.Conclusions The effectiveness of Er ∶ YAG laser and PDL is better than Er ∶ YAG laser only in treating facial acne scars,and thus it is worthwhile for popularization and application in acne scars.

Clinical effect of ulta pulse CO2 laser in treatment of 32 patients with primary amyloidosis of the skin / 中国基层医药

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical effect of ultra pulse CO2 laser in treatment of 32 patients with primary amyloidosis of the skin. Methods64 patients with primary amyloidosis of the skin were selected and randomly divided into two groups,the observation group(32 cases)and the control group(32 cases).The observation group were treated with ultra pulse CO2 laser,and the control group were treated by routine medicine method.Clinical effect were compared between the two groups after twelve weeks therapy. ResultsThe total effective rates of the observation group and the control group were 90.6%,53.2% respectively.There were a significant difference between the two groups(x2 = 11.13,P＜0.01).There were some different irritations in two groups after therapy,to give symptomatic treatment could help relieve.The relapse rate in the observation group was significant lower than that in control group after treatment of 3 ～ 6 months(x2 = 9.471,P＜0.01). ConclusionUltra pulse CO2 laser therapy of primary amyloidosis of the skin was safe and effective.