OBJECTIVE: To explore the severity index of Meniere's disease during acute phase by a statistical method of principal component analysis (PCA). METHOD: Ninety-five patients with Meniere's disease in the acute phase who saw the doctor with 24 hours after onset were included in this study and their clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. The subjective symptoms of hearing loss (X1) and ear stuffy plug (X4) were evaluated by VAS scoring system, and the impact of vertigo (X2) and tinnitus (X3) on the patients were evaluated by DHI and THI score. The principal component analysis (PCA) method was used to analyze the quantified data and construct a synthetic evaluate function of subjective symptoms. RESULT: (1) The quantitative results of subjective symptoms in patients with Meniere's disease were as follow: VAS score (X1) of hearing loss was 0-91 points, with an average of 46.23 ± 18.80, DHI score (X2) of vertigo was 8-98 points, with an average of 49.66 ± 15.67, THI score (X3) of tinnitus was 10-100 points, with an average of 47.53 ± 17.44, and ear VAS score (X4) of stuffy plug feeling was 0-82 points, with an average of 21.55 ± 27.54. (2) The eigenvalue of principal components Z1, Z2 and Z3 were 1.876, 0.984 and 0.703 respectively, and the variance contribution were 46.898%, 24.592% and 17.574% respectively. (3) The constructed synthetic evaluate function of the disease was as follow: The Meniere's disease severity index ƒ = 0.213ZX1 + 0.398ZX2 + 0.370ZX3 + 0.455ZX4. CONCLUSION The method of PCA for the subjective evaluation of symptoms in Meniere's disease can be constructed as a model of comprehensive evaluation system, which may provide relatively comprehensive information of clinical original variables included in the four main symptoms, reflecting the severity of the disease.
Hearing Loss ; complications ; Humans ; Meniere Disease ; complications ; diagnosis ; Principal Component Analysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Tinnitus ; complications ; Vertigo ; complications

OBJECTIVE To observe the efficacy of specific immunotherapy (SIT) with Alutard and NHD in children with allergic rhinitis due to different level of skin prick test (SPT) with dermatophagoides farinae (DF) and dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP). METHODS A total of 178 children with persistent allergic rhinitis were included in this study. Their age ranged from 6 to 12 years. They were divided into 3 groups according to level of SPT. Group 1: The level of skin index (SI) of DF is greater than that of DP, Group 2: The level of SI of DF is equal to that of DP and Group 3: The level of SI of DF is less than that of DP. The children in each group were randomly divided into 2 subgroups: Alutard group and NHD group. The children were given SIT with Alutard or NHD for one year. Symptom and medication scores were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS After receiving therapy for 3 months and 6 months, symptom and medication scores of the Group 1 and 2 in the NHD group were lower than those in the Alutard group (P<0.05); Symptoms and medication scores of the Group 3 in the Alutard group were lower than those in the NHD group (P<0.05). After receiving therapy for 9 and 12 months, the symptom and medication scores of the NHD and Alutard group in all the three groups showed no statistical difference (P>0.05). CONCLUSION The efficacy of SIT with Alutard and NHD is different in children with allergic rhinitis with different levels of SPT due to DF and DP after 3 and 6 months, but is similar after 9 and 12 months. SIT with Alutard and NHD is effective in treating children with allergic rhinitis.

Objective To investigate the potential application of targeting at vascular endothelial growh factor (VEGF) induced apoptosis in leukemic cell lines by combined use of Bevacizumab and chemotherapeutic drug. Methods Leukemic cells were treated with several drugs at different concentrations in culture. The effect of VEGF, Bevacizumab and co-treated with Ara-C on leukemic cells proliferation were evaluated by CCK-8 and apoptosis and cell cycle were detected by flow cytometry (FCM). Results VEGF could enhance the proliferation of leukemic cells and caused a dose-dependent manner on U937 cell. It also increased the percentage of cells in S phase, tested by, and Bevacizumab group was decreased. Apoptotic rate of cells treated with Bevacizumab or co-treated with Bevacizumab and Ara-C for 48 h were significantly higher when compared with control or Ara-C group, respectively (P<0.05), but the apoptotic rate of VEGF group or VEGF and Ara-C group was lower (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in apoptotic rate between control and combined use of VEGF, Bevacizumab and Ara-C group(P>0.05). Conclusion VEGF could enhance the proliferation of some leukemic cells, and may contribute to leukemic cells survival and a resultant resistance to chemotherapy-triggered cell death. The study also showed that leukemic cells growth was significantly inhibited by Bevacizumab through directly against VEGF, and the sensitivity of leukemic cells for chemotherapeutic drug was increased.

BACKGROUNDBrain metastasis has become one of the most important factors of the failure of treatment of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LANSCLC). There is no conclusion whether NSCLC patients should receive prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) or not. The aim of this study is to analyze the risk factors of brain metastasis of LANSCLC after surgery to find out the sign of PCI for LANSCLC.

METHODSA total of 223 patients with stage III NSCLC who received surgical resection were retrospectively analyzed. The risk factors of brain metastasis were determined to set up a mathematic model for brain metastasis.

RESULTSThe median survival time after surgery was 28.0 months. The 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rate was 84.3%, 56.9% and 44.8% respectively. The incidence of brain metastasis was 38.1% (85/223). Patients with extensive mediastinal lymph node metastasis, more node metastasis and non-squamous carcinoma showed significantly higher incidence of brain metastasis than those with limited mediastinal lymph node metastasis, fewer positive mediastinal lymph nodes and squamous carcinoma (P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.013). The mathematic model of brain metastasis was: logit(P)=8.215-0.903×NPN-0.872×RT-0.714×HG-1.893×LE-0.948×HS-1.034×PC (NPN=No. of positive nodes, RT=resection type, HG=histology, LE=location and extent of mediastinal lymph node metastasis, HS=histologic stage, PC=postoperative chemotherapy). P≥0.44 meant high risk for brain metastasis.

CONCLUSIONSHigh risk factors of brain metastasis in LANSCLC patients after complete resection of the cancer include non-squamous carcinoma, extensive and more mediastinal lymph node metastasis. P≥0.44 may be considered a sign of PCI in clinical trial.

Few studies have described the key features and prognostic roles of lung microbiota in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia (SCAP). We prospectively enrolled consecutive SCAP patients admitted to ICU. Bronchoscopy was performed at bedside within 48 h of ICU admission, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing was applied to the collected bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. The primary outcome was clinical improvements defined as a decrease of 2 categories and above on a 7-category ordinal scale within 14 days following bronchoscopy. Sixty-seven patients were included. Multivariable permutational multivariate analysis of variance found that positive bacteria lab test results had the strongest independent association with lung microbiota (R² = 0.033; P = 0.018), followed by acute kidney injury (AKI; R² = 0.032; P = 0.011) and plasma MIP-1β level (R² = 0.027; P = 0.044). Random forest identified that the families Prevotellaceae, Moraxellaceae, and Staphylococcaceae were the biomarkers related to the positive bacteria lab test results. Multivariable Cox regression showed that the increase in α-diversity and the abundance of the families Prevotellaceae and Actinomycetaceae were associated with clinical improvements. The positive bacteria lab test results, AKI, and plasma MIP-1β level were associated with patients' lung microbiota composition on ICU admission. The families Prevotellaceae and Actinomycetaceae on admission predicted clinical improvements.
Acute Kidney Injury/complications* ; Bacteria/classification* ; Chemokine CCL4/blood* ; Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology* ; Humans ; Lung ; Microbiota/genetics* ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/diagnosis* ; Prognosis ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics*