Objective　To investigate the feasibility of hypocaloric nutrition support in elderly patients.Methods　Sixteen elderly patients ( ＞ 85 years) were treated with hypocaloric nutrition for 4 weeks. The calorie intake was 75-96 kJ·kg-1·d -1 , including 44％ -59％ of carbohydrates ( 137-207 g·d -1 ) , 26％ -42％ of lipids (40-67 g·d-1) , and 14％-16％ of proteins (0.7-0.9 g·kg-1·d-1). Nonprotein calorie-to-nitrogen ratio was 131∶1-150∶1. After 4 weeks of treatment, changes in blood routine test, biochemistry, and clotting function were compared with those before hypocaloric nutrition support. Results　After hypocaloric nutrition support, the plasma proteins, blood fats, and lymphocytes in these 16 elderly patients were well maintained, and no obvious adverse effect on clotting function or liver/kidney functions was observed. Conclusion　Hypocaloric nutrition support is safe and effective for elderly patients who are older than 85 years.

2cm) and undifferentiated type were significantly related to lymph node metastasis in submucosal cancer. No lymph node metastasis was observed in 25 patients with submucosal invasion who showed none of the three risk factors, whereas 72.7% (8/11) of patients with all the three factors had lymph node metastasis. Conclusion The tumor size and lymphatic vessel involvement are related with lymph node metastasis in mucosal cancer. Poor differentiation, tumor size and lymphatic vessel involvement are related with lymph node metastasis in submucosal cancer.

Objective To analyze clinicopathological characteristics of recurrence after gastrectomy for early gastric cancer. Methods 308 patients were treated surgically for early gastric cancer from 1983 to 2005. 245 patients were followed up after gastric resection.Clinicopathologic factors were investigated by using univariate methods and multivariate analysis for the possible relationship to recurrence. Results 30 patients developed recurrent disease (median 28 months). The 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, 10-year and 15-year recurrent rates were 5.49%, 8.44%, 11.27%, 14.83%, 16.39% and 37.79%, respectively. 13 patients with mucosal gastric cancer developed recurrent disease (median 24 months). The 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, 10-year and 15-year recurrent rates were 4.23%, 6.68%, 7.75%, 9.34%, 9.34% and 28.24%, respectively. 17 patients with submucosal gastric cancer developed recurrent disease (median 31 months). The 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 7-year, 10-year and 15-year recurrent rates were 7.39%, 11.14%, 16.54%, 24.49%, 29.69% and 64.85%, respectively. Cox multivariate analysis showed that submucosal invasion (P=0.044, OR=2.172) was a positive independent risk factor and paracarcinomatous mucosal medium-severe intestinal metaplasia (P=0.047, OR=0.460) was a negative independent risk factor for recurrence. 76.7% (23/30) patients with recurrence did not have indication of resection for a cure, and they did not undergo surgery again. 23.3% (7/30) patients with recurrence had indication for curative resection, and 4 of whom underwent curative resection, but 3 did not because of poor health. Pathological examination after surgery showed that in 3 patients there was early gastric cancer in the remnant stomach without lymph node metastasis, and in one patient there was advanced gastric cancer in remnant stomach with regional lymph node metastasis. The patient with advanced gastric cancer survived for 28 month without detectable tumor. Logistic regression analysis showed paracarcinomatous mucosal medium-severe intestinal metaplasia (P=0.016, OR=17.000) was a positive independent predictor for second radical surgery. The follow-up examinations including endoscopy were performed in 86.7% (26/30) of patients after operation at least every 1-2 years. Conclusion Early gastric cancer patients with submucosal invasion have a high risk of recurrence, and those with paracarcinomatous mucosal medium-severe intestinal metaplasia have a low risk of recurrence. The patients with paracarcinomatous mucosal medium-severe intestinal metaplasia and cancer recurrence are feasible for a curative resection. The follow-up examinations including endoscopy every 1 or 2 years contributed highly to finding an early recurrent cancer in the remnant stomach. But it is not so helpful to increase the possibility of a curative surgery in patients with recurrence and metastasis after gastrectomy.

0 05). The results suggested that early diagnosis and treament were important factors to improve survival rate and prolong life expectancy for elderly patients with mutiple primary malignant tumors. Cardiac and cerebral vascular accidents, respiratary faliure, and gastrointestinal bleeding were common causes of death in elderly without eancer.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of serum CEA, CA19-9 and CA724 in patients with colonic carcinoma. Methods Serum levels of CEA, CA19-9 and CA724 were detected with ELISA in 89 patients suffering from colonic cancer. Results The positive rates of CEA, CA19-9 and CA724 in Dukes' stages C and D patients were remarkably higher than those in Dukes' stages A and B patients(64% vs 26%,46% vs 22%,26% vs 8% respectively, P

Objective To sum up the trend of changes in symptoms of prolonged symptomatic gastroesophageal reflux(GERD), and discuss the relationship between reflux symptoms and the medical treatment in the elderly patients with GERD. Methods 98 elderly GERD patients over 60 years old were followed up for 5 years through questionaires. The changes of reflux symptoms and effect of medication were analyzed. Results Reflux symptoms were improved in 71 subjects (72.4%), disappeared in 10, worsened in 9, and remained unchanged in 18. The symptom improvement rate of medication group was significantly higher than that of non-medication group(P0.05). In 62 subjects who modified their life styles and diet habits, 53 of them had their symptoms improved (85.5%), and 9 of them had their symptoms unchanged (14.5%). Among 98 patients who underwent endoscopic examination, 44 were found to have erosive esophagitis, and were diagnosed as reflux esophagitis(RE). Although the other 54 subjects complained of typical "heart burn" and regurgitation symptoms, no erosive esophagitis was found with endoscopy, and they were regarded designated as having non-erosive reflux disease(NERD). The symptom improvement rate of NERD group was significantly higher than that of RE group(P

Objective To observe the changes of tissue structure of gastric mucosa with aging in rats. Methods Twelve healthy Wistar rats were divided into two groups: aged (12 months,n=6) and non-aged rats (3 months,n=6). The thickness of gastric gland and muscular layer of mucosa were observed under the light microscopy. Pepsin activity and the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were detected by biochemical method and immunohistochemical method respectively. Results Intestinal metaplasia, dysplasia and adenoma were not found in gastric mucosa in two groups. In aged versus non-aged rat group, the thickness of gastric gland was decreased [(271.5±47.4) μm vs. (350.9±53.3) μm, t=2.731, P<0.05], while the thickness of muscular layer of mucosa was increased [(98.1±13.1) μm vs. (62.4±10.6)μm, t=5.174, P<0.01]. The content of pepsin in aged rats were lower than in non-aged rats[(3. 011±1. 222) U vs. (4.733±1.304) U, t= 2.361, P<0.05]. Immunohistochemistry results showed that the positive cells of PCNA were located in gastric stem cells in cervical part, and the thickness of the gastric stem cells was decreased in aged rats. Conclusions The incidences of gastric gland atrophy and muscular layer hypertrophy are increased, and the secretion of pepsinogen and the proliferation ability of gastric stem cells are decreased in aged rats.

Objective To elucidate the clinical characteristics of multiple primary malignant neoplasms(MPMNs) in elderly patients,and the relationship between MPMNs and its prognosis.Methods The data of 155 patients,including 114 males and 5 females,who were hospitalized to the authors' department during 1974 to 2007 and were diagnosed as MPMNs were retrospectively analyzed.Among them there were 119 patients with MPMNs in digestive system,accounting for 76.77%.The analyses for the characteristics of MPMNs included the sites of neoplasms,the age of onset,length of interval,pathologic types and survival time.Results The median age of onset of the first,second and third tumor were 71,77 and 78.5 years old,respectively.In the digestive system the earliest tumor occurred in stomach(40.4%),and then large intestine(34.5%),esophagus(10.5%) and liver(8.7%) sequentially.Most of them were adenocarcinoma.When the whole body was concerned,the neoplasms occurred earliest in the digestive system,and then the respiratory system,urinary system,male reproductive system and hematological system in sequence.Adenocarcinoma was the primary carcinoma in the digestive system.There were 26 synchronous multiple primary cancers(SMPC) and 93 metachronous multiple primary cancers(MMPC) in the 119 cases,and the intervals in MMPC were 156 totally.Conclusion Multiple primary cancers in the gastrointestinal tract occur commonly.The predilection sites of MPMNs in elderly patients are stomach and large intestine,and most of the neoplasms are adenocarcinoma.The prognosis of MMPC is better than SMPC.The longer the intervals between the first tumor and the second one,the better the prognosis of the patients will be.

Objective To analyze the clinicopathologic characteristics and evaluate the influence factors for the prognosis of rectum carcinoma patients who had undergone surgical resection. Methods A retrospective analysis of data of 272 patients with rectum carcinoma in TNM stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ was made, all these patients underwent R0 surgical resection from 1998 to 2002 in the General Hospital of PLA. The survival rate was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method. The clinical characteristics and pathologic features were compared with the aid of monofactorial and multifactorial Cox regression analyses. Results The median survival time was 58.5 months, and the 1-, 3- and 5-year survival rates of rectum carcinoma after surgical resection were 79%, 70% and 62%, respectively. With monofactorial analysis, preoperative CEA level, diameter of tumors, differentiation degree of tumor, depth of tumor invasion, the number of metastatic lymph nodes and TNM staging were found to be significant factors influencing the prognosis. Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery had influence over the survival rates of stage Ⅱ and Ⅲ rectal carcinoma. Age, gender, histological type and infiltration of canalis haemalis were uncorrelated with prognosis. Preoperative CEA level, depth of tumor infiltration and the number of metastatic lymph nodes were proved independently to be the risk factors influencing prognosis by multifactorial analysis. Conclusions The tumor site was not the prognostic factor of rectal carcinoma after R0 surgical resection. Preoperative CEA level, infiltration and the number of metastatic lymph nodes were independent prognostic factors in predicting the postoperative outcome. Careful preoperative assessment, early radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy after operation can improve the survival rate in rectum carcinoma patients.

Objective To study the expression of S100A4 in gastric cancer and normal gastric tissue, and analyze its correlation with the clinico-pathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer. Methods Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (real time qRT-PCR) was used to detect the S100A4 expression in 20 fresh surgical samples of gastric cancer and normal gastric tissue as controls. The microarray of gastric cancer tissue was established for the analysis of the S100A4 expression immunohistochemically in 208 gastric cancer tissue and isogeneic normal gastric mucosa and lymph node with metastasis. Results The S100A4 expression was increased in 55% (11/20) of gastric cancer samples with an average of 2.31 fold up-regulation of that of the normal mucosa. Patients with lymph node metastasis showed a higher percentage of elevated S100A4 transcription than those without metastasis (P=0.024). As displayed by immunohistochemistry, the positive rate of S100A4 in non-neoplastic mucosa, primary tumor and lymph node with metastasis was 9.4%, 28.1% and 32.2%, respectively (P≤0.01). A higher percentage of elevated S100A4 expression was shown in patients in advanced stage than in patients in early stage (P=0.004). In primary tumor lesions, the S100A4 expression correlated significantly with the depth of invasion (P=0.003) and poorer prognosis (P=0.034). S100A4 expression in lymph node with metastasis was also associated with poor outcome (P=0.002). Multifactorial Cox's regression analysis showed that TNM stage (P=0.029) and the expression levels of S100A4 (P=0.024) in lymph node were independent influence factors for prognosis. Conclusions Expression of S100A4 may be a late event which is associated with the progression and prognosis of gastric cancer. The analysis of S100A4 expression in lymph-node metastasis is helpful in judging the prognosis of gastric cancer.