Background:Excessive immune cell activation-inflammatory factor theory is one of the most important pathogenic mechanisms of acute pancreatitis(AP). As the release of inflammatory factors is associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome,seeking of serum cytokine markers for severity assessment of AP is of great clinical importance. Aims:To determine the dynamic changes of interleukin-6(IL-6),hepatocyte growth factor(HGF),and angiopoietin-2(Ang-2) in peripheral blood of AP patients in the first week after admission,and investigate preliminarily the clinical significance of these markers in AP. Methods:Seventy-two AP patients were prospectively recruited from Apr. 2014 to Oct. 2014 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University and were assigned into three groups:mild AP(MAP,n = 54),moderately severe AP(MSAP,n = 12)and severe AP(SAP,n = 6)according to the Atlanta classification of AP-2012. Thirty healthy subjects were served as controls. Serum levels of IL-6,HGF and Ang-2 were determined by ELISA on the 1st,3rd and 7th day after admission. Results:In the first week after admission,serum levels of IL-6,HGF and Ang-2 were significantly higher in AP patients than in controls(P < 0. 05). In MAP group,all three markers were gradually decreased in the first week;while in MSAP group,IL-6 was gradually increased,Ang-2 was gradually decreased,and HGF decreased after reaching the peak;in SAP group,IL-6 decreased after reaching the peak and HGF and Ang-2 increased again after a decrease. Serum levels of IL-6,HGF and Ang-2 were higher in MSAP group and SAP group than in MAP group at all the time points,but no statistically significant differences were observed between MSAP group and SAP group(P > 0. 05). Conclusions:IL-6,HGF and Ang-2 might play important roles in the pathogenesis of AP,and being the promising serum markers for severity assessment and dynamic monitoring of AP.

AIM: To investigate the effects of a Chinese herb compound prescription, Wen-Jin-Tong(WJT), on the deposition of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) ,the expression of receptor for AGEs(RAGE)and ICAM-1 in cardiovascular tissues of diabetic rats. METHODS: The diabetic rat model was induced by injection of streptozotocin. The quantity of AGEs accumulation, the expressions of RAGE and ICAM-1 in aorta and cardiac tissues were detected using fluorescence method, RT-PCR and in situ hybridization techniques. RESULTS: AGEs accumulation in aorta and cardiac tissues of rats treated with Wen-Jin-Tong was lower than that of diabetic model rats(P

Objective:To explore the value of the quantitative fecal immunochemical test (FIT) for primary colorectal cancer screening in health check-up population.Methods:A total of 468 health check-up participants who underwent quantitative FIT and colonoscopy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2018 to December 2019 were enrolled into this study. The participants were divided into two groups-the negative group(FIT<100 μg/L)and the positive group(FIT≥100 μg/L) according to the results of the quantitative FIT. We compared the detection rate of colorectal polyps and colorectal advanced cancer between the two groups, and analyzed the sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative FIT for advanced colorectal cancer and the risk factors of colorectal polyps.Results:The positive rate of quantitative FIT in the healthy population was about 4.6% (95% CI: 4.27%-4.93%). The detection rate of colorectal polyps in the positive group was significantly higher than that of the negative group (51.53%, 95% CI: 45.81%-57.25%) vs (34.28%, 95% CI: 27.25%-41.31%, P<0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative FIT for advanced colorectal cancer was 98.55% and 56.77%, respectively. The positive predictive value of the quantitative FIT for advanced colorectal cancer was 50.37%, while the negative predictive value was 98.88%. With the increase of FIT value, the detection rate of advanced cancer was increased (χ2 =20.08, P<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression of colorectal cancer suggested that the risk of colorectal polyps in patients with a history of diabetes was significantly higher ( OR=3.28, 95% CI: 1.45-7.41, P=0.004); the risk of colorectal polyps in men was also significantly higher ( OR=3.05, 95% CI: 1.40-6.65, P=0.005). Conclusions:Quantitative FIT is an ideal non-invasive examination for primary colorectal cancer screening for a health check-up population. Patients with negative FIT are less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Diabetes history, male, and age are independent risk factors for colorectal cancer.

Objective:To analyze and evaluate the application of quantitative fecal immunochemical test(FIT) in opportunistic screening of colorectal cancer in asymptomatic population undergoing health checkups.Methods:From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2021, at the Health Management Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 53 319 subjects who underwent routine health checkups and with quantitative FIT opportunistic screening for colorectal cancer were selected. Those with positive quantitative FIT results and received colonoscopy were enrolled in the FIT positive group, and those with negative quantitative FIT results and received colonoscopy were enrolled in the FIT negative group. The participation rate and positive rate of quantitative FIT were analyzed. The results of colonoscopy and pathological findings were taken as the gold standard, including normal, non-polyposis lesions, polyposis (hyperplastic and(or) inflammatory polyps, non-advanced adenoma, advanced adenoma), and colorectal cancer, the detection rates of various lesions of the FIT positive and negative groups, the quantitative FIT measurement value of subjects, and the sensitivity and negative predictive value of quantitative FIT for colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was drawn and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated, the screening efficacy of quantitative FIT for colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma was evaluated. Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability method and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 51 420 cases had completed quantitative FIT, and the total participation rate was 96.44% (51 420/53 319). Quantitative FIT was positive in 2 483 cases (4.83%). The participation rate of colonoscopy in FIT positive group was 26.22% (651/2 483), of which 540 cases were enrolled in FIT positive group. The colonoscopy participation rate of FIT negative group was 1.18% (576/48 937), of which 523 cases were enrolled in the FIT negative group. The detection rates of colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma in FIT positive group were both higher than those of the FIT negative group(3.9%, 21/540 vs. 0, 0/523; 16.1%, 87/540 vs. 3.3%, 17/523), and the differences were statistically significant(Fisher exact probability method and χ2=49.79; both P<0.001). Populations with quantitative FIT values from high to low were those with colorectal cancers, advanced adenomas, non-polyp lesions, non-advanced adenomas, normal, and hyperplastic and (or) inflammatory polyps (1 052.0 ng/mL(390.5 ng/mL, 3 058.0 ng/mL); 294.5 ng/mL (116.8 ng/mL, 951.8 ng/mL); 131.5 ng/mL (10.5 ng/mL, 327.3 ng/mL); 97.0 ng/mL (11.0 ng/mL, 238.0 ng/mL); 20.0 ng/mL (0.0 ng/mL, 175.3 ng/mL); 14.0 ng/mL (0.0 ng/mL, 171.0 ng/mL)), and the difference was statistically significant( H=120.53, P<0.001). The sensitivities(95% confidence interval (95% CI)) of quantitative FIT in colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma were 100.0%(80.8% to 100.0%) and 83.6%(74.8% to 89.9%), respectively. The negative predictive values (95% CI) were 100.0%(99.1% to 100.0%) and 96.7%(94.7% to 98.0%), respectively. The results of ROC analysis showed that the AUCs(95% CI) of quantitative FIT in colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma were 0.874(0.820 to 0.928) and 0.723(0.675 to 0.770), respectively. Conclusions:In this study, the participation rate of quantitative FIT is high. More patients with advanced adenomas and colorectal cancers are found in the high risk popolation with positive quantitative FIT. Quantitative FIT has a good sensitivity and a negative predictive value for colorectal cancer and advanced adenoma. Therefore, positive quantitative FIT-colonoscopies sequential screening should be advocated in population undergoing health checkups for colorectal cancer screening, and it may be applicable to large-scale population screening in China.