Gliomas are the most common primary neuroepithelial tumors of the central nervous system in adults, of which glioblastoma is the deadliest subtype. Apart from the intrinsically indestructible characteristics of glioma (stem) cells, accumulating evidence suggests that the tumor microenvironment also plays a vital role in the refractoriness of glioblastoma. The primary functions of platelets are to stop bleeding and regulate thrombosis under physiological conditions. Furthermore, platelets are also active elements that participate in a variety of processes of tumor development, including tumor growth, invasion, and chemoresistance. Glioma cells recruit and activate resting platelets to become tumor-educated platelets (TEPs), which in turn can promote the proliferation, invasion, stemness, and chemoresistance of glioma cells. TEPs can be used to obtain genetic information about gliomas, which is helpful for early diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic effects. Platelet membranes are intriguing biomimetic materials for developing efficacious drug carriers to enhance antiglioma activity. Herein, we review the recent research referring to the contribution of platelets to the malignant characteristics of gliomas and focusing on the molecular mechanisms mediating the interaction between TEPs and glioma (stem) cells, as well as present the challenges and opportunities in targeting platelets for glioma therapy.
Humans ; Glioma/metabolism* ; Blood Platelets/physiology* ; Brain Neoplasms/pathology* ; Tumor Microenvironment

Objective:To evaluate right atrial (RA) volume and function in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis by four-dimensional automatic quantitation analysis technique, and to explore its correlation with liver function grading.Methods:Ninety patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis who were clinically confirmed in Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from December 2020 to July 2021 were randomly enrolled as the research subjects. According to Child-Pugh liver function score criteria, the patients were divided into three groups: Child-Pugh A group ( n=31), Child-Pugh B group ( n=31), Child-Pugh C group ( n=28). Another 30 healthy volunteers with gender and age matched at the same period were selected as the control group. The RA maximum volume (RAVmax), RA minimum volume (RAVmin), RA presystolic volume (RAVpreA), RA maximum volume index (RAVImax), RA emptying volume (RAEV), RA ejection fraction (RAEF), RA reservoir longitudinal and circumferential strains (RASr, RASr-c), RA conduit longitudinal and circumferential strains (RAScd, RAScd-c), RA contraction longitudinal and circumferential strains (RASct, RASct-c) were obtained by four-dimensional automatic quantitation analysis technique. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between the volume and strain parameters of right atrium and liver function grading, and the independent correlation factors of RASr-c were analyzed by univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses. Results:Compared with the control group, Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B groups, RAVmax, RAVmin, RAVpreA, RAVImax, and RAEV were all increased in Child-Pugh C group (all P<0.05). Compared with control group, the absolute values of RASr, RASct, RASr-c and RASct-c were increased, and the absolute values of RAScd and RAScd-c were decreased in Child-Pugh A group (all P<0.05). Compared with control group, Child-Pugh A and Child-Pugh B groups, the absolute values of RASr, RAScd, RASct, RASr-c, RAScd-c and RASct-c were decreased in the Child-Pugh C group (all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that the volume and strain parameters of the right atrium were correlated with liver function grading. RASr-c was independently correlated with E/e, ALB and BNP(β=-0.543, 0.521, and -0.562 respectively, all P<0.05). Conclusions:During the compensatory stage in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis, the RA functions of reservoir and contractile were increased, but the function of conduit was decreased. With the aggravation of liver cirrhosis, the RA functions of reservoir, conduit and contractile were all decreased. The four-dimensional volume and strain parameters of the right atrium were correlated with Child-Pugh liver function grading, and RASr-c was independently correlated with E/e, ALB and BNP.

Objective To evaluate the differences in efficacy,safety and economics of vancomycin hydrochloride for injection between two manufacturers based on real-world data.Methods A total of 6 757 cases of intravenous use of vancomycin hydrochloride for injection from different manufacturers between January 1,2013 and December 31,2019 in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School were retrospectively analyzed,and 5308 cases were matched by 1∶1 propensity score method,including 2 654 cases in the group A(domestic drug group)and 2 654 cases in group B(the innovator drug group).The differences in efficacy and safety between the two groups were compared.Cost-effectiveness analysis was used to compare the drug economics of the two groups.Results There were no significant differences in clinical cure rate,bacterial clearance rate,and incidence of adverse events between the two groups(P>0.05).In terms of economics,the average cost of vancomycin per capita,average daily cost of vancomycin and average cost of antibiotics per capita were significantly different between the two groups(P<0.05),and the cost of group B was higher than that of group A.Conclusion The efficacy and safety of vancomycin hydrochloride for injection were consistent between the two manufacturers.

