Objective To investigate the correlation of clinicopathological parameters and prognosis with serum and pancreatic cancer tissue klotho. Methods Immunohistochemistry EnVision two step method was used to assess klotho protein expression of a tissue microarray ( TMA) of 79 pairs of pancreatic tissue and normal surrounding tissue. The serum klotho levels in 39 pancreatic cancer patients and 39 healthy controls who had matched clinical data were measured by ELISA. The relationships between the expression of klotho and the clinicopathological features and survival were analyzed. Results Klotho expression positivity in pancreatic cancer tissue was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (59. 5％ vs 96. 3％);serum level of klotho was markedly higher in pancreatic cancer patients than that in control group [(670. 30 ± 82. 24)pg/ml vs (310.35 ± 34.65) pg/ml], and both the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Klotho expression was negatively associated with tumor clinical stage and lymph node metastasis (P<0. 05), and the expression of klotho did not correlate with patients' gender, age, tumor size, location, local invasion depth and the like. The median survival time in pancreatic cancer patients with positive klotho expression were longer than that in in pancreatic cancer patients with negative klotho expression [(48. 31 ± 6. 94) months vs (19. 50 ±6. 78)months], and the difference was statistically significant (P<0. 01). ROC analysis on serum klotho gave a cutoff value of 376. 51 pg/ml to diagnosis pancreatic cancer with a sensitivity of 84. 6％ and specificity of 87. 2％. Conclusions Klotho level in serum and tissue of pancreatic cancer patients was closely correlated with clinicopathological parameters and prognosis, which may be a potential biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of transcather arterial embolization (TAE) plus sirolimus for the treatment of refractory Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KMS) in infants. Methods Clinical data of twelve infants with refractory KMS treated between December 2015 and October 2016 in a single hospital were retrospectively analyzed. TAE were performed in all patients after failed traditional multiple therapies, followed by oral sirolimus administration. The dose of sirolimus was modulated according to the level of sirolimus, the count of platelet, the shrinkage of the lesion and the side effects, which were monitored regularly during the study. Results All 12 patients were treated with TAE plus sirolimus therapies successfully. The platelet count for all patients increased to≥100×109/L for the first time at (7±5) days. Stabilization of platelet level was obtained in (15±7) days averagely. Before the treatment, two infants had a normal fibrinogen level and the fibrinogen level in the other 10 infants was found to be increased to≥2.0 g/L at (9 ± 4)days for the first time and was then stabilized at levels>2.0 g/L at (19 ± 7)days after treatment. One patient showed skin fester (GradeⅡ), one patient had a fever with acute pulmonary infection (Grade Ⅲ) and both patients improved well after symptomatic treatment. There were no serious complications in the other ten patients. Conclusions TAE plus sirolimus can rapidly improve levels of platelets and fibrinogen, and it is a safe, useful and effective method for treatment of refractory KMS in infants.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of transcather arterial embolization (TAE) plus sirolimus for the treatment of refractory Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KMS) in infants. Methods Clinical data of twelve infants with refractory KMS treated between December 2015 and October 2016 in a single hospital were retrospectively analyzed. TAE were performed in all patients after failed traditional multiple therapies, followed by oral sirolimus administration. The dose of sirolimus was modulated according to the level of sirolimus, the count of platelet, the shrinkage of the lesion and the side effects, which were monitored regularly during the study. Results All 12 patients were treated with TAE plus sirolimus therapies successfully. The platelet count for all patients increased to≥100×109/L for the first time at (7±5) days. Stabilization of platelet level was obtained in (15±7) days averagely. Before the treatment, two infants had a normal fibrinogen level and the fibrinogen level in the other 10 infants was found to be increased to≥2.0 g/L at (9 ± 4)days for the first time and was then stabilized at levels>2.0 g/L at (19 ± 7)days after treatment. One patient showed skin fester (GradeⅡ), one patient had a fever with acute pulmonary infection (Grade Ⅲ) and both patients improved well after symptomatic treatment. There were no serious complications in the other ten patients. Conclusions TAE plus sirolimus can rapidly improve levels of platelets and fibrinogen, and it is a safe, useful and effective method for treatment of refractory KMS in infants.

Objective:To investigate the safety, feasibility and accuracy of esophageal sponge cytology in esophageal carcinoma screening in high-incidence districts.Methods:Opportunistic screening for esophageal carcinoma was conducted on individuals aged 40-75 years with high-risk factors for esophageal carcinoma and visited out-patient clinic in Lianshui People's Hospital from May 2021 to June 2022. A new esophageal cell collector independently developed in China was used for esophageal sponge cytology sampling followed by cytopathological analysis. Atypical squamous cells or more severe lesions were defined as positive esophageal sponge cytology. Then gastroscopy was performed, and all suspicious areas under the endoscopy were biopsied for histopathological examination. Gastroscopy, biopsy histopathology and esophageal sponge cytology were conducted blindly in pairs. Outcome measures included adverse reactions during sampling, subject tolerability (using a visual simulation score), sampling quality, and diagnostic efficacy of esophageal sponge cytology using gastroscopy plus biopsy histopathology as the gold standard.Results:A total of 1 590 patients completed the screening program. During esophageal sponge cytology sampling, no serious adverse events were observed, and the adverse reactions were mainly manifested as vomiting during sampling [0.31% (5/1 590)] and sore throat after sampling [2.45% (39/1 590)], all of which resolved spontaneously without further medical intervention. The majority of subjects [98.62% (1 568/1 590)] reported good tolerance during the procedure. After sampling, 1 526 (95.97%) subjects had completely expanded sponge material, meeting the standard of good sampling quality. The scanning analysis of the digital pathology system showed that the number of sampled cells in 1 590 subjects ranged (2.01-4.00)×10 6, with a median of 3.48×10 6 cells, which could meet the requirements for interpreting cytological results. Using the positive esophageal sponge cytology for the diagnosis of esophageal carcinoma including high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of esophagogastric junction, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 98.57% (69/70), 91.51% (1 391/1 520), 34.85% (69/198), 99.93% (1 391/1 392), and 91.82% (1 460/1 590), respectively. Conclusion:Esophageal sponge cytology presents promising diagnostic efficacy for esophageal carcinoma screening, offering a simple, safe, convenient, and effective approach in high-incidence esophageal carcinoma regions.