Epidemiological survey shows that the prevalence, incidence rate and symptoms of mental disorders are affected by sex. A large number of studies have shown that men and women respond differently to psychotropic drugs in clinical application. Moreover, some studies have shown that there are sex specific psychotropic drug use patterns in patients with depression. This paper summarizes the sex differences in pharmacokinetics of psychotropic drugs caused by physiological differences between men and women, and collates the current pharmacodynamic studies of mainstream clinical psychotropic drugs, with special attention to the effect of sex hormones on the therapeutic response of psychotropic drugs. This paper discusses the specific role and necessity of therapeutic drug monitoring in dealing with clinical sex differences in psychotropic drugs, hoping to provide reference for individual rational drug use.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and atherosclerosis (AS) have considerable similarities in clinical risk factors and molecular pathogenesis. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences between AAA and AS from the perspective of metabolomics, and to explore the potential mechanisms of differential metabolites via integration analysis with transcriptomics. Plasma samples from 32 AAA and 32 AS patients were applied to characterize the metabolite profiles using untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A total of 18 remarkably different metabolites were identified, and a combination of seven metabolites could potentially serve as a biomarker to distinguish AAA and AS, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.93. Subsequently, we analyzed both the metabolomics and transcriptomics data and found that seven metabolites, especially 2'-deoxy-D-ribose (2dDR), were significantly correlated with differentially expressed genes. In conclusion, our study presents a comprehensive landscape of plasma metabolites in AAA and AS patients, and provides a research direction for pathogenetic mechanisms in atherosclerotic AAA.

Objective:To compare the clinical efficacy of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE)-covered stent and drug combined with gastroscopy as the secondary prevention of esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding in portal hypertension.Methods:Patients with esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding who received TIPS treatment (ePTFE covered stent) or gastroscopy for the first time as the secondary prevention for portal hypertension at Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University through March to July 2017 were selected. One year after the operation, liver function changes, ascites remission rates, incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, re-bleeding rate, average hospitalization frequency and expenses, survival time, as well as the TIPS patency conditions were analyzed in the two groups of patients. 2 test, Kaplan-Meier method and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data.Results:There were 74 and 66 cases in the TIPS and the drug combined gastroscopy group and the follow-up duration (14.57 ± 0.79) was 12-16 months. One year after surgery, the remission rate of ascites in the TIPS group was higher 57.1% (32/56) than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group (0), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 2 = 36.73, P < 0.01). The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery in the TIPS group was 32.4% (24/74), 37.8% (28/74), 40.5% (30/74), and 40.5% (30/74), respectively. The cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy in the drug combined gastroscopy group was 3.0% (2/66), 3.0% (2/66), 3.0% (2/66), and 6.1% (4/66), respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the cumulative incidence of hepatic encephalopathy in the TIPS group was higher than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group (χ 2 = 11.29, P < 0.01). The incidence of severe hepatic encephalopathy ( grade III to IV) at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery in the TIPS group was 2.7% (2/74), 0, 0, and 0, respectively. The incidence of severe hepatic encephalopathy in drug combined gastroscopy group was 0, and there was no statistically significant difference in development of hepatic encephalopathy between the two groups ( P > 0.05). The re-bleeding rates of TIPS group and drug combined gastroscopy group were 0 and 27.3% (18/66), respectively, and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 22.42, P < 0.01). There was no death reported during the follow-up period between both groups. The hospitalization frequency times (1.45 ± 0.80) in TIPS group was lower than that of the drug combined gastroscopy group times (3.24 ± 1.80), and the difference was statistically significant ( U = -4.52, P < 0.01). Conclusion:In the prevention of esophageal-gastric variceal bleeding, TIPS (ePTFE-covered stent) treatment has the advantages of reducing re-bleeding rate, high ascites remission rate and hospitalizations frequency. In addition, patients treated with TIPS have a higher incidence of hepatic encephalopathy than that of drugs combined with gastroscopy. However, TIPS did not exacerbate the incidence of hepatic encephalopathy, and there was no significant difference in the 1-year survival rate after TIPS and drugs combined with gastroscopy treatment.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of mesalazine combined with compound glutamine in the treatment of radiation related enteritis. Methods Ninety-four patients were randomly divided into the observation group and the treatment group, with 47 cases in each group. Patients in control group were given compound glutamine orally. On the basis of compound glutamine, patients in the observation group was added mesalazine orally. Before and after treatment, all patients were assessed according to acute radiation injury grading (RTOG), and the quality of life (QOL) scale for cancer patients was used to evaluate the improvement of quality of life. Results The total effective rate of the observation group was 95.7％(45/47) , and that of the control group was 78.7％(37/47).The difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). At the end of radiation therapy, patients in the observation group showed significant superiority in quality of life (P<0.05). Conclusions Mesalazine combined with compound glutamine in the treatment of radiation-associated enteritis has advantages and can improve the quality of life.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the gemcitabine(GEM) plus S-1 in unresectable cholangiocarcinoma. Methods Forty-nine unresectable cholangiocarcinoma patients from January 2010 to June 2014 were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group contained 25 patients treated with gemcitabine and S-1 and the control group contained 24 patients treated with gemcitabine and cisplatin. Results The experimental group′s release rate (RR) and disease control rate (DCR) was 36.0% (9/25) and 76.0% (19/25),the control group′s was 25.0(6/24) and 58.3% (14/25), and there were no statistically significant differences (P=0.403 and 0.187). One-year survival rate for the experimental and the control groups were 40.0% (8/25) and 29.2% (7/24), and there was no statistically significant difference (P=0.426). Median overall survival (OS) in the experimental and control groups was 13.0 and 12.3 months, and there was no statistically significant difference (χ2=0.273, P=0.602). The rate ofⅠ～Ⅱgrade of oral mucositis was more higher than that in the control group [25.0%(6/24) vs. 4.0% (1/25), P=0.036 ]. Conclusions Combination of GEM and S-1 provides a better OS and response rate, and is safer.

Objective: To investigate the medium-term curative effect of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) through jugular vein with covered Viatorr stent. Methods: Data of 105 consecutive patients with covered Viatorr stent of our hospital was retrospectively analyzed. Follow-up was performed after surgery, and color Doppler was reviewed to evaluate the efficacy of TIPS. Results: Transjugular intrahepatic shunt was successfully established in all patients. The pressure gradients of portal vein before and after operation were 22.33 ± 6.4 mmHg and 9.78 ± 4.9 mmHg, respectively,P< 0.01, and the difference was statistically significant. The follow-up period ranged from 12.7 to 15.6 months, with an average of 13.09 ± 1.4 month. Total bilirubin and coagulation time increased after operation, but there was no significant difference in total bilirubin and coagulation time at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after operation. The patency rate of shunt was 100%, 99.05%, 99.05% and 99.05% at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after operation. The incidence of hepatic encephalopathy was 34.2%, 29.5%, 19.1% and 14.3% respectively. The recurrence rate of symptoms was 0%. Conclusion Patients with cirrhotic portal hypertension who underwent TIPS with covered Viatorr stent had a lower rate of restenosis, improved liver function, and a lower incidence of severe hepatic encephalopathy. However, the long-term efficacy needs further observation.

Objective: To explore the clinical outcome of advanced testicular nonseminomatous germ cell cancer patients undergoing post chemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND), and to analyze the relevant prognostic factors of lymph node pathological. Methods: A total of 43 consecutive testicular nonseminomatous germ cell cancer patients underwent PC-RPLND between March 2001 and December 2014 in Department of Urology at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were retrospectively reviewed. The average age of the patients was (29.0±11.5) years (ranging from 12 to 58 years). Before PC-RPLND, 22 patients were classified as phase Ⅱ, while 21 were phase Ⅲ. Primary tumor histology revealed seminomatous elements in 19 cases, embryonal cell carcinoma in 22 cases, yolk sac tumor in 13 cases, chorionic carcinoma in 3 cases, mature teratomatous elements in 11 and immature teratomatous elements in 2 cases. Patients were treated with cisplatin-based chemotherapy after orchectomy and then underwent surgical resection of retroperitoneal lymph nodes.After PC-RPLND, all patients underwent a periodic review including the blood routine, biochemistry routine and computed tomography or ultrasonograph of the chest, the abdomen and the pelvis. The association of pathological data with patient′s clinic features and the correlations between molecular features detected with each other were assessed by the t test, χ² and Fisher′s exact test. Multivariate logistic regression were used to assess prognostic factors. Results: The median operative time was 278 minutes (ranging from 50 to 715 minutes). Median blood loss was 425 ml (ranging from 50 to 5 000 ml). Eight patients received blood transfusion intra-operatively, 2 patients underwent adjunctive surgical procedures, 4 patients developed ileus and 4 had an ascites chylosus following PC-RPLND, 1 patient had a postoperative hyperthermia and retrograde ejaculation was present in 10 patients. The transverse diameter of the residual tumor in patients ranged from 0.8 to 18.2 cm. Necrosis, teratoma and viable germ cell tumors were found in 15, 17 and 11 of all patients. The median follow-up time was 46 months (ranging from 6 to 169 months). There were 39 patients had no tumor recurrence, 7 patients were found recurrence after PC-RPLND, 5 died of malignant germ cell tumor. The normal serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level before chemotherapy (HR=25.811, 95%CI: 0.678 to 982.624, P=0.017) and relative changes more than 50% in retroperitoneal lymph node size (HR=0.016, 95%CI: 0 to 0.698, P=0.032) were statistically significant prognostic factors of the presence of necrosis. Conclusions Since most residual masses are not sensitive to chemotherapy, PC-RPLND is still an essential part of the treatment of metastatic testicular nonseminomatous germ cell cancer. Patients with the normal serum LDH level before chemotherapy and a shrinkage of 50% or more in retroperitoneal mass have a considerably chance of having necrosis in the retroperitoneum resection. This may help to refine the selection of candidates for PC-RPLND.